188: Chapter 188 Worries about Revenge

"The proportion of new recruits is still too high."

He recalled the needless casualties on the battlefield caused by poor coordination and lack of experience, and his heart throbbed with pain once more.

The figure of three hundred thousand dead weighed on his heart like a massive boulder.

Although most were newly replenished superior units, the training of every soldier consumed resources, and more importantly, those were three hundred thousand living lives.

However, when he saw the six million newly added mid-level spirit crystals in the System warehouse, along with five hundred thousand shimmering Five Elements crystal of various colors...

...his furrowed brows finally relaxed a bit, and he even let out a soft sigh of relief.

"The harvest... is actually not bad."

He whispered to himself, barely managing to comfort his own heart.

These resources were enough to compensate for most of the losses and could even elevate the strength of the surviving army to the next level.

War has always been the cruelest form of wealth redistribution.

Meanwhile, on a rugged mountain path to the southwest.

Gru sat atop a similarly scarred wolf beast, silent, only looking back from time to time to watch for any potential pursuers.

His dark gold armor was covered in dents and scorch marks, with traces of uncleaned blood still at the corner of his mouth; his expression was so gloomy it looked as if it could drip water.

Over ten thousand remnants followed behind him, equally dejected and in a wretched state, having long lost the majestic prowess they displayed when they set out.

Setting out as a torrent of five hundred thousand armored troops and returning as over ten thousand routed soldiers—such a disparity was enough to drive any commander mad.

Only when they had completely entered the depths of the mountains and were certain there were no pursuers did Gru's frayed nerves relax slightly.

Immediately after, an uncontrollable, sinister fire mixed with the rage of humiliation surged to his head!

"Bastard! Chief! You idiot! You useless waste!"

He slammed a fist into a nearby ancient tree that would take several men to encircle; with a "crack," the thick trunk splintered as wood chips flew, and the tree shook violently.

"The enemy had two million! Two million!! In your damn request for reinforcements, you just wrote 'a massive army is approaching'? Ah! Do you even know how many 'a massive army' is? You've cost me... you've cost the Kingdom's five hundred thousand warriors!"

Trembling with rage, he blamed the entire responsibility for the crushing defeat on the already deceased chieftain of the Split-Hoof Tribe.

Had it not been for such a severe intelligence failure, how could he have rashly come with only five hundred thousand men?

How could he have fallen into such a desperate situation of absolute numerical inferiority?

But after the anger came a deeper coldness and fear. How would he account for this upon his return?

The King's expectations, the eyes of his peers, the grief of the families of the fallen...

And that terrifying human lord, his seemingly endless army, and that eerie Battle Soul that could clash head-on with a diamond rank...

"This matter... absolutely cannot be left at this!" Gru's eyes flickered as he spoke through gritted teeth.

He needed a scapegoat, he needed to salvage his reputation, and more than anything... he needed more power to return and take his revenge!

The setting sun stretched the shadows of him and his remaining soldiers long across the desolate mountain path, filled with the desolation and resentment of a defeated commander.

And the storm triggered by this crushing defeat was only just beginning to brew within the Minotaur Kingdom.

When the army returned to Lintian City with tired steps that could not hide the lingering glow of victory...

...the sun was already low in the west, dyeing the towering city walls with a warm orange-red, yet it could not wash away the thick scent of blood and gunpowder clinging to the soldiers.

Lin Tian didn't spare a moment to rest, personally supervising the proper placement of the three hundred thousand fallen soldiers' remains and holding a simple yet solemn mass funeral.

By the time the last handful of earth, mixed with flowers and native soil, was covered over, the time had quietly slipped to six o'clock in the evening.

The afterglow of the setting sun stretched the shadows of the cemetery long, with a solemnity permeating the silence.

"Everyone, disperse. Go eat first."

Lin Tian turned around to face the generals and officers standing solemnly aside; his voice was somewhat hoarse, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

"Brothers, you've worked hard through continuous battles. Eat your fill, drink well, and get a good night's sleep. Night watch and city wall defense will be strictly executed according to the rotation schedule; there must be no negligence. For everyone else, no disturbances without orders."

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone took their orders; despite their exhaustion, there was a steadiness in their eyes born from having gone through blood and fire.

The ranks dispersed in an orderly fashion, and soon the sound of clattering bowls and hushed conversations drifted from the direction of the barracks.

Lin Tian returned to the study of the Lords Mansion alone.

He didn't light a lamp, letting the last light from outside cut the room into a grid of light and shadow.

He sat in his large chair, sinking deep into it as he closed his eyes.

The day's clamor, roars, blood, and explosions on the battlefield, along with every frame of the towering Scarlet Sun Avatar clashing with the dark gold axe light, replayed, disassembled, and analyzed in his mind like a revolving lantern.

"We won, but it wasn't... clean enough. The price was too high."

He sighed silently, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest, as if beating time for the deductions playing out in his mind.

He clearly saw the shortcomings.

The absolute quantity and quality of high-end combat power were still insufficient.

Taking stock of his assets: there were about five hundred thousand combatants of Silver-tier and above, which sounded like a lot, but among them, those at Gold-tier or higher didn't even reach one hundred thousand.

At the platinum rank, there were only Lin Yin, Lin Feng, and himself.

Today, it was entirely thanks to Lin Feng overextending himself to activate a Legion Skill, gathering the Battle Intent of a hundred thousand soldiers, that they managed to barely stall the diamond rank Gru.

Had the enemy had one more diamond rank, or if Gru had been more seasoned, the battle could have reversed in an instant.

"I can't stop; I have to keep churning out troops and keep training!"

Lin Tian snapped his eyes open, his gaze sharp as stars in the darkness.

"That contaminated alternate dimension is the best training ground and spirit crystal mine. And then there's the Heavenly Dao's 'attack points'... the good things on that list must be obtained as soon as possible!"

He had a strong premonition that his Fusion Evolution talent might undergo some kind of qualitative change when he elevated his units to the next major tier, the Mythic quality.

That might be the key to breaking the deadlock.

"Gru suffered such a huge loss and fled back like a stray dog..."

Lin Tian stood up and paced to the window, gazing at the southern horizon sinking into twilight, as if he could see Gru's wretched and venomous back.

"He will certainly report the situation here—especially the intel that we 'allegedly' have an army of two million—in full detail, perhaps even embellishing it. Next time they come, it probably won't be five hundred thousand, but one or two million, and the leader definitely won't be just a single newly-ascended diamond rank..."

Thinking of that potentially even more terrifying iron torrent, Lin Tian felt an invisible pressure slowly pressing down like a mountain range.

But he soon shook his head again, forcing himself to calm down.

"However, how easy is it to assemble an expeditionary force of over a million?"