Chapter 405: Last Battle (2)
“That son of a bitch…”
Only then could I realize what the Demon Summoner bastard was aiming for.
He was aiming for the command system.
In a way, it certainly seemed like a checkmate. It was hard to imagine the degree of confusion that the field commanders and the troops on the battlefield would feel.
The means of communication, which had been maintained all throughout the war, had been effectively disabled.
There was nothing that could express how dire the situation was. It would be strange if the allies didn’t feel confused.
‘I relied too much on the mirrors.’
It was a method to move the entire army like one body organically. However, it was also a one-sided method.
One control tower had control over numerous troops. I never thought that its advantage could be turned into a weakness.
We had lost that advantage in an instant.
It seemed that he already knew that our side was controlling the troops through the Goddess’s Mirror. It was natural to find out about it, but coming up with a countermeasure against it that quickly was extraordinary.
I realized that the last battle’s strategic move and the one before were aiming for that situation.
The question that remained was how he completely paralyzed the control tower.
‘How did he do it?’
I couldn’t fathom what the exact method was, except that it was magic.
Perhaps they had the means of negating the artifacts made by magic engineering, or perhaps the organically connected magic power had been cut off.
Demon Summoner Jin Qing himself was a wizard who had reached a high level.
It was by no means unlikely that he had directly inspected the last battle. Thoughts and speculations flew into my head, but I couldn’t find a definite answer. What mattered was the result, not the process.
It was more important to find a way to retaliate rather than determine how he could screw us up so hard.
However, I couldn’t help but swear in such an urgent situation.
“Fuck…”
“There’s no need to panic. Even without the magic hologram, we can maintain the command system. It won’t be like before, but… the basic will be possible. Yes. It’s possible.”
“Can’t it be repaired?”
“The magic holograms are already under your jurisdiction. You should’ve brought your son. Well… Even if he had come, it wouldn’t change much. I don’t know when it will work again, but that’s not that important now. First, we need to get the troops back. I was just getting used to it, too. This is inconvenient. Really… It feels like I’ve been backstabbed.”
“…”
“I’ll be honest, oppa.”
“Yes?”
“There’s no guarantee that we will win. The other commander seems to be five steps ahead of me. I could have leveled the playing field somehow with the Goddess’s Mirror, but it’s impossible from this point on. I will endure as much as possible, but…”
“That’s bad news.”
“I want to say with confidence that we can win, but I am telling you this in case our ranks collapse. We have to think about the worst-case scenario. We also have to think about the possibility of suffering extreme casualties.”
Lee Jihye, though filled with anxiety, left the command and control room immediately.
Fortunately, we had a different kind of command system in place for such a situation, but that was a far-fetched idea.
Not only was it less efficient, but we also weren’t familiar with it.
The masked trash had an obvious advantage in the current situation.
She couldn’t easily guarantee what would happen from now on, based on what she just said.
I thought that saying he was five moves ahead was too much of an overestimation, but Lee Jihye knew him better than me, so I couldn’t tell if she was entirely inaccurate.
Contrary to me, who only had occasional encounters with him, she simulated hundreds of different types of games with a program made up of Jin Qing’s data. Without the Goddess’s Mirror, the game of chess had become extremely unfavorable for her.
I went out with Lee Jihye, who was biting her fingernails. Her face displayed her stress, letting me know immediately of the general situation.
‘Shit.’
Of course, the enemy’s movement was suspicious.
They seemed to be opening their arms to embrace our entire army as if that was their chance.
Even I, who didn’t know a lot about tactics, could realize that the allied forces were in danger.
The named ones who were waiting had also joined the battlefield. Massive explosions started to be heard continuously.
The enemy forces engulfed the allies as they pushed against us, not wanting to miss the opportunity.
“I’ll fix it now.”
I controlled the troops with hand signals or flags, but even that didn’t feel easy because of the enemy troops constantly clawing and biting at our ranks.
The troops were important, but I couldn’t help but worry about Kim Hyunsung, who was left isolated in the middle of the enemy camp.
I focused my magic as much as possible on my eyes, but I still couldn’t see him.
I didn’t think he would get hit easily, but it was unrealistic to believe that he wasn’t in danger.
The surrounding troops’ quality wasn’t excellent, but if I assumed that other named beings helped them, his situation could become even more life-threatening.
Thinking of the returner waiting patiently for me, I couldn’t just stand still there.
‘If Kim Hyunsung dies… ’
The story would end there.
Whoever won or lost the war was important, but what followed after that would still be a problem. If the transcendental being were to die, the continent’s future afterward was obvious.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
My plan to enjoy rich movies and other benefits at the side of the returner would be ruined in an instant.
‘He can’t die.’
There was no choice but to do something about it.
I was the one who pushed him into such a dangerous situation in the first place.
‘Fuck… Kim Hyunsung.’
I organized my thoughts in an instant.
Looking at Lee Jihye’s distressed face, I spoke with conviction.
“Nuna.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going down.”
“Yes, good– What? Are you crazy?”
“Prepare the reserve. I’m leaving right now.”
“What…?”
“We have no other options left anyway, right? You can control the troops alone. I have nothing to do. This is the best move we can do right now. It would be efficient if there were at least one commander from the inside who could give general orders.”
“That’s not the problem here. Can’t you see the situation right now? I’m trying to fix it as much as possible, but getting through is also a problem. You’ll die if you crawl in there yourself. You will definitely die.”
“My fate will be the same if we lose this war, anyway.”
“…”
“Don’t worry too much, because I’m enough to protect myself, nuna. I have to live for a long time like a parasite. If I die after I’ve achieved everything, that would just be unfair. I won’t be able to close my eyes properly.”
“I know that, but…”
“I’m going.”
“…”
“…”
“I know. Damn. Don’t be dumb. If you die, I won’t be able to do anything about it.”
“I won’t die.”
That’s right.
If I had died there, it would be so unfair that I wouldn’t be able to close my eyes properly.
I bit my lips and moved swiftly.
After completely leaving the command and control area, I laid my eyes upon the unit protecting the rear.
The current situation seemed to be just as pessimistic in their eyes, judging by how they looked.
The disrupted command system’s effect must’ve been a lot stronger on them than on us in the command and control room.
Contrary to us, who were at least a little aware of the situation, it would have been nothing but pure confusion for them. Since even I came out, they looked as if their worries had been confirmed.
Glancing sideways, I saw someone running towards me in a hurry.
It was Park Deokgu, who had been assigned to the rear unit.
‘Right, this bastard was here.’
“H-Hyung-nim!”
“…”
“What is it? Are there any problems?”
“I’ll tell you more about it later. Something’s happened, Deokgu. Get the troops ready. I will be going into the frontlines right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hyunsung is being isolated. The same goes for Hyejin and Ye-ri. They should still be fine, but they will soon be swept away by the enemy.”
“What kind of problem happened…?”
“It’s a long story. We have more pressing matters right now.”
“C-Can I go with you?”
‘This pig bastard…’
Naturally, I looked at him quietly.
Honestly, I expected that he would ask to go with us, but I didn’t think he would bring it up without hesitation.
He was pretending to be fine, but he seemed to be sorry to stay here.
“I-I don’t know if I will be helpful, but I want to come with you. Anything can happen to you, and it would be more reassuring for me to be by your side than others. Didn’t I say I wouldn’t let them get anywhere near you?”
“Right… Thank you.”
“It’s nothing to be grateful for. It’s part of my duty. Let’s go save our guild members.”
“That’s our top objective, but that’s not the only reason why we’re going out there.”
‘We need someone to fix the situation on the battlefield.’
There were many things I could do in relation to that.
But our top priority was to go into the frontlines and settle our foothold.
“I-I got it. Then the troops…”
“Perhaps Jihye will prepare them for us. Leave the minimum number of troops in the backline. It doesn’t have to be large, just enough to break through and help the isolated units.”
“Okay. Then, quickly.”
‘She is quick.’
Just as Park Deokgu seemed to feel lost, a unit had already been formed and sent our way.
It all happened in an instant to help me repair what had been damaged.
My heart trembled when I looked at the battlefield where the roaring sound was coming, but it was better to try all of our options than waste time waiting around for a miracle.
Looking back, I stared at the faces of those who nodded.
“We’re going.”
“It’s so sudden… Are you really okay with this?”
“I’m fine.”
“There is no problem then. Well, I just suddenly got nervous. I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I feel like it’s been such a long time since I last stood by your side in a fight like this.”
“It’s not your imagination. It has been a long time.”
“Standing next to you like this makes me remember about the tutorial… well, that’s it.”
“Save the small talk for later. Let’s go.”
I saw Park Deokgu pounding on his shield.
As if they took it as a signal, the allied troops also struck their shields with their swords.
Cold sweat flowed down my face for being among the soldiers who had ferocious looks on their faces.
I seriously thought about whether I was doing something useless, but at least it would be more helpful than staying still.
It didn’t really sink in that I was among the troops that were charging faster and faster.
I didn’t scream, but I suddenly understood the feelings of those who cried and charged on the battlefield.
Arrows and magic kept falling from the sky. The sounds of our footsteps trampling on the ground made my heart beat faster.
I couldn’t even remember when I started to walk.
‘Damn.’
The closer we got to the enemy, the more I felt pressured.
When allies and enemies finally collided, it felt as if the entire unit’s impact was rushing to this side.
Craaaaassshhhh.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Motherfuckers! Die!”
“For Goddess Benignore!”
Noise and hostility were constantly piercing my ears.
Finally, we were on the battlefield.
‘Shit!’