Chapter 220
The morning light shone on the walls of Avalon . In front of its doors, two large armies departed in two different directions . At the forefront of one army was Hayato, the prince of Ryuu kingdom . His mission was to conquer the Oni kingdom . Behind him were almost 40 . 000 soldiers, compromised of his kingdom"s people, as well as the slaves that remained from the last war . These slaves were sent to the kingdoms that joined Avalon in standing against Blood sect .
However, they were not being forced into slavery . Instead, they were bound by a contract of five years . In these five years, they were going to do the bidding of the kingdom that took them, after which they would be released .
On top of these soldiers, two sect Elders from Glory sect joined Hayato . These two being Griffin and Bard . The three highest cultivators of the army would be the central force that would strike the enemy first .
The other army had Ellie as its leader . It was only obvious as she knew the kingdom best, and would be able to come up with a suitable plan to bring it down . Similar to Hayato"s army, the soldiers amounted to 40 . 000 with both Avalon soldiers and slaves . Two Elders joined Ellie, Audun, and Becky, as well as Eric .
The march towards the two kingdoms was rather quiet . The galloping of the horses and the breathing of the soldiers was the only thing that was heard . They had a single mindset in their minds, to win . The soldiers had a high morale thanks to winning the last war, while the slaves didn"t want to die before returning to their families .
They were all thinking about how this war would end much faster compared to the other one . The Oni and Beast kingdom both lost many soldiers due to allying with Blood sect . As such, they would be severely weakened and wouldn"t be able to handle another war .
Both Ellie, as well as the leading figures of the army, summarized what the soldiers were thinking . Yet, they didn"t say anything to remedy such flawed thinking . They simply allowed the soldiers to indulge in their naïve thinking . At least, until they reach their destination, they weren"t going to say anything .
Night befell the land, and the soldiers went to rest . Some of them unable to sleep, as the terror of war, was deeply ingrained in their brains . Even though they believed they would win, the harsh images of mutilated bodies didn"t leave their brains .
Inside a tent, four figures stood in front of a large map .
Inside a tent, four figures stood in front of a large map .
"The beast kingdom is comprised of five cities, with four of them surrounding the capital . The least guarded one of them is the southeastern one . In order to attack it, we will have to take a detour and walk all the way to the south, ignoring the north-eastern city, as well as the capital . But, I don"t think such a large army will go unnoticed, so we might get spotted . "
Ellie explained as showed those present all the information by map . All of them fell into deep silence as they thought . They knew that if they targeted the capital, they would get surrounded by the military of the four cities . But in case they take over a city secretly, they would have the element of surprise, as the other cities wouldn"t be able to react before the capital is taken down . However, if they take too long to take over a city, their plan would be toast .
"I"m certain that the Beastmen are being extra vigilant . They know retribution is coming, as they chose to side with Blood sect . *Sigh* Where is Ed when you need him…" Eric remembered how Ed had left just the day before . He thought about how convenient his s.p.a.ce magic was .
"I suggest we head straight for the capital . " Audun proposed the opposite of what they were trying to avoid .
"How come?" Ellie didn"t want to agree nor deny his proposal . She was all ears now, as she couldn"t decide on a plan on her own .
"How come?" Ellie didn"t want to agree nor deny his proposal . She was all ears now, as she couldn"t decide on a plan on her own .
"If we target one of the cities, there is nothing that guarantees the reaction of the other ones . They could send people to investigate what happened, or they could send all of their militaries to the capital in order to protect it . In that case, we would have wasted time on a useless city . " Audun explained as he was a veteran of war . His opinion weighed heavily in the matter .
"Judging by the map, the reinforcements would need at most one day to reach the capital . That gives us exactly that much time to take down the king . "
Audun proposed an outrageous plan . The capital was surrounded by walls in every direction . The army would need to scale the walls, open the doors, and then take out the king . All in under a day .
"I see . Anyone else has a better a plan?" Ellie chose to listen to any other opinion before taking her decision . Seeing no one speaking she said, "Then we will go with this plan . Tell the soldiers that resting will have to wait until tomorrow . We"re walking throughout the night!" Ellie took her decision while walking out of her tent and speaking to the guards there . They, in turn, went to let the army know .
The soldiers whose sleep was disturbed dared not to question why . They only gathered their stuff and started to walk in the direction of the Beastmen kingdom . After walking for the whole night, the reached a dense thicket by dawn, where Ellie decided to have a rest at .
"I see . Anyone else has a better a plan?" Ellie chose to listen to any other opinion before taking her decision . Seeing no one speaking she said, "Then we will go with this plan . Tell the soldiers that resting will have to wait until tomorrow . We"re walking throughout the night!" Ellie took her decision while walking out of her tent and speaking to the guards there . They, in turn, went to let the army know .
The soldiers whose sleep was disturbed dared not to question why . They only gathered their stuff and started to walk in the direction of the Beastmen kingdom . After walking for the whole night, the reached a dense thicket by dawn, where Ellie decided to have a rest at .
"We will continue to walk during the night . Now, we can rest . " Ellie told everyone before retreating back to her own tent to rest . As she was laying on the bed, she looked at her right fist, which she used to slug Ed in the face, as she smiled . She clenched her hand as a determined look appeared on her face .
The day pa.s.sed by and the sun started setting . The group of soldiers stood up and started to walk in the direction of the capital . They were in the middle of the northern cities, a position Ellie chose due to the low watch over it . The army moved in total silence, and no light was used to show the way . People relied on their eyes to maneuver around .
"We fight at dawn, so make sure you are ready!" Ellie shouted as she raised the speed of her army . They needed to be as quick as they were quiet .The morning light shone on the walls of Avalon . In front of its doors, two large armies departed in two different directions . At the forefront of one army was Hayato, the prince of Ryuu kingdom . His mission was to conquer the Oni kingdom . Behind him were almost 40 . 000 soldiers, compromised of his kingdoms people, as well as the slaves that remained from the last war . These slaves were sent to the kingdoms that joined Avalon in standing against Blood sect . However, they were not being forced into slavery . Instead, they were bound by a contract of five years . In these five years, they were going to do the bidding of the kingdom that took them, after which they would be released . On top of these soldiers, two sect Elders from Glory sect joined Hayato . These two being Griffin and Bard . The three highest cultivators of the army would be the central force that would strike the enemy first . The other army had Ellie as its leader . It was only obvious as she knew the kingdom best, and would be able to come up with a suitable plan to bring it down . Similar to Hayatos army, the soldiers amounted to 40 . 000 with both Avalon soldiers and slaves . Two Elders joined Ellie, Audun, and Becky, as well as Eric . The march towards the two kingdoms was rather quiet . The galloping of the horses and the breathing of the soldiers was the only thing that was heard . They had a single mindset in their minds, to win . The soldiers had a high morale thanks to winning the last war, while the slaves didnt want to die before returning to their families . They were all thinking about how this war would end much faster compared to the other one . The Oni and Beast kingdom both lost many soldiers due to allying with Blood sect . As such, they would be severely weakened and wouldnt be able to handle another war . Both Ellie, as well as the leading figures of the army, summarized what the soldiers were thinking . Yet, they didnt say anything to remedy such flawed thinking . They simply allowed the soldiers to indulge in their naïve thinking . At least, until they reach their destination, they werent going to say anything . Night befell the land, and the soldiers went to rest . Some of them unable to sleep, as the terror of war, was deeply ingrained in their brains . Even though they believed they would win, the harsh images of mutilated bodies didnt leave their brains . Inside a tent, four figures stood in front of a large map . The beast kingdom is comprised of five cities, with four of them surrounding the capital . The least guarded one of them is the southeastern one . In order to attack it, we will have to take a detour and walk all the way to the south, ignoring the north-eastern city, as well as the capital . But, I dont think such a large army will go unnoticed, so we might get spotted . Ellie explained as showed those present all the information by map . All of them fell into deep silence as they thought . They knew that if they targeted the capital, they would get surrounded by the military of the four cities . But in case they take over a city secretly, they would have the element of surprise, as the other cities wouldnt be able to react before the capital is taken down . However, if they take too long to take over a city, their plan would be toast . Im certain that the Beastmen are being extra vigilant . They know retribution is coming, as they chose to side with Blood sect . *Sigh* Where is Ed when you need him… Eric remembered how Ed had left just the day before . He thought about how convenient his s.p.a.ce magic was . I suggest we head straight for the capital . Audun proposed the opposite of what they were trying to avoid . How come? Ellie didnt want to agree nor deny his proposal . She was all ears now, as she couldnt decide on a plan on her own . If we target one of the cities, there is nothing that guarantees the reaction of the other ones . They could send people to investigate what happened, or they could send all of their militaries to the capital in order to protect it . In that case, we would have wasted time on a useless city . Audun explained as he was a veteran of war . His opinion weighed heavily in the matter . Judging by the map, the reinforcements would need at most one day to reach the capital . That gives us exactly that much time to take down the king . Audun proposed an outrageous plan . The capital was surrounded by walls in every direction . The army would need to scale the walls, open the doors, and then take out the king . All in under a day . I see . Anyone else has a better a plan? Ellie chose to listen to any other opinion before taking her decision . Seeing no one speaking she said, Then we will go with this plan . Tell the soldiers that resting will have to wait until tomorrow . Were walking throughout the night! Ellie took her decision while walking out of her tent and speaking to the guards there . They, in turn, went to let the army know . The soldiers whose sleep was disturbed dared not to question why . They only gathered their stuff and started to walk in the direction of the Beastmen kingdom . After walking for the whole night, the reached a dense thicket by dawn, where Ellie decided to have a rest at . We will continue to walk during the night . Now, we can rest . Ellie told everyone before retreating back to her own tent to rest . As she was laying on the bed, she looked at her right fist, which she used to slug Ed in the face, as she smiled . She clenched her hand as a determined look appeared on her face . The day pa.s.sed by and the sun started setting . The group of soldiers stood up and started to walk in the direction of the capital . They were in the middle of the northern cities, a position Ellie chose due to the low watch over it . The army moved in total silence, and no light was used to show the way . People relied on their eyes to maneuver around . We fight at dawn, so make sure you are ready! Ellie shouted as she raised the speed of her army . They needed to be as quick as they were quiet .