Final Preparations at Crete Fortress
The levitation boat carrying me soared toward Crete Fortress. Covered head to toe in blue blood, I gazed down at the white clouds drifting beneath us, a faint smile playing on my lips. We'd successfully wrapped up the reinforcement assault on Rar Fortress.
Recently, the Lil Spider swarms had concentrated around Zaboll Fortress, leaving only a scant few at Rar Fortress. Multiple aerial recon flights confirmed their numbers at roughly a few thousand. Deeming it feasible, I'd mobilized every levitation boat to strike Rar Fortress and annihilate them completely.
On the way back, I'd spotted a massive Lil Spider swarm heading for Rar Fortress. Once we'd wiped out Rar, the horde stationed at Zaboll had split up.
The distance between Rar and Zaboll Fortresses spanned dozens of kilometers—about two days' march at the Lil Spiders' pace. If we fought now at Crete Fortress, they'd be forced into staggered assaults every two days.
In other words, defending Crete Fortress had gotten a whole lot easier. We could pick off the divided enemy forces one by one.
It's about time to smash their main force.
The Lil Spider swarms were plunging into chaos right now. Bewildered about where to strike next, they milled about in confusion, taking mounting casualties from our levitation boats' sudden drops and Najir's unit's ambushes.
All that remained was to pick the right moment and shatter their core swarm.
The only issue was their sheer numbers, but with thorough preparation, there was no reason we couldn't wipe them out.
But one crucial fact could never be forgotten: capturing the Lil Spider Queen.
Lil Spider swarms operated like ant colonies. Without taking out the Spider Queen that laid their eggs and swelled their ranks, this war would never end.
"My lord husband. We'll arrive at Crete Fortress soon."
The skies over Crete Fortress were crystal clear, not a cloud in sight.
As I peered down at the ground, my eyes drifted to the harbor. Countless ships were docked at the port near Crete Fortress—it had to be the fleet carrying General Adan's forces.
"Got it. Good work."
The levitation boat touched down in the fortress's open plaza, and I grabbed the Chaos Pieces we'd harvested from Rar Fortress.
Soon after, a massive contingent of troops marched into Crete Fortress. With magic cars leading the vanguard, it was unmistakably General Adan's Kara Central Army. Kara was the only nation in the world operating magic cars in their military.
***
In the command center building's conference room at Crete Fortress, the commanders from each army gathered around a round table centered on me.
Santys Knight and Leonardo Knight led the 16,000 Central Church forces; Fabius Duke and Burto Count commanded the 20,000 Bastain troops; Kasim, General Adan, and Bayan headed the 15,000-strong contingent. Armida Sister, Katrinah, and the four Great Saintesses attended as observers.
At my signal, Bayan stood and approached the podium to begin the strategy briefing.
"The massive Lil Spider swarm is currently divided between Rar Fortress, which we seized from them, and Zaboll Fortress. Approximate numbers: 800,000. Up slightly from the 600,000 we scouted a month ago."
A good number of the assembled commanders groaned at the gravity of the situation. 800,000 monsters? The mere thought was nightmarish.
Others, however, remained unfazed. Santys Knight, who'd fought in the previous Zaboll Fortress battle, brimmed with confidence after their one-sided victory.
Santys Knight chimed in.
"No need for everyone to worry so much. Our allied forces are more than prepared."
"Santys Knight, aren't you being a bit too complacent? We're talking 800,000 monsters. We barely scrape together 51,000 troops. If they come at us all at once, Crete Fortress won't hold out long."
Leonardo Knight raised the counterpoint. Affiliated with the Darkness faction, he already viewed the Light faction's Santys Knight with disdain. But his remark stemmed from cold reality, not emotion. By any common sense, 51,000 soldiers couldn't stop 800,000 monsters.
Santys Knight waved dismissively.
"That's because you don't know the strength of our forces."
"Are you saying you've gotten cocky, Santys Knight? The disparity is eightfold—just in raw numbers. How can you be so confident?"
Santys Knight's face soured at Leonardo Knight's sharp criticism, but true to his faith, he quickly composed himself and responded politely.
"Had I not experienced the last battle, I'd have thought the same as you, Knight. The odds were 50,000 monsters against our 16,000—we were overwhelmingly outmatched. Yet our losses were just three accidental deaths. The monsters? 50,000 wiped out."
"You're certain?"
"Yes. They melted under magic cannon barrages and rapid-fire magic bullet launchers before even reaching the walls. The lucky ones that tumbled into the moat burned to ash in Yorgant's flames. And you've seen the levitation boats here. Warfare's paradigm has shifted entirely. It's a far cry from the old days of spear and sword. With ample supplies, this is winnable."
Leonardo Knight looked troubled. Hard to argue against objective battle results.
"But we can't guarantee the same outcome this time."
"Of course we shouldn't predict war's end lightly, but underestimating our own strength is equally unwise. You'll see once we fight, Knight. I felt the same before the last battle—relying solely on divine grace. But afterward, I was ashamed of my fear. God had already granted humanity immense power, yet I lacked faith in it."
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat repeatedly to halt their exchange. Nice going while it lasted, Santys Knight, but now you're veering into theology. All this was my preparation and foresight, yet he credited it all to divine favor.
Couldn't help but feel irked.
"Bayan. Continue."
Bayan nodded and pressed on with the briefing.
"We chose Crete Fortress as our decisive battlefield because it borders the sea."
The biggest advantage of a coastal position was Kasim's pirate ships providing naval gunfire support—denser crossfire to inflict devastating losses on the Lil Spider horde.
Plus, the nearby port enabled easy ship resupply.
And the wide gravel beds along the surrounding river could serve as makeshift shotgun ammo in a pinch or substitutes for stones dropped from levitation boats.
Santys Knight nodded approvingly.
"So no risk of supply depletion like last time?"
"Correct."
"Excellent."
Bayan flipped to the next slide.
"We currently have 30 levitation boats available. That's double our air support capacity from the last battle."
Fabius Duke raised his hand.
"Hold on. Why the sudden jump in levitation boats?"
I answered that one. Bayan didn't know nine came from Evelyn.
"We had some in flight testing. They finished up, so we deployed them all."
"I see. No more hiding somewhere?"
"Nah. This is scraping the barrel."
"Got it."
With our brief exchange done, Bayan moved on.
"Though some commanders worry about the 800,000 Lil Spiders, we'll face less than half that in individual engagements."
Leonardo Knight raised his hand.
"Why's that?"
"The horde is split between Rar and Zaboll Fortresses, with smaller groups scattered around."
"Staggered assaults?"
"Yes. Highly likely."
Leonardo Knight nodded.
"Fortunate, at least."
"Still a huge number. No room for complacency."
"Obviously. When do we start fighting?"
"We're timing it perfectly."
Santys Knight raised his hand in objection.
"Do we need to wait? Our readiness is already perfect."
"Delaying works in our favor. No loss in patience for the optimal moment—their swarms dwindle and scatter further under our air drops meanwhile."
Leonardo Knight agreed heartily.
"Better play it safe. Waiting benefits our alliance—no need to rush."
"Yes."
Bayan shifted topics. They were reinforcing the walls at nearby Hardita Port—erecting turrets and raising battlements in full swing.
Once complete, we'd secure stable resupply and gain a new firing base against future Lil Spider incursions: sea, Crete Fortress, and now Hardita Port.
Thus, the alliance tentatively set the project's end as decisive battle day. Three strongpoints beat two.
***
Hardita Port's refurbishment was complete. The moment of reckoning approached.
Levitation boats shifted from drop assaults to recon; Najir's unit at Zaboll held back, lying low.
Preparations were finished.
Magic cannons on fortresses and ships stood ready to roar; Rolan's Poison Fog herb piles lined the southern plains south of Crete Fortress, soaked and primed. The moats were wider and deeper; warehouses brimmed with war materiel.
Unlike the Zaboll fight, morale soared. Veterans spread tales of victory, boosting spirits sky-high.
We had experience now, ample supplies. Even if they all came, we could handle it.
"Najir. Status over there?"
Najir replied from the communication orb.
"Same as usual. Lil Spiders crawling everywhere."
"Right. But once our bait unit moves, they'll drain out like the tide. Hold until then, then guerrilla harass newcomers to draw attention. Stick to the plan—no reckless outings."
"Yes."
"Report every new swarm passing Zaboll. Got it?"
"Yes, understood."
"Any other oddities?"
Najir looked awkward.
"The men are griping. Cabin fever from being cooped underground."
I nodded sympathetically. Over two months in cramped shelters—complaints were inevitable.
"Tell them the fight ends soon. Ten days max. Sunlight guaranteed."
"Got it. Oh, your friend has something to say."
I tilted my head.
"Friend?"
"Hubeo."
I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, Hubeo's there?"
Hubeo shoved Najir aside, filling the screen.
"Hey! You stuck me in this unit!"
"Me? Really?"
"Yeah! Told Najir's crew I'd heal wounded with magic!"
"Oh yeah. Tough gig, huh."
I feigned recall. I'd forgotten him for over two months—best play dumb and console.
"Seriously. How could you bury me underground for two months?"
"What choice? They need a healer. And it worked out for you anyway."
"How?"
"Two months of perfect runaway alibi. Clan won't blame you since you were 'trapped' at Zaboll."
Hubeo sulked in the orb. His wandering with me was for runaway legitimacy. He'd suffered underground, but I'd granted his wish.
"Anyway, I can't stay longer."
"Then come out. But I won't cover the aftermath. How many monsters there?"
"Hey! Send a levitation boat!"
I shook my head firmly.
"No way. Battle's imminent. Hang tight—sun soon."
"For real!"
"Gotta go. Busy."
I cut the magic comm ruthlessly. Too much on my plate for Hubeo's whining.
I turned to Bayan behind me.
"Time to hook the Lil Spiders. Deploy the bait unit."
"Yes."
Bayan rushed out to launch the bait. Decisive battle day was today.
End of Crete Fortress.