I Got Reincarnated Into a Game I Was a Top-Ranker in and I Became the Leader of a Villain Group That Will Destroy This Shitty Country - 96

Chapter 96: The Start of the War

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“Brien-sama, all preparations are complete. The enemy should pass this town soon.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

Brien nodded at one of the leaders of the Resistance. She gazed into the distance Kai’s words came to her mind. 

“Mind manipulation doesn’t actually erase the ego and self-awareness of the controlled person. But it replaces the consciousness of the controlled person with the caster. In other words, the Crown Prince is controlling the entire military forces on his own. But to be honest, the Crown Prince himself is not sane anymore.”

Brien remembered the words Kai had spoken when they gathered together.

“And on top of that, he used mind manipulation on hundreds, if not thousands, of people. His magic power must be pretty unstable now. I don’t think he’s capable of making rational decisions, but we mustn’t let our guard down. Let’s come up with two plans just to be safe.”

“Two?”

“Yeah. One if the Crown Prince somehow could come up with a logical strategy and the other if he completely lost his mind.”

Everyone shared their opinions for hours in that meeting room and they somehow managed to finalize their strategies for the upcoming war. One part of it involved Brien and over a hundred Resistance members to be positioned at their current location. They were positioned as close as possible to the Royal Castle. It wasn’t right in the center of Odell, but this area of the town was still pretty bustling with activities. After evacuating the residents, they laid in wait, bracing for the enemy to arrive. The enemy had to pass through here if they wanted to get to the center of Odell.

“It only takes two hours to get to the Royal Castle from the town center. Our forces are limited, so we’re going to suffer a lot of casualties if we confront them head-on. Let’s weaken them with guerrilla tactics first. We chip away at their strength and stamina gradually.”

No one said anything against Kai’s suggestion. Everyone agreed that charging in recklessly would be fatal and they had to conserve their limited resources as much as possible. 

“Do you guys understand? Our enemies aren’t just the Imperial Army. The Guide is with them too. He’s a monster, probably stronger than me and Nia. Don’t waste too much energy on fighting regular soldiers. We have bigger fish to catch.”

A monster stronger than Kai and Nia. 

Tension flickered across Brien’s face as she remembered her first meeting with the Guide. Doubt sprouted in her mind. She wasn’t sure they could win, especially against an otherworldly monster like that… But… No. She wasn’t alone. There were five of them. Kai, Nia, Chloe, Brien and Alywn. Not to mention, the support from Rielle and the members of Resistance.

“Brien-sama…!!”

“…Yeah. They’ve arrived. Everyone, get in position.”

“Yes!!”

Seeing the dust clouds rising in the distance, Brien’s lips curled into a grin.

“Now, time to start the war.”

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“Gahhh!?!”

A single arrow pierced the head of the soldier at the front. Blood sprayed into the air accompanied by his echoing death cry. And yet, the soldiers next to him remained unfazed. They didn’t even reach upon seeing the death of their comrade. They just continued marching forward without stopping even once. The soldier’s corpse was getting trampled by his comrade and kicked aside as if he was just an annoying rock in their path. 

Watching this scene unfolding from the rooftop, Brien bit down on her lower lip. 

“I really hate black magic… Very well!”

Clenching one hand, Brien gathered her magic power. In an instant, a magic arrow materialized above her palm. She grabbed the magic arrow and pulled the string of her bow and then…

“Wind Blast!!!”

A fierce gust, almost like a raging storm, tore through the air. The arrowhead was three times the size of a normal arrow. The magic arrow pierced through the enemy ranks, literally. The arrow tore through one soldier’s body, leaving a gaping hole in the chest of the soldier and yet, the yellow, glowing arrow showed no sign of slowing. The arrow continued flying in a straight line, demolishing everything in its path. Over ten soldiers died in a single attack. When the death soldiers collapsed to the ground, the commander of the enemy finally shouted. 

“Enemies!! Kill every last one of them!!!”

Goering shouted.

It was strange. The enemy didn’t do anything when the first soldier fell. The reaction of the commander was far too late. Maybe… Just like what Kai said, maybe the Crown Prince wasn’t sane? Maybe the Crown Prince couldn’t make a proper judgment? However, Brien didn’t have the luxury of time to dwell on it. The enemy came surging forward like a flood. 

“Magic unit, fire!! Unleash all your pent-up rage!!”

At their leader’s command, the enemy’s magic unit began chanting their powerful magic spells. Fireballs, lightning, came crashing down from the enemy’s rear unit. Magic spear came rushing at supersonic speed. The members of the Resistance fell victim to the powerful magic of the Imperial Army’s magic unit. 

“Gaaahhh!!!!”

“Guh!? Cough… Gahhh…!!”

Soon enough, her vision was filled with carnage and blood. Brien clenched her fist. She couldn’t afford to remain dazed here. She had to act quickly to mitigate the casualties on their side! 

“Gungnir.”

With a new resolve blossoming in her mind, Brien brought her hands together and separated them, forming a massive arrow of magic. The arrow was ten times the size of a normal arrow. She fixed it on her bow, aimed it skyward and released it. The arrow was so big that it momentarily blocked out the sunlight, and then… 

“Rain down!!”

The enormous arrow transformed into hundreds of smaller magic projectiles, raining down on the enemy like a hail. This was a skill that allowed her to reduce the number of enemies most efficiently. This skill didn’t require big magic energy and the effect was immediate. Soldiers caught in the deluge of arrows fell to the ground with blood pooling around them.

“Alright, this should buy us some time.”

Brienne thought, but…

“…!?”

Someone was coming in like a fury. No. It was a ghoul. A ghoul with his entire body in tatters. The ghoul sliced through the member of the Resistance at lightning speed, ignoring the magic attacks coming his way. The ghoul swung his sword, fueled by pure instinct and obsession. It didn’t take long before the Resistance’s front line was breached by the ghoul. 

“Wind Blast!!”

Already expecting the ghoul’s arrival, Brien cast her skill again, creating a strong gust of wind. However, the ghoul just continued making his way forward while killing the member of the Resistance. His speed didn’t falter even for a bit. When the arrow was about to reach the ghoul, the ghoul dodged.

“No way!? How did he dodge that…?!”

The literal arrow of wind was easily dodged by the ghoul. The ghoul jumped into the air and landed right in front of Brien. 

“Grrr…. Grrrr…!”

“…Haha.”

“Grrrrraaaaaahhhh!!”

“…You’ve completely lost your humanity,huh?”

Gone was the handsome man with the golden hair. The monster in front of her had glowing red eyes with decaying skins. Looking at the state of her ex-comrade, Brien smiled sorrowfully.

“Long time no see, Kaltz.”

The hero, once the protagonist of the world, could only let out a grotesque roar.

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