Chapter 1120: I, Oss, Will Never Underestimate the Enemy!

Chapter 1120: I, Os, Will Never Underestimate My Enemy!

"Seventh one."

"How little time has passed, and yet he has already defeated seven of our core imperial leaders! Is the Celestial Sovereign truly that terrifying?"

"Doesn't this Celestial Sovereign feel even stronger than the legends suggest?"

...

The crimson ministers debated among themselves.

"Silence!"

A servant standing beside Os's duplicate raised his voice sharply.

Instantly, the hall fell into quiet.

"Where are the reinforcements sent by the Emperor?"

Os's duplicate spoke first.

"The reinforcements were en route at the time, but the Celestial Emperor's army moved with such speed that our forces could not catch up."

"Moreover, we had no knowledge of their intended targets, and the rate at which they seized our imperial-level lord domains was astonishing—leaving us only to trail behind, reacting passively. As a result, we never managed to close the gap or arrive in time to provide aid."

"Dismiss them."

Os's duplicate commanded.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The crimson messenger withdrew.

After he had departed, Os's duplicate turned to gaze upon the assembly of crimson ministers.

Of these ministers, only a small fraction had been personally cultivated by Him since his youth as loyal subordinates. The rest had been inherited through His myth-tier, singular lordhood ability—[Chaos Demon Lord].

Though acquired through inheritance, their loyalty remained steadfast and trustworthy. Thus, He asked directly:

"What strategies do the ministers have?"

"Please share them all."

The ministers exchanged glances, then the Imperial Marshal, Zunqi, stepped forward with respectful solemnity:

"Your Majesty,"

"The enemy's mobility and combat speed are both exceedingly swift. Should we merely dispatch reinforcements to protect the targeted high-tier Imperial domains, such a measure would likely prove futile."

"Given that the enemy has won seven battles in a row, it is certain that tomorrow they will advance again against our high-tier Crimson Empires."

"At this moment, I believe only two courses of action can effectively counter their offensive momentum."

"The first: summon all high-tier Crimson Empires to gather their neighboring Crimson Lord domains, forming a united front. The high-tier empires must consolidate and support one another. In terms of military strength, we must at least match the power of the Jiaoyang Kingdom."

"Thus, when the high-tier Crimson Empires face attack, they will at least have time to resist, waiting for our reinforcements to arrive. Moreover, we can use this strategy to set a trap, and in one decisive strike, annihilate the entire Jiaoyang Kingdom's forces!"

"The second: mobilize our entire army, abandon all current duties, and launch a full-scale assault upon the Jiaoyang Kingdom ruled by the Celestial Emperor."

"The vehicle of the Celestial Emperor's realm may be swift, yet his domain remains fixed. As long as we strike at its core, the Celestial Emperor will inevitably return to defend his territory."

"With our fifty thousand Red Empire forces and over a million kingdom-level Red Lord factions—each wielding terrifying armies and divine beings—Jiaoyang Kingdom will fall in an instant!"

The moment these words were spoken, the ministers all grew stunned.

"This… To defeat a single Celestial Emperor, we are to gather all Red forces? Is this not an overestimation of the enemy?"

"Yes, exactly. Fifty thousand Red Empires could amass over a thousand true gods, hundreds of millions of Red spirits, and thousands of billions of troops. Such power would even overwhelm a top-tier divine kingdom led by a Supreme God. Would we truly go to war against a mere Jiaoyang Kingdom?"

"Are we not vastly overestimating the enemy?"

"No—I believe the opposite. A rash mobilization of vast armies toward Jiaoyang Kingdom might prove disastrous. I have heard that the Celestial Emperor possesses a unique power known as 'infiltration.' It is said that just before battle, he can activate this ability and absorb half of the enemy’s forces into his own. This is a terrifying power. If such a force falls upon our invading armies, our entire force would instantly become the enemy’s supply—our offensive would collapse, and the balance of power between us and Jiaoyang Kingdom would shift entirely."

"I know of this very thing. Therefore, until this issue is resolved, do not rashly send large armies into the presence of that Celestial Emperor."

"This power is beyond terrifying. If the Celestial Emperor truly possesses such a capability, who among the countless lords could possibly stand against him?"

At that very moment.

Os's quiet voice echoed.

"My Majesty has a method to counteract the enemy's subversion ability."

The chaos ministers instantly turned to Os.

"After I learned of the Celestial Sovereign's ability, I personally sought counsel from the Great Crimson Master."

"The Crimson Master confirmed that the enemy indeed possesses this ability—and that it is a Lord-tier innate power."

"But this Lord-tier innate power is not all-powerful."

"First: this ability can only be activated once per day."

"Second: it can only be used when the forces on both sides are roughly balanced. Should there be a significant disparity in strength, even if the enemy activates this ability, it will have no effect."

"Third: the upper limit of this ability is at the level of Supreme Deity. I have already paid a considerable price to borrow from the Crimson Master a sacred artifact. With that artifact's protection, our entire army will never be subverted by the enemy—and in fact, we will turn the enemy's subversion power into a weapon against them."

Os smiled at the end of his words.

The ministers of Chaos blinked their eyes with sudden enlightenment.

"Resh, your suggestion is quite excellent."

"But even the first one is out of the question—opponent has superior mobility. Even if we set traps, they'll escape effortlessly."

"And I have reviewed the past records of the Celestial Sovereign, the human ruler of the realm."

"This man, holding the rank of Sovereign, possesses a terrifying ability to grow stronger with each battle."

"Therefore, we must either avoid contact entirely, or strike—strike with everything we have, and annihilate them immediately!"

"Thus, I have decided: we will mobilize fifty thousand soldiers from the Red Empire and one million from the Red Kingdom, launching a massive assault on the Prairial Kingdom!"

"No room for hope, no chance of survival—for the enemy!"

A cold glint flashed in Os's eyes.

He had read countless lordly novels.

In those stories, certain antagonists, when facing the protagonist, would always dismiss them with contempt, sending off mere detachments to fight, only for this tactic to allow the protagonist to grow stronger through relentless warfare. By the time the antagonists finally realized their mistake and attempted to confront the protagonist head-on, the protagonist had already become a colossal force—capable of effortlessly crushing any opponent with mere casual strength.

As the Crimson Son intimately familiar with every trope of lordly fiction, how could He possibly commit such a fundamental error?

Either don't fight at all—

Or fight and destroy outright.

He, the Crimson Son—Os—would never underestimate his foes.

As for the attitudes of other Crimson factions toward this, He would not care.

The strong always walk alone.

To be swayed by the narrow-minded, or even to be bound by their flawed perceptions, is a path paved only for failure.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Although the ministers of chaos each harbored their own opinions, upon seeing their sovereign had made a firm decision in his heart, they fell silent, bowing with eager devotion and resolute determination.