Adam's miniaturized battlefield started to rage as the Battlemaster tanks joined the fray of doom.
At first, the cycle of destruction was mutual, with tanks falling on both sides, each tank followed by a squad of soldiers, one tank on each side of no man's land.
For all its worth, Adam's experience in the Iron Maiden simulation was a much more diluted version than Kave's. The Iron Maiden possessed a complex array of immersion enchantment output devices that worked well with the diving cocktail injected into the body to maximize its effects, giving the human body the ability to feel, smell, and sense, and providing the authentic experience of the real thing: of war at its purest. Compared to that, the diving gear used by Warrior Monks was way more docile, as its purpose was to access Cyberspace, monitor the motions of the Code, or interfere with Malcode and trim it when normal purification rituals were proving trickier than they should.
So, to put it directly, Adam barely perceived faint smells of blood, death, and destruction, merely due to the placebo effect enhanced by the drug working naturally with the simulation, making it easier for Adam to handle himself in this deadly environment, blocking most of the fear and stress that came with war.
However, that all changed when Iron Maiden spawned its counter to the Battlemaster Tank.
The sight of the tank caused Adam's vital signs to spike on the medical monitors attached to him at the Command Center; stress showed as his fists suddenly tightened inside and outside the simulation, causing Megan to jump and hold him still while glancing at the holo table nearby to see what he was looking at.
"Sol's golden locks!" Elena also exclaimed, looking between the others around her and the image of the demonic tank that started firing and cruising all over no man's land. "It's the Sin Eater."
The Sin Eater is a single-cannon landship with terrifying firepower and shit accuracy. Instead of an upper turret, it featured a frontal hull cannon with a short, wide barrel. Its hull, held together by demonic flesh and leather acting as armor, moved on two large, rhomboid-shaped tracks. Minor side flamers spewed hellfire from their sides. However, the most horrifying feature was the demon's face at the front, from whose maw the cannon emerged. Its eyes surveyed the field of battle with malice and hate.
Adam had the urge and every right to vomit upon the sight of this monstrosity from across the battlefield, but as soon as it was launched, it started contending with the Battlemaster over the dominance of no man's land.
Adam didn't know how or what to do in a tank battle, so he told Solana to call in tank hunter units and lined them on the defense of his trench bunker, hoping to destroy the enemy tank if it got too close to the base.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The fight of the four tanks, two on each side, started to become even fiercer by the second, with each of the tanks taking shots from the others and still standing like armored beasts.
Compared to the Sin Eater, the Battlemaster was an elegant ballerina, running fast and strong, with its turret giving it the mobility advantage to shoot from any position. As for the Sin Eater, it was a raging boar, faster than the Battlemaster, but as its design was inspired by WW1 tanks, it had to stop and turn to fire the cannon.
However, the Sin Eater also shot literal magic fireballs from all parts of its hull that annihilated the rear squad shadowing the Battlemaster in seconds, just as the Battlemaster annihilated the Sin Eater's follow-up squad of heretics.
This happened on both sides of the battlefield until the tanks were duking it out, shot for shot. However, the first to fall was the Battlemaster tank on the southern side, when the Sin Eater's usually inaccurate shot took off its turret and exploded, killing the crew.
From the northern side, the Battlemaster tank there snuck a revenge shot at the southern front and spectacularly destroyed the Sin Eater. However, the Sin Eater in the north ended up charging fast and firing at a very close range, taking out that Battlemaster.
This seemed like a terrible scenario, as now one demonic tank was going to let its fire loose at Adam's side, especially since no tanks would spawn until all tanks on both sides had been destroyed.
Adam, however, anticipated that result and had his tank hunter team on standby, coming out from the middle trench with two Blazookas, firing high-active energy shells at the Sin Eater and damaging its side, causing it to no longer be able to turn and aim.
The Sin Eater was still plenty strong, and it was firing fireballs blindly, almost succeeding in hitting the tank hunters, but after one more round of bombardment, the Sin Eater was blown to bits.
Then came the second round of tank combat, with a tank spawning at each of the four corners of the map. What was surprising, however, was that the previously destroyed tanks remained on the battlefield, burning and smoking, rather than simply disappearing like normal troopers when they died.
Adam changed his game almost immediately and started giving mental commands to his two tanks to hide behind the shells of the destroyed tanks, successfully baiting both Sin Eaters into awkward positions before ambushing them from two sides and destroying them at the same time.
Adam made the southern front tank get to the supply drop and push it back with its hull towards his base, but the other side started throwing tank hunters madly and even used snipers to cover them. The tank was destroyed by a barrage of three anti-tank shells hitting at the same time, with Satanists throwing themselves into the line of fire.
"It's close! So close!"
Adam almost went mad, but as the other tank was also destroyed, he ran back to the trench bunker and picked up a shield specialized in warding off Blazer fire. He immediately went behind the next tank going south and stuck close to its cover, but then he was hit with a stroke of genius.
He still hid his tanks behind the shells of the destroyed ones, but rather than engaging their respective tanks that didn't repeat their previous mistake, he utilized the superior range of his tanks to strike the opposite side's tanks as they were exposed on each side, causing two spectacular explosions at the same time.
≪ You have gained a New Skill! (Warfare) ≫
≪ Warfare is the natural combat instincts and tactical intuition. Scales with Might. ≫
The fact that he, a self-proclaimed War Gamer, didn't have a skill like that was already embarrassing, but just having that skill made the Sage skill chirp like a parrot on cocaine.
Adam soon learned to slow down his advancement and start accumulating the firepower of his soldiers to bait the enemies into being outnumbered. This made him step behind his tank into no man's land to get the first supply drop at his position.
What he found was a crate that had a radiopack similar to Buzz's. He immediately had the first trooper equip it and took him back with him to the Trench Bunker. Without hesitation, he picked up the radio handset and heard a voice speaking to him with static.
> DESIGNATE BOMBARDMENT TARGET!
"The Infernium Trench Bunker." Adam immediately designated the highest-value target, but to his disappointment…
> TARGET PROTECTED!
> BOMBARDMENT CAN ONLY AFFECT FRONTLINE TARGETS
"Ugh!"
With a groan, Adam almost wanted to slam the handset to the ground, but he took in a deep breath and switched targets.
"Southern trench's first Infernium defense line."
> TARGET LOCKED! BOMBARDING…
Adam couldn't hear the end of the line before a thundering BOOM shook the entire field of battle. Adam ducked down instinctively before stepping out of the trenches to see a large pillar of black smoke rising from the direction of the southern trench.
"I want two Troopers from North and Middle squads to transfer to the South squad. North and Middle play defensively. South, go full aggressive."
Adam changed his tactics and went for the boldest strategy he could muster, focusing his offensive while stalling defensively on the other side. What he needed was to put all the pressure he could on the south trench, and by the time another orbital drop comes…
Adam's thoughts were halfway through the process of planning the next part when he heard the sound of another drop whistling through the air and shaking the battlefield.
Tanks started spawning on both sides as the new drop became the most important target at this point. Unfortunately for Adam, it was way too close to the enemy's side, and even with his tanks doing suicide charges to stop the other tanks from recovering it, their speed was far too insufficient to catch the crazy fast Sin Eater.
The second supply drop went to the Infernium side, so Adam immediately stayed clear of the Frontline defensive points, but no bombardment ever came. Rather, foot soldier Satanists started spawning with Scorcher weapons, setting everything they saw on fire and actually starting to overwhelm Adam's team.
While not as long-ranged as Blazer-arms, Scorcher-arms were known for their ability to drain enemy morale, and they were a staple for almost all of Wartopia's factions.
This was reflected very accurately in Adam's Men-at-Arms, who showed signs of fear and panic. Even as mannequin-like puppets with no facial features to show any hint of expressions, their body language was a clear tell: they panicked, shook, failed to reload their Blazers, and some even started faltering.
Adam was a backline participant most of the time, but as he couldn't watch the ground, he finally managed to push through, being regained by the enemy. His anger swelled, and he started blasting his gun pistol with careful aim, trying to relieve pressure on his advanced front.
"Don't give up!" He shouted, his words echoing in the ranks, "Glory to the first man to die. The ATEN shall claim him and bring him back a Companion. Honor Sol Imperius with your lives, with your blood, with your souls."
His words were heavy, inspired by what he remembered, but as he willed it, his voice reverberated among the mannequin-like troopers in ways he couldn't explain.
He felt it too: desperation was swelling inside him, that very same feeling one gets when playing a losing game, and the fight is at its thickest. Most people wouldn't want to waste any more time on this; they would immediately type "GG" and quit, as there was nothing more one could do.
Adam was like that too, but sometimes, he would just feel the burn in his chest, the frustration that kept running deep, knowing that whatever he did, it would require a miracle to turn the tide.
But right now, a miracle of that kind seemed close, and rather than a glitch in the game, an opponent getting disconnected, or some sort of lucky gacha roll saving his team, he felt that miracle speaking through him.
His power, his influence, his drive.
He always complained about not being the strategy genius Kave or the crackshot Megan could be; however, he looked at others and rarely played to his own strengths.
He was neither a tactician nor a hero nor a supersoldier nor a stalwart defender. He was a talker, an inspirer, a Commander.
He wore the Justiciar coat not by coincidence, but part of him knew that he was fit for that role.
As that realization hit, Adam knew he couldn't fight like he was fighting. If he was without an advantage and out of his element, he had to transform everything around him to play by his rules.
His gun no longer aimed at the enemies, but at his soldiers, at his Men-at-Arms.
His eyes turned cold as some of the troopers started listening to his encouragement, while others were still wavering.
He watched the latter ones like a hawk, and the moment he saw one taking a step back, reeking of fear and about to run, Adam had his gun pressed against its head.
"On charges of cowardice, you are sentenced to death!"
BLAST!