Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 299
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 299
63. For Peace (2)
A war unfolding in space.
A scene that would only be seen in a sci-fi movie is being broadcast live to Earth, Rondel, and the entire world.
"C-can we win? Against an enemy like that?"
It is immensely reassuring that Rondel, which had been dismissed as a potential hostile force, is now joining the battlefield as an ally.
But watching the enemy's colossal weapon reduce even the Heaven-Piercing Fortress Rondel's main armament to the size of a child, the people of Earth swallowed dryly.
The immense size of the Heaven-Piercing Fortress is well known, as there are so many comparison videos.
Because of that, even without seeing it directly, one could estimate the size of the Heavenly Demon race's artificial planet.
"We have to believe."
"Damn it all. What is this, a religion? All we can do is hole up in a corner and pray."
"Unlike the people out there, we're just ordinary people."
Adrian had continuously cried out that this was a crisis, but there is a huge difference between facing the enemy's true form directly and only hearing about it.
In that sense, the battlefield situation being relayed in real time made everyone feel an even greater sense of crisis.
The Heavenly Demon race's army, completely different from the demons and angels imagined in fiction.
The sight of the artificial planet emitting thousands of beams of light and pressing down on the Rondel+Earth alliance forces was terror itself.
[Oh!? Enemy forces are pouring out from inside the colossal weapon!]
[Those appear to be the Heavenly Tribe and demon race that Supreme Commander Lawrence spoke of.]
[Their numbers are considerable? The equipment they're wearing also looks similar to Vanguards.]
[Seeing the Heavenly Tribe and demon race pouring out, that artificial planet seems even more tremendous. But there's something we must not forget.]
[What's that?]
[The truly terrifying thing isn't those colossal weapons, but the individual combat power they possess.]
[You mean that among them, there could be transcendents including Heavenly Kings and Demon Kings mixed in?]
[Certainly. According to Rondel's records, there was once a case where the world nearly ended because of a single Demon King. In the enemy ranks, there are over 30 beings equal to such a Demon King. Furthermore, there are said to be over 100 dragon-class beings, though they don't measure up to Demon Kings, so we must not let ourselves be distracted solely by the colossal weapons.]
Among the broadcasting stations transmitting the war occurring in space, those who claimed expertise added commentary.
They displayed data in real time, adding background explanations that ordinary people wouldn't know, and also clipped footage for analysis.
[Our fighters, Vanguards, and Gigants are moving to respond.]
[I can see Earth's transcendents (beings from myth) and Rondel's dragons stepping up. Seeing Earth and Rondel united against the enemy is reassuring.]
[It still seems to be a probing battle.]
[They're trading blows back and forth, but both sides appear cautious.]
The reason the current situation is being assessed as a probing battle is that it was still a lane fight, not yet a chaotic brawl where both sides were entangled.
But although they said both sides were cautiously probing each other, neither the broadcasters nor the viewers could relax their stiffened expressions amid the spectacle of terrifying beams and supernatural powers.
And that became even more true when they witnessed two asteroids that had intervened in the middle of the battlefield evaporate in an instant.
If mere containment attacks were at that level, no one could even imagine what would happen if a full-scale war broke out.
Thanks to that, everyone watched the tension-filled footage and prayed.
[Kwaaaaang! Kwaang!]
How much time passed like that?
A change occurred in the Heavenly Demon race's camp.
Along with an intense white light, a sharp explosion reached even the drone that was filming.
How the drone was recording sound that occurred in the vacuum of space was an unnecessary question before Rondel's magic.
[That looks like a nuclear explosion? Will it really be able to deal significant damage?]
[This is... The damage doesn't seem as great on the enemies as we thought.]
[Huh! Wait a moment! Our allied forces are currently charging toward the enemy center!]
[What is that? Isn't that too reckless?]
[Hm? But for some reason, the enemy's reaction seems slow.]
[Could it be the aftereffect of the earlier nuclear explosion?]
[It seems that way! They're breaking through right now! They disrupted the formation with nuclear warheads and turned the probing battle into a full-scale war in one stroke, throwing the enemy into confusion!]
[They're helpless! This is incredible mercenary tactics! The enemies couldn't resist and were pierced through! It's only a single breakthrough, but the gains look substantial!]
Did everyone's prayers get through?
The situation that followed matched everyone's expectations.
The host's hopeful voice and exclamations of admiration.
And the scene of piercing through the widely spread enemy line like a wedge was enough to plant hope in everyone.
"What? Is this a good situation?"
"Seems like it?"
Naturally, the viewers were ecstatic.
-As expected of Adrian hyung-nim!
-Wow, they're breaking through that!
-I heard he's a famous great commander in Rondel, and it's true
-Is there anything he can't do?
└There are things he can't do.
-I'm so relieved. If Adrian weren't here, we'd have just been helplessly overwhelmed, right?
-Eh, would one person's absence really affect the overall outcome?
└The impact is huge. Adrian isn't just a commander, he's also the world's greatest warrior.
└The reason the Heavenly Tribe and demon race are continuing the battle so cautiously is all because of Adrian.
-Is Adrian not human? How is he that strong?
└Every era has mutants that transcend common sense
-Thanks to him, hope was born, so isn't that a relief?
The online space, where real-time reactions could be seen, also burned hotly.
Adrian tried to make people feel a sense of crisis while giving them the feeling of victory that the two worlds had overcome together.
But there was one side benefit that arose in the process.
It was that the presence of the hero named Adrian could not help but be engraved deep in people's hearts.
"Please, win."
"Adrian-nim...."
An unprecedented large-scale war upon which the future of Rondel and Earth depended.
Everyone was offering prayers and wishing for victory, but the person in question, Adrian, was enjoying the current situation.
* * *
The goddess Sepia asked.
She asked me to strive for the peace of Rondel and Earth.
To fulfill that request, I am doing my utmost, even to the point of starting a space war that dragged in the Heavenly Tribe and the demon race.
The inner story of the war that no one knows except a few close associates.
If someone were to notice this truth, before cursing me, they might voice a question like this.
'Why go that far.'
'Why faithfully follow the goddess's request even to the point of escalating things.'
Because I can't refuse the goddess's request?
Or because the goddess is my Mother?
No.
Actually, this is a story that doesn't even need all sorts of reasons attached.
The reason I carried out an extreme plan to complete the peace of the two worlds is....
It was for the well-being of me and my family.
So that my newly born daughter would not have to live in a world filled with hatred and chaos.
It is an utterly shameless personal reason, one that does not suit the heavy word that is war.
But what can I do.
I have the power and authority to do so.
Perhaps because I was reborn, I could not understand Kaeos (the creator of Earth) at all, who could only watch what he held in his hands until it was destroyed.
If there is something you desire and you have the ability, shouldn't you naturally take it into your hands?
The peace gained in that process is a bonus.
'A being who starts a war upon which the fate of the world rests for the well-being of his own household.'
Anyone would cry out that I'm insane, but if you have the ability to clean up this situation, the current state of affairs was nothing more than a single episode.
I watched the pouring beams of light and curled up the corners of my mouth.
"We will certainly win. Don't hesitate."
"Yes!"
I don't care for this kind of theatrics.
But right now, it was necessary.
At my encouragement, the staff officers and the soldiers of the Rondel+Earth alliance spat out fierce replies as if chasing away their fear.
I think it's natural to be afraid when you're walking the crossroads of life and death.
But there's no need to worry.
Because I intend to keep casualties that can occur during war to a minimum.
"Ooh!"
"Is that also the Supreme Commander-nim's ability?"
Our forces instantly formed a triangle shape and broke through the enemy center.
The flanks, which could be called the weak point of such an allied formation, did not suffer major damage thanks to the barrier I deployed.
'The impact is considerable.'
The amount of impact transmitted through the barrier is equivalent to dozens of Meteors pouring down at once.
Thanks to that, the amount of Mana consumed was also considerable, but since we wouldn't be fighting like this continuously, a few times weren't a problem.
Soon, the allied forces under my protection enthusiastically smashed through the enemy forces (center) in front.
"The emergence of the highest-ranking Heavenly Demon race."
Then there were beings blocking our path the emergence of the highest-ranking Heavenly Demon race, whom one could call dragon-class.
They gnashed their teeth and tried to stop our advance.
Currently, the only Transcendents among our deployed forces are dragons and the gods of Earth, so there was a risk our breakthrough could be halted...
"A nuke."
"Yes, understood."
At my gesture, the 10 nuclear warheads I had prepared in advance were transmitted, and they exploded right behind the highest-ranking Heavenly Demon race.
There's no way Transcendents would be done in just because nuclear warheads were transmitted in a surprise attack.
But it could draw their attention, and for Transcendents, where victory or defeat is decided in an instant, this gave them room to break through.
"How foolish."
It seems they're not used to this kind of cooperative combat, since their individual stats are so high.
Seeing how easily they're being dealt with.
The highest-ranking Heavenly Demon race, who could be called the nobles of the heavenly realm and demonic realm, hurriedly tried to block us, but it was useless.
The Four Heavenly Kings had already been deployed as forces to deal with them, and Earth's Transcendents backed up the Four Heavenly Kings.
The apex of the triangle formation centered on the dragons continued to ravage the enemy center.
-Kwaaang! Kwaaaang!
One artificial planet couldn't withstand the concentrated fire of the dragons and burst apart piece by piece.
No matter how terrifying its majesty, unless its entire outer armor was covered in adamantite or Orichalcum, it couldn't block a dragon's breath.
The artificial planet whose visual majesty had been immense.
That existence was pressure for our forces and a solid rampart for the enemy.
With such a weapon sinking, our forces carrying out the central breakthrough pushed even harder, and a single breakthrough yielded great gains.
[Supreme Commander!]
"What is it?"
[Those things have appeared!]
But that too was only momentary.
Arc Scarlet, who until just a year ago had belonged to the demon race's camp, reported the emergence of the Demon Kings and Heavenly Kings.
The enemies had also felt that dragging things out wouldn't improve their situation.
[But something's strange.]
"Strange how?"
[They're summoning a weapon I've never seen before.]
"A weapon?"
I tilted my head and gave instructions to my Adjutants, and soon a new visual appeared.
It was a metallic object slightly smaller than the Heaven-Piercing Fortress.
If I had to compare it, its shape was similar to a pine cone?
It was the appearance of a second new weapon following the artificial planet.
I examined that giant pine cone with Myriad Mirror.
[???? / ????]
And then the information displayed like this.
I hadn't expected anything to begin with.
After all, Myriad Mirror has never properly analyzed anything beyond dragons or beyond Holy Swords.
Still, the reason I tried using Myriad Mirror was just in case.
I wasn't particularly worried.
Because I had planted a pawn for exactly this kind of unexpected situation.
-Ding.
Did she read my thoughts?
Just then, Aea contacted me.
[That's something I don't know either. I asked around about its purpose, but everyone says they don't know, and it seems the only ones who know are the Heavenly Kings and Demon Kings, but they've all left their positions to handle the summoning.]
[I can't help but wonder if they suspect me for returning after failing the surface mission.]
Contrary to my expectations, the contents were utterly disappointing.
Thanks to that, I narrowed my eyes.
Wondering if they were up to some other trick.
But soon I shook my head.
Aea was completely broken.
An existence with nothing left but survival instinct.
Knowing this well, I clicked my tongue briefly.
"Tsk."
The Heavenly Kings and Demon Kings feel more thoroughly prepared than I expected.
Of course, from their standpoint, it's a war where the fate of their race is at stake, so I understand, but it wasn't a situation I was particularly pleased with.
"Supreme Commander! The enemy's new weapon is charging at us!"
Thanks to having broken through the center of the enemy lines, we ended up face-to-face with the new weapon that had just exited the gate connecting the heavenly realm and the demonic realm.
Then the pine cone approached with a tension-free appearance at an ambiguous speed, neither fast nor slow.
"Arcia, I'll leave it to you."
"Yes."
People have intuitions.
Usually, intuition is a guess built from adding imaginary speculation, but sometimes it hits the mark.
And for beings of high rank like me and Arcia, intuition is no different from a sixth sense.
From the Heaven-Piercing Fortress, which was being used as the command ship, Arcia, who had been guarding my side, took three steps forward.
-Step.
She then placed her hand on the Orichalcum sword at her waist and took a drawing stance.
-Schwing!
Her eyes seemed to close, and before I knew it, her sword was drawn and pointing at the empty air.
Arcia opened her closed eyes and put her weapon away.
"What was that?"
The Adjutants of Earth and Rondel questioned what she had just done.
They could hardly be blamed.
To their eyes, it would look like nothing more than her slashing at empty air.
At least the Rondel people had a rough idea of what kind of ability a Swordsman gains upon reaching the pinnacle of their craft, but the Earthlings, knowing little about it, were simply dumbfounded.
-Pit!
But that was when it happened.
The pine cone-shaped weapon that had been giving off an ominous air was split diagonally, as if sliced by a ruler and a box cutter.
"Huh?"
"Ha...."
The sight was so surreal yet so natural that people wore stupefied expressions.
Arcia had swung her sword inside the ship and cut an enemy outside.