Chapter 311: Bait and Switch

While Michael had been busy keeping the three strongest forces of the Eternal Blade at bay, the rest of the Indomitable Alliance played their part too.

Leo and Bryce were primarily ranged fighters. Climbing upon the largest trees they could find, they picked off the easy targets and similarly acted as intelligence gatherers.

Enzo and Amelia rode on Cyberfang’s back. The mechanical beast proved a nightmare for the Eternal Blade’s weaker soldiers to handle.

Even if they were to act as a unit, taking down the beast would have cost the majority of their forces.

That of course was only possible if they didn’t take Amelia and Enzo into account.

While Enzo used his ranged technique alongside his gauntlets to keep the warriors at bay, Amelia spared no strength, redirecting her electricity towards Cyberfang, fueling it with power.

The fact that the jungle was set ablaze didn’t help the Eternal Blade to organize their troops one bit.

However, their clash paled in comparison to the Grandmasters’ exchanges.

“HAHAHA!” Richard’s laughter echoed in the vicinity. The protective layer across his skin had long been shattered, numerous injuries marring his body. Yet the two Grandmasters he fought appeared in a worse condition.

Although they had proved much more troublesome than anticipated, Richard had emerged victorious in the end.

Claire, meanwhile, wielded her lance with finesse. Slashing in wide arcs, neither the surroundings nor the two foes she faced could withstand her blows.

Eventually one of them made a mistake. Claire immediately capitalized on it and neutralized the man.

Once the fight turned one-on-one, Claire’s victory had been assured.

Perhaps the most spectacular battle was Victoria’s. Her beautiful flames spared nothing in their wake, devouring all they touched and leaving only drifting ash behind.

The desperate pleas of her foes echoed through the jungle as the inferno consumed them. They hadn’t even stood a chance.

Six of the seven Grandmasters of the Eternal Blade had already fallen. Meanwhile, the lesser troops were being steadily picked off one by one.

This feat had only been possible because Michael had kept the three Lords occupied. Had he not been there, the battle would have taken a much darker turn.

As the news of the Grandmasters’ demise spread. Rachel, the last Grandmaster of the faction currently acting as the leader of the Eternal Blade, began to feel the mounting pressure.

“It will be fine.” She assured herself.

The demise of their troops had come as an unpleasant surprise. However, there was no cause for concern. The Lords had already reached Michael, the leader of the Indomitable Alliance, and their confrontation had begun. It was only a matter of time before victory was theirs.

Or so she thought, until the ragged voice of Lord Troy echoed across the Eternal Blade’s ranks.

“Withdraw to the castle!” The man shouted urgently. “We’ve been misled! Michael wasn’t their leader!”

A chill ran down Rachel’s spine.

Logically speaking, with the ability to choose their leader before the battle began, there was no certainty that Michael had been officially assigned the role. However, he was the strongest among their ranks and had remained at the castle the entire time.

Would it not have been reasonable to assume he was their appointed leader?

That had been the plan Michael had bet on. Knowing the Lords would want to display their might, they had rushed blindly toward him, leaving Rachel, their leader, unguarded.

“T—Then who is their leader?!” Rachel muttered. Eyes widened in realization a moment later.

During the whole exchange two individuals had been absent… Ruby and Ava.

Ruby, being a feline person and with a stealth technique to boot, was in her natural habitat in the jungle. Like a tiger, she moved silently, eliminating unsuspecting troops whenever the threat of being discovered presented itself. Since she was the hardest to find, Ruby had been appointed the leader.

“Then that leaves—”

Rachel spun around, only to find herself face-to-face with a massive hammer swung straight at her head.

Thanks to Ava’s petite frame and incredible swiftness, no one had spotted her as she flanked the entire Eternal Blade army, finally coming to confront their leader.

After Michael, Ava was the one who played the most pivotal role in the battle.

’Did he assign me this role to prove that I’m not useless?’ Ava thought, a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips.

’I have to give it to him… It worked.’ She felt a warm feeling spreading throughout her body.

BOOM!

A heartbeat later, Ava’s hammer collided with Rachel’s head. Even with a realm separating them, there was no way a Grandmaster could withstand a sneak attack aimed at such a fatal point.

Rachel’s skull caved in, dying on the spot.

Her body flung backward and froze mid-air, as did everything else on the battlefield.

With the demise of the Eternal Blade’s leader, the battle came to a conclusion.

Nearby drones still allowed to move captured Rachel’s frozen form, still suspended in the air, providing enough explanation for the live viewers to comprehend what had transpired.

Then the designated battlefield altered with spatial manipulation hurled everybody outside. Regardless of their status.

As such, both the Indomitable Alliance and the Eternal Blade found themselves back in the large arena with the white spires at the center before the piercing gaze of the Emperor.

“…”

Silence settled in both the ranks of the soldiers and the live broadcast. The viewers also had been misled to believe that Michael had assumed the leader’s role.

“Hehehe…”

Ruby’s giggling broke the stillness. Her tail swung playfully from side to side as she hugged Michael tightly.

“Nobody found me!” She declared proudly.

“Don’t I deserve a reward?” She said, burying her face in his chest, clearly begging for headpats.

Michael chuckled warmly, as if he hadn’t even registered the pain he had endured in the battle just moments prior.

“Yes, you do.” He smiled, patting her head.

Michael’s gaze shifted towards Ava.

“See? As I told you. You are not a nuisance.”

Ava’s cheek began to burn bright red. Though she didn’t avert her gaze.

Finally, the realization of the Indomitable Alliance victory settled as the commentators shouted in unison.

“The Indomitable Alliance won!”

As their voices echoed, the chat went crazy.

Meanwhile, Lord Troy glanced at his trembling hands, then at his two companions, who were equally shaken as him.

“How…?”

He said barely above a whisper.

“How did we lose?”

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