However, the Azure River Army's tenacity far exceeded Raphael's estimates. The battle had lasted three hours-an exceptionally long time for a fight between Card Adepts.
Only three hundred-odd members of the Azure River Army remained, but their stubborn resolve commanded admiration.
Sang Hanshui's expression was grim. By now, more than eighty members of the Wood Character Camp had died, and as many as a hundred and fifty had been wounded. The Wood Character Camp held every conceivable advantage, yet the battle had still turned out like this. It laid bare the gulf between the two forces.
The Azure River Army's equipment was already quite good by Federation standards. Its rank-and-file Card Adepts all used four-star cards. Compared with the Wood Character Camp, however, it fell far short. Even before the Calculation Box had appeared, the three-star Digital Series Cards Chen Mu made could rival ordinary four-star cards. After optimization with the Calculation Box, their performance had improved across the board.
Greater power, a higher firing rate, lower energy consumption, smaller energy fluctuations...
Yet the current Wood Character Camp was like a child wielding a treasured saber. Well equipped as it was, it could not unleash the weapon's true power. The Azure River Army, on the other hand, used only ordinary four-star cards, with an occasional five-star card among them. But its fighting strength, and particularly its tenacity, inspired respect even in Sang Hanshui.
A force of more than four thousand had fought until only three hundred remained, yet still had not collapsed. How terrifying was that?
Sang Hanshui was certain that if the two forces had met head-on, his side would have lost. At its core, the Wood Character Camp was merely a mercenary force, and expecting mercenaries to possess something like loyalty was exceedingly difficult. Unless, one day, they