Chapter 328: Psychological Warfare

“That should do it for now…” Michael muttered, observing the Flawless Starlight’s castle from afar. Gradually, the sanity and morale of their troops would erode, increasing the likelihood of a fatal mistake.

’Quite a daring strategy you have there.’ Devil remarked. ’But are you sure it’s wise to use it here? The world is watching, after all. It wouldn’t do any good if they saw you employ such tactics. At worst they brand you the same as the aliens.’

Michael glanced at his soul weapon.

’Your viewpoint is understandable, but flawed… You don’t have a proper grasp of human psychology to comprehend how they will react.’

Devil laughed in his head.

’Oh? Then please, enlighten me.’

Michael heaved a sigh.

’First and foremost, keep in mind that the majority of people have lost someone dear to the aliens. Their hatred is bottomless. They want vengeance at any cost. If they see us willing to employ such tactics against our own, they’ll assume we would be even harsher on the aliens. In war, you don’t fight for morals… You fight to win. Otherwise, the repercussions for losing are too costly.’

He paused briefly.

’Not to mention, we differ from the aliens in three key ways. First, these people aren’t really dead. They’re just illusions mimicking lifeless bodies. Second, we didn’t let them suffer before their demise. And third… Unlike the aliens, we haven’t and won’t use children.’

It could also be argued that Michael was teaching the Flawless Starlight an invaluable lesson. This wasn’t a real war, since no one was truly dying. But in a confrontation with real conquests, the aliens wouldn’t hesitate to deploy even worse psychological tactics.

Enduring this nightmare would sharpen the Flawless Starlight for the real wars to come.

Currently, the Indomitable Alliance was gathered together. Victoria had conjured soothing flames to help them withstand the freezing climate, while Robert did his best to calm the wind around them.

He also masked the black smoke coming from the fire in the middle of their camp, keeping their location a mystery.

“How long are they going to hold out?” Enzo pondered out loud.

Micheal shrugged.

“It could be a few minutes or a few hours. Eventually, someone won’t be able to endure the sight any longer and will come out to move the bodies. That’s when we eliminate them. Given enough time, they will fall.”

Bryce exhaled in dejection.

“How horrible that we have to resort to such extreme tactics… But at least we’ll teach these fellows what kinds of ploys they can expect from the aliens.”

Claire scoffed.

“You’re being too soft on them, Grandpa. Considering their size, they should have familiarized themselves with such tactics long ago. If you ask me, we’re doing them a favor.”

“Sunshine—” Bryce began to retort but stopped when he saw that his granddaughter was trembling. Not from fear, of course, but from the cold.

Even with Victoria’s flames, the Indomitable Alliance had their share of troubles. The climate grew dangerously colder every second, seeping steadily into their bodies, with no way to fully defend against it.

Perhaps the Emperor had foreseen such an event occurring. As a precaution, he had ensured the temperature would drop nonstop, ultimately becoming as cold as the cosmos itself.

Even Lords would struggle to withstand such weather for prolonged periods of time.

Without a shadow of a doubt, this had become an endurance battle. The question was, who would crack first… The Indomitable Alliance physically, or the Flawless Starlight mentally?

“Group up to share your body heat with others.” Michael commanded. Embracing Claire gently, he moved closer, exhaling warm breath at the back of her neck.

“!!!”

A chill ran down her spine from the unexpected gesture.

“Better?” Michael asked with a warm smile.

“Y—yes…” Claire stuttered, her cheeks slightly flushed red.

’Gods, he spent the longest time buried in the snow… How could his body be so hot?’

Although she didn’t fully understand how his body worked, she couldn’t help but press her body as close as possible to his.

“Hey! Ruby’s cold too!” Ruby pouted, curling around the two of them.

“For one, I have to agree with our feline companion.” Victoria said aloud. She couldn’t afford to expend her flames too much. Preserving her strength for the battle to come was the wiser choice… There really wasn’t an ulterior motive to get close to Michael… not one bit…

“Hmp! You’re not the only one who’s going to capitalize on him!” Ava declared, joining them.

It was nice to stay warm and all, but Michael hadn’t expected them all to jump on him so intensely. He worried their focus would waver in the middle of war. But, since that had been his offer, the girls embraced him tighter, reluctant to let go.

“Y—you must be cold too…” Enzo stumbled over his words, slowly pulling Amelia into his embrace.

“Dummy…” She whispered. “Couldn’t you have done this sooner?”

To everyone’s surprise, Iris crossed her arms and slowly leaned back until she softly collided with Cayson.

“What are you doing? We’re Lords. The cold won’t affect us so quickly. And judging by the looks of it, I’m quite a bit older than you.” He reasoned.

“Moron.” Iris clicked her tongue in irritation. “So what? My type can’t be older men? Just shut your trap and let me indulge in this one.”

Robert blinked a few times, observing everyone grouping together. By pure chance his eyes landed on Richard.

“Do you want a hug?” He asked, spreading his arms wide.

“Hugging a man?!” Richard bellowed, shouting at the top of his lungs. “Not a fucking chance!”

With an awkward smile, Robert scratched the back of his head. “You speak like that… but I’m the one with a girlfriend, not you.”

Richard was utterly stunned. The last person he expected to get burned by was the carefree Lord! With no way to retort, he could only curse his luck, his eyes flicking toward the Flawless Starlight.

“These fuckers sure are taking their sweet time, aren’t they?”

Fortunately, while the drones capturing the exchange were immune to the blizzard, they still recorded strong air currents. The live spectators could barely make out the Indomitable Alliance, at most catching vague silhouettes.

Luckily for some, and unluckily for others, the Flawless Starlight wasn’t able to last much longer. In their current predicament, their large numbers played a negative role.

The Lords were accustomed to such sights, but the same couldn’t be said for the lesser troops. Even though their fallen comrades were only illusions, the sight made them wary, a fear that spread like plague up the chain of command.

“I can’t stand this any longer! We’re taking care of the bodies!”

Going against the orders of Astra and Sirius, a substantial number of soldiers left the castle. Their goal was to quickly hide the bodies in the snow, sparing anyone else from being tormented by the sight.

Thankfully, with their numbers, they managed to persuade five Lords to join their side. Even if something went wrong, the Lords would surely keep things under control!

A foolish thought pattern… But understandable, given the sheer mental fatigue these warriors had endured over the past few hours.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it? Astra was unnecessarily cautious!” One of the soldiers proclaimed once they reached the lined-up bodies and began hiding them in the snow.

Not a single live spectator was surprised when, a few minutes later, the unwise troops found themselves encircled by the Indomitable Alliance, each member radiating increasingly deadly intent.

At last, the Flawless Starlight gave in, falling for the bait.

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