Baron, Guan Yu, Yue Fei, Meng Wu, and Roxi were staring at the hordes of enemies that were just seemingly endless. The front lines of their enemies seemed to stop just short of Baron's deepstrikes range. However, it was good that Xuan Feng and the rest of the all-stars did not wish to do battle immediately. Roxi had provided each of them something that was the pride of her many years of hard work and research, the brilliant blue. Now, under normal circumstances, she would not have made more than one, just for herself. This time was different. There was no other option, there just wasn't anyone who could come out of this situation without being completely destroyed, likely not even the 4 leaders of the Yellow Wang faction of which these all-stars were a part of.
The aim of having these brilliant blue weapons was that they would make sure that all of them were used at once to deal with the most amount of damage that can be done to the enemy at once. Now, there were some shortfalls to this weapon, but its usefulness in combat was nothing to scoff at. Once all of the enemy soldiers had set up camp and showed no signs of attacking that day, Baron and the others were getting a little confused. There was still a good few hours before the sunset, so why were they not taking the chance to launch any offensives? It turned out that a messenger that was sent by Xuan Feng would give them the answer that they wished for.
(M) "General Baron, Xuan Feng of Lian Po's all-stars wishes to have a meeting with you through radio messages. Do you accept?" The messenger clearly wearing the uniform of Xuan Feng's men asked.
(BM) "Yes, I accept. What could he possibly want now?" Baron took the radio that was in the hands of the messenger. Once that was done, the messenger left to head back in Xuan Feng's direction.
(XF) "Ah, Baron. That must be you." Xuan Feng stated.
(BM) "Indeed, though I expected our first meeting to be in person and not through some device like this."
(XF) "Heh, I must say, your confidence is surprising given the situation you are in. Let's get down to business. Would you and your allies be interested in trying out for one of the Yellow Wang factions' recruiting events?"
(BM) "I'll have to decline your offer. There is just nothing that you can offer me that will make me want to give up the dream that I have of starting my own faction."
(XF) "Is that so? Not even if we were to let you off the hook this time and let you continue the tournament under our protection?"
(BM) "Though a tempting offer, my decision still stands."
(XF) "Shame. I think you really would have been a great fit for us. Fine. If that is what you wish, I'll honor it."
(BM) "Tell me something, who were the people that you sent to fight us. Since it obviously wasn't any of you higher-ups."
(XF) "I don't think you really want to hear this. But. The ones that you and your coalition just fought off a few days ago were nothing more than a test for some of our potential candidates for the inner circle. Relatively speaking, much weaker than us."
(BM) "...I see."
(XF) "I don't know if this is something that you wanted to know, but the first time that our armies clashed, it was actually you against some of my most powerful underlings. This time, however, you will get to taste the true power of the all-stars with me at its helm and the three others going in full force as well."
(BM) "I like a good challenge, but this might be even more than I hoped for."
(XF) "Haha, you're funny, Baron. Welcome to the stage of the powerful, allow us to show you just how competitive it can get. Good luck."
(BM) "You as well, but I don't think that you will need it."
As soon as Baron said that phrase, both sides disconnected and went back to what they were doing prior to that meeting. Baron went to go inform the others of what to expect and what had just happened, while Xuan Feng was ordering his troops around to get them in the optimal position to launch an attack. With the final battle drawing ever nearer, strategists on all sides were getting pumped up about the epically million men showdown that would occur. The expectations were set, Xuan Feng and his large 2.5 million men army was something to be amazed about. Most everyone knew how it would go down. Baron and his comparatively small army would lose in just a few days to a few weeks max.
Outside of the simulations, there was a popular type of betting ring going on. Instead of the usual who would win scenario, these rings would bet on the losses on each side. This required a lot more acuity and mental prowess to get to the correct answer, but the main principles were still there. In the unlikely chance that the underdog was to win, then there was a lot of money going to the ones who voted for the less powerful group. What was special about this time though was that it was Baron and Xuan Feng's turn to be the center of attention.
Of the millions of betters, not a single one bet on Baron and his team, except for those who like to put in small amounts in the extremely off chance that the favorite of the two sides were to lose. Everybody could see the extreme odds against Baron right now, even those who had no insight into these matters would be able to see who would win based on the might of these two armies on paper. There was one exception. This person was Li Xin, and although he had just gotten back from a trip to another community, he had come straight away to witness the end of the tournament.