Capítulo 471: Siege on Yongtein (7)

"Lifespan aside, their foundation is also fragile. Advancing quickly can be more a curse than a blessing, as they haven't adjusted and consolidated to their newfound strength yet. Their battle effectiveness is far from a true Rank 2 Lord. We instructed them on Martial Energy theory, utilization, and techniques, but at the introductory level only. It's unsuitable for real combat. A true Rank 2 army wouldn't have these weaknesses." Towards the end, his voice grew heavy. It was precisely because the Luminous Central Origin's Rank 2 Lord armies were so strong that they could overcome the Featherwind Sect's defenses in that battle. Compared to them, the armies fielded by the Imperial Council were nothing more than a joke!

The sparrow, Elder Terus, chimed in. "There are four major factors in a Lord army's effectiveness. First and second is their foundation and technique as Elder Argo highlighted. Third is their armament. A Rank 2 Lord fully equipped with Noble Grade weapons and armors is leagues ahead of one without. It's almost two worlds apart! Furthermore, the army can use treasures, tools, or vessels that can influence the entire battlefield at once. Humans call it tactical or strategic-level magic." Meanwhile, the faces of Elder Crus and Ludin tightened. Remembering Commander Infernal Witch King's Underworld Rose gave them a sense of defeat. There was nothing they could have done to stop it!

"The fourth factor is formations. You could consider it coordination between individual soldiers to multiply their strength many times over. To fight as a single cohesive unit is the hallmark of a full-fledged Lord army. Human armies do this somewhat from what I can tell, but without any spells or techniques to augment those formations, this is just positional shuffling. It's a far cry from a truly flexible and dynamic formation group," Elder Argo concluded. "That's why the armies the Imperial Council are mere paper tigers. They won't withstand a single powerful, precise strike."

In the present, Ming exhaled and calmed her nerves because what Elder Argo said was right. Strategies and tactics in the human world evolved around the average soldier, a contest of quantity over quality. This meant there was no precedence for a Perception Realm army. The soldiers were not coordinating with each other, the groups were not coordinating with each other, and the entire army was struggling to come together as a whole. The leaders lacked the necessary experience to manage a full Perception Realm army and it showed. The Battle of Liguang came to mind for Xiuying. No matter how strong the Alzar Kingdom's Steel Eagle Brigade or the Li Family's Lotus Division were, they were still Fundamental Realms in the end. That was an entire realm difference to Perception Realms! Theoretically, it should be an unbridgeable gap to cross. That was how the Imperial Sentinels were. That was how the Royal Guards were. Of course, they did finally annihilate the allied forces, but they showed a surprising lack of lethality. Otherwise, how could Xiuying, Elizabeth, and her friends, last so long in that battle? Everything went to show that these Perception Realms were not as fearsome as originally believed!

"Cardinal Hui!" Ming suddenly shouted.

"Between the tortoise and the tiger, Your Highness!" he replied.

"Good! All soldiers, follow our lead if you want to live!"

During her brief conversation with the prime minister, Cardinal Hui had been evaluating the enemy positions throughout the pagoda and the small forest. He was famed for his superior eyesight, even amongst Perception Realm Masters, for good reason! Memorizing the locations of one hundred and twenty-five enemies, he determined the weakest point of their encirclement. The tortoise referred to the north and the tiger referred to the west, so between those was northwest! Imperian Qiang, the Imperial Princesses, Protector Chang, and Lady Mingyu instantly understood his message, having decided on a code beforehand. In one swift motion, all of them pivoted and bolted towards the northwest. Since capturing Prime Minister Pon-Wai was impossible now, what they needed to do was escape and regroup. This operation became a failure!

Cardinal Hui nocked three more arrows, inhaled sharply, and loosed them in quick succession while running at full speed. Bang! All three arrows met their mark simultaneously, shocking his opponents silly. His power, speed, accuracy, and skill were leagues above their own, even with their newly attained Perception Realm strength! The three opponents were caught off-guard and nearly died as a result! This was Cardinal Hui Wai-Wing, the leader of the Four Cardinals! He could perform feats others would think was impossible! Lady Mingyu did not fall behind either, as her aura and killing intent erupted like a volcano, slamming into everyone with unprecedented force! Everyone recoiled out of fear. Having not participated in the Battle of Liguang, none would have suspected that this strange-looking woman was the feared leader of the Four Dragons, another Perception Realm Master! She drew her sword and vanished from sight. A fraction of a second later, she appeared, having attacked four people instantaneously. Her speed was unfathomable even for Perception Realms! Everyone once again reaffirmed Cardinal Hui and Lady Mingyu's statuses as true titans, apex warriors standing at the peak of Perception Realm Master. They were monsters!

Next up were the Imperial Princesses and Protector Chang. Unlike normal princesses, Xiuying and Ming trained their strength to stand on the frontlines. If their Protectors fought and bled for them, then they felt they should do the same. It was with that mentality that Xiuying became a Half-Perception Realm, and Ming became a Fundamental Realm Master! This feeling was especially prominent for Ming since she was unconscious for the entire Battle of Liguang. Both she and her Protector wanted to redeem themselves here! Xiuying darted to the left while Ming darted to the right as saber and spear intersected in a beautiful symphony! This was one of their new joint techniques! Boom! A Perception Realm was pushed back by their combined power, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike. It was incredible to think that two non-Perception Realms could pressure a Perception Realm like this! Protector Chang followed them from behind and using his straight sword, he delivered a single precise strike on their opponent. The poor soldier was overwhelmed by the three attacks and finally succumbed.

Protector Chang immediately grimaced, dug his shoes in the dirt, and launched himself at immense speeds to catch up to the two princesses. With his senses fully released, he unleashed a dazzling storm of sword light in every direction. Ten distinct clangs were heard as arrows fell to the ground. Xiuying and Ming were dazed. Perception Realm archers were on another level, capable of detecting the tiniest opening in their defenses to exploit with brutal efficiency. Had those arrows hit their mark, they would have been immobilized, if not incapacitated! However, Protector Chang was able to catch up and intercept those arrows with ease. One had to admit that he was not Princess Ming's Protector for show! Likewise, Cardinal Hui lowered his bow, having knocked down another dozen arrows from the sky with his own. Lady Mingyu pivoted back and defended Imperian Qiang too. There were zero gaps in their defense!

It was fortunate that their enemies avoided using Martial Energy against them. A flying strike infused with Martial Energy packed enough penetrative power to blast through any defense the three Protectors could muster, but it also had enough lethality to instantly kill the Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang with the smallest miscalculation. It was ill-suited for capturing their targets alive and since they lacked other techniques in their arsenal, they fell on conventional weaponry instead. This problem could be attributed to the Featherwind Sect. Elder Argo had instructed the Imperial Council on basic, rudimentary techniques designed to train one's familiarity on Martial Energy. They were not intended for practical use on a battlefield. That inflexibility became their downfall. The Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang knew this too, so they took advantage of that fact. They could act more boldly than before!

The kingdom's remaining soldiers did not hesitate in listening to Ming and pushed for the opening they were creating. They were not about to throw away the lifeline they were given! Their side attacked with devastating momentum, shocking their opposition. Their enemies never could have imagined that they would still be willing to fight, despite being shown the overwhelming odds. However, they were quick to respond too. Towards these normal soldiers, the Perception Realms showed no restraint. They unleashed a massive storm of flying strikes from every direction and effortlessly massacred the kingdom's soldiers. It was a one-sided bloodbath! The prime minister initially felt nervous, seeing the princesses' powerful counterattack, but soon settled down. As the encirclement closed in, the chances of a surprise approached zero. The outcome seemed certain!