Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 2082: The War They Don’t Know About

After reviewing the options, Karos moved on to explain the main plan.

In fact, the fact that Adam, Fromund, and Alexia knew about this plan played a role. They didn’t have a say at that level, but the essence of the plan was to help the Stars survive.

“This plan doesn’t have a name yet, after all, it’s just a hypothesis for now, but I think for the time being we can call it something simple. Hmm… for example, the Sword & Shield Plan.”

Karos nodded before moving on to the details.

“We don’t have enough Second Rank Phantoms to hold back all the Lords of the Befallen Crown, and last time, because of that, all the Stars died. Though it wasn’t just that time, in previous attacks on the Citadel, the result was mostly the same.

“But now we can finally try something different, especially considering how many young talents we have in this World Wipe.”

Silvana leaned forward.

“So…? Was the Sword & Shield Plan not possible before this?”

Karos shrugged. He didn’t have a definitive answer.

“Not exactly. We could have tried it, but we were discussing other plans, and to be completely honest, we didn’t have enough firepower back then.”

He hurried to explain what he meant.

“Even though the Zero War happens regularly, the Befallen Crown can’t completely halt our progress. The Citadel continues to grow, and sometimes new Second Rank Phantoms appear, ones that managed to survive the first World Wipe and Zero War. So, the Citadel and humanity have never been this strong.”

Adam’s expression grew more serious as he realized what Karos meant.

“Let me guess. If the Sword & Shield Plan hadn’t come up for discussion, someone like Kogen could have become that very young Second Rank Phantom who would have survived the Zero War and entered the next World Wipe, right?”

Karos nodded as the corner of his mouth curled upward into a smirk.

“Yeah, Kogen will most likely survive anyway. Though, if the Befallen Crown wanted to kill him right here at the Citadel, they’d have to sacrifice their strongest warriors. I doubt they’d go that far.”

Then, he waved his hand and continued.

“Hiding you at the Citadel isn’t an option, but neither is fighting, at least not head-on. The point of Sword & Shield is that you’ll fight for your own lives, while I, Layra, Carsian, and the rest of the Second Rank Phantoms will hold off the most dangerous Lords.”

He clasped his hands together and leaned forward.

“Instead of hoping for the best and hiding, you’ll take up the fight, but we’ll make sure the True Lords and the strongest Ascended Lords can’t reach you. We’ll force them to fight us, knowing that neither they nor we can kill each other.”

Arayna’s eyes widened as she said:

“That means the Stars will only fight the Lesser Lords and the weak Ascended Lords, right?”

Karos nodded calmly.

“In theory, yes. That’s the whole point of the Sword & Shield Plan. As much as we’d like to admit it, we don’t have the ability to kill all the lords of the Befallen Crown. The best we can do is hold off the strongest among them so you have a chance to win.”

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Layra clapped her hands joyfully.

“Yep! We’ll be your shield! Each of us will hold off several Lords, taking advantage of the fact that the battle will take place on our territory, which means we’ll have the upper hand!”

Carsian chuckled briefly, holding a glass of wine between his fingers.

“Indeed. You, after all, are the swords. As Karos said earlier, whether you survive or not will depend entirely on you.”

Karos raised his hand, stopping Carsian.

“Sure, you should understand that this is a general idea, not a detailed plan. When there are only a few years left until the World Wipe, we’ll know when the Befallen Crown will attack, in other words, we’ll know when the Zero War will begin.

“By that point, we’ll already have all the details. The final form of the plan will also depend on how many of you can become Second Rank Phantoms, what level the other Stars will be at, and your total number.”

At that moment, he touched his temples thoughtfully.

“This will determine where you’ll be located within the Citadel and which Second Rank Phantom will protect you. Obviously, weaker Stars will need protection from someone at Frida’s level, while someone like Kogen will be able to handle their territory on their own.”

Karos finished as he folded his hands on his knee.

“For now, this is the best plan we have. I’m not sure we can come up with anything better, and there’s hardly a better time for the Sword & Shield Plan than right now.”

Silence.

A moment of silence hung in the air before faint smiles appeared on their faces.

They were satisfied with this plan.

They wouldn’t hide, and they wouldn’t rely on the mercy of monsters from other lands. They would use their own strength to fight for their lives.

That was how each of them had always lived.

Then… Arayna realized something, and her expression grew somber.

Louis noticed it.

“Arayna, is something wrong?”

She shook her head.

“No, just… I’m glad we have a chance to survive even when the Befallen Crown unleashes all their power upon us. But what will happen to the Citadel then?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted as everyone grasped the meaning hidden behind her words.

Carsian smiled bitterly, staring at the wine swirling in his glass.

“It will be carnage. We can’t fight in the Dead Lands, the Stars wouldn’t stand a chance of surviving there, so only the Citadel can serve as a suitable battlefield.”

He raised his glass, looking at them through the crimson liquid inside.

“One way or another, hundreds of thousands, and most likely more than a million, residents will have to die in a war whose very existence they don’t even know about yet.”