A Legion Grows From My Smartphone – Chapter 85

Chapter 85

“How is he doing now?”

[He, along with the army he belongs to, has achieved victory. They will continue advancing, establish bases, and relentlessly strike at the enemy’s main base.]

“What about me? Any praise for me?”

[…Wait a little. He is currently surrounded by his comrades. They are all admiring and praising his achievements, the ones accomplished with you.]

The achievements accomplished with her. At those words, Eve’s lips curled upward.

It meant Shin Woo’s intentions had worked.

Eve relished the moment when Shin Woo sought her out, needing her assistance, and ultimately achieved success with her help.

It gave her an electrifying sensation, as if she had become one with him.

“I also like that he’s grown stronger. It’s thanks to me, so he’ll rely on me even more, won’t he?”

[In your judgment, what is his level now?]

“It’s not very high, but that doesn’t matter. I can make him stronger. Besides, humans have the ability to surpass their limits.”

When judged objectively, Shin Woo’s current abilities, if he were to join the legion, were at the level of a disposable mass-produced unit.

Although he knew how to wield Formative Power, real battles were not a numbers game based on data. According to Eve’s cold calculations, his actual combat power did not even compare to the Higher Species.

However, Eve not only evaluated him highly but even exaggerated her assessment of him.

[…]

“I need to get my hands on Gate Technology as soon as possible.”

Right now, Eve’s mind, filled with excitement, was completely preoccupied with one subject.

The kobolds Shin Woo had faced in the Demon Realm were undoubtedly units. Moreover, those units existed in this world, where the Player—Eve herself—resided.

Therefore, the Gate Technology those creatures used had to be technology from this place.

In fact, she had already secured testimonies related to it.

The wizards of this world were people who, in the distant past, had lost a long war in a place they called Redrium and migrated here. Upon arriving, they had used golems to drive out the Destruction Fungus that had overrun the land.

How had they arrived here? They had used Space-Leaping Magic. That method was the Gate, and there was even a dedicated academy for researching it.

[Gate is classified top-secret information, accessible only to high-ranking officials and a select few from the academy dedicated to its study. Furthermore, the fact that Stas Academy’s magic is also taught there implies they possess knowledge of other academies as well.]

Eve simultaneously speculated about the identity of the suspected Player. The list of candidates narrowed quickly. Someone from the high-ranking officials of the academy, possibly an active member. Based on the testimonies of the academy’s wizards, the number couldn’t exceed a few hundred.

To Eve, that number wasn’t particularly daunting. She could easily devise a plan to capture and kill them all.

[But all information related to Gate is in Menas.]

However, for now, obtaining Gate Technology was impossible.

According to the information she had gathered, the academy researching Gate Magic was called Ados Academy.

Ados Academy had its headquarters solely in Menas, a metropolis located at the center of the continent.

Menas was also known as the hub of the Continental Assembly and various Mage Academies.

In other words, even if she knew about it, obtaining it would not be an easy task.

“Those trash…”

Eve, whose mood had plummeted, clicked her tongue with smoldering eyes.

The image of Supreme Commander Austin’s taunts and pride flashed in her mind. It was frustratingly obvious that they’d resist to the end, making it difficult for her to swiftly extract information or kill them.

Moreover, Eve still needed a bit more time. Above all, she had yet to fully grasp the capabilities of the people in this world.

Even if she completed her expansion to her satisfaction, there was no guarantee she’d be able to acquire the desired technology immediately.

“There’s no need to waste time unnecessarily.”

Seated once again on her throne, Eve calmly assessed the situation.

She could see and hear everything the legion had reached. With the hastily mobilized Defense Corps virtually annihilated, the nearby cities and villages were now defenseless lawless zones.

“The troops are a bit lacking, but it doesn’t matter. Crush them all.”

Eve mobilized the legion soldiers scattered in all directions, including the Over-sized Species that had supplemented its nutrients by crushing the enemy.

Humans who had lost the power to resist would all be killed unless they fled to a safe place.

[Good. Then, with the remaining time, I can use the methods of the knights here as a reference and record a new martial art to pass on to him.]

“…”

[Why such a reaction? Didn’t you say you’d show him your face and communicate directly with him once this battle ended?]

For a moment, Eve’s body froze.

It was indeed something she had said herself. However, at this moment, for some reason, her body wouldn’t move.

“I-I’ll do it later. When Kang Do-Yeon… arrives.”

[Why is that? You now know how to operate a mobile phone, don’t you?]

“Shut up!”

Her emotions wavered. Eve flinched in indecision, caught in this strange and inexplicable emotion of wanting to but being unable to.

“I’m not complete yet. So just a little longer.”

[It’s better to prepare your heart quickly. Kang Do-Yeon has encountered the enemies now.]

An incident occurred that, for better or worse, quickly calmed Eve’s turbulent emotions.

Kang Do-Yeon had not participated in the previous battle due to a separate mission.

And now, for that mission, she had encountered the enemies.

“Good. Proceed as planned.”

Eve gave the order to execute the pre-designed plan.

It involved deploying a detached force of 2,000, separate from the main unit, to ambush and target the enemy.

Although their numbers were only in the dozens, the operation included several Higher Species, including the most powerful force, Kang Do-Yeon.

“Hmm?”

“I felt it too.”

However, as Kang Do-Yeon approached them.

Both Kang Do-Yeon and Eve sensed something.

A Soul String connected to the outside world. Someone in the detached force possessed a Soul String.

*

“Damn it. What is that now?”

Rozes Leblanc, who had been mentally drained upon realizing that he was the root cause of this situation, looked up at the sky and cursed, forgetting his composure.

He had already been fighting intermittent battles with legion soldiers and had just completed a humiliating deal with a bizarre creature who introduced itself as the former king of the Demon Realm.

And now, something was descending from the sky to deliver the final blow to his already exhausted mind.

“That…”

“Vice President of the Academy Club! Aahhh!”

The entities, without reducing their speed, landed in the middle of the clustered detached force with an immense shockwave.

‘What.’

Through the dust clouds and the impact, Rozes squinted his eyes.

What first caught his attention were jet-black wings wrapped in black feathers.

However, those wings soon ignited into a dark crimson flame, slashing through the air and creating fountains of blood.

“Enemy! It’s an enemy!”

“Form the formation!”

Terrified soldiers hurriedly aimed their weapons and magic at the monsters that had descended from the sky.

“Fire at will!”

Rozes quickly issued the command.

Although they had been caught off guard, the enemies were in the midst of their densely packed allies.

A barrage of indiscriminate magical explosions poured down on the enemies.

Amidst the flashes and explosions that made it difficult to keep his eyes open, Rozes watched nervously.

[It’s useless. They… are unharmed.]

But the moment the magical bombardment ended, Rozes widened his eyes at the flickering words that appeared before him.

As the dust clouds settled, the enemies surrounded by a resonating Dark Crimson Barrier came into view.

The Higher Species, now having retracted their wings into their carapaces, stood back-to-back, holding their spears aimed in all directions.

And standing in the center, the master of the Black Wings.

The mask she now wore no longer emitted hormones. It merely served to conceal her face.

For a moment, Rozes’ eyes met the glinting Red Glow within the mask.

‘I’m going to die.’

He instinctively felt it. Even though he was shielded by a barrier, the sensation persisted.

It took less than a second for him to leap from the golem he was riding and hide behind a nearby companion wizard.

Immediately after.

The energy concentrated in the aimed spears and outstretched hands was unleashed at maximum power in all directions.

This energy explosion was an original technique of the legion, unbound by magical or swordsmanship skills.

The sheer force annihilated the thousands of soldiers surrounding them, leaving them burned alive and torn apart in an utter frenzy.

“This… this is…”

In the aftermath of the shock, as the site of devastation came into view, where more than half of the force had been wiped out in an instant, those whose minds had shattered stood frozen in place, unable to move, trembling slightly.

“Ahhh!”

In the midst of the chaos, one knight, who had been in constant companionship with his comrades, let out a roar filled with rage as he saw one of them disintegrate, leaving behind only the arm holding a sword. The knight stood up, grabbed his sword, and charged forward.

“Khuek.”

She, without any unnecessary movements, deflected the sword with her armored hand and kicked the knight squarely in the chest.

The knight, whose breastplate was crushed in an instant, coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, rolling lifelessly.

“Ugh…”

“Aah…”

In an instant, terror and despair spread among the crowd.

Even though half of them were still alive and armed with revenge and rage, they couldn’t muster the courage to charge at the mere five enemies before them.

“Where is the Vice President of the Academy Club, Blakel’s Vice Leader?!”

“We need strong firepower. If it’s him, he can do it!”

Naturally, people began to search for the strong. Surely, there was still hope. The enemies numbered only five, and their side still had remaining forces, while the enemies likely couldn’t unleash another attack of such magnitude anytime soon.

“The Vice President…?”

However, in the place where he was supposed to be, there were only gruesome chunks of flesh.

All that was left in the spot where he had disintegrated without a trace was an abandoned robe.