Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Chapter 631 Preparations

The words of the hooded man carried a heavy weight. The tribe leaders couldn't deny the truth in his counsel. They had come to understand that without someone as strategically adept as Rain, he could potentially recover and regroup within a matter of days and destroy them. They couldn't afford to make any more reckless moves that might play into Rain's hands.

Recognizing the need for prudence, the tribe leaders were now more resolved to avoid hasty decisions and focus on a more cautious approach. They realized that they needed to think more deeply about their actions, as any rash moves could lead to catastrophic consequences.

With the threat of Rain's tactical cunning hanging over them, they understood the importance of staying vigilant and not underestimating their adversary.

"Since we have another agreement, we can start planning our next steps," The hooded man said. "We should have decreased the forces on the enemy's side by thirty percent while half of that should have been killed already. The other half is injured, and they don't have enough healers to make them recover fast.

Considering that the beast people will be invading the other border in two days, we don't have to rush it, but our goal is still to decrease their forces. My estimation is that they can produce around three thousand troublesome warriors each year, but we can't leave them room to do so. We have to eliminate all of those that gained too much power as well before they could become too troublesome."

The tribe leaders had mixed feelings about the hooded man. They often found his speeches overly detailed and lengthy, causing them to lose interest in the middle of it. However, their curiosity was piqued when the discussion shifted to the next steps and plans, making it all the more intriguing. It seemed there was a new and engaging direction in the conversation that captured their attention.

— —

"What next, Rain?" Reca asked when they were having dinner after finishing tending, mostly of those heavily wounded.

That was the question that everyone had been thinking since the end of the last battle, but they avoided since they didn't want to put too much pressure on Rain. Reca was wild and she didn't think that much far ahead, so she didn't care about that and she assumed that Rain didn't care about it either.

In the end, Rain just raised his spoon and told her to wait before he finished chewing. That was one of the few moments he could truly relax, so he wanted to savor properly the food that he had made. Without having many chances to interact with his children and feeling the scent of the nape of his wives, food was pretty much the only thing that improved Rain's mood lately.

"I want to scare the shit out of their minds, but it won't be easy if they decide to wait until the beast people attacks our territories," Rain said. "I am pretty sure that they have a barrier with them as well, so attacking and causing any damage to their base will be that easy. Still, scaring them to death should be possible, I just need to prepare during the night."

"Can you say what you have in mind clearly for once?" Terra asked.

"In any other situation, I would do that, but I don't want to risk informing the enemy of the plans," Rain said. "Still, you all don't have to worry about anything. If the plan fails, the enemy will just wait for us to fight, if it doesn't fail, they will retreat and think of a way to counter what I have in mind."

Rain's friends had grown accustomed to his tendency to keep them in the dark about the finer details of his plans. While it sometimes left them feeling frustrated, they knew that Rain always had a good reason for this type of secrecy. His unwavering confidence and determination were always like that, assuring them that whatever he had in store would be both daring and effective.

Even though they wished he would share more, they understood that Rain had a strategy in mind, and he would reveal it when the time was right. The anticipation of what Rain had up his sleeve only heightened their eagerness to witness his next moves unfold on the battlefield.

Terra and Seara, concerned about Rain's whereabouts, decided to search around the town for him. They scoured the familiar places where he often worked or relaxed but came up empty-handed. As worry began to creep in, they reminded themselves that Rain had mentioned needing the entire night to prepare for their upcoming day.

Despite their concerns, they understood that Rain was likely deeply engrossed in his preparations..

"That idiot… he could have at least said where he was going," Terra said while rubbing her eyes.

"He seemed calm enough, but I also think that he should have warned us before leaving," Seara sighed. "If he looked a bit more at ease, we could scold him, but the situation doesn't allow us to do that."

Terra could only nod… in the end, nothing happened during the night, so it seemed that the enemies didn't realize his disappearance either. When the sun was rising, people finally saw Rain taking a nap on the wall… no one saw him returning or when he did for that matter, but soon he got up and began to stretch his body.

"Are you ready?" Jori asked.

"Yep, let everyone be ready to deploy, but don't let them cross the wall yet," Rain said. "If the enemies don't make their move until noon, I will make my move, and then what will happen afterward will depend on their actions."

With a lot of patience, Rain's friends waited through the morning, hoping for a sign of Rain's plans. As noon approached, it became clear that the enemy was not taking the initiative, so Rain decided to act. Without uttering a word, he raised his arm, and with a slow, deliberate motion, he swung it down. This subtle yet commanding signal marked the beginning of their next move.