People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 497 Lady: The Rebels? A bunch of worthless scoundrels, what threat would they pose with the Evil Eye?
"--boom!"

The arrow pierced the air with a piercing buzzing sound.
The air seemed to freeze, and Kujo Sara, unable to dodge in time, could only use her wings to protect her sides.

"—Sizzle!"

A dazzling purple lightning bolt erupted from in front of the Tengu, drawing all eyes on the battlefield to this sudden attack.

？ ！！

"General Kujo! Where did this attack come from?!"

"."

"—Oh no! Ruin Guards! There are so many Ruin Guards behind the lines!"

The battle paused slightly.

The shogunate army, which had already established a foothold and was preparing for a gradual counterattack, was horrified to discover that their general had been accurately shot down from the sky by an attack that seemed to come from nowhere.

To make matters worse, several Ruin Guards and a Ruin Heavy Machine Gun that looked like an iron mountain suddenly appeared in the rear of the camp.

Numerous missiles and lasers capable of penetrating mountain rocks attacked from the rear of the formation. Several of the relic guards even began to spin their upper bodies at high speed, sweeping away large areas of the battlefield like meat grinders.

"Reinforcements? Is it Lord Coral Palace's surprise attack?"

"."

"That doesn't seem likely. Those traps appear to be attacking everyone indiscriminately. We'd better take this opportunity to withdraw as soon as possible."

Using his eyesight, which was far superior to that of ordinary people, Goro saw through the source of the chaos on the enemy's side. Even Goro couldn't figure out where these mechanisms and the obviously elite troops around them came from.

Hesitated for a moment between launching a full-scale attack and taking the opportunity to retreat.
Upon discovering that the mysterious "reinforcements" were also trying to avoid the area where the ruins' institutions were located, he finally gave the order to retreat:
"The enemy's losses have reached expectations, and a gap has appeared in the encirclement. On my orders, the entire army shall retreat."

"—Do not attack the reinforcements dressed in black robes; withdraw from the combat zone as quickly as possible."

Once the order was given, he immediately used his Geo-elemental Eye of the Gods to send out the previously announced retreat signal high in the sky.

Some wondered who could possibly shoot an arrow at the tengu named Kujo Sara, rendering him unable to stop their retreat.

Having not sensed any elemental fluctuations, Goro suppressed his doubts and turned to fully activate his Geo-attribute Eye, acting as the rearguard to buy time for the soldiers behind him to retreat.

"Your Highness, the aid mission is complete, and we should take this opportunity to withdraw."

"Archery is not my forte, and besides, I'm getting old. Shooting down that tengu with one arrow is about my limit."

On the flank of the battlefield, Harden, who was in charge of the combat department, looked at the 'princess' in front of him and sighed slightly, as if he was very dissatisfied with her performance just now.

Two days ago, they began transporting the ruins guards and heavy machinery, while also preparing personnel to disrupt the battle as much as possible.

With a very small number of troops, they caught the shogunate army off guard. In terms of results alone, this first appearance can be considered quite successful.

"Are you really not good at archery? This is at night, and at this distance."

I had previously heard of the legends of tengu in Inazuma, and knew that this race of yokai was known for their incredible speed.
But after witnessing firsthand how this elderly "swordsmanship instructor" beside him shot someone down from the sky with a single arrow,
For a moment, Ying even doubted what exactly was used as the basis for this 'lack of proficiency'.
"Ha, of course I'm really not good at it."

"If you ever have the chance to meet the students I taught, I think they would have no objection to this."

He smiled and explained what had just happened. Under the skeptical gaze of the blonde girl beside him, Harden waved his hand, indicating that everything he said was true.

"Your Highness, it's really time for you to leave."

"The power of the Ruin Guard and the Ruin Heavy Machine can last for a long time. If we don't want our own people to fight them, leaving now is the best option."

"The general from Haizhi Island just left a contact address for our personnel. According to Tanaka, it seems that our aid this time has exceeded our initial expectations."

Both being resistance groups, theoretically, the resistance on Haiqi Island and they were on the same side from the beginning.

However, with such a small number of people actively seeking cooperation, it is entirely foreseeable that they will be looked down upon or even regarded as vassals by others.

But the cult was never a weakling seeking survival under the Eye Hunt Order, nor were they righteous people who would die to remonstrate with the gods through resistance. Naturally, they did not intend to make their leader inferior to that living goddess priestess.

It's far better to have the other person come to you than to actively seek them out.

After this rescue, Harden became convinced that if the current leaders of Haiqi Island possessed even a fraction of the rumored wisdom, they would realize that they were not some insignificant force that couldn't survive without the island's protection.

"Phew, let's retreat and meet them at the rendezvous point."

"As fellow rebels, if we can take this opportunity to meet Coral Palace Heart Sea, our subsequent actions should be much simpler."

Nodding in agreement with Harden's suggestion, he then used his elemental power to signal a retreat in the air.

Initially, I only intended to join this living goddess priestess of Haiqi Island, at most becoming a marginal figure like a squad leader.
But for some reason, it inexplicably turned into what it is today, and even has the opportunity to cooperate on an equal footing as a leader of a power.
"."

I feel that all of this is so different from what I initially expected.

Ying, now the leader of the 'resistance army', sighed slightly, suddenly feeling a heavy pressure.

Meanwhile, on the western side of the battlefield, at the Coral Palace.

The dark clouds dispersed, and the bright moon shone in the sky.
Surrounded by countless floating "Transformed Sea Moons" that resembled glowing jellyfish, Coral Palace Heart Sea, who had previously agreed to this counterattack, was not as confident as she appeared.

"."

"Many of the warriors on Umijima Island were originally fishermen, and they were indeed more skilled in night fighting compared to the Shogunate army."
Furthermore, given that the opposing commander had only recently changed and military discipline had not yet been thoroughly enforced, a sudden surprise attack did indeed have a high probability of achieving significant results.

"But even if the overall situation is favorable to the resistance, there are still many possible variables that could lead the battle to an unfavorable situation of direct confrontation."
If that really happens, I just hope Goro remembers my previous warning.”

The night raid was triggered by the strong resentment of the soldiers on the front lines, and was a counterattack against the recent victories of the shogunate army. Not long ago, after the shogunate replaced its general, the situation of the two sides fighting back and forth between the rebel army and the shogunate army was completely broken because the personal abilities of the new general, Kujo Sara, were vastly different from those of the previous general.

With repeated defeats in battle, the morale of the soldiers on Haiqi Island plummeted, and a major victory was urgently needed to revitalize their spirits.

Therefore, even though there might be many variables in this night raid, she still approved it after making many contingency plans.

But for some reason, one of the most important backup plans suddenly terminated the previously agreed cooperation.

The negotiations to hire the Southern Cross fleet for the battle were almost complete, but then they suddenly refused at this crucial moment.

It can only be speculated that the news may have leaked to the Seven Stars, thwarting Captain Hokuto's original plan and causing them to abandon their involvement in the conflict between the rebel army and the shogunate army.
However, without this backup force, the plan's ability to withstand risks has undoubtedly decreased significantly.
"Phew, if only we had picked up that traveler earlier, it would have been too much of a stretch with only Goro by himself."

"So, who exactly stole her away? The speed was a bit too fast."

The "energy points" are already close to negative, and the recent battle reports have been a series of bad news.

Despite her efforts to hold on, Coral Palace felt that the resistance was in a precarious situation, a situation that could have been improved.
There was a shortage of personnel, a lack of supplies, no divine vision, and a general who had no means of countermeasures.

From the very beginning, I felt that this battle was impossible to win, but I was forced to fight back because of the shogunate army's increasingly aggressive actions and several bloody conflicts that broke out for unknown reasons.

Initially, they tried to resolve the issue peacefully through communication, but the compensation terms proposed by the officials of Tianling in public were practically enslavement for all the people of Haizhi Island.

It was clear that there were significant problems in the escalation of the conflict, as if someone was deliberately pushing things along, but now there was no turning back.
"."

What I hate most is this feeling of being able to see everything clearly, but being forced to walk further and further down a hopeless path.
Looking out towards the Fools' camp on the edge of Bayun Island, Coral Palace Heart Sea let out a long sigh, hoping that Goro would bring back good news upon his return.

Meanwhile, at a seaside cliff in the southwest of Ba Yun Island.

Inside the gloomy, sprawling factory, a young man dressed in rebel attire, holding documents, reports to the "manager" in fine clothes.

"My lady, an emergency has occurred. Another force besides the rebels has joined the battle, resulting in a major defeat for the Shogunate army, with most of their barracks destroyed."

"Following your order to 'keep the war at a stalemate,' I have determined that intervention is unnecessary as originally planned. Do you have any further instructions?"

Recalling everything he had just witnessed, the reporter's tone was tinged with disbelief.

It's hard to imagine where those elite troops, who looked like veterans of countless battles, came from out of thin air.
However, according to reports from an inside agent within the Shogunate army, the unidentified group of people were undoubtedly responsible for releasing those ruins and mechanisms that caused huge losses to the rear.

"A crushing defeat? How is that tengu doing?"

The figure wearing a black crown and veil turned around, mentioning the troublemaker who had almost broken the stalemate, the one from the Heavenly Territory Envoy, her tone icy.

"Kujou Sara was shot by an arrow from an unknown person. Although the arrow missed its mark, he was still seriously injured and will be unable to launch the next attack himself for a short time."

Lower your head and report in the fewest words possible.

Knowing the executive's temperament better than anyone, the brown-haired young man tried his best to only say what the other party cared about.

"Heh, an unknown person? There aren't many unknown people who can shoot down a tengu with a single arrow. Recently, there has been a powerful outsider whose whereabouts have gone missing."

"—What other information do you have about this group? Is it related to the traveler you were asked to track down earlier?"

It is certain that only a very small number of people in the general population possess this level of martial arts skill, and those who can hone such skills must not be unknown individuals.
Having identified a suspect, Rosalyn pressed for further questioning.

"Your Excellency is astute. According to our observers, a blurry blonde figure was indeed spotted on the battlefield. This person appears to hold a high position within this unknown group."

"Because observation is difficult and the white floating object has not been seen, it is currently unclear whether this is the wanted target you previously designated."

The reply was given as quickly as possible; it was clear that this was not the first time the young man who had infiltrated the resistance forces on Haiqi Island as an inside agent had reported information.

"Excuse me, should we continue with our original 'funding' plan? This team seems to be very strong, and their supplies are quite valuable."

As if struck by a thought, the reporter below hesitated before asking a question.

"—Continue, this is not the full strength of the Shogunate army. The gap between them is far more than just a little bit. It cannot be bridged by an outsider and a few scrapped machines that were brought in by chance."

"—Find a way to deliver our 'letter of aid' to Haiqi Island and this new power. The longer the war lasts, the more beneficial it will be to the Empress's great cause."
A small amount of Mora and supplies, negligible compared to the actual gains.

I don't think this newly emerged team will have much of an impact later on, nor do I think their numerical and equipment advantages can be completely erased by such a victory.

Rosalind shook her head, deciding to add the Fools' weight to the scales on the weaker side.

"—I remember your name is Nathan, right? Keep up your act."

"Once they've gotten used to receiving this aid, then guide those soldiers to accept the real 'gift'."

"Yes, madam."

"But my men are all rebels. What if they refuse this gift? Or what if these two groups obtain the Evil Eye and become a threat to us?"

Nathan hesitated, considering the combat strength of the unknown team mentioned in the observer's report.

"Ha, a rebel army? A threat?"

"Even among the so-called resistance, there are fools who are envious of the divine gaze. Prepare these 'evil eyes' to be spread, and let the power attract the weak who seek it."

"—As for threats? They're just a bunch of worthless scoundrels. What difference would it make if they got the Evil Eye?"

The evil eyes here are all inferior products extracted from crystallized bone marrow. Their power limits and usage costs are vastly different from those of the Executors.
The only advantage of "shoddy production" is the significant increase in production capacity, so that each "consumable" can get its own share.

They were not worried at all that the rebels' rotten apples posed any threat to the Fools.
Rosalind believed that the only purpose of them obtaining the Evil Eye was to allow these minor characters, whose names would not even be remembered, to have the opportunity to briefly become stepping stones for the Empress's grand ambitions through the power of the Evil Eye.

(End of this chapter)