The White Emperor Reynold patiently went to each of the body on the ground and check on them. For every lifeless face he found his shock and anger increased.
He had expected that the enemy is buying time in order to execute a powerful technique against them but never thought that there could be something that could break past the defences of a realm he controlled.
Yet the enemy easily succeeded by using four Elemental Arts, and judging from the strength behind the attack, it was done by Greater Spirits. It is so rare for Spirit Contractors to appear that it had never crossed his mind.
The concept of a realm is the same as a magus’ workshop. The different elements in the ambient Heavenly Energies are tightly controlled - separated and redirected - to empower the fortifications in the place. The difference between the two is one is done by array formations and the other by woven spells.
To gather enough power that can rip apart the stratagems and talismans in a realm requires exceptional affinity to the elements in order to usurp the stable energy channels in place.
Reynold had foolishly believed that nothing they can come up with will stop him. Now he truly regret from his heart for giving them enough time.
The Elementals are a race with an incorporeal form made of wild energies. They are born with affinity to a single element that exceeds even the dragon race. Legend has it that the first sentient elements became primordial dragons while latter ones turned into Elementals. If this isn’t just a myth then the Elementals having greater affinity than the descendants of the primordial ones wouldn’t be surprising.
When the White Emperor arrived at the training hall on his way to the bunker, there were only fifteen soldiers protecting him. The rest had either died on the way or were wounded to the point where they have become baggage, to which Reynold promptly discarded.
As he expected, the teenagers were once again waiting for him in this place for the third time this day. With an expression that says he had seen through their plans, Reynold shouted, “Impressive! Whoever thought up your strategy is commendable. Even I have to concede the Saint Empire’s ability to harness the Heavenly Lightning.
And to let children slow my pace while the army tighten the net.
Wonderful planning!
Truly splendid!
Now tell me, can you hold out before your reinforcements arrive? Do you have to resolve to die?”
Kairos, Tommy, Jim, and Edward, stood at the front facing the White Emperor. Sihala, Alucard, Lan Lei, Long, John, Silvers, and Sasha, the seven of them surrounded the exit.
Lee Hei, Watts Yournae, Gigas Sermont, Lucas Flare, each of the four young masters and disciples of Kairos manned a stratagem formation at the four corners of the training hall.
“There is no army coming here to tighten the net,” Kairos explained calmly.
“Oh? Could it be that you’d think that I’ll believe in such a childish fib?”
“Believe it as you will. I suggest you to spend your final minutes well.”
The White Emperor sneered, not taken by the lies he heard. He chuckled softly, saying confidently, “This seemingly flawless plan of yours have two glaring mistakes.”
Kairos raised an eyebrow but otherwise did not say a word and he waved a hand. The four stratagems activated immediately.
Illusions of tall white walls appeared surrounding the group and sealed them up in this training hall. While these are mirages, but a strange power seemed to really be in this place that prevented anyone from leaving. This is but one out of the four stratagems and already it is an extraordinarily famous one.
The White Emperor looked at them in mock surprise, “The Walls of Jericho? Saint Empire sure invested a lot to put up this lie. You really think that I will believe that you children are the assassins sent to take me down?!”
The Walls of Jericho is an ancient array used to prevent anyone from leaving a designated combat zone until the targets or the ones that activated the array are killed. It is a particularly complicated setup made only for this one purpose and does so exceptionally. Bounded to the lives of the ones who woven it, no matter brute force, powerful Ki techniques, or magic, there is no other way to break this formation. Of course, Watts Yournae who controls the Formation Heart can still turn it off. This feature will allow them to retreat if they realise their enemies cannot be killed. It will be silly to trap the ones who activated the Walls of Jericho.
“Let me explain to you, boy,” He looked directly at Kairos who appeared to be the leader of this group, “Your biggest mistake is to think that it is possible to take down a paramount fighter like me. Your Empire had sent you here for me to kill.
And, your second biggest mistake is thinking that if you can drag enough time for the real bigshots to arrive and fight me, it will be my loss! Even if Esley and all the other younglings did arrive, I can leave this place anytime. Yes, the battle may be lost if I fall back, but I will still win the war!”
Kairos knows that the truth was spoken and did not refute. As long as the White Emperor remains alive, there is no way they could prevent an eventual loss even though they had the enemy surrounded. The victory of empires are determined by the hearts of the soldiers. Many legendary warlords were defeated not because they didn’t have the power but because the ones that followed them refused, even the great Alexander of the ancient Olympias suffered his first defeat when his troops revolted having lost the heart to battle after forty years of victorious conquest. After that it was a straight path to the downfall of the Olympias Empire.
Likewise in this place, they cannot let the White Emperor escape but Reynold only looked at them with mirth in his eyes. Laughable. He could tell from the seriousness of their expressions that these children truly wanted to take him down.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Ah, the Saint Empire military is a model of our times to learn from. To incite patriotism to the point of selfless sacrifice, to make these innocent boys jump happily into a hopeless fight. And, perhaps, they do not know their fate were sealed just to drag for time, how clever are they! If our countries are not at war I really want to visit that new regent, Calculate Devilheart,” Reynold mused, instinctively felt that the ingenious way the famous Devilheart family use humans as tools is something he admires.
To kill a Peak Triple S ranker is a completely different concept to defeating one. To reach the peak of cultivation one have to experience countless harsh combat and trials to one’s Dao Heart, which otherwise progress will be impossible. It can be said, without exception every Peak Triple S ranker had emerged alive from countless trials and a few like the White Emperor had lived through the horrors of the previous Orc War. Against the Orc King, that monster, only the hardiest remain. Each of those practitioners called ‘the unkillable’.
While the Walls of Jericho is famous specifically for trapping Paramount Cultivators like him, this time, it was used to buy time. The White Emperor knows that unless he killed all the children, it is impossible to proceed to the steel bunker.
He roughly gauged the time, and sighed. It is likely he wouldn’t make it to the shelter before the other Paramount Cultivators arrive. Although the army’s morale will drop, and it would be a stain on his records, he will nevertheless emerge a winner at the end.
He furrowed his brows.
No, with some haste, it is still possible. But, he needs to kill all of them within ten minutes and disperse the Walls of Jericho.
Ten minutes.
The White Emperor laughed at himself.
He must’ve been frightened by the Heavenly Lightning to think that it wasn’t enough time against little twerps.
The second Stratagem quickly activated with Gigas controlling the Formation Heart. Bright light effused from the array’s energy made his corner of the hall glow with a sense of foreboding.
Reynold is also attracted to look over in that direction, and he finally noticed the numerous weapons scattered on the ground. They quavered slightly as the light touched them, as if they were caressed by fingers.
In the blinding light, the shadows danced animating into warriors of old. These ghastly beings each held a weapon and started walking towards the White Emperor and his men.
At Lucas Flare’s corner, a hundred swords surrounded him all stabbed into the ground and vibrating as his array activated.
He held a bejewelled sword, heirloom of his family that could direct the other swords. It looked exactly as the one used four years ago during the Saint Cadets Academy’s end-of-year combat tournament but it is completely different within.
Rows of glyphs are engraved upon its blade, Time, Space, Fire, Frost, Lightning and Metal runes covered the shining metal. On the way here and while the Cave Trolls dug through the Ku Kang plateau, Kairos had plenty of time to upgrade everyone’s weapons. The time needed to inscribe a couple of weapons is short, done almost instantaneously by injecting different elemental energies from his Dantian. This is an ability unique to Kairos alone, a phenomenal that none other could replicate even using the same method as he did.
The actual time-consuming part is to recover afterwards because it wasn’t just energy that was depleted but also a small portion of his current cultivation.
While Kairos had lost months of cultivation, it is necessary if they want to win this war.
The swords launched themselves into the air, then started hovering around Lucas like planets around the sun. The boy took a look at the fifteen soldiers and shook the bejewelled sword in hand. The other swords, as if received an invisible command, pointed at his target then started humming with a sinister menace.
Finally, the last stratagem was activated by Lee Hei. Of the four great combat stratagem types, there are already Trapping, Barrier, and Destruction present. Especially the Trapping and Barrier stratagem – The Walls of Jericho – is no weaker than arrays from the Immortal Realm. The claim that no one on Gaia could escape its designated combat zone is not any exaggeration.
If there is no mistake, the last stratagem must be an Illusion type.
However, Lee Hei’s action completely overturned the situation and caused even the White Emperor to pale in fright.
His stratagem is a simple barrier type, used to protect the four corners and the Formation Hearts. Even Reynold who couldn’t claim proficient in formations could recognise that this is the common Great Barrier formation. It is powered by a basic support type stratagem, the Spirit Gathering array that absorbs ambient energies to shield valuable targets. This stratagem is one of the most commonly used barrier employed by many clan and families because of how cheap it costs. However, it is also an exceptional stratagem deployed not only in the Mortal Realms, but likewise in the Immortal and Divine Realms because of its function: As long as there is enough ambient energy, the barrier will not break.
As such, its strength varies accordingly and while it is not the most efficient of the barrier types, it has no upper limits.
This, of course, wasn’t what frightened the White Emperor. The truly terrifying thing happened right after the Great Barrier stratagem is activated.
Lee Hei laughed gleefully, as though the war is already won, and then he took out a small Time-space pouch and wriggled it at the White Emperor.
He opened the small opening then overturned it at the convex point of the Spirit Gathering array. At first the Reynold watched him as if a jester is performing.
From the Time-space pouch, sparkling stones fell out. Blue, Red, Green, and all kinds of colours, each representing different properties.
These gemstones are Spirit Stones mined from different places and thus had varying concentration of elements mixed within.
The White Emperor smiled, knowing that this is their attempt to strengthen the Great Barrier array. He remained unconcerned because this method is truly nothing in his eyes. He scowled a little when he noticed from the vibrance and transparency that these are the highest grade of Spirit Stones on Gaia, but even so, the transfer rate from solid crystals into usable energy is slow and therefore nonthreatening.
Noticing the mirth in Reynold’s eyes, Lee flashed him a smile then took out a dozen Time-space pouches. He opened all of these containers and started pouring out their contents.
With enough Spirit Stones, even the slowest Spirit Gathering array can empower the Great Barrier to an extreme degree.
As if losing patience, Lee Hei ruffled through his robes and pulled out hundreds of pouches more. Unlike Time-space rings, it is easier to empty these containers. He untied their strings then grab a bunch by their bottom and overturned them. More and more Spirit Stones fell in a heap around him. Even a single stone is unaffordable for the average noble.
However, a powerful shield is not a threat. At most, his estimation that he could break through within ten minutes will become a mistake. It can’t be helped when the enemy pile cash in a war.
Yet, his face turned pale almost immediately after his self-assurance because Lee Hei took out another hundred over pouches from his pockets, and this time he started pouring out things other than Spirit Stones.
Talismans, Stratagem Plates, poisons, deadly contraptions. These are low and middle grade items often used in hunting dangerous beasts and military operations. While normally hard to acquire, there are plentiful circulating in the black markets of the undercities.
If Reynold was shocked by the amount of top grade Spirit Stones, his eyeballs are about to pop off from his sockets now.
“THIS IS UNFAIR! THIS IS UNFAIR! THIS IS UNFAIR!”
The supreme commander of the Ku Kang Camp, infamous for his cruel impaling techniques and cold-hearted methods, bellowed in his heart at the injustice he faced.