Hitman with a Badass System

As the sun's rays cast an orange hue on the room through the golden curtains, Michael and all of his allies gathered in Zulon around an oak table. They had the map of Itholan on the table to plan their offense. With a Half Immortal by their side, for the first time, they all felt confident about defeating Thusia once and for all.

"We have four cities in Itholan," Yagnar pointed at the map.

"All of them were turned into dukedoms by King Maxim. Golden Port, Diamond valley, Valeria, and the Capital, which is now called New Thusia," Yagnar pointed at the four cities of Thusia to everyone. Michael studied the map carefully. Being a Half Immortal didn't mean he could rush into battle half-assed. Just like ever, he planned his actions carefully.

Looking at the map, Michael realized why Maxim Barnes picked Itholan as his new kingdom. Itholan was a large island near the mainland. The only way to reach Itholan was the bridge between Northguard and Itholan. Hence, why Maxim conquered Northguard immediately after conquering Itholan.

The kingdom was like nature's favorite child. Various mountains, lush forests, and treacherous swamp lands riddled the kingdom. To reach the capital, they had to go through everything. Marching through the treacherous terrain of Itholan would not only exhaust the army but also make them sick, especially on a cold winter like this.

"Let's assume we take over Northguard, marching our armies through this bridge," Yagnar placed his finger on the bridge,

"It's suicidal. If I was Maxim Barnes, I would destroy the bridge when the army is in the middle of it and end the war before even it began,"

"We cannot fly above the bridge because almost eighty percent of our army consists of soldiers below the Core Formation stage," said General Bryce.

Michael broadcasted their meeting using the Spyder on his neck for Vedora to see in the dark forest. He valued Vedora's input as well, especially Cain's. Besides, this would take their mind off of what they had heard from Mugashuku.

"What about sailing our armies from Crystal ocean to the Golden port?" asked Michael. The allies frowned. His suggestion seemed borderline stupid because none of them had a large fleet big enough to hold all their soldiers and fight the mighty naval force of Thusia.

"Not an option unless you have a fleet hiding in your backyard," chuckled Prince Davarius. But a smile formed on Michael's face, catching them off guard. They didn't know he had a fleet twice the size of the Thusian naval fleet in the Southern continent. Unfortunately, the Guardian Guild knew the fleet belonged to the Dark Lord. Using this fleet would put Ghost closer to the Dark Lord. Many might think Ghost was an underling of the Dark Lord.

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(A few hours ago)

Michael was in his room in the dark forest. Vedora and Nightmare slept peacefully between him and Gaya. Unlike them, Michael was awake. He couldn't sleep.

"My Lord," suddenly, he heard the voice of Azazel.

"Lady Aria has some valuable information she needs to tell you,"

"I'll be there," Michael placed a gentle kiss on Gaya's forehead before rising up from the bed. Since Gaya had to lead an army soon, Michael ordered her to get some rest. Her body and mind need to be fully rested so she can lead the army to victory. Michael put on his Dark armor before leaving the room for the surveillance room.

"My Lord," Michael saw Aria kneeling down in the mirror. He placed her in Itholan, right under Maxim's nose, to spy on him. Without Aria's skills, he couldn't have put the blood tonic in Valeria's body. Although it was risky to keep Aria in Itholan for a longer period of time, Michael decided to do just that. As a result, Aria was able to get some juicy information.

"King Maxim Barnes has entered secluded cultivation. He has put Princess Victoria in charge of everything while he's away,"

"He's getting desperate," Michael mumbled.

Michael recalled the conversation he had with the system a few weeks ago before Michael met Victoria in the Akilan Realm. This conversation was what pushed Michael to openly wage war against Thusia.

"System, what if Maxim tries to use the Cosmic energy to reach the Half Immortal stage or beyond? You recommended me to go to war with them, but they do have the Cosmic stream,"

[Yes, true. But thanks to the host for upgrading the system, the system could shed some light on the Cosmic Stream. For example, although the Cosmic stream is a powerful source of energy, it's extremely unstable and volatile. Without proper filterings and transitions, absorbing the Cosmic energy too quickly could result in an atomic explosion]

Michael was shocked but delighted at the same time.

[Also, if Maxim Barnes reached the Half Immortal stage or beyond, as you said, using the Cosmic energy without absorbing the energy at a slow pace, his power would be erratic. I can explain what would happen to him in great detail, but long story short, the longer he uses unstable Cosmic energy, the more he would become weak and prone to explode]

"So tell me system, do you think the explosion would be big enough to wipe out the entire kingdom?" asked Michael. He didn't even flick to ask such a question. His hatred toward Thusia knew no bounds. He wanted the entire kingdom to be in ashes, just like they did to his sanctuary.

"Yes," said the system.

[But the system recommends the host to act quickly. The Cosmic stream is not an infinite resource. The more Maxim Barnes and his people use it, the less for you and your subordinates]

Michael nodded.

[Host, you know the map of Itholan. You know there is no way you can march an army through the land. Your only option is to transport your soldiers via the naval fleet. But if you choose to use your fleet in the southern continent, it will lead people to believe Ghost is a subordinate of the Dark Lord,]

Surprisingly, Gaya asked the same question to him. There was no other way. If Michael himself fought the Thusian army without allies, he would be exhausted. Michael doubted Maxim wouldn't capitalize on this opportunity. At that time, Maxim Barnes would bombard him with attacks. The worst-case scenario would be Michael barely escaping Thusia alive. The best-case scenario would be Michael somehow killing Maxim Barnes. Either way, the revenge plot wouldn't go as he wanted it to.

"Sometimes, we have to take risks. I believe this is my time," said Michael. Ever since he first became Lucifer, he had a feeling that one day, his identity would be exposed. Living two different lives was never an easy thing to do. For some reason, he deep down felt continuing to live two lives would only make both of his lives harder. It took a toll on his mind. As a result, Michael felt his mind wasn't functioning to its full potential. This war might finally end the life of Ghost and start the life of the Dark Lord.

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"As a matter of fact, I know someone who has," said Michael.

"Really?" Yagnar was pleasantly surprised as Prince Davarius became excited. With a large fleet, there opened many possibilities for reaching Thusia. The best one was to go through the Golden Port.

"May we ask you who and where they have this fleet?" asked General Bryce.

"You don't have to worry about that. Tell me, how many ships are in Thusian naval army?"

"Fifteen hundred, give or take," said Prince Davarius.

"How many galleons, frigates, and man o wars?" asked Michael.

"We don't know the exact number, but our spies saw twelve man o wars among the fleet?" said General Bryce.

It was indeed a terrifying number of ships. But, thanks to Corey and the fleet of pirate lords, Michael had almost two thousand and five hundred ships.

"I can muster two thousand ships," Once again, Michael's words startled them. The way he said it was so simple, as though it wasn't a big deal for him.

"But throwing them against the Thusian naval army will be a waste. At best, we will have a few hundred ships stay afloat, and at worst, it would be a stalemate. No, we need to tilt the balance to our side somehow,"

"I have to agree with her," Prince Davarius sighed. He might be hot-blooded, but he wasn't stupid. Everyone in the room knew being at stalemate was just as losing when it came to Maxim Barnes, who seemed to have several trump cards up his sleeves.

"Where do they keep all these ships? If we can launch an air assault and destroy these ships, we can really hurt them," said Gaya.

"That's where the problem is. No one knows where he keeps all those ships. It's a fucking mystery," Davarius let out a frustrated sigh.

"He must have those ships somewhere close by, somewhere close to the seas around Itholan," Gaya pondered.

"A pocket dimension," said Michael.

"Think about it. You cannot hide fifteen hundred warships from the outside world. It's impossible unless King Maxim keeps all those ships in a pocket dimension. When he needs them, he could summon them,"

Ghost's words made sense to them, yet at the same time, they made them sulk. The reach and resources of Maxim Barnes terrified them.

"How do we know this for sure?" asked Prince Davarius.

"We launch a phony naval attack on Golden Port. The ships must come and go somewhere. We monitor the ships, place a spy and get the location of these ships," said Gaya.

"In three days, we will attack the Golden Port,"

"I assume you can get a small fleet by then,"

Michael nodded at General Bryce.

"The attack needs to be big enough for the thusians to take out their big guns," said Prince Davarius.

"It will be," The smile on Ghost's face reassured them. Prince Davarius respected Ghost without even knowing him because of the hatred he saw in Ghost's eyes. It was several times more than any of them had toward Thusia.

"I can be the spy who boards one of their ships," said Prince Davarius.

"No," Gaya immediately shook her head.

"I need you to lead Northguard soldiers. They need to see their leader on the ground with them. Plus, we cannot afford to lose you,"

"She is right," Yagnar and General Bryce agreed with Gaya.

"Then who is going?" asked Prince Davarius.

"We each send one of our own. The more, the merrier," said Michael.