Volume 3, Chapter 90 – The Backup Plan

War is cruel.

Whether in the real world or in the game world.

Even if, in the game world, for players, war in the Main World really is just a game, since failure means they can resurrect endlessly, for NPCs, death really is death…

The war between Eden and Stronghold began.

On the first day, under the premise that neither side deployed their high-end combat power, the fighting ended with Eden’s army having a slight edge.

Although both sides tacitly refrained from sending out Legendary tier high-end combatants, on the battlefield there were still countless ordinary NPCs who turned into points of light and vanished from this world.

“The first day can barely count as a slight advantage, but whether in quality or quantity, we cannot compare to Stronghold’s Beastmen… and in terms of command, from today’s battle I could tell that the commander on the other side is even more seasoned than I am…”

At night, in the temporary camp, Fisiel laid out every bit of intel they had gained that day in battle in front of Tianyin, Xingyu Muxi, and the others.

“So what you are saying is that we cannot gain the upper hand on the frontal battlefield?”

Xingyu Muxi asked back.

“Yes.”

“I see…”

Xingyu Muxi sank into thought, her lovely brows drawing together slightly.

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“I did take that into account, but those backup measures I prepared are not ready yet. If it really does not work out, we can only retreat… then rely on Eden City to fight a defensive war…”

“So… Sister Xiaomu, are you all going to retreat?”

Hearing Xingyu Muxi’s muttering, Tianyin asked.

“The gap in strength is simply too big. Today’s probing engagement has already given us enough intel. Pulling back to avoid the head-on clash is also the best way to handle things for now…”

Xingyu Muxi patiently explained to Tianyin.

“But Xiaoyin, if all we do is retreat, morale will definitely be affected to some extent, so unless we are truly left with no choice, I am not in favor of withdrawing the army.”

“Then what you mean is that the war will continue tomorrow?”

“Mm… not just tomorrow. For the next few days, we will be needing your strength, Fisiel. It should still be possible to hold out for a few days, right?”

“Holding out for a few days is not a problem… What I am worried about is that the other side might deploy their Legendary tiers… If they send out Legendaries, even if I hand over command to Gawain… the other side simply has too many Legendaries… if they really commit their Legendary forces, then a collapse of the entire line would be a matter of moments.”

Just as Fisiel said, those at Legendary tier were existences that could turn an entire battlefield upside down with ease…

With an army of more than a hundred thousand on the frontal battlefield, holding out for ten days or half a month would be perfectly normal.

However, if the Beastmen on the other side lost their patience and directly deployed their Legendary existences, the collapse of more than a hundred thousand troops really would only take an instant.

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“You can rest easy about that… Fisiel, you only need to hold out for a few days…”

“Alright. As long as they don’t deploy their Legendries, holding out for a few days is still possible.”

On the surface, Xingyu Muxi was asking Fisiel to hold the line for a few days on the frontal battlefield, but whether Xingyu Muxi had a way to solve the current problem behind the scenes… on that point, the knight girl was not sure.

However, if it was Xingyu Muxi, she just might have a backup plan.

That was what Fisiel believed.

……

And over the next few days.

Fisiel did exactly as Xingyu Muxi had asked, gritting her teeth and holding back Stronghold’s offensive on the frontal battlefield. What puzzled Fisiel was that the Beastmen on Stronghold’s side did not seem to have any intention of sending out their Legendary tiers.

“Why… is that?”

Fisiel could not make sense of it.

If it were her, after probing Eden’s combat strength on the first day, she would absolutely end the war as quickly as possible on the second day.

But what exactly the Beastmen were thinking, that was the one thing she could not grasp.

Back at Stronghold, the aging Beastman King was actually not unwilling to deploy his Legendaries.

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In fact, on the second day, the Beastman King had already planned to send Legendary tiers to the battlefield.

However, at the most critical moment, bad news suddenly came from the rear headquarters.

The Half-beasts had erupted into revolt.

Thousands upon thousands of Half-beasts declared they were breaking away from Stronghold, and under the leadership of their current chieftain, a girl named Yeluo, they raised the banner of rebellion.

Not only that, but this Yeluo who had suddenly led the Half-beasts in revolt somehow possessed power beyond Legendary. Even if it was not exaggerated to the level of Throne-class, one or two Legendries were no match for this Half-beast girl at all.

Of course, knowing this would only have made the old Beastman King more determined to end this war quickly, but at the most critical moment, an enormous Graveyard army inexplicably blocked his rear lines of retreat.

Although they did not launch an attack on him, the Graveyard troops lined up behind him left the old Beastman King in a situation where he had to scruple and hold back, afraid that if he deployed his Legendries against Eden, Graveyard would seize the chance to attack his rear…

If that really happened, then the favorable situation they currently held would be ruined in an instant.

“Why would Graveyard suddenly do this? When it comes to our struggle over the Northern Fortress, has Graveyard not always turned a blind eye?”

His mood was complicated.

In these past few days on the battlefield, he had wanted to send out Legendary tiers many times, but without knowing how many Legendary existences Eden possessed, and while also needing to guard against a surprise attack from Graveyard behind him, under these conditions he simply did not dare to act rashly.

On top of that, Fuyi, who had been left to hold the fort, kept sending urgent messages saying the Half-beast rebels were becoming more and more serious with each passing day. At a certain moment, the old Beastman King suddenly realized that Stronghold itself seemed to have become riddled with holes all at once…

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“Give up. There is still time to retreat and pacify the rebellion. The few Legendaries we left to guard the main camp are no match for the rebels. Here, we are already surrounded by Graveyard and Eden. Do you really not see the situation clearly?”

The aged Prophet looked at the old Beastman King with a calm gaze, his tone incomparably even.

“I will not lose. How could I possibly lose?”

However, the old Beastman King did not agree with the Prophet’s words.

“As long as we defeat Eden, every problem can be solved easily. It is true that we cannot send out the Legendaries lightly, but with our army of five hundred thousand Beastmen, wiping out a mere hundred thousand or so troops is only a matter of time.”

“Can you not see it? A war of attrition will only drag us deeper and deeper. Giving up is the best choice we have right now.”

Give up?

After paying so much for the Northern Fortress, how could they possibly choose to give up just because of something like this…

Absolutely, absolutely cannot give up.

And besides, the outcome has not yet been decided, so who can say for sure who the victor will be?

Clinging to that thought, at some point unnoticed, the old Beastman King’s cloudy eyes had already been stained with a color like blood.