Chapter 136: The Tip of the Iceberg (4)
“The enemy’s ships spread across the region have started moving. Their decision-making is quick. They are among the few commanders I’ve seen on the human side.”
In the desolate nest of REDRIUM, Eve observed the human fleet’s overall movements through the eyes of the legionnaires spread across different locations.
“I think they’re a fitting opponent for our historic first fleet battle. Although the numbers are a bit lacking due to the rushed deployment.”
[…It seems like the ones we’ve encountered until now were of a low level.]
“For now, should we give them a sense of urgency and, at the same time, a glimmer of hope?”
Eve, who lightly ignored the voice ringing in her head, gave separate instructions to Kang Do-yeon, who was present there.
In fact, the ‘ships’ of the legion to be mobilized for this battle were not present here.
The newly born ship-type troops had already crossed over through the gate as soon as they were created.
The ship-type legionnaires waiting would spring into action the moment the planned formation was drawn.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
With a smirk, Eve reached out her hand towards her side.
What grasped that hand was the large, monstrous hand clad in a black carapace like a gauntlet.
It was a bit different from Kang Do-yeon, Eve, and Reina. Designed deliberately as a distinct monster for Shin Woo’s identity, that body stood at a towering height of 3 meters.
Soon, the gate opened.
The two passed through the gate and arrived in a cold, dark underwater world. At the same time, the ground they were standing on began to move.
To be precise, it wasn’t the ground. A red light began to flicker all around.
[This will be recorded in our history. A moment of leaping once again. The small cells that began in the pit of the underground cave have finally evolved into beings that long for the world beyond.]
With a hum that resembled engine noise, what zoomed rapidly towards the surface was, from an overall shape, somewhat reminiscent of Alliance ships.
But it was definitely a writhing, living creature, part of the legion of Eve in motion.
Hundreds of those gigantic monsters burst upward in unison and began to soar into the sky, piercing through the vast ocean.
*
“Commander, all fleets have gathered.”
“Small crafts could appear and penetrate the ships at any moment. Alter them for omnidirectional bombardment and remain vigilant to annihilate the enemy.”
What was happening in the ocean on the other side of the world was unknown to those who had just gathered their full strength.
Liam pursued the monstrous horde driving the ground to hell with dozens of ships.
With the firepower of the assembled fleet, they could obliterate an entire continent, but the reason they had gathered together was simply to avoid being picked off individually, so the ships maintained a thorough defense while sailing in formation, chasing the enemies on the ground.
‘Is it possible to catch them? If they truly were intelligent, they would just run away now. We’re trying to claim this land, not destroy it.’
Unlike the others, who began to relax when the fleet successfully assembled, Liam’s thoughts were tangled.
And one of the causes was the inherent response of those under his command, who repeated the usual message of acknowledgment, no matter how many reports he sent about the need to be cautious.
It was unreasonable that the chancellor would remain quiet when hearing the news that they had lost ships to nameless alien bugs.
“Don’t worry too much. All fleets have gathered without further losses, haven’t they?”
“…It’s not such a simple issue, Amy.”
He chuckled at the words of his assistant, who subtly held his hand, shaking his head.
“Those movements they’ve shown until now. They’ve maneuvered as if they knew our intentions and actions, moving cunningly. I’m bothered that such beings suddenly moved with a large force.”
Liam absentmindedly murmured as he looked at his busy, chattering subordinates.
His mind was turning fiercely. Based on accumulated experiences and knowledge, he was already entering the realm of imagination.
‘Who are they, or rather, what are they?’
By regulation, they were initially classified as one of the alien monster species. However, he couldn’t agree with the classification made by the accompanying scholars.
‘They are not simple organisms, not beasts. They can drop ships, use magic, think, and move collectively. Why have they moved now? If it were simply to run away from us, why did some stay behind to engage in guerrilla warfare? What is their purpose?’
“Co-Commander?!”
As his imagination began to veer into ominous territory.
An urgent report came from the front lines. Liam inhaled sharply and immediately brought up the screen.
“Black Wings.”
Liam bit his lip. The first thing that appeared on the screen was black feathered wings against the blue sky.
And around her, arranged in a line, were a total of twenty higher-level beings.
On the ground, the legionnaires that had been marauding, turning the continent into ruins, had gathered as if they were about to engage in full-scale warfare here.
“Why? Why confront this fleet head-on?!”
Unable to comprehend their actions, Liam looked at the glowing eyes behind the mask on the screen and removed his hat, scratching his head roughly.
Not letting down his guard, having highly valued the enemy’s potential, made this situation all the more incomprehensible.
“Commander! Issue the bombardment order now!”
Of course, the captains at the front had long since lost their minds.
To them, those black bugs were the culprits that had dealt a significant blow to the pride of the cosmic fleet.
And most importantly, they didn’t think as deeply as Liam did. The difference in firepower was overwhelming, even from an objective perspective.
“Give the bombardment order.”
“Bombard!”
Ultimately, Liam decided to move first.
‘Here it comes.’
The cannons’ muzzles began to shine brightly, and with a bang, powerful beams of light erupted.
Kang Do-yeon and the higher-level beings immediately raised the barrier output and spread out.
The only reason all forces, including the ground troops that wouldn’t be of any help, openly gathered here was singular.
To draw out the enemy’s fleet. Although they had succeeded in luring them here, the enemy’s cautious movements maintaining a defensive formation were unexpected.
‘Now it’s a melee.’
Dodging as the beam skimmed past her, Kang Do-yeon repeated in her mind while zigzagging through the sky and quickly approaching the fleet.
Every one of these actions was part of the ‘legion-style’ fleet battle that Eve had planned.
‘As expected, they’re launching their crafts. Keep moving. We possess various strengths, so there’s no reason to engage them in a conventional fleet battle they are familiar with.’
Eve snickered as she watched the situation unfold.
She had perfectly acquired their basic strategic tactics.
However, just as she had blended her strengths into the technology when producing the ship-type legionnaires, Eve ensured that they harmoniously incorporated the legion’s unique advantages.
With wings unfurled, Kang Do-yeon swept through the drones firing rapid-fire guns and short-range high-power missiles.
“I got one. Fire!”
However, that was a bait. The moment she halted her evasive maneuvers even slightly, some of the ships that had been holding fire and merely aiming at her unleashed their beams.
‘Pretty good, huh?’
A remarkably agile response that surprised Eve. As Kang Do-yeon reinforced her crackling barrier and once again moved to target the ships.
Other higher-level beings were no different. With Kang Do-yeon, Liam’s tactical use of the drones gradually began to chip away at the barriers of the higher-level beings.
This would lead to a war of attrition. If all energy was spent on defense, they couldn’t withstand the bombardment.
‘Change the strategy. Let’s drop one first.’
From that moment, the movements of Kang Do-yeon and the higher-level beings changed.
In their evasion maneuvers, as they drew closer to each other and clustered, Kang Do-yeon broke through a barrier of a frigate and succeeded in crashing into its interior.
“C-Commander…!”
“Fire. There’s no other choice. We’ll take down that black wing this time!”
With eyes tightly shut, Liam made a daring decision. To sacrifice one of the frigates and annihilate the clustered enemies.
Soon, bombardment from the flagship engulfed the frigate entirely.
A tremendous explosion occurred, and the shock was enough to crack the barriers of nearby vessels.
‘Life’s value is paid for with life.’
“Never let them go. End this before they come back stronger!”
Amidst the debris of the shattered ship and the mangled bodies of higher-level beings falling, what remained in the air was only Kang Do-yeon, enshrouded in a cracked barrier.
Once again, bombardment began following Liam’s command.
One thing was certain: receiving this strike would break the barrier, and Kang Do-yeon would die.
“…What is that?”
However, with the subsequent bombardment, the black wings did not fall. Stunned, Liam’s eyes widened as he looked at the blonde scattered in the sky, momentarily losing his words.
“Foolishly, they seem to think that you are our entire existence. Both you and I are merely a tiny fraction of the legion.”
Reina, grinning, raised her staff, blocking Kang Do-yeon’s path.
“Commander! The battleship radar is operational!”
“Why is the battleship radar…”
While Liam remained dumbfounded watching Reina, who had only appeared in local testimonies, he turned upon hearing Amy’s scream.
The battleship radar was precisely for detecting the position of the enemy fleet. Logically, it shouldn’t be ringing at all right now.
However, the moment Reina lifted the camouflage magic hiding her form, the enemy ‘ships’ detected by the radar began to increase exponentially in that fleeting moment.
“Prepare for collision, prepare for collision!”
As he caught sight of the enormous one heading straight for the flagship, Liam shouted loudly, hugging Amy beside him and leaping away.
