Episode 7: Tidal Wave of Monsters / Chapter 118: The Alien Troops from Earth (3)
TL: emptycube / ED: Obelisk
To be honest, it wasn"t as if Richard was confident.
No matter how bold he was, wasn"t this a problem that would determine humanity"s survival? No, when considering that humanity inherited Earth"s karma, it might even be a battle that would determine the life or death of Earth"s 5-billion-year history.
Of course, he felt pressured.
He felt it after coolly sending off Choi Hyuk"s expedition.
Countless eyes were looking at Richard. Each bead of sweat on the back of his neck seemed like someone"s chilling gaze. Everyone"s fate rested on Richard, and everyone was watching Richard"s every move. Their gazes weren"t all amiable.
Although he already handled the lives of hundreds of millions of people as an overseer… The feeling he felt this time was completely different. This was war. On top of that, it wasn"t a war fought with clan members who had declared loyalty to him, it was one that involved other clans and even non-combat-oriented colonizers who didn"t belong to any clan. They were existences that could mock and ridicule every one of his decisions and proceed to hold grudges against him.
They had to win. If they didn"t, then they would rip him apart.
However, their enemies were too strong for him to be confident of their victory. Even if they won, there was no doubt that the losses would be huge.
To be in charge of Dragonic"s defenses meant that, no matter what he did, he would be subject to criticism and resentment.
Yet, Richard willingly accepted this heavy responsibility.
It was something someone would have to do, and there wasn"t anyone who was suitable besides him.
"Am I really the best for the position? Won"t there be someone better than me?" He didn"t even put those modest and timid thoughts in his eyes. Someone who could lead humanity better than himself? Since there were more than 2 billion humans, there was a chance that someone who possessed such talent existed among them. However, even if they found that person, there was no way that that person would have the same level of influence as Richard. Currently, the only one who could lead humanity at this time, and the only one who possessed not the talent but the right to do so, was himself. There was no other choice.
"There is no one on Earth who can do this besides me."
A heavy responsibility, but also pride.
When pressured by a responsibility beyond one"s abilities, some might be crushed by that responsibility, but others would exceed their limits.
Richard didn"t avoid this challenge. "Curse me all you want. Resent me all you want." If they needed a leader, then he readily planned on leading them. He would make decisions others would have difficulty making and take full responsibility for them.
Although he might only take losses… He would do it.
He was a king.
"d.a.m.n it, if I knew it would be like this, I would have gone on the expedition like Choi Hyuk… There are too many non-combat-oriented members."
The problem that was currently giving Richard a headache was "military strength".
They had given people the freedom to choose as a way to advance various technologies and increase their independence. As a result, non-combat-oriented colonizers, who didn"t fight for a living, made up 60% of the population. Even if they excluded those with combat experience, 50% of the total population were no-star colonizers, having not fought even once. It was because they couldn"t force them to partic.i.p.ate in intense wars. As a result, they only had a bit more than 1 billion deployable soldiers. Although this might look like a lot at a glance, the endless number of monsters pouring out from the Kahur Kabkuns already exceeded that number.
The bigger issue wasn"t the quant.i.ty but the quality. Left to defend, there were 800 million colonizers at the 1-star level who could be considered as beginners, 200 million at the 2-star level, 600,000 at the 3-star level, and 1,000 colonizers at the 4-star level. There were also only 3 middle-ranked warriors at the 5-star level, Richard, Yohan, and Diana.
It was only after the advancement evaluation when people began to actively partic.i.p.ate in the colonization. As it had only been a year since then, there was still an overwhelming number of beginners.
On the other hand, the monsters were mostly at the 2-3-star level. At least the number of monsters at the 4-star and 5-star levels were similar to humans… But they were pitifully lacking troops in the 2-3-star range.
Traditionally, numbers were the foundations of strategies. However, where could they increase their numbers when the entire human population was already mobilized for this war?
"Erdbeben-Blitzschlag (Lightning Quake)!"
Quiiing!
Golden lightning, which contained Richard"s irritation, split into hundreds. Like how Choi Hyuk"s flames weren"t simply flames, Richard"s lightning wasn"t simply lightning. It would penetrate and then exit out of each monster. All monsters caught by this light of death were pulverized and burst as if put in a blender.
"d.a.m.n… Is there no way?"
As they were in a situation where every warrior was precious, Richard had to think of a strategy while fighting. This was the same for the other overseers as well.
{The formation has been pushed back to the northern highlands. (Haa, haa) You"re telling us to defend around the Barhaloleun Mountains from here on out? For how long?}
He received a message from Diana. It seemed she was in the middle of fighting as her breaths were uneven.
"Indefinitely. Endure for as long as you can. You need to endure it for at least a week. Only then will no troops be surrounded when you retreat further."
{A week? Everyone"s exhausted from fighting. Please send support.}
"It"s the same everywhere."
Just as he said this, Yohan transmitted a message.
{The situation at the Western front is very bad. The number of monsters suddenly increased. Please send support.}
"We don"t have any available troops…"
{Then the Western front can"t last!}
"… What are the levels of the new influx of monsters?"
{Fortunately, they are around the 1-star level. However, there are just too many of them.}
"Then, I will send the no-star colonizers in the rear."
{Then the casualties will…!}
"Even if there are casualties, there is no other choice. Although I hope you save as many as possible… In a pinch, use the no-star colonizers as a shield and preserve your strength."
At Richard"s cold-hearted words, Yohan replied heavily.
{Understood.}
After ending the communication, Richard let out a sigh.
"Haa… d.a.m.n it."
Crackle!
Lightning shot out of the yellow jewel in his hand and grilled the monsters. Although it wasn"t as effective as Lightning Quake, it was sufficient in holding the monsters back. With Richard"s intervention, the collapsing formation could momentarily maintain their composure.
They lacked troops everywhere.
"Huh?"
Just then, he suddenly recalled some information.
"Naro! Choi Hyuk made an alliance with the natives of Dragonic, right?"
{Yes, that is correct. He made an alliance with the native group within his territory, the El Tribe. Their current estimated population is 80,000. Usable soldiers are 40,000. They are 2-3-star level warriors.}
"What are they doing now?"
{When Tangka"s troops withdrew, they suffered heavy losses and have confined themselves to their territory, the "inverted tree". Their leader, the Great Warrior Lantz, also suffered injuries and is known to be recuperating.}
To be honest, the ones who suffered the most losses when Tangka"s troops withdrew was the El Tribe. They, who dispatched mostly long-range troops, had almost been annihilated when the situation turned into a brawl. Their aspiration of advancing into s.p.a.ce had been astonishingly dashed, and they took a break when the Great Warrior Lantz, who pushed for the alliance with the Berserkers, was injured.
The elders, who were leading the El Tribe in Lantz"s stead due to his injuries, didn"t have a direct relationship with the Berserkers. On top of that, they had to calm internal strife aroused by the losses they suffered this time. Like this, the Berserkers and the El Tribe naturally grew more distant.
In this sort of situation, Choi Hyuk had to actively trade with them and maintain their relationship, but he lacked such senses. To make matters worse, when Choi Hyuk had to hastily go on an expedition to Dark City, the alliance between the two forces had fizzled out. Even the El Tribe members who resided in the Berserkers" territory returned to the inverted tree.
"40,000 usable soldiers… Is that all?"
Although his question was of false hope, Naro precisely knew what Richard was wondering about.
{No. They are only a tribe of the El race. I heard there are inverted trees throughout the Dragonic. Although I don"t know the exact number, the population of the El race should be significant. Also, the majority of them are experienced warriors.}
"Is that so?"
A smile hung on Richard"s lips.
A non-human force that he could have join the fight had appeared. On top of that, they were experienced warriors at the 2-3-star level. However, Naro made a pessimistic remark.
{However, they are a species that hid in the inverted trees when Dragonic collapsed in the past. They might be fine with surviving like that this time as well. Will they fight?}
"We"ll have to see."
Either way, there was now another possibility. Richard somehow felt excited.
{Second Garrison Team 1. We are going to destroy the 9th malformed Kahur Kabkun now.}
{First Garrison Team 27. A h.e.l.lhound is approaching! Unable to retreat! Requesting support!}
Although there wasn"t anyone who replied, this was a room to where all communications within Dark City was transmitted. Sitting here, one could understand the progress of the war throughout Dark City.
Here, Commander Mack stood at attention. Her always slightly floating feet were currently firmly planted on the ground. Her posture had no flaws. However, her lips were pursed in dissatisfaction.
"Do you even call for commanders now?"
In front of her was a warrior of the highest-rank whose name was famous as the owner of the Iron Mace of Vow, "Starlight-Flow". "They" were also the commander in charge of defending Laniakea"s Dark City. The Speckled Light Tribe members, which were the size of specks, would form a single group fate through their mind sharing ability. This formed fate community, a "team" or "nation", would be granted a single name. "Starlight-Flow" was a name formed by a group of tens of thousands of outstanding Speckled Light Tribe members. Because of this, when referring to "them", one didn"t use p.r.o.nouns like "he" or "she".
{Don"t be like that. The situation is just that bad.}
The tiny speckled lights vibrated to create a voice. It was a clear ringing voice similar to that of a wind chime.
However, Mack"s voice was still blunt.
"However, what do we do about the Virgo Cl.u.s.ter?"
She said, seemingly upset. Yet, Starlight-Flow"s voice was still beautiful and calm.
{I know that you are very dissatisfied with the alliance.}
Even as "they" provoked Mack"s anger, their voice was unconcerned. As the Speckled Light Tribe created a group mentality comprised of countless ent.i.ties, their emotions weren"t easily agitated. Because of this, they could easily speak difficult words.
{You believe that the alliance holds responsibility for the decline of the Dragon race, right?}
Mack didn"t reply. Instead, her golden horns that hung behind her blue hair burned with white flames. It didn"t burn up, instead swaying like a symbol. It was the expression of her anger.
She was a descendant of the Dragon race, a force that was once as powerful as the top 4 of the alliance. However, the monsters" early attacks focused on the galaxy the Dragon race gathered and lived together in. The Dragon race, which had lost a lot of its power, kept suffering small losses due to the alliance"s strategies. Just like the earthlings this time, they were sent all over the place, frequently unable to protect their own territory. They had lost their territory an innumerable amount of times, and a tribe would sometimes be ma.s.sacred. Even still, the Dragon race couldn"t choose to secede from the alliance. Secession meant the annihilation of their entire species.
Even as they saw Mack in anger, Starlight-Flow was calm.
{That"s why I am the commander. So this is not an act of self-centeredness of a species. You know that our Speckled Light Tribe has no connections with Dark City.}
Starlight-Flow began to comfort Mack.
{Over a hundred h.e.l.lhounds have appeared in Dark City already. That"s not all. Three highest-ranked monsters have also been spotted. On the other hand, there are only two highest-ranked warriors on our side, including me. 3 vs. 2. We are missing one. We have no choice but to combine the strengths of high-ranked warriors to fend them off until support from the center arrives. Since the situation is like this, we called all the high-ranked warriors in the Laniakea Supercl.u.s.ter, yet we"re still tight. Even if you are dissatisfied, help out. We can"t call one and not another. All the high-ranked warriors called here this time are absolutely needed in their own galaxies. It"s not just you. And you know that I carefully distinguish reward and punishment. I"ll give you as much as the amount of effort you put in.}
This was true. Mack had, in the past, gained power through Starlight-Flow"s accurate rewarding and grew rapidly. Because of it, she had been able to take a step back emotionally at Starlight-Flow"s words back then. It was the same this time.
Commander Mack"s expression relaxed slightly. It seemed a few members of the Speckled Light Tribe, which made up Starlight-Flow, flew up happily. However, as a whole, Starlight-Flow"s voice didn"t change.
{It"s the same for the earthlings you value. To be honest, you may ask how much help would they, whose strongest expert is only a middle-ranked warrior, be in this situation? But, if we start to overlook others based on their circ.u.mstances, there won"t be any remaining troops to call. So don"t antagonize us too much.}
At Starlight-Flow"s words, Commander Mack"s shoulders slightly dropped as she replied,
"Understood. I won"t be dissatisfied anymore. However…"
She raised her head slightly and said in a voice mixed with playfulness,
"They will be of much more help than you think."
{Who? The earthlings?}
The moment Starlight-Flow asked, a field report regarding the earthlings was heard.
All communications were shared with Starlight-Flow, who was the commander.
{This is the Third Garrison Team 17 Leader Lankin. We have destroyed our second malformed Kahur Kabkun. We will start on our third.}
{What? Again? Already?}
{Overseer Choi Hyuk and his expedition that were dispatched as support are rendering brilliant achievements. Wow. Third garrison commander, these guys are no joke. Choi Hyuk, that guy is the owner of a Weapon of Vow. The famous one!}
The surprised voice of the third garrison commander and Lankin"s excited voice mingled together.
A few specks of light flew upwards as if finding this was interesting.
{Ha?}
Commander Mack shrugged her shoulders toward Starlight-Flow.
"Right?"
/ /