Chapter 10: Chaos
Chapter 10: Chaos
AFTER he confirmed Isla was defeated, Takuto yielded himself to the onslaught of information pouring into his brain. The question of “Why” and “Where did I go wrong?” crossed his mind with every new bit of intel and disappeared just as fast without an answer.
Mynoghra’s entire army was in disarray, and the Dark Elves and his direct subordinate units with the ability to contact him were incessantly asking what they should do next. Ignoring all that noise, Takuto blocked out the world and placed himself in a thought bubble that offered some sense of calm.
…A normal person might have shriveled up and withdrawn from the world in his position. They might’ve escaped reality by shutting everyone out and huddling in a corner, hugging their knees. Some might’ve hidden their blunder by throwing a fit and yelling at everyone around them. But the man known as Takuto Ira didn’t fit those personality types.
Eternal Nations’ best player had mental fortitude on an entirely different level from the average person.
Takuto quietly closed his eyes and took deep, measured breaths. It only took a couple of seconds to clear his mind. The act was as normal and deliberate as an athlete taking in the morning sun before a routine jog. The only difference was…when Takuto reopened his eyes, he was greeted by a light that disgusted him in a way it hadn’t before.
“What happened, King Takuto?!”
A distraught telepathic message came from Atou as soon as he’d finished his little calming exercise, as if she’d timed it with that knowledge. Takuto had been so focused on Isla and the twins until now that he’d failed to answer her earlier queries, but he calmly switched over to their telepathic link and spoke with her.
“Isla has been defeated. It seems she was dragged into a forced death event.”
“How can that happen?!” He heard her click her tongue, stifling a swear as she raised her voice in frustration. “It’s like what happened to me, isn’t it?!”
Atou’s mind immediately went to the damage she’d suffered at General Ice Rock’s hands. And then it dawned upon her that in the adrenaline rush and confusion she’d felt after that battle, she’d failed to inform her king about the strange phenomenon she’d experienced.
Atou screamed at the top of her lungs, her beautiful face distorting with anger and outrage. But this was not the time for her to report her blunder and receive punishment. The most important thing for her to do right now was to ensure Takuto’s safety.
“Isla’s defeat is an emergency. I’ll immediately change course back to the capital. Please surround yourself with a guard detail and evacuate your current location!”
Isla’s destruction meant almost no military forces were left to protect Mynoghra’s Imperial Capital. Of course, there were Dark Elf Warriors on guard duty, and some of Eternal Nations’ units, such as the Brain Eaters, were around. While they should be enough to handle low-level monsters, they would be out of their league if another one of the Demon Lord’s Four Generals showed up. The situation was a thousand times worse than she’d imagined.
Atou spun on her heel and changed directions to race back to the Accursed Lands, feeling a sense of impending doom and annoyance unlike anything she’d felt before.
“About that…I need you to stay the course.”
It was none other than her king that caused Atou to stop dead in her tracks.
“Why would you ask that of me, my king?!”
A cloud of dust kicked up around her when she skidded to a halt and looked up at the sky while asking him about his intentions. Her expression had already surpassed a look of mere irritation and anger and was crumpling with her desire to cry. But it was the following words from her king that dried her tears and caused an even harsher look to cross her face.
“Isla is dead. That is the unfortunate truth. But the twins are still alive. They’re currently heading south, trampling their enemies along the way. They’re likely going to avenge Isla.”
“Those girls are?! What in the world has gotten into them?! They can’t do anything—”
“Isla used Demise of the Crown on them.”
With that, Atou understood everything Takuto was trying to tell her.
Demise of the Crown, one of Isla’s subskills, grants the Hero trait to a selected unit. Not only does it grant that Distinct Trait, but it also passes down a percentage of Isla’s stats at the time of her demise. In other words, the twins now had abilities and strength on par with a Hero unit.
It was still unclear what had happened right before and after Isla was defeated. But at the very end of her life, she’d succeeded in passing her power on to her daughters, bringing about the birth of a new Hero. Takuto…was planning on obtaining that Hero.
In Eternal Nations, units with the Hero trait are too important and irreplaceable to lose. They can’t be reproduced immediately after they get destroyed like regular units.
Now that it’d been revealed that there was a threat to Mynoghra in this world that they couldn’t ignore, mitigating the loss of any additional forces was of the highest priority.
“We can’t lose either of them now. The existence of Hero units will greatly affect the future of our empire… And most of all, those girls are our citizens.”
Atou understood the logic and reasoning behind what he was saying. She could even…understand the sentiment. But only if it were applied during peaceful times. It was not the right decision to make when the state of things was still up in the air.
“Then please call them back at once!” Atou demanded, momentarily forgetting she wasn’t just talking to a friend but also her king and Commander. “I propose we regroup at the capital and reorganize our forces before launching a counterattack!”
“We can’t do that. I can see what the girls are doing, but they aren’t taking orders.”
“What nonsense is that?! We don’t need units that can’t take orders! I suggest their immediate disposal!”
“Request denied.”
“KING TAKUTO!!!”
They were in a crisis. Their situation was the worst of the worst. Atou’s impatience rapidly ballooned, and the worst-case scenarios kept flashing in her mind. She didn’t know what had led to Takuto’s decision. To her, it only looked like he was being reckless. At the same time, she was tormented by the thought that her own blunder made things so much worse. No matter how confused and deflated she felt after that battle, she still should’ve informed him of the dangers of attacks influenced by different game mechanics.
Information is the most valuable resource during war. Without information, it’s the same as going into battle wearing a blindfold, and the damage caused by making a wrong decision based on a lack of intel is extraordinary.
Atou clenched her teeth so hard she could feel them cracking under the pressure…and then she shouted, “Great and mighty King Takuto! I have something I must report to you! The RPG’s mechanics are a real threat! It even bested me, your Atou, and took Isla from us! This failure is a direct result of our incompetence as your Heroes! The responsibility falls on our shortcomings! So please—please—reconsider your decision!” she implored, her face twisting as it might if she’d been forced to swallow bitter, bitter medicine.
She was basically demeaning herself to get her point across. How much resolve did it take for this Hero, who had absolute confidence in her strength and always took pride in being Takuto Ira’s sword and shield, to deny the very things she prided herself on? Blood dripped from where she bit her lip too hard, proving just how much determination it took for Atou to tell him these things.
But telling him was a double-edged sword.
It might only serve to confuse her king further. Atou might suffer the most unbearable misery yet if it caused him to be disappointed in her. However, that was a cheap price to pay if sacrificing her pride could alleviate his feelings of frustration and guilt and, in turn, help him make a more rational decision.
Everything was for her king, Takuto Ira.
She laid her heart bare for that reason, but…
“I see… Even so, please go to them. Isla left them in our care.”
Takuto’s stance was unchanged.
“I can’t expose Mynoghra—expose YOU—to danger over mere sentiment! Your Majesty—King Takuto, you are everything to me!”
The plea wrenched from her very soul wasn’t reaching him.
Atou expected the worst was yet to come, in the form of some unknown game mechanic leading to the twins’ demise and then her own.
She didn’t care if she died. It was no skin off her nose. But to Atou, Takuto’s death was the most unbearable thing in the world. The fear of that potentially happening because of her tormented Atou more than anything else. That’s why, when she received his next orders…Atou felt like she’d been struck by lightning.
“Atou, this is an order. You’re the only one I can rely on.”
“…sst!!”
Atou felt the air suck through her teeth in a gasp as her impassioned heart was doused with ice-cold water. It wasn’t disappointment or despair that cooled her down, but something akin to a fanatic experiencing an epiphany. She had been given an order; as such, there was only one thing for her to do.
At long last, the bitterness twisting her features gave way to understanding and resignation, and then…
“I will do as you command, my king.”
…she accepted her king’s decision.
“Thanks, Atou. I believe in you.”
Atou’s change of heart came from her suddenly remembering some very important things, such as just what kind of Commander her king was, how she’d always believed and obeyed his orders to a T, how Takuto Ira was the greatest player in Eternal Nations’ history, and how she was the only one…in a state of irrational disarray.
And more than anything else, she remembered the unique talent her master possessed and that she should always believe in…
Takuto Ira always pulls off the impossible in the eleventh hour.
That’s how it always was.
Whenever things got dicey, he’d give commands as if he were possessed by the God of Strategy and turn the tables to such a degree that none of his mistakes mattered, making him come out on top. That’s just the kind of man Eternal Nations’ strongest player was. And that was the man Atou trusted and loved with all her heart.
Atou’s feet finally moved to take her south. She’d already received all the information she needed to know. Apparently, he already had a firm grasp of the terrain through his shared connection with the twins, and Atou wasn’t sure if it was because her connection with him had grown stronger or not, but she could vaguely see what he did.
From the looks of it, they were already fighting at an outpost set up in front of where the Demon Lord’s Army had settled. They hadn’t yet confirmed their enemy’s strength or the twins’ new strength. There was a good chance Atou wouldn’t make it in time. But she was convinced she’d be able to rendezvous with the girls if she headed there at full speed.
Takuto Ira had given her the order to go, after all. There could be only one result then.
Atou charged through the wastelands. A crater formed each time her foot hit the ground, her inhuman legs propelling her forward faster than a horse.
The strategy was already decided, and she had accepted it. All that was left was for her to accomplish her mission, whatever it took.
Unshakeable determination gleamed in Atou’s eyes, and her evil presence grew even stronger. Meanwhile, the enemy monsters that sporadically attacked were scattered like dust before her. She had her king’s full support, which meant that there was no one in the world capable of stopping her forward march.
Except…
“Atou, there’s something I have to tell you first.”
“…What is it, my king?”
Takuto’s quiet voice reached Atou as she bounded down her pathless path. With her mind already made up to follow through with his strategy, Atou concentrated on his telepathic message to ensure she didn’t miss a single word.
“Be extremely careful…”
A dubious look crossed her face then transformed into something more sinister.
“They’re in berserker mode.”
The situation was far more chaotic than she’d expected.
