Episode 67 – Major Threat (7)
“The modifications to the mobile cannons are complete. There are numerous wizards and shamans capable of combining magic circles. The commander believes the firepower we’ve mobilized will be enough to stop the enemy charge. What do you think?”
We had halted the march momentarily to take a rest.
Marcela, as usual, called me over to sit beside her.
Ever since that day, this had become a continuing occurrence. Though she hasn’t directly questioned me, it seems her interest in me hasn’t waned and her persistence and attention have even intensified.
Most of the conversations we share revolve around strategies and tactics – nothing particularly suspicious. Since the failure of her attempt to feed me the blood-scented liquor, she hasn’t made any particular moves, though it does feel rather unsettling.
“Based on what we’ve seen so far, it should suffice.”
“The things we’ve seen…”
Of course, this situation wasn’t completely obstructive. Although I couldn’t discern her exact intentions, Marcela didn’t hesitate to share some confidential information with me while engaging in conversation.
It was apparent that she held some feelings and perhaps ill intentions towards my human guise but was completely unaware of my true identity.
“Assuming the enemies launch a frontal assault as they’ve done before, depending on numbers and brute force, it’s possible we could neutralize them with the firepower we’ve prepared.”
“Speaking of their old habits… I’m somewhat concerned about that. Do you think they might attempt something different?”
She wasn’t foolhardy, that was for sure. Worthy of her standing as a knight of the noble class, she was an elite capable of deducing plausible conclusions from minor hints.
Watching her expression change faintly, I couldn’t help but smirk faintly.
Ultimately, this Marcela including the Orc Legion of about one hundred thousand is already under my complete control.
In this circumstance, no matter what words I speak, I have the ability to sway or implant thoughts as I wish.
Since I’ve garnered quite a bit of information from her so far, I decided to give her a small hint in return.
Of course, for a hint to be meaningful, the person has to be able to take advantage of it. If they lack that capability, it may only lead to further confusion.
“Based on their behavioral patterns, we can observe constant evolution and diversification. The newly evolved soldiers seem to possess abilities that compensate for previous weaknesses. It would be hasty to relax too soon, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I’ve heard similar. These creatures that were initially confined to crawling on the ground are now flying in the sky, hurling poison-laden bombs, and creating giant monsters.”
His face turned serious upon hearing my response. Indeed, even without me pointing it out, others were already aware that our species evolves in real-time.
“Nonetheless, you must realize the flaw in your own argument. The time between the last appearance of the enemies and the moment of our deployment is merely a few days. No matter how bizarre these beasts might seem, creating a new type of soldier in such a short time is impossible. How could they understand so much about us in the first place to be prepared?”
“It was merely a possibility I mentioned.”
However, Marcela didn’t take my words too seriously.
It was only natural, given many aspects defied common sense.
Neither Marcela nor anyone else was aware that we were gathering information from their ranks in real-time and evolving accordingly.
“Ultimately, it’s the battle of who can break common sense the best.”
Through my duplicate conversing with Marcela, I smiled faintly.
The reality is that since the intervention of the players, the common sense of this world has been slowly breaking. Thus, those who cling to and rely on common sense will inevitably fail.
I am no exception.
My legion is also evolving into something beyond common boundaries with the help of the system.
“This so-called great firepower they’ve prepared will be enough.”
I had developed a new type of combat unit that could elevate our Legion to a higher level. Their name? Wall Ghosts.
Their appearance resembles a chimera, a fusion of insects and crustaceans.
The bulk of their stature, about the size of a small car, consists of a hard shell that resembles a giant beetle. When this shell splits open, wings inscribed with mana circuits unfold, resonating with mana and forming a shielding barrier that protects a wide area.
[Achievement Unlocked: Another Evolution (1) – Reward: 1 Trait Point]
Wall Ghosts are slightly different from other combat units.
They belong to the Alpha type, equipped with mana suitable for deploying barriers and are considered a slightly advanced form of existence.
The system’s message, recognizing the evolution, also awarded me a point for the advancement.
“We can’t keep fighting like wild beasts forever, can we? While others are advancing through magic and modified magical tools, we need to keep up too.”
Grinning, I shifted my focus.
Through my one reconnaissance unit, I could see before me a vast plain filled with the massive army gathered there.
These represent only a portion of our entire mobilized forces but are already comparable in scale to the Orc army mobilized by Agor.
All our newly produced Wall Ghosts have been stationed here.
Deploying them, I was confident that this battle would differ from the ones we faced previously.
Evolution doesn’t merely involve making our combatants stronger and sturdier. As our opponents advance, so do we—only more rapidly and powerfully.
We’ve evolved from being a simple conglomerate of numerous beasts into entities destined to dominate this land.
“The Wall Ghosts, which create formidable and sturdy barriers through mana resonance, is truly a method exclusive to the master of this enormous mass, considering the difficulty of achieving mana resonance…”
“They’ll be astonished, for sure.”
“It might not be as simple. The more advanced form we display, the more our enemies will watch us warily, so it might not be entirely advantageous.”
“That’s fine. We just need to outrun whatever countermeasures they devise. At the beginning, that’s exactly who we were meant to be—species incapable of survival if we don’t fight. We might as well embrace our fated purpose.”
Rosalyne and Syla might be shocked, but we’re already aboard a speeding train.
Rather than fretting over the concerns of Superior Lords and halting, we need to prepare to move even faster.
“The war has begun.”
Facing our adversaries closing in, my soldiers, having awakened from their hibernation, finally began to move, launching the war anew.
As always, it was either defeat and extinction or victory, capturing the enemy and growing stronger—a relentless battle with no fallback.
And we’ve already become accustomed to this kind of warfare.
*
“Commander! They’re moving. As expected, they’ve detected our movements and are swarming toward us!”
“I’ve noticed that their reconnaissance numbers are increasing. It’s clear they aren’t planning to avoid us. Since it’s already meaningless, stop hunting their scouts and also halt our reconnaissance.”
Zumun, leading the marching forces as per the Queen’s orders, frowned upon receiving the report. His legion had arrived almost on the scheduled timeline, just as the destination was reached.
‘These creatures…’
There was no longer any need to send out scouts. From his mana beast’s enhanced vision, he could already see the monsters gathered in the distance.
They stood calmly as if signaling their readiness for a full-scale battle, contrary to his cautious approach of slowly drawing near, fearing a sudden charge upon eye contact.
“Engaging in the plains was our intention, but there’s something unsettling. They seem organized like a proper army or something.”
It irritated him.
Even from afar, the gathered beasts appeared to be nothing more than creatures that should be wandering in the corners of the Demon Realm. Though group behaviors are common among mana beasts in the Demon Realm, deploying proper troops and tactics in an actual war certainly was not their territory.
“Prepare for battle!”
To punish this insolence, he commanded his forces. First, shifting formations for a real fight.
Despite hearing the previous reminders to not underestimate them or become too confident, Zumun had his pride.
Therefore, in a proper war against a group of strange monsters with unknown identities, he, as an elite warrior and soldier, had no intention of losing.
“What about what the mercenary mentioned? As if we’ve brought countless cannons, what if they’ve readied new types of soldiers?”
“Is such a feat even possible in such a short time? Besides, as you said, they could not possibly know so much about us!”
Although Marcela made a remark, Zumun shook his head.
Variables may exist, but a decision has been made. After all, nothing in this world is ever certain.
