One by one, the mbers of the Indomitable Alliance opened their eyes. The sll of burned fuel reached their noses, while ruined skyscrapers clustered across the horizon.
The battle was set to be held in a ruined city. Simulated damage had been created to mimic how a city would look after an alien invasion.
Cars and buses were piled up across the roads. Androids lay shattered, reduced to nothing more than useless tal scattered throughout. The majority of buildings had either fallen or erupted into raging flas.
Without hesitation, Michael glanced backwards.
Thanks to the addition of five Lords from the Unbroken Chain and twenty from the Flawless Starlight, coupled with his recent ascension, the Indomitable Alliance now numbered twenty-nine Lords... Just shy of thirty.
And that didn’t even include the Grandmasters who had joined their ranks or the hundreds of Masters and Experts soldiers who had rged with them.
Mind-boggling numbers. It appeared that once all of this was over, the Indomitable Alliance would either have to upgrade their base to accommodate all these people... or, even better, expand their current territory, taking several more bases around them and creating a land devoted entirely to their faction... Just like the big players had done.
The first to approach him was Transcendent Lord Astra, despite being of a stage higher than Michael. No one batted an eye. By now, he had proven himself not only capable of challenging those above him but also a master strategist in combat.
"I have several strategies in mind." Astra exclaid, her eyes and hair shifted in color and glowed like the stars.
Truthfully, one of the main reasons she had persuaded her faction to rge with Michael’s was that she had begun to admire him as a strategist. The more she studied his past battles, the more she ca to respect him. She had chosen to fight by his side, striving to beco a more worthy soldier of humanity.
"Sa here." Victoria stepped forward, her gaze sharpening like a dragon’s. "Our numbers have increased severalfold overnight, but the Lords of the Bottomless Void still outnumber us by more than three to one."
"Maybe we can use the sa tactic as last ti?" Claire suggested. "Take cover behind the buildings, strike when they don’t expect it, hide before they can find us, and gradually wear down their numbers."
Lord Zagar nodded. "We the Unbroken Chain have co here to push ourselves to the brink and uncover what it truly ans to be a soldier. Whatever the plan, we will follow it without hesitation."
Michael was silent for a few seconds.
"We were all part of Skylar’s information briefing." He exclaid, his voice calm and collected despite the hundreds of eyes on him.
"The Bottomless Void has more than a hundred Lords, true... but it operates on values opposite to our own. Their leader, Absolute Lord Nesis, is the only one not of the Radiant stage. Like it or not, the entire faction exists for one purpose... For him to hoard all resources in the na of his ascension while hindering the progress of his comrades."
Frowns etched onto his comrades’ faces.
"Pitiful, indeed. How far could they have gotten had he not been blinded by power? A Lord is never to be underestimated, yet given Nesis’ nature, he most likely hasn’t allowed anyone the privilege of growing stronger after ascending to the Lord realm. Essentially, with the exception of Nesis himself, the Lords are as weak as they could be."
Victoria’s gaze grew more intense.
"So, just as we thought, he most likely appointed himself as the leader. As long as we avoid him and pick off his teammates until he is the only one and gang up on him, we win?"
The Bottomless Void was basically a one-trick pony. Nesis was destined to bring them glory. The mbers themselves weren’t exceptional, but their leader was not to be underestimated.
Naturally, the Bottomless Void was aware that this was public knowledge. Yet despite this, they had never suffered defeat in the tournant.
An Absolute Lord like Nesis was simply that powerful. Never to be faced in fair combat.
"Considering that we are at a massive disadvantage, this will serve as a valuable experience. Decide among yourselves on the best tactic and make use of our troops to deal with the lesser forces." Michael ordered.
Ava, who had been listening obediently until now, asked. "What about you?"
Michael cracked his knuckles.
"I’m going to vent so steam."
Before anyone could react, he moved. Grabbing a ruined bus in one hand, he hurled it high into the air, higher than any skyscraper.
A second later, as he soared through the sky, his fist collided with the vehicle. The impact was so powerful that a deafening explosion echoed across the ruined city.
Gradually, the smoke settled. Michael’s figure floated calmly amidst the smoke. His gaze, now blazing crimson with a faint hint of gold, locked on the opposite direction of their castle like a hungry predator.
At the Bottomless Void, Nesis had been busy issuing orders to his lackeys, until he suddenly froze in place. His white pupils shifted toward the imnse sky, eting Michael’s unwavering gaze, clearly lying in wait.
Every soldier around the battlefield, even the chat of the live broadcast, froze in place. Everybody was too stunned by Michael’s provocation.
The statent was clear. Michael was challenging Nesis directly.
"He dares..." Nesis clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging across his face and neck.
"Got pretty confident after becoming a Lord, huh?" The man’s vision began to blur with red.
"L—Lord Nesis, you were saying." One of his comrades stamred, trying to discuss their next supposed moves.
"Change of plans."
Nesis declared.
"I’ll deal with the pest. You do whatever the heck you want."
Leaving his faction directionless, without giving them any orders, Nesis shattered the ground in a spiderweb pattern and dashed toward Michael.
"You pretentious fool!" Nesis bellowed, moving like a cot. "Daring to challenge an Absolute Lord so openly?! Courting death! I will make you, and your bloodline, regret that arrogance!"
Unamused, Michael summoned Devil in his sword form.
"Rejoice, partner." Michael glanced at the soul weapon.
"You’re about to taste a lot of blood."
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