Our course of action — if it could even be called a strategy — was decided. Even if they outmaneuvered us and a town fell, I could rest easier knowing Benimaru and Geld would hold it. The executives accepted that and moved on to dissect the plan. I closed my eyes and ran the battle through my mind once more.
This plan had the smallest projected losses according to the calculations Solarys had run with me internally. She never spoke aloud; her judgments existed solely in my mind. Her certainty was unnerving — she trusted in my victory absolutely. If I failed, the entire strategy would collapse. Solarys' confidence in me weighed heavily, a silent obligation I could not share with anyone else.
The executives voiced their thoughts until they all looked to me. Then Shion — blunt as ever — said, "In short, we just cut all of them down, right?"
I held my silence. "I'm kidding. The plan is to hold the line without killing paladins. While we stall them, I will take down their leader."
Good. If Shion understood, everyone else would follow. I made a mental note to wake Gobta later; he'd be punished for sleeping on duty.
"All right, since everyone understands, I'll repeat it. If the enemy's strength exceeds expectations and we can't hold the situation, wipe them out immediately. Diablo will consult Benimaru before making that call." I set the rule in a single, clear line. "And as usual, keep the thought link open for continuous updates. I want every one of you to return alive. That is all."
"Yessir, understood!!!" they answered, voices sharp and resolute.
Heads nodded. The plan was set. Now we had to wait.
To ensure victory, I needed a device on the battlefield. Nothing flashy, just functional. The Church's Holy Field was the real threat. If that barrier activated at the wrong place, it would strip power from anyone caught inside. Even some of my executives could have been neutralized instantly.
I closed my mind and summoned Solarys. The Holy Field… I need a counter. I cannot allow my executives to be affected.
It is possible, Solarys replied, I will harmonize the weave. Osirion can anchor the flow, absorb the purification currents. Executives will be untouched.
I nodded inside my mind. Good. No one outside would ever know. No one could ever know — not Benimaru, not Shion, no one. Osirion, my Absolute Ultimate Skill, the Absolute Sovereign of Eternity, would handle the Holy Field. Solarys would stabilize it, ensure it functioned silently.
I gave simple verbal instructions to the executives as they moved to their positions, unaware that the invisible safety net was already in place. "Prepare as planned. Maintain your lines. Timing is everything."
Inside, I coordinated with Solarys. Anchor the flow now. Bend the Holy Field around them. Make it seamless.
Already done, came the answer. The pattern is fixed. All will pass through unscathed.
I let them move, the hidden forces of Osirion and Solarys silently securing the battlefield. The seam I would open in the Holy Field, the distraction of its currents, all set like pieces on a chessboard. The executives worked as they always did, unaware of the hidden ultimate powers at play.
If it worked, we would win with minimal blood. If it failed, the consequences would be severe. Either way, Eterna's fate would hinge on the next moves — and I would leave nothing to chance.
First, I ordered a large underground tunnel dug and linked it straight to Eterna. The exit opened exactly where Benimaru would be holding the line — the spot that would see the most concentrated fighting and the most danger. That was deliberate. Even if the enemy discovered the tunnel, it would still serve our purpose: funnel them toward the place we wanted the fire and clash to burn hottest.
"That exit has to be where Benimaru expects the pressure," I told the engineers. "If they stray, guide them. Keep the forest intact — I won't have trees needlessly felled."
Benimaru nodded as he examined the map. "Understood. We'll shape the defense to make that point the obvious target."
We made the tunnel out of magic steel I forged and set into place. It wasn't permanent — I could reclaim the material later — but it needed to be solid and hidden. I routed the entrance to where the battlefield was most likely to form. Since the column marched from Falmus, predicting the field was straightforward. I wanted an open area, not a ruined grove; less collateral, fewer civilians hurt, and better lines for our formations.
"Keep the mouths camouflaged," I ordered Souei. "They must blend into the terrain. If the paladins scout, they should only see traces that point toward our chosen clearing."
Souei's lips twitched into a small, satisfied smile. "I'll have shadows weave the ruses. Their scouts will report the line we want them to see."
Once the structural work was done, a thought struck me: place Veldora inside the tunnel. He could lie in wait, suppressed, and then release a controlled portion of his aura when the battle began. That aura would draw the Holy Field's attention, distort the paladins' senses, and — crucially — amplify the seam I planned to open in their sacred barrier.
I called Veldora on the link. "I want you under the field, in the tunnel. Hold your aura back until I give the signal. Once I start the seam, release the suppressed portion. Nothing uncontrolled. Understood?"
A low rumble answered, amused and lazy. "You want me in a hole like a watchdog? Fine. I'll snore until you poke me. But if you wake me wrong, I'll chew their banners for breakfast."
"Do it precisely," I warned. "We don't need chaos. We need a pull that the Holy Field cannot ignore."
Veldora gave a satisfied snort. "Fine. I'll play the shadow. Just don't let me starve."
With Veldora placed, the countermeasure for the Holy Field fell into place. The tunnel would funnel them, the seam would bait the Church into wasting strength, and Veldora's aura would twist attention toward our prepared weak point.
I double‑checked the tunnel exits with Benimaru and Geld. "Your contingencies are the key," I told them. "If the paladins try to flank or the Church shifts the field, you adapt. Benimaru, you hold and direct. Geld, keep them from breaching elsewhere."
Benimaru's grip tightened on his spear. "We'll make them pay for every step. The exit will be a tomb if they break through."
Geld cracked a grin. "And we'll give them a long, embarrassing retreat when they try."
I looked over the final layout: entrances hidden in undergrowth, the main mouth opening to the clearing where Benimaru's line waited, secondary vents for Gobta's riders and the Hiryu to use for sudden sorties, and Veldora lying in shadow below, ready to release his suppressed presence on my signal.
"Everything ready?" I asked Solarys in the quiet of my mind. <
"Good," I replied inwardly. <
<
I gave the final verbal orders to the gathered commanders: "We wait. We bait. When I pry the seam, hold. If they commit to patching the field, we hit where they weaken. If Hinata demands single combat, make it visible. If things go wrong, withdraw to the high‑orc villages and regroup."
The engineers sealed the last plates of magic steel. Souei slid back into the shadows with his scouting notes. Gobta and the Riders practiced their hit‑and‑run runs at the tunnel mouths. The Hiryu took to the air and circled above like a watchful hawk. Veldora settled down with a grin that was half bored and half hungry.
Preparations complete. Now all that remained was the waiting between breaths — the calm before a storm I intended to shape and steer. When Hinata's line reached our clearing, the trap would be ready. The seam would be opened, Veldora's aura would tug, and Eterna's fate would hinge on a handful of precise moments.
I exhaled, every sense taut and alert. The second encounter would come soon.