Chapter 157
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Moona's Plan
“Raven, you awake?”
Swungswung woke me up, Swungswunging away.
I'm starting to get used to him talking now.
He says once we leave the rabbit hole, he'll revert to his old ghost form—but honestly, that might feel unfamiliar at this point.
I once asked if he hated going back to being a ghost. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind. Actually, he mentioned that a little more time and he could look about the same even outside? Apparently, his next evolution would let him take on a somewhat human shape.
I wondered how he could know his next evolution form, but hey, it's Swungswung—he can pull it off.
Plus, his experiences in the rabbit hole would carry over.
I've stayed here long enough that his current form feels natural.
I did worry we were lingering too much instead of heading to Lion Heart King's Castle, but White Rabbit dispelled that in one go.
Time flows differently between the rabbit hole and the outside.
I couldn't pin down the exact ratio. It changes every day, he said.
But at least the outside flows faster than here, so I could relax a bit.
I'm not just killing time here—I'm getting stronger. Totally worth the investment.
Lately, I've been focusing on spars with the max-level rabbit and training my Crow's Dance skill.
I haven't neglected integrating other traits, but the real leap forward has been honing Crow's Dance.
My combat power has skyrocketed compared to my old brute-force leg-rush charges.
I can now handle numerical superiority without burning resources, and in close quarters, a slight shift in position forces the enemy to take losses.
It's starting to feel like I've got a real knack for training.
I bet I'd have thrived even if I'd been dropped into a wuxia world instead of this dark fantasy one.
Crow's Dance is useful on its own merits, but it also serves as a kind of insurance policy.
I can call the status window powers and my stolen feathers my own abilities, but their origins are shaky at best.
Snow White Witch is a confirmed enemy, but Night Crow is a total wildcard.
He's treating me favorably now, and thanks to him, I absorbed Snow White's power during this evolution.
But who knows how long that'll last?
It's not great to suspect someone showing goodwill, but when that someone holds your leash, it's different.
Especially since most of my powers stem from him.
Every evolution, I've met him and swiped one of his feathers.
In the absolute worst case, if he wanted, he could nullify those feathers' effects right when I needed them most.
That's why I've doubled down on physical techniques like this.
Crow's Dance is built on the memories I've built up with my comrades.
So I had no choice but to perfect it.
As I mentioned, it's insurance—and a unique skill no one else can replicate.
It packs enough surprise factor to work even against that max-level rabbit who's all about brawling.
Plus, I can chain moves freely, so even if they read one technique, it won't be a big deal.
Up till now, I've loved crushing foes with overwhelming traits and sheer mass.
Sometimes leveraging power no normal crow could muster to flip the variables.
Now, a reliable technique bolsters that style.
Filling in what I saw as my biggest weak spot—I'm approaching a perfect hexagonal stat spread.
Prep to topple Lion Heart King and reach Dorothy is nearly complete.
“That cat's got something to say. Wanna head over now?”
The cat meant Cheshire.
Cheshire had been sifting through her intel.
Using what she knew about Lion Heart King to dig up even more.
Info plus info equals new inferences. On her own, it'd just be guesses, but right now, Sage Moona was with her.
Moona's hunches are almost always spot-on.
In other words, Moona and Cheshire actually make a surprisingly good team.
Moona lends real weight to Cheshire's otherwise dubious claims.
And her calling for me now meant one thing.
They were ready over there.
“Plan to raid Lion Heart King's Castle—no, infiltrate it—is complete, nyang!”
Cheshire declared with total confidence.
Her purple cat ears perked up, like she was expecting my reaction.
But honestly? Not all that reassuring.
She must've read my face—her tail swayed lazily.
Pang!
Probably a sign she was annoyed.
“That sexy big sis helped out too, nyang!”
Moona helped?
Then I could trust it.
“Caw.”
I nodded lightly.
“Nyang... not happy, nyang.”
“We got intel from the striped cat on Lion Heart King's Castle. The elite troops are so strong, each one matches a standard Death Knight. Frontal assault? No chance.”
Info I'd heard before, but Moona laid it out again.
Think of every soldier as Death Knight-grade undead, he said.
Easier said than done—major headache.
Death Knights are the pinnacle of non-mage undead, right?
Mage undead go lich. Non-mages evolve toward Death Knight. Common knowledge.
Sure, outliers like dullahans or bone dragons exist, but on the standard track, Death Knight's the endpoint.
The real issue? Not one, but multiples stationed there.
Of course, they're undead, so matchup-wise, we hold the edge.
But edges only go so far against Death Knights—you won't drop 'em easily.
“Plus, there's one who has a real thing for carriages.”
At that, I parted my beak slightly and flapped my wings.
“Caaaaw!”
Moona's words hit that hard.
Carriage fanatic.
Elites minimum Death Knight.
Put 'em together, and the conclusion's terrifying.
A few cultured folks know it.
The dread of the carriage.
This has to be a dragon.
Nothing else fits.
A bone dragon embedded in their ranks.
“Hmm, no idea what you're picturing, but hear the rest first. It's not ordinary carriages—he's pathologically obsessed with long, connected ones. A train.”
Wait, train? Not a dragon?
“Sounds ridiculous, but we can neutralize Lion Heart King's strongest subordinate with this. Known as the Little Hippo, he's the undisputed number two in the castle.”
Train-obsessed.
Alias: Little Hippo.
“Caw... caaaw...”
Dunno why, but my feathers were trembling.
I checked my belly.
Nothing wrong, but it felt like it'd get ventilated any second.
“Distract him, and things get easier. Lion Heart King sits the throne but shirks kingly duties. Remove Little Hippo, and the castle falls into chaos.”
Infiltrating Lion Heart King's Castle is fine, but tangling with every subordinate? Stupid.
If we can divert them easily, we must.
And he's number two?
No choice but to make it happen.
“Even so, the castle's forces are endless. Not all Death Knights, but plenty of other undead.”
A different breed from Scarecrow or Tin Woodman.
Not one-on-one duels—we're invading the enemy's lair.
Facing Lion Heart King and his undead horde under his lieutenant's command? Even powered up, impossible.
And even if possible, I wouldn't.
No need to play to their strengths.
Target the foe's weakest spot. Maximize our advantages.
That's crow combat doctrine.
Their strength? Numbers.
We're what you'd call elite few—hopelessly outnumbered.
“But it's fine. We might sweep them all without wetting a single feather.”
Clash head-on, we get crushed. Flip strengths and weaknesses?
Make numbers a liability, elite status the edge?
Battle turns in a flash.
And we can pull it off now.
The mighty relic from toppling Lu Karkol.
Plus all the treasures White Rabbit eventually handed me.
Use 'em right, and like Moona says, we could wipe 'em clean.
“Operation name...”
That's why I'd focused on personal training.
Neutralize the forces as planned, and it's just me versus Lion Heart King.
Topple him, and I'll finally get that Dorothy lead I've chased so long.
I met Moona's gaze.
The wisest of us. The Sage.
Kiwi bird or not, his wisdom was undeniable.
And from that Sage's beak came the lowdown on this op.
Not our rough brainstorming—a refined, mystical Sage strat!
“Twilight raid calling the storm and blooming verdant dusk. Shooting star morning awakening shards of white memory.”
⟨ Operation Chant ⟩
Lame!