Chapter 160: On the Verge of War

  Blackbeard never pinned his hopes on the magic sword from the start, and the magic sword was just an object he used to test the durability of the armor. In fact, if Kurad's armor was as sturdy as the legend said, even a magic sword should not be able to pierce its defense. This was exactly what Blackbeard wanted to see, he needed an armor that could withstand the power of that demon.

  A large number of black poisonous insects crawled into the hollows of the armor used for breathing, and the armor that was originally used to defend against enemy attacks had become a cage that trapped its user, making it impossible for him to escape the insect's attack. The pain of being bitten by numerous insects crawling on his body, combined with the inability to scratch due to the armor, made everyone present feel uncomfortable even thinking about it.

  Kurad's death had become a certainty, and all he could do was roll around on the ground in agony. But what happened next was beyond everyone's expectations: after the poisonous insects burrowed into his armor, two people's mournful cries echoed from within the armor, and Kurad's originally coordinated limbs began to move strangely, as if his upper and lower body were not connected.

  Kurade's anguished cries soon faded away, and the intense struggling also came to a stop. Blackbeard walked up to the front of this strange armor, flipped it over onto its back, and began searching for something to remove the armor. One by one, the previously unopened links were opened, and this exceptionally sturdy armor was slowly peeled off from its original owner's body, revealing an appearance that no one had ever seen before.

  As the armor was opened, a large number of black insects poured out like water from the armor and crawled into his clothes along Blackbeard's legs, disappearing who-knows-where. In the armor, two dwarves, who had turned cyan-gray due to poisoning, were revealed after the cover of black insects was gone. Their faces, with expressions of unwillingness and pain, were frozen like statues, with their eyes bulging out.

  These two dwarves in the armor, one riding on the other's shoulder, seem to be in charge of the upper and lower body respectively. They look very similar in appearance, and their age is roughly the same, they should be twin brothers. The dwarf in charge of the upper body has a pair of long and strong arms, while the one in charge of the lower body has a pair of uncoordinated and strange legs. The two small bodies stacked together appear to be tall and majestic.

  In any pirate crew, a weird dwarf like him would only be bullied and made to do the dirtiest chores, but these two brothers used this armor and method to become a great pirate leader who shook the four seas. No wonder they also kept their identities strictly confidential, and almost never took off their armor.

  If the pirates of the Kuraude pirate group were to find out that inside this tall armor was just two dwarves, no one would be willing to listen to their orders. Even if they had the sturdiest armor among all pirates, it would be useless, for dwarves are originally a symbol of weakness and cowardice, and the pirates would attribute everything to them having good armor, not that they themselves possessed any special power.

  "I saw more strange things today than I have in my entire life."

  "Lex saw the outcome and said to Roger: 'The armor Kurade is actually two strange dwarf brothers, and Blackbeard is no longer human, and has killed two great pirates in a row. Tomorrow, the whole of Anas will be shocked by this news!'"

  "At the same time, this will be a reshuffle of the current situation." Compared to Lex who only saw the lively news, Roger obviously saw more depth: "Blackbeard, who has already killed two great pirates, will become an object of vigilance for all pirate leaders, and the entire Anas situation will change again..."

  "What's the point of thinking so much? We're just ordinary little pirates, not even ranking in the entire pirate group." Lex, who had left the tavern, tossed the money bag he had stolen from other pirates during the crowded moment and said: "It's been a long time since I used this technique... it seems that my hands are still quite skilled. Let me see... well, not only can we afford tonight's drinks, but we can also have a few more cups."

  "While you're rejoicing over stealing someone else's wallet, take a look at your own first." Roger pointed to the small tear on Lex's waist and said with a somewhat gloating smile: "People who plan to make a fortune in crowded places aren't just limited to you alone."

  "Ah!!!! This group of damned thieves! I'll kill them all!" Lex cursed loudly, searching his waist for the purse that had long since been pilfered by some dirty hand, completely disregarding the fact that he himself was also a thief. Roger turned back to look at the tavern where many people were still watching, firmly etching today's events into his memory.

  A month later, Iran and Morocco occupied the border zone.

  "Judging from our previous reconnaissance, in seven days we will encounter the first legion of Maro. In the command tent of the Lightning Legion, Kira pointed to a point on the map and said: "The lurking shadows in Elan must have known our intentions and informed the Maro people in advance, now they are already prepared."

  "Our march has been well concealed, and the SS have already eliminated the tail that was following us." Glock thought for a moment, looking at the map, before saying to Reforath, who was silently studying it: "Even if the Maro people know that Thunder Cliff is involved in the war, they won't know we'll be attacking from that direction. Sending only four legions to block our way really underestimates us."

  "A Meroe legion has one thousand five hundred men." A Carthaginian warrior who heard Gaius' words said, "Sending four legions to block our nine hundred men is already a great deal of respect for our strength. If they find out our position and come at us together, it will be quite troublesome."

  "The people of the Central Plains have become too weak." Nadal said, hugging his arms and revealing solid muscles: "We have 500 Salte warriors, and we can defeat ten Central Plains people with one person. What's more, we also have the most powerful weapon in Leiting Cliff, even if four legions come together, we can swallow them all at once."

  "Excessive pride will only lead to defeat." The Carthaginian warrior apparently did not want to hear this, and the derogatory remarks about the Central Plains people were countered with: "The Sart people who do not understand the art of war are like barbarians, and their brute force can only bring failure, no matter how strong their combat power is."

  "The lord has called you here to serve as guides." Gaius looked at the Carthaginians standing on the other side, his tone slow but not lacking in sharpness: "As for commanding the battle, that will be our decision. The legion commander allowed you to enter here and told you the plan of attack, which is already a great concession, so don't interfere with command, you Carthaginians who were defeated by the Romans."

  "You!"

  "Enough!" Reforla raised his head and shouted at the two groups of people with swords drawn: "Glock and Nadal, shut your mouths for me. I didn't bring you here to listen to your arguments. If you can't come up with any useful suggestions, then go back and sort out your troops!"

  "Don't engage in meaningless bickering." Seeing Reforla scolding him, Kira, who was originally standing by without stopping the argument, also sternly reprimanded his subordinates: "We came out this time to attack the Malo people, not to confront our allies. If you don't have any good suggestions, then all of you shut up."

  Kira is indeed an officer from the Central Plains country, and although he is not very skilled in using this internal balancing means, he has already become 70-80% similar to those military commanders. Before Reforla spoke, he allowed his direct subordinates and the Sault people to confront each other to ensure the interests of the Carthaginians.

  And once Refala, as the legion commander, began to speak, he immediately tightened the reins of his subordinates with a very cooperative expression. It's no wonder that he could become the leader of the Carthaginians who stayed in Thundercrag, not only because he was sincere to others, but also because he knew how to handle the relationship between superiors and subordinates.

  "Our smaller numbers are a disadvantage, but also a considerable advantage," said Reforra, who had already thought out a rough countermeasure. "Then we will be more flexible and harder to detect, Maro won't know our exact location, it's impossible for him to gather all four legions together to fight us, and a head-on confrontation with the strength of the four legions is not a good strategy. Don't forget the strategic idea that the city lord gave us, we should try to inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible while preserving ourselves."

  "For these four legions, it's best to defeat them separately. The Ma people know we have cannons and some advanced weapons, but we don't know what countermeasures they will take. So tomorrow, we'll head north towards the mountains, bypassing the front three legions, and attack their rear positions."

  "This way we can cut off their supply lines." Kira nodded and said, "But this will also make them go crazy and counterattack. Can we sneak past without being discovered? When we cut off the supply lines of these legions, our position will be completely exposed."

  "After we break through the legion in the rear, we will advance towards the direction of their supply town." Refor said, holding a long stick and pointing at the map: "Along the way, continuously intercepting their supplies, making it impossible for them to obtain supplies. This can save our own supplies while also forcing them to think of ways to quickly catch up with us, thus pulling open the distance between them..."