Chapter 877: Chapter 859: Utilization!
Mannstein took the battle plan that Gihren handed over, opened it, and quickly frowned.
“You plan to send Karina to Mist Mountain?”
“That’s correct.”
Nodding, Gihren’s face revealed a trace of a smile.
Previously, it was mentioned that the city Karina is stationed at is called Mist Mountain City. The name comes from the perpetual mist that shrouds a nearby mountain. The mountain itself isn’t particularly tall, but the dense fog lends the city its name.
At the same time, Mist Mountain City is a frontline city. After occupying this city, the Allied Forces made multiple attempts to advance forward but consistently failed. Eventually, they had no choice but to switch to defense. Fortunately, the city’s strategic location isn’t overly critical; as long as it can hold its ground, the overall impact on the Allied Forces remains minimal.
However, judging from the battle plan Gihren provided, the Staff Headquarters has not given up on this city. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be sending Karina to Mist Mountain.
On the surface, this plan seems flawless, appearing as though the Allied Forces are attempting yet another push forward. But the reality is far more complicated, mainly due to Mist Mountain itself.
After occupying Mist Mountain City, the Allied Forces were unable to advance primarily because of the relentless assaults by Demons. Yet, a more critical reason lies in the presence of numerous high-level demons across the region. These high-level demons are the main obstacle preventing the Allied Forces from progressing.
According to Allied Forces investigations, all these high-level demons originate from one location—Mist Mountain!
This is precisely why the Allied Forces assigned Karina to defend Mist Mountain City. If they were to station a large army there, the sudden onslaught of high-level demons could inflict devastating losses. Conversely, if only a small contingent were assigned to protect the city, they might not hold up. As such, sending Karina to guard the city is the most suitable choice.
Due to her close ties with Rocky, Karina’s troops are equipped exclusively with rune equipment, and her armor is a previous-generation White Demon Armor. Her formidable individual strength makes her well-suited to defend Mist Mountain City. She can withstand ordinary demon attacks, yet if a mass of high-level demons were to appear, she could retreat swiftly, making her the ideal candidate.
After Mannstein set the battle plan down, Gihren explained in detail before Mannstein had the chance to ask.
“The Allied Forces have already identified Mist Mountain as a base for high-level demons, but we lack detailed intelligence—particularly regarding the exact locations where these demons gather. This deficiency prevents us from targeting their main forces effectively. Thus, someone must investigate further, and I believe Karina is the most suitable for this mission.”
“……”
After hearing Gihren’s words, Mannstein fell silent. Gihren wasn’t lying about the situation; the inability to advance along Mist Mountain City stems from the high concentration of high-level demons within Mist Mountain itself. Only by eliminating these demons can the Allied Forces secure an unobstructed path forward. For this reason, the Allied Forces have long devised a strategy—a concentrated military offensive to annihilate the high-level demon base within Mist Mountain in one fell swoop.
However, as Gihren mentioned, the Allied Forces have too little intelligence regarding Mist Mountain. Several reconnaissance units were dispatched to gather information, yet all of them disappeared without a trace. Everyone understood the implications of their disappearance.
What Mannstein hadn’t anticipated, however, was Gihren’s plan to send Karina directly to Mist Mountain for investigation. This move was undeniably cunning!
It’s easy to see if you think about it. If Karina hadn’t considered leaving the Allied Forces, Gihren would never have sent her to handle such a mission. Even small reconnaissance teams vanished shortly after entering Mist Mountain; if Karina were to move Rose City to Mist Mountain, wouldn’t that just invite the high-level demons to mount a large-scale siege?
Furthermore, given her strength, there’s no way she could accomplish this mission. Despite her capabilities, Karina remains the City Lord of a mid-sized Sky City, with a limited troop scale. She couldn’t possibly penetrate Mist Mountain on her own.
But let’s not forget—while Karina might lack the capacity, Rocky and Thunderhawk City certainly do!
It’s obvious that Gihren’s real target in this battle plan isn’t Karina—it’s Rocky!
Since Rocky wants to take Karina away, Gihren is utilizing him to tackle this daunting challenge. In return, he offers approval for Karina’s departure.
Mannstein had long said that the reason why Gihren couldn’t reach the same position of influence as himself wasn’t because he lacked ability but because his political maneuvering was insufficient. Judging by pure skill, Gihren was indeed outstanding. This can be seen through his plan. He managed to anticipate Karina’s possible departure from the Allied Forces using either insider knowledge from his own channels or his personal judgment—both of which would have occurred very recently. Yet he devised this plan so quickly, proving his resourcefulness.
Mannstein understood Gihren’s intentions the moment he saw the plan. However, as he had mentioned earlier, he couldn’t help Rocky any further regarding this matter. As the War Zone Commander-in-chief, he was obligated to prioritize the war zone above all else. So, he nodded and instructed his adjutant to inform Karina fully of the plan and the situation.
“Looks like I’ve been completely used as a pawn this time.”
In Rose City, after receiving the orders, Karina immediately informed Rocky. Naturally, Rocky quickly grasped the Allied Forces’ intentions, which left him somewhat frustrated. Ever since entering the war zone, he had been first used as a pawn to restrain Mannstein and now as cannon fodder for the Allied Forces. This kind of treatment had never occurred to him after his rise.
“Who exactly is this Gihren?”
“The War Zone Chief of Staff, a member of the Sky Alliance.”
Karina was naturally quite familiar with Gihren. After her brief explanation, Rocky became even more exasperated.
Among The Three Great Alliances, Rocky was most familiar with the Sky Alliance. After all, he was still nominally a member of the Alliance, although they hadn’t interacted in years. What surprised him was the Sky Alliance’s eagerness to throw him under the bus. The whole situation felt like they had a grudge they were venting.
Ironically, Rocky wasn’t entirely wrong. Among The Three Great Alliances, the Sky Alliance indeed had the closest ties with him. This closeness, however, was exactly what fueled their resentment after his rise. From the Alliance’s perspective, everything Rocky currently possessed ought to have belonged to the Alliance, given the promises they had originally made. As a result, they were relentlessly vindictive regarding anything involving Rocky, never holding back in their schemes.
“What will you do? Will you go with me or stay in Backhill Village?”
“Isn’t that obvious? I’m going with you.”
Glancing at Karina, Rocky pretended to be annoyed at her rhetorical question. The reason for Gihren’s command was clearly to have Rocky contribute to the Alliance’s interests. If he didn’t accompany Karina, she could end up dead in Mist Mountain within moments.