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Chapter 322: The Strategy
🕑 Added 2024-10-11 05:05:26 +0000 UTC"No wonder the Blood God has been lying low all this time. He knows that relying on his own power alone would hardly impact the world’s workings. Only by allowing the orcs to proliferate can he continuously inflict wounds upon the world."
A sudden clarity flashed in Rhett's eyes as the truth began to dawn on him. He continued to ponder:
"So, we've reached a critical point. The orcs’ thousands of years of reproduction have finally brought the world to a tipping point—at least from the perspective of humanity."
"And this mysterious figure, the Blood God, perhaps knows how to extract benefits from this world. That blood-red bat may be his critical asset."
"In the last simulation, the Blood God finally revealed his hand, showing his true power. That blood-red bat is likely the source of his blood power, possibly an evolved Blood Spirit that’s been refining its strength for a millennium. Its origin from another world means it must be incredibly powerful..."
"For me, the most important task now is to strike against the orcs, reducing the burden on the world's core. This would buy more time to deal with the orc powerhouses and the Blood God. If I could activate the core of the homeland, that would be even better!"
"If I choose to go head-to-head with the orc powerhouses and the Blood God right from the start, success would be great, but failure would mean losing all hope of turning the tide. Additionally, I must ensure that these enemies are dealt with swiftly. If the battle drags on and the front lines stretch out, it would lead to the same problem, making it harder to awaken the World Will..."
Rhett’s mind raced as he quickly formulated a detailed plan. The first step was to unleash a swift and devastating strike against the orcs, leaving no room for the orc Saints to react, and decisively cutting out this tumor. If this could awaken the World Will, great; if not, he would still have time to deal with the orcs and the Blood God gradually...
However, Rhett wasn’t entirely certain that this plan would go off without a hitch. There could be unforeseen obstacles, such as interference from the hidden Blood God or other Saint-level entities. To ensure nothing was left to chance, Rhett decided to run another simulation.
With that, he activated the system once more.
"Would you like to start a text-based simulation? Each simulated year consumes 5 Destiny Points."
"Yes, simulate one year."
"Year 482 of the Golden Calendar, April 17: You break through to the Saint-level Mage, reaching the pinnacle of the world. Congratulations. On the same day, you lead the armies to crush the orc forces, achieving a resounding victory, and join forces with Commander Ankust to slay the Saint-level Dragonman, Kaimaha. You then remain at the Coldstream Line, circling back to ambush the orcs on their way to reinforce Coldstream."
"April 20: The battle report from Coldstream reaches the orc headquarters, causing an uproar. The Orc King is furious and sends reinforcements to the Coldstream Line, Gorge Line, and Red Earth Line, along with a Saint-level Bearman to personally oversee the forces."
"April 23: As the elite orc forces, led by the Bearmen, Pigheads, and Blood Moon Werewolves, pass through the Flame Tiger branch of the Monster Mountain Range, you launch a surprise attack, unleashing a torrent of sand infused with perfected Vibration Mysticism, burying nearly half of the orc army. You then launch a relentless assault on the Saint-level Bearman."
"To your surprise, the Bearman's roar shatters all the sand, thwarting your plan to slaughter the orc army. However, after a fierce battle, the Saint-level Bearman still falls to your hand."
"April 27: You cross the Northern Icefield to the world's northernmost region, where you ally with two other kingdoms. After stating your purpose and demonstrating your strength, you join forces with eight other Saint-levels and the Ice Kingdom’s army to engage the orcs in battle within the icefields."
"April 30: After intense fighting, the orc army is defeated, with five Saint-level orcs slain on the spot and two more fleeing."
"May 3: The Bearman Chieftain, also known as the Orc King, hears of the battle reports from various fronts. Enraged, especially after learning of your deeds, he is convinced that you are the Child of the World and decides to mobilize all his forces to attack the Golden Kingdom."
"May 5: Ankust finds you and reports that he encountered and killed the Blood God. He shows you the corpse and head of the Blood God, which looks convincingly dead. However, you are certain that the Blood God has merely faked his death and is still lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment."
"May 7: You hurriedly make your way to the Rem Kingdom to assist their Saint-level forces in launching a fierce assault on the orc army."
"May 10: After two days and nights of battle, a Saint-level Blood Moon Werewolf, a Saint-level Phantom Viper, and a Saint-level Shadow Tiger fall from exhaustion."
"May 13: Seizing the moment when the Orc King has dispatched his army, you infiltrate the orc stronghold and carry out a massacre of the orc civilians."
"May 20: After seven days and nights of slaughter, your hands are stained with the blood of over a billion orcs, earning you the title of Orc Exterminator. That day, you feel your understanding of Mysticism deepen, with the mysteries of the world becoming clearer before your eyes."
"May 21: On your way back to the Golden Kingdom, you detect an unusual and eerie scent of blood, prompting you to stop. The next moment, a blood rain suddenly engulfs the battlefield. A massive blood-red sphere falls from the sky, and fifty Pale Riders emerge from it, followed by the familiar figure of the Blood God!"
"The Blood God does not immediately attack. Instead, he proposes a collaboration, revealing that he knows all about your massacre of the orcs and is willing to join forces with you to eliminate the orc Saint-levels. The terms of cooperation involve using your status as the Child of the World to deceive the World Will and help him harvest the world's core. In return, the Blood God offers to take you to the Underworld, where higher-level breakthroughs are possible."
"You initially pretend to agree and inquire about how he plans to harvest the world's core, but he remains tight-lipped. After several attempts, you stop hiding your intentions and launch an attack. The Blood God reveals the blood-red bat above his head once more, which releases a blood mist far more potent than the Pale Riders’. Within the mist, the power of Mysticism is greatly diminished. Despite your best efforts, you only manage to fight him to a standstill."
"Soon after, the Blood God's blood-red bat opens its gaping maw, creating a small spatial rift from which dozens of cold, dark streaks of light shoot out, striking the fifty Pale Riders."
"You watch as the bodies of the Pale Riders rapidly decay, releasing an aura of dark immortality. You find this aura to be unprecedentedly foreign, with only a faint resemblance to the dark creatures you've encountered before. Each Undying Rider's strength rises to near-Saint-level, and they charge at you fearlessly."
"After a difficult battle, you try to escape, but the blood-red bat’s speed far exceeds your expectations. It easily catches up to you, and with a ferocious bite to your head, you feel your mental energy rapidly drain away, your blood being sucked dry. A wave of weakness washes over you like a tide. You die."
"Text simulation complete. Would you like to continue simulating?"
"Dead again?"
As the light screen faded from view, Rhett's face grew increasingly grim. He hadn’t expected that, even with his current combat prowess, he would still be unable to defeat the Blood God. The blood-red bat, evolved from a Blood Spirit, was terrifying beyond measure!
In both simulations, he had died in nearly the same way. The blood-red bat seemed unafraid of Mysticism, even absorbing the damage as it relentlessly pursued him, while Rhett struggled to find any effective countermeasures.
Clenching his fists, Rhett replayed the battle with the Blood God in his mind, pondering deeply:
"The blood-red bat can briefly open spatial rifts, releasing creatures that seem capable of possessing the Pale Riders. These creatures likely come from the Underworld, just as the Blood God mentioned."
"This means that the power behind the Blood God originates from the Underworld. However, this doesn’t necessarily represent the entire Underworld’s will. After all, advanced dark magic can summon undead from the Underworld, yet there has never been widespread chaos, indicating the Underworld is vast, and the Blood God is merely backed by one faction or region within it."
"And the Blood God mentioned that there are methods to break through to higher levels in the Underworld, suggesting that he has indeed made contact with someone there... The Pale Riders and the mysterious creatures summoned by the blood-red bat must also originate from the Underworld."
For a moment, Rhett felt overwhelmed. Despite his current strength, he realized he was still not a match for the Blood God in a one-on-one fight. The weight of this realization pressed down on him.
He had initially thought the Blood God’s power was limited to the three Mysticism forces that Hypast told him about. But upon reflection, it was clear that someone as cunning as the Blood God would never reveal all his cards prematurely, especially when so much was at stake.
"Ugh."
After thinking deeply for a long time, Rhett exhaled slowly, his resolve hardening once more. He wasn’t without hope for a counterattack!
In the coming days, by harvesting the orcs' Destiny Points, he could further deepen his understanding of Mysticism, aiming to perfect his mastery of the Dissolution Mysticism. If he could achieve that, it would elevate his combat power to an even higher level. If fortune favored him, he might even unlock the Gravity Space Mysticism, which would be the crowning achievement—surpassing even Timoth from millennia ago by mastering all the Mysticism forces, making him the greatest Saint in history!
With this in mind, Rhett abandoned his plan to head to the Gorge Line and instead turned back toward the Coldstream Line.
At the Coldstream Camp, the soldiers had just returned, brimming with excitement. With the encouragement and approval of their officers, the streets were filled with jubilant voices, singing songs of victory!
For many soldiers, this was a victory they hadn’t seen in a century, the most glorious battle of their lives—a moment of supreme honor!
In the execution yard, Taylor had just executed a nightcat and hadn’t yet removed the body when he saw someone rushing toward him.
"Tuck? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out on the battlefield fighting the orcs right now?" Taylor looked Tuck up and down. His armor was covered in scratches and gouges, evidence of a recent battle. But why was he here at this moment? Frowning, Taylor was even more puzzled.
Tuck, dressed in black armor, with his right hand on his waist and his left holding his helmet, walked up to Taylor with a grin.
"Haha, I’m here because of that—our side won the war! The orcs were almost completely wiped out, and soon, the last group will arrive with thousands of prisoners."
Hearing this news, Taylor’s heart, which had grown numb from the daily slaughter of orcs, was suddenly jolted as if doused with hot water. He shivered as if struck by lightning, and ran forward, exclaiming:
"My God, this is unbelievable! How long were we gone? The battle is already over? Tell me, what happened on the battlefield?"
Tuck patted his chest and laughed heartily. "Of course, I’ll tell you, but I’m a bit tired after the battle. Say something nice, and I’ll fill you in."
Taylor’s expectant face froze, his mouth twitching. Waving his staff at Tuck, he grumbled:
"I’d love to compliment you, but with someone who has no redeeming qualities, my father taught me not to lie..."
Seeing Taylor’s exasperated expression, Tuck didn’t rush him. Instead, he sighed regretfully, turning to leave as he spoke:
"What a pity. Father was a shining star in this war, and I know all the details. No one else knows as much as I do. But since you’re not interested, forget it..."
Taylor moved the nightcat's body aside, preparing to execute more orcs, but hearing Tuck’s last words, his expression changed. He immediately tossed his staff aside and ran forward, grabbing Tuck’s arm and tapping his cold armor with a grin:
"My dear brother, you are tall and majestic, broad-minded, and have inherited our father’s forgiving nature. Surely you won’t hold a grudge over such a small matter. Please, tell me in detail about Father’s heroic deeds on the battlefield!"
"Ah, now you’re talking. Haha." Tuck reached out and patted Taylor on the head, tousling his fluffy hair before laughing loudly, "Father broke through during the war, ascending to Saint-level. He descended like a god, leading us to defeat the orcs. The magic he unleashed was like the end of the world. I’ve never seen a Saint-level warrior strike with such power—it was terrifying... The yellow sand covered the sky, and the spears seemed endless..."
"Wow..." Taylor’s earlier annoyance with Tuck vanished as he listened to the stories of their father’s battlefield exploits. Tuck’s vivid descriptions made him feel as though he were witnessing the battle himself, and he couldn’t help but be filled with admiration, imagining the scene where his father dominated the battlefield. His eyes sparkled with awe as he exclaimed, "It would be amazing to see that with my own eyes..."
"Haha, with Father now at Saint-level, you’ll have plenty of chances in the future!" Tuck laughed heartily, clapping Taylor on the back, clearly in high spirits.
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