She said with exasperation, "It is like the army is going through a step-by-step guide in how to take over a world. It is boring. It is why I look forward to unexpected events and why I think the elves have already lost."
Kelvin was running out of patience, so he asked, "When are you going to get to the phases?"
She huffed and said, "I'm getting to it."
She then took a break to build suspense. She watched his face while doing so. The look of irritation and annoyance on his face was an entertaining movie for her.
He knew this, so he calmed down and became expressionless.
She turned away and said, "You're just no fun."
He didn't reply, which was a good thing, as she was watching him with the corner of her eye for any reaction.
When he remained unmoving, she sighed and said, "You're good. Now I see why those who came to harass you because you stole their kills gave up."
He wanted to smile proudly, but he reined his feelings of pride in and didn't let her compliment crack his stoic exterior.
She finally gave up and said, "There are four phases. The first phase is touchdown and establishment."
"There are many types of worlds, many ways to breach a world for an attack, and different types of response from a world to invasion, but the first phase is always gaining a location to set up a base."
"The first phase is chaotic, and the causality rate of soldiers is the highest. But once a base is set up, factories and refiners are set up too. Then the second phase, which I call entrenchment, begins."
"The army digs in and refuses to leave. If the world failed to kick them out in the first phase, it will be extra difficult to kick them out in the second phase."
"In this phase, things are very stable for the soldiers, and the army pretends to be a rock. They stay still as the whole world beats on them to eliminate them. They do this to buy time to set up their machines and weapons of war."
Kelvin remembered everything that had happened ever since he came to the Lignum world vividly, so he saw the patterns in what the army did and what Wrath said.
He found himself nodding along and finally understanding some of the reasons why the army did some of the things they did.
Wrath continued, "What signifies the end of the second phase is the construction of the Skynet or other world-suppressing weapons. In the case of Lignum, it is the array of satellites in the sky ready to rain down fire or full-powered spears of glory in the world."
Then she pointed up to the sky and said, "You can't see what I see right now, but trust me when I say no mortal army or even demigods will be able to withstand the assault of spears of glory raining down on them."
"Look who I'm talking to. You should know that I'm right; after all, you were on the business end of the spears of glory after that battle. That was just the incomplete Skynet."
"It was probably at 20% completion. Now that it is at 100%, you can imagine what kind of damage the Skynet can cause. So it doesn't matter what the elves are planning. They will lose as long as they don't have a true god. Only a true god can change the status quo."
Kelvin could imagine the kind of destruction the fire from the sky can cause. But Wrath saying that only a true god can top that didn't put him at peace because there was a sleeping god beneath his feet.
He hadn't been able to imagine what something the size of a power can do, but after experiencing what the Skynet at 20% capacity can do, his imagination has gone off the rails, and he doesn't want to be alive to witness what the Mother of Life would do when she wakes and sees what they have done to her precious world.
He changed the subject quickly. "So the elves can't win. What next?"
Wrath sighed. "What happens next is usually boring. The third phase, which I call the consolidation phase, begins. This phase involves scattering the soldiers to search the world."
"Usually, the true goal of this phase is disguised with many missions, such as discovering rebellion cells, quelling uprisings, finding mines, and other valuable resources. But the ultimate goal is to find the entrance to the core of the world."
"The entrance to the core of the world can be anywhere. It can be within a cave, up a mountain, at the bottom of a river, or a lake. Or even within a deep underground structure. It can be anywhere, and until we find it, the final phase of the invasion can't begin."
Kelvin had to ask, "What's so important about the core of the world?"
"The core of the world is where the heart of the world is. That doesn't mean much to you, so I'll make it more relevant."
"Currently, the core of the world is where the true body of the Mother of Life is. She should be sleeping there right now. If we can find her location, there might not be a need for a grand fight. She can be captured silently and quickly, so more lives won't be forced to end in the clash between her and Aganju."
Kelvin exclaimed. "Oh. I see."
Suddenly, he felt the urgency of his mission. He didn't think much of it before, but now the success of his scouting mission and those of every soldier participating in the same mission has become a matter of life and death.
Wrath continued, "That's not all there is to the core of the world. We need to find it and... How do I put this?"
"Let's just say infect the heart of the world or enslave it. This is the fourth phase of the invasion. It involves doing everything needed to help Yggdrasil enslave the heart of the world completely. Until that is done, this invasion won't be considered successful."