The day before the battle
"Master, I must say that it was a foolish choice" Rin sat on a chair as another demon applied ointment to her face. The ointment had healing properties but it wasn't very powerful. It just made the wound faster to heal. Once the ointment was applied, Rin put on a mask that covered her lower face to protect the area further.
She had just returned from Sakura's base. She had found what she needed to find and had taken it if not without pain. She had everything she now needed. Her demons had returned with more forces but current esitmates still gave Sakura the larger army. Worse than that were that Rin's team was starting to run out of bribe money that could pay for more troops. They wouldn't have much chance to increase their numbers further.
"I do hope you found it worth it?" Rubinrot was sat on a rug they had taken to make the insectoid demon more comfortable. Said demon was also calling Rin foolish in as many ways as it could think of. "I know you would of healed from it naturally but still, were you even worried about it?"
Rin looked over and spoke, the mask muffled her voice slightly "Of course I knew what to expect, what I wasn't ready for was my target having already been killed. I had to improvise"
"And you choose one of the dancers?" Rubinrot asked in a way that clearly showed it thought Rin made a foolish choice.
"I had to improvise, that dancer was still a part of Sakura's command staff, the trick will still work." Rin made her excuses flippantly.
Rin stood and walked over to the map, there were small figures there to map out the likely deployments from both sides. With her eyes she traced the line that would win her this battle. It wasn't a line of any group of troops but rather a line to sneak past them. A line that led from her base to Sakura's.
The rules of the conflict as set out with the challenge had loopholes but to exploit them she needed to put herself in danger. However the second rule would help Rin the most 'we must send all forces we each own to fight' it allowed them to keep command staff and the like but it meant that if they had demons that were capable of combat then they had to be sent out. All who stayed were limited in a way similar to Sakura and herself by the first rule 'We two may not participate in the battle ourselves' Neither Rin or Sakura may fight in the battle itself. For demon's it's either or, either they are part of the fighting force or a part of command.
Rin reasoned however that Sakura did intend to break that rule and would send forces towards the relatively unprotected Rin in the command base. This was the likely line she would use. Rin had a plan for the line herself but that would come later.
Either way, Rin was ready for the battle. She would save Sakura.
Crimson blossom looked over her troops.
It was mostly just large mobs of demons with no consistency, that was fine though. She would win through numbers alone.
She had her own war coucil room, it had it's own map which showed the likely deployments of Rin's forces along with her own.
Her command staff too varied. It contained many demons who had learned a little stratagy by being summoned in wars of old. They all obeyed her, power rules in Malfeas and the power and authority from being one of the only Exalted that belonged to The Sea That Marched Against The Flame was allowing to wield the entirety of her master's influence. At least that was how the demons thought. Of course Crimson Blossom didn't possess that much of a sway with Kimbery but if the demons thought she did, all the better.
She closed her eyes and imagined the end of the battle, picturing it in her mind as a 'Thing that will happen' in a way it was like archery.
Rin was dead, her body hacked to pieces. Crimson blossom shook her head and pictured a better idea; Rin was beaten within an inch of her life when Crimson Blossom found her, her limbs were cut and she would be taken prisoner, she would be locked up somewhere and then Crimson Blossom would visit her again. She would act the part as a loving sister and Free Rin only to betray her, she would take Rin to the edges of her mistress's waters and throw her in.
Within the pit of her heart, the part of her that was still 'Sakura' paled and that thought. The emotion started to bubble up to her but her Coadjutor locked it away in the pit with her old name. Something did seem strange about said Coadjutor but Crimson Blossom paid it no mind. It wouldn't matter.
When Rin died, so would her old name and it's doubt.
The battle was tomorrow.
No matter what happened, Crimson Blossom was ready. She would kill Rin.
End of chapter.
Another filler, the battle will come next chapter.
Either way, I'm going to show the forces on each side;
Rin:
A solo behemoth (the Eater of Stone)
A fang of Agatae (fraction of the Sting of defeat descending in glory)
Three scales of assorted demons
A scale of blood apes (A last minute addition)
A lightning ballista and crew to use it
A total of about 275~ demons
Sakura
Three talons of assorted demons
A scale of assorted long range demons
A fang of tomescu (Powerful warrior demons)
A large essence cannon and a team to use it
A total of about 420~ demons