416: Chapter 403 Preparing for the Final Battle

Sadou's original plan was quite beautiful.

With an escort of twenty High-tier Professionals, even if Lake deployed more High-tier Professionals, they would be unable to kill the Divine Officials.

This wasn't Sadou's blind confidence; rather, the quantity and quality of magic mastered by the Empire's High-tier Professionals far exceeded those of the Kingdom's, even though Lake possessed the legacy of the Ice and Snow Empire.

After all, one was living off old capital that had already been heavily depleted, while the other had been accumulating foundations with the strength of an empire for ten thousand years.

No matter how he perfected the plan or considered the variables, he never imagined that the Saul Continent would have a Professional like Zhang Mu—one who was immortal.

After a long while, Sadou snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath to force himself to calm down, and asked his adjutant in as steady a voice as possible, "What is the specific situation?"

The adjutant lowered his head. "The Divine Officials have all been killed. The enemy has already retreated."

The anger Sadou had just suppressed threatened to erupt again.

Restraining himself with effort, he asked, "How many Saint-levels did Lake deploy?"

"According to the Sky Knight, Lake didn't seem to use any Saint-levels, but—"

"None?!" Sadou finally couldn't contain his fury, raising his voice.

"Uh..." The adjutant was startled and instinctively took a step back. Realizing his reaction, he returned to his position and hurried to say, "Yes."

"Without using Saint-levels, even if the one attacked was that small squad, how could they... wait, you said the one who contacted us was the Sky Knight?"

The adjutant blanked, not understanding what the problem was with the leader being a Sky Knight. "That is how he identified himself."

All the anger in Sadou's heart suddenly vanished, replaced by eyes full of doubt.

He pondered for a while, finding a thread of logic, but he was still some distance from solving the puzzle, so he set it aside for now. "Did they say anything else?"

"Yes," the adjutant replied, organizing his words. "The Sky Knight said that they all wore identical clothing as you instructed and did not act simultaneously when attacked. However, there was a Professional among the enemy who mastered invisibility magic."

"He kept releasing magic at them, forcing everyone to act in defense, which is how their identities were exposed."

"They couldn't sense the enemy's position?"

"No."

Sadou frowned. "Even the Sky Knight couldn't find him... a Saint-level?"

The adjutant shook his head. "No, the power of those spells was only around Master-level."

Actually, there was no need for him to emphasize it; Sadou had already dismissed the conjecture in his mind as soon as he spoke.

The reason was simple: if it were truly a Saint-level, there would be no need for Zhang Mu's team to act, nor any need to test their identities. He could have wiped out the entire team single-handedly.

"I understand. You may leave."

"As you command." The adjutant turned and left.

"Aunt." Once the man was far away, Sadou remained still and called out.

There was no response from the surroundings. He sat up. "I know you can hear me."

A slender figure wrapped in pale purple armor slowly emerged beside him. "I'm very busy."

She made a playful remark as usual, but Sadou was in no mood for banter and asked bluntly, "Why?"

As a Gods Blessing, even a sliver of her vast Mental Energy was enough to cover the entire camp. The previous conversation had naturally not escaped her perception.

Aunt looked up slightly, watching the shells falling like raindrops onto the magic light shield. "The King has his own plans."

"I'm aware of that, I just don't understand why. Why the Divine Officials? Is there any benefit?"

"As for benefits... go ask him yourself when you return to the Empire."

Sadou looked at her, somewhat speechless. "How could the King possibly give me an answer?"

"I expect the selection for this escort was entrusted by the King to some minister."

As for that minister's fate, there was no doubt: when the Bishop of the Imperial Church came to hold the King accountable, he would become the most suitable scapegoat.

"So?" Aunt shrugged. "It's just something that can't be said."

"Fine." Sadou suddenly felt a bit disheartened and flopped back onto the lounge chair. "You can go back to your business."

Before he could finish his sentence, the figure beside him had already vanished as if she had never been there.

Sadou closed his eyes. The sunlight fell on his face but brought not a hint of warmth.

The sun gradually set in the west, and darkness stretched across from the other side of the horizon.

When moonlight replaced the sunlight on his face, Sadou finally opened his eyes and summoned his two Vice Legion Commanders.

"Lord Marshal." They stood before the lounge chair.

"Deactivate the Magic Array first thing tomorrow morning."

The two were stunned for a moment. One recovered first and said in surprise, "If we deactivate the Magic Array, the enemy shells will... Lord Marshal, are you preparing to counterattack?!"

His tone was very excited. Clearly, he had long had enough of the current predicament of being beaten without fighting back, especially since the enemies were just a group of ordinary people.

In past wars, a legion composed of ordinary Soldiers would tremble all over just by getting slightly close to the Bauhinia Legion.

The other Vice Legion Commander was more rational. He didn't join in the excitement but asked cautiously, "How should we deal with the enemy's traps?"

"We are already burdened with over four thousand wounded Soldiers. If that number continues to increase..."

"I will soon order my adjutant to request another batch of Divine Officials from the Royal Capital. The severely wounded Soldiers will receive proper treatment after the battle."

The Vice Legion Commander still had some concerns. "If Lake attacks again..."

"The war will be over. Why bother with a sneak attack on Divine Officials then?"

He thought about it and nodded. "True. We will go make the arrangements immediately."

The two walked side by side toward the camp tents, preparing to gather the officers and assign tasks.

Sadou let out a soft breath. "Let me see your true colors, even if... the price is the total annihilation of the army."

Over the past two days, he hadn't just been pondering the Special Operations Team's weaknesses; he had also been reflecting on his own flaws and inadequacies.

After clashing with the First Army, what impressed Sadou most was the enemy commander's unique tactical thinking.

It was truly the first time he realized that war wasn't just about the simple tactic of massing superior forces to steamroll the enemy; war could be 'played' like this.

"Harass to provoke, lure the enemy into traps, strike logistics to weaken combat effectiveness, use frontal attacks to draw attention, and have elite squads ambush reinforcements."

Sadou spoke as he looked up at the night sky, where the silver moon hung high and the stars twinkled across the heavens.

The Church's ban had been lifted, and large-scale wars had not yet broken out among the continent's nations. This wasn't because they had no intention of expanding their territories, but because it hadn't been long, and they were still somewhat dazed. After all, the ban had been maintained for ten thousand years.

However, the nations would eventually snap out of it. By then, the flames of war would inevitably spread across the entire continent, and techniques advantageous for war would shine brilliantly.

Sadou stood up. "It's just one failure. I can still accept it."

With that, he strode toward the camp tents.

...

In a clearing somewhere in the forest, the First Army's Artillery Regiment had paused their bombardment and were enjoying a sumptuous dinner.

Soldiers gathered in small groups, huddling under trees or sitting cross-legged on the grass. They ate rice and vegetables, chewing quickly before swallowing. In the gaps between scooping more food with their spoons, they chatted with the comrades beside them, or chimed in if they overheard an interesting topic from a nearby group.

The company commander patrolled the clearing with his hands behind his back, observing the Soldiers' physical condition. Mandy, the assault team leader, followed behind him.

"Commander, how much longer will our bombardment last?" Mandy couldn't help but ask.

Initially, experiencing the thunderous roar of shells leaving the barrels and the tremor of the ground had been extremely shocking and novel to Mandy. Ignoring the ringing in his ears, he had watched the artillery fire from a safe distance. But over time, the novelty had faded, leaving him somewhat bored.

Thus, his attention shifted back to his primary concern—the military entrance examination.

He figured it would likely begin once the bombardment ended.

The company commander likely saw through his thoughts, as he stopped and turned around. "No need to be in a hurry."

Mandy felt a bit embarrassed. "I'm not in a hurry to take the ex— uh..."

A few nearby Soldiers who were eating heard him and chuckled, making him even more flustered.

The company commander patted his shoulder. "Patience."

"I understand."

The two continued wandering around the clearing.

After a while, the communicator on the company commander's chest suddenly rang.

Glancing at the calling channel, the commander immediately stood at attention and connected. "First Army, Third Regiment, Second Company Commander. Legion Commander Domit, please give your instructions!"

"Clear the field."

"Yes, sir!"

A burst of static came from the communicator, indicating the person on the other end had hung up.

The commander put the communicator back in his chest pocket and shouted to the surrounding Soldiers, "Clear the field!"

Hearing this, the Soldiers immediately put down their lunch boxes, scrambled up, and rushed to the howitzers, quickly dismantling them one by one according to their training.

Mandy didn't seem to react until several Soldiers pulled a howitzer past him. Only then did he hurriedly chase after the company commander. "What's happening?"

The commander explained while directing the work, "The enemy is likely about to attack. The Legion Commander has deployed heavy weapons, so we need to clear enough space for movement in advance."

"Is that so..." Mandy looked around at the busy but orderly Soldiers. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"There will be."

"Yes, sir!" Mandy replied with immense excitement, having finally received an answer other than 'just watch'.

...

An hour ago, Lake Command Post.

Zhang Mu had spent several days traveling to ambush the Bauhinia Legion's reinforcements, but the return journey was much faster. He simply opened a light gate to transit through The World.

Letting Damu and the others go about their own business, he walked into the building.

"Lord Marshal." Domit saw Zhang Mu enter and walked forward to greet him.

"Mhm." Nodding, Zhang Mu bypassed him and went to the wall where the map was hanging. "Any movement from the Bauhinia Legion?"

Domit followed behind. "Still the same. They're cowering inside their magic shield without moving."

"There will be a change soon."

"Oh?"

"Mhm." Zhang Mu turned around. "All the Divine Officials in that team have been eliminated. The Bauhinia Legion won't receive any support in the short term. They either retreat or fight to the death."

"Which choice does the Lord Marshal think is more likely?"

"The latter."

"They are a legion from an Empire, after all; they have their pride. They won't be willing to retreat so pathetically."

The Bauhinia Legion had yet to kill or even wound a single Soldier from Lake, while they themselves had suffered heavy losses. Not only was their Wyvern Cavalry Regiment wiped out and two groups of Divine Officials sacrificed, but over 4,000 of their Soldiers were also severely wounded.

If they could swallow this insult, Zhang Mu would have to praise them as true masters of endurance.

Clearly, although Sadou, the Legion Commander of the Bauhinia Legion, didn't understand the concept of a 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle', he wouldn't be willing to slink back to the Empire in disgrace.

A decisive battle was inevitable, and it would break out very soon.

Domit pondered deeply. "If things truly go as the Lord Marshal predicts, we also have two choices: retreat to avoid the battle, or meet them head-on with everything we have."

"Let's fight. Future enemies will only get stronger; the First Army can't afford to be complacent."

"The Bauhinia Legion consists entirely of Professionals, with no small number of High-tiers. Damu and the others can handle some, but the rest will have to be dealt with by the First Army Soldiers themselves. Perhaps..."

"To reduce casualties, do we need to mobilize the regiment to assist?"

"No need. This time there's only one battlefield. They haven't coordinated with the First Army before, so putting them together would likely be counterproductive."

"As for your concerns, they aren't without merit. Hmm... magic tanks have been mass-produced recently. The trouble is the issue of tank control."

The First Army had trained tank crews, but when Zhang Mu had last inquired about the magic tanks, he was in a hurry. Upon hearing that there was a technical breakthrough and mass production had begun, he had left immediately without asking if the control system had been significantly altered.

If it hadn't, the First Army's tank crews could drive and fire the magic tanks as soon as they got them. Otherwise, they would need time to familiarize themselves, meaning they couldn't be deployed for immediate combat.

Zhang Mu summoned a light gate and stepped inside. "I'll go take a look. We'll finalize the tactics when I return."

"Yes, sir!"

Entering "The World," Zhang Mu rushed to Geoffrey's laboratory and asked if the magic tanks' control system had been changed.

Geoffrey gave a self-satisfied smile. "Lord Marshal, I knew the First Army was about to face a powerful enemy, so I deliberately kept the control system, making only some minor adjustments."

Of course, this came with a price.

By forgoing major changes to the control system and considering the compatibility of the magic tank's various functions, the magic kinetic core and the magic-firing Core originally intended for deployment had to be temporarily shelved. This resulted in lethality and endurance that were inferior to the prototype.

However, the magic Core and magic runes for enhancing defense were equipped as planned, sufficient to withstand a certain degree of high-tier magic attacks.

Geoffrey also excitedly waved his arms, stating that once the technology matured, they could draw on the concept of the Sniper Magic Array to set each individual tank as a magic node, forming a Magic Array together with other tanks.

That was a matter for the future. Zhang Mu waved his hand. "You're in charge of all that; figure it out at your own pace. Right now, I just want to know how many magic tanks have been produced?"

"I'll go ask." Geoffrey ran to his assistant's side and returned after a flurry of chatter. "Because magic-conducting weapons can only be manufactured in 'The World's' Armory, production capacity is limited. Currently, there are only twenty-five."

"That's enough."

The Bauhinia Legion indeed had many High-tier Professionals, but not excessively so. Moreover, Damu could intercept some of them, making the twenty-five magic tanks sufficient to handle the rest.

Summoning the light gate to return to the Command Post, Domit, who was pacing back and forth in the room, saw Zhang Mu step out and hurriedly asked, "Lord Marshal, how is it?"

After explaining the specific situation, Zhang Mu ordered, "Formulate a plan. The goal is the total annihilation of the enemy army."

"Yes, sir!" Domit stood at attention and saluted.