Ch.34[Chapter 34] Reconnaissance Battle

[(BLUE) Giant of Hundread Hands: This time I’ve bet everything. To fight you again.]

[(RED) The Tentacle Explorer: Odds, predictions, troop quality, my physical abilities, strategy and recent records. Everything points to my victory. All of yours will disappear.]

[(ALL) Star interview time has ended. Exploration battle begins in 3 seconds.]

[(ALL) Capture the high ground to help your Star. Your Star will reward your dedication.]

3.

2.

1.

As soon as the countdown floating in the air ended, the translucent blue barrier before my eyes disappeared.

In the distance, arrow-shaped pillars appeared on three hills.

Those must be the high grounds. Sir Dominic ran as soon as he confirmed the battlefield from the frontline.

[(BLUE) The Star abandons the central and left high grounds to capture only the right high ground.]

[(BLUE) Commander Strelch activates his trait [Forced March]. All allies’ steps become lighter for 30 seconds, but they will be exhausted for 10 seconds afterward.]

Sir Dominic was standing at the rightmost position since he had joined the frontline last.

Combined with Strelch’s trait, Sir Dominic ran the fastest route, and seeing others overtaking him, he ran even faster.

Personnel carrying telescopes, radios, hammers, and shovels were the first to occupy the right high ground.

Those with telescopes began scanning for enemy forces, while those with radios quickly established communication between the garrison and the high ground. Those with hammers and shovels were building makeshift defensive lines by filling sandbags with dirt and sand.

“Fortify it immediately! Radio operator! Is the communication network complete?”

The next to arrive were warriors who had stood at the frontline like Sir Dominic.

The warriors, clearly veterans of multiple battles, immediately took positions behind the hastily constructed walls, aiming their weapons.

Sir Dominic joined them, setting up his shield and drawing his sword.

“Hmph.”

If you know nothing about the battlefield, follow the local militia who defend it.

Sir Dominic recalled the maxim his recruitment officer had drilled into him during his conscript days.

“Once fortification is complete, raise the walls higher and dig a moat! Scout! What’s the enemy’s strength?”

Commander Strelch encouraged those fortifying with his bellowing voice.

Despite shouting non-stop enough to make his voice hoarse, he continued to roar instructions like a tiger.

“Fortunately, none visible nearby! It seems the commander’s prediction was correct!”

“Good. But our enemy is The Tentacle Explorer, famous for deception and trickery. Communications officer, connect the radar center and relay nodes to monitor hidden enemies!”

“Yes, sir!”

Strelch, having been on this battlefield for a long time, knew the traits of others well.

Sir Dominic was the only one whose traits Strelch didn’t know, as this was his first time on the battlefield.

“You there, knight! What traits do you have?”

“[Tanker], [Standard Bearer], sir.”

“Standard Bearer?”

“It passively reduces damage taken by allies by 4% when I plant a flag.”

“Range?”

“It wasn’t specified.”

“Good. Very good. I think we’ll win this time.”

Strelch laughed with a bear-like chuckle.

4% might seem small, but on the battlefield, the difference between dying immediately or blocking one more attack before dying was significant.

Even if the effect range was narrow, it didn’t matter. The strategy set by the Star Giant of Hundread Hands and Strelch was to secure just one high ground, which meant a narrow frontline.

They judged it would be effective enough.

Walls and moats appeared instantly on the snow-covered field. Communication towers for detecting hidden personnel were erected inside the walls, and somehow, a brown flag bearing the emblem of Ferallant was fluttering among them.

“The enemy will likely capture the central high ground first. But since we arrived here first and earned points, it won’t make much difference even if they capture the other two.”

Strelch climbed the wall and surveyed the surroundings with binoculars.

One hand rested on his pistol holster, ready to respond at any moment.

His prediction was correct. Though the high grounds were quite distant from each other, all were situated on hills, allowing visibility between them.

Sir Dominic also climbed the wall, ignoring the flesh-biting wind as he observed the central high ground.

The Tentacle Explorer’s personnel cautiously ascended the central high ground, then realized they had been deceived upon seeing the Giant of Hundread Hands team’s fortress already established on the right high ground.

[(RED) Star The Tentacle Explorer and Commander Yekaterina criticize the Blue team’s strategy.]

[(BLUE) Star Giant of Hundread Hands mockingly asks if deception wasn’t supposed to be your domain.]

The Tentacle Explorer knew that if they couldn’t deal with that fortress, they might lose to the Giant of Hundread Hands’ carefully honed late-game build.

However, the fortress had already become too solid to be demolished during the exploration phase.

Unable to destroy the fortress, The Tentacle Explorer chose the next best option.

Yekaterina, under orders from The Tentacle Explorer, nodded and relayed commands to the others.

Attack the fortress as much as possible. Their divine power costs more points than ours, so after using it once or twice, they’ll run out of points before us, even though we’ve captured two high grounds.

Then, when I destroy their fortress through rapid war expansion, the enemy will fall like autumn leaves.

Yekaterina led all personnel except two teams designated for high ground capture toward the fortress.

They had energy to spare anyway.

Given enough time, they could return to the frontline, so even death wasn’t frightening.

Thus, the initial exploration phase began as a siege.

“Enemy approaching! They definitely outnumber us!”

“We have the advantage of walls! Just be careful of Yekaterina’s sniping and don’t worry about the rest!”

Strelch shouted to encourage the tense soldiers.

Just then, smoke rose from the distant snowfield.

Bang-!

Strelch sensed death from the bullet that arrived before its sound.

So I’ll die once more to that vile woman’s attack.

When I revive, I’ll tear her apart for sure.

Strelch closed his eyes and calmly awaited death.

But it wasn’t Strelch’s time to die yet.

Ping-! The sound of a deflected bullet tearing through the air was heard.

“It seems it’s not your time to die yet.”

Strelch opened his tightly shut eyes, hardly believing he was still alive.

Before him stood Sir Dominic, shield raised, smiling happily.

Sir Dominic was simply enjoying being on the battlefield.

This flesh-biting cold.

Snow piled so high it was difficult to walk.

The constant tension.

All of it stimulated his body to release endorphins and adrenaline.

Sir Dominic’s heightened senses were so sharp he could see bullets flying from afar, and his reactions quick enough to deflect them with his shield.

All these factors combined allowed Commander Strelch to survive.

“Ha.”

Strelch looked at the knight before him.

Emerald triple-eyes with contracted pupils that seemed to glare at opponents.

Lips curled up in a broad smile as if enjoying the situation itself.

Above all, the emotion of joy burning in his eyes.

Strelch realized the knight was a war maniac like himself.

No, that wasn’t quite right.

Sir Dominic was even more of a war maniac than Strelch.

Strelch knew well how to handle such people.

After all, he was a war maniac himself.

Can I go wild? Can I go down and face the enemy?

Sir Dominic’s eyes seemed to ask Strelch these questions.

“What’s your name?”

“Sir Dominic. Sir Dominic of Ferallant.”

“So you’re a real knight. Not just a concept.”

Strelch smiled at Sir Dominic.

The tips of his stiff beard pointed skyward following his upturned lips.

“I have a special mission for you. Beat down everyone coming from below. Until our Star expands the war…”

Strelch let his words trail off.

Then, correcting himself, he continued:

“No, go wild until this war ends. Understood?”

“Understood.”

Sir Dominic replied with the brightest smile since arriving in Gacharland.

“It’s what I, inadequate as I am, do best.”

Sir Dominic jumped down from the wall.

Normally this might have seemed suicidal, but snow had accumulated below the wall up to waist height.

Sir Dominic instinctively judged that the snow would absorb the impact and chose the shortest route to carry out his orders.

“He’s crazy. Absolutely crazy.”

Strelch shook his head watching Sir Dominic’s actions.

Even to him, Sir Dominic seemed sufficiently insane.

After seeing Sir Dominic emerge from the snow with his upper body intact, Strelch shouted to his people:

“What are you all doing! The enemy is coming! If the Star uses their ability, we’ll definitely lose! We need to hold out with our own strength as much as possible to have a chance!”

And he laughed while barking orders.

Who was calling whom crazy?

Essentially, everyone on this battlefield was cut from the same cloth, differing only in degree.

The battlefield is not a place for refined, elegant, and intellectual people.

The battlefield must be led by mad beasts.

And everyone here was a mad beast.