The battle situation changed rapidly. Ionia's defenses were pushed back step by step by the Arcane Warrior, and the battle lines began to be compressed quickly.
Meanwhile, the Noxus engineer units that subsequently landed on the warships also quickly began operations.
They took out long, dark metal nails from a specially made iron box. The nails were covered with Rune and emitted strange magical fluctuations.
"Following the Grand Mage's training, begin searching for magical nodes!"
"Yes!"
Under the protection of some soldiers, the engineering corps began to use a specially made instrument to search for nodes with dense magical energy.
Ionia is the oldest land in Valoran, and the humans and animals there have all received blessings from this ancient land.
The reason for this is that this land is dotted with a large number of magical nodes.
These magical nodes are both the source of Ionia mastery of Native Magic and a crucial reason why the pan-consciousness of the Spirit of Ionia can function effectively.
To weaken the regional, pan-consciousness that restricts the Spirit of Ionia, we must first start by extracting and suppressing these magical nodes.
" Ley Line Anchor, begin deployment!"
At the command of the engineering captain, the soldiers drove the spikes deep into the ground.
With each anchor driven in, the anchor body glowed with a dark red light, and then the entire land seemed to tremble, the flow of magic suddenly freezing.
The Rune on the Ley Line Anchor rapidly drew magic from the First Lands, which then poured out from the anchor's tail.
After being drawn from the earth, these scattered magical energies quickly began to converge in mid-air, following a certain pattern, and gathered in one place.
"What... what is this?!" An Ionia monk was horrified to discover that the Native Magic he was using had become obscure and sluggish, as if it had been forcibly cut off by some force.
The magical barrier that had enveloped the battlefield began to flicker, and for a moment, chaos broke out among the Ionia troops.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Noxus army bravely advanced and continued to drive them deeper into Noxus.
"The mage is right. Ionia's power comes from its land. As long as you anchor yourselves to this land, your God can't help you." Darius sneered, brandishing his battle axe to force Irelia and the others back.
Seeing this, Irelia and the others, feeling the damage to the First Lands, could only fight and retreat, relying on their familiarity with the terrain to have the powerful hold off Noxus and lead the people in retreat.
The first day of the landing operation ended perfectly. Darius did not linger and pursue the enemy, but instead regrouped his troops and began to build a defensive line.
This time, it won't be a reckless attack like before; Noxus is going to completely crush Ionia.
--
The Spirit of Ionia sensed a threat.
Deep within the Spirit Realm, a vast will surged in fury, attempting to mobilize the forces of nature to retaliate, only to discover with horror that the anchors driven into the earth's veins acted like chains, binding its power.
It could no longer control the lands where the Ley Line Anchor Point had been implanted, and it could even sense another force beginning to erode its other lands through the connections of the anchors.
In response, it could only dedicate a portion of its power to protecting its unpolluted land, while simultaneously issuing commands to those cultivators who could hear its thoughts.
"Outsiders... damn it!"
"Drive them out!!"
Inside the monastery, Karma, having ended her communication with the Spirit of Nature, slowly rose, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"This Noxus invasion is far more terrifying than the previous ones; they have even aroused the disgust of the Spirit of Nature, who now demand their annihilation."
The respected monks beside him did not, as usual, deny Karma's rebellious remarks, but instead nodded deeply.
"We sensed it too; the Spirit of Nature are angry!"
"This Noxus invasion is different from usual; they have truly angered the Spirit of Nature."
"Yes, so this time I'm going to the front lines. You won't stop me this time, right?"
Karma looked up at the monks, her eyes filled with an unwavering determination.
Once, the Noxus invasion caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Ionia. Enraged, she borrowed the power of the Spirit of Ionia to destroy the Noxus fleet.
But instead of receiving praise from their compatriots, they were met with rebukes from the monastery elders who clung to outdated dogmas.
Although Karma is an embodiment of Spirit of Nature and they speak with more restraint, these conservative people do not approve of her actions.
So this time, despite receiving news of the Noxus fleet's attack, Karma was unable to shake off the monks' surveillance and was unable to go to the front lines immediately.
' Ionia needs to change, or it will be destroyed by outsiders. This is a good opportunity.'
Karma's actions were condemned and worried by the Old School, but were mostly regarded as a golden rule by the younger generation of Ionia.
Upon receiving the oracle from the Spirit of Ionia, Karma realized that no one could stand in her way anymore.
"We will no longer stop you, great Karma; we were wrong before."
The monks bowed their heads, acknowledging their shortsightedness and failure to grasp the true spirit of Ionia.
Karma regained control of the sect and began directing her followers to prepare for the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Kinkou Order, having received news of the victories at the front, also convened its highest-level meeting.
Ultimately, following the decisions of several elders within the Order, including the current Grandmaster Eye of Twilight and the Heart of the Tempest, the Kinkou Order decided to intervene in this battle that had disrupted the balance.
As for the other Order of Shadow, other Ionia sects, Ronin, samurai, and mages, all the strong on the First Lands began marching towards the front lines, preparing to fight to protect their homeland.
As the Ionia began to unite, Darius's army had already seized key points as planned and begun constructing a special fortification.
"General, the anchor points have been deployed! We are now constructing Great Annihilation Array centered on the anchor points."
Darius wiped the blood from the axe blade and looked towards the towering mountains in the distance.
"Very good. Send a message back to the Immortal Bastion and tell the Archmage—the plan is complete, and everything is on track."
"Notify all troops to continue the advance tomorrow, making sure to stretch the battle line as much as possible, leaving sufficient defensive buffer zones to guard against a counterattack from the Ionia."
"Once the Ionia realize what we're doing, they'll launch a desperate counterattack."
"Seven days! In just seven days, we can complete the Archmage's mission, and then..."
He grinned, a cold glint in his eyes.
"Now it's our turn to crush this land."