Chapter 161

Inside the Forward Base.

Confidently reaching out toward the open space while being carried on the back of Banetta.

“Release collection! Please arrange and bring out Group 1!”

– Disabling the collection function. I will release all vehicles belonging to collection Group 1 and arrange them in the nearest empty space.

A great army emerging with light.

The wide open space is instantly filled with tanks, armored vehicles, and self-propelled guns.

In the front are light tanks and armored cars, while larger vehicles like medium tanks and siege guns are positioned toward the back.

The long protruding barrels point skyward, and the black armor panels gently reflect the sunlight.

[ First Armored Battle Group is in motion. Please give your orders, Commander. ]

The Invader vehicle asking for a request, shining its blue sensors at me.

This is an imagination anyone who has experienced AOE would have had at least once; a segment of the Invader legion that pushed the world into ruin is now moving as my subordinate.

My heart races at this dreamlike event that I could only experience in modes or snippets.

“Wow, I never thought I’d see such a sight in my lifetime…”

A voice of surprise mixed with bewilderment comes from the side.

“Me too.”

Freya agrees with the Chancellor’s remark.

“An Invader as an ally—”

Her words seem to blend various emotions.

Soon, I feel a warm sensation above my head.

“I feel this every time, but Edu, you’re an impossible child to take your eyes off of, aren’t you?”

A bittersweet smile is etched on her face.

“Then, can you tell us the details?”

“Yes!”

I explain the power of the collection and how this has come about to Freya and the Chancellor.

Both of them nod and focus intently on my story.

Once I finish my explanation, the Chancellor nods once more.

“Truly a peculiar power, but I have one question.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“From what I hear, it seems you only need to contain something, but is there a reason you only contain vehicles? Doesn’t the equipment you acquired also have bots?”

The Invader’s infantry weapon, bots.

These iron humans, loosely mimicking the shape of a person, use superior physical abilities to operate powerful weapons and assist in the Invader’s invasion.

Another core component of the Invaders, deployed in nearly all areas and rolled out as cheap troops.

Thus, after defeating the Megabase, the large number of bot soldiers, once operating alongside armored vehicles, also fell into our hands.

“There are limitations.”

“Limitations? Does that mean the types that can be contained in the collection are predetermined?”

“Yes.”

I nod and answer.

“It seems that right now, I can only contain mounted weapons like vehicles or tanks and large equipment.”

“Hm, the conditions are quite strict.”

“Yes.”

As I reply, Freya shows a reaction from another angle.

“Wait a moment, Edu, does that mean the current situation could change in the future?”

“Yes, I haven’t figured out everything about this power yet.”

In fact, the limitations have remained unchanged since I previously confirmed various aspects of the collection with Banetta’s help.

However, the collection is a completely unknown power that never existed in AOE.

Therefore, although there are various restrictions at the moment, the future remains uncertain.

Furthermore, the name “collection” can be used quite broadly, so while it is more of a hopeful deduction, it is not without some basis.

“I see, still, having a varied armored power increase is a massive boost.”

“That’s right, you’ve accomplished something remarkable, Edu.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

I scratch my cheeks at their compliments.

Of course, I still do not know if the Invader weapons that have become our allies will exhibit the same combat strength as before, but considering the sheer number, a ten-thousand-strong armored force has rolled in.

Moreover, the weapons can be contained within the collection.

What this means is that large-scale armored forces can be deployed to distant locations in an instant or, conversely, dropped behind enemy lines in no time.

Armored troops have always been the backbone of ground battles, but mobility, weight, balance, and fuel efficiency have constantly been challenges.

However, using the collection allows for operations that can overcome these limitations.

In simple terms, it’s as if tanks have been given wings.

“Even so, there are some aspects that feel a bit disappointing.”

“Disappointing aspects?”

“Yes, the part about repairing vehicles felt a bit off.”

Confirming the restoration of a damaged tank, I attempted various actions alongside Banetta.

I tried separating the turret and body of the tank to put them in separately, and I attempted a trick where cutting a functioning vehicle in half would enable the tank to duplicate in the collection, but all results ended in utter failure.

When I explain this, Freya and the Chancellor have subtle expressions.

“Is that so?”

“…I’m hesitant to say this, but isn’t that a bit of a shameless idea?”

“Shameless? Please call it an efficient play.”

After all, any usable ability should strive for maximum efficiency.

At the very least, the concept of trying to duplicate a tank by cutting it in half seemed like quite a good idea, but the fact that it didn’t work is too disappointing.

If it had succeeded, the troops would have doubled in size, but unfortunately, that didn’t pan out.

“Still, I suppose the Invader retrieval has mostly concluded?”

“Yes, I’ve brought everything that fits into the collection.”

What remains on the battlefield are only those massive weapons like ground ships or Megabases, which are too immense to fit into the collection, or bots that do not conform to the collection.

Thinking of this reminds me of the expressions of the graduate students who watched me recollect the Invader weapons.

It’s difficult to express, but their eyes resembled those of deeply religious people depicted in movies or comics.

‘Could it be… No way?’

It’s already burdensome that Fallen, who has become an enigmatic zealot after receiving education from the elves, draws attention, but if Banetta’s acquaintances start to act strangely as well… Ugh, I don’t even want to imagine it.

As my body shivers, a sudden thought strikes me.

‘Now that I think about it, people seem to be unusually kind to me.’

Of course, I have achieved quite a bit and am close to amazing people like Freya and Chancellor Ryeoju.

That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were some incidental goodwill that came along with that, but for some reason, it feels like the kindness people show me is separate from that.

‘No way… Did Grandpa do something strange?’

A name that pops up automatically when combining the Ark and something strange, Hapendel Chronos.

As my eyes narrow and suspicions begin to swirl, Freya’s voice reaches my ears.

“Then, shall we have Edu use all the Invaders we retrieved this time?”

“Yes? All of them?”

My eyes widen in surprise at the unexpected suggestion.

Even though they are all armored weapons and there are quite a lot of them, are they really giving all of that to one person?

It feels like too much power to be given to an individual, but Freya and Chancellor Ryeoju are steadfast.

“Yeah, anyway, you can store them within Edu’s abilities, and those machines don’t have separate cockpits, do they?”

“That’s true.”

“So, Edu will use them all. It’s a lot of work to modify and adjust each one individually, isn’t it?”

“Freya has a point, and besides, Edu, you’d be able to use those machines well, wouldn’t you?”

As they say this, Freya and the Chancellor send me trusting looks.

“They’re right, plus we’ve already recovered the equipment we need for research, haven’t we?”

Banetta, who had been silent, also supports their statements.

“Ah, but since there weren’t any large vehicles recovered, could I get just a few of those?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

Banetta smiles brightly.

“Then it seems like cleanup is coming to a close.”

“Thanks to our little hero.”

Freya pets my head.

While warmth is transmitted from her hand, I can only shake my head.

“No, not yet.”

“Edu? What do you mean?”

“Is there something else you need to do?”

All eyes turn to me.

Clearing my throat, I speak.

“I have some things to discuss with the 4th Interstellar Fleet, you see?”

“Ah.”

Finally recalling something, Freya lets out a small sigh.

“Now that I think about it, that matter did occur.”

Understanding what it means, the Chancellor nods, but Banetta tilts her head.

“About those aliens? Didn’t we wrap everything up last time?”

“The conversation did indeed come to an end last time. However, I requested they send reinforcements for this battle, and they haven’t sent anything.”

“I see.”

“Yes, so—”

I clench my small hand and stretch it out toward the air.

“We need to correct the bad habits of those disobedient aliens.”

The last negotiation was already quite convenient for them, but they returned the favor by betraying us.

There’s no need to show further mercy or convenience to such bad characters.

Hehehe, this time, I’ll strip everything away!