Chapter 681 True War Begins
Rey sat at the head of the table.
From where he was, he could see the faces of all the leaders in the Elven Camp—well, except for Feralia, who was standing right behind him.
It almost seemed like she was his bodyguard, and while that felt weird… he allowed it.
'Here we are… preparing for battle.' He nearly sighed, looking at the faces of the females who gave him star-struck expressions.
'I have no idea what happened in my absence, but all of them are beginning to look at me the same way Feralia did. Did my energy affect them all, but at a much slower rate? I'm not even sure anymore.'
The good news was that they weren't going to make any move on him, which made the entire meeting a whole lot bearable.
'Kara is busy with the Refinery Project and sorting out all the other important details within the Community.'
The Land of the Elves was a goldmine of resources, and it Kara's job was to help map it out and discover other hotspots that would provide potential revenue and immense profits for the Reaper Group and humanity as a whole.
'As long as it doesn't directly harm the Elves, then there's no problem, right? It's not like The Oracle forbade me from that.' He thought to himself with a bit of a smug smile.
"I believe you all know how the significance of this meeting."
The leaders fidgeted on their seats as they heard his voice. Their expression ranged from being tense to being attentive. The common denominator was that they were all serious.
"I have gotten a detailed report of your performance during the last attack. It was stellar work from your end, and I'm impressed that you did not suffer any casualties."
"It is all thanks to you, Sir Rey!"
"Hmm." Rey smiled and shrugged off the praise. He already knew that his contributions were what made the Elves stand so much as a chance against the Dragon Army, but he actually underestimated their performance even after granting them such tools.
'If you give a child a sword, that makes the child more dangerous, but it doesn't make that child too dangerous.'
Possessing a tool, and having the skill to use said tool were two very distinct things.
'But, it seems like they're practically the same for the Elves. Somehow, having those weapons I gave them made them quick experts—especially the projectiles.'
The Elementals at their command did a very stellar job, sure, but the Elves were also impressive. They didn't even allow any of the Dragons to come close to the Camp at all.
They were truly merciless.
'I guess this is how the Elves were also able to gain the upper hand last time after buying lots of Enchanted Items from us.'
Rey couldn't help but feel like this was yet another example of the world's bias.
'I mean… The Oracle is a literal god. She's also an Elf. If she can intervene with the System, it only makes sense that they are a chosen race. In that case, I should just ignore all of their benefits and focus on my task.'
"It's time for true war." Rey spoke up, interlocking his fingers as he leaned forward. He could see worry clouding the faces of his audience.
Still, he had to go on.
"Now that we've pushed back very heavily against the Dragons, they'll definitely feel the impact and try harder next time." The Elves must have been designated as a non-threat due to their previous state, so the Dragon Army probably wasn't trying their best in the last wave.
All of that would change very soon.
'Now that I know Adrien is involved, it only makes things even more complicated. Now that he's been pushed back, chances are… he'll push harder.'
For a long period, after knowing of Adrien's involvement, Rey considered whether or not to reveal himself as the benefactor of the Elves. Ater had already assured him that his presence in the Eastern Continent wasn't known to Adrien, so he could choose whether or not to reveal his identity.
In the end, Rey chose to remain hidden.
'I'll take a page off his own tactics and keep my identity secret. Might as well simply watch from the sidelines and leave all the agency to the Elves.'
Yes, it would be a slower battle as a result, but Rey had to remain on the side of caution.
'I'll only intervene when the time is right.'
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"It's time…"
A bit of mist escaped Adrien's lips as he folded his hand while floating in the sky. He felt the coolness of the air seep into his body, but that had no adverse effect on him.
As his dark suit flapped, thanks to the breeze beating against him, his blue eyes glowed as he watched his Undead Army ascend to the skies.
All of them, in their thousands, flapped their rotting wings, all shrouded in blackish purple energy, as they roared with a disgustingly deafening cry. Their bodies were a mix of skin and bones, with layers of forbidden energy warbling all over.
They were abominations given form—the work of Necromancy.
Other than the Dragons who took to the skies, the footsoldiers consisted of multiple Monsters—most of whom ranged from B-Tier to C-Tier. There were also a sufficient amount of A-Tier Monsters there as well.
With their overwhelming numbers, and the perverse energy that they spilled onto the land as they began their march, they seemed to be an unstoppable army. A total of ten thousand of them—Dragons and Monsters combined.
."Where will we be positioned? Due to the density of Miasma, it will be incredibly difficult for us to be near the army, so how shall we lead the army?"
As Adrien heard this, he removed his gaze from the advancing army and turned behind him.
There, he saw the twelve Dragon Commanders that were all lined up in a straight line before him. He could see all their faces, and he could read all their thoughts.
Through it all, he merely made a light smile.
"We won't be participating in the battle. We are only going to watch from afar." His voice calmly elaborated on what he meant as soon as he began to speak.
In no time at all, he caught them all up to speed.
'My army is very advantageous, since Undead soldiers do not require rest or sustenance. They also deal passive damage to the enemy in terms of Miasma Poisoning. But… they aren't without a disadvantage too.'
The major disadvantage was that their Miasma was also detrimental to the Dragons.
'As a result, I can't employ the aid of the Dragon Army if I am to use my Undead one. Even the Commanders can't actively participate on the battlefield without exerting a lot of Mana to simply shield themselves from the Miasma being released by my minions.'
In a way, that made it so that Adrien got all of the accomplishments for the subjugation of the Elves, but it also meant he would be the one to bear the brunt of the losses suffered on his end.
'Until yesterday, I never really suffered enough losses to make me uncomfortable, but now… things are different.' He narrowed his eyes.
If he was to lose these Undead soldiers, he would only have a quarter of his stockpile left. That meant this was quite the risk he was taking, but anything less would not be sufficient.
'The goal is to retreat if the battle becomes too fierce, but I have to see the extent of the Elves' power, as well as how I match up against them.'
The most important thing was finding the cause of their sudden growth.
'The best way to do that is to critically analyze and observe as the battle plays out naturally. I'll take everything in and supplement my current information to figure out what happened and how to handle the matter.'
To do all of these things, Adrien didn't particularly need the Dragon Commanders at all.
In fact, there was no significance to their presence.
'I suppose they are meant to be for security, but I don't really need it. Granted, I'm still hiding my true strength, so the Dragons don't know how strong I am… so I understand where this gesture could be coming from.'
Ultimately, Adrien's plan for the Commanders was for them to also be with him as he watched the battle with critical lenses and a clear mind.
'And with that… shall we begin?'
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Adrien's eyes were wide with shock.
He did his possible best to control the rest of his expression, but his eyes easily betrayed him as he watched the battle from a distance, sheer surprise etched all over his features.
'T-this is…'
As his Undead Army fell, one after another, without even claiming the lives of a single Elf, he couldn't help but open his lips and mutter out a fragment of his thoughts.
"... Amazing."