Chapter 2419 - Mynoghra 12

Atou was laughing. Laughing at the foe before her. After all, the puniness of this pitiful creature only served to prove how great and mighty she and, by extension, her king was…

"What is it ye want from me?! What the demi-hell are ye trying to say?!"

"You are nothing more than a minor boss character from a video game," she stated.

Ice Rock remembered everything.

He remembered he was nothing more than a pawn. He remembered how he'd thought he should fight the Hero with the other generals. How he'd thought they should go kill the Hero in the Starter Town before the Hero had a chance to accumulate any strength. And yet, before he knew it, he was always facing the Hero in the exact same spot as the last time and the time before that.

Despite thinking up many different ways to turn the tides, everything always ended before he could act on it.

No matter how many times things repeated…no matter how many redoes he got…the end always came with his annihilation without him ever reaching the Hero first…

Yes, in this very moment, Ice Rock remembered everything and realized he was nothing more than a single obstacle meant to be cleared on the way to the end of a video game called Brave Questers.

"Your fear is palpable… Did you know that, pride of the Demon Lord's Four Generals?"

"OOOOOOOoooooooohhh!!"

His cry was no longer the majestic roar of a brave warrior but rather the sorrowful wailing of a beast.

As she watched him go through the motions, Sludge Atou sneered like she was having the time of her life.

Tears of red blood flowed from his icy eyes.

His was the anguished and despairing expression of someone who'd realized they were nothing more than puppets on a string without any freedom of their own. Atou's face twisted with sheer delight as she enjoyed every bit of his wailing, suffering, misery, and meltdown. She wanted to egg him on to further bathe in his anguish.

The girl who showed absolute trust and devotion to Takuto to the point that fanatical couldn't even begin to describe it…was utterly evil when it came to others, even if they were characters from a game world like her.

"Then it can start now! Everything can start from here! World domination in the truest sense will begin for us today! This time…this time for sure…we will be the victors!"

The battlefield consisted of Atou, Ice Rock, and a treasure-trove worth of gold coins gleaming on the ground.

Frost General Ice Rock of the Demon Lord's Four Generals had lost all his direct subordinates and was on course to lose sight of his very reason for existing. But just as Takuto was Atou's reason for existing, Ice Rock also found his self-worth in another.

"O Demon Lord! Our great overlord! I offer ye true victory today! My name is Frost General Ice Rock! The one who crushes all enemies!"

Ice Rock experienced a sudden morale boost. In RPG terms, he didn't receive any changes to his immediate stats, but he had pumped himself up to be a proud warrior with the will to move forward. Unfortunately for him, Atou sneered at the first real resolve he had found since being teleported to this new world.

"Ahahahahaha! What a riot! You amuse me, you really do! Do you honestly believe that level of awareness, that level of resolve, that level of power is enough to proclaim you can defeat me? Sludge Atou? That you can shout to the heavens that you will take over the world?! Ha!"

She laughed and laughed and laughed until tears formed in her crimson eyes.

Ice Rock trembled as he realized she viewed his noble determination as less than rubbish tossed out on the wayside.

She was the embodiment of pure evil.

Ice Rock's feelings and resolve meant nothing to the girl who only saw value in Takuto and herself.

Just as humans and animals can't converse…

Just as animals and bugs can't converse…

Just as bugs and rocks can't converse…

Atou was incapable of truly understanding anyone other than Takuto.

"In that case, I'll deny all of you! I'll destroy everything you believe in! My name is Sludge Atou! There can only be one sovereign in this world, and that is my master, Takuto Ira!"

That was what it meant to be Mynoghra's Hero. That was what it meant to be Sludge Atou.

And so began the first and final battle between them.

Ice Rock's pride and ego were on the line for the first time with this fight.

He freely wielded his ice battle-axe, striking at her from overhead, the ground shaking with the power behind his attack. Atou bent her tentacles out of the way like living whips and effortlessly parried his first strike with the Holy Sword. Then she thrust out with the blessed blade in a counterstrike.

Half-frozen gravel shot out at Atou like machine-gun fire from where Ice Rock had slammed his foot on the ground. She nimbly manipulated her tentacles out of the ground to deflect and repel the gravel bullets with inhuman agility.

It was like a mythical battle spoken of only in legends was unfolding there on the battlefield with their inhuman display of attacking and defending at unimaginable speeds.

The solid ground was torn up from the shockwaves and the sky constantly shook with the impact of each attack. That turbulence reached the town of Dragonton in the distance, and everyone who watched this battle that exceeded human understanding felt their very soul shudder.

"It won't end! I won't let things end this way! Even if I perish here, I will get my revenge on ye!"

"Ahahaha! What the heck?! What kinda cliché line is that?! You sound just like a manga protagonist's party member! Are you trying to get this battle illustrated in the color character pages?!" Atou cackled. Malice seeped from her every word.

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Mynoghra is set as the evilest civilization within Eternal Nations. And that was exactly why there was no way its Hero unit, Atou, wouldn't delight in trampling the hopes and dreams of another under her foot after spitting all over it.

"Tell me! Tell me! Tell ME! Tell me how you will recover from this?! How are you going to defeat me?! C'mon, tell me! No matter how you look at it, you're screeeeeewedddddddd!!!"

Ice Rock neither had the leeway to strike back to see if it was impossible for him to regain ground nor to laugh off her taunting as nonsense. In a situation where he was so close to losing, he couldn't even bluff, he still wielded his full strength to fulfill his reason for existing.

However, a very sad reality hung over this battle.

Role-playing game monsters typically have fixed action patterns. They're from a video game, after all. Several different behavior patterns are generally sufficient for most players to enjoy the game. On the opposite hand, too many programmed actions tend to create bugs and errors that only confuse the player and reduce a game's playability.

When it came down to it, Ice Rock's fighting style was so onenote that it was far too easy to predict his next move.

"I already know your every move, ice cube! Ahahahahaha!"

Atou slid in close to Ice Rock as if she'd already predicted he was about to swing his battle-axe down from above. He hurriedly slammed the axe into the ground, unleashing the next wave of gravel bullets, but Atou dropped to the earth like a snake and avoided the attack entirely as if she'd known it was coming next.

If this were a game, then all of Ice Rock's attacks would have come up as null against Atou.

On her turn, Atou's attack finally struck his icy torso.

"CRITICAL HIIIIITTTT!! Whoopsie! Whatever shall we do now?! I did way more damage to you than I expected! Are you all right, ice cube?! How much HP do you have left? Soooo sorry, I don't have a game guide on me, so I don't know how much of a weakling you are!!!"

His large arm hit the ground with a thud. Although he'd managed to block a blow to the gut, he lost one arm in the process.

Ice Rock's battle-axe only manifested its true strength when wielded with two hands. Now that he only had one hand, its attack power was cut in half.

He couldn't land a hit even when he had his full strength. Would he be able to deflect her attacks with just one arm now? Ice Rock's face of ice distorted with despair.

The scales of battle already leaned heavily in Atou's favor. But she refrained from recklessly pursuing him. Cutting him with her words posed no risk to her, but careless attacks could give him the opening he needed to strike back.

Even with all her sadistic remarks meant to torment the weak, she was in enough control of her emotions to never underestimate an opponent.

Was this calm thinking brought about by her nature as a Hero unit or simply because an evil soul allows no mistakes?

The one sure thing was that Ice Rock's slim chance of winning was slowly but surely being hacked away. And yet he still put up a fight. He decided, a little too late, to unleash his Ultimate Attack.

"URAAAAAAAAH! Have a taste of my Ultimate Attack!"

Frigid air poured off Ice Rock's body. It spread like an explosion from his core, instantly freezing their surroundings as if they were in subzero temperatures. The handle of his battle-axe creaked. Ice Rock forced enough power through his crouched body that it threatened to break his weapon as his frame swelled to show off his mounting strength.

A faint, sadistic smile spread across Atou's lips as she quietly braced herself. All her tentacles instantly gathered around the Holy Sword and turned into a giant spiral spear.

"Come. Challenge me with what you believe to be your greatest skill and taste miserable defeat."

Her words and behavior did nothing to conceal her wickedness. Her intent to kill him with the next attack overflowed from every cell of her petite body and the spirally swirling spear of tentacles increased their hardness to emphasize her words.

And then came the clichéd final struggle that always surrounds the unleashing of an Ultimate Attack.

"URAAAAAAAAH! Glacial Decapitation!"

Offense and defense happened in a single instant, but the time included in that instant seemed endless to both sides.

Subzero air exploded from Ice Rock's body in waves that assailed Atou like a blizzard, encasing her delicate skin in thin ice. Frozen soil crawled over the ground like a living creature and froze her ankles in place.

Amid the intense cold that shreds skin and makes all living things close their eyes and die, Atou looked forward, unfazed. Her eyes were fixed on the ice battle-axe swinging toward her.

Ice Rock's do-or-die Ultimate Attack was nothing more than a slightly chillier attack than usual to Atou.

"Ahaha! AHAHAHA! How you underestimate me! You thought you could seal my movements with a little ice—"

Something strange happened then.

Just as Atou readied her specialized weapon to mow down his axe with impeccable timing—in that one-millionth of a second before their blades would clash—she failed to defend against an attack she never should have failed to counter.

"Wha?!"

Her legs wouldn't move.

Yes, her feet were undeniably frozen to the ground with ice. But

Atou wasn't so weak that a measly layer of ice could immobilize her. It wasn't the ice.

Something else…some strange, invisible force kept her feet stuck in place.

No, not just her feet…her entire body refused to react to Ice Rock's attack.

"GAH! Urrph!!"

The brief exchange of offensive and defensive blows ended with Atou on her knees.

She should've been on a whole different level from her opponent. The attack she'd unleashed with all her might had several times the Strength of her enemy, and the timing was perfect. If things went as usual, she should've dodged his attack and dealt a fatal blow to Ice Rock with her counterattack.

Her counter had been blocked and she even allowed him to land a hit on her.

Atou's crimson eyes spread wide with astonishment and darted around to quickly grasp and piece together the current situation.

It appeared that the recoil from Ice Rock's Ultimate Attack had temporarily immobilized him. The ice covering Atou's body shattered with a loud crack.

She could move. Her mind was sound. She couldn't detect any traces of a mental attack.

Something had happened. Something she'd never experienced before. She'd been attacked in some way.

Her combat senses as Mynoghra's Hero led her to one answer.

…Tch! Impossible! He just used an Unmissable Move, didn't he?!

A bone-shattering impact unlike anything she'd ever experienced before overcame Atou. The temporary lull in the passage of time during her moment of quick thinking ended, and her body suffered from the very blow her mind had just processed.

Mynoghra's Heroes are a force of nature with the ability to take on whole armies alone. But that didn't mean they never took damage. Moreover, that last attack was entirely unexpected, and the damage done to her was immeasurable. She would've been in a worse state if she hadn't snatched the Stone Golem's defense strengthening skill: Stone Skin.

After taking a brief moment to be grateful for her luck, Atou started to analyze the situation in a way that let her internally gripe about it too.

An Unmissable Move is an attack that can't miss, be countered, or intercepted! That's what just happened, isn't it?! Just like how everything I do is governed by 4x strategy game rules, he's governed by RPG rules, isn't he?! Having the very game system make your attack impossible to counter is just plain cheating!!!

Atou's internal organs spilled out of the ginormous gash sweeping up from her abdomen to her chest.

Finally freed from the aftereffects of his Ultimate Attack, Ice Rock turned toward Atou, and his expression stiffened. No living creature can spill its gizzards and still be okay. That would be a fatal blow even to a demon like Ice Rock.

Ice Rock had found a sliver of hope when he'd landed an actual blow on her—something he thought was impossible. However, something changed in the viscera that streamed out of her.

Her internal organs, which had gushed out of her with a pool of bright red blood—a color unbefitting of an evil being—gradually turned jet-black. It eventually became muddy sludge and absorbed back into Atou from her feet.

Before he knew it, Sludge Atou was standing before him as if she'd never been injured…

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't underestimate me so much."

"N-Not even that was enough to defeat ye…?"

It's my turn. Atou pierced Ice Rock with a killer glare.

In turn-based RPGs and strategy games, players typically get their turn after their enemy's turn ends. Both sides were operating under different game rules, which were bound to cause various anomalies in the battle mechanics, but Atou figured he'd be incapable of dealing another fatal counterattack immediately after unleashing his Ultimate Attack.

So she poised her tentacles to attack again. The spiral-shaped feelers let out a strange gichigichi noise as they charged up, almost as if they were letting their prey know it was their time to strike back.

Then, like a bow being drawn to its absolute limit—

"Die… Die with an amusing sound just like the corny RPG boss you are!!"

—Atou released her fully charged attack.

"All hail…the Demon L—"

All that remained was Ice Rock vanishing into glittering particles of light. Then, as if the world remembered it as an afterthought, a treasure-trove worth of gold coins rained down in the same spot.

Atou glanced at that spot as if looking down on trivial filth and huffed.

"There is only one true sovereign in this world. Our king, Takuto Ira! Ruin shall come equally to all who oppose him! Be they good or evil, all who refuse to bow before our king aren't allowed to exist!"

Tentacles burst out in every direction at explosive speeds. A force that should be too powerful for an individual to wield assailed the monsters remaining on the battlefield.

With the range of a longbow, the explosive strength of a giant, and ruthlessness with no room for mercy, those tentacles lashed out at every last monster under Ice Rock's command.

◇◇◇

"…AND that's the end of the monster horde." It only took a few minutes.

With the loss of their general, the monsters couldn't fight against their instincts that screamed they were doomed, and they immediately began to scatter in every direction like baby spiders. Dragontan's Defense Force and Mynoghra's troops had sustained some minor damage but were doing well overall despite Atou's initial concerns.

As for Mynoghra's Hero herself, she could be trampled by ten thousand monsters and come out the other side unscathed. The same couldn't be said of squishy Humanoids. Fortunately, they'd prepared for the worst-case scenario involving personnel and structural damage, so Atou was relieved things weren't worse.

"The monsters are retreating, eh? It makes sense with the loss of their commander, but it's fortunate their panic didn't send them charging straight into the town," Atou mumbled to herself as she pressed a hand over her abdomen.

A dull, stabbing pain aggravated her pride.

Pain meant little to a Hero born to wage war, but the mere fact the wound was the result of her carelessness was the greatest humiliation she'd ever tasted, and it enraged her to the point her anger became palpable.

"This is the state I'm left in after I was being so cautious too. What a failure… I'm such a failure! How can I declare myself

Mynoghra's Hero—King Takuto's Hero—when I'm like this?!"

Atou audibly gnashed her teeth and fixed her gaze forward. The RPG's main forces were likely waiting in the direction the monsters ran toward.

"Confronting a completely different game makes things tricky. They're too unpredictable because they move according to entirely different rules from us."

Atou put her brain in high gear to analyze and pick apart the current situation.

She'd always believed that this world they'd been transferred to was governed by 4x strategy game rules just like her and Mynoghra. But she needed to alter her thinking now that an enemy army had arrived from a role-playing game. She now believed it was too dangerous to draw conclusions with her lack of knowledge.

Her beloved king instantly came to mind.

Should she report back what had just happened? Would he be terribly disappointed to learn she'd been injured? Of course, she understood that her king wasn't so narrow-minded to be upset with her over such a thing. But she had really wanted to tell him that she had successfully completed her mission without any issues and receive his praise in return.

Takuto had given Atou a simple explanation about the game called Brave Questers shortly before the battle began. She could've predicted her opponent's attack as long as she was paying closer attention. At the very least, she could've handled things better.

Nevertheless, what was done was done.

Boundless anger at herself ate away at her. She couldn't shake her regret and fear of relaying her failure. Then there was her absolute trust that her king wouldn't scold her for it. But her heart longed for those invaluable words of praise.

Various thoughts and painful emotions spun around in her head, driving her into the proverbial corner.

"Aahhh! Enough!!!!"

She finally let it all out in a loud shout and shook her head.

There was still so much left to do. She didn't have time to spare worrying herself sick.

When she finally looked up, she confirmed the Long-legged Bugs were waiting on standby around her. They likely came for their next orders after the monsters they were fighting fled the field.

"Long-legged Bugs! Thin out the defeated army within range and earn experience points! King Takuto will give you an upgrade later if you do!"

"GYGYEE!!"

The Long-legged Bugs zoomed off in the direction the monsters had fled at terrifying speeds. Since they'd earned a lot of experience points during this defense mission, they were ready to be upgraded into more powerful units through the Upgrade System.

The loser loses everything while the victor gains it all.

Acquiring higher-ranking units at this stage in the game was a very beneficial achievement for the empire of Mynoghra.

"I'd like to pursue the enemy now too, but…what should I do? No, enough procrastinating, I should report back to King Takuto first."

Atou also needed to give orders to Elder Moltar and the rest of the troops from Mynoghra. Most of all, she still hadn't spoken to Takuto yet.

Recklessly pursuing the enemy without handling priority matters first would be a disgrace to her role as mission commander, much less as a Hero.

With that in mind, Atou sucked in a deep breath to calm herself and connected to Takuto's mental channel to send him a telepathic message. Her inaudible voice sounded so much like an adorable young lady it belied the crazed madwoman taunting voice she'd used during her battle with Ice Rock.

"King Takuto! I have successfully completed the Defend Dragontan Mission. One of the Demon Lord's Four Generals advanced on the town with his army, but I have successfully crushed them. It was a piece of cake with my strength. However…um…you see…I kinda let down my guard, I guess? I have some things to report later, but um…before I do…I was kinda hoping you could praise me for all my hard work away from home…hahaha…"

Fidgeting shyly, Atou began to relay her message while looking into the distance where her king was. Did she bow several times in his direction because she'd picked up that Japanese habit from Takuto? But the adorable sunflower-like smile on her face instantly wilted.

"…What?"

In less than a fraction of a second, her expression shifted from a girl in love to the Hero of an evil civilization.

"Enemy forces have invaded Mynoghra's inner citadel."

The brief report Takuto had shared with her was enough to chill Atou's heart.

<-x-X-x->

Chapter 3: Surprise Attack

"WHAT a big fat pain… I should've planned for the unforeseeable."

Isla silently tried to guess what her master was thinking based on his muttered words.

It all started with the Barbarians plaguing their ally nation, Phon'kaven. Their sporadic raids had suddenly turned into a huge horde bearing down on them. And if that wasn't bad enough, they originated from an entirely different game.

It was foolish to apply common sense or typical tactics to this situation, but there was too little to go off at this point to make an appropriate judgment call. And their enemy wasn't going to wait for them to make their move.

Enemy forces were currently marching closer to the heart of Mynoghra, its imperial capital, threatening their peaceful way of life. They were in a dire situation, if there ever was one.

"Indeed, we never expected them to discover our location so soon… It's only a matter of time before we clash. However, taking the initiative and striking the Demon Lord's Army was a wise first move, my master."

Isla casually tried to sound out the reason for her master's decision. She thought Takuto's military orders were a tad hasty, regardless of the results. She understood speed was of the essence when dealing with an enemy with so many unknowns. She also understood the need to defend Dragontan from attack until the bitter end.

What she could not wrap her head around was his decision to open hostilities at Dragontan before having a firm understanding of their opponent's nature and origin. His decision had directly resulted in defeating one of the enemy generals and repelling enemy forces from Dragontan.

Isla believed he must've possessed some external information she did not that led him to make that judgment call, and she wished to know what it was.

"I guess…you could say that. But it was a botched operation since it ended with the enemy invading our main base."

If memory served her right, Takuto was the cautious type. He was unique in his desire to put peace and Domestic Affairs first to the point he avoided conflict whenever possible. The Takuto Isla knew should've been so careful in his decision-making that he would've considered abandoning Dragontan if it benefited him.

So, why did someone like that fire the first shot?

That was the question that plagued her.

"I'm just glad that their strength was about what I'd expected. We should be able to handle the Demon Lord if his generals are all that weak," Takuto muttered to himself.

The information from Atou's telepathic message fortunately gave them an approximate idea of the general makeup and strength of the Demon Lord's Army. They weren't in dire straits yet, and they now knew that they could get out of this pinch as long as they didn't botch their next move.

So, Isla locked eyes with Takuto, her concerns still needling away at her. She didn't know what calculations were being made behind those unreadable eyes of his, so she decided to come right out and openly address her suspicions.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I can't shake the idea that the leader of our enemy forces, the Demon Lord, might be a player like you. What are your thoughts on that, my master?"

Isla had one damning concern: were they up against another player like Takuto? If they were, then their foe's strength was incalculable. They might even be a veteran player on par with Takuto.

Just because he'd become Mynoghra's Commander in this world didn't mean it wouldn't be hard on Takuto to wage war against someone from his homeland. It didn't seem like a bad idea to change directions and call for a temporary truce to gather more information and probe what their opponent was really after, especially if they prepared for the potential fallout.

Isla had that in mind when she made her query, but she was completely off the mark.

"The question you've got to ask yourself is: even if they are another player…another person from the same world…does that make them an automatic ally? It doesn't, right?"

Isla sucked in a sharp breath at his casual dismissal. His words were punctuated by an invisible pressure that rejected any objections. His lips curved into a soft smile that didn't reach his eyes.

What is my master thinking?

Not even Isla, a Hero who'd conquered many worlds alongside him, could get a read on Takuto. Perhaps he'd be more open with Atou, who he trusted more than anyone else, but she was unfortunately away defending Dragontan. And so, Isla showed her willingness to follow the king's policies by wordlessly bowing her head.

She didn't really have another option available to her. Even if she did, she had no intention of ever going against her king.

Just as the Dark elves felt a certain kind of dread and alienation toward Isla and Atou, Isla found herself standing in the same position when it came to the being known as Takuto Ira, and there was still much about him she didn't comprehend.

"…Either way, our course of action is clear," Takuto said firmly. "Whether we're up against another player or something else entirely, rapprochement isn't an option. We aren't equipped to idly sit by and watch what move they make next, which leaves us with one option: to crush them with everything we have."

"Yes, yes, indeed. It is exactly as you say, my master."

Given their current situation, it was a waste of precious time to raise further doubts. Moreover, Mynoghra's King Takuto had chosen this course of action. In which case, it was his subordinates' job to carry out his will no matter what.

Isla completely changed her perspective on the matter, gave a big nod, and bowed in the way unique to Mynoghra's vassals.

"Unnecessary hesitation has a way of coming back to bite you. One of the keys to a successful strategy is not meaninglessly rehashing the details after you've already decided."

"You are absolutely right, my master."

Takuto ran several strategies through his head. He dug up old memories, traced through the countless battles he'd played, and considered the most effective and efficient strategy for the current situation. Of course, he'd already taken unknown factors into consideration too.

This wasn't the world of Eternal Nations. There was an ocean of unknowns and even more potential for things to go wrong.

Takuto felt his heart race with unexpected excitement at the prospect of it all. He found it kind of strange and exhilarating how much he was enjoying what should be a bad situation.

◇◇◇

"BAD news, Your Majesty! Enemy troops are en route to Mynoghra's Imperial Capital!"

One of the Dark Elf runners stumbled into the Throne Room with a look of abject horror on his face. This was around the same time Takuto had settled on his next move and was beginning to send orders to the Warriors with his Commander skills. With his ability to grasp the whereabouts of every citizen, Takuto already knew about the invading forces the Warriors had discovered.

However, Warrior Captain Gia had sent a messenger just in case. "I know."

Entering the Throne Room without permission under normal circumstances was a criminal offense. But the situation being what it was, Takuto raised a hand to stop Isla from saying anything and briefly spoke to the messenger himself. Seeing the scared messenger sharply suck in a breath at his king's words, Takuto signaled Isla with his eyes.

Knowing exactly what her master wanted from that simple signal, Isla offered the man several words of praise for his work in a softer voice than usual, then gave him his next orders.

"His Majesty knows about the invading army. He has already sent orders to Captain Gia and the others himself. We will now leave the Palace and move to City Hall to take command of the situation.

Hurry back to your station as well."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The telepathic communication system between units out in the field and back at base was operating perfectly. Eternal Nations' Commander system, which allowed Takuto to grasp the situation surrounding each unit and give direct orders, made it possible for him to move his army like his own limbs. Warrior Captain Gia's first response was satisfactory—he had gathered the Warriors to help the citizens evacuate and took up a basic defensive position before Takuto even gave the order.

The Brain Eaters' ability to maintain public order was also working to Mynoghra's advantage. It allowed them to quickly squash any chaos that might ensue from citizens panicking over the sudden evacuation.

Takuto was actually impressed that he possessed limbs that moved a hundred times better than in the game. He didn't know how many units the enemy had, but they couldn't bring a massive army into the Accursed Lands with its poor footing and low visibility. In addition to that, Forests buffed Dark Elves, and Cursed Terrain buffed every citizen of Mynoghra.

They were in a crisis, but not one they couldn't overcome.

"Though I hate to admit it…"

"…It's a fact that they got the drop on us," Isla finished Takuto's quiet utterance.

It's considered the height of folly to let the enemy into your home base. If they were in the audience at an Esports tournament, booing would shake the stands. If someone were playing the game, they would chuck their controller around this point. Unfortunately, this was their reality, and that was precisely why Takuto was prepared to make the hard decisions.

"All right, why don't we turn a disadvantageous situation to our advantage, eh?"

Their opponent likely didn't know a thing about Takuto Ira— about the young man who'd commanded Mynoghra and conquered Nightmare difficulty in Eternal Nations.

He sneered.

It was time to educate these fools about what it meant to go up against the man who broke records and set a precedent for the impossible.

Takuto quietly rose from his throne with an expression that lacked humanity.

◇◇◇

MYNOGHRA'S Palace was built a slight distance from the city area where the Dark Elves resided. Takuto formed a strategy in his head as he walked down the simple paved road carved through the trees with Isla as his guard and escort.

"Let's run through what we have to work with. First, we have 100 Warriors under Gia's command. Their strength doesn't even compare to one of Mynoghra's units, but their morale is top-notch. And then we have 3 Brain Eaters, who're critically important for both offense and defense with their ability to heal and buff others."

"Don't forget about the Larva I've spawned," Isla added. "They're more meant for manual labor, but they should put up a decent fight with my buffs."

"How many total?"

"About 200. They can be split into four stacks."

"Now that's a reliable force. I can see why you're called

Mynoghra's strongest Hero, Isla. Labor Larva generally have a Strength of 0. But your buffs boost them to 2 Strength, making them capable of defending our home base…"

Takuto glanced down at the level path beneath his feet.

A good amount of time had passed since he'd summoned Isla. The Labor Larva units she'd produced with her Breeder skill had already demonstrated their usefulness in construction and cultivating new land. While 2 Strength was on the weaker side, they could still be counted as a part of Mynoghra's military forces. They should be easily capable of squashing Goblins and would make for the perfect frontline assault troops to clear out the weaklings.

Isla was putting her dual abilities to spawn and buff to good use.

"We would've had a solid defense if I'd only spawned Combat Larva, too," Isla lamented. "Disasters always strike at the worst time, don't they?"

"It's actually kind of a relief to think this is the worst it'll get."

They were definitely in a disastrous situation, but Takuto was encouraged by Isla's presence. He would've been more melodramatic if he hadn't summoned her in time. To him, Mynoghra's Hero units were who he could rely on the most in this world, showing just how much the time he'd spent with them during his past life had stuck with him even after death.

"Yes, yes, you couldn't be more right. Now then, my master, how's Gia faring?"

Isla's question spurred Takuto to switch gears and telepathically check on how things were faring domestically. He needed to use the cards he had on hand to win the round, given that Atou wouldn't be able to make it back on time. He couldn't overlook a single thing. One tiny mistake could become irrecoverable damage, eventually leading to his empire's downfall.

"The situation in the city isn't too bad," Takuto said. "Noncombatants have been evacuated to the government buildings, and our soldiers have already taken up a simple defense formation to protect the city."

"We also have the upper hand with bonuses from the Cursed Terrain and Forest Terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack," Isla added. "It would've been a perfect opportunity to earn some experience points if we had the time to properly prepare our forces and national power."

The standard figure for a successful attack on a dug-in/fortified defender is 3:1. Thus, by a general rule of thumb, an attacker would require three times as many numbers as the defender, all other things being equal. This theory not only applied to Eternal Nations but was modified for the defender to have a greater advantage thanks to the various buffs granted by the fantasy game elements.

However, that only applies when the proper preparations are made.

In Mynoghra, where the national power and troops were still scarce, and even the construction of defensive facilities was postponed, it was hard to say that the situation was optimistic, even though there were powerful terrain bonuses in their favor.

"Gia sent me a message…" Takuto said. "About 1,000 enemy troops have entered the Accursed Lands. Hmm, there's definitely an enemy general leading the invasion, and we still don't have a firm grasp on what the RPG monsters are capable of. This will be a tough fight if there ever was one."

"But you've already thought up the perfect strategy, haven't you, my great and talented master?" Isla queried, although she already knew everything she needed to. She knew her master had the answer to the problem despite the crisis they found themselves in.

If things went south and they felt the empire was at risk, they could just retreat toward Dragontan with the Dark Elves. They still didn't have many citizens, and the Dark Elves should have enough of an advantage in the Forest to make a clean break for it. Moreover, joining up with Atou, Elder Moltar and the rest of the Mages under him, and Dragontan's Defense Force would be the safest and most effective way to take out the enemy.

The capital might get burned to the ground, but the Accursed Lands were ripe with building supplies. The city was still in the development stage, so it'd be easy enough to get back to this point.

But Takuto's decision was the opposite of retreat—he planned to repel the enemy. As it stood, he didn't call Atou back to Mynoghra but ordered her to pursue the army that had tried to invade Dragontan. He was clearly hiding enough aces up his sleeve to be confident he could win.

Takuto grinned at her amusing question as if he were pleased she asked. Then he laid down the law.

"We've got Mana stored up for times like this. If their side can make monsters appear out of thin air like a cliched RPG, then it's time for us to show them the true nature of a strategy game."

"Hehehe. It's fortunate that there's no limit on how many units we can produce with Emergency Production. Being able to produce as many units as we want as long as we have Mana is quite the game-breaking rule in our favor, if I say so myself."

Simply mentioning the word Mana cued Isla in on exactly what kind of tactics her master had in mind.

During normal gameplay, Emergency Production had a set cooldown period before you could use it again. But they had discovered through rigorous testing that no such restrictions existed in this world. With that in mind, the obvious tactic would be to massproduce as many Long-legged Bugs—the cheapest units—as their Mana reserves allowed.

Buffed to 3 Strength by Isla's passive skill, the Long-legged Bug now boasted impressive stats that combined its new Strength with its high mobility and speed as a Scout unit. Plus, they made it easy to check on the state of things with their long-range vision.

After calculating how many Long-legged Bugs they could spawn with Mynoghra's Mana reserves, Isla determined that they could indeed overtake the enemy general if he showed up as she'd feared.

However…

"Isla, I hereby grant you all of Mynoghra's stored up Mana. Level up as much as you can and defeat all our enemies. This is an order."

For a moment, Isla's mouth fell open as if a mental attack had struck her. If she were Humanoid, she'd likely have a dumbfounded expression on her buggy face.

A moment later, her mind caught up to reality. What came next was a rush of sheer delight.

"Ha! Hahaha! Ahahahaha!! My, my, oh my! What a mean and spiteful person you are, master! I never imagined you would give me such an order!"

Isla figured it all out from that.

Takuto was essentially saying he'd leave this entire nightmare situation that involved wiping out the threat to Mynoghra's Imperial Capital…to Isla.

There had to have been a dozen other tactics he could've picked from, including mass-producing the Long-legged Bugs like Isla had considered. And yet he pushed those countless options aside… King Takuto Ira had given her the order to do it.

What faith he had in her! What an honor it was! She could feel the tremendous trust he placed in her from every angle she viewed his order.

Takuto showed no signs of having made this decision out of the heat of the moment, a grim resolve, a philosophical stance, or some weird resolution. When you get right down to it, he made the decision because it was the obvious thing to do. That was all there was to it, and that fact filled Isla with great joy.

"You know that Atou has already defeated one of the enemy generals, right?" he asked. "I haven't confirmed how it works yet, but be cautious of any attacks based on RPG mechanics."

"Hehehe. Oh yeah, little Atou had the wool pulled over her eyes at the end there, didn't she? Let me assure you that I, at least, won't let your concerns become a reality, my master."

"Ooh! That's some big talk right there."

"I'm only stating a fact. Yes, yes, you can bet your bottom dollar that this is a pure, unadulterated fact and not arrogance or pride speaking. I'm just saying how it is, pure and simple." Takuto silently nodded in response.

No sane player would dump all their Mana into leveling up a single unit during a normal game session. Doing so is incredibly inefficient, especially since Mana is needed for many things the same way Currency and Resources are, such as Upkeep, unit production, and research. That's why every player in Eternal Nations carefully allocates their Mana while constantly monitoring it.

Takuto's tactic ignored the usual way of doing things by investing everything in one go. It was even crazier to invest it all in leveling up a single Hero unit instead of using it for Emergency Production. The outcome would be an oddity, to say the least—whether it would have the same success as an early game unit rush or would end in utter failure was yet to be seen.

If Takuto was going to put his absolute trust in the Queen of Bugs, then she was the only one with the right to honorably live up to that trust. And it goes without saying that Isla was a Hero with the ability to meet his expectations.

"Isla."

"Yes, my master. I can gain two Distinct Features with this level up. What abilities will you bequeath upon your humble servant?"

"Predation and Parasitic Eggs."

Isla let out a high-pitched gichigichi laugh. It all made sense now. She knew exactly where Takuto was taking this battle and how he intended to show their enemies hell.

Hero units can gain more Distinct Features as they level up. Each Distinct Feature grants unique skills and status effects, strengthening already powerful units. Players can showcase their skills by skillfully selecting and managing the Distinct Features only Heroes can have.

Takuto's choice was the most effective and vicious set Isla knew of.

"Did you know that that tactic was once dubbed by the players of Eternal Nations as the Bug Rush and was despised and feared by all?" Isla asked.

A gichigichi creaking hiss came from Isla's insect body as it rattled. Her muscles bulged from the sudden level-ups and the new powers accompanying them. Her old exoskeleton began to split down her back, and she slowly slid out of the unneeded skin. Her new exoskeleton looked twice as deadly with unique patterning, visually showing that the power hidden within her had increased.

Takuto looked up at Isla with a hint of awe. Maybe he was moved by getting to witness one of his Heroes leveling up. Glee seemed to tinge his otherwise nebulous expression.

"Yeah, I know it well," he answered. "I was one of the players who was despised for using it often, after all."

Every drop of Mynoghra's Mana was poured into Isla.

Isla, who'd grown into an entity worthy of having the nickname of Queen of the Unending Swarm, spread her wings wide and let out a mighty roar. Her bizarre cry echoed to every end of the Accursed Lands, inciting dread in all who heard it.

Mynoghra was ready to go.

Why are Heroes considered units that can turn the tides of battle and are the most trusted and hated by every player in Eternal Nations?

"Hehehe, then please accept this power that is the ultimate annihilation tactic belonging to Mynoghra and is where the name Queen of Bugs hails from."

The time had come to make that reason clear.

< -x-X-x->

Chapter 4: Hidden Things

MONSTERS swarmed the forest on their way to destroy Mynoghra's capital. Their advance was anything but fast. As an army composed of creatures that didn't normally work together, their movements were incohesive, and the complicated, bumpy terrain further impeded their speed. They looked nothing like a marching army, to say the least. Only the demons serving Flamin correctly understood their task and, although they weren't accustomed to it, they endeavored to take command of the monsters.

"The big boss sure gave us a tall order sayin' we can't burn down the forest…" grumbled a broad-sword-wielding demon called Flame Knight, his flaming red hair fluttering in the wind over his equally fiery red robe.

A man with the exact same appearance nodded along with his sighed complaints. This man wielded a staff inlaid with jewels and was a magic-type demon known as Flame Mage.

The two demons gave orders to the meandering monsters as they complained about the slow pace and grew frustrated with the densely overgrown forestland.

"It'd be a walk in the flaming park if we just burnt it down. That's how we've always done it, so why's he makin' things more complicated than they need to be this time?"

Flamin had prepared about 1,000 troops to capture the city within these strange woods. One of the reasons he'd kept his invading army small was that the city they'd discovered inside wasn't much bigger than a village, but the biggest reason was that he was afraid their forces would be exposed.

"He said he doesn't want to get discovered. I mean, our boss has always had a thing for slinkin' around in the dark. He's probably goin' with a sneaky plan this time too."

"He'll roast you up if you say that to his face, y'know?"

"That's why I'm sayin' it when he's not around, smartass."

After glancing over his shoulder at the unintelligent monsters— mostly Goblins, Orcs, and like—trudging behind them, Flame Knight turned to his companion.

Their boss—Blazing General Flamin of the Demon Lord's Four Generals—was a cunning and ruthless man. If that wasn't bad enough, he was a hard-to-please, hot-tempered boss.

While the demons were too talented to be easily offed, they still needed to tread carefully not to earn his wrath. They put up with a lot of stress treading on thin ice around him daily. Being able to toss their complaints back and forth without him breathing down their back like this was their way of relieving stress. Although their boss wasn't the only reason for their stress this time…

"I know he told us not to torch it, but…it's a hecka creepy forest. Couldn't find a forest this poisonous back home even if you tried, and that's sayin' something."

They didn't know it, but their troops had already invaded territory under Mynoghra's influence. In other words, the scenery around them had changed from the Accursed Lands into the more vicious Cursed Terrain created by Mynoghra's mere presence. The earth reeked of rot and the trees were gnarled monstrosities. Flowers oozed liquids with a striking color and dense miasma hung thickly over the whole area.

Demons were unaffected by the miasma, but even with their mentality as demons, they still found their surroundings grotesque and strange.

"Yeah, it's not somethin' you see every day. Boss said there's an enemy who could get in the Demon Lord's way up ahead, but…what kinda beast are they?"

"Well, they ain't no Hero, that's for sure."

"Haha! You can say that again!"

Dry laughter echoed through the Accursed Lands, earning curious looks from the low-level monsters keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Unsettling silence followed their laughter, and the two demons silently exchanged looks.

It was strictly forbidden to mention the Hero within the Demon Lord's Army. Severe punishment was unavoidable even if he was mentioned with innocent intentions, so only an incredibly rash person or someone with an ulterior motive would ever utter that name jokingly.

Flame Knight brought up the Hero for the latter reason. With that joke, he'd determine whether his companion was worthy of hearing the treacherous tale he was about to tell. And it seemed Flame Mage had passed the test.

"Did ya know Boss is gonna betray the Demon Lord?"

"C'mon, buddy, what's gotten into you? That's too much, even for a joke. You really will get torched to death if the boss overhears that one."

"There's a high chance he didn't get permission from the Demon Lord to start this little war."

"Whoa, that's bold…"

Flame Mage was more shocked by what Flame Knight said than he'd thought. He'd expected Flame Knight to reveal some big secret from the way he'd tested the waters first but talking about betraying the Demon Lord was on an entirely different level.

As far as he knew, the Demon Lord's Army had rock-solid unity, and even the cunning and ruthless Flamin was loyal to their cause. Rather than thinking he'd heard something he shouldn't have, he was more surprised about how that could even be possible.

"Never mind, let's stop talkin' about this," Flame Knight said. "I might just suspect the big boss's motives because he's been acting funny."

"Don't wuss out on me now! We're in the same boat now that we both know. We might even be able to pick up on somethin' if we both keep an eye out. Isn't it better to have somebody to talk to, especially with our lives on the line?"

Flame Mage was so passionate that he'd started speaking in a loud voice that he quickly tempered to continue persuading his companion. His words seemed to convince Flame Knight, because he nodded with a stern expression and began to talk about what led him to believe the treacherous secret he'd shared.

"Do you remember when we first came to this world? If you're like me, you would've woken up in the same place as everybody else…"

"Yeah, that's how it was for me too. Unlike the monsters we summoned later, us high-ranking demons remember being with each other from the start."

"But the Demon Lord and Boss had a different experience.

Seems like somethin' went down before we ended up in this world." "Somethin' only the Four Generals and the other top dogs know about?"

"It's hard to say. Boss said he was 'chosen'… At any rate, whatever happened was enough to push him to make up his mind big time."

Flame Knight had only heard bits and pieces from Flamin, but connecting the pieces together made it clear that something had happened. Something so shocking that a cunning man who never revealed what he was thinking accidentally vented secrets to one of his subordinates. Flame Knight noticed the subtle change in him because he was always closely watching Flamin to make sure he didn't upset him.

But it was all speculation on his part. He didn't hear Flamin say a word about betraying the Demon Lord. More than anything else, the event Flamin and the Demon Lord went through was something so unrealistic that he didn't want to accept it.

"C'mon, stop beating around the man-eating bush! Out with it already! It's not smart to let ourselves get too distracted by chitchat while we're leadin' a literal army of monsters. So, what happened to 'em?" Flame Mage pressured him to go on, his voice raising a notch with his impatience.

His remark brought Flame Knight back to his senses and he nodded, his mind made up to go through with telling what he knew. He wasn't getting any closer to the truth thinking about it on his own, after all. So, he decided to lay out everything he knew and see what his buddy thought.

"Yeah, you've got a point there. Truth is, Boss and the Demon Lord met some being before they came to this world… And that being told them that…"

Flame Mage swallowed the lump in his throat after he learned a piece of the truth. He had a fairly high rank within the Demon Lord's Army, and not only did he not know anything about what had happened, but the Demon Lord and the others had kept it a secret from the rest. In other words, that was proof that what had happened to them before coming to this world had significant meaning.

Anxiety over what the future held for them and curiosity about what was happening to them raged within Flame Mage as he impatiently waited for Flame Knight's next words. But their situation suddenly changed before the veil could be lifted from the truth.

"Hold on, the vanguard unit's back," Flame Knight said. "Looks like somethin' happened."

"Dammit, just as we were gettin' to the good part… Oh well," Flame Mage turned from his companion to direct his questions to the returning vanguard. "So, did you get any intel? What kinda enemy are we up against? We know they have a city, but were you able to locate it?"

The branches rustled as they parted, revealing the familiar build of one of the Orcs they had sent ahead to scout. No matter how confident the demons were in their strength, their opponent was still a mystery. It never hurt to be cautious. They had sent several monsters to investigate how strong their enemy was.

Flame Mage was about to sigh over how slow-witted the lowlevel monster was as it ambled closer without an ounce of wariness, but what he saw caused his eyes to widen with shock instead.

"Whoa, what the flaming pits of hell's wrong with you?!" he shouted in surprise.

It was definitely an Orc that had stumbled out from between the trees. They weren't the fastest or most agile of monsters by any means, but the demons had sent them out to scout because they could at least communicate on a basic level and did well enough in battle…

And yet, the Orc that had returned had such a grotesque appearance it was easy to tell something was SERIOUSLY wrong.

"AuGh? WhAt?"

It let out a strangled croak that erupted from its throat and sounded nothing like a noise an Orc would make. Orcs are demihuman monsters that look like someone placed a pig's head on top of a large, adult human male's body. But there was something on his face that shouldn't be there… A large, fleshy growth was protruding from his eye sockets, and it almost looked like a hornworm or something was growing inside of it as disturbing, pulsating shades of red, green, and yellow writhed about.

It didn't look like an injury caused by an attack. It also didn't seem like he'd contracted a strange, new disease. No, something had clearly parasitized him.

As soon as they realized this, the two demons drew their weapons and put the monsters with them on high alert.

"WhErE? BuRReh-oH…eYeS…cAn'T…sEe…"

"Don't come any closer!! Get ready to attack!!" Flame Knight shouted, and the monsters around him fell into a confused uproar.

Unintelligent monsters were impossible to get under control once they became confused. Flame Mage repeated the orders to help control the situation, but it only spurred the chaos. The two flame demons leading the monsters were better suited for taking orders than giving them. They didn't have enough experience to think calmly and quell the panic mounting within their disorganized troops, which resulted in them taking their eyes off the obviously infected Orc, who staggered toward the closest monster.

"BuRRR, bu-RE-he-Hu-uhh! Blueeeerrrghhhhh!"

"GHH! GyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA!!"

"What the?!"

There was a loud kersploosh as flesh ruptured and an insect that looked like a giant, mutated ant burst out of the malignant growth. The bug lunged at the monster, who'd fallen backward out of terror, latched onto its neck with its distorted mandibles with horrifying accuracy, and bit its head right off. Gold coins spilled onto the forest floor with a metallic clang and the lingering echo of the monster's death cry.

The two demons finally got their wits about them when they heard that all-too-familiar sound and saw the coins glittering under the shafts of sunlight filtering through the trees, and started shouting harried orders.

"It's the enemy! The enemy's attacking! Prepare to fight!"

More of the same deranged insects swooped in from the skies above. The rest of the vanguard unit lumbered out of the dark woody depths with slow, arduous steps. Flame Knight cut down the bugs lunging for his throat as he watched the low-level monsters under his command fall to the same attack out of the corner of his eye.

"Dammit all!" he shouted, enraged. "We're in the worst location for this! We're payin' for not torching the place to hell!"

Screaming about it did nothing to help him make up for the difference in strength. They weren't leading an army of puny monsters by any means. If you just looked at their strength as individuals, they were actually strong. But the place and time were not in their favor—no, they were strongly in their opponent's favor.

They were on a battlefield with poor visibility, in a situation where their troops were in disarray. Then there was the additional inconvenience of the miasma weakening a good number of the monsters. If that wasn't bad enough on its own, they were up against a small enemy that was difficult to attack. And then there was the fact their own boss had forbidden them from using fire—their Ultimate Attack. Everything about the situation worked against them.

The already difficult situation was just about to get a whole lot worse…

"OOOH! HOW DARE YOU BURN THE FOREST! HOW COULD YOU

ATTEMPT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ALL-LOVING ACCURSED

LANDS?! AS HUEMANS, WE CAN'T ALLOW SUCH TREACHERY TO

PASS!"

"…What the?! Who goes there?!"

Three shadowy figures caroused out of the forest depths at Flame Knight's question. These monsters, with human skin tied to their gnarled bodies, began animatedly blathering incomprehensible nonsense as they brandished blades that had rusted and dulled from all the blood they'd soaked up.

"'WHO GOES THERE?' NOW THAT'S AN OLD-FASHIONED LINE!

HOW HUEMAN OF YOU!"

"OH, IT IS QUITE HUEMAN, ISN'T IT?! AND LOOK AT THAT,

ICHIRO! LOOK AT THE STATE OF THEIR SKIN! WHY, WON'T IT BRING

US ONE STEP CLOSER TO BEING ALL THE MORE HUEMAN IF WE STUDY NEW SKIN TYPES?!"

"OOH! OOOOOOH! JIRO! WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA! WE MUST

THANK HIS MAJESTY! FOR PREPARING SUCH! A MARVELOUS! STAGE

FOR US TO OBTAIN NEW SKIN! ALL HAIL THE KING!"

Mynoghra's ultimate Medic unit, the Brain Eaters, had joined the fray.

Did they intend to take this battle seriously from the start? Or did they simply deem it unnecessary to play around? After removing their trademark plague mask and robes, they tore the nearest monsters apart with their grotesque bodies on full display.

"Wh-What hell did these things crawl outta? They're wearing human skin!"

"Are they insane? Even by our standards?! Watch your back, buddy!"

Were Flame Knight and Flame Mage so perturbed by their uncanny appearance and deranged behavior because they were from different games? Even though both sides should be cut from the same evil cloth?

"WHY, IT'S UTTERLY RIDICULOUS FOR DEMONS TO BE APPALLED

AT A LIL' SKINNING!"

"DENYING ANOTHER HUEMAN'S HOBBIES IS OUTRAGEOUS!"

"WE ARE BRAIN EATERS! WE SHALL LEAD YOU TO YOUR GRAVE

PER HIS MAJESTY'S ORDERS!"

Both sides received the same buffs from the Cursed Terrain because they were evil-aligned. Flame Knight and Flame Mage were superior when it came to normal combat. However, the scales of battle remained balanced.

"GSHAAAA!!"

"MMPH!"

One of the Brain Eater's arms was lopped off. He nimbly snatched it out of the air, purple blood spraying everywhere, and leaped back to put some distance between him and Flame Knight. Then he handed the severed arm to his companion.

"Oh dear, this looks bad. Can you handle it for me, Saburo?"

"Mm, now that's an injury you can be proud of. Let's show it to the little ladies later."

"What a marvelous idea, Saburo!"

The next moment, another Brain Eater…took out a distorted instrument and something like thread, and in a blink of an eye, he sutured the amputated arm.

"Shit! Healing Magic! They have skills, too? What a pain!"

"They aren't undefeatable, but…it'll be a drain on our forces."

Healing Magic was where the true value of the Brain Eaters came in. The ability was originally designed to heal troops on a military scale, so this level of treatment could be done in an instant. It wasn't normal surgery. Sensing some skill had been used, Flame Knight and Flame Mage gritted their teeth, realizing the situation was even worse than they first thought.

"What do you want to do, buddy? Things are only gonna get worse at this rate."

"Let's retreat for now. It's too much for us to handle. Let's tell the boss."

"Then we'll slow them down with the monsters. There's an endless supply of 'em. Dammit, we're in for an earful from the big boss."

"It's better than getting our skin peeled off here."

Did they take after their master? The two demons instantly agreed upon that cunning and ruthless plan and ordered the monsters to guard their backs as they retreated.

"WE HAVE BUT ONE THING TO SAY IN RESPONSE TO THAT: WE WON'T LET YOU GO!"

"HA!"

Flame Knight exchanged blows with the Brain Eater that had lunged at him and spun around to hotfoot it out of there as soon as he saw an opening. The demons serving Flamin were even better at fleeing than fighting.

As nothing more than Medics, the Brain Eaters couldn't prevent them from fleeing. They had allowed the enemy to retreat.

◇◇◇

"…WHEW, we got away somehow. Those were some flamin' creepy abominations."

"You can say that again. The usual won't work on 'em. It ain't gonna be pretty, but we'd better advise the boss to rebuild his attack force."

The two demons discussed their next plan of action as they raced through the distorted trees. Rugged terrain pervaded the Accursed Lands, but anyone skilled in the art of escaping could navigate through them at a decent speed. As long as the monsters continued to serve as bait, they should be able to run away without an issue, even with the unknown threat hot on their tail.

Most of all, Flame Knight and Flame Mage were considered elites within the Demon Lord's Army. They stood a cut above the rest, and they even remembered crossing blades with the Hero's party more than a few times. Whoever—whatever—their enemy may be, they weren't likely to lose. Sure, they'd suffered a hard blow getting hit by a surprise attack in unfamiliar terrain, but they were ready for next time.

They were that confident in themselves. And it was because of their arrogance that they were blinded to the real threat.

"Oh dearie me, whatever do we have here?"

The voice of a pure and chaste, closeted maiden echoed through the Accursed Lands that embodied all that was preternatural.

"Who goes there?!"

Both demons readied their weapons. What appeared before the cocky elites without them even noticing was a threat that far surpassed the humanoid abominations they were on the run from. The eerie amount of pressure that was so great it could be seen pressing down on their surroundings set off more alarm bells within them than anything else.

"I presume you are esteemed members of the glorious Demon Lord's Army, yes? So-called dark beings that stand against the light and threaten world peace?"

"Show yourself!!"

Flame Mage launched a fire spell without a lock on his target. That was completely against orders, but they were no longer in a position to leisurely follow orders. Luckily, the miasma and humidity permeating the Accursed Lands didn't let the trees burst into flames, but the two demons didn't even have the time to care.

"Tch, tch, tch. You naughty boys. That's not how we should do this."

The sound of something massive moving was growing louder.

Something was approaching.

Their survival instincts were blaring at them to get out of there, but their demon pride made them reluctant to flee for the second time. Besides, they didn't know what direction their enemy was coming from. The dense and overgrown cursed trees had distorted their sense of direction.

"You must carry yourselves with the absolute, terrifying brilliance befitting those born of the darkness…" They ran out of time—it was there.

A giant insect had emerged from between the trees. It descended between the two demons with a thudding sound that made them feel its sheer mass. This bug, which was more dreadfullooking than any monster they'd ever seen, aroused a whole different dimension of horror in them.

Enormous breasts protruded from its huge insect torso. Its two sets of wings glistened with a rainbow of colors as they flapped in tandem, almost at odds with its razor-sharp, sickle-like forearms. Perhaps no more at odds than its disorienting gichigichi hissing was from its soothing voice that comforted the ears like a masterpiece sung by a songstress.

Everything about it equated to crushing pressure and overwhelming fear in their eyes.

Flamin's two demons had stumbled deep into the Queen of Bugs' dominion without realizing it.

<-x-X-x->

Chapter 5: Defense

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

"Blegh… Not very nutritious, are they?"

The sounds of a hard skull being chomped apart and the soft, inner flesh being ripped out and masticated echoed through the eerie woods. Isla dexterously used her forearms to eat something Humanoid and then tilted her head like a sommelier appraising a poor excuse for wine before she chucked the corpse—chucked what remained of Flame Knight—onto the ground.

"The flavors lack cohesion to tie them together, and it has such an odd aftertaste… And it's so sinewy, some weird little bones got stuck in the back of my throat. How unpleasant."

Threads boasting the strength of steel were strung around the trees, and monsters missing parts of their bodies hung from them. Body parts were impaled on the tips of twisted branches like butcherbirds impaled on twigs for later consumption, and the blood dripping from them soaked into the cursed land. But that wasn't all there was to the disturbing scene—eggs contained within sticky mucus sacks had been laid all throughout the ground and trees, pulsating with new life as they fed off the dead.

If the concept of hell existed in this world, then any good soul would say that this place was hell on earth. Perhaps there were even some evil souls out there who'd consider this spot a demented form of paradise.

The one thing that could be said for sure was that the monsters from Brave Questers who'd tried to pass through this place had all become insect fodder.

<-x-X-x->

"Master told me they were fairly strong opponents, so I got my hopes up, but I must say I am quite disappointed, rude as that may be to His Majesty. They lacked toughness as prey and as a meal."

Isla exhaled a disappointed sigh, elegantly wiped the blood from her mouth, and turned her massive body completely around to face another direction.

In this place where all of Isla's foolish enemies had lost their lives and had their lofty ambitions squashed, the sole survivor of their forces showed up and clicked his tongue with visible irritation.

"It figures that monsters who've only ever fought Humans are pathetically weak when it comes to a battle like this. As a menu item, I'd give them…hmm…a three out of ten."

Isla's six crimson bug eyes coldly fixed on the man. Judging by his appearance, he looked like a character from Brave Questers, and he seemed completely unfazed by the hellscape before him. All he seemed to feel in spades was intense frustration.

"I'm talking about your underlings, if you didn't get the hint?" The man was called Flame Demon Flamin.

"Well, ain't you in a damn good mood, vermin. Though it seems like my men weren't up to your tastes. Kehehehe!" the man cackled.

He looked like a stringy Human male that would make for a fine toothpick after her previously sinewy meal. Sadly, his flesh and bones looked less healthy than a week-old corpse and emitted an unceasing burning hot flame like an eternally lit torch. His vertically torn, red irises glared at Isla with the burning desire to kill her.

These two boss-level creatures maintained a strange silence with the jarring chorus of trilling Larva, watching from between the trees, serving as their background music.

The reason for their silence was obvious—they were assessing each other's abilities.

Flamin was analyzing his opponent's strength from her intense level of darkness and the overwhelming pressure her presence put on the area…and what the strung-up corpses of his army entailed…

Isla determined from his appearance that she was up against some kind of boss character and guessed his strength from the overwhelming loss of her Larva…

This encounter was a mystery to the two powerful entities who'd spent a long time in a world where they knew all the rules. They could tell their opponent's power level by feeling even if they couldn't see it. They both decided that they shouldn't underestimate the other.

"Name yourself," Flamin demanded warily, using some skill to make his flames cover his whole body.

All his underlings had been annihilated. Since he'd entrusted most of his troops to Flame Knight and Flame Mage, the most powerful demons serving him, he had no guards or attendants. He remained vigilant, thinking he wouldn't stand a chance if she got the jump on him, but Isla cheerfully offered her name as if she didn't think she needed such trickery to defeat him.

"I am one of the Heroes belonging to the empire of Mynoghra, ruled by the great and mighty King of Ruin, Takuto Ira. They call me

Isla, Queen of Bugs."

"I'm Flame Demon Flamin, one of the Demon Lord's Four

Generals."

Neither was familiar with the other. They were both from a world the other didn't know. They were both up against someone who'd come from a different game. In other words, both Isla—who understood that Flamin existed under a similar set of circumstances as she did—and Flamin—who didn't know a thing about this world yet—were convinced that they were utterly incompatible with each other.

"You're one of the Demon Lord's Four Generals, eh? I remember hearing about another one of you from Atou. What was he called again? Ice Rock, was it?"

"Yeah. Guess he died. Not that I'd expect more from someone who had ice for brains."

Although the giant bug deliberately avoided telling him exactly how their encounter had ended, Flamin guessed from her goading tone that his fellow general had been defeated by these freakish abominations and gnashed his teeth in frustration because of it.

Ice Rock had been ended all too easily.

Flamin didn't realize they were up against such a difficult enemy. The Demon Lord's Four Generals were equal as far as their title, but there was a clear hierarchy when it came to their strength differences. Ice Rock was undoubtedly the weakest of the four. There was a clear gap between him and Flamin.

But they were all members of the Demon Lord's Army—the spawn of malice that made its name known throughout the world and from which every living being ran from in fear. They were the destroyers that could only be opposed by the Hero—the direct counterpart to evil.

How could such a force be so easily defeated?

He should've had a huge army under him… Flamin thought. I doubt they were all killed… Dammit! I can't even confirm things in my current position!

Not only did the Dragontan invasion force consist of the monsters they'd summoned, but many of the demons under Ice Rock had joined the fray too. The number was overwhelmingly larger than the small brigade Flamin had mobilized behind the Demon Lord's back. It shouldn't have mattered how easily the weaker monsters could be squished by the Demon Lord's Four Generals—they had always been a serious threat to the humans they'd faced before.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the invasion force's size was overkill to take down one little town. So how could such a large division of the Demon Lord's Army led by one of his generals go down just like that? It'd take time for even a smart man like Flamin to accept what Isla said to be true.

But…I guess small fry will be small fry no matter where you are, he thought.

However, even when faced with the dire reality that his fellow general and his troops had been entirely wiped out, Flamin was convinced by his tremendous confidence in his ability to survive what they could not.

…After all, monsters were nothing more than pawns to Brave Questers' Demon Lord's Army. It wasn't purely due to incompetence or a lack of cohesion as an army that led to their pitiful downfall. Ultimately, even the biggest horde could be easily taken down by the strength of a single person. Everything could be flipped around by a single individual. The Hero and the Demon Lord were perfect examples of that.

In their world, war was settled by an ultimate duel between two individuals. To them, taking action with an army was secondary. Essentially, the way they used their army was similar to a rear support guard or along the lines of a throwaway match.

Hence why Flamin remained where he was. He believed that if he defeated the enemy before him, he could overturn the results of the last battle. And he actually wasn't that wrong, given that Brave Questers' Demon Lord's Army could summon monsters at little to no cost.

"Well, you should know he's the runt of the Four Generals. I'm at least twice as strong as him… You're in for a world of pain if you expect things to go down the same way. Kehehehe."

"Why, aren't you confident… Are you saying you're different?"

"Different 'nough to roast your carapace and drag the big bug you serve off his throne like the loser he is. What was his name again? Takuto Ira? Mwahaha!"

It was petty goading. But disrespecting the king, even as petty goading, was the biggest taboo offense to Mynoghra's citizens— especially its Heroes.

"Oh my… You have some nerve setting your filthy sights on our mighty master and king, demon scum."

Isla's fangs snapped together in her fury and the invisible pressure exploded like a bomb going off. As Isla erupted with rage that was unlike her usual calm persona, Flamin was buried under a rush of Larva triggered by their queen's anger. His skeletal body was covered by the swarm, instantly creating what looked like a humanshaped, bug-covered black statue that made buzzing noises. "..."

Isla watched in silence.

An explosion suddenly went off in the center of that disturbing art piece, and red-hot flames consumed the black.

"So that's how you work, eh? Kehehe! Bugs are my favorite! There's no shortage of enemies for me to burn. I'll burn you down like the annoying gnats you are!"

Flamin appeared from the fire, the flames covering his body growing more intense to burn off the Larva swarming him. He cackled with glee as the Larva let out gigigi death throes and turned to ash.

"Come at me then. I don't mind rough men. However, you are still up against a lady. I expect you to be the perfect gentleman while we do this little dance."

Queen Isla also laughed.

The rondo between two bosses boasting absolute power was about to start.

◇◇◇

"WHAT'CHA thinking…Your Majesty?"

"Is there anything we can help with?"

"Nah…just got a lot on my mind."

Back at Mynoghra's Imperial Capital, in a plaza located in a corner of the complex city built in the trees, Takuto was telepathically confirming the state of his units when he noticed two girls were peering into his face.

The two girls were the Elfuur Sisters, Maria and Caria, Takuto's caretakers and Mynoghra's future leader candidates. All the civilians had been evacuated to one safe location because of the invasion, but the two girls who served as Takuto's attendants refused repeated orders to leave, choosing to instead go where he went.

They refused to leave, saying they needed to fulfill their duties as caretakers, but it was obviously because they were frustrated that they couldn't do anything to help in this time of need. There was also the fact that the Brain Eaters, who'd become like their direct subordinates, had sortied too.

So, Takuto had lost the chance to convince them to evacuate and had unofficially allowed them to stay with him because he was also under heavy guard by the Warriors. Those girls were worried about him—meaning, he let how he felt show on his face. Shocked that he'd become so lost in the labyrinth of his thoughts, Takuto decided to tell them what was on his mind so he could better organize his thoughts on the situation.

"When it comes to characters from strategy games and characters from role-playing games, strategy game characters are overwhelmingly superior," he explained. "The difference should be huge if both sides have to conform to their game standards, given the advantages granted by Eternal Nations' settings, but…" He looked at each girl's face, then up at the sky and groaned. "Isla is currently fighting Flame Demon Flamin. The Brain Eaters are on standby to jump in as backup if anything funny happens and to watch the rear too. The rest of the Larva are on guard throughout the Accursed Lands as well."

Everything seemed to be going according to plan. He'd weaved his strategy based on intel from Atou, and the analysis of their forces and the transition between battles was all happening within the expected range.

"Gia's Warriors are on standby at the defensive barricade they built at the city's entrance and are also guarding the Dark Elves evacuating to the office building." He cast down his gaze and stared at the woodgrain in the floorboards. "We'll deal a fatal blow to our enemy's forces if we defeat Flamin. Going off of Ice Rock's combat ability, Isla should be more than capable of dealing with him now that she's leveled up…"

Takuto squeezed his eyes shut and irritably scratched his head. The twins tilted their heads, confused by his reaction to his own explanation. They had no idea what was bothering him so much. What about what he just said was a problem?

"Hmmmm…"

A single doubt had plummeted Takuto into the sea of thought and caused him to groan endlessly since a little while ago.

I'm overlooking something.

That tiny, baseless doubt gnawed away at him like heartburn.

The difference in strength is…staggering.

The scale between the world settings for Eternal Nations, which allowed players to create natural disasters, build ginormous weapons that pierced the skies, and move armies in the tens of thousands, was drastically at odds with the world settings for Brave Questers, which were more about giving the player an adventure and using magic one-on-one, rather than army against army.

Takuto had been extremely wary because he was up against someone from an RPG, but once they clashed, he realized they were easy enough to deal with. His biggest concern was the Unmissable Move that Ice Rock had used. As far as he remembered of his time with that game, Ice Rock did use an attack like that. It annoyed him in the game too, but it was a million times worse to deal with in real life.

But that skill only belonged to Ice Rock of the Demon Lord's Four Generals. Even after Takuto dug through his memories, he couldn't remember anything about Flamin having any special attacks. He was renowned for being near impossible to beat on normal mode without equipping the proper anti-fire accessories because the flame spells he'd launch one after the other with his strong magic were killer… But, put another way, that's really all there was to him.

It should be possible to win with Mynoghra in its current state as long as they didn't let their guard down, and if he was right about the randomly appearing Barbarians coming from the RPG's ability to summon monsters, then they'd practically solved their greatest concern.

But…Takuto couldn't shake the feeling something wasn't right. Alarms blared in the back of his mind with the same anxious feeling as a small bone being stuck in the back of his throat.

He double-checked the status of all his active operations and carefully scrutinized the information coming in from his units. Atou and Elder Moltar had already squashed a division of the enemy's army and were currently cleaning up the stragglers.

Takuto considered reconnecting telepathically with Atou to ask for more details about her battle with Ice Rock, but he held off because she was still fighting, even if it was just the stragglers. If anything, forcing a conversation with her might confuse the situation more than solving anything.

Takuto ran through his thoughts in every way possible to find the cause of his baffling anxiety. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"Is this a case of foreboding that you just feel in your bones? Do either of you have any concerns about any of this?"

Seized by an escalating sense of foreboding, Takuto turned to the two girls serving him for answers.

Caria and Maria exchanged baffled looks and shook their heads at the same time.

<-x-X-x->