The tieflings harbored a deep-seated hatred for all Ryanites. The exile of the Unholy Hymn was entirely the fault of these aggressive humans, a grudge no different from the destruction of their nation.
The moment the brothers Alan and Cade showed their faces, a massive iron hammer came crashing down toward their heads.
Alan reacted quickly enough, dodging aside on instinct and using the power of his legendary boon to blink onto a cluster of coral.
His older brother Cade, however, was not quite so fast. The hammer slammed him straight to the seabed, leaving his head buzzing and ringing.
Fortunately, this was a dreamscape; otherwise, that single hammer blow would have smashed his skull open.
The two tieflings moved to press their attack, but Alan recovered in time. Flashing forward, he pressed his longsword against one tiefling's throat. Meanwhile, the last member of their group, a tall, imposing paladin, intervened instantly, kicking the other ambushing tiefling away.
The kick was so powerful that it slammed the tiefling directly into the seabed, embedding him there.
Anbaixiu was an absolute novice when it came to large-scale military operations, but as an adventurer with centuries of experience, he could tell from that kick alone that this paladin was exceptionally skilled—at least a high-ranking paladin capable of entering the Ryan Imperial Capital to receive an official investiture.
Seeing that the two sides were about to clash further, Anbaixiu snapped his fingers, and layers of transparent ice instantly separated them.
Hovering above everyone's heads, Anbaixiu called out loudly, "Each side has taken a hit now, so consider it even. Whoever lifts a hand again, I will expel them from the dreamscape."
Hearing this, the tieflings immediately sheathed their weapons and hurriedly backed away.
As for the three Ryanites, Alan helped his brother up from the seabed and offered no objection. Only the tall paladin glared at Anbaixiu, undisguised disgust gleaming in his eyes.
Anbaixiu rubbed his chin. What was James Watson playing at, sending over such a troublemaker? Was the old fox truly not afraid that Anbaixiu might instigate people to kill him, or even march against Ryan?
Noticing the hostile atmosphere, Alan quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "It has been a long time, Master Ultraman. You have already met my second brother, Cade. And this is my eldest brother, Ange—Ange Watson."
Anbaixiu asked in surprise, "Your eldest brother? Just how many brothers are there in your family?"
"Just the three of us brothers, plus two older sisters who are already married off," Alan explained.
"That old rascal is quite prolific," Anbaixiu marveled.
Apart from the royal family, Ryan practiced monogamy. That old rascal James Watson had fathered five children—something that surprised Anbaixiu, as the old schemer didn't strike him as the type who was enthusiastic about siring a large brood.
Anbaixiu looked toward Ange Watson. The paladin appeared to be under forty. Calculating James Watson's age, he was likely the eldest child. Although his attitude was chilly, Ange Watson didn't go so far as to make an outright provocation; he merely said in a detached voice, "I have long heard of your renown, Master Ultraman. I have heard my father and brothers mention your name—many times."
Being the eldest really did make him considerably more composed, unlike Alan, who had shouted about fighting and killing the first time they met.
Yet something seemed off. Hadn't rumor had it that their eldest brother had had a falling-out with Alan? Ever since Alan was branded a traitor, the eldest brother had broken ties with the family.
"I heard there was some bad blood between you brothers. How is it that all three of you have come together today?" Anbaixiu asked.
Alan hurriedly said, "Just a minor misunderstanding. What family doesn't bicker? Now Eldest Brother understands where I truly stand and has decided to support our endeavors. Master Ultraman, you might not know this, but my brother has won first place in Ryan's military exercises multiple times. It's only because he lacks sufficient seniority that he hasn't been granted the rank of general yet."
This statement gave Anbaixiu a newfound respect for the stern paladin. Ryan engaged in warfare frequently, and given the fervent militarism across the empire, claiming first place in military exercises several times proved he had genuine ability.
Still, it was obvious that Alan's faction was starved of talent. For such an important military exercise, all three brothers had to show up in person, meaning he probably had very few capable commanders at his disposal.
Since it was family business, Anbaixiu didn't pry any further and simply told everyone to wait patiently.
Although the tieflings still bore grudges and kept glaring toward the three brothers, waiting for an opening to strike, with Anbaixiu keeping them in check, they had no choice but to hold back.
Fortunately, they did not have to wait long before the remaining personnel from the elves and merfolk arrived.
The Elven King Aldarian arrived accompanied by two elves, a male and a female, while the merfolk High Priestess arrived flanked by two subordinates clad in coral armor.
Without wasting time, Anbaixiu gave a brief introduction to the gathered assembly: "The reason I invited everyone into the Synesthesia Dreamscape today is simple. The operational battle plans you drew up are far too ill-suited to conditions in the ocean. I understand that you are all experts at fighting on land, so it is only natural that you know nothing of naval warfare.
"Therefore, today we will hold the simplest form of practical exercise."
With a wave of Anbaixiu's hand, the surrounding scenery shifted. The vibrant coral reefs transformed into a dark, craggy oceanic trench. The schools of fish vanished, replaced by monstrous sea beasts lurking in the shadows.
When a shark whose eyes were larger than an entire person swam past, the tieflings, the Ryanites, and even the Elven King turned pale. Merely reading figures on paper gave no visceral sense of scale, but seeing such colossal creatures face-to-face granted everyone a far more tangible impression of the deep sea.
Fortunately, as the elite of their respective realms, they all maintained a veneer of composure without losing their poise.
Anbaixiu let them compose themselves for a few seconds before continuing, "This is the critical location mentioned in all of your operational plans. A trench capable of sustaining so many colossal sea beasts is naturally a contested ground rich in resources. This pleases me; at least all three of your factions arrived at this same trench independently.
"However, the tactics you formulated were far too presumptuous. In the eyes of our merfolk advisors, they hold no practical value whatsoever."
Hearing Anbaixiu say this, Ange Watson was the first to voice his displeasure.
"I may not understand the deep ocean, and my tactical designs might have oversights, but if you claim they have no practical value whatsoever, I must respectfully disagree."
Anbaixiu chuckled, saying to the proud paladin, "Then let us put it to the test."
Anbaixiu said to the merfolk High Priestess, "I leave it to you."
The merfolk High Priestess nodded and raised her trident. Where she pointed, a dense swarm of sahuagin materialized. They looked no different from real ones—every bit as hideous and terrifying.
Controlling the sahuagin, the merfolk High Priestess announced, "Three thousand sahuagin—this is my force. Gentlemen of the mainland, assume you have already captured this oceanic trench. Now, arrange your defensive perimeter according to your plans."
Such a novel mode of operation made everyone's eyes light up.
As commanders seasoned in leading troops into war, how could they not recognize the advantages of such an exercise? This was practically the perfect training ground, far more thrilling and authentic than any tabletop wargame or sandbox simulation.
Ange made no polite pretense of modesty. Testing his will, he began to command with his thoughts, and soon a large number of merfolk and locathah materialized around him. This was based on the materials Anbaixiu had provided them, which briefly detailed the combat characteristics of merfolk and locathah so they could use these unit types in the simulation.
The merfolk High Priestess granted Ange Watson two hours to deploy his defenses, generously allowing him to reshape the trench's terrain as needed.
When Ange Watson believed his defensive line was impregnable, the merfolk High Priestess waved her hand, ordering the sahuagin to attack.
And then... there was no then.
Ange Watson's defensive line was breached within three minutes and collapsed entirely after fifteen minutes. An equal number of merfolk and locathah were slaughtered, becoming food for the sahuagin, while the sahuagin lost only about a thousand troops.
A casualty ratio of three to one—and the outcome was the loss of the trench, the total collapse of the defenses, and the territory changing hands.
Staring at the outcome before him, Ange Watson was struck speechless with shock.
The merfolk High Priestess said calmly, "Your thinking is still anchored in land warfare. Relying on coral reefs and crevices in the rock walls to construct defensive lines may offer concealment, but the sea has no use for such things. To hold this territory, what you truly need is air superiority."
The merfolk High Priestess pointed her trident toward the sunlit water surface above. Just moments ago, the sahuagin had attacked from the "sky," first tossing a massive swarm of cuttlefish as smoke screens. Once the oceanic trench was largely shrouded in black ink, the sahuagin had launched the most direct close-quarters assault.
The merfolk's strength lay in spellcasting; they excelled at bombarding foes with magic. Once their vision was obscured by ink, their spellcasting capability was cut by more than half.
The sahuagin, meanwhile, excelled at locating targets by scent. In the dark, they were like fish in water—and in melee combat, the merfolk were simply no match for them.
It was only because both sides had been set with unbreakable morale that the merfolk did not rout, fighting down to the last man. In a real battle, the sahuagin's casualties would likely have been even smaller.
"This isn't fair! I had no knowledge of such tactics!" Ange Watson said agitatedly.
Although the dossiers had mentioned that many marine creatures could be used as tools of war, as a land-dweller, he simply had no way of understanding every material applicable to undersea warfare in such a short time.
Who could have guessed cuttlefish could be used like that?
Who could have known that this cuttlefish ink couldn't be dispelled by magic? And who could have conceived of throwing cuttlefish ink downward from above?
Anbaixiu chuckled. "Have you ever fought a war that was fair? Ange Watson, saying such a thing is naive in the extreme."
Hearing Anbaixiu's words, Ange Watson clenched his fists, but quickly regained his composure and requested, "If possible, please allow me to try once more."
Anbaixiu nodded. "Rest assured, there will be plenty of chances. But for now, it's someone else's turn. Who's next?"
Chapter 430