Chapter 287: Surrounding the Enemy is Essential
“Surrounding the Enemy is Essential” is one of the military strategies proposed by Sun Tzu.
Sun Tzu was a Chinese philosopher who provided guidance on theories for achieving victory in war. One of his theories states that when surrounding an enemy, one must always leave a single escape route open. If the enemy’s escape is completely blocked, they will be forced to fight with the determination of a cornered rat, a psychological state known as “a cornered mouse bites the cat.” By deliberately creating a place to flee, the enemy adopts a mindset of “I can escape if it comes to that,” abandoning the option of fighting with all their might.
“GRRRROOOOAAARRRR!”
“UHOH! UHOH!”
The plain was ablaze. Vivid red flames surged like living creatures, driving the great apes that resided there into a frenzy. The apes scrambled out of their nests, fleeing in the direction where the flames were weakest. Many of their companions had already been consumed by the inferno, but there was no time to worry about that.
“OOOAAARRR!”
“UHOAAARRR!”
The apes—known as Crazy Apes—understood that this was no natural fire. They were clever and cunning, well aware of the nature of humans and knowledgeable about magic. This was magical flame, unleashed by humans who had invaded their territory. The Crazy Apes recognized that it was humans who wielded the fire, yet they fled in panic. They understood that enemies lay beyond the flames, but the thought of fighting in such a dire situation was unfathomable.
“OOOAAARRR!”
Just a little further. Just a bit more, and they could escape the flames. A fierce thirst for life surged within them. They were hungry—desperate to eat anything. Be it plants, animals, monsters, or even humans… anything would do. The instincts of the Crazy Apes clamored for them to devour everything in sight.
“UHOH! UHOH!”
Once they escaped, they would definitely feast on humans. They had attacked and eaten humans before, but they found them lacking in fat and unsatisfying… Yet, the thought of exacting revenge by devouring every last one of them who dared to attack was enticing. Driven by their insatiable hunger, they charged forward, seeking a path free of flames.
“That’s far enough.”
“UHOH…!?”
Suddenly, the ground beneath them gave way. A massive pit opened up, swallowing the Crazy Ape whole. As it fell into the pit, sharp stakes pierced its body; the bottom of the pit was lined with deadly spikes.
“I’m glad you moved just as we anticipated. Sorry, but please die right there.”
“…!”
The Crazy Ape, impaled and looking up from the bottom of the pit, saw a young man standing above. He was slender, and the thought that such a seemingly weak human could have set this trap was puzzling.
“UHOH!”
A following Crazy Ape leaped, attempting to jump over the pit to attack the human, but was kicked down into the hole by another human.
“Not on my watch!”
The newcomer was a woman, even slimmer than the first man. She unleashed a whip-like kick that sent the Crazy Ape crashing down to the bottom of the pit.
“Thunderbolt!”
Lightning erupted from the man’s hand, striking the Crazy Ape that had hesitated at the edge of the pit. The Crazy Ape, fleeing from the flames, was swept into the pit by the force of its own momentum. Just as it realized the pit was there, it tried to stop or leap over, but was taken down by the woman’s kick and the man’s magic.
“Ke, te…”
“Hm?”
“Sa, ve me…”
Impalement had rendered the Crazy Ape desperate, struggling to utter words of plea. It looked up at the humans with a gaze that begged for mercy.
“Sa, ve me… sa, ve me…”
“Human words… how did you learn to speak like that?”
Yet, the man’s expression grew colder. He looked down at the Crazy Ape with a gaze filled with murderous intent, as if staring at a bitter enemy.
“You learned those words from the humans you killed and devoured, didn’t you? You slaughtered those who begged for their lives, didn’t you?”
“Sa, ve…”
“Enough. This is unpleasant.”
With that, the man unleashed a Wind Blade from his hand. The sharp edge severed the head of the Crazy Ape that had managed to survive at the bottom of the pit, ensuring its complete demise.