"Hematite has eight major towns, plus the capital, those nine locations will be our main targets. Let’s split the nation into two halves, east and west...the capital’s in the west, by the coastline. So, let’s attack the west half to begin with, targeting the capital and these three towns here, occupy them and then target the towns after we have control over the west half of the nation, we can then turn our attention to the smaller villages.

From what we know, the Nobles currently have control over the west, while the Commoners are holding onto the east, with both sides hanging on by a thread at this point. Targeting the Nobles would be the more productive option, since the Commoners are more likely to surrender and be reasoned with," I surmised objectively.

"Hm, that does make sense, but wouldn’t it be easier to first target the east and get the Commoners on our side? That way, we’ll have a larger fighting force when we take on the Nobles," Pointed out Sinia.

"I did think of that, but no, that poses too many risks. We’re a group that includes a Demon, a Half-Demon Half-Dragon, a few dozen Demi-Humans and three Heretics...so the Commoners may well oppose us too. However, if we take control of half the nation, thereby displaying our power and might, the Commoners are more likely to surrender to us. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

After all, they’ve been waging this war that’s now at somewhat of a standstill for years now, if we accomplish what they haven’t been able to in a single day, I doubt they’ll be too keen on fighting us. We’re certainly going to have to kill a whole lot of people in order to take over Hematite, but that said, I’d prefer not to kill unnecessarily...whoever surrenders will be spared," I replied firmly.

Today’s the 15th of Maius, 2020, and we were all currently at the Haven. A total of around sixty people from the Haven had volunteered to fight alongside us, including four of the Elders; Sinia, Howll, Ulfar and Arofri.

So, our total numbers are at a little above seventy, which is a fair bit more than I’d expected. I’m confident we can pull this off without too much trouble, but that’s no reason to be complacent...so we’ll cover all our bases and make sure we’re as prepared as possible to pull this off.

We’ll launch our attack on the 17th, two days from now. We came to the Haven to conduct our planning and strategizing, and it’s going pretty well so far.

"How will we split up our forces?" Inquired Lucifer, as she peered at the map.

"You, me and Izzy will each lead a group of fifteen to three of the places we intitally target. The remaining twenty-five to thirty will attack the fourth target. And I’ll take the capital myself," I stated in response.

"Oh? And why is that? The Demon they hold captive, they’ll be in the capital, yes? Would it not be more logical for either myself or Izzy to attack the capital? I doubt you’re more powerful than we are, and it’s possible that the Demon will attack you without giving you a chance to explain yourself," Pointed out Lucifer.

"I mean, I’m the only one who can break the control device, remember?" I countered, before adding wryly, "Well, technically, it’s Azazel who can do that, not me, but my point stands. Not to mention, you sensed Azazel in me when I freed you, so it’s possible that this Demon will too."

"Hm...fair enough, I suppose that makes sense."

"Alright, so, each of the four groups we split up into shall attack our respective targets simultaneously, and then activate these Magic Items to prevent our enemies from calling in any additional backup?" Surmised Arofri, picking up one of the barrier Magic Items we had.

"Yeah, that’s right. These barriers are highly durable, and also prevent teleportation in or out of it. However, they’ll only last for about half an hour, so keep that in mind," I replied with a nod.

We’ve got five of these devices, and each one can be used twice, so we can put up a total of ten of these barriers.

"Sounds like plenty of time to me," Remarked Lucifer with a shrug, before adding, "Oh, and as for the town I attack, let me do it alone. Having others with me would only be a hindrance, I wouldn’t be able to go all out."

"Yeah, that’s a good point...don’t want you accidentally friendly-firing, after all. Alright, if you think you can handle it, then sure, go for it. But don’t kill anyone who surrenders, okay?"

"Very well, I have no objections to that. It would be beneath me to attack those who have no desire or will to fight back."

"Alright, then, we should reallocate the forces that would’ve accompanied you...okay, how about this? Izzy and I will have twenty others with us, and the rest will join the forces attacking our fourth target," I suggested after mulling it over.

Hm...or maybe we should just allocate all the remaining forces to the fourth location?

"There is one thing I’m a bit concerned about...most of you guys from the Haven have no real experience in killing people, right? Are you sure you can handle this?" Spoke up Rosary with a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, that’s a good point, I was thinking the same thing," Nodded Argent in agreement.

"I think we should be fine in that regard...hesitation or uncertainty in a battle could prove fatal, so we have no choice," Responded Arofri objectively.

"We already spoke about this exact thing back when we were getting volunteers for this battle, so we’re all prepared for what we have to do," Added Sinia.

I would certainly hope so, for their own sakes...

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