"Sect Master, what is our strategy to defeat the 1 lakh army?"
The voice came from Sect Elder Gu Yu — an old man with a commanding presence. His long white hair and beard gave him the appearance of a sage, but his tall, muscular build and sharp, intelligent gaze spoke of a lifetime of battles fought and won.
Jacob stood before him, arms folded, eyes narrowed in thought. His black battle robe rustled lightly in the cold wind sweeping through the hall.
"Hmm... Give me some time," Jacob finally said. "I need every detail about their current positions. And bring me the latest reports from our spies as well. Every shred of information matters."
Without hesitation, Elder Gu Yu bowed slightly and set to work.
The war room buzzed with quiet urgency. Maps were unfurled across stone tables, messengers moved in and out like shadows, and Lin Tian — the Sect's Formation Master — fine-tuned the great protective array surrounding Uaan Sect. He was a medium-height man with a thin, sharp face, a lean body, black hair, and a neatly trimmed black beard. His Dao techniques pulsed faintly in the air, strengthening the fortress.
Two hours passed, though for Jacob, it felt like two years.
As intelligence poured in, his face shifted constantly — sometimes lighting up with grim satisfaction when a weakness was revealed, sometimes tightening in anxiety when new dangers surfaced, and sometimes darkening in fury at the overwhelming numbers arrayed against them.
Finally, after processing it all, Jacob stood tall, a spark of unshakable determination burning in his eyes.
"We've bought ourselves precious time thanks to the protective formation," Jacob said, nodding toward Lin Tian. "You've done well, Formation Master."
Lin Tian offered a humble bow, sweat glistening on his brow from the intense concentration required to maintain the array.
Jacob turned back to his gathered leaders.
"Listen well," he said. "Here is our strategy to defeat Karlos and his army."
---
The Battle Plan
Objective:
Fracture Karlos's army, exploit their weaknesses, crush their morale, and deliver the final blow when they are most vulnerable.
---
1. Divide and Conquer
First Move:
Split Karlos's forces into smaller units, forcing them to fight on multiple fronts and depriving them of mutual support.
Deceptive Retreats:
We will feign weakness. Using feints and Dao illusions, we'll make it seem like we are losing ground on one front. When Karlos's forces pursue, they will walk directly into our ambushes, isolated and vulnerable.
Psychological Warfare Against Commanders:
The Wolf Commanders are fiercely loyal to Karlos. We will feed them false information — hints that Karlos has made critical mistakes or is sacrificing them for his own gain. Doubt will fester, their trust will falter, and their unity will crumble.
---
2. Environmental Manipulation
We will turn the land itself against them.
Traps Among the Mountains:
The terrain around Uaan Sect is treacherous. We will plant hidden explosive charges and Dao-powered traps, triggering landslides, sinkholes, and avalanches at the right moments.
Dao Storms:
Our weather manipulators will conjure fierce storms — lightning strikes, blinding fogs, howling winds — to disorient Karlos's forces and split their ranks further.
Elemental Chaos:
We will awaken the forces of nature itself. Earthquakes to shatter their formations. Fires to block their escape routes. Floods to isolate them in deadly pockets of terrain.
Dao of Time Manipulation:
Our Time Daoists will slow down or accelerate sections of the battlefield. Troops caught in these zones will find their movements sluggish or uncontrollably fast, leading to catastrophic mistakes.
---
3. Targeting Key Individuals
We know their strengths. We know their flaws.
Girath, the Wolf 1:
A master tactician and unbreakable commander. We will isolate him through illusions and misinformation, making him believe he has been abandoned. His leadership collapsing will break the Wolves' fighting spirit.
Sera and Hira, the Ice and Fire Twins:
Their synergy is deadly, but their bond is their greatest weakness. We will separate them using terrain manipulation, forcing one to save the other. The emotional strain will disrupt their power and leave them vulnerable.
Mafyuu, the Ruthless Blade:
Cold, efficient, and deadly. She trusts Karlos implicitly. We will attack that trust with carefully crafted illusions — memories of Karlos's failures, betrayals, and selfish acts. If we can crack her loyalty, even a little, it could shatter her effectiveness.
---
4. Bait and Trap
Illusory Weakness:
We will stage fake retreats and staged defeats, baiting Karlos's army into overextending themselves. When they overcommit, our elite disciples — hidden like ghosts — will strike from the shadows, cutting them down without mercy.
---
5. Exhaustion and Attrition
Victory is patience.
Supply Line Attacks:
We will sever their food, water, and weapon supplies. Hunger and desperation will turn even the most disciplined soldiers into reckless fools.
Guerrilla Warfare:
We will not meet them head-on. Instead, we will strike at night, vanish into the mountains, and bleed them dry with endless harassment until they are fighting ghosts and shadows.
---
6. Final Showdown
When Karlos's army is broken, scattered, and exhausted, we will launch the final assault.
We will strike as one — with all the might of Uaan Sect behind us — and crush them utterly.
---
Jacob finished laying out the plan, his voice steady but sharp like a drawn sword.
Around him, the sect's leaders exchanged grim, determined looks.
Failure was not an option.
This was more than a battle.
It was survival itself.
And as long as they drew breath, they would not yield.
I never thought he would fall so deep... that he would abandon everything and come here, seeking death."
Jacob brooded silently, his hands clasped behind his back.
In the grand hall, Sect Elder Gu Yu stepped forward. His voice, deep and weathered by years, echoed through the chamber.
"Sect Master, allow me to savor this moment," Gu Yu said with a soft smile.
"Once, I was just a simple laborer, carrying bricks for survival. Fate played its hand, and today... this very man stands before you as an Elder of the Uaan Sect. It is your kindness that gave me a place in this broken world, Sect Master. Without it, men like me would be lost."
Jacob's eyes softened.
"No, Elder Gu Yu," Jacob replied warmly, "this is the fruit of your own labor. And now... the time has come for that fruit to ripen."
Jacob turned to address everyone, his voice powerful yet filled with emotion.
"My dear comrades, my brothers and sisters — today, I do not stand before you as a Sect Master. Today, I stand here simply as a friend."
He paused, letting the words sink deep into their hearts.
"Forget the past that brought you pain. Forget the nights that broke you, the memories that scarred you. Today is a new page... a new story. And someone is coming to tear that page apart, to shatter our dreams.
Tell me — will you let them?"
"NO!"
The hall thundered with the voices of hundreds.
"Will you fight, not just to survive, but to live? Our pens, our fate, our future — they are all in our hands now! The dreams of the generations to come rest with us today!
So, raise your cups!"
Jacob lifted his goblet high, and with a resounding roar, the sect followed.
"To the future!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
In that moment, titles disappeared — no Sect Master, no Elder, no Disciple.
Only warriors, brothers and sisters bound by a single, burning purpose.
There was fire in their eyes, a light in their souls.
In the grand main hall, surrounded by towering pillars and ancient murals, each person carried their own story, their own wounds — yet in this moment, they were united by one man.
Jacob...