Hero of Darkness

Chapter 1314: Quick to Respond

The urgent message from a battalion leader suddenly sent the hall in awry as he haphazardly informed everyone that the Khorne Empire had attacked the Vale Sangaris out of nowhere.

“Why such a delay in reporting? You should have been aware of their movements hours ago.” asked Jugram in a serious tone.

Gulp!

The messenger gulped, and the hesitation on his face was starkly visible even through the holographic projection.

“I… I needed clearance to report this to you first, lord. Only after it got approved, I could finally tell you about their movements.” spoke the saint.

“Which idiot was pulling ranks in there to have such important information stalled for such long time?” asked Jugram with a deathly stare.

For a moment, the saint almost looked at a particular group standing behind him but quickly shifted his gaze.

His movement did not go unnoticed by Jugram.

[Someone stopped him from reporting after he got the intel. It must be one of these idiots playing their politics.

He was allowed to report to us only now, after the enemies have crossed a considerable distance.

These petty tactics… no wonder they haven’t defeated the Khorne Empire yet.] thought Jugram to himself.

Jugram then asked in a stern voice…

“Their numbers and variety of troops?”

“We estimate the first batch itself will have at least 10 million. As for their aerial troops… they could be twice as many, given how they don’t rely that much on artillery troops, and even most of their flying ships are primarily there to just carry siege and bombardment weapons.

But even their smallest soldiers can overpower ours with numbers by 4:1.” responded the messenger saint quickly.

The atmosphere turned grim.

“What?! That many? Even in the past 5 years, they have barely gone above 3 to 6 million troops at most.” exclaimed one of the saints of the four empires.

That was not how the Demon Empire usually attacked them. First, they often sent troops to feel out the opponent’s forces and then responded with larger battalions after assessing the situation properly.

But this time, just their starting numbers were completely overwhelming.

Facing such a large number with so little preparation time… it could lead to a great loss if the situation is dealt with poorly.

But it was right then…

“Since the Hero of Darkness’ people insisted on taking command and leading the front, we should let them set an example for us.” said a 7th-stage saint, an Ork to be specific.

The commander was acting all smug as he folded his arms with a proud face.

“Yes, yes. The last time I looked, their forces were eager to storm the battlefield brazenly.

We shan’t let such zealous fortitude wane needlessly. I propose the same idea.” another voice echoed in the hall, coming from a 6th-stage saint among one of the empire’s entourage.

One after another, all the leading commanders of the four empires echoed the same proposition.

If it were just one unified force, they would have no problem responding effectively since everyone was under their control. But the allied forces were a different matter.

Everyone was out there, looking for their own self-preservation. Whether it was the troops, the ammunition, or the capable forces.

But what they didn’t know… that the target of the ‘proposition’ was actually looking forward to it instead.

“Then I shall hold command,” said Fabian with a dignified tone.

But it was then that Jugram, Ronin and Tobias shook their heads.

“We should not let our strongest saint enter the battlefield at the very start.

This forefront attack with those massive numbers… we shall use them to instill fear in the hearts of our enemies.

Let them feel our wrath firsthand and ingrain in their minds that even without the strongest saints present on the battlefield… we are a far superior and noteworthy opponent they shan’t treat lightly,” said Jugram with a domineering tone.

“Leave it to the three of us, lord Fabian. We will make sure they return home while clenching their own fists in their mouths.” spoke Tobias with a respectful tone.

“I will do the reconnaissance and come back with their accurate numbers. After that… we will show whom they have dared to attack.” spoke Ronin with a resolute and authoritative tone.

Jugram’s gaze then turned to other commanders as he spoke…

“We live by our words. So go and take some rest. The Abyss and the Rakos Empire will return victorious.”

“Hmph! Spoken like someone who truly doesn’t know what a real battlefield of such scale looks like.

You will only learn to be humble after millions among your troops lose their lives needlessly.

And then you will return to us, begging for our help.” spoke the 7th-stage Ork saint.

“Our problems are ours to face. And our responsibilities are ours to bear.

You will not get the chance to rejoice in our failures. For there shall be no failures.” refuted Jugram as he looked back with equal disdain in his eyes.

“Now, if you will. We have a battle to fight and enemies to massacre,” he said confidently and turned to the war table.

“Hah! We shall see who has the last laugh.” said the Ork saint and left with his underlings.

Soon, the room was left with only Jugram and his allies, as well as a new group that arrived a dozen minutes later.

Jugram then spoke in a stern voice.

“Ronin, give me the exact numbers. I will decide our approach based on your reports.

Tobias, go assemble all the troops and tell them to wait for further instructions.”

Woosh!

Woosh!

Both Ronin and Tobias disappeared from their spots and headed towards their designated places.

On the outskirts of Vale Sangaris, Ronin appeared at an outpost that had soldiers specialized in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

He soon spoke with people in charge.

“Our first orders are here. We leave in the next 10 minutes.” he relayed his command, and soon, warriors wearing cloaks and ornate light armor stood in front of him.

“We are an arrow that shoots itself in the dark to see how far the darkness goes.

It is we who decide the fate of the lives that will follow our mark. So make no mistake… not a single ounce of incompetence is allowed.

For we shall gauge their strength and their numbers before they even touch the soil of the battlefield.” spoke Ronin.

Thud!

Thud!

Many quickly got in line and started boarding a flying ship that soon camouflaged itself and turned invisible.

1 Hour Later…

Woosh!

Ronin returned and reported to Jugram.

“12 million foot soldiers. 2 and a half million aerial warships and around 500 thousand mounts that carry bombs.

Then there’s also an army of flying demons with weapons such as spears and crossbows.

We also figured out 13 saints, 4 of whom are at least 5th-stage saint rank.

The rest are weaker but are strategically placed among the troops. If we decide to attack them, we will have to send someone of the same rank ourselves.

As for their strongest saint… it’s a Peak 6th-stage saint, someone who serves directly under one of the Rakshasas.” said Ronin.

“So they’re not foolish to send a 7th-stage saint this early. Good, it also gives a justified reason to attack with forces matching their own troop composition as well as saints.” said Jugram.

“As for their strongest fighter… I will test their qualification,” spoke the man with fiery red hair.

“It is time.” spoke Jugram with an anticipatory countenance.

His gaze then landed on the group of new arrivals. All of them were tall and heavily armored saints.

“Send in the Doom Templars.”