The days passed by slowly as tensions along the Ancient Beast Mountain Range rose.
The Crimson Slayer Sect didn't even bother hiding the fact that they were preparing for war. They were working overtime to strengthen themselves and create as many items as possible to bolster their chances of winning.
Many of the spies Aelina had sent out witnessed disciples from the Toxic Blade Sect moving in and out of all the Crimson Slayer sects, supposedly delivering goods. A few even spotted what seemed to be Elders, or Mortal Shedding Realm cultivators, coming over to their side as well.
However, nobody, including Aelina or Rayna, witnessed the Toxic Blade Sect Master meeting up with them.
While Aelina wasn't exactly surprised by that, she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he wouldn't step up. At least, not yet.
Both sides knew that this whole thing could quickly devolve into continental-wide chaos once other major powers started getting involved. Something nobody wanted as they weren't the only ones who lived on the Ancient Beast Mountain Range.
Forcing the Beast Clans to get involved would spell doom for all humans, not just one group in particular.
Within the Crimson Slayer Sect's main hall, Cyrus sat in front of a massive tactical map, analyzing the terrain and formulating strategies alongside other Elders.
"I know you all, as well as me, have differing opinions, but first, I'd like to hear your ideas on how we can take down the Battle Maiden Sect," Cyrus said as he reclined back in his chair, looking at the other Elders with a piercing gaze.
"...C-Can't we just attack them head-on?" One of the Elders, a man named Aldur, spoke up first.
"..."
Everyone looked at Aldur as if he were an idiot and moved on to a different strategy.
"Don't listen to that moron, Sect Leader. He just said that out of formality. We all know invading a major Sect's territory is akin to walking straight into the tiger's den. However, I do believe we could use that strategy to attack the Battle Maiden Sect's branches." Another Elder, one that looked much more intelligent, responded.
"Oh? Why do you think so, Ryker?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow and asked.
Ryker shrugged, "Do we really have any other option? We can't attack the main force of the Battle Maiden Sect head-on, and waiting for them here won't do us much good either. Our only other option is to gather all of our forces together and bombard their branch Sects with overwhelming numbers. That way, we can drag Aelina and the others out of the mountain to face them on our own terms."
"Hmm? But wouldn't doing that just make us more prone to defeat? What if a particularly strong Elder comes by and wipes out half our army with a wave of her hand?! Wouldn't all of our efforts have been for nothing, then?!" Another Elder slapped his hand on the table and questioned.
Ryker stayed calm and replied, "That is a possibility, but with all of us here to stop that, it's unlikely for something like that to happen. However, if we spread our forces too thin and try to bite off more than we can chew, we'll just be picked off one by one. We have a numbers advantage, so we should utilize that for as long as we can."
"That's all well and good, but you have to remember that their Branch Sects are all over the Western Continent! With such a massive army, if Aelina doesn't intercept us, she's actually mentally retarded!"
"That's the point."
"...Eh? What do you mean?"
"We want her to intercept us! That way, we have the advantage."
"...I'm still not following."
"Haaa…. Fucking idiot…" Ryker put on his forehead and sighed before explaining once more, "Listen, if we want to have any chance at winning this war, we need to initiate the attack first."
"Why?" Another Elder asked.
"Or else Sect Master Aelina is just going to tear apart our branch Sects one by one until only we're left! By then, it'll already be too late! Even if we do manage to survive, the Crimson Slayer Sect is done for!"
"But, how do you know the Battle Maiden Sect Master will do that? What if, confident in her Sect's strength, invades our territory and fights us head-on instead?"
"...While that is a possibility, I highly doubt she would take such an approach. It's too risky and not worth the gains. While we have plenty of resources, they aren't something the Battle Maiden Sect desperately needs. She'd be unnecessarily killing her disciples if she fought us here."
"Then, why can't we just gather all the disciples and turtle in our base?" As soon as Aldur asked that, he immediately shut his mouth and lowered his head, knowing that he asked another stupid question.
"Seems like you already know why, but just in case, I'll explain it."
"...I know," Aldur said, "If we do that, then Sect Master Aelina will come knocking. Sect Master Cyrus is the only one that can stop her, but everyone else will be caught in the crossfire. With their strength and our defenses, it wouldn't take longer than a few seconds before most of us are either wiped out or severely injured."
"Exactly!" Ryker exclaimed, "Ideally, it would be for the best if we could fight them here, but if this is going to be Sect Master Cyrus' and Aelina's battleground, then we can't keep the disciples anywhere near. If that's the case, there's no point in us even staying here!"
"I still don't see how us clumping up in one massive group and traveling together makes things better."
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Can't you put two and two together?" Ryker waved his finger condescendingly, looking at them as if they were children, "By now, I'm sure Sect Master Aelina has gotten word of the Toxic Blade Sect's involvement. However, she doesn't know the details of our cooperation. If Sect Master Dorian from the Toxic Blade Sect shows up at Aelina's front door, and she's not there to answer… Need I say more?"
The Elders all shook their heads, and even Cyrus was more than satisfied with Ryker's explanations. Though, that didn't make their expressions any less solemn. His strategy basically told them that unless they went all-out from the beginning, they were pigs waiting for the slaughter.
"Alright, but what happens after they've intercepted us?" Cyrus asked.
Ryker shrugged and said nonchalantly, "We fight until the last man standing."
"..."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock at Ryker's answer. Up until this point, his strategy was sound. They couldn't exactly call it good since they were in a shitty situation, but it was the best they could think of without facing immediate destruction.
However, why did it sound like that's where all of his planning stopped?
"What do you mean, fight until the last man standing?" Cyrus asked, managing to maintain his rationale better than the others.
"Well, that's all we can really do without knowing how Sect Master Aelina intends to counterattack. She could use so many strategies, with all of them being fairly reasonable. Hell, she could just come herself and deal with the whole situation personally. How am I supposed to know what's going through the mind of that old monster?"
Cyrus couldn't argue with that. He had already made an attempt to attack first but failed miserably because Aelina somehow guessed his intentions. How she knew he was going to attack one of her branch Sects, he didn't know, but it made him understand just how fearsome his opponent really was.
It was to the point where he even began thinking that she figured they'd go all-out in their next battle.
'What am I thinking? She most definitely has. If even we know that our only viable solution is to move together as one, then Aelina has as well. The question is, what will she do with that information, and how should we counter it?' Cyrus fell deep into thought. The Elders fell silent as they pondered on Ryker's words, also looking for a different solution.
However, no matter how much any of them thought, they couldn't come up with anything better.
Ryker was right. None of them, Cyrus included, had any idea what went through Aelina's mind. They could try and come up with a plan, but by doing so, they might just ruin everything without even knowing.
"Haaa… Let's deal with that later. For now-" Cyrus suddenly paused as he felt Qi fluctuations appear in the middle of the room. The Elders noticed this a split-second later and prepared to attack.
A moment later, two people appeared in the room, a beautiful pink-haired woman alongside a handsome young man.
"It seems you all have run into a little trouble, huh? Well, don't worry. I think I have the solution to all your problems." The woman released a beautiful smile, which caused the hearts of all the men to speed up, Cyrus included.
However, his wasn't beating faster out of infatuation.
Veins bulged out of his forehead, and his fists unknowingly clenched as he stared at the woman hatefully.
'...This bitch! How dare she show up here without my permission!'
