Chapter 971 Psychological Warfare


    With Kaaldrum''s downfall at the hands of Kahn''s unexpected and well-executed strategy, the tides of the battle had abruptly shifted.


    The enigmatic and veiled assassin, whose true identity remained shrouded in mystery, had been taken down by a series of moves that he hadn''t foreseen amidst the chaos ofbat.


    Atreus, the Water/Ice elemental brawler, emerged as the pivotal force behind Kaaldrum''s defeat. His precise timing and powerful maniption of ice had caused the once formidable guardian to crumble like a fragile sandcastle.


    The shock of the sudden turn of events was evident on Kaaldrum''s masked face, his hood unable to hide his surprise and torment as his body was rapidly encased in ice.


    Struggling to find his voice amidst the freezing grip of Atreus'' attack, Kaaldrum managed to rasp out a question filled with disbelief...


    "You... How?" The pain and confusion in his words were palpable, a testament to the unexpectedness of his defeat.


    "It''s simple." Atreus responded calmly, his icy powers still swirling around Kaaldrum. "Melisandre, although unwillingly, revealed your weakness to us. And we used that knowledge to our advantage." exined Atreus as he squatted down and looked at Kaaldrum with a gaze filled with pity.


    "What do you mean?" he asked with bated breath.


    In response, Atreus maintained a calm demeanor, his icy powers still enveloping Kaaldrum''s immobilized form. "What I mean…" he began, his voice steady, "Is that we understand the limitations of your abilities."


    "We know that you are a master at controlling anything made of metal.


    However, we also know that because of your ss as an Archer, there are plenty of restrictions on your abilities." said Atreus.


    "At the core of it..." Kahn chimed in, his tone analytical.


    "You can only manipte metal in a linear fashion, moving it in a single direction at a time. Additionally, you can exert enough force to break objects apart, but this requires intense concentration and significant mana expenditure, particrly over long distances."


    Step!


    Step!


    Maximus, now standing on the same metallic surface as Kaaldrum, began to elucidate the intricacies of their well-executed strategy.


    He cut straight to the core of their approach, highlighting the factors that yed into their victory.


    "The attacks you effectively defended against were allunched from a distance of around 20 meters." Maximus rified, emphasizing the significance of this distance.


    The exnationid bare the foundation of their tactical advantage.


    Speki''s exnation followed seamlessly, adding anotheryer to their understanding of Kaaldrum''s limitations.


    "While attacking you from multiple directions, we exploited the fact that your powers don''t extend to transforming the metal you control into various shapes or using it as projectiles to attack your enemies." Speki exined, his smirk underscoring their satisfaction at cracking the puzzle.


    Rkan''s voice joined the conversation, further revealing theirprehensive analysis of their opponent.


    "And as you faced attacks from multiple sources simultaneously, your consciousness was increasingly affected by the cumtive targeting." he elucidated.


    This revtion showcased their grasp of the mental aspect of their adversary''s abilities.


    The Hero''s Party had demonstrated not only theirbat prowess but also their strategic intelligence in dismantling Kaaldrum''s defenses.


    "Did you really think that members of a Hero''s Party, that are some of the best fighters in the empire... Would be so ipetent that they can''t ambush one enemy and break past his defenses for more than 10 minutes?


    My my, talk about being overconfident." spoke Atreus with a mocking tone.


    "So you weren''t aiming to physically harm me in the first ce?" asked Kaaldrum with a puzzled voice.


    "Bingo!" Kahn took his turn to exin the final pieces of their puzzle, revealing the intricacies that had allowed them to take advantage of Kaaldrum''s overconfidence.


    "Throughout the battle, we purposefully diverted your attention and upied your thoughts." Kahn reiterated, stressing how they had exploited Kaaldrum''s focus to their advantage.


    "Your sensory abilities, which should have been able to detect my presence as I hid and methodically moved closer to you using the metallic surroundings, were strained to the point of ineffectiveness."


    Kahn''s exnation continued, revealing thest step of their ingenious strategy.


    "Once I had positioned myself beneath you, I temporarily transformed ck ice and floated across this metallic terrain.


    The entire surrounding itself is ck, aiding my stealth by preventing your eyesight from detecting my movement." he stated with a triumphant smirk.


    "You bastards… Don''t think that''s the end of me!" bellowed Kaaldrum and raised his aura.


    "Shh!! Don''t even think about it.


    I made sure that once I get to you, the frost made with my mana won''t allow your body to use your own mana reserves or world energy at all." said Kahn as he kept gloating.


    And next, it was Maximus who spoke…


    "We used the loopholes and limitations of your own powers that you are so proud of.


    But you know what made it easier for us to execute this n?" he said and looked at Kaaldrum with a disappointed gaze.


    "What… What was that?" asked Kaaldrum with great pain as his lungs were now affected by the frost as well.


    "Your own Arrogance." admonished Maximus.


    "Had you chosen to use your abilities at the extreme and turned into a Saint from the very beginning of the battle, none of it would have been possible." he stated with a stern voice.


    "We allowed you to think that you could handle all of us easily from the very beginning.


    We used your overconfidence to wear your mana and mind out till you failed to notice Atreus.


    We gave you an illusion of supremacy where you felt like you were nigh invincible against us as we struggled to evennd a hit on you.


    In the end, this false sense of superiority and ignorance is what got you into this situation." spoke Maximus, his tone filled with pity for Kaaldrum.


    "Man, you have to give it to him when he creates battle strategies, don''t you think?


    That''s a befitting quality to be called a Hero." said Kahn as he gave a yful smile. Their exnation now painted a clear picture of their victory over Kaaldrum, illustrating how their multifaceted strategy, including misdirection, psychological warfare, and strategic use of their unique abilities, had brought down the seemingly invincible guardian. Kaaldrum then gazed at Maximus with a sense of defeat but also acknowledgment as he concluded with hisst breath...


    "So you didn''t y the game, instead… You yed the yer."