I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 196 Multiple Games and the Awakening of [Domination]

Back in his tent, Colonel Will felt an unprecedented sense of unease.

According to Roxie's current plan, if he stands idly by, the Imperial Army will definitely be plunged into an unprecedented predicament due to the return of the 109th Division.

If he were to proactively pass on intelligence, he would be placed on the enemy's spy list by Roxie due to the leak of information.

"Furthermore, and most importantly, Team Leader Hassan never revealed the identity of his contact person. Apart from a corresponding code phrase, he had no ability to proactively transmit intelligence!"

Isn't this a complete disaster?
Will grew increasingly frustrated as he pondered whether he should try to bribe a villager during the march to send out information about the mission.

Amidst a flurry of footsteps, a communications soldier from the 1st Independent Battalion named Elliott Wayne entered and reported to him:
"Reporting to the battalion commander, the personnel of the 1st Independent Battalion are ready to depart at any time. Please give your instructions!"

"...Are all the supplies ready?"

"It's ready, Battalion Commander."

“…Very good, let’s set off immediately.”

Will took a deep breath, intending to risk delivering the intelligence to John according to his plan, when he noticed that Elliott in front of him did not make a move to leave, but instead stared at him with a strange look.

Then the other person said something that made his pupils shrink:

"However, Battalion Commander, are you sure you really don't need to tidy up your personal belongings? For example, that textbook?"

Elliott smiled slightly, then, under Will's wary gaze, he made a gesture of respect to his chest before speaking meaningfully:

"Also, Battalion Commander Will, 'Autumn is coming soon, and the flowers will begin to wither slowly,' which is truly a pity, isn't it?"

"!"

Hearing this secret phrase known only to himself, Hassan, and the contact codenamed Mole, Will seemed to finally understand the other party's identity. The wariness in Will's eyes slowly dissipated, but he did not respond immediately.

Instead, he quickly went outside the tent and found that all the soldiers had left at some point, leaving only the two of them in the entire camp. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He then looked at Elliott with a complex expression, and, overwhelmed with emotion, uttered the second half of the secret message:

"There is no need to be sad about this; the flowers will bloom again when spring comes."

Upon hearing the whispered message, Elliott slowly smiled. However, before he could introduce himself, Will, who was opposite him, seemed to realize something and immediately turned pale, intending to search his tent for any possible listening devices.

But before he could even begin, the other party stopped him:
"Don't worry, Mr. Will. I checked your tent half an hour ago and confirmed that I didn't find any listening devices or techniques."

Meeting Will's astonished gaze, Elliott smiled slightly, then presented the still-glowing magic circle representing his unique spell circuit to him:
"Furthermore, fifteen minutes before your arrival, I had already set up a perception barrier within twenty meters of the tent using a unique technique. It has been confirmed that there are only the two of us here. Therefore, this tent is currently in a state of absolute security and secrecy, so you don't need to worry about it."

"However, speaking of which, your special agent skills are still quite rusty. After all, you should have thought of this earlier. Of course, considering that you are a latecomer to the field, there is nothing we can do about it."

Elliott lightened the tense atmosphere with a joke, but when he thought about the mission instructions he received from his superior through the encrypted communicator given to him by Team Leader Oriole the night before, his smile vanished, and he turned to Will in a deep voice:

"Although there are still a full ten minutes left before the normal preparation time limit, considering that the extreme time limit may arouse suspicion, let's talk about the trivial matters of catching up later."

“Last night, I received orders from my frontline commander late at night, instructing me to try to obtain the Allied forces’ current operational plans. Major Will, are you aware of this? Is the Independent 1st Battalion’s next mission related to the Allied plans?”

"Roxie plans to send the entire 502nd Division to the western front to launch a blitzkrieg in the Talzan Wetlands and join forces with the 109th Division of the Third Orc Legion, thus enabling them to assist in the advance into the Dark Corridor."

Will slowly suppressed his doubts and shock. After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke the truth in a complicated tone under Elliott's scrutinizing gaze:
"The 1st Battalion's current orders are to proceed to the 'Great Wind Slope' blocking zone to attempt to intercept any Imperial forces that may be diverted to attack the 502nd Division."

"Is there any other information?"

"This is the only information I have so far. Also, I may have already been added to Roxie's list of suspects."

Meeting Elliott's astonished gaze, Will sighed softly, then shook his head with a wry smile and said:

"However, after volunteering to become an agent, I had already foreseen this scenario, so it's no big deal. I only ask that when you report the intelligence, you could pass on a message to Commander John for me."

Will took a deep breath, then pleaded earnestly:

“I know that in order to achieve victory, the Empire will have to send troops to intercept the 502nd Division, and I myself will be executed after the 502nd Division is attacked because of the leak.”

"But in consideration of my role in delivering intelligence for the adventure, may I ask Commander John to entrust Team Leader Oriole to safely transport my family to the Empire after my death in battle, Mr. Mole?"

"I understand your needs, and I will report to my superior."

Elliott seemed surprised that Will, a direct descendant of the Fifth Legion, would be suspected by the Morning Star so quickly. He frowned slightly and became more vigilant.

But considering that the officer's order was to obtain all of the enemy's operational plans, Elliott couldn't help but ask further:

"Are you sure there's no other information? Would you like to think about it again?"

"That's all the information I've gathered..."

Will sighed helplessly, but then, as if he had thought of something, he paused slightly, and then hesitated before saying:
"However, before I went to accept the mission, there was another person who went to Roxie's command tent. The other person was Davis Bacht, the brigade commander of the 2nd Brigade of the 501st Division."

"Although I don't know what orders they were carrying out, they seemed to be holding a document before they left, so I guess they had an independent mission to carry out."

"In addition to the two of us, based on my understanding of Roxie, the other side will most likely have more backup plans."

"So, if you have the means to eavesdrop, you might as well try listening to the radio broadcasts of the 503rd Division. You might get some results."

"The 2nd Brigade of the 501st Division, and the 503rd Division, I understand. Thank you for the information."

Elliott nodded solemnly, then, under Will's emotionally charged gaze, saluted him with respect and reverence:
"Although your background has some drawbacks, the dedication and sacrifice you have made this time will surely be recognized by the Empire. And I think that given the fairness and selflessness shown by that officer, he should not refuse your final request. So you can carry out the mission with peace of mind."

"Finally, may the glory of the Empire be with you, Mr. Will."

"...May the glory of the Empire be with you, Mr. Elliott."

The two exchanged a silent glance, then tacitly resumed their usual behavior.

They then walked one after the other toward the Independent 1st Battalion, which was waiting for orders.

"despair!"

……

"So, they really split their forces after all?"

At noon, upon hearing the intelligence transmitted through the encrypted communication device, John, located in the command tent, immediately narrowed his eyes.

In fact, he had a premonition that Will would be suspected by Roxie.

He just hadn't expected it to happen so soon. After all, both Will's background and his seniority in the Fifth Legion were enough to prove his loyalty to the Kingdom of Victoria.

Even so, Roxie still harbored doubts about him.

Based on John's understanding, the fact that the other party made this judgment already proved that they regarded him as a monster stronger than themselves.

That's why we choose to abandon common sense, analyze intelligence based on the worst-case scenario, and formulate missions based on that.

This also means that the opposing side will move from the most ordinary two-way game to the third or even the fourth level, by issuing a large number of independent combat orders and dispersing information and intelligence.

Until the decisive action arrives, under her command, all the units carrying out the mission will be unaware of their true objective.

This complex command method, which consumes a great deal of mental energy in its intricate command process, greatly reduces the accuracy of intelligence transmission, causing the enemy to misjudge the situation and making their next move even more mysterious and unpredictable.

This is a game of strategy that heavily relies on planning and luck.

If John can accurately guess the opponent's true objective in this game, he can easily win the game and achieve true victory.

However, the problem is that after multiple rounds of play, its instability increases exponentially.

For example, what he has received so far regarding the true purpose of Roxie's order for Will to lead the Independent 1st Battalion to set up an ambush at the Windy Slope location—was it merely to test whether Will was a spy, and thus eliminate him?

Or is it that the other side actually plans to have Will lead the Independent 1st Battalion to carry out a new plan after the Dark Corridor battlefield opens?
For example, they could launch a surprise attack on Mad Fang City in conjunction with other forces, cutting off their own surface retreat.

They also relied on the garrison that might have been dispatched to Blue Lake City, so that after their retreat to the rear, they would be completely besieged on the surface.
Even this layer is an illusion; the enemy's real objective is the plan executed by the other troops.

For example, by using the former as an attraction, they actually used the Mad Fang Clan's knowledge of the local terrain to discover the common exits of the Dark Corridor and send troops to collect oil and large quantities of flammable liquids or explosives.

As the main force advanced into the Dark Corridor, they piled up supplies along the way. When the 109th Division arrived and joined the battle, and the battle reached a fever pitch, they ordered the troops to blow up all the remaining passages, completely sealing off any possibility of escape through the other passages.

Instead, they were forced to retreat along the underground river leading to the Cocobia rainforest. However, the enemy had already defeated Samuel's troops with their superior numbers, learned the exit of the underground river under torture, and deployed defenses at the exit in advance, leaving their side completely trapped in the enemy's encirclement and ultimately leading to their defeat.

Or perhaps this is also a deceptive illusion, and the other side intends to replicate the tactics it used to destroy the Seventh Legion, following its usual practice of skillfully imitating others' tactics?
By sending troops to the tributaries of the Yuan River and building dams at the confluence of groundwater and surface water to store up a large amount of floodwater, they then used heavy artillery or high explosives to blast open a sufficiently large space at the confluence of the rivers.

The flood discharge caused a large amount of river water to flow underground, resulting in a massive flood that rushed along underground caves until it swallowed up everything and completed a true annihilation operation.
Or perhaps none of these are the other party's real goals, but merely a way to make them hesitant to act?
The enemy's real objective, during the intense phase, was to preemptively deploy troops to conduct deep drilling operations on the surface, thereby identifying areas where they could encircle our forces through prior reconnaissance.

By opening up and expanding new roads, the heavy artillery regiments that were originally unable to participate in the Dark Corridor operations can be brought back into the battlefield from the rear lines, which are considered fatal to our side, thus breaking through the constraints of the ground and completely sealing off our retreat.
"..."

John's brow furrowed more and more as he thought about it. The intense mental exertion and strategic judgment required in such a short time began to make his face turn pale.

The cigarettes at hand had long since piled up into a heap of cigarette butts from this constant process of prediction and overturning, and further analysis.

The entire command tent was filled with blue smoke, and the air was thick with a suffocating, pungent smell.

Apart from the faint sound of someone silently smoking a cigarette, there was no other noise.

But John dared not relax in the slightest, constantly scanning back and forth between the sand table representing the terrain in front of him and the three-dimensional map of the dark corridor he had constructed in his mind.

The intense competition caused his eyes to involuntarily become bloodshot.

His originally brownish-black pupils had turned completely black, like an unfathomable abyss.

If one were to make eye contact with John at this moment, all intelligent life forms would involuntarily feel fear and be dominated by that indescribable power under his will, thus completely losing their own will.

During his deep contemplation, the ordinary, pale blue magic power that had been emanating from his body suddenly took on an eerie, ethereal black hue.

If Leia, who could sense auras in all directions, were here, she would have noticed John's unusual condition immediately.

Upon getting closer, they immediately discerned the unusual aura emanating from John.

It was only through the successive generations of the Binot family name that she had the opportunity to learn about it, even though she herself only learned about it from the will left by her father before his death.

In the era of magical mutation after the collapse and decline of the extraordinary system and the departure of the gods, the last prophecy left by the three goddesses of fate recorded that it would be revived sooner or later.

It will bring unprecedented chaos and collapse on the evil path, but it will also bring an infinitely vibrant future and new life on the righteous path.

They can even achieve what the gods cannot: merge with the ether, which transcends all magic, and infuse it with their own will, thus becoming a being called the Destroyer/Creator, which is truly stronger than the ancient gods.

The unique aura of the supreme power known as [Domination]!
However, due to John's previous instructions that no one should interfere with his tactical maneuvers, which were not considered important matters.

No one noticed John's unusual behavior at this moment.

At this moment, a large amount of dark power, resembling both silt and tentacles, began to spread outward from the back of his head, gradually devouring the weaker magic power in the process.

At the same time, this dark power, as it continuously devoured magical energy, was replenished and began to gradually solidify from its original illusory state.

It's as if a force, truly hidden within the body, represents something completely out of step with the rest of the world.

It begins to recover from the restriction known as the Judgment of the Gods, intending to officially reveal its ferocious fangs, under the influence of that vast chaotic will.

This mortal body, though incredibly weak, was blessed by countless gods with a "blessing" that was even higher than a "blessing," used to counteract the "dominance" power of the twisted will formed by the deaths of countless lives—the dark side of the ether—and contained souls from strange dimensions.

With an impact on will that the human spirit could not withstand, it was completely transformed into a puppet of the power of domination.

And in the subsequent looting, he achieved his true awakening.

Subsequently, fueled by the malice of the dead towards the living, the puppet's actions, much like the magical mutations of thousands of years ago, unleashed destruction and collapse upon the entire planet.

Furthermore, through the era that was once hailed by countless people as gods and heroes, which was in fact the darkest age of the world, the apostle of [Nifalim], whom the gods called the most evil, whose name has now become a taboo, known only to a very few ancient families.

The enemy's death completed the defilement of the secondary etheric channel, forcing the gods to withdraw from the world.

He would then be able to use this body, with absolute advantage, to pollute the source of ether.

And after completing the final absorption of will, this ultimate evil thought, which is the result of the convergence of countless galaxies, will continue to spread and devour everything.

In other words, [domination] that can destroy everything or create everything.

Due to the significant depletion of John's mental energy, his soul power became uncontrollable and weakened, making it impossible for him to work with Qifu to completely suppress the evil power within this body.

The power of "Domination," representing the ultimate evil in the world, begins to awaken anew at this moment!

"Clap!"

……

(End of this chapter)