"Belittling any opponent would not make you braver. It would only make you look more foolish."
Kassava spoke without betraying a hint of emotion. "Though Brute Hammer may not be a general blessed with both wisdom and courage, his fearless spirit truly inspires the soldiers under his command, filling them with a hundredfold courage."
"No, that kind of courage far exceeded what 'mental encouragement' could explain!"
Ice Storm remained adamant. "Even if, at the beginning, the soldiers he commanded could grit their teeth and hold on through sheer courage, what about when both of us summoned Totem Armor?
"The collision between two Totem Warriors, the War Flames it stirred up, would be enough to scare even the most audacious ratfolk half to death.
"Even the ratfolk responsible for beating the drums beside the arena fled with their heads in their hands.
"You should know that those ratfolk who beat the drums had all gone through several rounds of gladiatorial combat. Only after being crippled by severe injuries and rendered unable to fight again had they earned the right to shout and cheer.
"Even these experienced cripples could not withstand the might of Totem Armor. Brute Hammer's men were, at most, recruits who had trained for ten days or half a month. If they had not taken secret medicine or been controlled by witchcraft, how could they possibly have endured our pressure and remained standing on the arena!"
Kassava had not expected Ice Storm's powers of observation to be so sharp.
He frowned slightly and remained silent.
Ice Storm found her answer in his expression. Her eyes widened as she said in disbelief, "Brute Hammer's soldiers really did swallow secret medicine! They probably received even more abundant food than my soldiers! No wonder they were so strong and felt no fear