A Wizard’s Secret
chapter-813

Seven Lord Gods – how terrifying was their power? The power of the natural order, a nearly unstoppable force filled the air, thundering ruthlessly toward Augustus and the rest.

"Retreat. We can't resist by force."

At this point, Augustus and the rest knew that they must not resist by force or their advantage would not be put to use at all.

"Everyone, go on Merlin's Slothful Beast."

Augustus eyed Merlin, knowing that only with the Slothful Beast could they gather their strength for one final push. Otherwise, they were clearly at a disadvantage and in an unfavorable position.

"Swish."

The fastest was the Avian Monarch. The Avian Tribe's forte was their speed. The Avian Monarch's body flashed with a golden light, following which he disappeared without a trace. One could not capture the Avian Monarch at all unless one had laid out an inescapable net, sealing off all possible exits.

While the seven Lord Gods still had not surrounded them completely, Roman yelled, "Augustus, Chronos, quickly come into my stealth flying ship. I'll bring you to Merlin."

Augustus and Chronos both knew that now was not the time to show off. Faced with seven Lord Gods, they could not resist at all. Therefore, without hesitation, they instantly flew into Roman's stealth flying ship.

"Gravitational field!"

Roman glanced at the seven Lord Gods with a cold smirk on his lips. The gravitational field erupted at once. Waves of gravity pressed down upon the seven Lord Gods. Although they could withstand this with the natural order, they were still affected and their speed was greatly diminished.

This was Roman's chance. His stealth flying ship vanished instantly without any trace, only behind the Avian Monarch by one step. They flew atop the Slothful Beast, joining Merlin once more.

"Boom."

The seven Lord Gods used the power of the natural order to viciously smash the seal over the Atlan Dimension. The seal shattered at once, and one warship after another zipped out from within.

"The seal has been broken… However, we didn't waste our efforts. At least we learned that the God Alliance has joined the fray, and it's all eight Lord Gods without exception!"

Merlin previously thought of sealing the Atlan Dimension to cut off the Atlan civilization's power. Now, it looked like this was useless because with the God Alliance intervention, they had become the biggest threat of the Spell Caster civilization.

"We'll return to the Spell Caster civilization before thinking of a new plan."

Merlin glanced at the Lord God of Light and Progenitor Hanra, then steered the Slothful Beast to crash forward heavily. That massive bulk of the Slothful Beast had no qualms in the first place, completely unafraid of any attacks, so it ruthlessly knocked the Lord God of Light and Progenitor Hanra to one side before flying into the distance.

"Whiz."

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light. Everyone atop the Slothful Beast felt their hearts skipping a beat deep in their chests. That was a power strong enough to threaten ultimate existences – the Atlan civilization's void-level warship!

"The void-level warship! Slothful Beast, block it!"

Merlin roared out furiously. His Mind Power frantically urged the Slothful Beast to immediately rolled its enormous body over, blocking that dazzling beam of light.

"Bang."

The merciless hit and its massive power blew a bloody hole in the Slothful Beast's body. The Slothful Beast reacted as before, being in incomparable agony, almost about to awaken.

"The void-level warship is hidden somewhere. We have to leave as fast as possible. Sir Roman, let's enter your stealth flying ship. The void-level warship will be unable to target us."

As Merlin observed the Slothful Beast's irritable manner, he knew he could not hold on much longer. If the Slothful Beast had awakened, there would be trouble. Fortunately, Roman's stealth flying ship could not be targeted even by the void-level warships for its quick speed had it secured.

After using the Slothful Beast to break out of the cornering attack, Merlin and the rest immediately boarded Roman's stealth flying ship. Merlin kept the Slothful Beast and started to pacify the creature.

"Go."

The stealth flying ship flashed with a subtle glint and vanished without a trace. No matter how many ultimate existences there were, it was useless. They were unable to track down and chase after the stealth flying ship.

"D*mn it, we've let them escape."

"The Slothful Beast is powerful indeed. No matter how we attacked, we couldn't harm it."

"Roman's stealth flying ship is scary as well. The peak prowess of the Vestigial Tribe is mystical indeed."

It was the first time the seven Lord Gods had exchanged blows with Merlin and the rest. Although they did not manage to trap their targets and not even injure them significantly, it was only because they did not have a thorough understanding of the abilities of Merlin and the rest.

Regardless of whether it was the Slothful Beast or the stealth flying ship or even the gravitational field, these were all unknown. Without experiencing them, one would not know how impressive they were.

"Nonetheless, the Atlan Dimension is no longer sealed by them. This is a good thing as well. Our divinity is assured now."

The Lord God of Darkness fixed his steady gaze on that immense dimension that looked like a cloud layer. They believed in general that there was Lord God-level divinity in the Atlan Dimension.

It was just that the Lord God-level divinity promised by the Marshall had not been given to them. Now that the Atlan Dimension was opened once again, it was time for the Marshall to fulfill his promise.

"Everyone, I'll bring you the divinity myself."

Aboard a warship, the Marshall flew out along with some gray-armored guards, directly heading into the Atlan Dimension. Thereafter, the Atlan Dimension whirled continuously, and a massive warship flew out from within.

"Swoosh."

The Marshall flew out once more. This time, in his hand, he held a large amount of Lord God-level divinity that exuded a powerful presence. Even those who were not gods could feel it.

"Everyone, this is the Lord God-level divinity I promised you. After destroying the Spell Caster civilization, I'll hand over the other half of the Lord God-level divinity."

The eight Lord Gods' eyes brightened, and they hurriedly reached out to take the divinity. They carefully observed it to discern its authenticity.

"It's true, it's the real deal – Lord God-level divinity!"

The Lord God of Darkness exclaimed, following which he raised his gaze, staring with burning eyes at that massive Atlan Dimension behind the Marshall.

If it were not for how he heard the Atlan Dimension had various mysterious aspects as well as that terrifying beam of light from the void-level warship earlier which made him apprehensive, he would have raced into the Atlan Dimension to seize the Lord God-level divinity.

It was not just the Lord God of Darkness. The other Lord Gods were the same, their eyes widening in desire. Naturally, the Marshall was well aware of this but maintained his composure without flaring up.

However, the Marshall was laughing coldly to himself. "Humph, greedy stupid gods, you dare to call yourselves gods? Just wait until the void-level warship is completely stabilized and we've mastered the technique to create even more void-level warships. By then, we'll get back from you all the divinity that we've lost!"

Both sides had their own agendas but for now, due to certain common interests, they had joined forces. They would each take what they need. The day the Spell Caster civilization was destroyed, their conflicting desires would come to a head.

"Let's go. We'll return to the front lines. Otherwise, this time we've let them escape. Next time, it won't be so easy."

The Lord God of Light spoke full of confidence. This time, the seven Lord Gods had learned about the techniques of Merlin and the rest. Next time, they would surely be more focused, no longer as muddled as they were this time.

…

In the Void Zone, the stealth flying ship appeared before in the area enclosed by the Mother Tree. The Mother Tree soon noticed the stealth flying ship and allowed them to enter.

Augustus, the Avian Monarch, Chronos, and the rest descended from the stealth flying ship one by one but they looked rather grim. All it took was one glance and everyone knew things did not go smoothly.

"How is it? Did the sealing not go well?"

The Mother Tree asked, mystified.

Merlin hesitated before saying, "Sealing the Atlan Dimension was easy enough but we didn't expect that the God Alliance has joined the fray. It's not their usual interference but all eight god organizations had turned out in full force."

"Turned out in full force? How is that possible? Aren't the eight god organizations rife with conflict? How come they're working together, showing up in full force?"

The Mother Tree and Wizard Ceci were incredulous. According to their understanding of the God Alliance, the eight god organizations had never joined forces before.

The present mood was rather solemn, and everyone fell silent. They were at a loss as to what caused the eight Lord Gods of the God Alliance to join forces.

Merlin was ruminating on this as well. Each of the eight god organizations of the God Alliance was independent. They were barely able to form an alliance and had never joined forces before.

If they had united, there was only one reason – a common benefit! Merlin could not imagine what significant benefits the other Lord Gods of the God Alliance might obtain through the destruction of the Spell Caster civilization?

Even though the Spell Caster civilization was relatively formidable, it was not much of a threat to the God Alliance. At most, the Lord God of Light would be nervous but he would have no way of convincing the other seven Lord Gods to join with him.

"What's the greatest temptation to a god? It's divinity in particular!"

This insight flashed across Merlin's mind. He suddenly remembered that the Lord God of Light initially had to hibernate for a long time but unexpectedly, he had awakened prematurely. Only then was he able to break the Atlan Dimension's seal and stir up this war.

The key factor in all this was the Atlan civilization!

Only the Atlan civilization was able to hand over Lord God-level divinity, causing the eight Lord Gods of the God Alliance to discard their biases and conflicts to unite momentarily.

"Lord God-level divinity – it's most likely to be this…"

Merlin briefly explained his hypothesis. The ultimate existences immediately saw the light. Naturally, they had heard of Lord God-level divinity before. Not only was it helpful to gods but also other ultimate existences could receive great advantages if they obtained Lord God-level divinity.

It was not surprising that the eight Lord Gods who had never joined forces were now able to unite. It must be for the sake of the Lord God-level divinity in the Atlan civilization's hands.

"The Atlan civilization is impressive indeed, able to use Lord God-level divinity to rope in the entire God Alliance!"

Merlin's expression was somber. He knitted his brow. Purely in terms of the number of ultimate existences, the God Alliance was clearly at a great advantage. The eight Lord Gods in addition to two Rock Progenitors equaled to ten ultimate existences.

Moreover, there was the void-level warship that had momentous power and mysterious appearances, hiding in the darkness. This was a massive threat.

Conversely, it was the Spell Caster civilization that was losing ground, being in an unfavorable position. They had merely six ultimate existences plus a Slothful Beast, and were much fewer in number.

Nonetheless, they had the upper hand in some respects. The Mother Tree and the Slothful Beast both excelled in defense. If they could hold the fort, the Spell Caster civilization might have a chance. Roman simply needed to use his stealth flying ship to stealthily approach the hidden void-level warship, then destroy it in one blow. In that manner, they would surely inflict serious damage the God Alliance's morale.

However, the prerequisite was, could they hold the fort?

"Everyone, this is a good plan. I believe that the Rock Tribe and the God Alliance along with the Atlan civilization will act against us as fast as they can. After all, they have the upper hand, trying to wipe us out in one fell swoop. In that case, we'll just focus purely on defense, and find a chance for Roman to use his stealth flying ship to destroy the warship."

Augustus agreed with this plan. In terms of defense, they had the Mother Tree and the Slothful Beast. Their defense was already rather formidable at least equivalent to five or six ultimate existences.

The remaining four ultimate existences, not including Roman, would be able to handle the other ultimate existences of the God Alliance.

Everyone discussed this matter and had agreed this was a good plan. It was somewhat impractical for them to rush out directly to confront the God Alliance. Therefore, they could only wait for the God Alliance's attack.

Furthermore, Roman had the stealth flying ship, which was the ship the Vestigial Tribe had used to escape. Now, it was perfect for a sneak attack as well. Even if the sneak attack did not work, Roman could still return safely without any harm.

However, there were only two points of concern. The first was whether the defenses of the Mother Tree and the Slothful Beast were sufficient to withstand the God Alliance's attack.

The second was, even if Roman had located the Atlan civilization's void-level warship, if the warship was difficult to destroy, then this plan was essentially useless.

After all, although the void-level warship had killed Arcane Wizard Setoh, and many of them had witnessed its power, there were only a few who had seen it up close and understood it.

Thus, they were all plagued by uncertainty.

"I suppose there's someone who has a rough understanding of the void-level warship."

Merlin mulled this over and thought of someone.

Roman raised his head, seeming to hit upon the same idea. He said softly, "Wizard Merlin, you mean Flarite?"

"That's right, I mean Flarite!"

Following that, Merlin had Augustus invite Flarite into the foyer. This was where the ultimate existences were holding their discussion, and not even Flarite had been qualified to join them.

Soon, Flarite entered the foyer. When he looked at all these ultimate existences, his expression remained placid, making everyone somewhat puzzled.

After all, even a Great Lord would be astounded to see so many ultimate existences at once. Nonetheless, after they had observed more closely and realized what was so special about Flarite, it was they who were surprised.

"A quasi-ultimate existence?"

"He's already capable of merging with the natural order?"

At this time, many ultimate existences had discovered Flarite's unique attribute. He already had one foot on the threshold of the ultimate level. He could merge with the natural order any time he wished to.

Of course, whether he would succeed was difficult to tell. A quasi-ultimate existence like this did not exist whether in the Tree Tribe, the Avian Tribe, the Giant Tribe, and the Spell Caster civilization or anything else.

Therefore, the ultimate existences no longer looked at Flarite as below them but rather as an equal. When faced with any quasi-ultimate existences, true ultimate existences would not be too arrogant.

"Flarite, this time, we've invited you because there's something we need to ask you."

Merlin said with a smile.

"Oh? Whatever it is, go ahead."

Flarite already noticed the tense atmosphere, and thought it must be about the Vestigial Tribe or the Atlan civilization. After all, he understood the Vestigial Tribe the most.

"Here's the thing. The current situation of the war has changed. The God Alliance has joined in completely, and our opponents have the upper hand. We wish to destroy the void-level warship that is a great threat to us. However, we don't know the characteristics of the void-level warship, so we thought of asking you to explain in detail."

Merlin quickly summarized the issue, and Flarite understood the general situation. It was true that the void-level warship was an immense threat, especially toward ultimate existences. Without the void-level warship, killing an ultimate existence could only be achieved through a group attack that was difficult to carry out, unless one reached the level of the Thirty-six Emperors where there was a great disparity in power.

However, with the void-level warship, a moment of carelessness could lead to a fatal shot killing an ultimate existence. It would be disastrous for the Spell Caster civilization.

"Everyone, regarding the void-level warship, I merely know about a warship of the Vestigial Tribe that could kill ultimate existences back then. However, it wasn't called the void-level warship. Still, the Atlan civilization must be imitating the Vestigial Tribe's warship, so they would be largely similar. A warship that can kill ultimate existences is relatively fearsome itself. No matter in terms of speed or defense, it's more powerful.

"Nonetheless, even the strongest can't withstand an ultimate existence's attack! The Vestigial Tribe's previous warship was able to progress unhindered because it was managed by a Black Star Warrior. The strongest warship of the Vestigial Tribe was overseen by a Black Star Warrior. With a warship like that, even in encountering an ultimate existence, the Black Star Warrior could attack, preventing their opponent from wrecking the warship. However, based on the Atlan civilization's present progress, they should be a long way from creating a Black Star Warrior. Otherwise, it wouldn't merely be a void-level warship that will greet all of you but powerful Black Star Warriors."

After Flarite's explanation, everyone slowly learned that the void-level warship itself was simply comparatively powerful. Its concealment and speed were emphasized but the real trump card was the main cannon that could kill an ultimate existence.

Of course, its speed and concealment were unable to reach the standard of the stealth flying ship. As to why the warship's defense could not withstand an ultimate existence's attack, this was something not even the Vestigial Tribe could solve. Otherwise, would the Vestigial Tribe not be an unrivaled race?

After all, a warship was too large compared to a set of armor. Only armors like the Black Star and above could withstand an ultimate existence's attack.

Thus, the void-level warship itself was not scary. If an ultimate existence was able to get near the warship, they would certainly have a chance of destroying it.

"Phew…"

Merlin heaved a long sigh of relief. He knew that Roman who had the stealth flying ship had a chance of destroying the Atlan civilization's void-level warship. After all, Black Star Warriors could only be created by putting on the Black Star Armor.

Regardless of whether it was the Black Star Armor or the Black Star Warrior, they involved a fundamental component of the Vestigial Tribe – the Brain of Life. At the end of the day, the Atlan civilization was not the Vestigial Tribe, having no way to manufacture the Brain of Life. This was the real reason the Atlan civilization could not compare to the Vestigial Tribe by far.

If the Atlan civilization had the Brain of Life, they would not need to join forces with the God Alliance. The Atlan civilization itself would already be able to take over countless civilizations and tribes. Other than beings like the Thirty-six Emperors, there was no one at all that could contend against any power approaching the Vestigial Tribe who once swept over the Void Zone.

"Everyone, Flarite has already explained that the void-level warship is nothing to be afraid of. Its concealment and speed, although more formidable, are still lacking much compared to Sir Roman's stealth flying ship. Sir Roman is surely able to track down the void-level warship and destroy it. Nonetheless, we must give Sir Roman some time. We must withstand the God Alliance's attack."

The Titan Giant Chronos laughed. "Haha, so what if it's the God Alliance? It might be difficult if we're talking about defeating them but shouldn't defending be a breeze?"

Everyone chortled as well. They had confidence in the Mother Tree and the Slothful Beast.

"I've already used my trees to link up the nearest hundreds of dimensions of the Spell Caster civilization. They can form an even stronger defense. Nonetheless, if their attack is too strong, some of these dimensions will collapse."

The Mother Tree spoke frankly.

Augustus shook his head, replying calmly, "At the crucial moment of the Spell Caster civilization's life and death, what is the loss of a few hundred or even a few thousand dimensions?"

They discussed this further, and finally settled on a plan. Still, they needed some time to prepare. Moreover, the God Alliance would not advance so quickly.

Merlin returned to his residence. He hurriedly entered the ring that Wizard Augustus had given him. In that colossal space, the Slothful Beast appeared irritable and uneasy.

Fortunately, the Slothful Beast's temperament was rather mild. Otherwise, after suffering the void-level warship's attack which injured it, that agony would instantly turn it insane, even if the wound was healed.

"My Mind Power is still rather lacking. Steering the Slothful Beast is already my limit!"

Merlin also knew that he had no way to control the Slothful Beast, only being able to immerse it in an illusion. In truth, this was not that stable. If the Atlans found out about this, they only had to attack the Slothful Beast forcefully to prevent Merlin from manipulating the Slothful Beast.

At that time, if the Slothful Beast went wild, the side that suffered the greatest loss would be the Spell Caster civilization. Thus, a situation like this must be remedied.

"If I'm able to fuse with Titus' Illusory World, I can make the Slothful Beast stay in the Illusory World forever. No matter what, it won't wake up."

Merlin knew that merging with the Illusory World would resolve his current predicament. However, it had not been a long time since he forcibly attempted to fuse with the Illusory World. Even if Merlin's Mind Power had increased at a great pace, it was far from being adequate to fuse with the Illusory World.