Chapter 303

Chapter 303. Holding Out is Always the Answer (1)

Of course, even if we mobilize the Kraken-Torchka and hold out,

the fundamental issue of lacking absolute firepower is something we can’t help.

Even if the enemy only brings user ships, we’d still be in trouble, but some even brought their mercenaries…

– **BOOM!**

“The 33rd Combat Fleet has surpassed a 30% loss rate!”

“Commander!”

“Contact Aquarias, Avalonia will support the 33rd Fleet.”

“The 48th Combat Fleet’s defense line has been breached! Enemy small ship squadrons are heading towards the aircraft carrier and Hreðsvelgr!”

“Deploy the remaining three mercenary groups nearby, and contact the Mercenary Dispatch Center to hire additional mercenaries for 1 million minerals and 300,000 rare resources immediately.”

“Understood!”

Even though nearly 30,000 combat ships were deployed,

the enemy users, having survived this hellhole called the Central Zone, were ruthlessly crushing our NPC fleets without even needing superhuman buffs.

While I gathered the remaining combat fleets and ships to form a defensive line,

I also hired about 200 additional mercenary groups to counter the enemy’s numbers and somehow keep resisting.

“Ugh, my resources…”

“You can only use resources if you survive, so think of it as an investment, okay?”

“Thinking like that makes it easier to swallow!”

Of course, in the process, the resources I had been saving for the Tanhoizer raid had already flown away by the millions.

The original plan to raid Tanhoizer was now delayed by at least a month…

But as Jessica said, we had to survive first to even think about raiding.

So, with tears in my eyes, I had no choice but to burn through more resources.

==========

But just as the enemy and our forces were about to clash in a chaotic melee near the fortress,

a shocking piece of news hit our entire base.

And what was it, you ask? Well…

– **KABOOM!**

– “KYAAAAH!”

“What’s going on?!”

“Commander, the Overseer has been hit by enemy battleship fire! The ship has sustained severe damage!”

“!!!”

The Overseer, the Bombardment-Type Heavy Cruiser, was the first SSS-class ship I obtained after being possessed here.

For nearly a year, it had served as the flagship of our fleet, earning the nickname “Unsinkable.”

In this battle, it had been using firepower comparable to battleship artillery alongside Pashtira, wreaking havoc across the battlefield…

“Report the damage.”

“Confirmed! The upper section of the ship, including the main turret and bridge, has been completely destroyed!”

“…Sigh.”

– “This is the Overseer, further combat is impossible.”

The state of the Overseer, based on the frantic communications and reports, was literally on the verge of sinking.

The sleek hull’s upper bow had melted like magma and was flowing down.

Even the relatively sturdy main turret had its long barrel half-destroyed,

with the remaining half melting like taffy and collapsing onto the already melted upper armor.

The bridge structure behind it was still intact, thanks to the main turret blocking the bombardment,

but it was only the shape that remained—the command center was completely gone.

Seeing this, small explosions were erupting all over the Overseer’s hull, showing how unstable it was.

I immediately ordered Pashtra and the crew to evacuate and sent a resource mining ship to the location.

“The Overseer is done for, Pashtira! Get out of there now!”

– “Yes, Commander!”

But as Pashtira and the crew were hastily evacuating…

– “Beam reaction detected ahead!”

– “Friendly destroyer escort failed! The beam is hitting the Overseer!”

“Ah, damn it.”

The trajectory of the incoming beams made it clear they weren’t aimed, but they effortlessly pierced through the ships and struck the relatively intact lower section of the Overseer, which was in the middle of evacuation.

For the already crippled Overseer, this attack was nothing short of a death sentence.

When the main turret, hit by the particle beam, couldn’t withstand the backflowing energy and exploded,

the explosion affected the Overseer’s power source, which had already reached its limit.

Thus, the lower section of the Overseer, now also under attack, was completely destroyed in less than a minute…

– **KRUUUUU… KUGUGUGU… KABOOOOOM!!**

“The Overseer has been sunk! The Overseer is completely destroyed!”

“KYAAAAAH!”

For nearly two years, the Overseer had stubbornly served as the backbone of our fleet…

The Overseer, after completing so many missions, ended up becoming a part of cosmic dust forever.

And without even a moment to mourn the Overseer’s death…

-“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

Pashtira, who was aboard the Overseer, managed to escape but was caught in the explosion and ejected into outer space.

If this continued, there was a high chance of losing a precious SSS-Class Superhuman as a missing person in outer space, so I let out a scream while watching the screen.

Fortunately, a patrol ship that survived the chaos somehow managed to grab Pashtira.

Thanks to that, Pashtira avoided becoming a missing person in outer space.

==========

But regardless of that, the situation was getting worse and worse.

When I deployed the second wave of mercenaries, it seemed like the enemy finally realized they could use mercenaries too.

Apart from the ones they had already deployed, other users started hastily hiring mercenaries from their bases and throwing them into the battlefield.

Of course, other users besides me had a limit on how many mercenaries they could hire…

But when over 500 users gathered their forces, it resulted in a mercenary fleet of over 100,000 points.

“Crazycrazycrazycrazycrazycrazycrazy.”

Naturally, I panicked at the sight and hastily spent 2.5 million minerals and 500,000 rare resources to hire an additional 500 mercenary groups.

But even then, the enemy’s additional forces exceeded 100,000.

It was a close match… no, the enemy users still had a slight advantage, and I was truly feeling what it meant to be “on edge.”

==========

But it wasn’t just Icarus who felt that way…

—————————————-

<Mint Choco Meeting Room>

-[Damn it, that guy called in more mercenaries!]

-[How much resources does he even have left?]

-[No, seriously, it looks like at least 500 more mercenary groups just showed up?]

-[It’s fine, we also called in 500 more mercenary groups, right?]

-[We filled our points to the max, so we have a slight advantage. Let’s go!]

-[How does one person manage to match 500 users’ fully loaded mercenary groups?]

-[LMAOOOOOOOOO this is insane]

—————————————-

Even the leadership of the Valpuris Union Clan, who were facing Icarus, were stunned by the fact that Icarus managed to call in a similar-sized mercenary force despite using their last resort, the “mercenary spam.”

Of course, if the battle continued, Icarus would eventually lose due to fleet issues.

But the problem was that their plan of “dominating third place with the Union Clan, smoothly taking the level 5 base, and growing strong” was a massive failure.

Even if they managed to chase out Icarus and take Avalon Fortress, the losses would be so severe that it would take an unbearably long time to recover.

Although they calculated that once they took the level 5 base, rear defense wouldn’t be a big issue, and they could focus on fleet recovery…

Unfortunately, just two hours later…

—————————————-

<Mint Choco Meeting Room>

-[Wait, what’s going on behind us?]

-[Oh, those guys are attacking us.]

-[Ah, damn it, it’s the solo players!]

-[Solo users are gathering in the rear, they caught on!!]

-[Damn it!]

-[Those guys are saying they figured out we’re trying to form a single clan and are telling us to prepare to die?]

-[How the hell did they find out?!]

—————————————-

Surprisingly, for some unknown reason…

The surrounding “solo” players noticed the existence of the Valpuris Union Clan and started gathering from all directions to enforce the “Central Zone rules.”

The leadership instinctively realized that their long-prepared plan was on the verge of falling apart.