Chapter 318: Last City for Today

Time continued to move forward without pause. Every hour, another enemy city was destroyed and sabotaged. Ethan destroyed the majority of the magic runes in each city.

Nathan had initially wanted to help, but he realized his abilities were nowhere near sufficient, especially after witnessing Ethan’s strength firsthand.

That night, nineteen enemy cities were successfully destroyed and sabotaged. Their absolute defensive magic runes were shattered and replaced by magic runes summoned by Yuna.

Only two cities remained undestroyed out of the total twenty-one that day. Redemption Sword City and Scavenger City.

Ethan refused to take the risk of destroying those two cities. He was worried that their absolute defensive magic runes were far stronger than those of the other cities.

Yuna rode out from the last city they had attacked. Ethan had deliberately chosen to do it last to vent his lingering frustration.

It was the City of Trident Sea.

Every building in the city had already been destroyed, reduced to rubble by raging flames. An absolute defensive magic rune hovered above the city, cast by Yuna.

When she reached Ethan, Yuna immediately asked about their next plan.

Ethan remained silent, his eyes still fixed on the flag fluttering atop the city wall, clearly the banner of Trident Sea, its background still white and blue.

They could not change the background of the flag, because each guild city’s flag background had been predetermined from the beginning.

“Ethan?” Yuna called out.

Ethan snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at Yuna. She smiled gently. The woman understood exactly what was on his mind.

He was still disappointed after being betrayed by Trident Sea. However, in an event like this, trust was a costly commodity.

“Our task is finished. We’re returning to the desert territory now.”

“Yes, Sir Ethan.”

Led by Ethan and Yuna, the eastern alliance army began their march, leaving the eastern region and returning to the alliance camp.

The second phase of the invasion and sabotage was complete. All that remained for Ethan was to finalize a plan to position the alliance forces within several forests.

Not for reconnaissance, but for ambushes and guerrilla warfare.

They marched together for several hours without encountering any threats. The enemy forces had not yet returned from the northern archipelago region. It seemed their war would drag on for quite some time.

Several alliance soldiers turned their heads while standing guard outside the canyon area. From the east, they saw the alliance army approaching, each city’s banner waving as it was carried forward.

At the very front, Ethan and Yuna led the troops. They sat atop their mounts, their focus fixed straight ahead.

“Today, we destroyed more cities than yesterday,” Yuna said.

“That’s because we had more time today than we did yesterday,” Ethan replied.

They stopped when they encountered two team members from another city. The two lowered their heads and saluted Ethan, ready to receive orders.

“Some team members are injured. Go immediately and prepare the priest teams,” Ethan instructed.

The two men cleared their throats respectfully and nodded in agreement.

One of them turned back and ordered the other city’s team members to move through the canyon and return to the alliance camp.

Nathan nodded, leading thousands of soldiers through the canyon and back to the alliance encampment.

Ethan and Yuna went a different way. The two arrived atop the canyon cliff, their gazes locked straight ahead.

“I’ve always wondered whether the enemy forces are prepared to attack the desert territory or not.”

A canyon guard captain stepped up beside Ethan, gazing out as well toward the tropical region filled only with trees and buildings, with no enemy city teams occupying the area.

“As for that… we never really know,” Ethan said.

“What’s certain is that they’re currently focused on attacking the archipelago region with everything they have.”

“Shouldn’t we attack them from behind?” the man asked.

Yuna turned her head and saw Ethan remain silent, offering no response, simply standing there quietly.

“That’s not realistic.”

“What do you mean?” he asked Yuna.

“Attacking them in the archipelago would put us at a disadvantage. We’re not accustomed to fighting there at all,” Yuna explained.

“If we force a siege, we could end up opening a new war front against the archipelago region.”

Ethan raised his hand, signaling both of them to stop arguing. There was another reason why Ethan had not deployed troops to lay siege to the archipelago.

It was based on the possibility of a trap prepared by Redemption Sword or Scavenger.

“We don’t know whether they’re truly fighting in the archipelago or not,” Ethan said.

The man turned to look at Yuna. “Like you said, the archipelago region is likely controlled by the western plains guilds.”

“Scavenger and the western plains share a certain closeness.”

“If we attack, all the cities from both regions will cooperate to destroy the eastern alliance forces.”

“I… never realized that,” the man said.

Ethan remained silent in understanding. That information was not something just anyone could obtain. Ethan had received it from Yuna, who was the Vice Guild Leader of Sacred Hall.

In the end, Ethan still decided to proceed with the guerrilla and ambush strategy. No matter what, it was the best plan compared to a full territorial siege.

The man did not ask any further questions. He excused himself and left to continue monitoring the situation in the northern area beyond the canyon.

Now, only Yuna and Ethan remained on the cliff. Yuna smiled, praising the analysis Ethan had made.

“You analyzed the possibilities wisely.”

Ethan let out a breath. “Making decisions driven by ego will only lead us to ruin.”

“Rushing decisions will make us weak.”

Yuna crossed her arms. “I don’t know how this war will end. But it’s certain to be troublesome and exhausting.”

The man beside her lifted his head, gazing at the star-filled night sky above the tropical region. “I hope this war ends soon. It’s draining too much of my energy and my mind.”

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