The Martial Unity

She took a deep drag of the pipe before heaving a long, smoky breath.

“Very well. I have confirmed that you have kept your end of the bargain, so I will share with you the information that you seek,” the Whisperer replied, putting down the pipe in her hands before accessing a computer in front of her, typing and clicking vigorously. “You seek information that will help you defeat the Dragon Emperor and the War Coalition of Kiriket, correct?”

“Yes,” Rui replied. “I need something that will help me overcome the quantitative difference between the War Coalition and the Harmonist Faction. Even getting to the Dragon Emperor with all those dragons and beasts around him will be almost impossible. And even I can’t possibly fight all of them at once and successfully, either.”

“How remarkably wise and understanding,” she mused. “Thankfully, I do have a lot of information on the therianthropes and the Dragon Emperor. One of the most important, yet seldom known facts is that the Dragon Emperor’s Authority of Alpha has range and time limits.”

Rui’s eyes lit up with a hint of interest. “What? Really? I didn’t even know that that was even possible.”

“It is, in fact, generally the norm for imperfect Authorities of Alpha,” she remarked knowingly, skimming the information that she had documented. “You are the unusual one if it doesn’t apply to you, you know? The Dragon Emperor needs to periodically activate his Authority of Alpha to exert his control over the therianthropes of the War Coalition. He also typically avoids staying away from his home for too long because the effect weakens too much if he stays away from home for too long.”

“…Of course,” Rui murmured as realization dawned on him. “No wonder he immediately left after realizing that the battle would become too tedious with the forces of six superpower civilizations. He didn’t even bother trying to skirt past me, who was caring for an injured Amare or the forces that could have stalled him only for so long if he was truly determined. I did think it was odd how quickly he came and left. Rather unusual if he came all the way to attack, to then just leave at a few speed bumps.”

“It’s because he hasn’t refined his Authority of Alpha,” she explained. “And given that his War Coalition is held by his Authority of Alpha, you have your work cut out for you.”

Rui nodded. “I do. How extensively is he holding the War Coalition with his Authority of Alpha alone? I find it hard to believe that the entire coalition comprises those who have been controlled by him.”

“Not entirely, no. Of course, there is the existing War Faction, but many of those who later joined the War Coalition have either joined because of the Authority of Alpha or the threat of it,” she explained. “I would say the dragon’s Authority is one of the largest causes of the ballooning of the War Coalition. If you can cancel his Authority, you will have found your condition for victory. That is why I would recommend that you focus on dismantling the control and influence he has over the War Coalition.”

“So I just need to use my Authority to cancel his and I can generate cracks in his coalition?” Rui raised an eye, studying her with a serious gaze.

“On the contrary, you could very well strengthen the War Coalition by doing that, Your Highness,” she explained patiently, taking a long drag from her pipe. “The fact of the matter is that one of the largest reasons that his fearmongering to unite people under the banner of the War Coalition has worked is that people in Kiriket fear you and your Authority. The idea that somebody who isn’t a therianthrope has the Authority to enslave them is extremely scary and horrifying. If you use your Authority on them hazardously, you will only reinforce the idea that you are a threat to them and they were resent you for it.”

“That is a very sensible point.” Rui nodded. “I do not intend to use my Authority to force people to do what they want. What I might do is use my Authority to cancel out his Authority. Getting him away from the continent to weaken the effects of his Authority will also be very useful. Preventing him from using his Authority in battle with him is also a very useful piece of information.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fiɾe·net

His idea began to flesh out more seriously in his mind as he considered what he was going to do with the Dragon Emperor in their battle.

’I need to get him away from Kiriket Continent so that I can weaken his Authority as much as possible, after using my Authority to break his,’ he mused internally. ’Given that his Authority appears to be weaker than mine, it should be possible for these combined measures to break his control over the therianthropes of Kiriket. Although I certainly shouldn’t take that for granted.’

The Dragon Emperor had been exerting control over them for quite some time, which meant that the inertia was on his side. Even a superior Authority was unlikely to defeat him very easily, which was something that Rui needed to account for.

That was where the intelligence of a weakening and imperfect Authority came into play.

“This is a good start.” Rui nodded, turning to the Whisperer. “What else do you have? This alone isn’t enough to give me the win. Even if the War Coalition begins to crumble, it will not be easy to overcome the sheer numbers gap between the two sides. What information do you have that can ameliorate the gap between both sides?”

“You’re rather greedy about information, aren’t you?” she heaved a sigh. “The numbers gap is not something that can be overcome through intelligence alone. But fortunately, I have something that can help…”

Rui listened carefully as the Whisperer explained more about the Beast Clans of Kiriket and everything Rui needed to know to form a better strategy to deal with them.