Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 2051: Fighting a level above (2)

Upon the arrival of the Bronze Assault Team at the training grounds, even the high-ranking members of the Su Clan were uncertain of Ye Zhongming's true intentions.

While they might not excel in one-on-one combat, finding themselves flustered by opponents slightly weaker, an equal match could pose a significant challenge.

However, their discerning eyes, honed by experience, were evident. With a single glance, they could accurately gauge the combat strength of the assembled Star-Eye Clan members.

Aside from a select few Gold Mask warriors, the remaining individuals barely surpassed ten thousand Furelai in strength. This raised the question: what could such a force achieve here?

All gazes turned to Ye Zhongming. The Cloud Peak King stepped forward and addressed the Su Clan's elite, stating, "I can assure you, the current Star-Eye Clan is not what you perceive it to be. It is not on the brink of collapse, but rather possesses immense untapped potential. You may question how, with such potential, it has reached this state. Yet, as high-ranking members of the Su Clan, wielding considerable influence, you must understand that many situations are not as straightforward as they appear. Matters are rarely purely black and white, or right and wrong; external factors often play a crucial role."

This sentiment held true universally; success or failure was not solely determined by inherent capability.

"What I require is time; what the Star-Eye Clan needs is time," Ye Zhongming declared, his tone devoid of the sharp confrontation he had shown earlier towards Kelan Su and the others. He spoke with profound seriousness, recognizing that any alliance with the Su Clan would necessitate finding common ground amidst differing objectives. Their relationship was one of cooperation, not antagonism. Even towards the faction of the first heir, who would undoubtedly seek to undermine them in the future, their current approach remained the same.

The advantages Ye Zhongming could offer the Su Clan were opportunities that those opposing factions were also poised to receive, and perhaps even in greater measure.

With a gesture, he indicated the hundred-member Bronze Assault Team standing in neat formation.

"These individuals are whom I have personally selected and trained utilizing a novel methodology. Their average Furelai stands at approximately 6,000, with the strongest reaching around 10,000. Since you wish to witness the Star-Eye Clan's potential, they will serve as a clear example. I request that you dispatch warriors with an average Furelai of around twelve thousand, and a peak of twenty thousand, in an equivalent number, to engage them in combat. The results will speak for themselves."

A strength of twice their level?

The Su Clan members regarded Ye Zhongming, not with outright disbelief, but with palpable doubt.

An average of six thousand Furelai against an average of twelve thousand presented a chasm as vast as the difference between the Bronze Camp and the Silver Camp, or the Silver Camp and the Gold Camp. Such a disparity typically resulted in a completely one-sided engagement.

While Furelai did not exclusively define actual combat prowess, it formed a significant component and the fundamental basis of it. When the gap became too substantial, it rendered the contest virtually insurmountable.

For instance, even though Su Clan members might not be adept at surprise encounters, this referred to scenarios where combatants were of similar strength, or the Furelai difference was not overwhelming. A Su Clan member with fifty thousand Furelai fighting someone with a comparable fifty thousand or even forty thousand might face defeat. However, against an opponent possessing only ten or twenty thousand Furelai, the Su Clan member, leveraging their comprehensive physical advantages cultivated through their Furelai, could still prevail.

Su Clan members were also equipped with various armaments, weapons, and basic combat techniques, as demonstrated by Jie Su's previous displays on the Novice battlefield.

Were it not for Ye Zhongming's preceding actions and statements, such a request, made so boldly, might have been perceived by the Su Clan as sheer arrogance and conceit.

Yaohan Su remained impassive. This was the expected demeanor of a circumspect clan leader, allowing the other two factions to voice their positions first. This strategy ensured that if Ye Zhongming's hundred-member Assault Team proved victorious, the other factions would have no grounds for objection. The combatants would then be drawn from those two factions, thereby shielding the clan leader's own faction from potential repercussions and facilitating a convincing outcome.

However, this approach also carried inherent risks. Who could guarantee that these external participants would not resort to underhanded tactics during the battle? Yet, given the circumstances, this was the only viable path forward.

Yaohan Su maintained a low profile, revealing nothing of his thoughts, while Cheng Su, Huo Zhi, Zhou Su, and others were more forthright, their expectant gazes fixed upon the remaining two factions.

Neither of the two factions could afford to refuse. Could they also follow Yaohan Su's example and remain silent? If they did, the Star-Eye Clan youngster would later claim the Su Clan feared the challenge. Yaohan Su would then be compelled to send his own people to fight. Should they lose, the other two factions would have no grounds to object; they would have been the ones who failed to take the initiative.

The leader representing Kelan Su's faction stepped forward, declaring, "We will do it," and then dispatched Kelan Su to personally select the participants.

Approximately ten minutes later, a contingent of one hundred Su Clan warriors arrived.

Huo Zhi, intimately familiar with the clan's internal factions, felt his heart sink upon the first glance.

It was evident that Kelan Su's faction was fully committed to sabotaging this cooperation.

Every single individual summoned, without exception, belonged to the traditionalist Su Clan members – those possessing combat talent. While not an abundant group throughout the entire Su Clan, their sheer numbers ensured a force of around two hundred thousand. These were the very backbone of the Su Clan's strength outside of Su City.

In contrast, direct descendants from the three main factions who possessed such talent were far fewer, numbering less than ten thousand combined. Most of these were stationed in command roles outside the city, leaving only a handful within the clan itself.

Huo Zhi immediately recognized Kelan Su's malicious intent in his selection, yet he could not voice any objection. This was due to a cleverly exploited loophole in Ye Zhongming's earlier statement, which specified "an average of twelve thousand Furelai."

The strategy orchestrated by this first heir was cunning: of the hundred individuals summoned, roughly fifty were younger warriors with Furelai barely exceeding three thousand. Although they possessed combat talent, their training was in its nascent stages. The remaining nearly half, however, consisted of individuals whose Furelai hovered around twenty thousand or even surpassed that mark!

On the Star-Eye Clan's side, only one individual had just managed to surpass ten thousand Furelai. Here, there were approximately fifty warriors boasting Furelai nearing twenty thousand. How could they possibly contend with such a disparity?

The supervising leader observed the chosen fighters from Kelan Su's faction and smiled with undisguised satisfaction. He cast a smug glance towards both Ye Zhongming and Yaohan Su.

He was aware that the Star-Eye Clan's selected participants likely possessed unique strengths, but he doubted their ability to withstand the onslaught of fifty warriors with nearly triple their Furelai, especially under the diversionary pressure of fifty less powerful combatants.

Yaohan Su let out an inward sigh. He understood that intervention was now unavoidable; otherwise, the battle was already lost before it began.

Unexpectedly, before he could make a move, Ye Zhongming, appearing completely unfazed, simply waved his hand and uttered, "Very well, let us commence."