Chapter 98: Battle Tactics
Several explosions rang through his surroundings while Michael's eyes were closed.
The Lionheart Leader roared furiously and continued to cleave downward. However, Michael had already moved to the side by then.
His eyes were still closed but he was in a much better condition than the remaining eight Lionhearts. The Archers and Aero Crossbowmen released one projectile each as the Lionheart Leader cleaved down at him.
But their projectiles were not ordinary as a small glass vial was attached to the tip of their projectiles. The glass vials were the vial flashbangs, which Michael had used once when he was on the run from the EmeraldLeaf Adventurer Team. He hadn't used the flashbangs since then. At last, he found an exceptional use for them, blinding the eight remaining Lionhearts at once.
The Lionhearts were dazzled, and their Leader missed Michael by a hair's breadth. The next moment it used its Soultrait and fire whips to lash out at Michael. Little did the Lionheart Leader know that Michael was not in his range anymore.
Michael had changed his target suddenly.
Instead of fighting the Lionheart Leader alone, Michael abandoned the Leader.
The remaining Warriors charged at the Lionheart Leader to stall for time. Simultaneously, the Starless Summons picked up the spears that survived the firewall, and the weapons of both their fallen comrades and the dead Lionhearts. They smeared highly potent venom on the blades and charged at the remaining six Lionhearts.
Even if it meant that they had to die, the Starless Summons wouldn't allow anyone to completely destroy what they had painstakingly worked for since their resurrection.
Michael's territory could prosper with their sacrifice. Knowing that was enough for the Starless Summons.
The Lionhearts spent several seconds trying to regain their sight completely. They didn't expect several flashbangs to erupt amid the battlefield, confusing them for a while.
After all, there didn't seem to be any direct communication between the Starless Summons, Tiara, the Warriors, and their Lord. It was as if the Lord and his subjects were fighting without uttering a single word and just knew what had to be done.
What the Lionhearts didn't know was that Michael and his subjects had spent a great deal of time coming up with several strategies to fight powerful opponents long before the Lionhearts attacked them.
Michael and his people always knew that they would have to make use of their numerical advantage to overpower their enemies. They lived in a dangerous territory with Tier-1 Monsters being at the bottom of the food chain. Nobody knew how long it would take until the Warriors and other combat units would advance to the 1st Tier.
After all, they had emerged from the Summoning Gate as Lowest Tierless Warriors. Whenever new Warriors emerged in his territory, they would be Tierless Warriors with the Lowest degree of refinement. All new Summons would be on the same level, even if Michael was to summon another Heroic Summon.
Thus, it was only obvious that Michael and his people used different tactics to make use of their advantages in order to even out the disadvantage of their low Tier and refinement degree.
The exploding flashbangs, followed up with a sudden change of strategy was one such tactic.
It required only the exchange of a signal and trust in the capabilities of their comrades-in-arms, otherwise, it wouldn't work out.
Fortunately, everyone believed in their friends and comrades.
The hundred Starless Summons charged at the six dazzled Lionhearts, while the Warriors, Knights in training, Archers, Aero Crossbowmen, and the Water Elemental Mage focused on the Lionheart Leader.
On the other hand, Michael appeared next to the second strongest Lionheart, whom Tiara had been fighting for a while now.
Ordering Tiara around was not possible in her current condition. She was filled with bloodthirst and would not stop fighting until she had killed her enemy. Her bestial instincts had taken control of her rational brain.
She wouldn't attack Michael thanks to their firm Link of Loyalty, but that was already it. Fortunately, Michael could make use of that.
If Tiara would not approach him, he could just go to her and help her defeat the second strongest Lionheart before they moved along.
The Swiftness enchantment of his Boots of Taran was fully unleashed, accelerating Michael's speed drastically. He was still a little bit slower than both Tiara and the Lionheart, but he could make up for it with his Eagle Eyes.
Being able to subtly gauge where Tiara and the Lionheart would move before they actually did allow Michael to imitate Lesser Foresight to a certain extent. He couldn't tell for sure where they moved but he could take a rough guess. Using these hints, Michael could react faster, which was everything he required to aid Tiara.
Tigerfang slashed through the flames enveloping the Lionheart. Tigerfang's razor-sharp blade was about to cut into the Lionheart's shoulder when a white aura suddenly enveloped the Lionheart's leather armor. Michael's attack was blocked as Tigerfang's blade cut less than a centimeter deep into the leather armor.
Michael frowned at this, but he didn't panic. He raised his leg and kicked the Lionheart with all his might. The Lionheart stumbled backward while Tigerfang was pulled out of the leather armor. Simultaneously, Tiara made her move.
She appeared beneath the Lionheart who was about to crash into the ground and pierced upward with the silver spear. The Lionheart reacted by blocking the attack with his longsword. Just as the silver spear was about to collide with the flat side of the Lionheart's sword, a burst of energy poured out of the silver spear. The silver spear's position changed by a few centimeters without slowing down at all.
The spear pierced shot past the longsword and pierced the Lionheart's chest. The Lionheart stared at Tiara in astonishment, but he regained his composure quickly.
The silver spear didn't cut deep through his leather armor. The white aura blocked the lethal force of the spear thrust.
He engulfed his body in blazing flames and willed them to shoot toward Tiara. The Battle Maid twisted the silver spear in the Lionheart's stomach before she pulled it back.
Her bracelet glowed faintly, manifesting the protection enchantment. A semi-transparent shield manifested in front of her. It broke in the next instance but that was enough time for Michael to appear behind the second-strongest Lionheart.
Michael inserted a tremendous amount of the energy churning within him inside Tigerfang and the Boots of Taran. He accelerated as quickly as possible and enhanced his means of attack as high as he could and slashed out.
The Lionheart noticed Michael's attack from behind himself the next moment. He twisted his body to avoid the worst injuries. However, Michael predicted his move and awaited the sea of flames that burst out of the Lionheart as he twisted his body.
He ignored the searing flames that burned his clothes and hair and kicked out with all his might. His kick connected a moment later with the Lionheart's kneecap, and the sound of breaking bones rang out next. However, neither Michael nor the Lionheart paid any attention to this.
Michael continued slashing Tigerfang across the Lionheart's throat, while the Lionheart was trying to block the attack with his longsword.
His longsword was about to move in between Michael and the Lionheart, but it suddenly stopped. It didn't move an inch.
Tiara's silver spear blocked the longsword's path.
Meanwhile, Tigerfang reached the Lionheart.
It slices through the Lionheart's neck at once, causing blood to burst out like a fountain.
The head of the second strongest Lionheart fell to the ground with a thud the next second.
They had finally defeated the Lionheart!
It was a moment of happiness, or it was supposed to be.
However, it was at this moment that Michael felt that more than ten Links of Loyalty had been cut.
That meant ten more of his loyal subjects had died.
It was not yet time to rest!