"Vice President Sun, have you considered that on a battlefield with such an overwhelming disparity in forces, even setting aside the Tower of Logic's combat power, the Grand Tribunal could still steamroll the War Legion through sheer attrition...
And yet they still lost.
So if you were in their position, how would you manage to lose a battle you should have won?
I'm not asking about the deeper reasons. Just the war itself."
Sun Miao had, of course, given this thought. Underdogs could win, but not when the gap was this enormous.
He didn't know the specific details of this battle, but reverse-engineering from its result, the Kingdom of [War] had drenched the founding of their nation in the blood of countless Grand Tribunal knights and Tower of Logic scholars. They must have punched through the entire battle line.
Given the current troop disparity, that seed like a fairy tale.
So the answer was obvious: either internal strife had erupted between the two encircling nations, causing them to attack each other until both were spent, or the allied front's own offensive backfired and handed the War Legion an opening.
Factoring in Keinlaur's "you must break before you can rebuild" philosophy, the Supre Inquisitor had probably intended to use a savage cut to excise the Grand Tribunal's deep-rooted maladies. Which ant the latter scenario was far more likely than the forr...
"You're saying..." Sun Miao's tone turned subtle. "Keinlaur didn't just allow the Grand Tribunal to fail. He actually helped push it over the edge?"
"Exactly. Think that makes for compelling history?"
"If it's true, it's certainly compelling enough. But for now, this is all our own speculation. It can't be taken as fact."
"Then let's make it fact." Cheng Shi flashed a broad grin.
"?"
"You yourself said that history is painted by people. And if any person can pick up the brush, why can't that person be us?
Besides, we're not altering history's course. We're just accelerating its pace a little, sa as Xiao Qi.
Since those poor [Order] knights are destined to die at the hands of 'new order' anyway, why can't we be good Samaritans and beat Keinlaur to it? We'd be lightening the old man's guilt, really.
This way, history's trajectory stays intact, and my plan gets to proceed."
"..."
Sun Miao was no fool. He could tell this was the "standard" problem-solving approach of [Deceit] believers. What concerned him was controlling the degree of intervention.
If Cheng Shi's plan interfered too heavily with the battlefield, the historical truth they sought would be permanently buried under the ashes of war, never to see daylight again.
He frowned: "What's your play?"
Cheng Shi looked at the container in his hands and laughed out loud.
"I once fled in terror under the teor fire rain. Now that my fear's been stripped away, I rather fancy a nostalgic revisit. Ti to see one of the Land of Hope's most terrifying forbidden arts up close."
"?" Sun Miao's pupils shrank. "You want to impersonate Keinlaur, issue a military order, and bring the teor fire rain down on the Grand Tribunal's own formation?"
"Not impersonate. Restore the historical truth.
Painted-over history is still history. As long as no one else knows, the story that cos out of your mouth becos the true historical record.
You'll be the sole witness, Vice President Sun.
Besides, you said it yourself: this is exactly what Keinlaur intended. So we're not painting over anything. At most, we're... tracing the lines ahead of ti."
"Justification? The Elental Judges would hardly follow such an absurd order without question."
"Isn't the justification obvious?" Cheng Shi spread his hands. "A traitor has been discovered in the rear ranks, conspiring with the War Legion to attack from within. To ensure absolutely security behind the front line, a preemptive teor fire rain sweep of the area is perfectly reasonable, no?"
At this point, Sun Miao's focus had already shifted from the battle to the bait in Cheng Shi's hand.
This near-"suicidal" operation obviously wasn't about restoring so proclaid historical truth. The real purpose was to fling the bait and lure the Beast Tar in.
That was why the Fate Weaver kept stressing plausibility. Only if the motive was reasonable could the act fool Du Qiyu. Indeed, one purpose of impersonating Keinlaur was to deceive Xiao Qi, who currently controlled the command tent. It would make him believe the real Keinlaur had appeared and was reasserting command of the battlefield.
In response, to protect his war-acceleration sche, Xiao Qi would redirect his firepower to deal with the "real Keinlaur." And Cheng Shi had already prepared the justification for him: rebels within the battle line.
For Xiao Qi, those "rebels" weren't the rear troops that "Keinlaur" had designated. The rebel was... "Keinlaur" himself!
It was obviously a dirty trick by the War Legion: impersonating the supre commander. So to maintain unified command and army morale, the imposter had to be purged imdiately.
And so, a second teor fire rain would likely crash down right on the spot where "Keinlaur" appeared. After being caught in the blast, a certain player pulling out a critical item or two to survive would seem entirely natural.
The thought that this Fate Weaver had engineered so many layers of manipulation just to make the Fear Heartwood's appearance feel organic filled Sun Miao with... satisfaction on behalf of the Beast Tar about to walk into the trap.
After all, Du Qiyu's na was in Vice President Sun's little book, too.
He wanted Xiao Qi dead even more than Cheng Shi did.
After reviewing the plan thoroughly and finding no issues, Sun Miao nodded:
"Sooner is better than later. Let's move quickly. The longer we wait, the more I worry the real Keinlaur will appear and introduce new variables.
Don't forget, his goal isn't the Grand Tribunal's total annihilation. He's saving this nation. He's just using rather extre dicine."
Cheng Shi agreed wholeheartedly. He quietly slipped toward the nearest Elental Judge formation within the battle line, found an inconspicuous corner, and disguised himself as Keinlaur, preparing to add so real fire to this war.
But just as he'd completed every preparation and was about to reveal himself and issue the order, a familiar figure beat him to it, delivering an unquestionable military command to the vast Elental Judge echelon.
"Elental Judges, hear my order! Begin teor fire rain incantation. Target: the central army's direction. Indiscriminate bombardnt!"
"!!!"
"Milord Keinlaur, why are you delivering the order in person..."
"Milord, that's your own personal guard!"
"Milord, what's happened!?"
The Elental Judges were stunned. It wasn't that they refused to obey, but the order was so unthinkable that anyone would find it suspicious.
But soon enough, Keinlaur — yes, the real Keinlaur — produced the command token that proved his identity and spoke with an anguished expression:
"So among us have already forsaken their devotion, turned away from our Lord's gaze, and betrayed His trust.
Judges, the ti has co to purge these worms corroding [Order]. We must show the entire continent the fury of [Order]. His majesty shall never be profaned.
All for a new order!
FIRE!"
"The flas of civilization rise! Order endures!"
Now, having received their "just cause," the Elental Judges raised their hands in unison and began chanting the forbidden art, summoning the imprisoned Wrath of Abomination.
Watching this unfold, Cheng Shi silently shifted into the guise of an Elental Judge and blended into the formation without a word.
'Hold on...'
'I thought bombarding the rear was already crossing a line. Keinlaur, you're blasting your own personal guard?!'
'Huh?'
'You're actually going through with it?'
'If Master of Deception hadn't told
you slipped in one lie, I'd almost think Xiao Qi had beaten
to the sa idea.'
'Cutting away rotten flesh is indeed a treatnt. But the flesh you're cutting can't be critical to the patient's survival. You just lopped off the head. Can the patient...'
'...even survive?'
...
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