Chapter 025: Killing Many Birds with One Stone
The biggest difference between the mob and the imperial army lies in "battlefield discipline".
In terms of individual combat power, many of the veteran bandits who crawled out of the pile of corpses were not weaker than the imperial soldiers. However, their lack of organization and discipline also made them unable to muster any combat power.
"Riding the wind and venturing against it" is the inherent attribute of the robbers.
When there is an advantage, people will rush forward, and whoever has faster hands will grab more; when there is a disadvantage, whoever has longer legs will survive, rather than let their friends die.
At this moment, when the Phantom Thieves saw their companions being killed in large numbers and most of the mechanical cities were laid low, the guys who had just been cursing and swearing about capturing the Crown Prince Quentin alive immediately changed their faces.
Without the Steam Machinery City, everyone knew that if they stayed there any longer, the Omar Empire Royal Legion would close the encirclement and none of them would be able to escape.
Therefore, these phantom thieves who had just called each other brothers and shared life and death together, flew away separately when disaster struck.
Like birds startled in a dense forest, tens of thousands of strange thieves scattered in a hurry.
But in the blink of an eye, there was no one else around [White Wolf] Basel except a few trusted subordinates.
The mob collapsed without being fought, and the few members of the Omar royal family who had been besieged just now suddenly felt no pressure, and they looked at the silver wolf with ill intentions.
The outcome was decided. The eldest prince Quentin could not help but get excited and said jokingly, "Mr. Bazel, it seems that your companions are not so eager to die with you..."
Today, this werewolf must die no matter what!
…
The war goes on.
Although they were surrounded, not all of the Phantom Thieves chose to surrender.
Especially those bounty-bearing criminals who knew that they were guilty of heinous crimes and would not be able to escape the gallows even if they surrendered, they were even more determined to fight to the death.
This is an extremely terrifying force. Most of them are the leaders and elites of the major Phantom Thieves groups, including the [Demon Hunter Blade] and [Great Demon Hunter] who have broken through the third and fourth order gene locks.
Artillery can cause huge damage to low-level transcendents, but it is not much of a threat to those whose reaction speed reaches the limit of human beings.
As long as they escape the encirclement, they can survive.
The steam machine of the Phantom Thieves is like a Lego toy. It is not a welded whole, but a "stitched monster" with many compartments for various purposes, assembled together with rivets and suspension systems.
"Remove the cabins and discard all the buildings that can be discarded except the power boilers!"
"Cut the carriages and reduce the weight to the lightest!"
"Boiler boost, load overload operation mode..."
“…”
Most of the Phantom Thieves' mechanical castles have been modified in black market mechanical modification factories and are equipped with many quick disassembly devices for the purpose of escaping in critical moments.
The mechanical city, which cost countless amounts of money, is the most important asset of the Phantom Thieves and the "lifeline" that the leaders are proud of!
But at this moment, in order to survive, those decisive thief leaders had to abandon their belongings accumulated over the years and flee with light luggage.
…
"The ride is coming!"
Ryan knew that he couldn't escape far relying solely on his legs.
After observing for a long time at the edge of the battlefield, he did not dare to choose the large Phantom Thieves Group that was being given special attention by the Omar Empire. Instead, he seized the opportunity and climbed onto a miniature mechanical city that had been disassembled to the point where only the skeleton was left.
Only if you have the courage to "cut off your own arm" can you have a chance to survive. Unlike some idiots who still want to keep the mechanical city of the Phantom Thieves intact and rush out...
The southwest is the only . Only those Phantom Thieves who can observe this gap now will have a chance to escape.
…
On the other hand, somewhere on the battlefield.
An elegant middle-aged man in a fitted tuxedo, a red-bottomed black cloak, and a top hat was drinking quietly, his every move revealing the elegance of a high-class aristocrat.
Even though a great battle was raging not far away and the artillery fire was deafening, his face did not show the slightest emotion.
"I miscalculated this time."
The middle-aged man's slightly green eyes flashed with a bewitching luster, and he murmured to himself: "No wonder so many court officials came. It turns out that those guys from Omar even planned against me. Haha, they are really good at planning..."
At the round table, an old man dressed as a butler added bright red liquid to the middle-aged man's cup with a crystal pot and asked, "My Lord Prince, what should we do now?"
If there were outsiders present, they would naturally recognize that the middle-aged man in a tuxedo was actually William Dracula, the [Blood Prince] of the Theed Empire!
"What else can I do?"
Prince William sighed slightly, looking somewhat helpless, and said, "After all, the contract has been signed. Omar's people did not violate the agreement, so we must do the same."
"Yes, sir."
The butler nodded and said, "What a pity... My Lord, those Phantom Thieves that you funded in southern Oma are likely to be wiped out this time."
"Yeah... a great strategy that kills many birds with one stone!"
Prince William rubbed his brows and looked out at the battlefield where artillery fire was roaring.
After a moment of silence, he continued, "Use the White Wolf Bazel to severely injure the princess, and then use us to kill her. The greatest threat to the succession to the throne will be eliminated..."
After a pause, he continued, "During the entire assassination process, no one from the Omar royal family was directly involved, so there was no need to get involved in any trouble. In the future, there is no need to worry about those members of the parliament who support Ymir causing trouble... This trick of 'changing the knife to kill' is really clever."
At this point, the prince could not help but praise repeatedly, not hiding his appreciation for this plan, and added: "Originally, it was impossible to completely wipe out the banditry in the south, but I didn't expect those guys to come up with this brilliant . The overall situation of the banditry has been decided, and the prestige of the eldest prince Quentin will reach its peak. The first line of succession will belong to him..."
Moreover, some of the forces supported by their Theed Empire in the Phantom Thieves Group in southern Oma were also wiped out this time. They suffered a loss but could not say anything about it.
Prince William felt a little upset.
His eyes sparkled, and he sighed, "The strategist who came up with this plan... is a real talent!"
The butler at the side asked, "Sir, do you need me to investigate that guy?"
"Well. If possible, let's see if we can win them over..."
Prince William nodded and said lazily, "However, a guy with this kind of strategy and vision is probably not easy to win over."
Then, as if he had thought of something, he asked again, "By the way, have you found the thing in Baron Morin's hand?"
"No whereabouts yet."
The butler said, "However, Quinn from the Weasel Group reported that he has some clues and that a newcomer is a major suspect. I have already notified the secret agents in Omar to try to save those guys' lives. I'm afraid that the newcomer will die before we find him..."
Prince William looked a little gloomy and complained, "Damn it! If it weren't for this war, things wouldn't have been so troublesome. If that thing was obtained, Omar's technological advantage would be gone..."
Before he could think about it, he suddenly seemed to sense something and said, "Okay, the target is here, get ready to act."
In the distance reflected in his eyes, the injured Princess Ymir of Omar was walking slowly under the protection of her guards.
At this moment, the prince showed his sharp vampire fangs.
…
On the other hand.
Basel, the White Wolf who was so aggressive just now and vowed to kill Omar and his group, is now in a very miserable state.
His brothers either died or escaped, but he was alone surrounded and killed by several royal servants.
At this moment, the tall silver wolf was no longer as fierce as before, and its body was covered with wounds. The black flame magic of the great wizard [Yan Mo] Heimos was like a thorn in the flesh , burning its fur black. Even the werewolf's super healing ability could not stop the evil fire of this black magic.
Originally, if it was such an enemy, Basel could still rely on the werewolf's super strong physique to fight it hard.
Even if you can't win, you can still escape.
But... now those who are surrounding him include not only Hamos, but also several royal priests of Omar!
You can't beat him, and you can't escape him.
Bazel looked very unhappy.
…
Compared with the intense and tense atmosphere on the battlefield, the eldest prince Quentin, who was watching the battle relaxedly not far away, was in a good mood.
"Hahaha... [White Wolf] Bazel can't escape this time."
He looked at the battle in front of him and could hardly contain his excitement.
This “one of the ten legendary demon hunters” is the ceiling of the Phantom Thieves. He is a ruthless man who even his father is a headache for, and many commanders of various legions have failed before him.
Today, he was going to die in front of him.
This is an unprecedented brilliant achievement!
Quentin looked at the black-robed aides around him, without any airs of a prince, and without hiding his gratitude, he said: "Mr. Metternich, this time the bandit suppression was thanks to your arrangement! If I ascend the throne in the future, I will definitely confer the title of prince on you!"
The black-robed aide's tone was calm and composed, neither arrogant nor impatient. "Your Highness, you are too kind... I just did what I should do."
"Sir, you are too modest!"
Quentin looked at the promising battle situation in front of him and his heart was filled with excitement.
These are all his military achievements, and they will be recorded in history in the future.
From today onwards, no one can compare with the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince... in terms of merit and prestige, no one can compare with him!
But in the blink of an eye, Quentin looked at the small groups of Phantom Thieves fleeing towards the gap in the southwest, and wondered, "Mr. Metternich, why didn't the mechanical army's encirclement completely surround the southwest... wouldn't many robbers escape if that happened?"
"There are many experts in the Phantom Thieves. Even if we can win in a head-on clash, the Royal Army will suffer heavy losses. We should surround three of them and leave one behind so that they won't be cornered..."
The black-robed staff explained: "Don't worry, Your Highness. There are still the First Legion's mechanical cavalry waiting for them. There may be a few fish and shrimps that slip through the net, but a large group like the 'White Wolf Group' will never be let go. Only by suppressing the bandits with low losses can Your Highness's talent and reputation impress the officials of the empire..."
