Episode 35 – Legion (5)
“Though combining forces is an extremely rational decision, this arrangement becomes too diverse. If this happens, it’ll be difficult to control and hard to unify our strength.”
The demons consisted of various races with differing characteristics, and this was clearly reflected in battle.
When they were adequately combined, they produced a powerful synergy, but if it became too complex, it could decrease overall power instead.
This was an explanation from the Mercenary Captain Kron. Through this, I understood why in games, when you mix a certain number of races to form a unit, your combat power decreases.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll move together, but during battles, we’ll try to keep as much distance as possible before engaging.”
However, a single mercenary band had no choice. Already, Delu, the hobgoblin commander, had decided to cooperate with other territory forces and was currently on the move.
‘They’re also sending scouts to watch us, so we can’t act openly at this moment.’
Though it might seem easier to ambush in such situations, with a large army, demons aren’t fools.
They had already dispatched reconnaissance teams to track the movement of our main forces.
Sending a small unit for surprise attacks might work, but stealthily moving large-scale forces without being discovered seemed impossible.
“Still, we can discover what tactics they’re planning to use against us internally. Rather than clumsily trying guerrilla warfare, we’ll gather more resources during this time. And when they gather at one place, we’ll overwhelm them with a frontal assault.”
「Consciousness Enhancement 5」
「Physical Enhancement 5」
「Reproduction Enhancement 5」
I steadily assigned attribute points and prepared spare troops that were put into hibernation.
Even if our entire main force was annihilated, the reserves would immediately be mobilized, and new forces would be produced.
We’re simply waiting because we can’t engage in a war of attrition with the entire Demon Realm, but any normal territory that tries to fight us in a war of exhaustion will undoubtedly be crushed.
“Eight thousand Fallen Ones, a thousand Blade Spirits, and a thousand Bomb Spirits.”
Dividing them according to their names, the troops I’m deploying total ten thousand. But this is just the vanguard. A similarly sized second line waits directly behind.
They’ll attack in waves to catch them off guard and sweep them away.
I’ve always aimed to mobilize more troops than the enemy. There’s no reason to conserve them; mobilizing more reduces losses, making the operation more efficient.
Initially, it was because the demon forces, who wield magic, were stronger than mine, but now the reason has changed.
“Our current enemies’ main force will rendezvous with a surviving city in the southern part of the old Orc Baron’s Territory before proceeding north as one united force. We’ll intercept them in the middle.”
“Is simply blocking them the end goal?”
“Of course not. There must be spoils in war.”
Syla smirked after hearing my detailed plan.
Those who dared to harbor thoughts of taking even a piece of my land would need to be punished. Eliminating the enemy’s main force and then attacking the southern region’s remaining cities and villages with subsequent troops will surely provide sufficient spoils.
“The southern city…If we do that, we’ll be too close to the enemy territories. I fear that alarmed enemies could gather proper armies to surround and attack us.”
“Before that happens, we’ll bypass the territory of the Hobgoblin Count Ludras and directly attack the adjacent territory of Rosaline, Lady Lamia’s Territory.”
Information gathered through my avatars includes the constantly changing diplomatic relations between the lords.
I intended to leave the expansive territory of the Hobgoblin Count Ludras, the largest in this region, for last.
“Isn’t there a risk the surrounding lords might notice something strange? Every territory I’ve conquered is closest to Ludras. But if I avoid his core territories and only attack the surrounding ones, won’t they suspect something?”
“That’s…”
“They’ll start suspecting and guarding themselves.”
I grinned at Syla’s brief moment of speechlessness.
‘They still’ haven’t fully understood me, and I intend to exploit that limited information they have.
“In this battle as well, Syla, you’ll lead the vanguard. They call you a ‘Spear Spirit’—won’t it be fun to awaken them to reality?”
“I’m honored.”
I gave the fully committed Syla the opportunity. The Spear Spirit, driven mad with slaughter, now ran rampant on the battlefield with her spear.
For her now, that is joy and the purpose of life.
To further provoke her, I recently gifted her a new body.
The body, created by infusing upgraded universal cells with as much mana as possible, has largely replaced her vampire form.
With the data accumulated from countless demons and mana beasts, I designed this body to resemble her original form while being distinctively improved.
At first, it made her combat effectiveness drop as she struggled to adjust, but after numerous battles, she has now fully adapted and uses her new body with perfect mastery.
‘Time, gaining time alone gives meaning right now.’
And most importantly, we have the luxury of time.
Once chased by time, with the discovery of new nutrient sources, we can now patiently wait, spreading countless Sunflowers until the area is covered in them.
When our enemies are weakened by the aftereffects of war,
we’ll feed on the sunlight, regrow, and return to fight again.
*
“Urgent news!”
“The enemy is moving. But where are they getting the real-time information to move so accurately?”
The moment the Queen moved the Legion, the enemy demons who were watching her every move were inevitably informed.
And now, one by one, suspicions began to arise.
As the scale of the forces she managed grew, their movements became more visible, and both their agility and precision were also observed.
It was already known that the Legion wasn’t ordinary mana beasts, but even so, this exceeded common sense.
It was as if they were watching their every move in real-time.
“Should I play the fool to some extent?”
The Queen, who was monitoring through her embedded avatars, clicked her tongue.
While it would be difficult to uncover the truth with merely these suspicions, once the seed of doubt is planted, it could sprout anytime.
“At the moment, we’ll focus on the battle before us. Nevertheless, since everyone has gathered within the agreed-upon time, let’s form a phalanx in a suitable position to lure them in.”
Fortunately for the Queen, the commander, Hobgoblin Knight Delu, was less interested in complexities and more focused on fighting—a straightforward warrior in every sense.
In accordance with intelligence, the reformed demon coalition army established a phalanx on a chosen hill to await the Legion.
“In the front, we’ll place the hobgoblin foot soldiers and the orc foot soldiers, then position the mercenaries and the lamia army on both flanks.”
“What about the gas bombs that the Bomb Spirits throw from afar?”
“Gargoyle soldiers will wait. Once the enemy appears, they’ll fly up and attack from the sky.”
Delu grinned as he looked at the hundreds of gargoyle soldiers in formation.
Gargoyles, with their membrane wings, could fly freely in the vast sky and were warriors who could freely engage in aerial combat. They were planning to disregard the enemies on the ground and snipe the Bomb Spirits from above.
According to their intelligence, the enemy certainly lacked any means to freely attack those floating in the air.
While the main force held their ground, the gargoyles would act as a cavalry force striking from the rear, seemingly making this battle advantageous for the coalition army.
“Not a wrong assumption. Since we currently have no way to intercept hundreds of gargoyles.”
“The Bomb Spirits might not perform their duties.”
“Doesn’t matter. The Bomb Spirits only need to draw attention. Anyway, our coalition has almost two thousand bomb spirits deployed. Do they think they can take them all out with just a few hundred gargoyles?”
The Queen grinned, finding it entertaining to analyze and dismantle the coalition army’s tactics.
The strategy she prepared this time wasn’t meant to counter the enemy’s troop types or composition.
“I’ll crush them. With overwhelming power, numbers, and mass.”
While the enemies focused on the Bomb Spirits, her plan was to break through the main force.
It wasn’t without planning. Her real-time observation of how the diverse races and unit types were deployed gave her the advantage to prepare appropriate counters.
She’d push the Blade Spirits toward the less cohesive mercenary flank while positioning the alpha types to combat the lamia forces. All plans were already set.
“Another war looms. And surely, more will continue to come.”
Having prepared completely, the Queen led the first charge of the Legion. Those who had already experienced their might began trembling in fear as they watched the slowly advancing black tide.
