Chapter 681: The Final Plan II
Alvey nodded slowly, snapping his fingers and generating some map projections with light magic as he spoke.
"Whatever the reason, it gives us a significant advantage. Arthur, if the barriers can’t detect you, you could slip through unnoticed and do what no one else can."
Arthur already expected him to say this so he just leaned forward and asked.
"Sounds like I’m your guy. What exactly am I blowing up?"
In response, Alvey pinpointed multiple locations on the 3D map he had projected.
"Your task would be to create enough chaos to pull their forces away from the front lines."
Hit supply depots, administrative centres, barracks—whatever you can. We’ll also need you to deploy your anti-divinity missiles. They’ll be devastating against Divines."
Arthur spun around on his chair, tapping his fingers against the table as he processed the plan.
"So, you want me to be the ultimate saboteur, cause some fireworks, and toss in some missiles for good measure?"
"Exactly."
Sylvan replied and Arthur responded with a shrug.
"Okay, sounds cool."
His quick agreement was met with Alvey gesturing to a nearby aide.
"Send scouts to the frontlines. Mimic Demons. I want confirmation—any sign of unusual movements from the Aramisians. We need to be sure they didn’t catch wind of Arthur’s presence."
As the aide hurried off, the discussion in the hall turned to more pressing matters. The Generals leaned over the battle map, debating the finer points of the operation.
"We need to pick the target carefully. The opening strike has to cripple something vital—logistics, communications, or their ability to retaliate. Without that, it’s just a flashy distraction."
Alvey spoke with a sharp tone as he selected a few points on the map and McEnda, who had been nodding in agreement, suddenly paused and shook his head.
"I agree. But it can’t just be logistics. We need something that hurts them strategically and psychologically. Something that will force them to shift their priorities."
Sylvan’s fingers drummed against the edge of the table as he added.
"There’s the central command depot in Tharisc. That’s where they’re coordinating most of their frontline defences. If we take that out, their entire strategy collapses."
Barron frowned at Sylvan’s suggestion, shaking his head.
"Too heavily fortified. Even if Arthur can slip through the barrier, he can’t tackle the entire depot alone. Not unless he has support."
Turning to Arthur, Barron asked.
"Arthur, how far along are you in your Summoning Law comprehension?"
"Huh? Still at 13%. Didn’t exactly have the luxury to work on it during the whole Infernal Dimension saga."
Barron rubbed his chin, his frown deepening as he mulled over Arthur’s answer. A moment passed before he nodded to himself, his contemplative expression giving way to resolution.
"Thirteen percent isn’t ideal, but it’ll do. I can lend you some of my contracted summons.
With my Pseudo-Authority, you’ll be able to summon them directly beyond the barriers—same as you did during the Triton’s Ark operation. They’ll cause enough chaos to draw attention while you dismantle the depot from within."
His suggestion was sound and was met with various nods of agreement.
Those who had participated in the Triton’s Ark attack remembered vividly how Arthur had summoned Barron’s Seven-Headed Hydra, even if only for a short time. Arthur was stronger now—surely, he could sustain the summons for longer.
One general leaned forward, suggesting with cautious optimism.
"If we coordinate it right, Arthur could even summon portions of our armies directly behind enemy lines. That would amplify the chaos exponentially, forcing them to redirect their defences."
The idea sparked murmurs of intrigue, but the optimism didn’t last. McEnda’s sharp tone cut through the room like a blade.
"No. Tharisc is too dangerous. The depot is crawling with Transcendents, some of them at Superior Stage. Sending Arthur there alone is asking for disaster."
Alvey nodded in agreement, his expression grim.
"Exactly. We can’t risk a valuable card before the real battle even begins.
The room fell into a tense silence. It was a fair point, but finding such a target was no small task. The Aramisians weren’t fools; every key point in their strategy was fortified to some degree.
Alvey broke the silence, his finger tracing a path across the map before tapping on a few locations.
"Let’s consider alternatives. Tharisc is high-risk, but we have other options: Vorenstadt, the supply nexus in Aelthar, or their secondary logistics hub in Garisen. And then there’s Sloklens’ Starlight Fortress too."
Arthur, meanwhile, seemed utterly unfazed by the gravity of the conversation despite being the one whom they were concerned about.
He blinked a few times, his expression one of mild confusion before breaking the silence.
"Uh, guys? It honestly doesn’t matter where I go. As long as they don’t have anyone on your level, I’ll be done in a jiffy."
"..."
The room fell quiet, the audacity of his statement hanging in the air.
Several Generals exchanged uncertain glances, trying to decide whether he was being arrogant, naive, or just brutally honest. Alvey’s brow furrowed, and for a moment, even he was at a loss for words.
He exchanged glances with McEnda, Barron, and Sylvan before finally asking.
"Exactly what do you mean by that?"
Arthur was about to respond when the realisation dawned on him.
"Oh, right. My concealment ring is still on."
The boy cut off the cosmic energy flow into the small silver band on his finger and the moment it deactivated, the hall was engulfed in a tidal wave of power.
Arthur’s repressed aura flooded the space, the sheer force of it causing cracks to spiderweb across the concealment formation that hid their presence.
"Ah, fuck! I didn’t tune it down. Should’ve done that first."
Arthur muttered, quickly pulling his aura back, allowing the formation to stabilize. However, the damage had been done.
The Generals were all frozen, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"Wait... what?"
Sylvan finally managed, his voice barely above a whisper and Arthur leaned back, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Didn’t I tell you? I had a wild time in the Infernal Dimension."
McEnda’s hand slammed onto the table.
"A wild time doesn’t equate to this!"
The shock lingered in the hall, especially among Alvey, McEnda, Barron, and Sylvan. They could feel it—Arthur’s aura wasn’t just strong; it was on par with their own!
’Just what the hell happened in the Infernal Dimension!?’
Such was the collective thought of all those present. For McEnda, he narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing.
’He has a type advantage as well.’
Divinity. As far as Arthur wielded that energy, against most of them, a direct fight would tilt in his favour. Even if he didn’t outright win, his opponent wouldn’t walk away unscathed.
Or rather, the only two individuals Arthur couldn’t outright defeat were Alvey and McEnda.
At his current strength, Arthur could take on Sylvan or Barron and emerge victorious—though there was a caveat. If Barron summoned his infamous seven-headed hydra, things would get significantly more complicated.
Barron was not the kind of summoner who stood back and let his summons do all the work, the man was a close combat mage as well.
In a fight against him, Arthur needed something to hold the Hydra off, and the only thing he had ever summoned that was strong enough was the Beast of the END which he had summoned during his time in the Infernal Dimension.
However, that particular entity posed its own set of problems. He didn’t have a contract with it, meaning he couldn’t summon it freely, and worse, it resided in an entirely different dimensional plane.
The silence that hung in the air was finally broken as Alvey and McEnda snapped out of their shock.
While they quickly regained their composure, the other Generals were still visibly stunned. The boy before them—merely 17 years old—had not only ascended to the realm of Transcendence but was a Superior Stage stronger than them!
Alvey was the first to break the stunned silence, his eyes narrowing as he assessed Arthur anew. McEnda followed shortly after, his lips curling into a wry smile as the shock faded into grudging admiration.
"You know what? Let’s revise the plan. Arthur, the role you’re going to play is going to be a lot bigger."
Hearing Alvey’s words, Arthur internally applauded the man’s ability to regain composure as he responded.
"Well, as long as it’s fun, no problem. But I do have some conditions, Alvey."
"Conditions?"
Alvey asked with a raised brow and Arthur nodded.
"For starters, the moment I’m done with my part, I’m going to ignore everything else happening on the battlefield and head straight for Duskhand. I want a rematch with that bastard."
Sylvan and Barron, still processing the fact that this 17-year-old was now a Superior Transcendent, exchanged incredulous looks.
McEnda folded his arms but said nothing, waiting for Arthur to continue.
"When I’m done with Duskhand, I’m sitting out the rest of the battle. Completely. I’ve got somewhere else I need to be after this war ends, and where I’m going, I’ll need to recover my energy."
Alvey gave him a long, measuring look before nodding slowly.
"Fair enough. Duskhand’s been a thorn in our side for a long time, and if you can deal with him, I won’t argue."
Yet, behind his composed demeanour, Alvey wrestled with conflicting instincts. No one in this hall desired to use Arthur’s newfound power more than he did.
But it was precisely because of that power that Alvey had to rein in that desire. Especially with how unpredictable this teenager was.
Seeing Alvey not objecting, Arthur leaned back on his seat and asked the major question he had almost forgotten.
"When exactly do you guys plan to launch this attack?"
Responding without hesitation was McEnda
"In seven days. The 30th of November."
Arthur’s eyes briefly lit up with surprise at how close, but he quickly masked it with a casual nod.
"Hmm, that’s cool. Let’s plan it out."
Once again, the hall buzzed with activity as Arthur joined the strategizing session.
◇ ◇ ◇
Some days later, Arthur was in the middle of inspecting some of the Anti-Divinity missiles he had stocked up when his communication device received a call.
He picked it up without looking at the ID, his focus half on the Anti-Divine missiles until Rachel’s familiar voice came through.
[Arthur, can we meet soon?]
A bit surprised to see it was her, Arthur glanced at the device in his hands before putting it back to his ear and asking.
"What’s up?"
[There’s something I want to ask in person.]
Her tone held a bit of hesitation in it, but Arthur didn’t have any reactions. He’d find out exactly what was up when he met her in person.
"Alright. Where and when?"
[Sloklens. Can you come on the 30th? I’d be free on that day.]
That was where Rachel lived, as well as the location of the Starlight Fortress she was posted to.
Arthur’s hand froze when he heard the date and time, his hand hovering over the missile he was about to pick up.
Sloklens had been marked on Alvey’s war maps as one of the key targets for the Demon’s Final War plan.
And the date? November 30th, the same day the demons planned to end the war.
A wry smirk tugged at his lips as he glanced at the rows of missiles before him.
"Guess it’s going to be a busy day."
He muttered under his breath and before Rachel could ask what he meant by that, he spoke in a louder voice.
"Sure, Rachel. I’ll be there."
As the call ended, Arthur looked towards the sky and heaved a short sigh.
