Chapter 132: A New Category (10)
“Ah, finally.”
“We haven’t even arrived yet, and we need time for analysis. Above all, there’s no guarantee everything will go according to plan.”
All that could be seen along with the dry air was the Legion’s Nest and the Sacred Tree, the true nature of the Legion known as REDRIUM.
Kang Do-yeon, returning to this place after a long time, frowned as she saw the overly excited Reina.
“While that isn’t entirely wrong, isn’t this the moment we’ve all been waiting for? Although it hasn’t been a long time, we haven’t grown during this period. But now it’s time to break free from the chrysalis and unleash the energy we’ve accumulated.”
“Not grown? Look at how massively we’ve expanded the Nest.”
Kang Do-yeon, unable to understand Reina’s words, looked around with a bewildered expression.
Having eradicated the abominations, the Legion had become the true masters of this world.
Fields, mountains, and even the surfaces of rivers and seas were being overtaken by the Legion’s Nest. The Nest had absorbed all forms of energy from this planet and, as a result, was on the verge of covering the entire planet.
“That isn’t growth! It’s merely an increase in size, a necessary act for survival. True growth is when your level is elevated, like when you unfurled your second wings.”
Reina pointed at Kang Do-yeon, or more specifically, Kang Do-yeon’s wings.
She flinched and glanced at her own wings.
Currently, she had sprouted two pairs, a total of four wings.
It was one of those that she had felt the need for during recent battles and had pulled out and utilized herself.
“This is just for more efficient combat…”
“Regardless of the motivation, if you’ve evolved successfully and adapted, that is growth. Just like we are evolving right now to face the enemies from that universe.”
Reina extended her consciousness. The real-time information being provided by Eve could be seen by both Reina and Kang Do-yeon.
A beautiful blue forest they couldn’t see here, a massive school of sailfish soaring through the azure sky.
While Reina was merely observing it with the eyes of a bear targeting salmon, Kang Do-yeon felt differently.
‘It’s fantasy.’
The majestic sight of flying gigantic fish was more fantastical than anything she had seen so far.
“You two have worked so hard there, and finally, the opportunity has come.”
As Reina watched one of the sailfish disappear as if it had evaporated, she smiled slyly. That massive fish had appeared right here.
Pretending to take a selfie, Eve openly snapped a picture and handed her phone back to Shin Woo.
“Let’s get started. I think this creature can be used as the main material for our fleet.”
At the same time, ‘the Eve from here’ crushed the Nest and the Sacred Tree, appearing atop the massive sailfish that was flapping desperately on the ground.
Eve smashed down with the flaming sword in her hand, severing the sailfish’s breath.
The force of her strike was enough to not only break through the sailfish’s body but also penetrate the Nest and even the ground below it.
The power she wielded was incomparable to that of a human body drawing energy from the Nest.
“Regardless of obtaining the sailfish, you now have the coordinates for a new world. What do you think? Isn’t it worth consuming since it’s not Earth?”
“No, while it would be great to devour a new place, not now. For now, focus on one location. We’ve achieved our objective, so we’ll retreat quietly from there.”
As the shattered body of the sailfish sank wholly beneath the Nest, Eve shook her head at Reina’s words.
Over there, they were calmly finishing their observation with Shin Woo and returning to Earth.
Objectively, it hadn’t taken that long.
But for Eve, who had barely lived for less than a year, that recent coiling felt like an immensely long wait.
“So we absolutely cannot fail. Not a single variable will be overlooked.”
“I feel it. I understand. For victory, we must…!”
Reina, absorbed in Eve’s emotions, showed an intense reaction.
Kang Do-yeon, whose influence was less than Reina’s, couldn’t stop her own emotions from wavering.
“We’re now starting the design of the spaceship.”
The disassembly of the sailfish was complete, and the internal analysis was finished.
Eve raised her concentration. Designing a new type, especially the km-class large type, required meticulous calculations.
“It’s convenient to have reference materials.”
Reina, who was assisting her, muttered while looking at something.
The material in question was military confidential documents, including starship blueprints, read by Pyles, the Alliance researcher. Eve had memorized everything she’d seen through Pyles’ eyes like a photograph.
Had she begun the design without knowing anything, it would surely have resulted in countless trial and error, but now Eve was flooded with reference materials.
“Since this is our first time, let’s start by creating something that can slightly gain the upper hand based on the specifications of the enemies we need to face immediately.”
She wasn’t just aware of the Alliance’s information from the spies she had planted. They had consistently been engaged in localized skirmishes against the 7th Fleet of the rebel alliance, which had been steadily trying to conquer the territory.
During that process, many key figures had been abducted quietly. They hadn’t just been eaten or killed; they were tortured to extract information and then left to die.
With the internal information obtained in that manner, and by appropriately combining that with the information from the Alliance, Eve designed a new class of troops that could be mass-produced quickly while not falling behind in class, and at the same time, would be able to enact her own unique type of Fleet Battle.
However, to create what had been designed, a special Nest was needed. There was no way to manufacture it by the conventional method of spawning from eggs.
“So I need a little time. But I don’t intend to do nothing during this time.”
“What should we do then?”
“If the fight drags on, the chances of their reinforcements arriving or them fleeing increase. So you lead the ground forces and initiate an all-out war.”
Eve gave Kang Do-yeon new orders.
Until now, they had only been conducting localized skirmishes with a few agile upper-tier entities.
The purpose was to draw the enemies’ vigilance, making them expend resources and psychic energy while collecting information.
But it had only been a small-scale skirmish.
To ensure that the enemies wouldn’t call for reinforcements from the main stronghold, they had maintained a dangerous position as mere predatory beasts they needed to keep guarding against.
“Draw out their fleet. Then we’ll devour all those ships that gather at once.”
“Understood.”
Now, they had discarded the previous strategy. The plan was to deploy enough strength to startle the enemy and elicit their full strength.
“I’ll give you a new weapon for that purpose.”
Before the actual growth and activity, Eve had also equipped Kang Do-yeon with stronger forces.
“As a matter of course, just as we analyze the humans, they will analyze us. Although those idiots may not analyze as thoroughly as we do, they at least have the intelligence to categorize us based on the power sources embedded in our bodies.”
The classification methods that Eve had willingly begun to use, such as Grade 1 Type 3, Grade 3 Type 6, were not originally her own development.
There had been no need for Eve, who was the Legion itself, to differentiate between classes.
However, from the perspective of the opponents, it was essential to classify and analyze enemies with distinct characteristics and abilities to develop appropriate countermeasures.
“Categorize the inherent power sources as grades, and the number of total installed power sources as types… Up until now, the mainstays of the upper-tier species have all been Grade 1 Type 5, which wield swords and tails, and Grade 1 Type 3, which use staffs and spears. But we need to become even stronger.”
Eve drastically enhanced the quality of the upper-tier troops, even if it meant reducing their numbers.
First, she prepared a set of special power sources to replace the heart, like Kang Do-yeon had four bundled together, implanting power sources into all limbs to maximize firepower.
Displaying strength and mobility against humans, who could not respond unless they were ships, she became a terror incarnate. Far beyond just sending despair, Kang Do-yeon’s very name had become an angel of death, currently experiencing Grade 4 Type 12.
“Ugh…”
“And Commander of the Legion, you are now Grade 6 Type 15. It’s a small-scale unit that requires detailed attention, producing only a fraction of the output of larger types while consuming energy equivalent to five of the ship-type troop models currently being designed. Hate it?”
“No, no. I like it. I can become even stronger.”
Kang Do-yeon gritted her teeth and endured the shock of having her energy channeled through the connection with the Nest and her own body.
As she grew, Eve continued to invest energy to strengthen her to her limits.
Kang Do-yeon, now possessing six high-output power sources in her heart, which she clutched, dropped to one knee, panting.
In the meantime, a jewel shimmering crimson had appeared in the center of her chest’s armor.
“Now, let’s deploy. A total force of 200,000 should be an appropriate number.”
Eve judged that the optimal number for this operation wasn’t that high. It was merely a small fraction that wouldn’t even make a dent among the current mobilizable forces.
But it was sufficient to deliver a critical blow to those who had been underestimating the Legion’s strength by only facing a few agile strike teams so far.
“The species recorded in their data should now completely enter a new category.”
Eve opened a gate. In an instant, over a hundred gates opened simultaneously.
The biggest drawback of the gate was that as its size increased, its area and maintenance costs rose exponentially.
But right now, that energy could be poured out on a planetary scale.
