Chapter 171

Forward Base, the future.

Through the window on Jason’s Command Bridge, I see people moving busily.

As I observe for a moment, a face I haven’t seen before appears on the screen in the Command Bridge.

A middle-aged captain who looks quite seasoned.

His head bows slightly as he pays his respects to me.

[Greetings, Colonel. I will be moving alongside you this time; I look forward to it.]

“I look forward to working with you as well, and since my rank is lower, please feel free to speak casually—”

[That would be inappropriate for a hero, so I will contact you again once we are ready.]

Saying that, he bows his head once more.

“Ah, yes.”

I follow suit, bowing my head, and a soft smile forms on the captain’s somewhat stiff face before the communication cuts off.

“Hey, Edu?”

“Yeah? Nisia, what’s up?”

“I was wondering about something; is that okay?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

Nodding, I respond.

“Well, the last time, you detected the enemies’ thoughts and destroyed their… factory? or something?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why are we going back there?”

“That’s right, Edu. You already deduced the enemies’ thoughts and disrupted their intentions, so there’s no need to go back to that dangerous place, right?”

Clarissa chimes in.

Shaking my head in response to the two, I reply.

“That’s not true; actually, since we know the enemies’ thoughts, now is the time to move.”

“Now?”

“Yep.”

The Waiting Meta.

As the name suggests, it’s a playstyle that passively waits for opportunities, one of the most passive ways to enjoy games.

“The Cryptids we are facing are essentially hidden, gathering strength.”

“Hidden and gathering strength?”

“Yep.”

“That feels kind of cowardly.”

“Isn’t that right?”

I nod at Clarissa’s response.

Thus, the Waiting Meta inherently falls on the most selfish side of various playstyles, and as a meta that maximizes profits, its perception tends to be very poor.

Especially in games where such playstyles cause significant offense, simply holding advantageous positions while waiting for the enemy is often considered just waiting and attracts criticism.

Therefore, in games where such waiting is possible, various offensive measures are employed to compensate for this issue.

However, right now, in the world I’m in, the waiting of those creatures is not something that can be countered with just various attack methods.

So, what should we do?

The answer is simple.

It’s about striking at the weakness underlying that passive waiting behavior.

“Avoiding the enemy and hiding is the best defensive measure, but on the flip side, it becomes the greatest weakness. It reveals to the opponent that we have no intention of attacking, thereby losing the initiative.”

“…I see, passive behavior effectively robs us of options.”

“Exactly, Sita, you’ve studied well, haven’t you?”

As I say this, I reach out and pat Sita’s head, causing her cheeks to flush slightly.

“So that’s why we need to move now. And among those who just throw their subordinates around, there is no one who genuinely cares or pays attention to their subordinates.”

That’s the bitter knowledge I gained from my experiences in a proud military.

Moreover, the basic group mentality flows from top to bottom; it does not surge from bottom to top.

So before the enemies catch on, we have to strike at their weaknesses as much as possible to reduce their options.

[Commander, all ships are ready for combat.]

[We’re ready too; you can give the order whenever.]

At that moment, Baldur and the middle-aged captain I just greeted appear on the screen.

“Yes, then let’s depart.”

[Understood! Fleet, set sail!]

[We will set out.]

They both give commands as per my orders.

The cruisers and aircraft carriers soar into the blue sky, flying alongside us.

The golden armor plates, remnants of Ustansha, are repainted blue and white, and beside them, an eagle emblem displays its wings proudly.

The ships have been refitted after the battle.

Among them, we receive the necessary power from Freya and head back towards the Cryptid territory.

“So Edu, I understand why we have to move now, but what do you plan to do?”

Nisia’s question.

“First, we need to reduce the enemies’ options.”

“The enemies’ options?”

“Yes, in other words, we need to limit their choices.”

Fighting is essentially about preparing several options, or hands, and utilizing them effectively.

Thus, the fewer options the enemy has, the better, and the more options we have, the better.

Having more hands means being able to respond to more situations.

“Wait a moment, Edu. There seems to be a contradiction in your words; didn’t you say the Cryptids we are facing are hiding?”

Edward’s comment.

“That’s right.”

“In that case, how do you plan to reduce their options? If we’re dealing with enemies that are deliberately hiding, won’t our responses be limited?”

“Not necessarily.”

While the setup of Cryptids in AOE is somewhat deficient, that doesn’t mean there’s no setup at all.

And all that setup is firmly in my mind.

“What do you mean?”

“There are quite a few creatures that can’t live by hiding underground.”

The airborne Cryptid swarm. That is, the enemy’s aerial forces.

It’s time to hunt them down.

…

Deep within the Cryptid territory.

A large mass wriggles within a basin surrounded by towering mountain ranges.

On the surface of the murky, purplish flesh, numerous long tentacles with wrinkled textures and wing-like translucent structures protrude.

From the tentacle with a hole, a Cryptid crawls out, dripping saliva.

A creature with a horrific appearance that seems hastily mixed between an eagle and an insect.

– Kieee!

Letting out a roar-like cry, it spreads its large wings and takes to the sky.

– Kieee!

– Kiaaa-

A cry that spreads in all directions.

The sunlight is blocked by a multitude of airborne Cryptids that flap their wings and circle mercilessly around the hideous nest.

At the center of that swarm, a Cryptid commander entity, Brain, characterized by six hands and a humanoid shape, takes up position.

Surrounding the floating Brain, subordinate commanders resembling moths called Pheromones flap their wings diligently, moving in tandem with him.

– …

Under the Queen’s command, Brain inspects the nest’s and swarm’s state.

At that moment, a flash lights up in the sky.

Kwaaaang!

– ?!

A sudden explosion.

Noticing the change, both Brain and Pheromone look up at the sky, but what they see is the sun emitting a bright light.

– !!

An opponent rendered almost invisible by the strong sunlight.

At the moment the Cryptid commanders stiffen, a white ship flies toward the swarm like a wedge.

“Squit, unleash everything!!”

At Edu’s shout, the blue-eyed, single-eyed Giant comes to life.

Two fast-firing cannons and the gun pods all burst into flames simultaneously, with countless missiles trailing white smoke being launched from the missile pod.

The 12-meter Giant plays the symphony of destruction.

A storm of devastation surges toward the unsuspecting airborne Cryptid nest and the dense cluster of enemies.

Kwah-wang! Peraang! Kwaang!!

– Kieeeek-

– Kyaak!

Cryptids caught in the shelling burn red-hot and plummet to the ground, and the writhing nest tears and bursts in various places, splattering blood.

“Squit, resupply the arms!!”

The Giant’s arsenal is replenished.

“Good, let’s break away like this! Jason, full speed!!”

[Full-speed advance, we are breaking away.]

Just before colliding with the airborne Cryptid swarm, Jason narrowly changes course and swiftly passes overhead while pulling away quickly.

The bewildered airborne Cryptids.

– …

Brain, who had been silently observing the scene, opens his gaunt, dry hands to the sides.

– Kieeeek!

– Kiaak! Kiaaa!

The airborne Cryptids unleash fierce cries.

The previous reaction of staring blankly at Jason has vanished.

Slowly, Brain raises his hands.

The moment they point toward Jason, all the airborne Cryptids surrounding the nest begin to flap their wings.

– Kieeeek!!!

– Kiaaa!!!

The airborne Cryptid legion begins their chase with fierce howls.

Thousands of the flying creatures flap their wings, turning into an ominous black cloud, and the airborne Cryptids that were in the nest rise into the sky to join their movement.

Dozens, hundreds, thousands, up to tens of thousands; the monstrous host swells rapidly.

The winged predators chase after their prey and begin their hunt.