Chapter 379: Elena’s Preparation
"Is Elena seeing this?" Kaelith speaks seriously, seeing the enormous number of enemy troops. It’s really like Pandora said, a giant number of enemies on the border.
"Yes, I am. There must be at least 200,000 enemies... and if this is 30 to 40% of the troops, then... on Pandora’s side, there must be 500 to 670 thousand enemies, considering the ships as well..."
"There are too many ships!! What the hell?" Kaelith is shocked, and even I’m surprised, considering the massive number of ships that were built.
’Considering the enormous number of vessels to move all these people, their plan makes sense and would be difficult to discover.’ We would never have thought they would come by sea.
Not only because of the sirens, but also because this massive number of ships would seem impossible to have been built in the span of two years.
Even I, who am a strategist, wonder how the hell they managed to build so many ships and move them all to the ocean so quickly. Pandora knows, but she said that detail doesn’t matter, so I can only speculate.
"Hey, Kaelith, you know we’re at a disadvantage, right? We have 160,000 troops here... while on Pandora’s side, there are 359,000 troops... they’re practically double the amount." I say as she nods her head.
"Yeah! These pests boast about our numbers, but they breed like cockroaches!" Kaelith says, indignant at these numbers.
’It’s better not to tell Kaelith that there are still reserve troops and the troops defending the kingdom...’ Considering these troops, the humans must have around 3 million soldiers ready and 1 million active troops.
"Anyway, it looks like it’s about to start, Kaelith." I say as both armies start moving. At this pace, we’ll collide with them in an hour, so it’s time to prepare the crystal.
"Kaelith, call Calypso. We’re going to prepare the mass destruction anti-magic crystal. I want you to hide it under the planning tent’s floor." I say as Kaelith quickly runs to get Calypso.
"Troops, listen up. We’re going to stop here, set up camp, and then advance!" I say with magic to reach our entire army that stops. I also notice that the enemy army has stopped, it seems they’re going to set up their tents and the crystal as well.
’I wonder how Pandora’s side is doing?’ I wonder if everything is going well there. There’s no communication between the two armies, so I’ll only know what’s happening on Pandora’s side when the war is over.
’I shouldn’t worry. It’s Pandora... she’s a bit crazy, but very smart. She can handle it.’ I think everything will turn out fine on her side. I just need to somehow win here.
The problem is that on our side, we don’t have anyone as overwhelmingly strong as Lilith, and that will cause us to lose if I don’t lead well.
’I’ve never felt so tense in a war... the disadvantage we have is clear...’ I hope I can conclude this war with the fewest casualties possible.
I take an storage artifact from my pocket, and from it, a large, magic-sealed chest emerges.
"Haa... I guess it’s time for you to come out of retirement." I murmur, kneeling in front of the chest. This chest is where I store everything I use for serious battles.
I didn’t earn the title of [Hero Slayer] for nothing. I’m weak, and I know it, so the only method is to rely completely on equipment and strategies.
Hero Slayer = Eliminate at least 5 heroes during your lifetime.
"Let’s see if it still fits." I take out a completely white and short armor, the armor is practically a bikini-style armor, just a little less revealing.
[Divine Paladin Vestment] Angelic Paladin Armor, an ancient relic that has been corrupted over time, losing its initial divine essence and becoming just an armor without powers, but with an insane amount of resistance to physical attacks and elemental magic.
"Now... where is that... ah, there it is." I grab my weapon.
[Jupiter] The 6-faced staff, a weapon capable of transforming into 6 different forms: a staff, a lance, a dagger, a sword, an axe, and a magic bow with an arrow. Each weapon has a different elemental power.
"And here you are... I’ve missed these relics." I take 5 rings from the chest, they are very important. Each relic I have was carefully chosen by me to create the perfect set.
[Ring of Second Life] An artifact that allows you to deceive death once, creating an illusion of your death while teleporting you to a nearby safe area.
[Ring of Ill Omen] Slowly drains the mana, vitality, and physical strength of enemies who have been hit previously. The effect lasts for two hours after 1 hit and restarts with each new hit.
[Ring of Disconnect] Allows you to knock out opponents more easily the stronger the opponent is, making your blows affect their mind with great ease based on the target’s strength.
[Ring of Hidden Strength] Amplifies your power by up to two times as you take damage, and also amplifies your resistance by up to 10 times as the damage worsens, temporarily transforming you into a Tank.
[Infernal Two-Stage Ring] In the first stage, this ring allows the user a massive increase in power in exchange for reducing the amount of equipment the user can have equipped. The second stage activates if the user frees themselves from any equipment and is left with only the ring. In this state, mana, destructive power, defense, regeneration, and any positive attribute are amplified by up to 15 times, with a potential increase of up to 50 times if near death when freeing themselves from the equipment.
"I think it’s time for the potions now..." I take 3 flasks from the chest. Because of the Infernal Two-Stage Ring, I can only have 5 rings equipped, the armor, and the weapon, so I complete the rest with these 3 potions.
[Calamity Potion] The more damage you deal to enemies, the more your power temporarily increases. The effect resets if you stop dealing damage, but your blows become heavier with each consecutive attack, potentially reaching tons after just 5 hits.
[Deadly Aura Potion] After consumption, an aura is created around the user for 3 days. This aura weakens nearby enemies and applies a slow-acting poison, causing lethargy, drowsiness, pain, nausea, fatigue, blindness, and internal bleeding as the enemy remains close.
[Corrosion Potion] A potion that allows the user to infuse corrosion into anything they touch, enabling any of their attacks to cause corrosion on impact. Even the user’s body can generate this effect, making it impossible for enemies to touch them without being affected by it.
"I thought I wouldn’t have to use this again, but fate is quite ironic." I murmur, drinking the three potions in the span of 3 minutes, leaving 1 minute for each potion I drink so that one doesn’t ruin the effect of the other.
This is my ’combat kit’ that I’ve only used 3 times in total. With this, even a hero can be defeated by me, as with so many buffs applied to me and debuffs I can inflict on enemies, I become a formidable opponent.
Especially the Deadly Aura and the Corrosion, these are among the most important, because I’m weak, so strong opponents are too fast for me, and I need to reduce their power and deal damage when they hit me.
"I think with all this preparation, I could even damage Pandora." I murmur, not as an arrogant statement, but as a fact. These artifacts are above the level of national treasures.
Of course, I was very lucky to have obtained these things in the past, too lucky even. The chances of someone getting such convenient things are very low.
Especially the potions. I have a small amount stored and can only use them in specific occasions because they are limited. I probably only have about 15 more uses left before the 3 potions are gone and I’m left without them.
In summary, with all this equipment, I naturally become a resistant Tank that deals passive damage every time I’m hit, while leaving my enemy weaker and weaker until I can kill them with my weapon.
So for me, battles against someone strong become battles of attrition, something most cannot accept the risk of. I can only fight this way because I know that if I die, I will revive thanks to [Phoenix’s Blessing].
Along with the Ring of Second Life, I can "die" twice in a battle and still remain alive.
And of course, each time I "die," my power returns completely, and I resurge temporarily stronger, precisely because of the relics, as they have this effect of the more damage I receive, the stronger I become, and dying once counts as an extremely massive damage.
’I remember Pandora said something like that... something about being a Boss with 3 phases.’ Yes, I think that fits me quite well, even though I’m not sure what that means exactly. I can fight even if I die, being able to come back up to two times, and only being truly killed on the third time.
"I think... I’m ready." I stand up after finishing equipping everything on my body. I’m ready to make Pandora proud.
"I’m going to win no matter what, even if I have to give my life." I murmur with utmost seriousness, standing up and gripping [Jupiter] in the form of a staff with great force.