The Wizard: From Zero-Ring Wizard to Almighty Lord.

Chapter 195 The Wrath of the Machine Puppets

Chapter 195

Deep within the outer planes, within the divine realm.

At the very heart of the divine kingdom stands a magnificent platform floating in the void.

It hangs in the center of the sky, vast and boundless, its edges hidden in the pervasive golden light and divine power fluctuations.

The entire platform shone with golden light, and divine power flowed along the rune trails like a stream, radiating unparalleled brilliance.

On the platform stood countless imposing figures.

They are arranged in hierarchy, from the inside out, like stars surrounding the core, layer upon layer protecting the being at the very center, the Goddess of the Magic Network.

She stood quietly in the very center of the platform.

It was a graceful figure wearing a long black dress, with snow-white skin and flawless features.

His eyes seemed to contain the entire workings of the magic network, mysterious and profound, captivating anyone who looked into them.

Seven figures guarded her, each wielding a divine artifact, positioned at the seven points of the divine array.

The outermost layer is lined with level nine mages, and the outer edge is a ring formation composed of level eight mages.

They stood reverently and solemnly atop the golden platform that bore the will of the gods, like stars surrounding the moon.

The entire surface of the platform was covered with dense and extremely complex magical runes, which intertwined with each other and eventually converged into a terrifying divine array.

The divine array slowly rotated, like a giant wheel of fate, with ripples of divine power spreading out from it, like layers of shimmering tides in a starry sea, gradually swallowing and refining the entire outer plane.

The Goddess of the Magic Net is the center and ruler of all of this.

She stood at the center of the divine array, and with the array's continuous support, her divine power was rapidly recovering and expanding at an unprecedented speed.

Her will is deeply integrated with the divine array, gradually refining the entire outer plane into a part of her divine kingdom.

Today, a full 20% of the outer planes have fallen into her territory and have been completely brought under the rule of her divine kingdom.

And her power also increased with the expansion of the divine kingdom;
Conversely, the increase in power further accelerated the refining process.

The dual amplification from the divine array and divine power is causing the entire process to advance exponentially.

Moreover, as the power of the divine array continues to extend, the divine net has quietly enveloped the entire outer plane.

All wizards, no matter where they are hiding, are already subtly exposed to the goddess's perception as long as they are still in the outer plane.

Once she has completely refined the outer plane into a divine kingdom, the person she is looking for will have nowhere to hide.

In her divine realm, with a single thought, she could effortlessly sift out that being as easily as picking up dust.

Above the divine array, the seven star guardians remained silent, while at the center of the array, the goddess in the black dress seemed like an eternal and unmoving ruler.

Suddenly, her slender eyebrows trembled slightly, as if she had caught some discordant vibration.

The next moment, those eyes, which were as calm as an abyss, shifted slightly and swept over two of the Seven Star Mages.

It was a man and a woman.

The man was named Bed, and the woman was Lillian. As Seven Star Mages, they held an extremely high status.

But at this moment, a subtle, almost imperceptible change flashed across the faces of these two legendary mages.

The two were so distracted that the flow of magic within their bodies paused.

The reason these two were in this situation was naturally because they had sensed that the life force of their disciples, Walker and Kunna, had completely disappeared.

In other words, their two disciples died within the divine array, in the outer plane!

However, at this moment, the divine array is at a critical juncture in its operation, and the refining of the entire outer plane has entered a crucial stage.

Even though Vivian and Bede were seething with anger, almost bursting forth, they could only suppress it, burying their rage deep in their hearts and daring not to make the slightest move.

In the center of the divine array, the goddess in the black dress, who had been standing still, slowly turned her eyes, her gaze gently sweeping over the two of them.

In that instant, it was as if countless stars were falling from the sky, penetrating the depths of their souls.

However, to everyone's surprise, she was not angry because of the two people's previous out-of-control magical fluctuations.

On the contrary, her words even carried a hint of comfort:

"Once the divine kingdom is stable, you will be in charge of dealing with and avenging all those people in that wizard stronghold."

His tone was calm, yet every word was like a divine pronouncement.

At that moment, Vivian and Bedard looked up abruptly, their eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and joy, their expressions solemn.

They immediately bowed their heads and responded respectfully and sincerely:
"Thank you, Goddess!"

The two were filled with complex and intense emotions.

Still shaken, they knew perfectly well that their earlier outburst, even if only momentarily out of control, would have already incurred punishment from any other deity.

Now, the goddess has not only forgiven their lapse in behavior, but also offered comfort and promises.

This act of kindness moved them to tears.

Master Bedek, in particular, felt increasingly guilty and uneasy.

After all, he had already failed the task entrusted to him by the goddess in the material plane not long ago.

He was filled with anxiety, but to his surprise, he did not provoke the goddess's anger.

Today's events, in addition, made him feel ashamed of the goddess's kindness.

With mixed feelings, Vivian and Bed looked towards the direction covered by the divine array.

That place, where their disciple's aura perished, was also quite close to that wizard's stronghold.

Their gazes were cold, their minds resolute: Once the divine kingdom is fully refined, none of these wizards will escape! They will make everyone in that stronghold pay for their blood debts!
However, at that moment, a strange movement suddenly arose within the divine array.

The platform trembled slightly, and ripples of golden light spread outwards, mixed with discordant energy rhythms, like chaotic sounds interspersed with divine music, causing the entire divine array to tremble incessantly.

The Goddess of the Magic Network and the Seven Star Mage turned their gazes almost simultaneously toward the source of the divine array's fluctuations.

Deep in the void, in a region not yet fully covered by divine power, a new wizard stronghold suddenly appeared.

This stronghold was extremely well hidden, and the power fluctuations it emitted were even stronger than those of the wizard strongholds discovered earlier.

Clearly, it is a gathering place for a larger number of wizards of higher rank.

The goddess of the Divine Network twitched her brow almost imperceptibly, and a thoughtful look flashed in her eyes.

"Another stronghold..." she murmured to herself, her divine sense rapidly expanding in the void.
"It seems that most of the wizards who were supposed to show themselves have already surfaced."

"However, that person might not be within those two wizard strongholds, so we can't end this early..."

If the person who caught her attention was inside the two wizard strongholds, she could simply terminate the divine array and then refine the two strongholds.

But this is just speculation, gambling.

Now that the Goddess of the Magic Network is in charge of the divine array, it's only a matter of time before she refines the entire outer plane, so naturally she doesn't want any mistakes to happen.

Since the advantage lies with her, why be greedy for short-term gains?

"Continue refining."

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire golden platform erupted with dazzling divine light once more, and the divine array shimmered like the veins of a deity.

Billions of runes began to operate again, and divine power poured down like a celestial river, continuing to devour, cover, and refine the entire outer plane.

....................................

Time passes quietly.

At this moment, the outer plane is like an ancient scroll that is slowly burning, being reshaped and absorbed inch by inch by inch under the erosion and refinement of the divine array's power.

In the foreseeable future, this vast outer world will eventually fall entirely under the control of the divine array, becoming the divine realm of the Goddess of the Magic Network.

However, in this plane that has already been destined to belong to someone else, there are still two regions that, like isolated and inextinguishable lights in the night, have not been submerged by the tide of divine power.

These two places are naturally the two wizard strongholds of the wizard army in the outer plane.

These two wizard strongholds, one large and one small, one strong and one weak, are both guarded by Morning Star wizards.

The powerful strongholds were collected by the mechanical puppet wizard, the highest-ranking official in the Eastern Theater Command.

The weak stronghold was then led by the suddenly appearing Spirit-Eyed Wizard.

At this moment, the strongholds of both sides were like reefs stubbornly resisting the torrent of divine power.

At this moment, although the two Morning Star Wizards were far apart, they were conducting a secret communication through their respective methods.

Deep within the vast stronghold, the machine wizard stood silently in a metal room surrounded by alchemical instruments and runic conduits.

He was dressed in a black and gold sorcerer's robe, with a silver-white talisman-woven cloak draped over his shoulders. His hands were behind his back, and his gaze was cold as he stared at the slowly rotating sorcery projection in the air.

In the past, his eyes always revealed a shrewd and calculating air, carrying the smile of a seasoned businessman, making him impossible to guard against. But now, that smile has long since faded, replaced by an intensely dark and murderous aura.

His gaze was no longer gentle, nor did it have the slightest ripple; instead, it was a pair of cold eyes like mechanical blades, as if they could cut space into fragments.

What truly plunged him into such a gloomy mood was neither the revival of the Goddess of the Magic Network, nor this sudden divine array refinement.

It was the appearance of the Spirit-Eyed Wizard.

He never expected that the being who should have been outside the plan and whose cause and effect had long been severed would actually appear in person and step into this expeditionary land.

They clearly had an agreement with each other.

He allowed the Spirit-Eyed Wizard to send someone to deal with the suspicious boy named "Lynn," which could be considered as repaying a favor from back then.

After this incident, they no longer had any dealings with each other.

But now, the Spirit-Eyed Wizard not only did not follow the rules, but also brazenly entered the depths of the plane and established his own base, seemingly intending to cause trouble.

This action is like forcibly inserting an unstable factor into an alchemical ritual, which is dangerous and uncontrollable.

What's even more critical is that this expedition was not led by him, the puppet wizard, alone, but was a joint mission dispatched by the entire mechanical city.

As a Morning Star Wizard, he has a voice, but he does not have absolute power.

If his private collusion causes loopholes or even leads to the failure of the expedition...

Then what awaits him is the harshest trial by the Wizarding Council.

Even with his status and power, he could not escape severe punishment.

Thinking of this, the puppet wizard's face grew increasingly gloomy, his cheek muscles twitched slightly, and his heart felt as heavy as cold iron.

He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly touching the void with spiritual energy, and the magical communication array quietly activated, transmitting to the distant other end, the stronghold of the Spirit Eye Wizard.

The next moment, a pale, misty wave of spiritual energy quietly appeared, and a pair of pale eyes, devoid of any emotion, slowly took shape in the void, gazing at the scene.

“…Spirit Eyes,”

The puppet wizard spoke, his voice like a biting cold wind, each syllable squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with suppressed rage.

You owe me an explanation.

"Was that mysterious Morning Star who appeared in the Eastern Theater Command earlier... you?"

He continued to ask, his expression as somber as night.

However, faced with this question, the Spirit-Eyed Wizard in the void showed no sign of panic; his voice was chillingly calm:

"Is there any point in discussing these things now? The most urgent task is to consider how to deal with the power of the Goddess of the Magic Network's divine array."

His tone was completely flat, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

The puppet wizard's face darkened further, his anger boiling over and almost impossible to suppress.

"What on earth do you want to do?!"

He growled, his voice no longer concealing his emotional turmoil.

"I heard... you chose Shattered Star, which means you've obviously encountered some life-or-death predicament..."

“I’ve heard about your situation before. It seems the Forgestone and the Wizarding Council are at odds, and all the information they’ve revealed points to a certain [landscape]…”

His gaze was like a nail, fixed directly on those calm, expressionless eyes:
“The landscape is a legacy originating from the civilization of the gods.”

"So, you came here... for the civilization of the gods?"

"You approached the expedition, intervened in the war, and established strongholds, risking your own life for them?"

"Answer me, Spirit Eye!"

With each word he spoke, the murderous intent in the puppet wizard's eyes intensified, his gaze filled with anger and...regret.

Yes, it's regret.

He remembered that when he first mentioned the words "civilization of gods" during his conversation with the Spirit Eye Wizard, the Spirit Eye Wizard had a momentary unusual reaction.

But he didn't pay attention to it at the time and completely ignored it.

However, thinking back on it now, that slight abnormality... is quite suspicious.

Now, the war has reached its climax, the divine array is refining heaven and earth, and a storm is brewing in the outer planes.

During this period, a series of strange events and numerous variables emerged.

He had already deduced that the Spirit-Eyed Wizard had not stood idly by, but had secretly intervened in several key events.

The avatar of the great wizard Yud, who was under his command, was killed by the other party. This is the biggest example!

Among the most important pieces of information provided by the great wizard Yud was that the being rode "a black dragon".

The Puppet Wizard remembered clearly that the Spirit-Eyed Wizard had once tamed a black dragon.

Clues, pieced together bit by bit.

All the clues eventually converged into a conclusion that he could hardly accept.

He was now certain that the Spirit-Eyed Wizard was setting up a scheme, concealing his intentions, and plotting something.

Faced with the puppet wizard's relentless questioning and aggressive deductions, his pale eyes remained completely unmoved, like still water, calm as a mirror, unfathomable.

"Now that you already know, what else do you want to ask me?"

The Spirit-Eyed Wizard responded calmly, his tone indifferent.

However, this indifference finally ignited the long-suppressed anger of the machine puppet wizard.

"You bastard!"

He roared, his voice a metallic, twisting boom that echoed throughout the room, as if the entire stronghold was enraged by him.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Tell me everything clearly! Otherwise, I'll report all your tricks to the authorities right now!"

"Who is behind this expeditionary war? Do you really know nothing about it?"

"Behind the Nightmare Rift Valley lies a terrifying force that keeps the entire southern region dormant!"

"If you dare to tamper with things at such a crucial stage, and something goes wrong, you won't survive!"

His voice grew louder and louder, his emotions completely out of control, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“Damn it, you chose ‘Shattered Star,’ you’re not even a complete Morning Star! But I…”

The puppet wizard's voice was almost a roar; his usually calm and calculating mind completely collapsed at this moment.

His emotions surged like a tidal wave, a mixture of anger, anxiety, fear... so many emotions intertwined that he could barely breathe.

The Spirit-Eyed Wizard simply watched quietly.

There was no rebuttal, no response, not even the slightest emotional fluctuation.

He remained silent, letting the mechanical wizard curse and vent, as if it had nothing to do with him, simply waiting for a certain emotional tipping point to quietly pass.

Sure enough, after a moment, the mechanical wizard finally stopped, panting heavily, his eyes as cold as frost.

His attitude also changed accordingly, becoming unexpectedly... slow and gentle.

"What exactly... do you want?"

He asked, his tone no longer aggressive, but like a gambler cornered, his restraint carrying a barely perceptible plea.

He knew very well that he didn't have the capital to truly "show his cards."

After all, it's hard to say whether the Spirit-Eyed Wizard will live or die after the matter is leaked, but his fate won't be good.

Therefore, it would be best to reach an agreement with the Spirit Eye Wizard to conceal their information and completely sever all contact with them...

But before that, he also needed to figure out what the Spirit-Eyed Wizard was really up to.

And this time, the Spirit Eye Wizard finally responded.

He chuckled softly, his voice no longer so cold, but instead carrying a hint of gentleness.

"What I want to do is not important..."

Before he finished speaking, as if sensing that the mechanical wizard's nerves were on the verge of collapse, he continued at the opportune moment:
"But I can tell you that I have no intention of sabotaging the expedition."

"From beginning to end, everything I have done has been on the side of the wizards."

"It could even be said that I hope this expedition will ultimately be victorious more than anyone else."

The puppet wizard's eyes remained icy, but as he listened to the spirit-eyed wizard's words, all sorts of speculations arose in his mind...

(End of this chapter)