Dox previously mentioned that when he went adventuring outside with Vay, he was responsible for combat while Vay handled the strategy.
Could it be that Vay had already laid out the strategy from the beginning?
Angel carefully thought back and still found it unlikely. Vay’s actions were traceable; what he did, the significance of these actions, and the resulting consequences were all clear.
Angel really couldn’t find any signs of strategy within them.
However, the final counterattack was definitely calculated. Perhaps the strategy wasn’t laid out from the start? But rather, halfway through, the plan was adjusted accordingly?
Angel followed this train of thought, looking for the underlying logic.
There are two obvious points here that seem problematic. First, the phantom first tested with shadows, even getting as close as fifty meters, yet Vay didn’t react; second, just as the phantom’s body rose from the shadow, Vay locked onto its position and executed a massive piercing attack.
From these points, it’s clear that Vay could distinguish the phantom’s true form from the false. Moreover, from the preparation of the earth spikes, it was evident that Vay had even identified the phantom’s hiding place ahead of time. It was only because the phantom lingered in the shadow that Vay couldn’t act until it materialized, at which point Vay promptly released the earth spikes.
How did Vay achieve this?
Angel recalled Vay’s various actions and coupled with his own understanding, an answer slowly surfaced in his mind.
...
"What’s happening? I can’t understand it," Kaier looked bewildered at the situation on the field.
A second ago, Kaier was still worried about Vay’s condition, and the next, the battle was over? The Wise Sovereign directly announced the result?
The situation reminded Kaier of when he was taken by his mentor Esos to the Majestic Plane to study space knowledge at the Empire’s College of Finance to learn mathematics, which in essence is a type of arithmancy. When Kaier was first exposed, often the basic one plus one was being taught, but if he took a brief nap or even yawned, upon reopening his eyes, the blackboard was filled with incomprehensible formulas.
How similar the classroom’s situation was to now?
In this case, Kaier wasn’t even yawning or napping, just blinking, and the battle changed dramatically.
How many steps are omitted in this process? How did it suddenly jump to the conclusion?
Kaier glanced around before finally looking at Dox: "Sir..."
Dox naturally understood what Kaier wanted to ask, but at that moment, he didn’t have a definite answer either. Moreover, he had always shown that Vay’s chances of winning were low, if he made another incorrect statement now, wouldn’t his face be slapped repeatedly?
Dox pondered for a moment, didn’t answer Kaier, but spoke to Angel: "Seems like you were right earlier."
Pause for a moment, Dox continued: "Did you see the strategy from the start?"
Angel chuckled lightly, not speaking. Besides, he didn’t know what to say.
Dox assumed Angel was agreeing silently, praised him, then turned to Kaier: "Since he detected the strategy early, you’d better ask him... I only noticed some clues in the end."
Dox smoothly transferred Kaier’s query to Angel.
However, Kaier, being baffled at the moment, didn’t notice Dox’s topic switch and instead found it reasonable. Knowing Chaowei perceived the hidden aspects early, having him explain made more sense.
Facing Kaier’s hopeful gaze, Angel didn’t immediately deliver an answer, instead bluntly exposed Dox’s awkwardness: "Your topic switch is quite crude... So, do you not know why Vay triumphed?"
Dox awkwardly smiled: "How could I not? I understand Vay better and deeper than you all."
Angel shrugged: "Then go ahead."
Dox pursed his lips, wanting to find a topic to divert, but with Kaier already casting skeptical looks, switching topics would confirm his ignorance?
Moreover, with Vay about to step down, given his personality, catching a flaw once, he will hold onto it for decades.
It’s best to resolve this issue before Vay steps down, lest he brings it up later.
But Dox wasn’t entirely certain how Vay achieved victory. He had a few alternative answers, which one could it be?
As Dox’s thoughts wandered, he noticed Angel staring at him with a curious look.
"Vay understands you, I know this. But now it seems, you don’t understand Vay at all..." Angel spoke while shifting his gaze to the stage.
Vay noticed Angel’s gaze, perked up, and placed a hand on his chest, giving Angel a "mission accomplished" gesture.
When Dox saw Angel’s sly expression, he knew Angel absolutely intended to cause trouble.
Angel was undoubtedly contemplating using venomous words to slander him, to drive a wedge between him and Vay!
No doubt, Angel likely prepared his words already, awaiting the dome’s withdrawal to whisper in Vay’s ear within the Mind Ribbon.
Feeling a sense of urgency, Dox blurted out, regardless of correctness: "The nose!"
Angel squinted.
Dox continued: "Vay managed to defeat the phantom because he had pre-determined the phantom’s position, evident from the arrangement of earth spikes, this wasn’t set up recently, it must have been done ahead of time."
"How he determined the phantom’s position and differentiated between real and fake relied on Vay’s talent for smell."
The more Dox spoke, the clearer it became, places he had not understood suddenly seemed apparent: "Indeed, Vay hadn’t battled for years, his practical experience waned substantially. However, throughout these years, he didn’t idly waste time; running a divination shop meant using the Death Sense daily, honed over many years, making his perception extremely keen."
"Previously, Vay entered the fungal barrier, repeatedly attacked by the phantom. But he, in the process, captured the phantom’s scent."
"Regrettably, Vay was continuously attacked, coupled with fungal invasion, rendering him incapable of leveraging the captured scent of the phantom effectively."
"Hence, he simply acted as if unaware of the phantom’s whereabouts, allowing himself to be ambushed, awaiting the turn."
"The turning point emerged when the phantom ceased attacking Vay. He began medicating, recovering, and using his sense to pinpoint the phantom’s location... leading to his eventual comeback."
"One could say the phantom’s hesitation enabled Vay’s victory. Of course, Vay’s acting was quite commendable."
"It’s worth mentioning that Vay seemingly devised a winning strategy quite early on."