The Deep Sea off the Far North Coast.
"The intelligence was wrong! It was wrong! This isn't some minor force we can push around at will. We have to go back and set the record straight!" the Shark Commander roared.
This was the most crushing defeat of his decades of campaigning. Before they had even landed, nearly half their forces had been killed or wounded, though most of the losses were cannon fodder such as Crab Warriors and Kuo-toa.
But the elite troops had suffered losses too. Half the Giant Whale Warriors at the top had been killed or wounded, the Shark Warriors had suffered nearly ten thousand casualties, and the Naga Mages had lost twenty thousand, with scattered losses among the remaining units.
Had they been attacking Twilight Fortress, these losses would have been below the expected level. First, they could not exploit their home-field advantage on land. Second, their target would have been Twilight Fortress, the supposedly impregnable stronghold.
Yet they were still at sea and had lost nearly half their army without even getting close to the enemy. This was certainly not the minor force described in the eldest prince's report.
"No!"
The Shark Commander looked in surprise at the Second Elder, who had spoken.
"We've come to this, and you still won't retreat?"
The Second Elder spoke slowly.
"Most of our elite troops are still intact. We cannot retreat."
"Wh-"
"There is no why! If we withdraw without even knowing what the enemy looks like, do you want to die at our own people's hands?"
Cut off, the Shark Commander fell silent. Indeed, if they withdrew without even knowing what their enemy looked like, the two monarchs would certainly hold them accountable. They might even pay with their lives.
The Giant Octopus Elder spoke slowly.
"Second Elder, let us retreat. I will plead with the queen on your behalf. There is no need for further sacrifices."
The Second Elder shook her head.
"Giant Octopus Elder, it is true that I covet power, but before anything else, I am a member of the Deep Sea Empire. The empire now faces an unknown opponent. One careless move could bring it to the brink of collapse. We must find out just how deeply this thorn is embedded."
The Giant Octopus Elder sighed, then said softly,
"Then tell me whatever you need me to do."
The Second Elder nodded and issued her orders.
"All remaining personnel, assemble! All Naga spellcasters, heed my command! Cast at will, prioritizing protection for the front line! Merfolk Mages, coordinate with me! Merfolk Knights, charge into the enemy formation at full speed! Deep-Sea Behemoths, cover the Merfolk Knights! Shark Warriors, follow behind the Merfolk Knights! We must discover how the enemy fights!"
"As you command!"
"The enemy's second wave is estimated to arrive in fifteen minutes. Host, please remain alert."
Cheng Yu frowned.
"They still aren't retreating?"
"Their elite troops still retain considerable strength. According to the combined data analysis from the Conductor and the Performer, they likely intend to learn how we fight so they can devise decisions and deployments specifically against us in the next war."
Cheng Yu clicked his tongue.
Over nine hundred thousand lives, just to find out how we fight?
"To the Deep Sea Empire, over nine hundred thousand sea folk amount to nothing."
Another thirty-meter wave swept toward the land along the Far North Coast.
Cheng Yu frowned and used the same tactic again. Four hundred thousand freezing particle cannons fired in unison once more. Whatever schemes the enemy devised, he would answer with a single punch.
The result was the same. The towering wave froze, and the sea became an ice field. After a while, however, an enormous sphere broke through the ice: a colossal Magic Shield jointly constructed by the Second Elder, the remaining Naga Mages, and the Merfolk Mages.
The 0-3s, which had yet to see action, finally had their chance. Together with the Shuttle Fighters overhead, they fired penetrating beam cannons and Piercing Beams at the massive shield.
The colossal Magic Circle broke upon contact, but the Merfolk Knights at the front inside it were wrapped in several layers of Magic Shields. A gigantic tentacled creature—the Giant Octopus Elder—gathered several thousand Merfolk Knights in its tentacles and hurled them into the 0-2 formation.
All the 0-3s fired their penetrating beam cannons and intercepted them. At that moment, however, the spell being constructed by the Second Elder and all the Merfolk Mages was finally completed. Several hundred Merfolk Knights who had been blasted backward vanished, shields and all, then appeared inside the 0-2 formation.
Each 0-2 had two 0-1s beside it. They rushed forward to buy time for the 0-2s to retreat to a safe firing distance. The 0-2s closest to the landed Merfolk Knights immediately switched to radiation particles and attacked them.
The giant octopus swung its tentacles again, whipping the Merfolk Knights who had been blasted back toward the enemy once more. Then, with terrifying speed, it shot past the knights it had just sent flying.
It endured the 0-3s' fire and sheltered most of the Merfolk Knights behind it. Meanwhile, the Shuttle Fighters overhead fired more Piercing Beams, blasting a small portion of the Merfolk Knights into the ground.
After several exchanges, every Merfolk Knight's shield had been shattered. More than two thousand Merfolk Knights landed within the 0-2 formation and wreaked havoc. Many of the other giant monsters then tried to deliver the Shark Warriors in the same way.
Unfortunately, they lacked the giant octopus's speed. Purger 0-4 reacted, and solid tungsten-steel rounds blasted them apart along with the Shark Warriors behind them.
The giant octopus, which had landed behind the 0-2 formation, was now surrounded by five Purger 0-4s. Its tentacles were repeatedly severed by curved blades, or it took solid tungsten-steel rounds head-on, or enormous drills bored relentlessly into a single spot on its body.
Meanwhile, the bodies of most of the Naga Mages floated on the sea. This had been the work of the Shuttle Fighters overhead when the Merfolk Knights landed within the 0-2 positions.
Night was beginning to fall. The Merfolk Knights who had landed gradually lost their strength under the radiation particle bombardment. They were finished off by 0-1s at close range or had their heads blown apart by 0-2s.
Then, with an enormous crash, the giant octopus collapsed on the ground, mangled beyond recognition. Judging by the wreckage around it, it had also taken out more than twenty Purger 0-4s.
Four of the ten thousand 0-5s stationed far away in space descended.
They locked onto a position in the Deep Sea off the Far North Coast and activated their Overclocked Organic Sonic Destruction Devices simultaneously from four directions.
Deep underwater, the Second Elder and the Merfolk Mages lay exhausted on the seabed. They had drained far too much of their magic. Most of the Merfolk Mages also wore grief-stricken expressions, for the Merfolk Knights on the battlefield had been their husbands, and they had already received the memories of their husbands' deaths in battle.
Once Merfolk became husband and wife, when one died, the other would receive all their memories. Thus, Merfolk were also known as the most devoted race in the sea, unlike Naga, whose children each had a different father-the Naga Queen being an exception, of course.
The Second Elder had exploited this Merfolk trait to gather intelligence. But neither the utterly drained Second Elder nor the Shark Commander guarding her noticed the four enormous shadows that had appeared above them.
Night had fallen, after all, and the spellcasters, including the Second Elder, had exhausted their magic. Through his bloodline connection, the Shark Commander had learned that all the Shark Warriors had died in battle and had sunk into grief. As a melee combatant, his perception was certainly inferior to that of the spellcasters.
Only when a Merfolk Mage's body began to disintegrate, vanishing like a dandelion scattered by a gale, did the Second Elder's expression change drastically.
As she held her own body together, she squeezed out her life force to cast a protective shield on the nearest Merfolk Mage. At the same time, she cast a current spell to send the mage racing toward the Deep Sea Empire and said,
"You must tell the two monarchs everything about the enemy!"
With that, she could hold on no longer and abruptly disintegrated. The Shark Commander also grabbed several Merfolk Mages and hurled them toward the Deep Sea Empire, but they too disintegrated as they drifted through the water.
In the end, the Shark Commander also turned to dust.
Cheng Yu quietly asked the system,
"How much did we lose this time?"
"Not much. Fewer than a hundred thousand. Their main force never even made it ashore, after all."
"Apart from the Far North Coast, some Naga Warriors broke through our defensive lines and caused even more damage in the rear. A few thousand Naga Warriors managed to take down around thirty thousand of our 0-1s."
Cheng Yu shook his head and said,
"So this still counts as a major victory for us?"
"Yes! Unfortunately, the next time these salted fish come, they'll bring several times as many troops, perhaps even over ten times as many. The pressure on us will shoot up." ┐(─__─)┌
Cheng Yu sank into thought. After apparently reaching a decision, he said slowly,
Next time, I'll have a proper talk with them. If talks break down, I'll have to use some special measures.
"You've decided to use that thing?" (‧_‧?)
No, I don't want to. Unless I have absolutely no choice, I really don't want to use it on intelligent beings. I really was just an ordinary person once. I'm selfish and greedy, lustful and money-hungry, but I'm not a madman or a butcher.
"Sigh. It's your call. Whatever you decide to do, I couldn't stop you even if I disagreed." ┐(─__─)┌
Yeah. Thanks.
"By the way, I suggest you salvage the scrapped machines first. But don't use them to churn out troops. Use them to upgrade the main city. There's something that will help our future development."
Hmm? (￢‸￢) ?
"Just listen to me."
Fine, fine. I'll trust you this once. ╮(╯▽╰)╭
The Deep Sea Empire.
The Naga Queen shattered her throne with a slap and demanded of the Merfolk Mage before her,
"You're telling me the Second Elder took an army of over nine hundred thousand, and after just two days, you're the only one who came back?!"
The Merfolk Mage lay prostrate on the ground and said in a subdued voice,
"Yes, Your Majesty. The main force led by the Second Elder never even landed. We lost half our troops without even knowing how many enemies there were or what they looked like."
"Please search my memories for the detailed intelligence, Your Majesty."
"You..."
The Merfolk King interrupted the Naga Queen and said softly,
"You have suffered, child. I will do everything I can to avoid harming your soul."
The Merfolk Mage bowed deeply.
"Thank you, my king!"
The Merfolk King slowly placed his hand on the Merfolk Mage's head.
Before you continue