The Copernicus Satellite and the Seven Heroes’ Gambit

Rewind to a slightly earlier moment.

“Are we really just going to attack like this?”

Long before the Heavenly King Faction discovered Xie Shenhong’s whereabouts, they had already pinpointed the enemy’s location using a satellite.

Yes, you read that correctly: a satellite.

The “Copernicus” satellite was the most incredible ancient civilization relic excavated by the Vermillion Bird Kingdom from an ancient ruin.

Of course, rockets capable of launching satellites didn’t exist in this era. What they had actually found was the satellite’s control device, with limited permissions, allowing them only to observe and record conditions within the Vermillion Bird Kingdom.

Yet, it was more than sufficient.

Ancient civilizations weren’t merely high-tech; they were highly advanced cultures that seamlessly blended magic and technology. After Xie Shenhong used a transmitter to ascertain the enemy’s approximate location, the satellite swiftly deciphered the optical stealth array they had deployed, revealing their numbers and precise positions with absolute clarity.

“While the existence of the satellite cannot be revealed to everyone,” Cheng Lu, one of the Seven Heroes, immediately asked upon seeing the map Xie Shenhong produced.

As rising stars promising a bright future for the kingdom, each of the Seven Heroes possessed distinct operational styles. Cheng Lu, in particular, was a general who favored engaging opponents with a straightforward, honorable approach in combat and warfare.

“No, even if our strength were vastly superior, a head-on clash would not be wise,” Xie Shenhong stated.

“Moreover, our strength is far inferior to theirs.”

“An ambush, I like it!” Lu Feng exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

Leading troops over mountains and through valleys, sneaking through the dark, was his absolute favorite tactic.

“No, our speed isn’t enough, and our firepower is insufficient,” Lan Yuhe countered.

“If an ambush fails to defeat them in one swift strike, our situation will become perilous.”

“Little Shenhong, do you have a better plan?”

During the Eastern Expedition, Lan Yuhe commanded a troop of mages, whose primary role was to unleash devastating bombardments upon enemies on the battlefield. She had always believed this was her main duty until Xie Shenhong tasked her with freezing enemy cities, then suddenly bombarding them with crimson orbs, and even utilizing superheated steam.

It was as if a new world had opened to her, and she became utterly fascinated with employing the diverse physical and chemical reactions generated by composite magic to harm her foes.

Now, Lan Yuhe gazed at Xie Shenhong with eager anticipation, hoping for a new “reaction formula.”

Her eyes brimmed with expectation.

However, Xie Shenhong no longer felt any trace of inferiority.

For even if this expectation stemmed from the Xie Shenhong of the past, the one capable of providing

the answer was solely her current self!

“We’ll march in openly, eliminate the first wave of enemies we draw in, then flee, luring them into a pursuit.”

“Tianming, how many of our interference emitters do we have, and what range can they cover?”

“If we deploy all of them,” Li Tianming replied, “they can cover a radius of 500 meters.”

“Then, Ziyang and Ziyue, I’ll entrust the task of restricting enemy movement to you.”

“Understood,” the purple-haired twins, a boy and a girl, affirmed in unison.

As twins, their combined form allowed them not only to ascend to the Martial General rank but also to wield rare gravity magic.

Once, Xie Shenhong had them ascend thousands of meters high in a hot air balloon, using their abilities to help accelerate frozen cloud layers to crash onto the ground. Compared to that feat, their current task seemed almost mundane.

However, this wasn’t due to Xie Shenhong’s amnesia. The enemy’s strength vastly outstripped theirs, with their sole weakness being their reliance on puppets.

Thus, their strategy had to revolve around the puppet interference devices.

“What then? How do we break into the enemy formation?” Yin Qinggang asked, unable to remain still any longer.

“After weakening their combat strength as much as possible, the enemy will have few remaining countermeasures.”

“Their best option is immediate withdrawal, the middle option is to scatter and encircle us at a distance, and the worst option is to hold their ground.”

“If they choose the best option, we’ll assess the situation and continue the pursuit. If it’s the middle option, we’ll concentrate our forces to defeat them one by one. And if it’s the worst option, then we attack.”

“Attack?” Huang Yuan, ever the cautious one, subtly frowned.

Xie Shenhong produced the `Eagle Soaring the Skies` device, which she had obtained from Li Tianming, along with a space ring, her latest research creation.

“Don’t misunderstand,” she explained. “I know that a single magic bullet per day isn’t enough to turn the tide of battle.”

“However, we can transport all the interference wave emitters over in one go.”

The operation unfolded precisely as planned, proceeding with remarkable smoothness.

The enemy had even chosen the worst possible strategy: passively awaiting their demise.

Indeed, this outcome was hardly surprising.

Character dictated destiny.

This held true even for armies and organizations; the personalities of their generals and leaders determined everything.

Though intelligence on the Heavenly King Faction was scarce, their audacious actions—daring to strike openly in broad daylight while simultaneously eradicating both the Shogunate Faction and the Western Faction—clearly revealed their leader. This individual was ruthless, showing little mercy for their compatriots, incredibly arrogant, and utterly autocratic.

Such traits weren’t inherently problematic, but this leader was one who displayed them without any reservation.

Birds of a feather flocked together; those who followed such a leader were mostly desperate individuals driven by self-interest, disloyal even to family. The remainder were hypocrites, coerced into service, claiming helplessness while committing every conceivable atrocity.

Crucially, the narrator questioned what kind of delusion the Heavenly King Faction’s leader had given these people, as their actions reeked of utter disdain for the kingdom.

Perhaps the leader genuinely possessed the capabilities to back their arrogance. However, if their subordinates failed to grasp reality, mistaking their leader’s aura and confidence as something they inherently shared, the outcome could only be their current annihilation.

[Don’t let your guard down. The puppets cannot be their only trump card.]

Xie Shenhong, who had not joined the others in charging into the enemy formation, immediately responded after receiving a telepathic report from Li Tianming.

Yet, a mere ten seconds later, contact with Li Tianming was lost.

A blinding flash of lightning tore through the night, illuminating the entire area as if it were day.

[It’s an Imperial Gladiator… Shenhong, run!]

And Light, after delivering that message, also fell silent.

“The Seven Heroes of the Eastern Expedition… you are indeed worthy of being called the Vermillion Bird Kingdom’s rising stars.”

Rayne gazed at his opponents, who, despite having endured his draw attack, still stood. He offered a heartfelt compliment.

“You held back and you’re still saying such sarcastic things? Can’t you be less pretentious?” the golden-haired youth retorted.

That previous sword strike, though seemingly grand and powerful, was actually Rayne’s carefully controlled display of magic. He had precisely calibrated his power to merely incapacitate them, rather than inflict serious harm.

In other words, he had held back considerably.

However, the Seven Heroes each possessed different strengths, and Rayne’s control wasn’t flawless. As a result, Ziyang and Ziyue were forced to break their combined form, while Huang Yuan remained completely unaffected.

Li Tianming and Cheng Lu merely had their defensive magic shattered, but Lan Yu, Yin Qinggang, and Marco were knocked unconscious instantly. Only Lu Feng’s condition was precisely as Rayne had intended.

“I was merely stating a fact,” Rayne replied.

As he spoke, Rayne moved towards Huang Yuan, who possessed the strongest defense. He swung his sword with a speed Huang Yuan couldn’t react to, paralyzing him on the ground just as he had done to Lu Feng.

The Seven Heroes were roughly his age, and their talents were comparable.

Their primary disparity lay in the uneven distribution of magical energy between the Empire and the Kingdom. Had they been born in the Empire, some of them might well have already achieved the rank of Battle Lord.

Naturally, even if his victory felt unchivalrous, Rayne wouldn’t hesitate to act.

Yet, he had no intention of killing them, nor would he prevent them from sending word.

With Li Tianming also incapacitated, Rayne’s gaze settled on the last standing figure in the field: a golden-haired youth, wreathed in dark energy.

“I see, so you are *that* one,” Rayne mused.

“While the Emperor’s divine radiance is inviolable, I regret to inform you that I cannot surrender before your Saintess arrives.”

As he spoke, Rayne unleashed an arc of electricity, knocking out the remaining conscious Sakura Nation remnants and the Vermillion Bird Kingdom’s people. Only then did he assume a stance, poised for a draw attack.

But in the very next moment, the golden-haired youth transformed into a berserk beast and lunged forward.

Boom!

A colossal black claw slammed down, seemingly poised to crush Rayne into a bloody pulp.

Yet, it did not.

In the nick of time, Rayne’s entire being disintegrated into lightning particles, scattering from his spot. He instantly re-materialized into a human form behind his attacker.

“Thunder Stream Draw Technique: Lightning Confluence!”