One-Eyed Monster

The lengthy stalemate was torturous for everyone. It was also a constant cycle of offensive and defensive maneuvers. The attackers could not make a breakthrough, but they didn’t stop advancing. The defenders struggled greatly but never gave up.

You attack, I defend; the Dark Force and Igor’s group seemed to have formed a tacit understanding, constantly going back and forth, neither side showing any signs of tiring.

The Dark Force could naturally afford to hold out; it had existed for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, so it wouldn’t be disoriented by this mere repetition. But Igor and his companions were different. Even if some among them had bodies of iron and resilient spirits, how could they possibly outlast the passage of time?

This wasn’t like a true war where, upon reaching a certain level of exhaustion, both sides could call a truce for a while to recuperate. This was utterly a continuous battle, offering not a single chance to breathe.

Puppet Soldiers, Death Knights, Corpse Eaters—these things didn’t need to replenish their energy! This was a completely unbalanced battle.

The information asymmetry was already enough of a headache, and now there was this disparity in stamina. This was truly pushing them into a desperate situation.

Such a feeling could drive one to despair, and perhaps this was also one of the Dark Force’s methods of attack.

Igor didn’t dwell on it further. Since he was going to attempt a counter-attack, he couldn’t afford to have any misgivings.

Although he himself didn’t know if this counter-attack would be effective.

First, he had to summon the old lady from inside the Scale of Faith.

Fortunately, Kadi was by his side. This fellow had fought alongside the old lady before, so Igor felt they would surely be able to coordinate well at this moment.

In the process of this resistance, Igor had unknowingly learned to control the power of the Scale of Faith. Previously, this power had always required external conditions to be stimulated, but now he could master it flexibly.

One often experiences breakthroughs and grows in dire straits; Igor had finally experienced this principle firsthand. Therefore, he cherished this moment immensely. In this state, not only did he not feel despair, but he advanced further. This kind of growth was practically standard for heroes.

Igor didn’t dare presume to call himself a hero; his growth was also something for which he needed to thank Kadi.

If Kadi hadn’t found him at that critical juncture, he might have given up by then. After all, the Dark Force had already pushed him into a state with no way out and nowhere to hide. Kadi’s timely appearance allowed him to escape to a place the Dark Force couldn’t sense—how this place was formed, no one could clearly say. But what was undeniable was that this place gave Igor time to breathe, allowing him to re-examine his life’s trajectory, after which he managed to pull himself together again.

So, Kadi was the one who pulled him up from the abyss... And perhaps what he had obtained in that abyss would be just enough to resist this Dark Force.

Now Kadi was back too, and everything was ready. All that remained was to see the outcome.

Igor’s plan was quite peculiar; he felt everyone else would oppose it.

It was not because the plan was overly risky or dangerous; rather, it wasn’t a combat plan at all.

There were no magical attacks, nor would there be any coordination with Physique Techniques—nothing at all. What could they possibly use to defeat the Dark Force?

Kadi mulled over this plan, feeling utterly astounded—a stark contrast to everyone else’s reaction.

Kuren and Yuga could only shake their heads; they felt this method was completely unreliable.

Having experienced all sorts of battles, the baptism of war had made it very clear to them which combat strategies were reliable and which were just unreliable foolishness.

Risky methods might achieve miraculous results, but such risks demanded a price paid in blood and flesh. An attack of this nature might make Kuren and the others hesitate, but they would ultimately consent because, at this moment, they truly needed a more aggressive approach.

However, Igor’s approach was so radical that ’unbelievable’ was hardly adequate to describe it.

After so many battles, they were encountering such a scenario for the first time.

They had never heard of a war that could be won by relying on Verbal Attack.

It was a first to hear someone propose a Verbal Attack against a powerful enemy at this critical juncture.

This was simply a joke.

If battles could be won with words, what need would there be for Fighters and Hunters? They could just dispatch a group of orators at the start of a battle to wage a war of words.

Igor left them feeling utterly disappointed; to think that after so much deliberation, he had come up with such an unreliable idea.

It truly made a mockery of the meticulous care they had shown him before!

This Verbal Attack is a complete waste of time.

But what could they do? They could only shake their heads. The rhythm of the Puppet Soldiers, Death Knights, and Corpse Eaters hadn’t slowed; they had no time to indulge Igor in his game of playing house.

That’s right: Igor’s plan was to use the old lady from the Scale of Faith and Kadi to engage the Dark Force in a story-telling battle.

Whether it was called ’story-telling battle’ or ’mouth-cannoning,’ such terms sounded too refined. Igor still preferred to call it a Verbal Attack.

They had also planned this Verbal Attack in great detail. First, he analyzed the situation when Kadi and the old lady had contended with the Dark Force in his world. He discovered that whenever a story unknown to the Dark Force emerged, the Dark Force would become sluggish. This was the breakthrough point he had found, and he hoped it would prove effective.

Kadi was very optimistic about this Verbal Attack. After all, he had fought alongside the old lady from the Scale of Faith before and knew what this kind of Verbal Attack entailed. This wasn’t simple ’mouth-cannoning’; it was truly attacking the opponent with the power of language.

Igor very much wanted Kuren and the others’ advice, but those seniors all seemed to scoff at the plan.

What surprised Igor was that the Little Black Hands Kadi had brought were excited. They thought the plan was perfect.

Why are they so confident in this plan? Igor was still a bit puzzled as to what the Little Black Hands were so excited about.

”The moment we arrived, we felt a strong sense of affinity,” the Little Black Hands responded first. ”It seems like there’s a familiar feeling here.”

Familiar? Kadi was also baffled. Could it be that these Little Black Hands have been here before?

”We haven’t been here before; this is our first time,” the Little Black Hands answered. ”It’s just that we sense our own kind are here, so that’s why we feel an affinity.”

The Little Black Hands’ reply dispelled one of Kadi’s doubts but added a new one. What on earth were these Little Black Hands talking about?

Their own kind? What kind?

Not only Kadi, but Igor too was puzzled. It was rare for the Little Black Hands to have a sense of familiarity. There must be some connection in all this.