For the next few weeks, until the months up, Exeo's team has been rigorously training, and this time, with General Luis overseeing their training, sparring and military tactics. After some intense sparring matches between each member of the team, everyone agreed that there was room for improvement in their individual areas of weakness, as well as some common issues that could be resolved as a group.

"I am pleased to say that, you lot have finally reached the end of this training. Before the day ends, don't forget your training for the past month but we have to stop here today. You all did good," said General Luis as he stood in front of them, his back to the forest.

Ember spoke up first in agreement: "Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work together to find our weaknesses so we could address them before they become serious problems."

He looked over at General Luis who nodded and stepped forward. He took his time as he began to speak with a soft voice: "Now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, two days from now will be the annual military conference. As I mentioned before, it's a demonstration of each country's best unit. Not just you lot will represent Clareo's special unit, but this will also serve as an opportunity for the country when it comes to future economic negotiations. For that reason, go show how Clareo's special unit can be compared against the rest of the world's."

"We don't need to do this kind of stuff," Exeo said softly: "There's no reason that Clareo's special unit should go up against other countries' best. We're supposed to help people here, not prove ourselves as heroes."

General Luis chuckled lightly and replied, "This isn't about heroics. You guys are supposed to go and do what your jobs require of you without needing to prove anything. If you think there's something better or more appropriate for the job at hand, then by all means, do so."

The general paused for a moment then looked at the five men with an expression that suggested he was about to impart some knowledge into their brains.

"I've told you many times before, that it's not a matter of what's appropriate; it's a question of power," said the General. "In your cases, it doesn't matter whether you fight with a blade or magic; what matters is how much damage you can do."

The team were silent. They didn't have to say anything else. They all knew this lesson well enough but never appreciated how deep the words went, until now.

"If I may offer some advice," the general continued, "I'd suggest that you work on the areas where you think there could be a weakness so that when it does become apparent in battle, you can deal with it more effectively."

Ember gave a halfhearted sigh. They just knew that they had to do it and try to make it work, because, without these lessons, they would lose everything in this upcoming conference.

"Well, I'll leave the rest up to you guys." General Luis said with a serious face. He looked at each member of the team then spoke again: "This is your first mission as Clareo's special unit. We all know why we're here, so make this last training count."

He turned away from the group and began to walk away until he vanished behind a tree.

***

Two days later, the team arrived at the military HQ. This time, they didn't make their way through the back but to the entrance, where they dressed all in black hooded cloaks, underneath the cloaks, they wore their military uniforms, leaving nothing but masks exposed only.

General Luis was waiting for them, with Exeo in front, while the rest were just behind him.

"Well, let's get started," General Luis said with a grin. He looked at the team with Exeo nodding in agreement.

Ignoring the silent gasps and wide eyes fallen upon the team, they continued to walk, following where General Luis was taking them.

He spoke as if the people behind him were his team. He said, "I've received reports from each country about their strengths and weaknesses but, in my opinion, this should be easy. You all know how to deal with most threats that you might face on this mission."

The general glanced behind him and saw Exeo nodding in agreement and continued.

"But I don't think it would do any of us any good if we were too lax with our opponents. So we'll just go over some basic strategy for now."

They made their way through the corridors, which seemed larger than before, and they arrived at some kind of a big arena. Inside it were a number of tables, each one decorated like a different country: Clareo, Uryo, Dheena, Klivro, and a lot more.

Every country has its units stand ready behind each country's military commander.

When General Luis and his so-called special unit arrived, everyone's eyes fell upon them. Some of those present began to whisper quietly.

"Those are Clareo's special unit?" They whispered amongst themselves, pointing at the black hooded men who followed behind General Luis.

Most of the commanders in the arena knew how strong Clareo's military are. Now that the rumours confirmed that Clareo has a special unit, they are all curious to see what kind of threat they may be.

General Luis just smiled and sat down. His seating arrangement is near Uryo's country, in which, they have recently received a mission a few months back. He glanced and Uryo's commander and nodded, which was returned with a nod by the latter as well.

Then, the host started and explained to all the people present in the arena.

"In this military conference, you all will demonstrate your power in battles between one country versus another. In order to win, each side must either defeat all its enemies or eliminate their commander for 30 minutes. If the timer ends and there's no winner, both teams will end up in a tie. If there are any questions, ask me now."

As each nation heard this explanation, many began to question it. Many wondered why such a simple tactic should be used and not something more difficult like a battle with different strategies and tactics.

There were some murmurs in the audience at this. The host didn't pay much attention to it and continued.

"The first match is between Klivro and Uryo," The host said with a grin on her face.

"Now, teams of both countries, please step on the small portal circle and you'll be brought to a battleground."

Klivro's team stepped through the portal, which was glowing purple in color and made of light magic. After about ten seconds, they stood on part of some random battlefield. The battlefields are chosen randomly by the host and are different each time, making the game fair.

Uryo's team followed suit, but it only took them a few seconds before the portal activated, sending them to another part of the battlefield. The battlefield was simulated using mana magic so that no matter what part it was located at, it would feel just the same. The environment in each battlefield will test each team's capabilities to strategize and utilize it to their advantage and disadvantage to the opposing teams.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

For the first match, the battlefield was a barren land, with strong gusts of winds, and dust being carried at times, which eyesight can be affected.

After everyone's side was ready, all teams started fighting. The battle between Klivro and Uryo began immediately while the rest were just observing.

In the first round of this conference, both teams showed their true colours, attacking in all directions at once with their most powerful units and spells, making for an intense battle. However, there is a reason why this type of event has never been seen in Bellator history: neither side can win by defeating the enemy commander; only by killing off enough members of their own country.

This means that if either side wants to win, they will need to use strategy and tactics rather than brute force.

And now it came to show in action as both sides began moving around. Both teams had been carefully thinking about what moves to make beforehand, so as not to end up on a battlefield without any options at all.

They were looking for weak spots and ways to counterattack against one another, trying to think like they would in actual battle. The strategy was being tested here, with each move made calculated before executing it.

There were times when both sides tried out different things, such as a group of soldiers using the element of surprise on an opposing team. When their opponents fell back to regroup, they would try out another plan to test it out.

After seeing which ideas worked best and which didn't work at all, both sides would continue to refine their plans further and find weaknesses to exploit in the opposing country's defences.

This went on until finally, it came time for a final clash that would decide who would come out victorious.

With these conditions, it was hard for the people in the audience to follow along.

The battle has been broadcasted live within the military headquarters in each country present. Thus, all soldiers from around the world are currently seeing what is happening right now in the arena. They will have their own commentary teams, each country having its own team of experts analyzing and explaining everything that's happening and why.

This was all done so that people in every country can know what the armies from other countries are capable of doing, and how their leaders think about strategy, tactics, etc... This information would help everyone make sure that no matter where someone goes, they would not be in any danger; it will also aid them in learning from one another in order to become more efficient soldiers.

After watching for some time, Exeo was beginning to feel a little bored. The fight between Uryo and Klivro had only been going on for almost twenty minutes and yet neither side was making much headway against their opponent.

There were times when both sides took advantage of an opening in the enemy's formation, but there are just as many times when both sides were unable to take advantage of any openings at all. Neither side seemed to be gaining much ground, though the opposing army is slowly losing its ranks in number.

The time has ended and the battle between the two countries was announced as tied. Both commanders have had half the casualties of their total members in this match.

The battlefield is then cleared of all units and abilities so that no more attacks would go back and forth. There were other matches to be made, after all...

The wounded soldiers were being tended to by medic ability users, while the rest of each country's team was to rest at a lounge room prepared for each country. In this area, there will also be entertainment from the various teams present, and other things such as food and drinks available throughout. This place would remain open until everyone who wishes to rest has done so.

The live broadcast can also be seen inside the lounge room so other countries who were done with the matches can still watch.

After the host had announced the result of the first match, they turned their attention to the next, this time involving Team Blackcrows from the Dheena country against the country of Sol's Team Silver.

There was quite a bit of excitement in this arena. The Dheena soldiers can't be underestimated. They were also considered one of the strongest military powerhouses aside from Clareo, which meant that even with all the other countries involved in this tournament, there was still some expectation as to how well they could do.

In contrast, the Sol army is said to be not bad at all but definitely lacking in quality compared to the other countries, despite having a powerful ruler.

And so, the match has begun and the soldiers from both sides seemed eager to attack each other.

Ember is the strategist of the team. Even way before the team has been formed, Exeo and Ember's assassinations, all plans would always be decided by Ember.

Ember walked a bit forward and stood beside General Luis, observing what was going on through a small monitor floating in front of them.

It was interesting, he must admit. The two countries have never had any kind of diplomatic relations with each other. They were rivals in their own right and would go head to head against one another when they fight against another country; this meant that both teams have no real knowledge about the abilities or strengths of the other.

They've been training hard though, and are able to hold their own. This could be because both armies have different strategies for this kind of match than most people. They were thinking outside the box.

Ember looks back at General Luis, who gives him a nod before returning his focus to the arena. They wait patiently like this for about thirty minutes more until all the soldiers from both countries have stopped.

"Well, this is unexpected," Ember muttered under his breath.

General Luis turned his head in response, not looking quite sure what he was reacting to.

Ember continued, "I guess it's a draw."

When the host announced the results of the second match which ended with a draw, commentaries from all over the world started flowing. There were people who said that this was not a real draw if there weren't any deaths on either side.

However, others argued that it should be enough for the tournament committee to declare that they've achieved a draw due to their lack of knowledge regarding the enemy army.

After all, the other teams did have information regarding both armies' strengths and capabilities, while these two didn't have much.

The hosts were trying hard to keep this from becoming a major issue, but no one seemed to care about what was said in this case.

It was time for another country's next match.

The next succeeding battles after Dheena and Sol were subpar. It was clear that some countries had not properly prepared and were still getting used to each other, but some teams managed to do quite well, with even the worst team winning by default because they were able to beat their enemies using a superior strategy.

And so, at last, even though this was just a conference, many countries could not keep their eyes off as they await for the final match. The current country's host, Clareo's special unit called Unknown, versus another military powerhouse, Dregas' country special unit called the Blue Army.

There were a lot of people who doubted that this match would be able to finish without bloodshed, but there were also those who didn't want to believe it at all. There was no doubt that both teams were extremely skilled and capable of doing anything on the battlefield, and in fact, they might have been too skilled; thus, many had hoped for this match to end quickly with a draw.

"Well, I am excited," General Luis said. He is sitting down as usual, resting his chin on the arm of the chair. He was not one to stand up when things are going on.

"General, I know that you are interested in this battle." Exeo looked at him, trying hard to make eye contact. "I will go with you then. Perhaps we can discuss more details about-"

Exeo was cut off by General Luis's hand. He said, "You should go with your team. I know you can lead them."

Exeo nodded and turned to walk towards the portal. Ember was about to follow when General Luis called him out by and motioned him to come over.

Ember leaned forward slightly as he looked up at General Luis. He waited patiently while waiting for the older man to talk.

"From the details of the current team, I trust you do already have a plan in motion?"

"Of course," Ember answered. "Our objective is simple; we are looking to capture or destroy as many targets as possible while also defending our headquarters from any attempts on us."

General Luis nodded as he seemed pleased by the answer.

Ember continued, "In this match, the Blue Army is a special unit and one of the strongest, while our Unknown team is a special unit that is almost as strong. Our only advantage is a surprise which can be broken by them once they know about us. This is where your advice would come into play."

The older man smiled softly. He had been a General during his younger years before retiring after some battles that ended badly. Now, he still knew how things worked. That said, General Luis had been in countless battles and he was a great strategist. He would not simply say something that sounded right without knowing the real reason.

However, the general also knows of Ember's capabilities. He knew that the Bellator family always had inherited some genes of being a military strategist. It was one of the main reasons why they were known as the Bellator, and their bloodline was very long. This is why, he trusted whatever plans Ember is cooking up with Exeo's leadership, both can help the team grow.

"Go. I am looking forward to your team's victory," the general told him.

Ember nodded, and Exeo waved them off. They stepped into the portal to be transported over to the battlefield. There was nothing like seeing the battle for real to make you appreciate the effort put into planning for a fight. It would all become a big mess soon enough.

And so, the match between two powerhouses is about to begin.