Wizards begin with Occlumency.

"When?"

Mike Philo, a sixth-level sage of the White Tower Alliance, coldly asked.

His gaze was fixed on Markimilian Mederos, a sixth-level sage from the Flame and Metal Merchant Guild, awaiting a reply.

"When and when?"

Mark Michielan Mederos appeared nonchalant, but then asked in bewilderment.

A hint of mockery flashed in Mike Philo's eyes as he turned to Dean Forrest: "When did your Rivosos Academy persuade the Flame and Metal Merchant Guild to cooperate?"

"Oh, you guessed it?"

Dean Forrest wasn't surprised at all; Mark Michallian's "Why the hell didn't you say so sooner?" had revealed some information.

On the surface, it was a complaint that Dean Forrest was not frank enough in proposing to resolve the dispute with the outcome of the battle between the "Cloudy" and the two fleets. In reality, it revealed that the two organizations had communicated about the matter in advance and reached a certain tacit understanding.

However, the presence of Link Grand was not mentioned, or rather, was mentioned rather vaguely, in the lineup of the "Cloud and Rainbow" provided by Dean Forrest, or rather, the Rivoss Academy.

Or, even if Link Grand's existence is mentioned, it is not explicitly stated that Link Grand has already advanced to a level two wizard.

An extraordinary genius who, at the first level of wizardry, could overpower a seasoned second-level wizard.

Leaving the special ruins world and quickly advancing to the level two wizard, no one would believe that there were no benefits or improvements in combat power.

His combat power is at least comparable to a level three wizard, and he is very likely the strongest among those below the sage level.

Although the two fleets of the Blazing and Metal Merchants and the White Tower Alliance are equipped with warships of the main force of the Sage-level Legion, they are still lacking in personnel level and strength.

They were far inferior to the real main force; they were merely there for training.

With Link Grand, who had already been promoted to a second-level wizard, on board the "Cloudy Rainbow," the chances of victory for both fleets were greatly reduced.

The only ones kept in the dark were the White Tower Alliance, which steadfastly supported its allies, the Flame and Metal Merchants.

Both the two legions' surprise attack plan and the new generation of training proposed by the Flame and Metal Merchants actively cooperated.

During his previous conversation with Forrest, Mike Philo had fully respected Mark Millian's statement.

Even though he disagreed, he didn't refute Markmillian in front of Dean Forrest.

This is all I got in return for my sincere heart?

How disheartening!

Mike Philo exuded a suffocating aura, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Am I stupid? Is the White Tower Alliance idiotic?"

Seeing this, Markimilian Mederos had no choice but to speak up and explain, emphasizing, "The Flame and Metal Merchant Guild has not betrayed the White Tower Alliance."

"There's something being hidden, isn't there?"

Mike Philo, not wanting to waste any more time on idle chatter, turned and headed back to the fleet. "You...you guys, think carefully about the consequences of what you've done when you get back."

Watching Mike Philo's resolute departure, Mark Michalian Mederos's eyes narrowed slightly.

He was merely following orders from the highest levels of the trading company, and he felt equally uncomfortable about it.

Fight if you want to fight, make peace if you want to make peace. Staying in limbo, sticking together like glue, is not straightforward at all.

Doesn't this offend our allies?

With thoughts swirling in his mind, Maximilian continued his actions and returned to his own fleet.

Mike left; he dared not face Forrest and Lissandra alone.

If those two don't follow the rules and launch a sneak attack, he might not be able to defeat them.

It's best to leave as soon as possible.

"Have you achieved your goal?"

Lissandra watched the two Level 6 Sages leave one after the other and spoke in a low voice.

The great power returns to oneself. A level six sage is strong enough, but with ties attached, one's speech and actions are also constrained.

She could clearly see that Mike Philo was furious.

If it weren't for concerns about the consequences, they probably would have attacked Markimilian just now.

"certainly."

Dean Forrest chuckled, "Did they really think I'd dare drag the academy down and fight five against one? Winning them over, dividing them, sowing discord—breaking their alliance from within—it's all standard tactic. I just quietly sent the captured wizards back to the Flame and Metal Merchant Guild and promised them some benefits, hehe..."

"Tsk!"

Lissandra gave a disgusted look and exclaimed, "What a dirty heart!"

That's enough!

Dean Forrest nearly lost his temper, angrily rebuking, "Who am I doing this for?"

"Anyway, it's not your sister, me."

Lisandra left with a single sentence and vanished without a trace.

Dean Forrest looked around at the empty, boundless void, then turned his gaze toward the "Cloudy" ship.

After watching for a long time, Dean Forrest also disappeared from the spot, his whereabouts unknown.

The cockpit of the "Cloud and Rainbow".

Sandra finally finished her long deliberation and made a decision.

She planned to largely execute the local counterattack plan devised by Tarling, but with a minor modification.

This change was Sandra's carefully conceived strategy for winning, but it was also the point she was most unsure about.

"Link, Gerald, come with me."

Sandra rose from the captain's seat, gave a greeting, and walked out of the cabin first.

Link glanced at Gerald, the combat team leader, a thin young man with a cold face, and walked in front of him.

Gerrard accepted this calmly, without any sense that it was disrespectful or presumptuous.

Strength is paramount.

Since the opponent is stronger than him, he naturally has to respect them.

If Gerald really cared about family background, he wouldn't have stayed around Sandra all this time.

The three walked into a small cabin where a miniature interstellar warship was docked.

Sandra pointed to the teardrop-shaped miniature interstellar warship and said, "This warship was a gift from one of my uncles. It has extremely strong stealth capabilities. I plan to have the two of you aboard it, detach from the 'Cloudy Rainbow,' and cruise around outside, waiting for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack."

After a pause, Sandra emphasized, "You can decide for yourselves when and in what form to launch the attack. I have only one requirement: if you don't act, all is well; but if you do, it must be decisive in determining the course of the battle. What do you say? Can you do it? Do you dare?"

"I'll do whatever you say."

Gerald, a thin young man with a stern face, didn't talk much, but his attitude was very firm.

"I'm fine."

Link doesn't object to this either.

During his time studying at the academy's main campus, based on his previous experiences with spacetime turbulence and Star Trek, Link focused on developing his interstellar survival and combat skills.

After spending most of the academy's subsidized "credits," her innate sorcery "Armor" has incorporated a total of 8 first-level Armor-type sorcery spells and 4 second-level Armor-type sorcery spells.

Not to mention, Link used these two months to learn a lot of second-circle magic from elemental wizards and true spirit wizards.

With its foundation gradually solidified and its strength further enhanced, it has long wanted to find an opportunity to test its mettle.

Being able to go out and fight guerrilla warfare is far superior to being confined inside the "Cloud and Rainbow" and operating the warship's combat system.

"Okay, it's settled then."

Sandra left the two behind and returned to the cockpit.

"You go first."

Gerald pointed to the teardrop-shaped miniature interstellar warship, making a double entendre.

This was both a way of letting Link board the ship first and a way of showing that he would prioritize Link's orders.

"Thanks."

Link smiled and extended his right hand, giving Gerald a light handshake before boarding the pilot's seat of the miniature interstellar warship.

Gerrard followed closely behind, sitting in the passenger seat.

"Command confirmed."

"Engine started."

"Enter stealth mode."

"About to be ejected."

"Ejecting..."

"May the 'Cloud and Rainbow' bring you a victorious return."

The two had just settled in when the voice of the tower spirit of the "Cloud and Rainbow" sounded one after another.

The fully intelligent miniature interstellar warship was ejected silently from the hull.

Like a fish entering the ocean, with a flick of its tail, it merges into the boundless starry sky.

The two fleets, which were in hot pursuit, found no trace of anything, even with their reconnaissance systems running at full power.

"Detour to the flank and rear of the White Tower Alliance fleet."

Link quickly assumed the role of commander, issuing commands to the independent tower spirit who had taken over control of the miniature warship from the tower spirit of the "Cloud Neon".

"clear."

The waterdrop warship made a smooth turn and quickly veered to the right.

Like a cheetah, they roamed the White Tower Alliance fleet from the side and rear, waiting for the right moment to launch a fatal attack.

The cockpit of the "Cloud and Rainbow".

Sandra returned to the captain's seat and solemnly reminded everyone, "Gentlemen, the battle is about to begin. I expect you all to fulfill your duties. If you are unfamiliar with the controls, follow the tower spirit's guidance. Do you all understand?"

"clear!"

The remaining members responded loudly.

It was no surprise that Link and Gerald did not return.

The two strongest fighters were called out separately, obviously because they had a special mission to complete.

"Our only objective in this operation is to inflict maximum damage on the enemy."

Sandra's face was stern and her expression solemn as she emphasized, "This is not a contest! This is not a contest! This is real combat! This is real combat! All mercy, discard it! Our objective is to kill the enemy and survive. Understand?"

"clear!"

The crowd responded loudly once again.

"I didn't hear you. What's the target?"

Sandra exuded a murderous aura, and looked incredibly cold and ruthless.

"Kill the enemy, survive!"

Everyone answered in unison, showing a remarkable understanding.

This is the educational feature of Rivos College.

In peacetime, they can each do their own thing, but once wartime begins, they can quickly form a tacit understanding and follow orders.

"Everyone back in position!"

Seeing this, Sandra was very pleased with the spirit of the miniature legion members and shouted loudly.

Five members of prominent families from the academy's main campus quickly took over the control positions on the combat system.

Lanny and Tiffany occupied the observation and aiming positions on the reconnaissance system.

Jasmine took over the control position of the defense system.

Fried occupied the observation position of the entire ship's maintenance system.

Everyone had a clear division of labor, each performing their duties efficiently.

No one was dragging the team down, which made them seem incompetent.

"Execute Contingency Plan No. 3."

Sandra issued instructions to the Tower Spirit.

"Understood, execute contingency plan number three."

Upon receiving the command, the Tower immediately controlled the "Cloud Neon" to slow down, circle, and turn 180°.

The medium-caliber Annihilation Beams of the warship's main guns began to heat up and store energy.

The five members of the powerful family took control of the combat system artifacts, such as the Star Destroyer Cannon, the Disintegration Cannon, and the Antimatter Cannon, and began warming up for the battle.

Lanny and Tiffany promptly sent the various data obtained by the reconnaissance system to the AI ​​at the combat system's control center for reference.

Jasmine is prepared to reinforce the protective shield of the attacked area if the "Cloud Neon" is attacked.

Fried didn't sit idly by either; following Tarling's advice, he adjusted the layout of the maintenance AI puppets.

The unusual behavior of the "Cloud and Rainbow" naturally fell under the observation of the two fleets behind it.

"Finally stopped running?"

The fleet commander of the Flame and Metal Trading Company, the sorceress Vina, shouted excitedly, "Want to fight back? Then let's fight to our hearts' content!"

Instructions were quickly issued from her mouth.

The fleet, consisting of one main battleship, three auxiliary battleships, and one supply ship, immediately carried out the orders from the wizard Vina.

From this performance, it is easy to see that the wizard Vina is not an ignorant person.

At least in terms of interstellar combat command, he is already considered one of the more outstanding rookie commanders.

The captains of the five warships and the tower spirits did not object to the wizard Vina's command or correct any errors.

The White Tower Alliance fleet also responded promptly, adjusting its formation.

Compared to the Flame and Metal Company's wedge formation, where the main warships led the charge, the auxiliary warships lagged behind, and the supply ships did not participate in the charge, the "Scholar" Silvano played it safe.

Two auxiliary warships led the way, flanking the main warship on the left and right, with the main warship lagging behind by one ship position. Finally, the last auxiliary warship and the supply ship followed closely behind the main warship.

This formation is quite strange, neither attacking nor defending. I wonder what "Scholar" Silvano was thinking.

Sandra didn't care about that, and neither did the wizard Vina.

Link was quite upset after he found out.

This variant of the long, single-line formation actually effectively avoids the problem of being attacked from the flanks and rear.

Two auxiliary warships, one on the left and one on the right, are ready to provide support to the left and right rear sides at any time.

"Such a keen sense of smell?"

Link muttered something to himself, then changed his target, turning his attention to the fleet of the Flame and Metal Company.

However, Link did not act rashly.

They are not the main force charging into battle, but rather a surprise force to achieve victory, so naturally they cannot enter the fray at the very beginning.

The medium-caliber muzzle of the main gun of the "Yunni" suddenly flashed, and it launched the first attack.

Two half-power annihilation beams were fired at the two fleets in succession, as if to greet them and test the waters.

The two fleets, which were well prepared, launched their attacks while simultaneously taking evasive and defensive maneuvers.

The first wave of attacks began suddenly, but quickly subsided.

One beam of the "Cloud and Rainbow" annihilation beam was met head-on by the main warships of the Flame and Metal Merchant Company, while the other beam was mostly dodged by the White Tower Alliance fleet, only grazing the edge of the supply ship and causing some turbulence.

The first round of probing attacks by the two fleets, mainly using large-caliber star-destroying cannons, was mostly evaded by the "Cloud and Rainbow," with only a portion being withstood.

After the initial probing ended, the intensity of the battle suddenly escalated.

In an instant, annihilation beams, planet-destroying cannons, disintegration cannons, antimatter cannons, space-shaking cannons, and so on, crisscrossed this star field.

Nothing happened to the eleven warships that were engaged in battle.

The surrounding small celestial bodies suffered greatly.

The "Yunni" fought against two large fleets single-handedly and held its own.

"damn it!"

Looking at the "Cloud and Rainbow," which remained as steady as a rock amidst the hail of cannon fire, the wizard Vina couldn't help but curse, "Damn, that's incredibly extravagant! A custom-made flagship, how many magic stones must that have cost!"

Despite being direct descendants of their respective wizarding organizations, they receive different treatment.

Sandra is the only girl in the fourth generation of the Diormand family, and she has been pampered since childhood.

It's all because of the magic stones.

"Master, master."

Flandre, who had been sent out by Link as a scout early on, suddenly called out in Link's mind, "Flandre has discovered something good."

"How so?"

Link responded immediately.

"My lord, look! The stern shield of this capital warship is damaged!"

As Flandre spoke, she shared her perspective.

Link looked over and noticed that the defensive shields near the engines of the main warships of the Flame and Metal Company fleet were significantly weaker than those of other parts.

This must have been caused not long ago when the "Cloud and Rainbow" seized an opening in its position and fired a full-power annihilation beam.

Although the attack was blocked and did not damage the ship, it disrupted the circulation of the main warship's defensive shield.

The Flame and Metal Merchant Company's fleet hadn't been properly repaired yet.

Not to be missed.

Link decided to go out alone, to poke the warship's stern, while leaving the droplet warship to remain hidden for support and as a backup plan.

Vina the Wizard suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. (End of Chapter)