Hmmmp

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"Still, aren't they at a disadvantage in terms of numbers compared to the Northern users?"

"The size of the army isn't everything, though. What really matters is the advanced combat power. A single magic scroll can kill thousands of people, and as long as they are willing to spend their money liberally..."

"But those kinds of magic scrolls are hard to come by, you can't just ignore headcount. The Haven Empire has also experienced defeat in the past because of their smaller size, even though they had put up a good fight in every battle."

"Things are different this time. They have thoroughly prepared themselves for this, and the entire military forces of the Haven Empire will assemble here."

"And by now there will be all sorts of ragtag players from across the Versailles Continent gathering in the Arpen Kingdom's camp. This will be the day the greatest battle of the Versailles continent takes place."

"It's gonna be awesome when the two forces finally clash."

The Haven Empire and the Arpen Kingdom!

It wasn't easy to predict which side would win. People thought it might be possible that the tide of the battle swings heavily towards one side once the battle actually begins, but for now they had no way to know exactly how things would turn out to be. The users who were convinced of the Haven Empire's victory continued gathering on the banks of the Dellawood River.

***

One hour before the battle of the Garnav Plain!

In the Haven Empire's Aren Castle, the highest-ranking players were making their appearances one by one.

"Finally, today is the big day."

"We'll be able to wipe out the lot from the North, at last."

The core members of the guild were assembling in Aren Castle, not in the Empire's camp on the banks of the Dellawood River. Armed with the best weapons and gears known to date and fully ready for combat, they sipped a glass of wine while relaxing.

There was a fixed-type teleport gate currently installed there, so they could instantly move from Aren Castle to the Garnav Plain whenever they wanted. To carry out the task of setting up the gate in secret, Steer, who was leading the Intelligence Bureau and the Assassins squad, had gone through a lot of hard work.

"Welcome, Boemong-nim."

"I've got a new double-bladed axe... and I shall fight until it breaks into pieces today."

"Nero-nim hasn't arrived yet?"

"I've heard that he has a lot of work related to Magical Squad business."

"If you're talking about the Ice Squad, no wonder they are so busy. I've also heard some rumors that Nero-nim has almost reached the Master level in Ice-type spells..."

"I don't think that is true. Magic is one of those fields of study in which it's very difficult to increase skill level. Still, he has probably reached quite a high level."

It had been a long time since all of these important members, normally scattered far from one another in hunting grounds and dungeons across the Continent, gathered together in one place. The commanding officers, including some lords of great influence and leaders of knightly orders, also enjoyed some chat as they had a meal together.

"I've been itching for some action, since there haven't been many big fights recently."

"This war is certainly going to be big in terms of numbers, although the fact that it's going to be full of small fry does lower the excitement somewhat."