On a rainy night beneath a sky full of stars, outsiders set foot for the first time upon this untouched northern land.
Across the ground corrupted by demons came the howls of monsters and the intermittent sound of dripping.
The reason was simple: the laws themselves were being distorted, making even ordinary speech impossible to carry clearly.
Farther away stretched an endless field of snow, yet even that snow seemed to be under suppression.
It hung suspended in midair, like a key.
After a long while, the grinding of teeth tore through the silence, followed by the earth-shattering roar of explosions and the bombardment of blooming crimson lotuses.
The demons, which had been standing idly without a target, were instantly blown apart into pixel-like fragments and vanished beneath the assault.
Five minutes later, deep blue light began to spread across the land, and the bacteria from the sea, the fungal carpet began to swallow the corrupted ground, while hundreds of swift hound-like creatures raced across it.
They surged forward, tearing apart the demons that still clung stubbornly to life with their sharp fangs.
"The operation went smoothly. Without the bombardment from the batlleships, we might not have been able to break through this far."
"This is the result of our combined efforts, is it not, Lady Russell?"
"Yes. You are right."
Lady Russell stood upon the broad bridge, watching the distant movements through the monitors. Her right hand rested on the hilt of her sword. "Report enemy numbers."
"Yes, Lady Russell. All demons detected within the radar's range have been eliminated," the radar officer replied hurriedly.
Lady Russell looked toward the call window on the screen and said, "Miss Talulah, we have secured a strategic point of advance, for the time being."
"We cannot let our guard down, Lady Russell." Talulah, dressed in the naval admiral's uniform of Tomorrow's Development, spoke solemnly with her hands clasped behind her back. "The battle report from Yan indicates that over the last ten days, the demons have become far more bloodthirsty in their aggression. Moreover, it is as if they have acquired a commander. Their formations, once loose and chaotic, are now carrying out organized assaults and feints."
"I understand. In His Highness the Liberation King's words, they are evolving."
Talulah did not linger on the subject. "Ahead lies a straight canyon. According to our reconnaissance, we will establish a defensive line there and then continue advancing slowly."
"Understood. Then it is time to send the workers out."
Talulah shut off the communication and turned to Ch'en Hui-chieh beside her. "Hui-chieh, the workers are ready. We cannot use the main guns while repairs are underway, so their safety will be your responsibility, together with the adventurers."
"Understood. That is our mission." Ch'en Hui-chieh gripped the hilt of the Chi Xiao sword at her waist. "The adventurers are ready."
"Alina, pull up the operation log. We need to update the northern map."
"Understood!"
Everyone immediately sprang into action. With support from the Rangers' Guild, the Ursus forces, and Kazimierz, they departed from their original outpost and advanced deeper into enemy territory, pushing forward several hundred kilometers.
Mr. Han was calculating the amount of supplies and provisions while grumbling, "Why haven't we seen the Siracusan convoy yet? Could they have broken down on the road because of this snowstorm?"
Xiao Ran Asagiri shook his head uncertainly. "They're all driving steam tanks bought from Victoria. They may be older models, but they can handle wind and snow... they wouldn't be delayed by breakdowns. So it must be a demon attack?"
"But haven't we already wiped out the demons in this area?"
"They're not likely to betray us anyway. Siracusa has already signed the war agreement, so that's not something we need to worry about."
Xiao Ran A answered in a deep voice. Before the two could continue, a crew member from the Rangers' Guild came running over. "Talulah says they're going to build a temporary base up ahead, and the workers are already making preparations."
"Understood. We'll head there immediately."
Mr. Han and Xiao Ran A equipped their weapons at the same time and called out to the other players from the Rangers' Guild. Most of them had already reached the level cap, but their class builds and skill allocations were still not enough to compete with the top players, and their equipment was not particularly good either. They were, in the end, only average players.
But when ordinary players like these became serious and were willing to risk their lives, they still represented a considerable force.
"Thorns...!"
Mr. Han approaching his friend.
"It's time for us to fight together again!"
Calling it cooperation was not entirely wrong. Building a temporary base required not only workers, but also scientists, geologists, and pharmacists. The first two were easy enough to understand, but the pharmacist had volunteered on his own. That was Thorn. He intended to use medicine to determine whether the ground not yet covered by the fungal carpet had already been contaminated.
If it had, the alarm he set would sound immediately, alerting everyone on watch that the demons had arrived.
Xiao Ran let out a sigh when he saw this, then called to his squad and stepped onto the northern land in heavy combat gear.
The workers quickly got to work. With the assistance of drones, heavy steel that would normally require several people to move could now be lifted and positioned by a single machine. Along with the construction materials, the drones also erected turrets and caster towers around the outpost, a standard defensive arrangement.
Just as Mr. Han and Xiao Ran A stood guard while the workers busied themselves, the sound of a convoy coming to a halt rose from behind them. Before long, several players came over to report that the Siracusan convoy had arrived with supplies, and the ones delivering them were none other than the private army of Lady Sicily, the Bocca al Lupo.
Though they were called a private army, none of the players present were fools. Such a force might be able to act tough against certain factions, but against a true nation... they probably could not even defeat Kjerag's Tschäggättä.
Yet in the face of catastrophe, everyone set aside their contempt. After exchanging a few words with the captain of the Bocca al Lupo, Mr. Han returned to Xiao Ran A's side.
"I heard that the Dawn King has also been fighting on the front lines lately. He was supposed to be in seclusion, but players from Emperor's Children have reported it several times already. The Dawn King is personally fighting on the battlefield. That Fire Kaijuu, Ifrit, that he summoned is insanely cool. I wish we could go to the front and watch the battle too."
"The Dawn King is responsible for the Sami front, the location of the Stargate, and also the area where demon concentrations are the heaviest. The place where monsters appeared most frequently was practically an endless spawning ground for demons. Was that not exactly why the Dawn King had personally stepped in?"
"Hey, what I mean is, I want to be there too, fighting beside the Dawn King."
"Aren't our current tasks just as important? Focus on the work in front of us first."
Faced with his friend's complaints, Xiao Ran A said nothing more. He knew that the Sami region had already become a battlefield like a giant meat grinder. Every day, terrifying numbers of demon formations launched attacks, and each time, the warriors under the Dawn King met them head-on.
And that also meant sacrifice. Artillery fire and close-quarters combat brought the greatest losses to the Emperor's Children. They might be able to resurrect, but dying too often meant losing experience and equipment. Some players might choose to protect themselves and prioritize their own survival, but Emperor's Children were different. They were the strongest players. If they did not stand at the front, then who would?
And besides Emperor's Children, the front lines had also gathered nearly all of Felix's elite forces, including the First Legion, Lightbearers.
The Second Legion, Saviadel, and the fourth Legion, Himmelswächter all displayed extraordinary combat strength and excellent coordination. Under the maneuvering tactics of Emperor's Children, they were able to effectively protect their comrades behind them, ensuring that among those three legions, there were injuries, but no deaths.
Even so, sacrifices were still inevitable.
A week ago, a small squad of the Lightbearers had been caught inside a collapse, and dozens were killed.
Three days ago, four Gargoyles and two Vampires of Saviadel were ambushed and slain by evolved demons.
Sacrifice happened every day. Yet what never changed was everyone's unshaken determination to keep fighting.
Then, at that very moment, the alarm began to ring.
Mr. Han and Xiao Ran A's expressions instantly hardened.
What was happening? Had they not just wiped out a wave of demons moments ago? Why had another batch appeared so suddenly?
"Oh no!" the radar officer shouted, slumping over the console. "A demon signal has appeared in Northern Sector 12, and the number... the number is impossible to calculate!"
"Damn it, why now of all times?"
Lady Russell's face twisted with fury as she watched the workers ahead fleeing from the construction site. "Main gun, begin charging!"
"No, no, if we fire at that range, the blast will hit the workers!" the weapons operator shouted at once.
"Where are the frigates?"
"The frigates have limited firepower. They cannot inflict large-scale casualties!"
"..."
Russell tapped her brow. The demons' actions had once again exceeded expectations. This kind of guerrilla-style harassment gave her a deeply unsettling thought:
the demons had begun to acquire intelligence.
The original demons had been completely uncoordinated, charging mindlessly to their deaths. But now they were gradually learning, gaining intelligence, and even beginning to use tactics.
That made Russell feel a faint chill.
"Get the workers out of there immediately!" Russell ordered sharply. The vast majority of those workers were laborers from Kazimierz and Ursus. They could not be allowed to die here. With that thought in mind, Russell turned to the main screen. "Lady Talulah, I will lead the Knights of Kazimierz into battle."
"Understood. The adventurers are already rushing to the front lines."
"Good. I'll support them."
Russell clearly understood that in close combat, the adventurers would be the true main force. Without hesitation, she gave up the position of primary attacker. She put on the armor resting beside the control panel and strode decisively toward the deck.
Kazimierz had deployed one battleship and two escort ships, carrying a total of ten thousand Silverlance Pegasi Knights. It could be said that this was almost the full strength they were capable of mobilizing. The overwhelming majority were veterans who had seen real battle, and among them were even many Knights who had long since retired because of age or old injuries. None of them cared about such things anymore. They stood here for only one reason: to fight for a future for the younger generation behind them.
"Knights, prepare to attack!"
"Yes!"
The Blood Knight stood beside Lady Russell, striking the crimson armor over his chest. Then Russell raised her longsword, and the knights surged toward the front lines.
By then, the escort ships had already sighted the enemy. Because of their ship design, they could not equip the devastating Yamato cannons, but they still carried a considerable number of rapid-fire cannons and electromagnetic weapons. Under the joint control of the crew and the casters aboard, they locked onto the incoming enemy and unleashed a relentless barrage.
Once the smoke and dust cleared, however, the escort ships' weakness immediately became obvious: although they possessed a wide variety of weapons, their firepower was still insufficient.
"Two hundred meters. Get ready!" Mr. Han roared, his voice booming so loudly across the public channel that it nearly hurt people's ears.
"Snipers! Casters!"
In the next instant, a storm of colorful Originium Arts, mixed with Originium bullets, rained down upon the demons, temporarily halting their advance. But only moments later, the demons stepped over the corpses of their fallen kind and lunged at the players once more.
"The casters are recovering, Defenders and melee units, get to the front!"
Even as he shouted, he and Xiao Ran A were already standing on the front line. Looking at the demon rushing toward him, its eerie black, bottomless eyes flickering with unnatural light, Mr. Han responded with only a single slash.
The heavily armored frontline was struck all at once by dozens, even hundreds, of demons. The force of impact made them go pale and stagger backward. No matter how many battles they had fought, players still felt fear when facing enemies this bizarre, creatures that did not roar, did not scream, did not even flinch in battle.
Attacking the demons did not make them retreat.
Cutting off their limbs did not make them howl.
They were like machines stripped of all five senses, endlessly launching suicidal charges at the players.
"Defenders on Line 11 is down! Where's the reinforcement?!"
"I'm up! I'm going to get stuffed for the next five minutes!"
"We've only got two melee fighters here, not enough damage!"
"I'm coming to support!"
The public channel was so chaotic that no one could clearly make out what anyone else was saying. Only Xiao Ran A, while fighting, still managed to direct the battle with clarity. His voice was the loudest, and after sorting through the important parts of the shouting, he began issuing orders at the top of his lungs.
"The Knights of Kazimierz have arrived!"
Someone shouted those words, and the players, who had been under enormous pressure, immediately felt a wave of relief. Thousands of Kazimierz's Knights charged into battle, weapons in hand. Like the players, they fought in small groups, but unlike the players, their groups of three formed solid triangles, and wherever they advanced, demons fell in swathes.
Han wiped the sweat from his face, narrowed his eyes, and shouted, "The Collapse Entity is here. Has the caster team finished recovering?"
"We are ready!"
"Target the Collapse Entity. Begin bombardment!"
"Blow it apart!"
Once the caster team had finished drinking their potions and their MP was fully restored, they unleashed a concentrated bombardment against the Collapse Entity flying in from afar, blasting the black hole-like mass into fragments.
Five minutes later, when a blazing flame erupted in the center of the battlefield, everyone finally let out a breath of relief.
Talulah, in full power, had entered the field.
Mr. Han and Xiao Ran A exchanged glances, both wondering how the other fronts were holding up.
At the very least, they had managed to withstand this wave of attack.