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The Defensive Battle at Command (5)

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Iron’s expression hardened after hearing the officer’s report.

“Did you say great worm?”

“Yes, sir!”

The officer’s affirmative answer placed a dark cloud over Iron’s head.

The giant worms were monsters that had undergone and were still undergoing mutations. And those that had successfully undergone complete mutations were called great worms. This was a name that Iron had given to the newly created monsters that were teeming and lurking in the Southeast.

“Their numbers?”

“At least hundreds.”

“Aside from them, are there also giant worms?”

“That’s right.”

Iron’s expression turned solemn at the officer’s words.

“What about the armored worm?”

“There’s no sighting as of now.”

The bastards who had remained still finally began to move. This meant that they had judged that he and his army were a threat and could no longer let them run rampant.

The other mutants were very eager to expand their power and seek the other uncontaminated living things but the contaminated giant worms just sat quietly in their territory and silently sucked up the void energy in their surroundings. They ate void insects and rapidly accumulated void energy in their bodies before repeatedly undergoing evolution.

Giant worms were originally extremely lazy creatures. They preferred and enjoyed lying down on the ground and gaining weight. So, why would these extremely indolent creatures move out of their original territory and come all the way to where they were?

‘They’re probably looking for a fight.’

It seemed like one of the reasons for their move was because they felt threatened by Iron’s continuous expansion of his Field Army Command so they could no longer maintain their wait and see attitude. However, moving at this point in time could also mean that they were already confident enough and believed that they had a high chance of winning against them.

‘Are the great worms the source of their confidence?’

Iron pondered deeply and was lost in his thoughts.

If it was just the giant worms, then Iron’s incomplete field army could at least find them to be worthy opponents. But there were also hundreds of great worms. Just this number was enough to devour and lay an entire corps to waste.

However, the most problematic opponent was the giant armored worm that led them.

The fact that hundreds of great worms had emerged from the depths of the forest meant that the giant armored worm was able to tone down its greed to some extent. It seemed like the fight that they fought before had made it realize that it was difficult to face Iron with just its power alone so it decided to distribute more void energy to its subordinates.

‘Dangerous.’

Iron instinctively felt the danger and immediately ordered the officer to place Command in the highest risk alert.

Their walls were still not yet completed and their major buildings still needed more time to be finished. His troops might have fought a lot of monsters during their stay here in the Southeast and had become skilled elite soldiers. However, they had still not reached their level’s perfection. In addition, they were exhausted from continuous battles and were only barely able to take a breather. In other words, they were still not prepared.

But the giant worms suddenly went in for an attack.

“We’re quite unlucky.”

Iron looked bitter.

If it were just the giant worms, then their current power would have been enough to block them. But the problem was the other races of monsters lurking in other places. If the monsters from the other regions decided to invade while they were busy blocking the giant worms then, their situation would become precarious.

“First off…”

“Tr… Trouble, there’s trouble!”

The communications officer was yelling loudly as he rushed inside.

“Giant water buffalos are heading straight towards Command!”

Iron’s expression turned distorted as he watched the communications officer run towards him while shouting the report loudly.

He was now facing the worst case scenario in his head. But this situation was something that he had predicted already.

The giant water buffalos were frequent visitors at Command. Because of the mutation, their race was able to breed and multiply quickly. They used this to their advantage and filled in the gaps in their ranks to continue their charge to Command. Despite knowing that Command was a place where they could die, they would still rush forward the moment they had accumulated a certain number. It seemed like the blood of the uncontaminated humans was too much of a temptation that they would willingly take the risk and rush to their deaths.

The same was true for the other races. They would lay low and stay quiet for a while, most likely to fill in a certain number, after receiving severe casualties and damage from Iron and his Mobile Field Army. However, they would come back once again and flock to Command.

The problem was that some races would have different factions and different leaders. There were even times when a certain race would come multiple times in a day. The giant ants were the prime example of this. This monster race had different factions and would serve different queens and there were times when they would invade thrice in a day. They were only able to discover this after noticing the slight difference in patterns on the soldier ants’ bodies. It seemed like the patterns symbolized the queen that they were serving.

“I’m going nuts.”

Iron was lost in thought after hearing the sudden emergency.

“Request for support right away!”

“Summon back the troops sent out for reconnaissance!”

“First, the Southern Command…”

Iron couldn’t help but close his eyes when the officers shouted their opinions loudly.

“Quiet!”

All of them shut their mouths at Iron’s loud and domineering voice. Iron was finally able to organize his thoughts after a few minutes of silence. Only then did he open his eyes.

“Call all of the officers first.”

“Yes, sir!”

Several officers ran to carry out Iron’s orders.

“Communications officers. Tell all of the troops out on patrol to gather.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Intelligence officers. Inform the Central and Southern Command about this matter and tell them to be prepared for an emergency. Ask them to send some reinforcements if they have the time to spare.”

“Yes, sir!”

Iron was lost in thoughts once again after giving out his orders.

No matter how much he thought about it, he could only think about one way.

‘I have to take on all of them by myself.’

Iron sighed.

His troops were still lacking. But it seemed like no one wanted to give them any more time to grow. If that was the case, then, there was only one way. He had to endure and make sacrifices. Perhaps, these sacrifices would also  include himself.

“Is everyone here?”

Iron spoke as he looked at the officers that were finally gathered in front of him.

“I’m sure all of you have heard it on your way here, we’re in a state of emergency.”

The officers’ expressions were all stiff as they waited for his following words.

“The giant worms and great worms are on their way to Command. Not only that, even the giant water buffaloes are charging straight towards here too.”

All of them gulped as they listened to Iron. They were fully aware that they had to risk their lives with the situation that they were presented in.

“I know that everyone has become stronger after fighting countless battles. So, I will trust you this time.”

Fire began to burn and blaze in the eyes of everyone present after they heard his words.

At long last, they had received the Commander’s trust.

“Ariel will be in charge of Command’s Defense. The Storm Troops* will also be temporarily assigned under Ariel. Concentrate on defense.”

“Yes, sir!”

Saeriden responded to Iron’s orders. His usual psychotic smile had disappeared from his face and was replaced with a solemn and serious look.

“Good. Commanding officers. Do your best in your assigned positions and protect Command.”

Hearing Iron’s words, Ariel couldn’t help but tilt her head in confusion.

“The Commander is the one that will direct us, right?”

Everyone turned to look at Iron in doubt after hearing Ariel’s question.

“I will go out alone to stop the worms.”

“That’s dangerous!”

“No way!”

“Please take us, the storm troops, with you!”

The officers protested loudly after hearing Iron’s words. Even Saeriden wanted to take the newly established storm troops and go with Iron. It was one of the Mobile Field Army’s special forces. This force included Ludem and Rodem and was a force that was organized under the direct control of Command and would only listen to the Commander’s orders, just like the Northeast’s Ghost.

“That’s right. Please take the storm troops.”

Ariel looked at Saeriden as she said so. Since Saeriden, a proud member of the Lion Family, would not listen to her anyway, it would be better to not have him under her command. Most of the members of Leonhardt Family were part of the storm troops so if Saeriden did not listen, then the others would also do the same.

“No. Stay here.”

Iron straightly refused.

“Are you telling us that you don’t believe in us?”

“That’s right.”

Saeriden’s expression turned dark after seeing Iron nod to his words.

Iron looked straight into his eyes as he spoke heavily.

“Prove it.”

“…Yes?”

“Prove it to me. Show me that I can really put my trust in you and bring you around with this upcoming battle.”

Saeriden’s eyes widened before turning into crescents.

“Prove… Prove… Will you bring us along with you once we prove it?”

“That’s right.”

“Alright. We will prove it to you.”

Saeriden’s usual and unique psychotic expression returned as he bowed his head at him.

“The same goes for the others. Take this opportunity and prove to me that you can function and fight without me.”

“Yes, sir!”

“If you are able to block them without suffering much damage… then we will proceed to the next step.”

The officers’ will burned and erupted like volcanoes after they heard his words.

Iron couldn’t help but grin after feeling their passion and will.

“If you’re able to block them without receiving much damage and come help me, I will withdraw my special training once.”

He looked up as he finally threw a carrot.

“Fwiiit!”

Iron jumped up and landed on the head of the huge bird that swooped down at his whistle.

“May fortune accompany you in this battle.”

The gigantic divine beast flew up as Iron left these words to them.

The officers gave him their salute as they watched him leave. The first one to lower their hand was Ariel. She lowered her hand after watching his disappearing back turn into a small dot.

“Hoo… This is a real test. Let’s all do our best.”

Everyone nodded fiercely after hearing her words.

Airships began to fly up in the sky as the drake units followed right after them. The knights also gathered at the center of Command while the artillery units immediately went to the cannons installed on the walls. With Iron gone, the core of the Command defense had shifted and become the artillery units. Meanwhile, the rangers hid in buildings in a ten meter radius around the gate. The storm troops also stationed themselves in front of the gate.

She was originally the one in charge of the knight order, but her task was now much bigger.

Chief Executive Officer in charge of the Air Forces – Cardro

Chief Executive Officer in charge of Castle Defense – Saeriden

Chief Executive Officer in charge of the Artillery Troops – Dominic Stone

Chief Executive Officer in charge of Logistics and Support Units – Carl Stein

Chief Executive Officer in charge of the Magic Unit – Allan Reishor

Chief Executive Officer in charge of the Spirit Unit – Peter Marvio

Chief Executive Officer in charge of Command Defense – Ariel Favrice

Ariel had no choice but to temporarily divide her role. She stamped it with the Commander’s seal for documentation and placed it neatly in the center of the Commander’s desk.

“Hoo…”

Ariel couldn’t help but sigh nervously after being appointed as the chief executive officer in charge of the Command’s defense. It was only a temporary position but the weight of replacing the Commander for this short period of time was extremely heavy on her shoulders. But she knew that this was what she needed to overcome for her to grow. She wanted to stand side by side with Iron one day and relieve some of the burden that he had placed upon his shoulders. So, she gritted her teeth and endured the pressure that was suffocating her and weighing her down.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

― Mooooo!

The ground shook as the cries of the water buffaloes rang loudly from afar.

The officers shouted loudly at the soldiers as they listened to the constant reports from the scouts in the air.

This was their first battle without the Commander. Fear encroached upon them but they all pretended to be fine as they prepared for the upcoming battle. The officers deliberately shouted loudly as the non-commissioned officers pretended to be alright and buried themselves in their work.

Anxiety appeared in the soldiers’ eyes but it was immediately replaced with anger as their tension disappeared after listening to the continuous nagging of the officers. The anger that burned in them from the continuous nagging was then redirected towards the water buffaloes.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The artillery unit began to fire their guns and cannons the moment the water buffalos reached the intersection. The cannon shells blessed with holy power flew in the sky and fell down on the water buffalos. The airships also tried to stop their rush by dropping bombs from the sky.

“Ho…”

“Monstrous bastards.”

The officers’ eyes trembled when they saw the water buffalos rush through the rain of cannons and bombs.

The situation right now was completely different back when Iron was present.

Their skin that was strengthened by the void energy and the mana covering their bodies that were naturally created by contaminated mana allowed them to withstand their powerful attacks.  They were still able to rush forward and survive despite the volley of magic bombs that followed right after the cannons and gunfire.

“The power of the sanctuary… was this much?”

The officers, who had only fought inside the sanctuary created by Iron, finally realized how great the absence of their Commander was.

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*Storm Troops – The unit/troops that would rush first to the frontline to attack the enemies.

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The Defensive Battle at Command (6)

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The stronger and faster charge of their opponent made all of the officers flustered. But Ariel, who was standing at the highest vantage point, remained calm. In fact, she knew that she couldn’t afford to lose her composure at this juncture so she had to maintain her cool with all her might.

“Everyone, focus! Is this what you want to show the Commander?!”

Ariel’s yell brought everyone back to their senses.

They all recalled the longing that they had for the Commander’s trust.

They might have been dumped with a sudden crisis but this was also their first large-scale battle without their Commander. They knew that they shouldn’t act like fools and throw away this golden opportunity to prove that they were worthy of their Commander’s trust.

“Don’t stop the bombardment!”

“Have you reloaded the mana stones in the magic cannons?”

The artillery unit reloaded their canons at Dominic’s orders. The magic unit also lined up and gathered mana together to express their magic.

The magic unit lacked high-leveled wizards among their ranks, so they learned to gather their mana together to use magic. To become just a bit more helpful, they abandoned their unique pride and arrogance that valued individualism and moved to practice joint magic casting. However, what they studied and learned was not those large-scale explosion magic nor those violent storm magic that could sweep away everything.

“Slippery Earth.”

The spell that came out of Allan Reishor’s mouth was magic that could turn the ground slippery, the only difference was that it was made into a large-scale so the effect could be expressed into a wide area.

Compared to the soldiers of the Field Army, the numbers of the wizards in the magic unit was almost like a drop in the ocean. Even their level was not comparable to high-leveled wizards. So, even if they practiced joint magic, the magic that they would be able to create would be no better than any large-scale bomb or cannon attacks. So, they thought hard and long about what they could do and came up with this.

To counter the water buffaloes’ mindless charge, they reduced the friction on the ground and made it slippery. To effectively use their magic against the giant ants, they would create lava on the ground and stop their tracks. For aerial monsters, they would create storms and prevent them from flying freely.

Instead of focusing on useless direct attacks, they turned the other way and created magic that would provide a helpful environment for their comrades. This was the solution that the lacking magic unit found to make up for their insufficiencies.

And the same was true for the spiritists.

Instead of forcing themselves into a dire situation by participating in direct combat with their measly numbers, they took on the role of the support units. They would go down and carry support supplies, heal the injured and even repair the collapsed and used traps.

They all faced the fact that they were lacking and found ways on how they could be helpful.

What they did sounded easy but in fact, it was an extremely hard decision to make. This was especially true for Peter and Alan, who both took the elite course. And they only made this decision thanks to Iron.

‘We can’t remain protected!’

‘We have to at least be a bit helpful! As we are now… we will probably remain as a vain and show-off unit!’

They were disillusioned with themselves. Over the course of their stay in the Southeast, they realized that they had been performing poorly and were only depending on Iron’s protection. They felt furious at themselves after knowing that they were useless and that the only thing that they had to show was their useless pride as a wizard and a spiritist. So, to make up for their past, they volunteered to go down to the bottom themselves and help.

And this was the result of their conviction.

― Moo… Moooooo!

The water buffaloes slipped and skidded as they crashed down on the ground with their twisted legs.

This was a magic that they had not seen before. After all, the magic unit had saved this magic oly for dangerous situations since they knew that their opponents could use their heads and adapt to repeated patterns. It was also because of this reasoning that they were able to break the charge as the enemies got tangled together.

With the leading water buffaloes down, the following groups naturally fell down.

This gave the artillery unit enough time to shoot their canons and bombs once again. They were also able to reload the magic cannons and attack them with its bright and searing light ray. Even those who were able to escape these bombardments and come close had been showered with magic bullets.

The only problem was their tough and durable skin. Their tough skin was able to endure the constant bombardments and allowed them to come closer to the gates.

“Is the difference between having a sanctuary and not having one really this big?”

Ariel looked at the water buffaloes bitterly.

She thought that the power of the cannon shells, the bombs and the magic bullets blessed with holy power could work to some extent even with the absence of the sanctuary. But she was slapped by reality. It was just her conceited thoughts.

At the very least, the magic cannons were able to show some sort of effect against them but it was only because they had used mana stones that were filled with Iron’s holy power. It was a special magic cannon created by combining purification magic and Iron’s holy power and was not a magic cannon that was simply equipped with destruction magic.

“Get ready for battle!”

The soldiers stationed at the wall gripped their spears tightly while the storm troops prepared themselves at Ariel’s cry.

“Hoo…”

“Why? Are you nervous?”

Ludem teased Rodem after seeing him let out a long breath.

“Isn’t it because it has been a long time since we last fought without our eldest brother?”

“Hmmm… Without a doubt, you’re nervous. Right?”

The twins looked back and saw the other storm troopers sweating with tension. They all knew from their past experience that these mutated water buffaloes’ mindless charge was extremely powerful.

Saeriden spoke after seeing them.

“Did everyone forget which family we belong to?”

All of the members of the storm troops looked at Saeriden. Almost all of them belonged to Leohardt and their eyes were all shining after hearing his words. No matter what the others said, Saeriden was Leonhardt’s direct descendant. The same was true for the two team leaders, Ludem and Rodem.

“Since when did the lions get so cowardly?”

His words immediately changed the expressions of the storm troopers.

“We enjoy the danger. Lions are not cowards.”

“That’s right.”

“Yeah. We’ll just die if we can’t stop it.”

Lions were not afraid of death.

With the Lion Family descendants’ increasing momentum, the rest of the storm troopers morale also began to rise.

“Come.”

While the storm troops were busy increasing their morale, the tangled water buffaloes began to rush forward once again.

The defeating sound explosion from both the artillery and the traps rang loudly as they watched the earth-shaking charge come closer to them.

The troops tried to reduce the speed of the charge even just by a bit by wrecking and ravaging the ground with magic and bombs and even creating walls but they were only able to stop a few water buffaloes with those tactics. The others would just jump over with their powerful legs or hit the walls with their tough horns.

In the end, they also reached the iron gates.

Thud!

Their charge immediately distorted the magically treated iron door in one go. But since the gates stopped their charge at least once, it had already done its part. With their charge stopped, countless magic, cannons, bombs and bullets rained down on them.

No matter how tough their skins were they wouldn’t be able to hold out the fierce attacks from the troops in such a short distance. In the end, they died one after the other. But the problem was that they were only the vanguard. As their second line and third line rushed forward, the distorted gate was forced to open up bit by bit and was eventually pierced.

“It’s finally our turn! Let’s all enjoy this together!”

With Saeriden’s yell, the beast’s fierce qi spread wildly around the castle gates. Even the fearless water buffaloes flinched as the wild lion qi encroached upon them.

The storm troopers took advantage of the gap and sliced the necks of the ones who were able to squeeze through the gates.

“The castle gates have been pierced! Knight orders gather at the gates!”

The knights on the walls immediately gathered at the gates after hearing Ariel’s orders.

― Mooo!

It was difficult to defend against the mad dash of dozens of water buffaloes that pierced through and completely opened the gates with just a small number of the storm troopers. So, several knights also jumped up to try and stop them but several of them had been thrown away and their defense line was eventually pierced. Eventually, the water buffaloes rushed off inside the camp.

But it was not just the storm troopers and the knights who stepped up to block their charge.

The rangers hiding all over the place popped up and lured the water buffaloes into the traps, successfully scattering their tightly knit group and killing them. Meanwhile, the soldiers moved the carcass of the freshly killed water buffaloes to create another defensive circle that would stop their momentum.

After the gates had been broken through, the storm troopers and the knights did not force themselves to stop the charging water buffaloes. Rather than stop them, they instead retreated and moved with the soldiers. They weaved around and in between the buildings and used the familiar terrain to kill the scattered water buffaloes.

“We can do it.”

Ariel mumbled to herself as she looked at the situation by the gates.

Although the gates had been pierced through, what they were doing was still enough.

The water buffaloes forced themselves and squeezed through the opened gates. However, they had been scattered and it was now easier for the soldiers that were hiding through the buildings to deal with so they could now kill them one after another. If this situation continued, then they would be able to prevent them without receiving much damage.

Just when Ariel’s mouth was going to quirk up at the thought…

“Captain!”

The assisting officer pointed somewhere with his finger. Ariel followed his gaze and saw a mass of black approaching at a distance.

Ariel had fought a lot of battles in this place and was now fully aware of what those were.

They were smart bastards, who knew how to dig into gaps and were the mutants that boasted the largest number in the entire Southeast.

“Giant ants corps! All the soldiers on the wall, prepare for battle!”

The officers and soldiers fighting chaotically against the water buffaloes looked straight ahead after hearing Ariel’s roar.

The officers had no choice but to space out for a bit after seeing the sea of black approaching their way. Then, they gathered their senses as they urgently issued orders.

“Airships, try to stop them as much as possible! Drake units, make sure to protect the airships from the male ants!”

The drake unit and airships that were dropping bombs from above moved to prevent the huge giant ant corps that were moving towards them from afar after hearing Cardro’s orders.

The wizards also immediately saved their mana as they prepared for magic to deal with the giant ants coming from afar.

However, all of their traps had already been spent and the gate had been breached. In other words, they were in an extremely dire situation.

They were also still not finished with the mutated water buffaloes yet. They were still running rampant around the castle grounds. But they were now presented with another crisis. They now needed to deal with the giant ants on top of the water buffaloes.

Fortunately, the water buffaloes were able to deter and stop the giant ants as they stomped on them. This gave the Command enough time to restock their consumed ammunition and cannon shells. They also took this opportunity to reorganize and refine their battle line for the upcoming battle.

“We’re going to block them. Make sure that you are determined. There’s nowhere to retreat.”

“Yes!”

All of them had firm and determined looks on their faces as they answered Ariel.

While everyone was risking their lives to protect Command and trying to get over the desperate situation that they were suddenly put in, Iron was also fighting to prevent the giant worms’ corps with all his might.

As the great worms, covered with their thick black outer shell, and the giant worms, which haven’t evolved yet, flocked to where he was, Phoenix, Thunderbird and Two Moons showed their strength and stopped them.

Then, something moved under the ground and appeared.

The giant armored worm, which greeted and made Iron flustered when he first came to the Southeast, glared at Iron venomously.

“Long time no see?”

Iron greeted it happily but the murderous intent that it was releasing just became heavier.

The giant armored worm had grown stronger in the time that they had not seen each other. But perhaps it was because it had distributed most of the void energy to its subordinates during the time that they had not met that its growth was significantly small.

However, that was his fortune. It meant that there was still hope.

“Hoo…”

His three divine beasts had to work hard and focus on dealing with the huge number of great worms and giant worms which forced Iron to deal with the giant armored worm alone.

However, it looked like the bastard was already tired of waiting. It immediately rushed forward with its gigantic body.

Then, the surroundings suddenly brightened as holy power spread out from Iron’s body.

“Baepsae, if you please.”

― Tweet!

The tiny Baepsae nodded its head and flew up after telling Iron to be careful as it amplified the power of the sanctuary.

The sudden onslaught of divine power made the giant armored worm paused in its tracks. However, it was only for a moment. Its gigantic body rushed forward once again and tried to swallow him whole. However, instead of clashing head on with the charging giant armored worm, Iron chose to evade. But the giant armored worm sent out hundreds of thousands of its steel-like outer shells to attack the swiftly evading Iron.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

“You look like you find this extremely fun, huh?”

Iron looked at the giant armored worm looking arrogantly at him as it let its shells fly towards him. It seemed like it believed that this attack would be the end of everything.

So, he raised his steel mana to give this arrogant bastard a proper beating. He pushed forward and approached the arrogant punk as he crushed the flying shells.

Stepping out from the onslaught of steel-like shells, Iron jumped around and tried to climb on top of the arrogant bastard’s head. But it had already experienced it once and was already aware of what Iron wanted to do. It quickly bowed its head and avoided Iron’s sword. It was a swift and quick move that was uncharacteristic for its gigantic body.

“Tch!”

Iron landed on the ground and immediately went into a defensive stance to counter its squirming and lashing.

Compared to its arrogance earlier when it sent the hundreds and thousands of shells towards Iron, the giant armored worm was now looking at Iron warily.

It finally realized that a single move alone was not enough to deal with Iron. However, it still believed that it was the one at an advantage. After all, its contaminated mana and its physical prowess were all superior to Iron.

Iron was also aware of this. He knew that it would still be difficult for him to fight toe to toe with it despite his physical prowess going beyond the human’s limits with his title effects. However, he could still endure it well.

“It would be amazing if I can endure and stop you with just my qi alone.”

Iron murmured towards the giant armored worm.

“Come.”

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The Defensive Battle at Command (7)

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In order for his divine beasts to exert their full strength, Iron had no choice but to not use his divine power. So, all he could do was stop the attacks of thousands of steel-like outer shells that encircled him with his swordsmanship alone.

However, he was still a human and no matter how hard he tried to block all of the attacks there was still a chance that he could make a single mistake that would result in irreversible injuries. In fact, ‘completely’ blocking all of the attacks was literally impossible but he could only live and survive if he could do that feat.

Reason clearly told him that he should retreat and bide his time. But his heart was telling him that he could do it.

And what he followed was his heart. He gripped his sword tightly as he increased the release of steel mana.

‘I can do it.’

Iron alertly looked at his surroundings as he continuously deflected the shells that flew at him from all sides.

From the very basic movements that he was most confident in to all of the killing moves that he had used both in his past and current life, he showed all of his skills and left no outer shell intact.

Blocking thousands of shells might have been impossible for others but Iron was different.

‘It’s possible!’

He made it possible with his own swordsmanship. The very same basic swordsmanship that he had obsessively trained until all of the movements had been turned neat and clean. Compared to others who focused on mana the moment they reached a certain level, he had only focused on this swordsmanship. That was why he could do it.

The result of training his swordsmanship for tens of thousands of times was sharp movements devoid of mistakes. And these sharp and perfect movements coupled with his abundant experience allowed him to block the steel-like shells that flew at him.

The giant armored worm felt a huge sense of crisis when it saw him blocking its attacks.

― Kkiiii…

In fact, from what it had assessed during their fight before, it firmly believed that it could win if Iron was the only one blocking its path. That was the reason why it deliberately reigned in its appetite to feed and raise its subordinates.

The giant armored worm’s plan was to use the hundreds of great worms to distract the divine beasts and separate them from Iron. Then, it would take that opportunity and kill Iron by itself. It looked forward to eating a human alive for the first time in a long while, just like a kid looking forward to dessert.

It was confident that this was the perfect plan. But the human in front of it was more persistent than what it had initially assessed.

“Hoo… Is this the end?”

Iron grinned as he wiped his sweat off.

The giant armored worm roared loudly as it released shells, which were far larger in number than the previous attack, again. But the attack still failed.

The number of shells that it released may have increased from the previous attack. However, it also meant that Iron only needed to swing his sword faster and more neatly to deal with them. And the current Iron was more than capable enough of this feat.

“Will you come by yourself now?”

The giant armored worm continued to release its shells as it rushed towards Iron. He was already busy maintaining his stance to get rid of the speeding shells so he had no time to avoid the charging giant armored worm.

‘I have to take this head on.’

Iron swung his sword the moment this thought flashed in his head.

Invisible sword light that was made out of his steel mana exploded and stretched out in all directions. This attack temporarily deflected the speeding shells and allowed him to receive the giant armored worm’s charge head on.

Slide, slide, slide!

His feet were buried deep into the ground as he slid from the strong push. However, Iron was still able to block the giant armored worm.

Meanwhile, the giant armored worm opened its huge mouth as it tried to devour him in one bite. But everytime its huge mouth moved to devour him, Iron would be able to avoid it with his strange foot movement.

‘It won’t be easy.’

Iron grinned as he lifted his sword.

The giant armored worm cried loudly after it saw his mocking smile. It obviously had the upperhand in both physical body and mana. But despite the obvious advantage in overall power, it still could not win.

It thought that everything would be over once he left the annoying divine beasts to its subordinates. That was why it persevered in enduring its greed and desires. But no matter what it did, it couldn’t eat the insignificant human in front of it.

So, it became furious.

So, it became more annoyed.

So, it wanted to eat the human in front of it more.

― Kkiii!

With a loud roar, enormous mana erupted from the giant armored worm’s body.

The mana was so enormous that it transformed the black fog encroaching the surrounding area more substantial to the point that anyone who saw it could feel that it was a bit sticky. Even the nearby areas had been completely contaminated with the advent of the enormous mana.

“Hoo… I’m in trouble.”

The bastard had realized during the battle just now that it had to risk everything to kill Iron. So, it stopped thinking that this was an easy feat as it let out everything that it had to try and kill Iron.

But Iron wasn’t scared.

If he couldn’t withstand this bastard’s attack, then he knew that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the upcoming fights. He was the core of the Mobile Field Army so he had to become stronger.

“Hoo…”

Iron let out a short breath as he squeezed out all of his mana.

His entire body heated up the moment he squeezed out his mana to the limits. And his body, which had reached its limits, was barely able to cross that restriction.

Clang, clang, clang!

“Let it fly at me more! More! More!”

The giant armored worm released all of the steel-like outer shells covering its body as it continued to charge towards Iron. It twisted its body and slammed on the area where Iron was going to jump on to evade. It wanted to literally dominate the space and crush Iron with its gigantic body. Even the sticky and cloying contaminated mana was pressing on Iron.

But Iron still held out.

“Kgghhk!”

Iron grinned widely when he vomited just a mouthful of blood after successfully enduring the giant armored worm’s charge and the tens of thousands of steel-like shells. He stood firm despite the injuries that littered his body.

He looked at the giant armored worm with firm and determined eyes. It was as if he was telling his opponent that he would never collapse.

What he was most confident in was not his divine beasts, his swordsmanship or his tactics. He was most confident in his perseverance, the perseverance that kept him alive in his previous life and in this current life. This same perseverance allowed him to survive until the very end in his previous life despite his trashy talent and it was also the same perseverance that had made him into the field army commander in his current life.

“Hoo… Good.”

His internal and external injuries were being healed in real time while his vitality was beginning to increase thanks to Baepsae’s help. The feeling that washed over him was so amazing and good that he thought that he could enjoy this fight despite the pain.

The giant armored worm’s attacks stopped after seeing his injuries heal. It thought that it had already pushed Iron to the limits with all of its might but it saw him recover.

Although the mana that Iron had consumed would take a long time to recover and his momentum was not as strong as before, the same was true for itself.

But the shrewd human was able to block its attacks with just a minimal amount of mana.

The attacker was going at it and attacking with all its might but its opponent was just focused on blocking so the difference in the consumed mana was huge. So, even if it had an enormous advantage on the amount of mana, it would eventually be similar in situation with Iron with the amount of mana that it had consumed.

But above everything, what made the giant armored worm hesitate was Iron’s growth.

“Why? Not coming anymore?”

Iron nodded his head mockingly at the hesitating giant armored worm. He smiled after seeing that the giant armored worm did not react to his provocation.

The giant armored worm hesitation gave Iron room to breathe. It was afraid that Iron would grow even further the more they fought like this. The great worms and the giant worms, who were fighting fiercely, also took a step back and took a breather.

In just a blink of an eye, the great worms and the giant worms surrounded the giant armored worm while the divine beasts gathered around Iron.

Iron’s opponents seemed like they were taking a breather after their fierce battle, but he knew that the greedy giant armored worm would not give up like that.

The giant armored worm instinctively felt that it would be in danger if it let Iron grow further. So, it would definitely rush straight back at him the moment it regained its strength.

Iron also noticed its careful thoughts so he did not return to the Field Army Command and stood there confronting the giant armored worm.

While Iron and the giant armored worm were at a standstill the Field Army Command had entered another fierce battle.

They had only barely been able to block the huge herd of water buffaloes but they now had to fight a bigger battle against the giant ants’ corps. 

Bang, bang, bang!

“Stop them as much as you can! We can block them!”

Ariel shouted loudly to encourage the soldiers before going out of the gate and cutting down the giant ants.

She was able to stab the giant ant’s weakness and kill it in one go with her talent in the sword. However, the opponents were still swarming.

Thanks to the water buffaloes’ deterrent, only a few members of the giant ant corps were able to come to the castle. But even if there were fewer opponents, they were still struggling. Their opponents were not even at the corps-level so it was disgraceful that their Field Army was struggling.

“Keuk! There… there are so many enemies!”

“It’s getting harder and harder to maintain the battle line.”

Ariel’s eyes turned bloodshot after hearing the knights’ words.

“The Commander went alone to fight against the giant worms! So, how can we even face the Commander and help him if we fall in front of these bastards?!”

The knights gritted their teeths at Ariel’s scolding.

They had often heard that the master level individual was more powerful than a corps. They were monsters that could show stronger force than an entire corps combined.

That was also the reason why Iron went alone to stop the giant worms. Since he could show a force and power that was far more complete and proper than their corps, he went alone to stop the corps of giant worms. Iron made that choice after considering his role as a master and a commander. After all, they would have no solution once the giant worms flocked to the Command Center.

That meant that they had to do their part too.

“Protect Command no matter what. That is the only way that we can repay the Commander’s trust.”

Ariel clenched her fists gloomily when she saw the knights remaining quiet with heavy expressions on their faces.

The only way that they could repay his sacrifice was to protect Command. She might not be as good in strategy and tactics as the Commander but that did not mean that she did not have other abilities. The reason why she was assigned as the chief executive officer in charge of defending this place was because Iron believed that she could at least protect Command. So to repay his trust in her, Ariel squeezed her remaining handful of mana and made sure to keep the gate.

Was it because they saw her trying to keep that trust? The struggling troops stood firm and cut down the giant ants that broke into the gate and advanced forward. The knight order once again created a defense line around the gate as the soldiers climbed up the wall and blocked their enemies with all their might.

While they reorganized their defense line, the soldier ants were able to successfully bite through the water buffaloes tough hide and rush towards the gate.

Ppiiiiiiii―

Seeing the soldier ants rushing forward, Ariel immediately blew the small flute in her hands and called for the knight order with the unique tone of the flute.

“The knights will take care of that!”

“What a joke.”

Saeriden looked at Ariel hatefully as he led the storm troopers.

The two units, the knight order and the storm troops, rushed towards the soldier ants as if they were competing.

They deliberately created a competitive atmosphere to let the soldiers overcome the fear of the incoming gigantic soldier ants.

“Well go on ahead and take care of it first!”

“Are you going to lose to those dumb knights of the knight order?!”

Ariel and Saeriden shouted loudly as they cut down the soldier ants and made it look like they were competing.

But despite their efforts, their situation remained to be at a disadvantage.

At that moment, special bullets flew all over the place and tore holes through the soldier ants’ thick skin.

“We, rangers, will be the one to take 1st place in military merits!”

Nyx Cole, who had become a part of the rangers, appeared on top of a soldier ant with a wide grin on his face.

Then, Cardro fell down from the sky as if he couldn’t lose.

“You’re discussing merits without us?”

The aerial assault units dropped down and slashed the necks of the soldier ants as soon as Cardro’s words ended.

All of the Field Army’s special forces had appeared to stop the soldier ants. Thanks to that, the tough and resilient soldier ants began to die one after the other.

The moment the soldier ants died, the other giant ants stepped back for a bit.

The special forces went and attacked the soldier ants’ weaknesses, successfully stopping their advance. They even used their momentum and killed the other giant ants while driving them backwards.

Seeing their momentum, the captain of the soldier ants had no choice but to order for a retreat. And with the retreat of the black mass of corps in the distance, the soldiers finally relaxed their stiff shoulders as they shouted in unison.

This was their first battle without their Commander. And the victory that they claimed in the worst situation that they were faced with was extremely valuable.

“I feel ashamed to go and see the commander.”

“He might probably get angry if he saw that we had a lot of casualties…”

Ariel smiled bitterly after responding to Cardro’s words.

“Uhm…”

Cardro couldn’t refute her words at all. So, he just turned his head silently.