Frin didn't understand Roan's orders, prompting him to ask, "Why would you make them retreat? That's a strategic location that would give access to either your army or Linton."
Linton was a Stage Nine Demon Beast...or Demon Insect, to be more precise. He was a Purple Reaper Mantis. Of course, Linton wasn't a Divine Demon Beast. Nevertheless, he had the strength to back up his position. One must remember that there were only Phex, Xaon, Frin, and Darian as Stage Nine Divine Demon Beasts. Considering the scope of an entire planet at the moment, even they couldn't control everything by themselves. Not to mention that Frin wasn't commanding anything since he must stay close to Roan to protect him.
As for the Calau Swamp Region, it was located between Roan and Linton's armies. However, because Roan didn't like to rely on unknown variations, he took it for himself to protect that region with his forces. Naturally, the retreat order confused Frin.
Roan just shook his head in response, saying, "Don't worry. Everything has gone according to plan." Roan then looked at the demon beast who brought the information, ordering him, "Tell Linton to manage some of his forces in case there's a need to defend from an attack coming from the swamp. At first, the Zasfins should come after my army since I'm the one causing most of the problems. But just in case...one more thing, give this jade slip to Linton." With that, Roan threw him a jade slip.
"Yes." The demon beast immediately left after that.
Roan then looked at Calina, who was quietly observing everything. "Here, take this." Just like Qia, he also sent Calina a jade slip, telling her, "You should be able to use it to find Rafin and his group. As long as you show it to him, he will allow you to join his forces."
Calina couldn't help but ask, "I don't exactly fit as a scout, you know?"
"I know. However, it's not like they never battle. Your mission is to protect Rafin's group in case there's a need for it. You can probably learn a thing or two from his concealing techniques as well," Roan said that without even blinking.
Naturally, Calina felt somewhat sad. They had just reunited after so long, but they hadn't talked for more than a few minutes before Roan dispatched her. "Can't we have a little more time together?"
Roan looked at Calina after that, slightly puzzled. "For what? I'm watching over the army most of the time, so it'll just be a waste of time. Just go ahead and use this chance to train."
Well, it wasn't like Calina didn't expect that. She had followed Rean's group for many years, after all. "Fine...but after the war is over, we need to take a break."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just go already." Roan then returned his attention to the jade slip maps.
A few days later, Roan received information that the Zasfin Army passed through Calau Swamp. The majority of it was coming his way, while a small number went after Linton's forces. "Very well. Tell the Freedom Sect members to prepare for battle. The Zasfin Army will have to pass through Javeza Hills if they want to arrive here faster. That being said, that is where the battle will happen."
Frin found it strange, muttering, "You left the swamp empty, and now the Zasfin Army is on our doors. Then, when I thought you had a plan, you simply asked our forces to fight at Javeza Hills. I don't understand. If you kept the swamp defense line up, it would have been much harder for the Zasfins to attack."
Roan nodded, saying in response, "Exactly! And that was the issue."
"The issue?" Frin was even more lost after hearing that. "Fighting in the Swamp while we had the defense lines up would be advantageous for us. However, we'll be on a more even ground when it happens in Javeza Hills. How come there's an issue in the swamp?"
Roan sighed as he answered, "Can't you see? It's exactly because we had defense lines there that the Zasfins wouldn't attack. If they don't attack, we'll stay on a stalemate forever. Don't forget that the longer we take to move forward, the more time they have to build defenses. Emptying the Calau Swamp was necessary to lure the enemy inside."
Frin finally understood after hearing that. "So that's the problem, huh..." Still, he had to ask something else. "But wouldn't it be bad? We will mutually lose our forces. We don't have the advantage, after all."
Roan snorted when he heard that. "Hmph! What are you talking about? Don't we have you?"
"Me?!" Frin was taken aback once again. "I'm here to protect you, not to participate in the battle. What if someone attacks this place while I'm out? Besides, they definitely have someone at a similar level in case I really join the fray."
Roan agreed with Frin's last statement. "They definitely have someone on your level...but that doesn't matter. Just make sure that you battle over the Zasfin army. The shockwaves of your battle should be more than enough to wipe out a huge amount of their forces. As for me, you don't need to worry. No one will find me."
"And what if the Zasfin expert on their side tries to do the same thing and pull the battle to our side? If I was him, I would definitely try it."
"True." Roan didn't deny that. "Fortunately, you're a Divine Demon Beast, a Silver Fenrir. As for the Zasfin expert, he's just one enemy. Phex was able to fight several Zasfins underwater as a Phoenix. Can it be that you can't hold a single Zasfin in place?"
"Well...if it's just one or two, that should be possible. Though, the other side probably knows that as well, so I don't think there's only one or two there." Frin was still somewhat doubtful.
"There's no need to worry. Just go and do what I told you. Everything will be fine," Roan eventually said, not minding Frin's concerns at all.
