Everyone stopped what they were doing while Leo’s perception picked up why there was the noise. They were celebrating the return of the soldiers who had finished the battle against the Wheeler Kingdom.
While they were all rushing out, Leo stayed back. He went to the tent at the center while getting rid of his disguise. Now that he knew all the information he needed, he was going to set the scene for the play he made.
From what he understood, the most likely way to get out of the position he was in was to either die or win the war. Obviously, winning the war would likely be better for him.
As he got to the center of the army, he rose to the air. In the distance, a huge army was being led toward the camp by three men on beasts. These were gigantic horses that emitted the aura of a 6th Circle Aura Knight.
He patiently waited till all the soldiers got into the camp and settled in. This took two hours since they were filled with the excitement of winning a battle. The minute the sound seemed to dwindle, Leo commanded his troops.
“Generals! Assemble!”
His command reached the people it needed to, prompting them to move immediately. They all flew toward him. The people he was calling were the three 7th Circle Aura Knights in the Blood God Army. These were the generals that managed the army in his and Dmitri’s absence.
By the time they got to the tent, he was already inside, waiting for them to enter. They walked into the tent and immediately kneeled.
“We greet the Blood God. What do you command us to do?”
He looked at them with a little bit of nervousness. After readying himself and preparing what to say, he started speaking.
“Gather a hundred men and create an illusion array. This illusion should show our entire army in its place with the aura and the power. I need the hundred men group to carry this illusion array to a particular location,” he started explaining his plan to them.
To make it clear, he whipped out the maps that Dmitri left him to show exactly where the illusion was to be placed.
“And what of us?” One of them asked.
They all nodded. None of them asked for anything other than their orders. Unlike Dmitri who questioned what his plan was, they were following whatever commands he gave them.
Within an hour, a team of a hundred men departed along with the illusion. It wasn’t yet activated so they were traveling very quickly. All of them were 5th Circle Aura Knights as well, which meant they could fly.
Once that part was finished, Leo had to figure out the next step. Placing the soldiers at their positions without being caught.
If the plan worked perfectly, then the entire army would make its way toward Leo and he would ambush and kill them. The problem was that the entire army included the 7th and 8th Circle Aura Knights that commanded them.
They would sniff out the ambush from miles away. The solution to this was presented to him by Dmitry before he left – another array.
They could hide a small team of elites using an array who would ambush the army. Then the small team would lure the entire army through the ravine to the other side. There would be another array at the exit of the canyon.
This array would hide the presence of the army waiting for the Bandit King on the other side. This would be far easier than trying to hide the entire army on top of the ravines. It would also cause more casualties since anyone who could fly would be able to deal with the people on the top.
The initial ambush would solely exist to slightly damage and shock the enemy while luring them to the other end.
However, this would still require him to dedicate a force for that purpose. He was planning for this force to be everyone who was in the 6th Circle or higher. This kept the number of people manageable and protectable.
As his orders were going through to the entire camp, something different was happening in the other camp.
“So you are only taking half the army with you?” Dmitri asked the Bandit King.
“Yes. We decided to leave half the army here and ambush the Blood God with the other half,” he said.
“And why are you choosing this route?”
“In a ravine like that, the size of the army would be pointless. And with you on our side, we will be able to deal with the Blood God anyway. Why would we need the entire army?” The Bandit King said.
“To minimize your risks. If either army is attacked while it is incomplete, it will be harder to defend.”
“That is our problem to solve. We only hope that you will play your part in controlling the Blood God and helping us kill him,” the Spade Queen interjected.
“The people who will go with the army that will be attacking the Blood God are me, you, and the Spade Queen,” the Bandit King said. “We will also have another 7th Circle Aura Knight with us. She is one of the generals.”
Inside, Dmitri was very happy with the outcome. This perfectly split the army into two, giving them an easy way to defeat the first half.
If they were only facing a single 8th Circle and two 7th Circle Aura Knights, the battle was over before it even started. The tables would turn the minute Dmitri turned back to his real master’s side.
“Also, another thing I forgot to mention is that we will not immediately enter the ravine,” the Spade Queen said.
Dmitri looked up with a hint of confusion.
“We will be waiting for our soldiers to spot the army of the Blood God first. Only then will we set into the ravine. You cannot blame us for being so cautious, Death Bringer.” The Fire King said.
“I am assuming you will communicate through a set of one-way crystals.”
They nodded at his assumption. Even though this was a little different from what was optimal, it was still going properly.
A set of one-way crystals was a communication device that functioned using two crystals. It allowed a person holding the transmission crystal to communicate with another person holding the receiving crystal.
The flaws of this were that it only allowed communication in one direction and that it was incredibly difficult to produce. Two-way crystals didn’t even exist and the Bandit King couldn’t afford a second set of one-way crystals.
“I see the problems that you face,” he said while turning his smile a little more sadistic. “But if this comes in the way of killing the Blood God, then I will not spare any of you. I am risking my life by turning against him.”
His words pushed the weaker 7th Circle Aura Knights away from him again. They were scared of him and didn’t want to be anywhere near him.