869 Battle Strategy
Alicia White was currently the most powerful person in the room.
Not only had she recently become an Absolute Tamer—one of the few people with an S-Tier Class, and the only one in the room—but her set of Skills and Class Privileges made her an incredible asset in battle.
In essence, she was indispensable.
No… pretty much all the Otherworlders were indispensable. Ever since their arrival at the battlefield, things had been going so smoothly that the human side hadn't had a single casualty for weeks. While most of this was the result of the immense power that the Otherworldders wielded, most of it could be attributed to Alicia.
Her Healing Magic was at the Absolute Level, and her primary occupation in the battlefield was to heal her allies. This made it so that none suffered fatal damage, and even if they did… she could always restore them to their prime state. She could summon a host of Familiars as well, through Summoning Magic, not to mention controlling Dragons by making them her Familiars. All of this was usually done at the rear at the battlefield, which she occupied. This allowed her access to all the various divisions of the army, and also protected her from attack whenever she healed her allies.
As for the Otherworlders, they were separated into respective divisions.
Admiral Lucy and Clark were in charge of the Main Division, with Trisha and the Vice Admiral being in the second. Brutus had the third Division alone, while the fourth and least dangerous division were led by Generals and the other high-ranking officers. Strategist Lang and Alicia stayed at the rear, the former providing direction for the army, while the latter provided support. To do this, they had to stay on high, fortified ground, which was Lang's Specialty—due to one of his Exclusive Skills, [Fortress].
With it, he could make a structure and assign any attribute he wanted to it. Of course, the more complex the attributes, the more Mana it would consume. The structure that Lang made with this Skill was a floating fortress that had amplifiers to allow them to communicate with their allies. It also had anti-projectile barriers, preventing any low-level ranged assault.
Alicia also added to the security with her Summoned Familiars. Since this was the most vital aspect of their strategy, the defenses they employed were second to none.
This was the formation that the United Human Alliance employed.
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"Do you think we have sufficient forces to properly prepare for a large-scale assault?" This was the most pertinent question regarding the warning that Rey gave the camp, and Lucy asked it once she got the opinions of everyone involved.
As someone who was experienced in leading countless battles, she was the most qualified in being Admiral. Despite being surrounded by people far stronger than her—including Chief Warrior Brutus—she had proven herself as a commander and an overall competent leader.
Her Strategist, Lang, was also famed to be the most clever man in the Alliance.
All in all, everyone knew it was in their best interests to follow her lead, and the fact that she had yet to fail them despite the pressures of the battlefield showed that her position was rightfully earned.
Indeed, the Otherworlders contributed largely to the success they were experiencing, but without a competent leader who could channel their strengths in the right way, there was bound to be more casualties and loss overall.
Lucy and Lang prevented that from happening.
"We currently have a few hundred thousand members in our army after recruiting from the smaller nations that agreed to the temporary partnership with the Alliance. The problem is that most of these new recruits aren't very experienced, so they're practically fodder." Strategist Lang sighed.
"Even when equipped with the Enchanted Items?"
"Indeed. Most of them have very low Stats and their Equip Limits are at the bare minimum. We asked them to send us soldiers, but they ended up giving us liabilities."
The Enchanted Items that were provided made these newcomers only barely capable of fighting. With no proper Skill or Stat to back it up, they were sitting ducks.
"I see. Then, it's best we assign them to the front lines."
The moment Lucy said this, everyone turned in her direction and gasped, their eyes wide open.
"WHAT?!"
Those words of protest were nearly unanimous, with only Strategist Lang and Brutus remaining calm after she uttered those words.
"What do you mean by that, Admiral?" Alicia was especially vocal, and her expression made it clear that she didn't like the direction that their plan was headed.
"Those in the front lines usually get eliminated first, which means if the Dragons are coming in strong with large numbers, we can't make the useful ones die early. Instead, we can cushion their assault a little by feeding them the fodder while the more capable men launch assaults. That way, our enemies get occupied by a distraction while we counter."
It seemed like a heartless measure, but Lucy was right to an extent.
"The ones who sent them to us did so with the assumption that they would perish. At least, with this, they will do so for a good cause."
Upon hearing this, Alicia felt a heavy feeling mixed with a stinging pain in her chest.
Recognizing that people were going to die, especially if it was premeditated, didn't sit right with her. It made her feel guilty—as if she was the one killing them herself.
'Almost like… back then…' Flashes of her Absolute Summon flashed in her mind, forcing her tighten her fist.
"Admiral Lucy is correct. She and I already did the numbers before calling this meeting, and it's the most optimal route to take." Strategist Lang added. "Petty tricks and our contemporary battle tactics won't work on the Dragons—especially an army of that size."
When brute force was involved, it was best to employ a simple, but effective strategy.
"Based on our calculations, it's clear that their efforts would be more concentrated on the Floating Fortress; that is, Alicia and I." Alicia felt stares on her, so she quickly steeled herself with utmost composure.
A lot of people were relying on her, so she couldn't afford to look weak.
"Since that is the case, our strongest efforts should be focused on the rear. We'll form a new division that will be centered around the Fortress." As he said this, everyone began to make slow nods.
Alicia joined.
"That's how we'll win."
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, even though it was practically exposition. There was supposed to be a whole War Arc, but I believe this is much better.
We should actually conclude this Arc this month, and… in usual fashion… there's quite the twist at the end of this Arc.
Perhaps the most intense twist so far.
Care to guess?