Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 708 Successor

A sudden summer downpour swept through the North, bringing a slight cooldown to the bustling Starfire City.

Harvey slowly handed the alchemical communicator to Salas, sighing gravely, "The Ice Sea Base has been attacked. Evolvers have appeared among the enemy, and a high-level mage has unfortunately been killed in action..."

Salas held the receiver to his ear for a moment, then calmly hung up. He exchanged a glance with Dawson, who was also aware of the situation at the front, and said in a deep voice, "This was to be expected, Your Majesty... there's no need for this."

"Over the past hundred years, the Federation and the Seven Wizarding Kingdoms have suffered countless casualties in Blackrock City. Many high-ranking figures who had risen to fame have perished here. Among them are even some direct descendants of ancient wizarding families, as well as many young geniuses who have risen from the academy."

Under the shadow of death brought about by racial war, there is no clear distinction between ordinary mortals and extraordinary beings... No matter how famous or how obscure, no one receives any special favor.

The fact that a single attack by alien evolved beings resulted in the deaths of two high-level beings and the sacrifice of more than ten mid- to low-level aerial combat mages was still difficult for Harvey to accept.

"So much time has passed since the start of the war, and the Demon Lizards have only sent one Evolver to the battlefield... This also shows that Evolvers are extremely precious and rare among their kind, comparable to legendary spellcasters, one in ten thousand. Successfully intercepting and killing him must be an unbearable loss for the enemy's main consciousness."

When faced with such a critical issue, the two legendary chiefs have always been exceptionally rational. They seem to regard the life and death of high-ranking mages as a cold, hard price to pay for victory, but in reality, they are also implicitly supporting Harvey's attitude.

In order to achieve the final victory in this war of annihilation, they will have to disregard any cost and be fearless in the face of death.

Harvey nodded in agreement and said quietly, "Indeed, the regret and remembrance of our fallen comrades do not prevent us from moving steadfastly toward our ultimate goal. As the saying goes, 'With great power comes great responsibility'... These comrades who gave their lives for this war will surely be recorded in the annals of human history!"

"With great power comes great responsibility..." Dawson clicked his tongue, seemingly savoring the true meaning of Harvey's words. "Your Majesty is absolutely right. Your words... are the perfect explanation for the spellcasters' heavy responsibility of protecting their people and their heroic fight against alien races. They are also the most glorious epitaph for the sacrificed."

……

At the Ice Sea Base, in the camp near the rear command post, a huge bomb crater with a diameter of more than ten meters appeared on the ice surface, and many specks of blood could still be seen around it, which stood out conspicuously against the pure white snow.

Vaughn clenched his fists and slowly approached, staring at the scorched crater that had suddenly appeared in front of him due to the explosion of the shell. He remained silent with a solemn expression.

The high-ranking mages behind him, some standing and some being supported, did not utter a word... The sky continued to resound with the deafening roar of cannon fire, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning dragon flame powder.

But at this moment, they only wanted to quietly mourn their fallen comrades.

When that unknown low-level mage, in a self-destructive act, slammed the wounded evolved human into a pile of ammunition, everyone around was shocked… The violent energy shock from the explosion of the shell almost instantly vaporized and dissolved the bodies of the nameless warrior and the enemy, even melting and evaporating the solid ice on the ground, with thick black smoke rising into the sky and lingering for a long time. “How… how did he do that?” Vaughn choked out half a sentence, his voice hoarse. What he really wanted to ask was, [Isn’t this guy afraid of death?], but he couldn’t help but change his words.

The facts have proven to everyone that this spellcaster did indeed disregard his own life to protect the wounded and non-combatants in the bunker, preferring to perish with the enemy rather than have his comrades killed.

Stormwalker was helped to Vaughn's side, coughed twice, and said with difficulty, "If I'm not mistaken, it's a secret technique of the Holden family that stimulates one's potential and temporarily amplifies magic power by consuming life essence. Once used, the damage to one's magic runes and meridians is irreversible. Even if... even if he isn't blown up, he'll basically be..."

The Son of Flame, carried out of the bunker on a stretcher, glared with bloodshot eyes and forced himself to shout angrily, "His name is Carson, from a minor wizarding family that is a vassal of the Holden family. He's over fifty years old... Heh, and his strength is still stuck at the beginner level."

He paused, brushed aside the soldier's hand offering him a handkerchief, and continued in a deep voice, "This guy was able to get into the Northern Army as the logistics supervisor entirely because he managed to find me through connections... He originally intended to teach at the Spellcaster Academy... Unfortunately, his spellcasting ability and knowledge were insufficient for the job."

Despite the Flame Child's best efforts to search his memories for information about the victim's background, his understanding of him was limited to this... an unknown low-level mage who, if not for some slight kinship, would probably not even be given a second glance.

The young maintenance soldiers who carried his stretcher, after holding back for a long time, finally burst into loud sobs and rushed to the edge of the huge bomb crater, digging futilely with their hands in the scorched earth... Although they knew the chances were slim, they still tried their best to find Officer Carson's dog tag, which was an important proof of his military status and rank, and one of the few things that could be used as a keepsake for remembrance and mourning.

"Don't bother looking... The destructive effect of a shell explosion can melt even steel instantly..." The Child of Flame felt a pang of pity, but still offered a word of warning.

Vaughn slowly stepped forward, helped the young repairman in the lead to his feet, and said gently, "At the critical moment, you did not abandon the wounded and retreat alone. Although Lieutenant Carson risked his life to buy you time, the others also deserve to be commended."

"Corporal, what's your name?"

"Commander! My name is Matteo!"

Vaughn nodded, patted him on the shoulder, and encouraged him, "From now on, you'll be the leader of this engineering and maintenance team. Lead the soldiers to continue supporting your comrades on the front lines! For Lieutenant Carson's sacrifice, and for everyone!"

Stormwalker and Eye of Illusion slowly stepped forward, leaned close to Vaughn's ear and whispered, "Master Duncan's injuries are extremely critical. We have urgently contacted His Majesty and the two chiefs. According to their request... Dean Arturo will probably arrive at the front line immediately via the teleportation array to carry out a complete soul transfer and alchemical transformation."

Vaughn nodded to indicate that he understood, but after a pause, he couldn't help but ask, "What about the other high-ranking ones?"

"Two high-ranking colleagues died on the spot... It was too late to perform a rescue soul transfer on them. Almost everyone else was injured, and those who were seriously injured were sent to the field medical center for treatment... We have prepared a lot of alchemical potions for spellcasters who are injured, so they should be fine."

(End of this chapter)