Chapter 1099: Bluff
Translator: alyschu
Swhoosh!
Warscar’s twitching face turned completely red, and it wasn’t because he was blushing in embarrassment. The guy had activated Berserk and awakened the War God bloodline in his veins. Hickey’s last taunt had broken his reason completely, and he was going to teach her a lesson even if he was the one who was probably going to be taught a lesson in the end.
"Ooh, wanna fight? Come on then! I have some free time to spare right now!" Hickey fully unsheathed a weapon with a giggle.
"Stop!"
I turned around to push down Warscar, but his current Strength was beyond what I could handle with just one arm. So, I immobilized him with God Binding Art instead. The guy was seriously too impulsive.
……
I looked at Hickey again and said, "I am not asking for an alliance, Hickey. To clarify, I want you and Sacred Oath’s elite players to join Godkiller, and for Sacred Oath to become a subsidiary guild of Godkiller. Together, we will form a greater guild than what we would’ve been otherwise."
Hickey immediately lost her cool. "I admit that I’m no match for you, but don’t you think you’re asking too much? Why should Sacred Oath be merged into Godkiller? Nope, no way! We won’t even accept an alliance, and you want us to merge into a third-rate guild like Godkiller? Dream on!"
I smiled confidently. "Oh? You think that Godkiller is a third-rate guild because they supposedly can’t even beat one of Breeze and Rain’s scout party, is that it?"
"Yeah, so?!" Hickey uttered through gritted teeth.
I nodded. "Very well. What will you do if I prove their strength to you?"
"Fine!"
Hickey said in a fit of anger, "There is a 5000-man-strong Beast King Cavalry troop three kilometers to the south of Bonecrush Forest. They pass through that area once per hour and kill all unaffiliated players who try to grind in Bonecrush Forest. If you really want me to join Godkiller, then prove to me that an equal number of vikings can beat this cavalry troop!"
I nodded. "Understood. We’ll get to work right away!"
"Hmph! You’re not allowed to participate in the battle!"
"Of course!"
……
After Warscar had calmed down, he suddenly bumped my shoulder before whispering, "Guild leader, are you serious about this? One Beast King Cavalryman is strong enough to solo 3 of us vikings. How can we possibly beat them in a 5000 versus 5000? The gap is just too huge…"
The corner of my lips curled upward. "Don’t worry. We’ll definitely win!"
After reassuring Warscar, I turned back to Hickey and said, "I’ll select 5000 Viking Cavalrymen and move out right now. You can come with me to watch the show. Oh right, you can leave your people here to grind. The Beast King Cavalry may be a legend in the epic of Cyan Earth City, but not in my epic! I’ll show you that Godkiller has the power to beat them!"
"Very well. I’ll come with you."
Hickey was definitely a competitive girl. "You said it. If the vikings can defeat 5000 Beast King Cavalrymen without your aid, then I will join your Godkiller as promised. Otherwise, hmph hmph…"
I smiled. "Otherwise?"
"You will join Sacred Oath instead!" Hickey finally revealed her plan. "I’m not a greedy girl. I’ll be satisfied with just you joining us, not that I want a dumb oaf like Warscar in my guild!"
Warscar immediately panicked. "Guild leader, you cannot agree to this condition!"
"It’s fine, I know what I’m doing!"
I looked at him and ordered, "Assemble the Top 5000 players in the level and equipment rankings and come with me to Bonecrush Forest. Hmph, it is time we prove to the world that the Berserk talent is the best talent in the world…"
My words seemed to fill Warscar with courage because he said, "Very well, guild leader. We vikings have never feared charging into the greatest battlefields and fighting the greatest opponents, but I would be lying through my teeth if I said that we’ve never lost. However, if beating the Beast King Cavalry is the only way to keep you in the guild, then we will crush them no matter the odds!"
I chuckled. "Well said!"
Hickey taunted from the side, "Hmph hmph, delusional fools…"
Unfortunately, it looked like there was no changing Hickey’s disdain for Warscar and the players of Viking Islands in a short time. That being said, Hickey was a war goddess worth taking a gamble for. If I could truly make Hickey my own, I was pretty sure that my war in Iron Skull Wilderness would be smooth-sailing all the way.
Ten minutes later, a total of 5000 Viking Cavalrymen assembled in front of me. They were all riding Zephyr Ironbone Warhorses, and they had all upgraded one to three of their equips. Theoretically speaking, they should have enough power to go head-on against the Beast King Cavalry now. Realistically though, it was hardly a sure thing. The Beast King Warhorse was a high-level mount itself, and while it was inferior to the Zephyr Ironbone Warhorse, the gap wasn’t insurmountable.
With that done, I climbed onto my dragon’s back and declared, "Alright. Let’s go!"
"Mn!"
The Zephyr Ironbone Warhorses neighed loudly before galloping after me out of Zephyr Valley. Something unexpected happened though. As it turned out, Hickey’s mount wasn’t as fast as the Zephyr Ironbone Warhorse. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t keep up with the Viking Cavalry. I would’ve laughed at her bright red face if I wasn’t worried that it would negate our deal.
So I turned back and stopped just above Hickey. Then, I threw her a Sealing Crystal with the Zephyr Ironbone Warhorse in it before saying, "Take this. This mount’s both stronger and faster than the one you’re riding…"
Hickey was surprised that I would give her a mount for free. "Huh…"
She was even more surprised when she saw the exact stats of the mount. "Lu Chen, this mount is amazing! Are you seriously going to give it to me for free?"
I nodded. "Sure! You’re going to become mine very soon, so why wouldn’t I give you a good mount? Wahahaha…"
Hickey turned even redder. "Watch your wording, ladies’ man! Hmph! Say all you want, there’s no way I’m going to believe that those dumb bulls will be able to beat an equal number of Beast King Cavalrymen! Never!"
I curled my lips. "Sure, believe whatever you want. It won’t change the fact that you’re joining Godkiller today."
"Hmph! We’ll see about that!"
……
Although Hickey was reluctant to admit defeat, she ultimately chose to bind the Zephyr Ironbone Warhorse and ride it. She immediately began moving faster than Warscar and the Viking Cavalry. It was because her boots were Heaven-grade and added a lot of movement speed.
The sound of thundering hooves shattered the forest’s silence. When we got close to Bonecrush Forest, I immediately ordered the Viking Cavalry to slow to a trot.
Hickey pointed in a certain direction and said, "There. The Beast King Cavalry always passes through that area once per hour…"
I nodded. "Wait here for me."
"Okay."
After the Ancient Divine Dragon took to the sky, I activated Dark Pupils to reveal the Beast King Cavalry’s patrol path. It surrounded the entire Bonecrush Forest. I was able to spot a narrow route to the southeast of the forest very quickly. It was surrounded by two hundred-meter tall mountains, and the Beast King Cavalry had to go through it if they were to continue their patrol, making it an excellent spot to ambush the enemies. The Viking Cavalry hadn’t yet fully upgraded their equipment, so they absolutely needed the surprise advantage to increase their chances of winning.
……
After I returned to the ground, I said, "I’ve found a good ambush spot. Follow me."
Hickey said expressionlessly, "An ambush isn’t exactly fair, is it…"
I stared at her. "Seriously? Should I message the Beast King Cavalry and challenge them to a righteous 5000 versus 5000 duel then?"
"Fine, whatever, let’s go…"
"Now you’re talking…"
"…"
In five minutes, we arrived at our destination, and just in time too. I could already hear the five thousand Beast King Cavalrymen riding toward this location. Whatever I might say to disparage the Beast King Cavalry, the fact was they were Cyan Beast’s aces. I would be a fool to underestimate them for real.
"Here they come!"
Warscar laughed excitedly. "Prepare for battle, brothers and sisters!"
The Viking Cavalry immediately unsheathed their weapons and began to take action!
I immediately shouted them down, "Cool your horses, people! It’s not the time to engage the enemy yet! Keep your heads down and let the enemy cavalry pass through this area!"
"But why?" Warscar looked at me in confusion.
I simply said, "Just trust me. Remember, you promised me that you will follow my orders unconditionally!"
"Very well, guild leader. We’ll do as you say!" Warscar nodded.
Hickey was lying in the bush next to me, and a look of disbelief was etched on her features. She couldn’t seem to believe that the normally unruly and barbaric Warscar would obey my orders like a meek lamb.
……
As planned, the Beast King Cavalry rode through the area unharmed. They gradually vanished from our sight.
It was only then I rose to my feet and pointed to the opposite side of the canyon, "Warscar, take 2000 men with you and hide on the opposite side. Wait until I give you the order to attack."
"Yes, guild leader!"
I then said to the other corp commanders, "War Dead, take another 2000 men with you and guard this area until I give you the order to attack. War Axe, take the last 1000 men with you and lie in hiding until the 5000 Beast King Cavalrymen appear. The moment they pass through your location, block their way and hit them with everything you got. We’re going to catch them in a triple flanking maneuver and crush them while they’re panicking."
Warscar raised a good question, "A triple flanking maneuver is great and everything, but won’t they just escape through the front?"
I smiled. "Don’t worry, I’ll handle that part. Anyway, you should all go to your hiding spots now. The Beast King Cavalry will be returning in an hour, so I want all of you to be prepared by then!"
"Yessir!"
……
All 5000 Viking Cavalrymen moved into position in no time. Speaking of which, Warscar was a Famous General with Knight General, so he could share his buff with exactly 2000 players. The other two corps commanders weren’t, but they did have Encourage VII, which was enough for the purpose of this battle.
After all the arrangements were complete, I lay down on my back and waited patiently for the Beast King Cavalry to arrive. Hickey sat against a tree trunk not far away from me while asking, "How are you so confident in these bulls’ abilities?"
I shot her a smile. "Why not? The tactics are ready, and the warriors have a clear goal in mind. The viking warriors have always been a powerful bunch, the only thing they were lacking until now was a wise tactician…"
Hickey smiled and fell silent after that.
……
An hour later, the canyon trembled to the Beast King Cavalry’s hooves once more.
The Zephyr Cavalry were lying in wait behind the bushes of the mountains. They were all using Pine Tree Cards to conceal themselves. This part was the riskiest part of the battle, to be honest. If even one of the Beast King Cavalrymen had something like Dark Pupils, they would definitely see through this ambush.
"It’s time…"
I grabbed my sword and climbed up my dragon again. "Stay here and enjoy the show, girl!"
Hickey looked at me in confusion. "I thought you’re not participating in the battle?"
"I’m not, but I am going to bluff the enemy. Nowhere in our deal was it stated that I can’t do that, right?"
Hickey: "…"
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