Chapter 163: Great Chaos and Great Invasion (8)
“Where should we lightly start? There happen to be some newly developed planets at the colonization stage.”
Eve moved the fleet. One of the advantages of the Legion was that there was no need to rest once power was replenished.
The destination was none other than the Alliance’s territory. She had obtained information and coordinates for that location through Richard. Richard himself probably didn’t expect that the large amount of data he had quickly skimmed through would be used in this way.
“Planet Cyan. A newly developed planet that hasn’t even been in the colonization phase for five years. The force that claims it is Ares, who has discovered and concealed the existence of Earth. Although it was rated low by them due to its barren nature, it is usable enough.”
Though she met the minimum threshold, it was only an assumption based on endurance, and it’s always better to have more nests.
The number of spacecraft mobilized by Eve, whose goals were invasion, erosion, and nesting, was only around a hundred. It was not difficult to dispatch more later, so only the most efficient number was sent to save energy in the beginning.
“You seem very confident. Is that really enough? You might be facing both the Alliance and the Federation at the same time.”
“Push yourself to the limit. Then evolve. That’s my way. Besides… I said I would help if I got into trouble.”
Eve smiled at me as she spoke. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her expression. Of course, that wasn’t the whole reason, but since I declared that I would maintain balance, it seemed Eve thoroughly intended to take advantage of my promise to save her if she was ever in danger.
“We all grow and can no longer return to our previous relationship completely, so we have to do this.”
Eve brazenly responded that this was natural. It wasn’t a wrong statement, and I couldn’t particularly refute it. The sun had set, and it was already last year since I first met Eve.
The small organism colony, which had visibly grown from the food and samples I had provided, had now become a massive group devouring various planets.
“Both of you are welcome to join us. The preparations are complete.”
And during that process, the reason we returned here in human form after being on the battlefield began.
“I believe everyone has heard this already.”
“Yes.”
This was a reception room discreetly prepared in the hotel. Awaiting us was a representative of the Alliance, who introduced himself as Colonel Romel of the Alliance.
There were not just Eve and me here. A few from the Guardian Federation, or like Chris, from Evolution, were also present.
“Our Alliance has officially entered into an agreement with the Guardian Federation and has decided to deploy troops for the war against the demonic realm. In return, we can formally offer you from the Guardian Federation our support.”
He snapped his fingers, instructing his subordinates to hand us something. What was distributed was something akin to a contract written in English.
“We will provide equipment, housing, and subsequent measures against dangers. Would you consider facing not only the demons of the demonic realm but every enemy threatening humanity in this universe?”
Their proposal was what everyone here had expected from before. It was just that the interactions up to this point had been happening beneath the surface, and now the Guardian Federation officially allowed it in exchange for their support.
“Fools.”
Eve sneered at them through the collective consciousness. If they knew the true identities of those they were trying to enlist, they would be shocked beyond belief.
“If you agree, come this way. We won’t force you. Since we have to fight back to back together, we can’t have any distrust.”
Unaware of their ridicule, Colonel Romel finally led those who agreed to this contract deeper into a room.
Eve and I were included, along with people from Evolution, including Chris.
“Right now, the same thing is happening on Earth. As far as I know, they plan to gather 300 people in the first round.”
“What do they intend to do with those 300 people?”
“Who knows? I doubt they’re simply going to use them as guard dogs.”
In the brief moment, I was able to talk with Chris.
“The situation on Earth is complicated. The units ultimately have to become the only survivors of the world, right? Only when they become the representative unit can they move on to the next step. But that’s impossible. From the player’s perspective, it’s frustrating.”
He shared detailed insights with me, treating it as a complaint. This was true for not only Earth but also for the demonic realm; the units couldn’t battle each other due to having such enormous enemies, leading to a standstill.
[Each world has different conditions and rewards, but the fact that they have become the representative unit means they are advancing. As time flows, the game’s aspect will ultimately divide into upper tiers engaging in war beyond the worlds and lower tiers that can’t do anything.]
Having already conquered an entire world, we were already the representative unit. That is to say, we were an approved upper tier that had passed the preliminary rounds. By this point, the shop system and gold, among other game systems, wouldn’t significantly affect those who had grown larger.
And as the observer had said, we were already fighting against units from other worlds.
“Our players, who were somewhat ambitious, have also changed their course. Just surviving is enough. It’s highly likely that their league will change, and it’s quite possible to survive while fighting appropriately.”
“Can’t you just stay on Earth?”
“Perhaps they want to diversify their investments. Honestly, will this game even end while I’m still alive?”
Chris shook his head with a wry smile. Now that I thought about it, I had never heard that the end of the game necessarily meant the death of the weak.
If the true goal of this game was to create the strongest single collective, then there’s no need to kill everyone.
“What’s the matter? I think these have the strongest specs among all the military nano-suits ever made.”
Colonel Romel tried various persuasive tactics to finalize the deal with us. The suit we were trying on was one of those persuasive attempts. It was a high-end nano-suit that was better than an exoskeleton and hard to obtain in the Rebel Alliance.
I felt rather uncomfortable due to my bad memories associated with that nano-suit.
“It’s not really that useful. It’s just like having fixed instructions programmed to the Legion’s versatile cells that can become anything.”
Of course, Eve was also wearing that suit, but she didn’t seem to give it a high rating either.
“Giving us something like this means they’re ultimately telling us to fight. Does the Alliance have enemies too? Like the demons?”
One of the people present asked a sharp question. Although it was surprising, the Colonel skillfully deflected by saying that evil threatens order everywhere.
“What should we do about this? That evil seems to have already approached their planet.”
Eve, and I couldn’t help but be aware of that statement. The hundred or so vessels that Eve had sent ahead were almost reaching the Alliance’s newly developed settlement.
“Ugh… Ah…”
“Emergency! Emergency!!”
The quiet base was suddenly turned upside down. A sudden large-scale warp was detected at the warp point. The size was comparable to that of a decent fleet.
And upon confirming the identity of the unknown force that had warped in, the Commander stationed at the space base defending the settlement could only gasp in shock.
“…Monsters!”
The information that the Rebel Alliance had suffered severely against the legion of bizarre creatures had already spread throughout the Alliance.
“Hold the hall!”
This place, being a frontier at the fringe of the force, was no exception. The sweating Commander shouted as if he were having a seizure.
To conserve the lifetime of the warp engine and support large-scale movement, the Alliance had established a kind of hall in space that allowed for constant warping.
It was a massive facility similar to a gate, with even troops stationed, and if the hall in this Cyan settlement were to be destroyed or damaged, they would receive no support from their home planet.
“What is their strength?!”
“Th-That’s… For now, over 80 escort-class ships, and 3 flagship-class ships.”
“Are you kidding me!? We only have one flagship and 20 escort ships here!”
The Commander tore his hair out. The power differential was overwhelmingly in the negative. But they had to fight.
If they gave up the struggle in space, the ground would meet its end. Even now, the ground was just a settlement with inadequate forces.
“We fight. And we endure. According to reports, they have enormous size but their durability, firepower, and endurance are weaker than battleships. We hold out until support arrives through the hall.”
The Commander ordered the captains to form a defense line to counter the charging vessels.
As the massive forces of monsters slowly approached, he involuntarily swallowed hard.
‘This is just bad luck. Why here of all places?’
Having already been far removed from promotions and cushy positions, he lamented his fate and swore under his breath.
‘…But the fact that they warped here means they know the coordinates of this place.’
However, as the enemy drew closer, suspicious thoughts began to arise in his mind.
‘Could it be that they intentionally came here? Do they know this place is a weakly defended settlement?’
Finally, when the enemy got close enough to exchange fire, his eyes widened in surprise.
‘No, then how did they find out about this place’s coordinates and information about it? This is classified data even the rebels don’t know!’
In that critical moment, as his brain raced and he fell into a panic, the Legion’s vessels continued to advance, responding with fire as per their tactics.
“Don’t worry, Commander! The hall is out of their attack range. They can’t possibly know the location or existence of that facility, so we just need to hold out like this…”
“Their forces… are splitting.”
Perhaps concluding that he had despaired, the enthusiastic lieutenant fell silent, watching some of the vessels suddenly change course, heading toward the only hope—the hall.
