All warfare is based on deception.

Viers employed the wise words from Sun Tzu against Anne.

The faction that Jaime discarded, the dark elves, were still around. Viers used them to shore up one of the Tyra Xerg’s shortcomings: the lack of magic.

One thousand dark elf shamans empowered Sakuya’s illusion and Izabella furthered it using her enchantments. The result was an illusion so potent it managed to fool Viers’ upgraded Euryale Sight. If it was able to deceive Viers, then it had a high probability to work on Anne too. At least for a time.

During which he would take care of the Aravin problem as soon as possible. Any other white spark holders he killed on the battlefield would also progress his plan.

***

“Hahaha! What’s wrong, little firebird? Can't even get past my minions? I, your father, am right here!”

‘Tanael’ was playing the role of a typical villain. Talking trash and spewing taunts while leisurely hiding behind his underlings. He played it quite well because there were so many examples to mimic from.

“...You’re a fake.” Anne declared. She had been showering the other kaiju with feathers of fire from her wings before she paused, seemingly getting a telepathy message from others. “The real Tanael would have already made a move by now.”

“Hou. You think you know me, huh? I’m simply waiting for you to be exhausted before fighting you,” Tanael spoke with confidence.

“Even if that is the truth. What I see in front of me is not the real you. What makes you so troublesome is your decisiveness to act. For you to not use a single technique or support in a battle of this scale is impossible… And you are not the type to babble. Either you are a fake… or you’re not really here!”

Viers’ competence as a villain came back to bite him in this instance.

“Tanael, where are you?” Anne pointed her finger straight at him.

‘Tanael’ became silent. Even while the two exchanged words, the battle around them raged on. Slowly, the edges of Tanael’s lips bent upwards.

“...I’m in your base, killing your dudes.”

Anne clenched her fists. “You’re on the other battlefield.”

“I’m elsewhere, but can you chase me?” The kaijus roared, establishing their presence and threat. “Without you, the Tyra Xerg will punch through this battlefront like a spear through wet paper.”

Anne knew he was right, no matter how unpleasant it might be. But if the other battlefield collapsed, it would be the same thing.

“Anne, they need reinforcements but you’re still needed here. I will go.”

“Troy…” Anne hesitated but only for a short while. “Fine. But take three thousand of my crusaders. Be very careful. I’ll be over as soon as I can.”

“Got it. I won't seek revenge against Tanael. This is bigger than my personal feelings. Good luck to you.”

“Yes.”

An Ambusher, a Xerg with a chameleon-like ability, attempted to sneak attack Anne from the side while she was in the middle of a conversation, because Viers was a rude and tactless guy. The kind of guy that ordered an attack at this kind of moment.

Anne sent an Arte while turning, a priceless feather fan in hand. The result was a wave of fire that consumed the rare Xerg-type and many other Xerg in the area.

Anne had pulled out the Divine Weapon she got from Stage 2. Fires swirled around her in the form of little phoenixes.

“Achaaahh… That looks serious.”

“Our cover is blown. What should we do next, Izabella-neesama?”

The ‘Tanael’ was actually Sakuya in disguise. Her illusion technique was essential in Viers’ grand strategy. Since it was no longer needed, she dispelled her illusion.

“Follow the plan. We support Zerri’s children from the back. Never ever engage with Anne.”

“You two,” Anne called them. “Why are you helping someone as evil as him?”

“...His success means I’m one step closer to my goal. Everyone has something they want, Anne,” the Blood Church’s member said first.

“I’m indebted to Tanael-sama. Even if he is a demon or a devil, I will stand beside him,” the foreign shinobi gave her unwavering answer.

Anne didn't reply back and the two kaiju pincered her from both sides. Before she got hit by the massive titanic life-forms, Anne retaliated.

“Arte - Phoenix Balefire Storm!”

“Akh! Retreat. Retreat!” Izabella held her pointy hat with one hand and pulled Sakuya’s arm with the other, running far, far away as the landscape turned into a blazing purgatory behind them.

***

“Arte - Ebon Void Blade!”

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“Arte - Sword Qi Flurry!”

Jaime and Aravin let loose attacks at superhuman speed. Normal people could only see their blurred movements, unable to make heads or tails about what happened.

Viers, of course could.

Jaime looked like a bona fide demon, fighting a fierce asura.

So, Troy is the one who’s coming?

Gulzul’s body was looking to the sky battles and beyond, eyes opened for he no longer possessed the ability to close them, ever again. Naya’s back was being stepped on by Viers. The wolf beastfolk was still breathing but heavily injured; she tried to crawl away but the villain's foot nailed her into place. Sabine was held up by Viers’ hand grasping her neck all the while her feet were unable to touch the ground. The priestess was clawing weakly at the villain with a pained expression.

“Guys!!”

The lapse of concentration made an opening in Aravin’s airtight defense. A black blade was rising from below. The light-user's reaction was late but he avoided a fatal wound. From his chin to the corner of his left eye, was a new gash. A lesser man would have had their face split open.

Viers was glad Jaime’s advantage kept increasing but he knew the truth: it might change in the next battle phase.

Bosses usually have several forms or a different set of moves when their HP bar goes red. Troy’s reinforcement will be here in about… fifteen minutes? Better finish this battle in ten. That means pushing the MC to reveal his next hidden card.

Viers determined his strategy. “I poisoned your women,” he said, letting go of his chokehold on Sabine. It wouldn't do if they died now. Aravin would get a sudden bullshit power-up. It was better to not show the death of a loved one in front of the hero types.

Naya and Sabine were starting to groan painfully. The arteries under their skin turned violet as the poison spread, visible to the naked eye.

Viers dangled a vial of liquid. “Five minutes from now they will be beyond the help of saints and angels. Defeat Jaime and I will give this to them. But if you attack me before defeating Jaime, I will destroy the antidote and they will be pretty corpses, even if you kill me afterwards.”

If Aravin’s fury was expressed through heat, Viers would have turned to ashes instantly despite standing thirty meters away. Jaime didn't care about Aravin's internal turmoil so he launched an attack just like he was taught. A loud ring of metal meeting metal echoed out. Like a badass, Aravin blocked Jaime’s heavy attack with one hand without seeing the direction of its coming. His eyes were hidden by his bangs as he slightly faced down.

“Jaime… Tanael… If anything happens-”

Viers was sure Aravin would be spouting some cool lines worthy of a xianxia MC but Jaime didn't let him finish his moment. Viers had hammered into the dark padawan’s head that every time Aravin opened his mouth, he should attack using deviously hard-to-counter techniques. Seeing the former Arrogant Young Master do just that, made Viers swell up with pride.

But an MC was an MC, they were never easy to deal with. Even Sigma, who Viers insta-killed, troubled him after his death.

A bright object appeared in Aravin’s hand, dispelling the thin spike of darkness that almost pierced his throat. Jaime put some distance between them in anticipation of the next move.

“Is that!?” Viers frowned. He felt something that he hadn't felt since Stage 2.

Divinity.

Aravin held a shining sword as if the object was made from the shard of a sun.

A divine weapon!? Did he get it from Stage 2? I thought only Anne and Troy got them, from the fire and the dark world! The former kept it while the latter turned it to shards! I see… Aravin kept his relic possession under wraps. How very xianxia MC-like.

The darkness around Jaime became sluggish. The pitch-black darkness that clad his body while in his super mode was thinning, made brittle and weak. In the relation between light and darkness, when the quality was equal, light was very effective against dark and vice versa. But when one side was of higher quality, the opposing element was heavily suppressed. Before the divine sword of light, Jaime had no chance.

The tide turned in an instant, overwhelmingly so.

Aravin, in his righteous fury, landed a clean hit on Jaime.

A diagonal wound was imprinted on the length of Jaime’s torso. He screamed in pain. His thoughts were muddled by the blow. Aravin was upon him for the next attack before Jaime was even ready. With difficulty, Jaime raised his sword in time. The defense was weak and incomplete. The sword of light knocked the black heirloom sword of House Sigley from his hand. It was a small bit of luck. Should Jaime’s grip have held firm, the sword would have been cleaved in two by the sword of light.

Jaime was lying on his stomach from the dodge, on the ground wet with blood, his own and other’s. In his concentration, Jaime half-forgot that he was in the middle of a war. Tyra Xerg continued fighting the varied soldiers of the Alliance. The Aberrant Hulk had been defeated and the half-broken Giant of Light was pummeling down on the worm kaiju. All of the tuned off sensations hit Jaime whole as his battle trance was broken.

He realized he had been in this position before. Eating dirt and dust while his body was bloodied and broken, with Aravin, standing triumphant above him, looking regal and cool and smug.

The resentment, the unwillingness, exploded from the core of Jaime’s body like a supervolcanic eruption.

But no matter how he felt, it was his destiny to lose.

But it was not the end. Someone had changed his destiny.

“Stand up, Horseman.”

A firm, powerful voice gave him hope once again. Infusing him with the will to fight.

“You are War. And your enemy is not yet ruined. Stand up and fight!”

A spear was thrown by Death, it landed a few inches away from the fallen War. The spearhead stabbed the earth, inside of War’s line of sight. On the spear’s metal edge, the reflection of his own face staring back at him, and Aravin running at him with the other.

“RUUUAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!”

With a roar that came from his soul, War, a Horseman of the Apocalypse, took up the spear with the broken shaft as he rose and wielded it like a blade.

War’s power rose skyward. His Intio -his cultivation core- answering the foremost wish of its owner. War got back on his feet greater than before. His lifespan was starting to decrease, burned as fuel so he could burn the brightest in the last moment of his life.

And there was something else. A small essence of destruction had stirred inside the awakened War!

The sword of light and the broken spear met each other head-on, a shockwave of power emerged from the clash. Like a beast, out for revenge, the dark energy inside War lashed out viciously against the light energy of Aravin. The struggle of light versus dark, the churning twilight was a terrible yet beautiful sight to behold in this chaotic battlefield.

“What!?”

Aravin expected the broken weapon to be split like a wooden stick but the unbelievable happened. The spear was able to withstand a strike from his divine weapon.

“You think you’re the only one with a divine object?” Tanael chided Aravin for his arrogance. “Behold! The Spear of Leonidas!”

The spear was from a female cultivator that Viers suspected was from the eastern continent. He got it a long time ago, in the Rank 7 bull monster affair.

The roots of Aravin’s strength came from a Chinese origin, from the eastern continent.

It was only right that a weapon from the same land was used to end him.