Hearing that, Elynn paused to think for a moment, her eyes flickering with thought before she continued speaking.
"Master, my suggestion is to have Lord Kyros lead the Kirin and Sacred Kirin legions, along with the Arcane Colossi, to the front. The ocean is Kyros’s domain—sending him is without a doubt the best choice."
"As for the other Hero Units... Oakenmaw definitely isn’t the right fit."
"Sure, he’s technically a Crimson Ultimate Hero now, but as an Ancient War Tree, he moves slowly. That makes him an easy target out at sea. The ocean’s just not friendly terrain for slow-moving units like him. On the other hand, agile units like Green Dragons or Gem Dragons would be much more effective. Plus..."
She paused again, locking eyes with Ethan before continuing.
"Master, Oakenmaw’s only just had his first awakening. He hasn’t truly unlocked the full power of a Crimson Ultimate Hero yet. If we send him out alone, I’m worried he might get targeted—either by the Dark Alliance or even by other Crimson Ultimate Heroes with their own agendas."
"So I suggest we keep Oakenmaw in Sylvanwood for now—or better yet, keep him close to you. Once he’s stronger, we can talk about deploying him."
"Good point..." Ethan nodded thoughtfully.
Even though Oakenmaw had evolved into a Crimson Ultimate Hero, he was still only level 15 after his first awakening. That was a serious limitation.
If they threw him into battle now, he wouldn’t be much of a force.
Better to let him grow for a while.
Ideally, he’d need to go through a second awakening before he could really hold his own on the battlefield.
"But that’s fine too," Ethan murmured. "Keeping Oakenmaw in reserve gives us a hidden ace."
Emerald Castle might not be the strongest faction right now, but they were finally at a point where they could afford to keep a few cards up their sleeve.
A defensive-type Crimson Ultimate Hero might not be flashy... ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ⓝovelFire.net
If they played it right—kept him hidden until the perfect moment—he could turn the tide of a battle.
With that thought, Ethan nodded and looked back at Elynn. "What else? Keep going."
"Yes, Master..." Elynn nodded and continued. "Actually, I’d recommend sending Princess Elyra, or Zyraxis, or Seran instead. They could lead the Unicorns, Arcane Colossi, and Gem Dragon legions. From a magical synergy standpoint, Thunder Magic and Water Magic work incredibly well together."
"When those two forces combine, the result is devastating."
"So even though Arcane Colossi, like Ancient War Trees, are primarily defensive units, they’ll actually perform better at sea. That’s because their Thunder Magic can be fully unleashed in that environment."
Ethan nodded again, clearly following her logic.
He didn’t fully understand the "magical synergy principles" Elynn was talking about, but he knew one simple fact: water conducts electricity.
And in a way, Thunder Magic was basically a higher form of electrical energy.
So with the ocean as a battlefield...
And with the Kirin and Sacred Kirin legions in play...
Not to mention Kyros himself—a Crimson Ultimate Hero of the Kirin race with powerful Water Magic...
All of that would supercharge the Arcane Colossi’s Thunder Magic, letting them unleash their full potential—maybe even 120%, 150% of their normal output!
It’d be like using bombs to catch fish.
No—more like using nukes to catch minnows.
Just imagining that kind of scene—anyone with half a brain would get chills down their spine. Hair standing on end, skin crawling.
Without hesitating, Ethan made the call. "Alright then. We’ll send Kyros, Elyra, and Seran. They’ll take the Kirin and Sacred Kirin legions, the Arcane Colossi, the Unicorns, and the Gem Dragons."
But as soon as he said that, Elynn hesitated, her voice cautious.
"Master... isn’t that a bit risky, sending all three of them?"
Ethan blinked, caught off guard for a second—then it hit him. He immediately understood what she meant.
Kyros, Elyra, and Seran... all three of them were still young. Talented, yes—but impulsive. Hot-headed. Not exactly the calm, calculating type. They had a tendency to act on emotion, to charge ahead without thinking things through.
Putting them in charge of an entire front, especially one as volatile as the sea...
Yeah. That was a gamble.
But even so, Ethan didn’t waver. He stuck to his decision.
"They need this," he said firmly. "Just like you did, back when I threw you into your first command and you had no idea what you were doing. Remember that?"
He looked at her with a small smile.
"Elynn, Kyros, Elyra—they’re not perfect. Not yet. But they’re like you. They’re my people. My family."
"That’s why I’m willing to take the risk. To give them the chance to grow. And if they fail? Worst case, we lose some territory along the coast. That’s it. As long as I still have all of you, Emerald Castle will never fall."
Elynn froze for a moment, eyes wide.
Then something soft flickered in her gaze—something warm, touched, deeply loyal.
She smiled, bowed her head slightly, and said with quiet reverence, "My great, noble, and endlessly compassionate master... I thank the gods of creation for letting us meet. Rest assured—no matter what happens, even in death, we will never leave your side. Life or death, we’re with you."
Ethan chuckled, the tension easing a little.
"Alright, enough of that. Let’s talk logistics. Elynn, how do you think we should divide the troops?"
Elynn didn’t hesitate. She jumped right in.
"The Kirin and Sacred Kirin legions should definitely be deployed at sea," she said confidently. "To be honest, on land, both the Kirin and the Arcane Colossi are... well, kind of underwhelming. For their tier, they’re on the lower end of the power scale. Compared to Green Dragons, Behemoths, or even Gem Dragons, they just don’t measure up."
"But out at sea? Their combat power could easily double."
She paused for a moment, a flicker of regret crossing her face.
"It’s just a shame... we don’t have enough of them. If we had, say, 120 units each of Kirin and Arcane Colossi, we could split them into two forces, set up a pincer formation along the coast. With Lord Kyros and Seran leading the charge, we could lock down the entire near-sea region like a fortress. No one would be able to touch us. But... well, that’s just wishful thinking."
Before she could even finish, Ethan shook his head and cut her off.
"No need to worry about that. I’ve got a way."
"Wait—really?" Elynn blinked, caught off guard. Then her eyes lit up with excitement. "Master, if that’s true, then this just got a whole lot easier!"
"As long as we can stabilize the situation at sea, we’ll have the breathing room we need to grow. Looking at the current map, I’d suggest we take a coastal territory near one of the Eight Grand Duchies. Use it as a foothold, then expand from there."
Ethan nodded slowly, thinking it over. The more he considered it, the more sense it made.
Screw it—no need to overthink.
"Alright, let’s lock it in."
He raised his hand and called out to the system.
"System, I choose 72 units of Arcane Colossus and 45 units of Kirin!"