I'll Show You What Cosmic Defense Is
The main force returned to the village in no time. Word had reached us that the rear was under attack, and with their surprise assault having failed, the War Ant legion withdrew without a shred of hesitation. After such a fierce clash, both sides would need time to replenish their strength, so a lull was inevitable.
While everyone busied themselves restocking supplies and catching their breath, a woman clad in heavy armor strode into the command tent. Her brown hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, her skin pale as fresh snow, her features sharp and refined. Despite having just come from battle, she dropped into a chair with her skin still pristine.
Rohan, who had been studying the war map, kept his eyes fixed on it even as he addressed her arrival. "How did the fighting go?"
"Don't even ask. It was like they were on some kind of stimulant—the way they moved made them an absolute pain to handle."
"Even with you out there?"
He muttered it with a grave expression, prompting the woman to wave her hands in disgust. "What am I, some kind of hero? I'm just following orders."
"If the vice commander of the Blue Stag Knights talks like that, what does that make me?"
"I've told you a hundred times I have zero interest in becoming commander."
"It's heartening to see you working so diligently in the rear for the count's house. I will be sure to write both the commander and the count himself to report your distinguished service."
"Goddamn it."
At Rohan's words, Clorin—the senior knight of the Blue Stag Knights currently serving as field commander—let out a long sigh. The senior in front of her was obsessed with forcing her into the commander's seat, while the actual deputy commander had zero interest in promotion and had planted his feet like a stubborn post.
She had finally come down from the front lines for some well-deserved rest. Yet the moment she arrived, a queen entity appeared and dragged her straight back into duty. It was enough to make her want to cry.
"Let's save the headache talk for later. Right now we should focus on crushing those ants."
"Fair enough."
Seeing how obviously he was dodging the subject, Rohan gave a hearty laugh and let it slide. In the end, whether she liked it or not, the commander's position was already decided. Among a bunch of battle-brained idiots who only knew how to swing swords, she was the sharpest and most talented. Becoming commander was simply her fate.
"How's the situation looking?"
"Everyone's on the move. Since their main force is exhausted, they'll probably start deploying their special variants soon."
The security forces and the church were handling the frontal assault, which meant it was the adventurers' turn to shine during the reorganization phase. They needed to strike at key strongpoints while the main army recovered, creating advantages for the decisive battle ahead.
To that end, the adventurers had formed parties and advanced toward the battlefield's critical locations. The War Ant colony, in turn, had sent small teams of elite special variants to disrupt them.
"These special variants are genuinely troublesome. The queen must have poured everything into creating them—they're impossible to ignore."
"If regular War Ants are anvils, the special ones are hammers."
The special variants were the reason relatively weak War Ants could maintain such a massive presence in the North. Enormous resources had been invested in each one, granting them overwhelming power or unique abilities the security forces simply couldn't handle. That was why the specialists—adventurers—had been deployed.
"Some parties have already engaged."
Thanks to the magic tool, adventurer positions appeared on the map in real time, all of them moving with purpose. Several teams had already encountered special variants, judging by the combat markers flashing on the display.
Clorin studied the map, then tapped two particularly prominent strongpoints among the many scattered across it. These two locations were drawing a heavy concentration of adventurer forces.
"As expected, the outcome of this battle will be decided by whether we take those two points."
"Precisely. Occupying them is what will give us the upper hand in the main engagement."
Rohan nodded at Clorin's assessment.
The battlefield where the security forces clashed lay in a narrow plain directly between Abel Village and the War Ant outpost. If the security forces advanced from the east and the War Ants from the west, the north featured a near-cliff hill while the south held a vast forest beyond a wide river. Both locations were more than important—they were positions that had to be held at all costs.
"We cannot yield that hill under any circumstances. If their mountain artillery takes position up there and opens fire, the resources we'll burn through will be catastrophic."
"The dense forest is the same. We have no idea when the Blade or Digger types might circle around behind us. We can't afford to lose it."
The narrow plain favored the numerically inferior subjugation force. By blocking the chokepoints, they could neutralize the enemy's greatest advantage—overwhelming numbers. Even if the plain fell, the War Ants would still have to breach five fortress-like villages connected to Abel Village to expand their foothold.
"The North doesn't place villages in dangerous areas for no reason."
Northern villages doubled as emergency fortresses and efficient strongpoints for holding back monster waves. Abel Village was performing its role admirably, serving as a command center while successfully stalling the War Ant advance.
For this battle to end in victory, the adventurers had to secure those strongpoints without fail. Yet Clorin was certain the fighting would drag on. Skill aside, the numerical disparity was simply too vast. Six hundred troops holding back thousands, two hundred and fifty adventurers locked in desperate combat with special variants to claim sixty percent of the objectives—that was the absolute limit of what they could achieve. And more than half those adventurers were Iron ranks who couldn't even use aura.
"We have to think long-term. With our current numbers, winning outright is nearly impossible."
Simply maintaining the stalemate was already an impressive feat. The enemy fielded thousands while their side numbered less than a thousand. The fact that they had managed to turn a rotational battle on open plains into an even fight spoke volumes about Edenberg's true power.
Real dominance would likely only come after reinforcements from neighboring territories and vassal lords arrived.
At Clorin's words, Rohan offered a mysterious smile.
"Well. I disagree."
"What? What do you mean?"
"While you were fighting, some very reliable adventurers arrived. I believe the small variables they create will spark massive changes."
Clorin's expression turned intrigued. Rohan's standards were notoriously strict—it had taken her three years to earn his approval despite knowing him for ten. If there were adventurers who had passed his criteria on their very first meeting...
She found herself genuinely curious just how significant the variables they created might be.
Clorin gazed at the adventurer markers darting busily across the map, wondering which of them might be the promising ones.
Having received my orders, I rode Ikelos across the hill toward the battlefield. It was less a hill and more a sheer cliff, but to Ikelos—who floated freely through the air—it posed no obstacle whatsoever.
With me in the lead, adventurers climbed onto the five Ikelos one by one.
"Three Diggers identified ahead!"
"I'll handle it!"
"I'll join you!"
I'd used my detection skill to scan the surroundings and called out the warning. Immediately, Goro behind me loosed an arrow while a newly joined adventurer cast a spell. An aura-infused arrow and a Fire Spear cut through the air, punching straight through the heads of two Diggers that hadn't spotted us yet. Their thin, assassin-like shells offered no protection, and they died instantly.
"Kiiik?!"
The last Digger noticed us too late. It couldn't withstand the storm of arrows that followed and collapsed before it could even retaliate.
Another adventurer who witnessed the scene burst out laughing.
"Bwahaha! This is brilliant! They clearly never expected us to move by clinging to the cliffside!"
"Of course not. You won't find a summon as unique as Argo's anywhere else."
While pure warrior Arash and the other adventurer couldn't have handled those Diggers themselves, their moment to shine would come after we secured the strongpoint. For now, they could simply clap and admire the archers' handiwork.
"The main force pulled back, but the plain is strangely quiet."
"They know the score. Pushing forward now would be pointless when five fortress villages are blocking every path."
Even if they broke through the plain, more difficult fortresses awaited. Better to wage a war of attrition here. If they could trade twenty War Ants for one human life, it was a win for them. Their plan was clearly to wear us down, reduce the defenders at the five fortresses, and then overwhelm them.
But the subjugation force wasn't foolish. We'd predicted their intentions long ago. Rather than sending the entire main force back to the villages, half had remained on the plain to monitor the enemy. Anticipating a prolonged battle, they were rotating shifts for rest and resupply. Things wouldn't go as easily as the War Ants hoped.
"Which is why our job is to secure the key strongpoints without fail."
"A team of five Bronze ranks. Failure isn't an option."
"The fact that we've only taken half the strongpoints so far is a disgrace to all adventurers."
The two adventurers ground their teeth. The enemy's dirty tactic of simply overwhelming them with numbers had prevented a clean occupation of the critical points, turning the entire battle into a sluggish slog.
The command center considered it fortunate to have claimed sixty percent of the objectives with such limited forces. The adventurers themselves felt differently.
Adventurers were the warriors who protected the North. Thanks to them, nobles could head to the front lines to fulfill their duties, and civilians could live their daily lives without fear. They had always produced the best possible results despite insufficient numbers, and now they were racking their brains to find the decisive move that would flip this situation.
Since I was an adventurer too, I joined their discussion, adding my thoughts to the mix.
Fortunately, the solution didn't take long to find.
Huh? Wait a second. If we do it like this…
The moment I understood the terrain and identified the key strongpoints, the optimal plan became clear. Since securing just those major locations would grant us the advantage in the main battle, I explained my idea to the others. It received an enthusiastic response.
Thus, a small elite team of five Bronze ranks was formed. If Silver ranks had joined, the enemy would have sensed something unusual and reacted accordingly. By deliberately limiting ourselves to Bronze adventurers, we scaled the steep cliff and advanced toward our target.
Thanks to the Ikelos, who weren't hindered by terrain, we reached the objective faster than either side could have anticipated.
"One minute until target location!"
"Finally our turn to step up."
"Once we arrive, we won't stop fighting for a second."
As the summit of the targeted hill drew near, the other side seemed to have noticed us. Shrill cries echoed from the War Ant positions.
Kiiiiik! Kiik!
Detecting the chaotic movement among the War Ants, we grinned and pressed forward to the strongpoint. This highest point on the hill was the most vital location in the northern sector—a position both sides had to defend at any cost.
"We're here! Deploy the supplies immediately!"
The moment we arrived, I began pulling out the massive stockpile from my inventory. Starting with smaller items—weapons, arrows, potions—then moving on to thick logs and massive stone bricks.
"Hup!"
"Haaah!"
Arash and the other adventurer flexed their impressive muscles as they lifted the heavy stone blocks. My inventory had more than enough capacity to build an entire castle here. If we properly established a defensive position, no amount of enemy numbers would be able to break through. We'd dominate them completely.
I snapped my fingers, summoning the Rune Golem while shouting,
"Ikelos! Rune Golem! You two carry bricks too!"
"Then we'll focus on sniping anything that gets close."
"I'll reinforce the ground with magic to make it rock solid."
I'll show you exactly what an impregnable cosmic defense looks like.