The plan worked like a charm.

The past week and a half was exhausting, but with effort, came reward.

All the acolytes participated in spreading the propaganda.

The goal was to make Liam sound as terrifying as possible.

It was funny how easy it was to do so when having 18,000 people at your disposal.

In a week and a half, both sides believed the Reaper to be some sort of invisible killer!

And with each Battle Station he wiped out, his infamy reached new levels. 𝑖𝘦.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Heck, as the days passed by, the number of Zeniths guarding the Battle Stations grew higher in number.

Their deaths only cemented his growing reputation.

Liam felt a pang of regret for letting all those bodies go to waste.

And there were so many of them!

But he had to. He had to leave behind evidence of his kills. They had to know.

No one was safe.

After a while, Liam had to take a different approach to the plan.

Since his side was losing, he had to request a bit of support from the vampires hiding beneath the earth.

During the coming battles, they subtly, silently, indirectly caused the death of a handful of Couragists.

Once, Liam saw an instant flash of invisible blue energy cause a Rank 5 Couragist to suddenly fall asleep mid attack!

Well, to anyone else, it was invisible. To the King’s Eye, it was not.

By the time the man was awake, a charged thunderbolt struck him square in the face, turning it inside out.

That power was just… stupidly strong.

After a few more days, the gap was closed, and the Fearists were winning.

And now, the Reaper, the Cloaked One, the Assassin in White were names to be both feared, and revered.

And yet, Liam hid himself quite well.

The Rank 5 Fearists tried to look for him, but were unable to.

Liam dormantly hid himself inside the shadows until they dropped the case.

But… what now?

What was next?

After just one more day, a new batch of Dual Imperialists would arrive.

And all the progress Liam and the Temple made would go up in smoke.

But Liam couldn’t just keep claiming land. It was no longer necessary, and it didn’t make sense.

The advantage they had was stronger than ever, but there was still a chance to lose all progress.

Desperation was the kryptonite of superiority.

It often led groups to higher risk, higher reward scenarios that made, or broke them, regardless of who had the advantage.

This was why a cornered animal was so dangerous.

They would put everything on the line, including their lives.

…But that was part of the plan.

***

In his dimly lit room, Liam had his eyes closed as the Psionic Rune filled his head with pressure.

‘Well… the plan is in its final stages,’ Liam thought seriously. ‘Tomorrow is the final day.’

Once upon a time, his head nearly split apart when merely glancing at the Rank 4 Rune.

Now, he could maintain a clear line of thought, even as his mental sphere steadily expanded.

The pain was the same.

The tolerance was different.

‘I’ve already told the vampires their jobs.’

‘Whether or not they follow it is a different matter entirely.’

‘I need to make sure Kitsu and the rest know what they’re doing, too.’

‘I can’t have them mess everything up at the last second.’

So much weighed on this, and the burden on Liam’s shoulders was almost crushing.

There wasn’t much left to do except prepare as best he could.

‘Haven’t made anything new for some time now,’ Liam thought. ‘Haven’t even looked at the Couragist’s armor…’

Liam accessed his ring and took out a series of shimmering, ornate gauntlets paired with full sets of crystalized armor.

Looking at them with an assessing eye, Liam studied both as the night slowly passed.

‘These really are amazing,’ Liam thought. ‘They’re not inscribed. Just forged. And yet, they somehow amplify the physical damage and speed output.’

‘The armor does the same, but defensive wise.’

‘Not just to Abominations, either, but it’s definitely stronger against them.’

Unfortunately, he couldn’t use either of them.

…Not in their base form.

The gauntlets were too big and clunky.

A swordsman needed the full flexibility of their arms to perform a wide range of swings.

Using them was akin to a swimmer putting a cinder block around his neck when swimming.

However… if he chipped them down and made them flexible?

Quite frankly, Liam was tired of having his arms ripped off so many times.

That was the only disadvantage that came with having four arms.

It gave his enemies four different ways to latch onto him.

Breaking the gauntlets down would bring down their power amplification abilities, but it was a decent alternative to having his limbs torn.

Plus, he could just inscribe them.

The armor, on the other hand, was a no-go.

There wasn’t a weight problem, but it conflicted with Liam’s Redirection Cloak.

For the remainder of the night, Liam tinkered with the gauntlets, tuning it to his tastes.

Though, on the side, Liam tinkered with the armor.

But instead of making it for himself… he was improving it for another person.

At the same time, Liam explained to Kitsu and all the other Zeniths of the Temple their jobs for the final battle.

Entering a Rank 5 Zone was extremely dangerous, even to the strongest Rank 4 Zenith, let alone Liam.

Their job was simple.

Protection.

Both if the Fearists didn’t protect Liam, and if the Couragists targeted him.

***

Soon enough…

It was time.

Sounds blared outside of Liam’s Battle Station, and all the Fearists rushed out of their homes in preparation for the last and final battle.

Liam heaved a sigh, then put on the two pairs of gauntlets he’d inscribed for himself.

Instead of the silvery white, he’d colored them with a dark-crimson hue using his blood.

A demon wore them now. Not a warrior. Its entire aura changed, and not just its purpose.

They were perfectly lightweight, and resembled armguards more than they did cannons.

Liam threw on the cloak and left.

.