In stark contrast to Augusta's overwhelming thunderstorm, there was Horn.

This genius with Eighth Level Talent displayed a breathtaking ability to defend and counterattack, unmoved like an unshakable mountain, reassuringly guarding every inch of land he chose.

"Stand firm, they're coming!"

The team he led would convert the surrounding earth element for their use wherever they went.

The solid rock shields could withstand the heavy cavalry charges, and the rising stone pillars could scatter the indigenous formations.

Horn himself was like a moving fortress, with a massive rock fist in hand, smashing a group of knights who dared to approach into pieces, taking both man and armor.

The indigenous people once tried to lure him into an underground cavern, then detonate the rock layers to bury him alive.

However, Horn merely stamped his foot, forcibly calming the underground surge of earth elements, using the earth element shield to stabilize the cavern structure, and even utilizing the tremors beneath to disorient the ambush troops of the indigenous.

Then he swung the massive rock fist, with an Earth Vein Vibration, calmly counterattacking to crush them all.

Augusta and Horn were like two sharp blades, repeatedly shredding the defenses of the Native Alliance Army.

Their achievements spread rapidly among the apprentices like legends, and each report of a "heroic counterattack" boosted the morale of the other apprentices.

Gradually, the communication Witchcraft Artifact was no longer filled with desperate cries for help but with the latest news of Augusta and Horn breaking through encirclements.

"Miss Augusta broke through another indigenous blockade! She's too strong, doesn't seem like an apprentice at all!"

"Young Master Horn led his team and directly subdued an indigenous Knight Order! Those knights couldn't shake him at all!"

"With them here, these indigenous people are nothing!"

Unconsciously, the wizard apprentices' fear of the indigenous began to transform into a peculiar "excitement."

They no longer viewed the indigenous as a threat capable of endangering life, but rather as a vast "target" to test their own abilities and earn merits.

They started to eagerly compare Augusta and Horn's achievements, speculating on which genius might ultimately prevail in this "challenge" and become the final victor in this trial.

...

...

Gray Rock Realm.

Within the secret camp of the Native Alliance Army, inside that gigantic tent, the atmosphere was oppressive yet tinged with a strategic excitement.

On the beast hide map, the movements of the wizard apprentices and the locations of traps set by the indigenous were marked.

"Progressing smoothly." A young Knight Commander spoke in a low voice, his fingers sliding across several areas marked "cleared" on the map, "Those outsiders are easier to lure than we imagined. They are overly confident in their power, underestimating us."

"The spatial blockade barrier has already begun to function, cutting off their escape routes." Priest Oswaldo's voice carried a kind of unemotional calm, "Once dragged into the battlefield we've set, their witchcraft becomes nothing more than consumables."

Several other leaders nodded in agreement.

They accurately grasped the movements and energy consumption of the wizard apprentices through continuously relayed intelligence.

The apprentices who survived the initial ambushes were like lambs driven into a prearranged slaughterhouse, step by step walking toward despair.

The high-level Witchcraft Artifacts that the wizard apprentices had once pride themselves on quickly exhausted their energy in ongoing battles, potion reserves sharply dwindled, and spiritual power was hard-pressed to sustain intense confrontations for extended periods.

They were like fires with insufficient fuel, seemingly blazing brightly but actually slowly and inevitably heading towards extinguishment.

Especially those apprentices who had recently shone brilliantly in the battles — Augusta's thunderstorm, Horn's rock fortress, and some other emerging "geniuses."

Their strength exacted a greater toll on the Native Alliance Army while also providing them with extremely precise intelligence.

"The one who excels at thunder attacks... Augusta." A shaman pronounced the name with a dry voice, a hint of apprehension flickering in his eyes, "Her thunder can destroy our totem arrays, her speed is too fast, our warriors find it hard to catch her."

"Driving the earth, Horn is also troublesome, his defense is too strong, our prepared physical attack strategies have little effect, higher-level magic must be used to break his defense." Another Knight Commander supplemented.

"We must consider these guys..."

On the beast hide map, using special symbols, various positions were marked, aside from Augusta and Horn, there were some other geniuses who've recently made a name for themselves on the battlefield.

These symbols indicated the areas of activity and combat styles of these geniuses.

The various ordinary apprentices who were easily taken down at the forefront were not worth their attention at all; only by taking down these most prominent geniuses could they truly wound the "wizards" to the core, this was the genuine "retaliation!"

However, amidst this clear sea of information, one region alone had no specific intelligence.

The northwest corner of the map, a region initially marked as "multiple ambushes set, high-level magical beasts occupy," strangely had its intelligence feed recently cut off.

It's like a black hole, swallowing all observing eyes completely.

This anomaly naturally sparked debate among the indigenous leaders.

"The scouting team dispatched to that region... lost contact."

"The assassination team also failed to return, despite orders to investigate in two separate groups, one in the open and one in secret."

"We've incrementally dispatched three vanguard battalions, including thirty elite knights and two mid-level shamans... all lost contact! Without sending any distress signals!"

Within the council chamber, the atmosphere of control was disrupted, replaced by a sense of unease and frustration.

"This seems almost impossible, according to our arrangements, there's no way no intelligence has returned. Even if faced with the strongest magical beast herd or those two geniuses, at least someone ought to escape to report back!"

A young knight frowned, responsible for intelligence collection, this complete "silence" made him feel eerie.

"According to the current conditions, the battle traces in that area... very abnormal. Not the usual magic beast engagement nor the common witchcraft destruction by wizard apprentices. All regions turned into a thorough scorched earth, as if relentlessly 'plowed' over by endless flames. Even the remains of magical beasts and our troops burned to ashes, hard to identify."

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