Death… And Me

Chapter 4314: Be Grateful

Roan then explained the conclusions he had reached regarding their current situation in far greater detail.

Surprisingly, Wurshan neither looked shocked nor angry after hearing everything. Instead, he simply let out a long sigh while keeping his gaze fixed on the countless battalions spread across the frontline.

”I understand,” he eventually said. ”Given the circumstances, I honestly can’t blame the higher-ups for using us like that.”

Roan’s eyebrow rose slightly after hearing such a calm answer. ”That response was a lot calmer than I expected.”

Wurshan didn’t deny it.

”The Besgol Region, and pretty much every region surrounding this part of the Celestial Plane, is permanently under threat from the Godly Creatures. Everyone who grows up here understands that the survival of the Besgol Region comes before anything else.” He then glanced toward the distant defensive lines. ”If the region falls, even Law Gods would have difficulty escaping safely to another region. As for everyone below that level...”

Wurshan shook his head.

”They would simply die.”

His tone remained calm, but there was no lack of seriousness behind those words.

”And let’s be honest,” he continued, ”even those higher-ups making these decisions today were once standing exactly where we are now. They were also frontline soldiers at some point. The only difference is that they managed to survive long enough to rise higher.”

Roan’s opinion of Wurshan improved quite a bit after hearing that explanation.

”Exactly,” Roan agreed. ”Still, understanding the situation doesn’t mean we should simply accept death without trying anything.”

”Of course not!” Wurshan answered immediately. A determined expression appeared on his face as his aura faintly surged around him. ”I’m obviously going to fight with everything I have to survive those first waves long enough to stop their momentum.”

He then recalled the battlefield simulation Roan had shown him earlier.

”According to your projections, once the momentum of the first waves is broken, leaving frontline battalions like ours to die would actually become a terrible tactical decision. Reinforcements would immediately push forward to counterattack while the hordes are stalled, preventing them from moving again.”

That conclusion was also part of Roan’s calculations.

The greatest danger posed by the Godly Creature hordes wasn’t necessarily the individual strength of the creatures themselves.

It was their momentum.

Once the waves began charging forward, they would trample nearly everything in their path through sheer numbers and overwhelming force alone. Entire defensive formations could collapse almost instantly under that impact.

However, the Godly Creatures still lacked true intelligence.

If the frontline managed to stop the initial charge, then the waves behind would also be forced to halt. Eventually, countless Godly Creatures would pile together into enormous clusters with very limited mobility.

That was the moment when the frontline arrays would become truly devastating.

Especially the explosive arrays buried beneath the battlefield.

Sending reinforcements during that stage to counterattack and push the hordes backward was simply the most efficient strategy possible. They would use the chaos caused by the arrays.

The problem was that nobody actually expected the low-level battalions stationed at the very front to survive long enough for that phase to arrive.

According to Roan’s simulations, only around the third or fourth defensive line would the hordes finally lose enough momentum to stop completely.

And if things turned worse than expected...

...then perhaps even the fifth line would end up being forced into the fight.

In fact, most of the large-scale arrays prepared for the counteroffensive weren’t even positioned ahead of the first frontline.

They were buried directly beneath the first defensive battalions and slightly behind them.

The meaning behind that placement was obvious.

The frontline soldiers had always been expected to die while buying time.

Wurshan soon turned his attention back toward Roan. ”So, you obviously didn’t ask to speak with me just to explain how we’re likely getting wiped out, right?”

Roan naturally had another purpose. ”I need to ask you something. Do you know Fushio, the commander of our battalion?”

Wurshan shook his head. ”Not really. He’s from Turanzo, after all. Most battalion commanders stationed here are natives of the country since they understand the terrain and defensive structure much better than the allied countries that came to assist.”

Roan nodded before asking another question. ”Do you think he would listen to you?”

This time, Wurshan pondered for a moment before answering. ”Hard to say. Why?”

”I believe I can make our battalion survive long enough for the waves to lose momentum,” Roan explained directly. ”Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about the battalions positioned on our right and left. Once they collapse, and they most likely will, we’ll eventually become surrounded.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly. ”For that reason, I need command authority over our battalion so I can direct the troop movements properly.”

Wurshan stared at Roan for a few seconds.

He already knew Roan was powerful. The mission involving the Carcatira Alligators had proven that much.

Still, personal combat strength and commanding large-scale forces were completely different matters.

”How long would we need to survive?” Wurshan finally asked.

”Fourteen minutes,” Roan answered without hesitation.

His confidence made even Wurshan pause briefly.

Roan continued. ”As long as we can hold for fourteen minutes, the combined defensive lines farther back should eventually stop the momentum of the first waves. Most likely, the third or fourth defensive lines will be enough.”

Roan then calmly finished his statement. ”I can make us last that long.”

Wurshan fell silent after hearing that.

The battlefield simulation Roan had shown him wasn’t public information. Naturally, the higher-ups would never reveal those kinds of predictions to the frontline battalions.

If soldiers knew they were essentially being used as disposable sacrifices, many would abandon their posts before the Godly Creatures even arrived.

However, after seeing Roan’s calculations personally, Wurshan had to admit that Roan’s conclusions were most likely correct.

And if Roan could analyze the battlefield to such a degree...

...then he probably possessed significant experience commanding large-scale forces.

Honestly, that wasn’t even particularly surprising.

Roan was an ascender.

Ascenders were infamous for carrying absurd amounts of experience in one field or another.

Eventually, Wurshan nodded. ”I think I have a way to make this work.”

Roan waited for him to continue.

”However, you won’t be the one openly giving commands,” Wurshan explained. ”That role will fall to me. Or rather, it will appear that I’m the one directing the battalion.”

He pointed toward himself. ”You just need to remain close to me and quietly tell me what decisions to make. Would that work?”

For Roan, that was already more than enough.

”It would.”

Still, another issue remained. ”How exactly are you planning to convince Fushio to allow that, though?”

Wurshan faintly smiled before turning around and beginning to walk away. ”Let’s just say that when enough benefits are placed on the table, certain privileges become achievable.”

He then glanced back briefly. ”I owed you one, and I’m definitely taking this opportunity to pay it back.”

Roan watched Wurshan leave before regrouping with Rean and the others.

*Pin!*

Suddenly, Sister Orb’s notification echoed in their minds.

[As insignificant as it may seem, the survival of a single battalion could greatly influence the final outcome of this battle. The Besgol Region constantly attempts to reduce losses as much as possible so it can continue resisting the Godly Creatures in future wars.]

[New quest available!]

[Do not allow more than 400 members of your battalion to die before the momentum of the first waves is stopped.]

[Reward: 20 Orb Points.]

[Reward Two: New skill available for the Orb System.]

The timing of the quest appearing immediately after Wurshan left made Rean blink in surprise. ”Is Wurshan someone important or something?”

Roan didn’t have an answer for that. ”Who knows?”

Still, his attention quickly shifted toward the contents of the quest itself. ”The important part is that the mission requires us to keep at least half the battalion alive. Four hundred casualties is exactly fifty percent of our total forces.”

Celis found that requirement extremely difficult. ”Honestly, before hearing this, I was expecting no more than a hundred survivors at best,” he admitted. ”And even that would already count as an excellent result considering the situation.”

”It’s because Sister Orb is useless even when assigning quests. There is no helping that,” Kentucky casually threw out.

[Fuck you!] Sister Orb exploded immediately. [You know perfectly well that rewards are determined based on several conditions, especially overall difficulty! Why do you think I managed to offer twenty Orb Points this time?! You should be grateful instead!]

Roan completely ignored the argument between the two. ”In any case, there is also the Godly Beast hunting quest that awards one Orb Point for every two hundred kills achieved inside the Sacred Relic’s influence.”

A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. ”We might as well use this opportunity to kill as many of them as possible.”

Then he added one final sentence. ”Besides... I have an idea regarding that quest that I want to test.”