The battlefield opened once more.
Raiden Ei's troops deployed one after another.
150 Behemoths.
140 Cyclops Kings.
210 Thunderbirds.
300 Ogre Kings.
700 Orc Warriors.
1,100 Wolf Raiders.
2,000 Hobgoblin Kings.
As the massive formation spread out, the battlefield was instantly filled with a chilling, murderous aura.
"Wow~~~ so many troops!"
"I'm jealous. I want to command an army like that too."
"Wait—why are there more Behemoths than Cyclops?"
Many looked on in envy, but some noticed something odd.
Raiden Ei had more Behemoths than Cyclops Kings—having more Tier-7 units than Tier-6 ones was absurd.
Hearing the murmurs, Valerius couldn't help but laugh.
There was nothing strange about it.
She'd robbed resources, obviously.
Cyclopes were Tier-6 units and extremely strong, but they had one fatal flaw—they required massive amounts of crystals, just like Behemoths. Worse, their building wasn't even on the main structure tree.
As a result, this supposedly powerful unit came out far too late.
Stronghold cities favored fast aggression, and whether Cyclopes existed or not barely mattered.
At one point, they were even mockingly dubbed "the unit that doesn't exist."
"Hmph. Not a bad formation—but…"
Seeing such a massive army, Herta wasn't alarmed at all.
On the contrary, she was delighted.
The larger the army, the happier she was.
As long as she dropped a Doomsday Judgment, the other side would be heartbroken.
Besides, Raiden Ei's units weren't fast.
Even if Cyclops Kings and Orcs could eventually kill the Phoenix, that would take time—and in that window, she could cast at least two spells.
She released her lone Phoenix and raised her hand once more.
"Doomsday Judgment!"
In the Honkai audience seats, countless people leaned forward in anticipation.
The earlier spell exchanges had looked flashy but achieved nothing.
Now, they wanted to see what a real Doomsday Judgment looked like.
Unfortunately—
Something awkward happened.
Herta held her hand up for a long time.
No fire meteors.
Not even a spark.
"Huh?"
"Doomsday Judgment! I'm casting Doomsday Judgment!"
She couldn't understand it.
Everything was fine—her mana was full.
"Heh. Naive."
Raiden Ei's smug voice rang out.
"Anti-Magic Cloak. In this battle, you can't use Tier-3 magic or higher."
"…What?"
Herta froze.
There was an artifact like that?
Now things were troublesome.
Her entire strength revolved around magic.
If she couldn't use high-tier spells, she was nothing more than a target.
"Oh right."
Raiden Ei added mockingly.
"You can still use Tier-1 and Tier-2 magic."
The teasing was obvious.
Wasn't she smug earlier?
Wasn't it all Doomsday Judgment this and that?
Where was that confidence now?
"What is Ei doing?!"
In the stands, Yae Miko was dumbfounded.
What was this idiot thinking?
Why explain it to the enemy?
Why not just attack already?!
Did she really think Tier-1 and Tier-2 spells had no damage at all?!
"Heh."
Seeing Raiden Ei's smug grin, Herta's lips twitched.
Then she raised her hand calmly.
"Chain Lightning."
BOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning struck a Behemoth squarely.
The Tier-7 monster collapsed on the spot.
"…What?!"
Raiden Ei was stunned.
She hadn't expected the spell to hit that hard.
A Tier-2 spell killing a Behemoth?!
"Quick! Cyclops Kings—kill that Phoenix!"
She didn't hesitate any longer and issued the order immediately.
At the command, the Cyclops Kings slammed their hands into the ground, ripped up massive boulders, and hurled them toward the Phoenix.
In an instant, the Phoenix's position was buried under colossal stones.
"Phew… that scared me."
Raiden Ei let out a sigh of relief.
Good thing she reacted fast.
If Herta cast another spell, she might lose yet another Behemoth.
An entire army ganging up on one Phoenix—and still losing two Behemoths?
Just thinking about it was humiliating.
But then—
Flames erupted again from beneath the rubble.
"It revived again! Keep attacking—don't stop!"
This time, Raiden Ei didn't dare take chances.
Eliminating Herta came first.
"Chain Lightning."
Herta didn't care whether Raiden Ei attacked or not.
As long as she had a chance, she would cast magic.
Another bolt descended.
Another Behemoth fell.
[Raiden Ei Wins]
The system announcement rang out—this time, the Phoenix was truly dead.
Back in the arena, Raiden Ei stared at Herta, her eye twitching.
She could swear she heard faint snickering around her.
"…My reputation is ruined."
She had been so smug earlier—and now she regretted it deeply.
If she'd just attacked immediately, none of this would have happened.
Now she'd ganged up on a single Phoenix and still lost two Behemoths.
Absolutely unbearable.
"Heh."
Herta's mocking voice drifted over.
"Remember this—my single Phoenix took down one Black Dragon and two Behemoths."
"I—"
As Herta walked away, Raiden Ei clenched her teeth in fury.
Once she got back, Yae Miko would definitely ridicule her for this.
And now Herta was piling on sarcasm too.
Heartless. Absolutely heartless.
Herta returned to the Honkai side.
"Fu Xuan. Your turn."
From Raiden Ei's troop numbers, Herta had already figured it out—just like Feixiao, the opponent was a pure offense build.
Feixiao had to be saved for the final battle.
Silver Wolf's Tower city relied heavily on magic, so she couldn't go either.
Bronya had high levels and good stats, but she still relied on magic—against Raiden Ei, she'd be at a disadvantage.
After careful thought, only Fu Xuan, with her defense specialty, was suitable.
Victory wasn't required.
She just needed to grind down the enemy's forces.
"Very well. Leave it to me."
Fu Xuan wasn't afraid of Raiden Ei at all.
Raiden Ei looked terrifying offensively, but Fu Xuan specialized in defense—and she commanded Stronghold units known for durability.
With both factors combined, her army was practically an iron wall.
Perfect for countering Raiden Ei's charge-heavy formation.
She strode confidently into the arena.
No unnecessary words.
The battle began immediately.
Before coming, Jing Yuan had already told her—this game was perfect for honing her battlefield command skills.
She felt the same way.
As long as she absorbed enough experience here, wouldn't it be only natural for her to… take over as general someday?
Jing Yuan hadn't explicitly said it—but he'd sounded very sincere at the time.
"Hehe… just watch."
Once I deal with Raiden Ei—
I'll go ask the general when he plans to step down and make room.
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