Our prediction is that it will take approximately three days for the opponent Tris to summon the Sun God.
This means we have to endure this attack for three days, maintain our encirclement, and diligently avoid defeating the enemy.
What kind of ridiculous setting is that?
The enemy is protected by the Tower of God’s barrier, summons an inexhaustible number of angels from the summoning circle of the Divine Castle, and attacks us unilaterally with magic and magic cannon bombardments from the capital’s castle walls and the Divine Castle. This clearly indicates our disadvantage.
Angels that leave the barrier are instantly annihilated, but the enemy is not foolish.
We quickly switched to intercepting the Demon Lord’s Army advancing on the castle walls from beyond the barrier.
If we retreat, they will attack our positions with long-range attacks to create holes in our encirclement.
“What is the casualty status of the Oni King’s army?!”
“Many wounded!! However, they can still continue fighting!!”
“Good!! What about the east gate!?”
If that’s the case, we have no choice but to attack bravely and concentrate the enemy’s attacks on the front lines to minimize damage.
Fortunately, the two who are aggressively attacking us head-on right now are tireless battle maniacs.
Even from a distance, we can see the Oni and the Undead shaking the Tower of God’s barrier.
The determination of the two to break the barrier instills fear in the enemy, and the attack intensity there is thicker than in other battlefields.
Despite this, it’s laughable that the casualties there are lower than in other armies.
“Report!! We have confirmed a Power Angel at the east gate!! There are thirty of them!!”
“Understood!! Notify the Kiō fleet in the sky, and provide supporting fire towards the Power Angels above the east gate!! After that, deploy the Eighth Lich Magic Unit! Do not give them air superiority!! Crush them to the ground with gravity magic!!”
Honestly, I’d like to be on the front lines swinging my Ore Tree and going wild, but unfortunately, I’ve been ordered by the President to conserve my magic power.
Therefore, I am commanding from the front lines and participating in combat myself, but I am not actively attacking.
We’ve prepared radios in the command vehicle, but in the midst of this intense battle, communication devices frequently break. So, it has become more efficient to have fast and durable soldiers act as messengers.
The only exception is the Kiō fleet in the sky with which we can use our communication devices properly, so we use radio for coordination with them.
“Damn it, we don’t have enough aerial forces.”
While the Demon Lord’s Army has its share of flying species, not all soldiers can fly like the enemy’s angels.
The enemy’s ground forces are entirely reliant on the sturdiness of the Tower of God’s barrier, and they are solely focused on interception, protected by the double defense of the castle walls and the barrier. They intend to deal with us using their aerial forces.
Our aerial combat power consists of the Kiō fleet and Golems.
We wanted to send them to intercept, but the fleet is stuck with the role of receiving bombardment from the Divine Castle, and is simultaneously concentrated on breaking through the barrier from above with concentrated fire on a single Tower of God.
To prevent this, the enemy has sent a large number of angels towards the fleet, and our Golems are deployed in intercepting them.
If we had even one of our aerial forces, the Dragon King, or the Lunaria, who boasts unparalleled strength in fortification, our situation would be much easier.
However, the two who are eliminating the Gate of Light to remove any potential threats are not here.
In that case, we have no choice but to deal with the situation with the forces we have available.
The front line remains stalemated.
We have received no instructions from the President, who is waiting at the main camp.
If that’s the case, proceeding as is should be fine.
“The battle situation is balanced. Those two can fight for about three days without getting exhausted. Considering troop rotation… can we hold out?”
Detecting magic is difficult due to the chaotic magic reactions in the surroundings, but with large magic sources scattered here and there, we can get a general understanding of the situation.
Thanks to that, we know that the Demon Lord’s Army is maintaining its encirclement.
We are also aware that there is no movement from the main camp, which is outside the attack range of the capital.
If there were any problems, a messenger would have come from there.
Telepathic calls carry the risk of interception, so only encrypted messages are used for communication.
“A-3”
Furthermore, only a limited number of people are allowed to make direct telepathic calls to me.
The message sent this time is a regular report from Instructor Fushio, who should be rampaging on the front lines.
A-3.
A means no disruption to combat operations, and 3 means breaking through the barrier will take time.
This tells us that the breakthrough is not happening immediately, and if it’s the instructors’ subjective assessment, it’s reliable information.
In this way, each department can send regular reports using pre-assigned symbols and numbers. The meaning of the combination of alphabet and number differs for each department.
“Check”
A brief exchange is all that’s needed.
After replying that I’ve confirmed, I’ve decided that the front line should remain as it is.
In that case.
“Under, check”
I’m checking other progress reports via telepathic call.
We cannot track the Uuor (Giant King) underground directly as they are using stealth magic tools to mask their presence and are working cautiously, but we have secured means to monitor their progress.
Using the telepathic network via the main camp.
“Under, C-5”
“Check”
“As expected, this army has the best sappers. Their work is fast.”
The results of that check indicate that they have completed thirty percent of the C line progress and are moving on to the fifth stage: cursed object installation.
The speed of this progress is worthy of the Uuor’s subordinates. They are creating tunnels like drawing magic circles at an astonishing speed, utilizing both their sheer power and delicate handling.
At this pace, our prediction is that the cursed objects in the underground of the capital will be fully deployed as early as tomorrow noon, and at the latest by evening.
If that’s the case, no one must hit the ground with a massive attack until then.
Even a slight impact is fine, but a direct hit from a large-scale magic attack could cause a collapse and disrupt the work there.
They are likely reinforcing, but it’s not foolproof.
It’s my job to prevent any reckless interference.
“Notify the Beastkin Enhanced Exoskeleton Unit.”
This is where we should not defend, but attack.
We have few reserve aerial forces.
However, they are not non-existent.
Thanks to Kaido’s data collection, non-flying beastkin have become able to fly.
Originally, it was planned for Goblins to use them, but there’s a group that adapts better.
That would be the Beastkin.
Having evolved to bipedal locomotion while retaining their beast forms, they possess physical capabilities many times that of humans. Their drawback is their uneven talent in magic, but their aptitude for wearing the Golem-made armor, known as enhanced exoskeletons, is exceptionally high.
If they achieve results and gain merit here, they can aim for the rank of General in the future, so their fighting spirit is high.
“We’ve been waiting!!”
The captain of that unit is a Beastkin I vaguely recognize.
I think he’s the one who fought Carter and lost…
Seeing him full of fighting spirit, I felt a momentary anxiety that this might be foreshadowing, but he was able to fight me effectively during training.
If that’s the case, I believe there’s no problem. I issue orders to him, whose voice is muffled by the armor.
“First unit will eliminate the angels approaching the Kiō fleet. Second unit will go to the west gate, and third unit to the east gate to secure air superiority. Fourth unit will support the second, and fifth unit will support the third. The remaining units will stand by.”
“Ooh!!”
They immediately responded to my orders, their mechanical wings glinting as they soared from the encampment.
I felt a bit awkward about the scenery blending sci-fi into a fantasy world, but it’s something I have to accept.
“With this, we can make it look like we’re attacking for a while and keep it stalemated.”
If we can secure air superiority, we should be able to make the enemy believe that we are the ones attacking unilaterally.
The enemy should have lost their heroes and seraphs, and have almost no fighting power left…
“The problem is the remaining First-Rank Seraph, the Divine Beast, and the entity called the Pope Tris…”
However, this is no time to let our guard down.
While we’ve depleted the enemy’s forces, they haven’t reached their limit yet. Enemies who haven’t revealed themselves still exist.
As long as they don’t show themselves, we can’t carelessly commit all our forces.
We still have reserve forces, but we need to leave some troops to rotate in and allow our soldiers to rest.
It requires immense concentration to stand with my arms crossed, looking down at the battlefield, and searching for any weaknesses.
Time passes slowly.
Why do I feel impatient, even though I’m not doing nothing?
No, feeling like this might be complacency.
Perhaps it’s a general’s duty to repeatedly check the battlefield and ensure the process is going smoothly.
Looking up at the sky, clouds are increasingly covering it.
In this world, that means night is coming.
But for me, or rather, for the Demon Lord’s Army, the world is still bright.
We have enough light to attack regardless of day or night.
“Suella, determine the timing for the rotation.”
“Understood. What about the Undead King and the Oni King?”
“They will likely take breaks at their own timing. We will adjust accordingly.”
“Understood.”
However, unlike the instructors, the soldiers who have been fighting continuously are starting to show fatigue. Even elites must get tired after fighting all day.
Golems do not tire, but they do sustain damage. They are being rotated back to the carriers for repairs and replenishment.
We are deploying reserve forces, and the currently fighting troops are being withdrawn via messengers.
The soldiers are retreating in an orderly fashion from the unchaotic battlefield. It seems the enemy doesn’t have the luxury to pursue them, and at first glance, it appears we haven’t fully capitalized on the offensive.
If we’re talking about wins and losses, it’s a draw.
The artillery battle between the Kiō magic fleet and the Divine Castle continues in the sky, but we have sustained no damage.
“After guiding the retreating soldiers to a safe zone, provide them with meals and rest in sequence.”
“Yes, preparations are complete.”
“Alright.”
Even in this exchange of fire, our number of artillery pieces is overwhelming, and we are effectively defending against their every shot.
This exchange is fine.
“Well, well, I’d like to know why they started the attack soon…”
However, I still can’t quite grasp the enemy’s intention for initiating the war.
If their intention was to increase souls like during the Gate of Light incident, it’s meaningless this time.
“Are they failing because we’ve implemented countermeasures? No, in that case, they should simply stop committing forces and shift to attrition warfare… Why are they letting their angels be depleted?”
It’s not just beastmen and angels flying in the sky.
Semi-transparent spirits are also soaring across the battlefield.
Their role is not combat, but to secure the souls of defeated angels and seal them in magic stones. This is a countermeasure from a previous battle to prevent the creation of the Gate of Light. By doing this, it becomes difficult for the enemy to secure souls, and therefore, they cannot reuse them to create the Gate of Light.
The absence of Divine Beasts appearing via the Gate of Light is a significant advantage for us.
However, if they don’t cease their offensive, there must be some other intention.
“If it’s just a thoughtless, foolish attack, it’s just baseless worry.”
I feel an unpleasant sensation prickling the back of my neck. I’m sure they are not releasing angels thoughtlessly.
I can’t rest until I confirm this.
“This intuition has never been wrong…”
The enemy won’t miss this perfect opportunity, as we are withdrawing soldiers from the battlefield.
Seeing a new magic circle unfold in the Divine Castle, I suppress the urge to sigh.
Today’s Quote:
Endurance. In a way, it’s the toughest period.
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Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, But We’re Fighting Back with Various Things in Our Secret Base!!
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