Chapter 45

“Why Invaders?!”

In the midst of running hard, Edward exclaimed in a voice laden with lamentation. His head, breathing heavily, turned sharply towards me.

“Ed, are you cursed to attract Invaders or something?!”

“Calling it a curse is a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

As I pondered that thought, just before I could retort, Jack reacted before me to Edward’s comment.

“Edward, you shouldn’t speak to a friend like that.”

Jack reprimanded Edward gently.

“But!”

“Edward?”

Clack, clack.

“Hmm, sorry Edu, that wasn’t what I meant.”

Edward bowed his head in submission to Jack’s persuasive argument. Though it was a trivial conversation, it was somewhat soothing and eased the slight unease I felt.

“Alright, we’ll be more careful next time.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

After combating the Cryptid, we passed through the heaps of remains and headed towards the surface.

Nisia glanced back slightly and looked at me.

“Edu, so what do you plan to do?”

“First, we need to assess the situation.”

From the video sent by Saver, I had confirmed that a vehicle-like Invader was approaching, but I hadn’t yet identified the full composition of the enemy.

Perhaps we had accidentally encountered a small reconnaissance team—such a scenario was a possibility.

One element of uncertainty remained, though, because in my memory, there was no event of Invaders patrolling this far.

‘Could it…be something else?’

I had merely come to this spot to level up, but I absolutely reject any absurd surprises.

“So, wouldn’t avoiding the fight and hiding be an option? We could conceal the tank and hide within this colony; the Invaders wouldn’t have a clue what to do.”

“Hmm…”

Edward’s suggestion, while not wrong, made me shake my head.

“That won’t work; it would make things get out of hand.”

“Taking excessive risks sounds better than letting things escalate a little, but is there really a reason why we shouldn’t let it blow up?”

“I don’t want to increase the chances of unnecessary trouble from those who dislike me.”

Though I said this, I knew for certain that the group I had seen at the court would certainly cause trouble.

As I said that, Edward frowned thoughtfully.

“You have personal matters to consider. Alright, I won’t press further on that.”

“Thanks.”

By now, light was seeping through from the tunnel ahead.

The friends picked up their pace again upon seeing that, but a dark mass blocked the entrance to the cave.

“Huh?”

[The rear hatch is opening; please board.]

With Saver’s message, the hatch opened with a metallic clang.

Ah, Saver had positioned the tank at the cave entrance from behind.

As that thought crossed my mind, the others, who had momentarily frozen in place, finally understood the situation and hurried inside Saver.

[The AI core is being transferred from the mobile terminal to the tank. The process is complete. I will display the approaching enemy’s image inside.]

Even before my friends could catch their breath, a holographic image appeared inside the tank.

Unlike before, we could clearly see the enemy through the sharp image. Their forms darted across the rugged wilderness, kicking up clouds of dust.

My breath hitched in my throat as I confirmed the situation—a worst-case scenario.

There were things in the enemy ranks that definitely shouldn’t be there.

“Uh, are those…tanks?”

“Hold on, tanks?”

Edward looked at the holographic screen in surprise at Jack’s words.

“Yeah, they’re tanks alright.”

It’s confirmed.

Their long, arm-like shapes and the turret-like protuberances, resembling turtle shells, leaned disproportionately backward. These were the multi-purpose tanks, Clarent, that made up the core of the Invader armor force.

Next to them came the Gandida, six-wheeled reconnaissance armored vehicles, speeding quickly alongside.

Four tanks, eight armored vehicles—a massive force, fully regimented into three armored platoons, heading rapidly towards us.

“…”

“Uh, this is… pretty overwhelming…”

Although Nisia trailed off, everyone understood what she was silently implying.

“Hmph.”

I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts.

It was clear that the enemy’s size was far beyond the operational force needed for a mere patrol. Hence, collision was inevitable.

Because their presence here indicated a purpose and a reason.

“… Saver, do you know the specifications of our enemies?”

[They are stored in the database.]

“Can you take on how many at once?”

[According to the calculations, it’s one. Our tank’s enhanced defense capabilities are merely about durability, not designed to withstand large-scale armor combat.]

“Sure enough.”

The last shred of hope I had clung to faded.

In fact, it was quite natural. No matter how capable Barnetta might be, anticipating a large-scale armored battle with this kind of force around Fangju was unrealistic.

[Also, the enemy tanks were designed specifically with tank warfare in mind. Even with optimal performance, our barrier will eventually be broken and the vehicle destroyed.]

Of course, capturing one tank out of a fully regimented platoon is impressive, but there’s no room to bask in that, and we can’t afford to.

“Hmm…”

I organized the situation.

The enemy’s force is larger and stronger than ours. And with the sun setting, time is no longer on our side.

“Edu, why don’t you use the exploding summons that we used during the day?”

“Yeah, that could be an option, right?”

Nisia’s question got a nod from Edward.

“Tanks are known to be vulnerable to top or bottom attacks, won’t the summon work?”

Though what they said wasn’t entirely wrong, I had no choice but to shake my head.

“It’s not that it wouldn’t work, but the Hand Glider just isn’t fast enough. The chances of getting intercepted by Gandida before reaching the tank are high.”

“The anti-aircraft web of the enemy armored vehicles?”

“Exactly.”

Moreover, the Invader tanks weren’t manned vehicles, but living organisms. While they might superficially resemble normal tanks, on closer inspection, they were quite different and more resilient than standard tanks.

Still, they aren’t invincible. Their rear parts remain weak, and disabling their sensors can render them like blindfolded ones.

‘Perhaps I should use Nightmare?’

While considering this, I checked the stat window, noticing the MP had dropped below 500 after the repeated battles. This meant that even though using Nightmare’s power would help, there wouldn’t be enough MP to summon the Colossus, which costs 500 MP, forcing me to abandon the idea.

[The enemy armored platoon continues its approach. They’re expected to detect us within five minutes.]

Saver’s words shook me back to reality.

Fighting on this open field without planning is akin to suicidal behavior, plans aside.

So, we should relocate first.

“Saver, remember the area where we destroyed the vehicles earlier today?”

The site of this morning’s assault, which was undoubtedly close to a gentle ravine and not entirely open wasteland.

[Yes.]

“Can we go around the enemies and get to that spot?”

[It will be a slight detour, but it seems possible. Are you planning on using the wreckage as cover?]

Saver accurately understood and queried my plan.

“Yeah. It could also interrupt their sensors. How much time do we have until the rendezvous with the transport ship?”

[Three hours.]

“And the estimated time to reach there?”

[Forty minutes from here, and around thirty minutes from where we are heading.]

An estimated two hours and thirty minutes of leeway, but allowing a buffer, about two hours and twenty minutes would be appropriate.

“Alright, let’s head there.”

[Understood, we’re moving.]

Saver’s frame began vibrating slightly accompanied by a rumble. With Nisia’s help, I settled onto the mattress, and the others similarly found their seats.

A tense atmosphere settled within the tank with the sudden appearance of the Invaders, darkening the mood.

… Perhaps I should do something to lighten it a bit?

While thinking about that, I felt a gaze beside me and turned my head to meet Nisia’s eyes.

“Nisia, do you have anything to say?”

“Eh? No, not really. Sorry.”

“Hmm…”

She clearly had something on her mind, but if she herself said not, it would feel wrong to press her.

The conversation fizzled out.

“???”

Though Nisia’s expression was concerning, finding a solution to the Invader problem took precedence now.

I focused my thoughts and deliberated.

‘What to do? The best method—’

The desperate feeling.

But with a 12-to-1, hopelessly mismatched power ratio, my mind clouded over against the weight of that desperate situation.

‘…’

The train of thought froze. Time slipping away only brought frustration, gnawing away at logical thinking.

The more I thought about finding a solution, the more aware I became of the harsh reality, and ominous predictions kept surfacing.

… Perhaps Edward’s suggestion of hiding Saver and holding out isn’t so bad? But what if they hold out anyway?

What should I do? Should I just give up?

I was sinking deeper into a fog of thought when…

Suddenly, a voice sounded in my ear.

“…If it’s Sister Edu, I have this feeling that you can make it.”

“I, I believe so too…!”

“Huh?”

I looked around at the sound of these two voices, but there was neither Mili nor Sita to be seen anywhere in the tank.

“Edu? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

What was that?

It was definitely the conversation I had just after entering the academy, with Mili and Sita.

As I thought of this, another voice echoed.

“Trust, and leave it to me.”

This voice… was Yuze?

I recalled the conversation with Yuze, the trust shining in her jewel-like red eyes.

“I trust you.”

“…?”

Despite searching around, there was still no sign of Yuze.

What is this?

Confusion overcame me, but the trembling hand that signaled fear ceased, and the fogged-over mind began to clear.

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped my lips.

Just then, past memories of myself resurfaced, forgotten amidst the overwhelming disparity in power.

“This isn’t a dream, President.”

The confident words I had spoken.

“If we all work together, we can bring the results into our reality.”

“Is it really possible?”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

There’s no doubt I said such things.

Taking a deep breath, I steadied my resolve.

After all, I knew from the beginning that this wouldn’t be an easy task. Don’t be overwhelmed by the reality before your eyes; find what you can do in this situation.

As I reaffirmed my resolve, the mind grew significantly lighter, and a post from AOE Net from long ago popped into my mind.

I clearly remembered the post’s headline mocking the Invaders.

– In the 23rd cycle, I randomly ran into an Invader armored unit in the field and was shocked. But by calmly hiding one character and creating a minefield, I managed to lure them into it, then all the tanks exploded. Beautiful fireworks everywhere~

I can’t recall it precisely, but that was certainly the gist.

The situation strangely resembled the one I was in now.

The key words from the post floated in my mind.

Invaders, armor, accidental encounter, concealment, minefields, specs.

Furthermore, the deception strategy from yesterday’s and today’s fallen raiders came back to me, with some more words emerging:

Deception, misinformation, ambush, explosion, traps.

I consolidated the ideas in my mind.

The Invader armor may be strong, but their judgment is average. How about combining deception with traps to ensnare them?

The reconnaissance armored vehicles intercepting the Hand Glider could be good. Instead, why not use their interception capabilities to feed the enemy false information and lure them into the trap?

Don’t stop thinking, keep seeking a way to win using every available method.

I hadn’t loudly proclaimed anything to Mili, Sita, and Yuze, had I? Let’s break through this hardship gracefully.

Thinking back on the situation, I attempted to combine and try out several methods, countless failures and defeats flaring in my mind.

But that’s just one result.

Endlessly cycling back, I fit the puzzle pieces one by one for victory.

[We’ve arrived.]

And just when Saver’s voice came, the method to counter the Invaders solidified in my mind.

“Yeah, in that case—”

A natural, spontaneous smile crept onto my lips.

“Edu…?”

“Judging by that look, you’ve got an idea already, haven’t you?”

“Huh, really?”

Edward smirked knowingly, and Nisia, upon hearing that, looked at me curiously.

“Yep, exactly.”

With self-assurance, I answered them.

“Let’s teach those clanged-up tanks what failure tastes like.”