NOVPUBIn the second week of September in the Solar Calendar year 1798, newspapers constantly printed by various nations dubbed it the darkest seven days for the alliance.
In just one week, under the purposeful encirclement of the Twelve War Gods, the Kingdom Joint Council Alliance suffered the deaths of no less than nine Eighth-order Strongmen.
The Cerryti Empire spared no sacrifice in its troops to coordinate with the War Gods in suicide-style attacks, forcing the allied nations to divert reinforcements to vital areas. Once any Eighth-order became isolated during the transfer, the War Gods would precisely target and steadily kill them in a three-on-one or seven-on-two mode.
At the same time, facing at least one powerful controller, one powerful attacker, and one healer among the War Gods, no Eighth-order could escape.
Even the news of the Great Priest Loren’s death came through.
On the side of the War Gods, they remained at full strength to this day, with no Eighth-order fighter from the alliance being able to inflict a fatal wound before dying.
...
In the vast lands of the western South Continent, there lies a superpower named Camberra.
It is not only the top nation in terms of comprehensive national power among the many kingdoms of the South Continent but is also renowned far and wide for years as the hub of peace and stability.
The South Continent Shadow World Management Association and the Magician Card Association Headquarters chose to establish their headquarters there, with territories far broader than the Hutton Kingdom located at the eastern edge of the South Continent.
In the capital of Camberra, Sloveni, is the highest chamber of the Kingdom Joint Council.
Its architecture is so majestic that it seems to challenge the very heavens, with pure white walls decorated with complex openwork patterns. Sunlight streams through these delicate openings, transforming into countless golden threads that weave into magnificent tapestries from the Divine Era in the space.
Deep within this highest chamber, in a sealed space filled with barriers and metal gates,
several figures are now seated around a round table, their expressions solemn.
The smoothly polished surface at the center of the round table, inlaid with a chessboard spread with stars, reflects every ray of light in the room.
"The Twelve War Gods have only one objective, and that is to hunt down the Eighth-order."
Someone broke the silence.
Previous battles involving the War Gods were mere illusions; besieging cities and seizing territories were neither their duty nor their greatest threat.
The Eighth-order national defenders are irreplaceable top-ranked fighters for any side, only time can slowly repair such losses.
Or rather, the brazen and pinpoint hunting of the Eighth-order by the War Gods is a blatant stratagem.
Who leaked the movements of the Eighth-order?
Anyone could see there was a problem within the high ranks of the Kingdom Joint Council.
The Cerryti Empire wanted the Kingdom Joint Council Alliance to know this.
Now the entire Kingdom Joint Council Alliance is fraught with insecurity.
The citizens of the allied nations have lost their trust in the central authority of the council.
The allied nations themselves are no longer willing to adopt high-risk strategies but will inevitably choose the most prudent tactics to preserve their nation’s top fighting power. They no longer heed the dispatch orders of the Kingdom Joint Council, risking falling into traps to support other countries.
The corresponding result is that, after the Cerryti Empire anticipated the alliance’s conservative strategic policy, support between the kingdoms decreased, and the battle lines began to officially collapse.
A heavy atmosphere pervades the air of the highest chamber, with serious, focused, and even tense expressions on the faces of those present.
"Could it be that besides our internal intelligence leaks, the other side has a Divination practitioner of extraordinary caliber?"
A figure spoke with concern.
The deeper they investigated internally, the more fearful they became; uncovering one only to suspect there was another.
"Regardless, the objective of the Cerryti Empire has been achieved, and once a crisis of trust is born, it cannot be repaired."
Another figure added.
The councilors’ gazes flowed silently between them, seeking each other’s stances and thoughts in a wordless exchange.
"The Cerryti Empire’s strategy of attacking without defending, and their massive civilian-targeted killings, are in fact using civilians as hostages to force us to strengthen defenses and increase the frequency of reinforcements."
Chairman Steven, sitting in the chief seat, pinched his brow, soliciting opinions from the other councilors,
"And once reinforcements begin to be dispatched, top-tier fighters must be stationed at key fortresses, otherwise, the battle lines will have to be drawn back, ceding the land and accompanying it with countless civilian deaths to ensure the safety of core combat power."
As individual high-combat power units, Eighth-order fighters move much faster than armies.
In full-scale battles, they act like large military units that can be quickly mobilized.
The territories of the Kingdom Joint Council Alliance nations are too vast; the Twelve War Gods have unclear movements on the battlefield, often with Cerryti Empire people disguising as fake War Gods, allowing the real War Gods to roam and strike.
Now, at any cost, they want to kill the Eighth-order fighters of the alliance.
To win against an Eighth-order fighter, who is nearly stepping into the Divine Realm, one must either confront an Eighth-order with another Eighth-order,
or rely on armies and large military city defenses, such as the Phantom Oscillation Tower, Magic-guided Sky-splitting Cannon, and Firmament Shield Formation, all of which can cause significant effective damage to an Eighth-order fighter.
Now a choice must be made.
The Eighth-order fighters are irreplaceable hero-level combat forces and also determine tactical flexibility.
If the Eighth-order fighters on the side of the Kingdom Joint Council Alliance are all annihilated, the odds of winning this battle will become extremely slim.
"If we keep retreating, although it may be safe, what about the civilians who can’t escape? Are we going to cede most of the land to the Cerryti Empire?"
There was a long silence in the highest chamber, finally a figure indignantly slammed the table and asked.
"So, what do we do?"
"Let’s take a gamble and concentrate all our advantageous forces to attack the Cerryti Empire!"
