Chapter 469: Chapter 405: Battlefield of Self-Induced Chaos

Attacks of various forms wove a web of destruction in the sky.

The acid breath of the Biochemical Giant Beasts, the energy beams of the Alchemy Armor, the meteor summoning by the Elemental Monsters - the cannon fodder units under the Wizards erupted in a first volley at the same time.

The scene was spectacular, with millions of attacks trailing colorful streaks, like a reverse meteor shower rushing toward the black swarm.

But Jeming’s heart sank.

Just 0.3 seconds before the attack was about to hit, the black ocean "came alive."

It wasn’t a collective movement, but precise nodal evasion.

Just like the sector directly in front of him, tens of thousands of the Reaper Race suddenly scattered to the sides, their movements so synchronized it was creepy, revealing patches of empty zones in the black tide.

The Wizard’s attacks roared past, only hitting air and earth.

Explosions echoed in the empty spaces, flames, frost, corrosion, lightning... various energy impacts spread out.

But the next moment, the surrounding Reaper Race moved again, revealing those giant entities with complex patterns embedded on their bodies behind them.

Those patterns began to glow, and the attacking forces, initially spreading quickly, swiftly weakened, leaving only an Elemental Storm lifting the nearby Reaper Race.

"They’re absorbing the energy!" A more experienced Fifth Level Wizard beside Jeming exclaimed, "Those are foundational patterns of a joint Casting Array! They’re going to use our power..."

Before he could finish, the brightness of the patterns on the giant entities suddenly increased.

The absorbed energy turned into visible streams of light, spreading along the ground and quickly injecting into the nearby Reaper Race’s carapace.

The luster on those carapaces visibly deepened to the eye, yet the light in the mouths of the surrounding Reaper Race rapidly elevated.

"All cannon fodder units, deploy protective barriers!" Frost’s voice came through the Magic Net, carrying undeniable urgency, "Prepare to absorb the impact!"

Jeming issued the order almost simultaneously.

The Black Giants raised their hands in unison, the black liquid metal layer on their surfaces rippling, beginning to construct an energy absorption field.

But it was too late.

The Reaper Race’s counterattack came faster than expected.

The giant entities that absorbed the energy simultaneously tilted their heads back - if that mantis-like head could be called "tilted" - and sprayed condensed energy beams from their oral apparatus.

Not one or two, but tens of millions of beams fired simultaneously, converging in the air into a web of destruction covering the entire frontline.

The first row of cannon fodder units evaporated in the light beams.

The flesh of the Biochemical Giant Beasts, the metal of the Alchemy Armor, the Energy Core of the Elemental Monsters... were all as fragile as paper before those beams.

In merely the first wave, an entire layer of cannon fodder units from the Wizard Legion was shaved off, with at least a million units disappearing in an instant.

"Damn it!" a wizard cursed out loud.

"Second wave, disperse the assault!" Frost’s voice remained calm, "Target: the area around the absorbing units, avoid direct hits!"

The Wizards swiftly adjusted.

This time the attacks no longer concentrated, but rained down upon the swarm in scattered bursts.

Indeed, some of the Reaper Race got hit, their black carapaces shattering, green bodily fluids splattering.

But the outcome was limited.

More terrifying was that just as Wizards in another area were preparing for a third wave, collectively chanting the Witchcraft Model...

Another batch of special units appeared behind the Reaper Race.

These were smaller, but their heads were exceptionally developed, compound eyes twinkling with extraordinary spiritual light.

Just as the Wizards’ witchcraft was about to take form, these units simultaneously released a Psychic Shock.

It wasn’t indiscriminate mental attack, but precise frequency interference.

Jeming felt a sharp mental wave piercing his mind, striking precisely at the critical node of his Witchcraft Model construction.

He groaned, forcibly stabilizing his mind, pointing the Fire Extinction Divine Light in his hand...

A dark golden beam shot out, transforming into a fan-shaped light screen in the air, enveloping tens of thousands of Reaper Race.

Where the light screen passed, carapaces, flesh, and bones disintegrated into basic particles.

But as Jeming looked around, his heart grew colder.

Besides him and a few other Wizards with particularly strong mental defenses who successfully released their witchcraft, most Wizards’ casting was interrupted.

The mental backlash left quite a few pale-faced, some even bleeding from the corners of their mouths.

"They even know our casting rhythm..." Jeming muttered.

This wasn’t a simple prediction.

This was a deep understanding of the Wizards’ tactical system — knowing when they would collectively cast, which Witchcraft Models were most fragile during construction, knowing which frequency of Psychic Shock could interrupt.

This required vast amounts of combat data.

Needed one cycle after another... reincarnation.

The battlefield fell into an eerie stalemate.

Each time the Wizards launched an attack, the Reaper Race would respond in the most precise manner.

Sometimes it was evasion, sometimes it was absorbing and countering, sometimes it was disrupting the casting.

The black swarm was advancing slowly but surely, each step treading on the "blind spots" of the Wizards’ tactics.

The casualty ratio began to skew.

For every Reaper Race killed, at least two cannon fodder units were lost by the Wizards.

"Lord Frost!" a Sixth Level Wizard called through the command system’s internal spiritual network, "If we keep fighting like this, we’ll be worn out! Their responses are too precise!"

Silent for two seconds.

Then, Frost’s voice echoed throughout the army, filled with a sense of determination:

"All units, abandon standard coordinated tactics. I repeat — abandon all standard tactical templates. Operate freely in squads, fight in your own way, whether it’s something you don’t usually employ or something you’re most skilled at, it’s all acceptable!"

The moment the order was given, the atmosphere of the battlefield changed.

The Wizards hesitated for a moment, then a flash of realization crossed their eyes.

Yes, since the enemy is familiar with the "standard" us...

Then becoming "non-standard" would do.

"Black Giant Legion!" Jeming almost simultaneously commanded, "Switch to Temporal Disorder Mode, spread the formation, hunt freely! Permission to use Devour and Evolve!"

Thousands of Black Giants let out a low growl in unison.

The black liquid metal layer on their surfaces began to flow rapidly, the time flow around them becoming chaotic — some parts accelerating, others decelerating.

Then, these black figures, tens of meters tall, scattered like phantoms, no longer forming neat arrays but pounced toward the swarm in bizarre, irregular trajectories.

Other Wizards made similar choices.

Some controlled Alchemy Armors to start self-destructing charges, some had Biochemical Giant Beasts devour each other to evolve into deformed variants, some even deliberately overloaded Elemental Monsters to create chaotic Elemental Storms.

The battlefield instantly transformed from an orderly military confrontation into a chaotic and unpredictable melee.

The Reaper Race’s responses faltered for the first time.

Those precise evasions were no longer perfect, even though they had gone through reincarnation, the attacks were too chaotic to be completely avoided.

The frequencies of the Psychic Shocks started becoming ineffective because the Wizards were no longer collectively constructing standard Witchcraft Models but were each using their own unorthodox methods.

A Fifth Level Wizard even summoned a large group of metal bats that emitted ear-piercing noise — it didn’t cause actual harm to the enemy, but the high-frequency sound waves severely disrupted the Reaper Race’s communication.

The forward speed of the black swarm noticeably slowed.

"Effective!" Jeming’s eyes lit up.

In such circumstances...

The forefront of the black ocean finally collided with the Wizard Legion’s cannon fodder units.