Chapter 22: Preparation

As they got closer to the battlefield, they could already see a massive black dot covering part of it. However, despite its size, the black dot was nothing compared to the scale of the battlefield.

These black dots all represented humans, and there were many of them.

"Darius, do you have an estimate of these beings?" Kael asked as he looked at the army they were approaching.

"Crown Prince, I would say, based on the fact that the Jimi Kingdom is a mid-sized one with two million people, the army should be around two hundred thousand," Darius replied as Kael nodded. When had he ever seen such a large number of people gathered together? Even during his family's grand celebrations for his birthdays, the number of attendees wasn't even close to a thousand. Only the truly wealthy could participate. But now, this enormous number was terrifying.

"Amazing, this trial has broadened my view," Kael thought. The strength he now felt as a Grandmaster Realm being was incredible. He felt he could travel close to the speed of sound, destroy a small mountain, and even withstand a grenade blast or a tank strike.

He had broken through the shackles of human limits. Now, he was a superhuman.

"Darius, how many soldiers do you think the Fin Land Kingdom will send here?" Kael asked as Darius frowned.

"Probably four hundred to eight hundred thousand," Darius said. Garrick and Jack were listening intently. There was a limit to their knowledge of such matters. They had rarely experienced a battle of this scale, unlike Darius, who was a war veteran.

"Well, the winner seems clear. Is that their entire army, or is there more?" Kael asked as Darius responded.

"There's more. They should have at least one million soldiers. Sending eight hundred thousand would be excessive—four hundred thousand or even three hundred thousand would be enough. After all, in terms of powerhouses, they have more," Darius said as he compared the two kingdoms. One had, at most, a Peak Master Realm expert, while the other had many Grandmaster Realm warriors.

For beings like them, the number of weaker soldiers rarely mattered. A single attack from a Grandmaster Realm expert could wipe out thousands of soldiers, let alone a large-scale attack.

Finally, Kael and the army reached their destination, accompanied by one hundred thousand soldiers, all at the Martial Disciple Realm, with commanders at the Martial Warrior Realm.

This was how it worked: a commander led one hundred soldiers, while a general led one thousand soldiers, equivalent to ten commanders. A commander was at the Martial Warrior Realm, while a general was at the Martial Master Realm. This structure was only standard for top kingdoms like Eryndor and Fin Land. For smaller kingdoms like the Jimi Kingdom, the standards were much lower.

"Greetings to the Crown Prince!" a general shouted, and the army of hundreds of thousands echoed his words.

The sound traveled far and wide as Kael closed his ears briefly and nodded to them.

Garrick dismounted and helped Kael off his horse.

"Thank you. I greet you all as well," Kael said as the soldiers listened intently, smiles on their faces.

They were thrilled for two reasons: the Crown Prince's presence implied that multiple Grandmaster Realm experts were secretly protecting him, and Kael had brought one hundred thousand elite soldiers with him.

Although the Jimi Kingdom's army was twice as large as Kael's, the difference in quality was evident. The aura of Kael's soldiers was on a completely different level.

The Jimi Kingdom's soldiers were ordinary humans, while their commanders were at the Martial Disciple Realm, and their generals were at the Martial Warrior Realm, with a few Martial Masters as reinforcements.

"It's our honor, Crown Prince. We thank you for your support," one of the strongest generals replied. He was half a step into the Martial Master Realm, a middle-aged man still young enough to have the potential to reach the Grandmaster Realm in the future.

"All right, let's head inside. We need to discuss the plan. Time is running out," Kael said as the general nodded and led the way.

Ahead, tents were set up all around. This war wouldn't be decided in a single battle. The Jimi Kingdom was actively seeking reinforcements from other kingdoms, as was the Fin Land Kingdom. Even the Eryndor Kingdom would send additional soldiers as the war progressed.

"All generals and Martial Masters must meet me here," Kael ordered as the general saluted and hurried off.

Kael, along with Garrick, Jack, Darius, and other Martial Masters from his forces, entered a massive tent at the center. This was the designated meeting area, and its size reflected its importance.

A few minutes later, the tent was packed. Twenty individuals sat around a large round table, while the others stood. Each of these twenty people was at the peak of the Martial Master Realm or close to it—except for Kael. To many, he was still the "waste Crown Prince."

"I'm glad you're all here," Kael stated. He was seated on the largest throne, and none of the others dared challenge him. As the Crown Prince of Eryndor, his authority outweighed theirs.

"It is our honor, Crown Prince."

"We are here to serve you."

"Our pleasure, Crown Prince."

Several powerhouses spoke out, using the opportunity to flatter Kael.

"Thank you for your loyalty," Kael said. His calm tone silenced the murmurs. "Now, I have a plan in mind, but first, I'd like to hear yours."

He looked around the room, waiting. One by one, the leaders exchanged glances, hesitant to speak. Finally, someone stood to address him.

"Crown Prince, it is like this. The king plans to contact as many kingdoms as he can, all in an effort to assemble a sufficient army to battle the Fin Land Kingdom. At the very least, if our powerhouses are not enough, the ordinary soldiers must make up for it," a middle-aged man said. His beard and hair had a few streaks of white, and his relatively bulky frame exuded a commanding and oppressive presence in the room.

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