Gary continued to confiscate the lands of the minor nobility until an uprising was started. A few dukes took this opportunity to rise up as well. Gary had neglected to lock their cultivation, and three had managed to ascend to the True Self realm. Gary had forgotten that the mage kings here typically lock the cultivation of their dukes to prevent this situation from occurring.

With Talesser’s death their locks were undone, and everyone in power assumed Gary would eventually come to lock it again. When he didn’t, they all began using their resources to ascend as rapidly as possible. A good number experienced deviation, or died.

Fortune was on Gary’s side, as the three dukes were leading separate armies. There were also various smaller armies belonging to the minor nobility.

Their disorganization was to Gary’s advantage. Thanks to his awareness of this weakness, he would be able to act swiftly to defeat the enemy in detail.

Gary acted swiftly indeed. He led his relatively inexperienced army in mopping up small armies, and cutting off one of the dukes from the others.

Duke Duke Coppertree Floated over the battlefield keeping a wary eye on Gary’s army. Duke Coppertree was trapped on this side of the river, and Gary’s men were stationed at all known crossings. Fortunately he had managed to send riders out to the other dukes. He’d sent a few out as soon as he heard that the minor nobility were being annihilated. All Coppertree had to do was wait, but he couldn’t underestimate his enemy.

Gary was sitting in his tent drinking wine. All he had to do was wait. He knew that the duke would run out of supplies soon. He likely believed that his riders had made it out alive. Gary had let them go to give him that impression. He had them killed via the storm clouds.

There would be no reinforcements coming to save the duke. Of course, the two other dukes, who were now gathering together, could spontaneously decide to rush in their direction, but Gary doubted that. They would likely head to the capital now that Gary had left it mostly defenseless.

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It still had defenders, but with the bulk of Gary’s forces out in the field it would fall quite easily. Gary would need to somehow speed up the rate at which the enemy ran out of supplies. For the moment they were fine and could still forage. This needed to change. Gary thought up a dastardly idea.

Coppertree’s men found that when they went out to forage or hunt that they would all mysteriously begin coughing, and vomiting. They would lose their senses, and become completely incapacitated. Only when they ran back to their camp would they be able to once again breathe normally.

They noticed that their supply trains were no longer coming either. They were now stranded in their camp with their only escape being attacking Gary’s army across the river. Coppertree had heard about Gary’s little plants, and began to equip his men with gas masks so that they might be able to forage in peace.

He would make sure to get some to the supply wagons as well. However, when his men went out to forage with the gas masks, a torrent of acid rain bore down on them. Many men were injured, but there were fortunately no casualties.

He equipped his men with steel umbrellas. They were crude, and hastily made by the craftsmen his army had brought along. This alleviates the situation slightly.

Gary slowly ups the intensity. The acid rain pours down harder minute by minute, and the gas is becoming a fog. It begins to seep into the skin. At this point the duke is forced to send out fully covered men, but what was there left to forage? To deliver? Acid?

Only the camp was safe. Gary was baiting them.

Coppertree realized he was truly out of options. He ordered his men to charge and prepared himself for battle.

It was a massacre.

Gary had had some difficulty in his duel with the duke. The man was certainly a lot more skilled than Gary was expecting. Even with his speed, Gary was easily deflected, and almost killed twice.

The first when he charged straight at his face, and was immediately hit with a curse. It was a rapid aging curse that generally did not land on people because it was slow as hell, and easy to dodge. Gary ran into it.

The curse took one look at Gary’s insides, and auto-annihilated.

The second time They were swinging a flurry of blades at each other in mid-air! The battle raged on below them. The duke’s army collapsed as they attempted to cross the river.

Like a dance, or a play. It seemed as if they had been fighting with each other for years. Uh oh, looks like Gary's lost the flow for just a moment. The duke’s blade thrusts towards Gary’s chest.

Gary’s teleportation ability was a surprise to the man, and ultimately killed him. Gary reminded himself to practice his swordsmanship.

Gary was now made aware that the two dukes were marching to the capital, but in an effort to save time were making their way through a dangerous mountain pass. If Gary took with him just the cultivators in his army, he would be heavily outnumbered, but would be able to ambush the enemy before they reached the capital.