My Goblin System : Levelling up with my SSS Class Devouring skill

Chapter 376: Chapter 376 (EDITED)

”Wait—” Seraphina’s presence cut in. ”Lyra, deploying Vex’ahlia’s elites exposes them to observation. If Elric’s scouts see purple-skinned demon warriors, he’ll realize we have supernatural support.”

”Can’t be helped. We’re losing the wall battles without reinforcement. Better to reveal we have demon support than to lose Second Line completely.”

”If he sees demon warriors, he’ll escalate to deploying the Four Heroes—”

”Let him. We have you in reserve to counter them.” Lyra’s strategic calculation was ruthless. ”Right now, the immediate threat is losing these three wall sections. Deal with that first, worry about heroes second.”

”You’re making a mistake—”

”It’s my mistake to make. I’m in command. Deploy the elites.”

Seraphina’s mental presence radiated frustration but compliance.

Vex’ahlia’s fifty elite demon warriors deployed to the threatened wall sections. Their purple-tinted skin and centuries of combat experience immediately impacted the battles.

At the eastern wall, fifteen elites arrived and hit the human assault troops like a steel blade. These weren’t ordinary soldiers—they were demon-trained specialists with supernatural speed and strength.

An elite warrior named Kesh engaged three human soldiers simultaneously. His twin blades moved in patterns faster than human eyes could track. Three throats opened. Three bodies fell.

Another elite, a female warrior named Rethis, used corruption magic to enhance her physical capabilities mid-combat. Her blade struck with force that shattered shields and armor. She carved through human formations like a scythe through grain.

The eastern wall battle tilted. Human assault troops were pushed back toward the tower bridge, taking heavy casualties from the elite demon warriors.

But at a cost—Vex’ahlia’s elites were now visible to anyone observing the battlefield. Their purple skin and supernatural combat capabilities made it obvious they weren’t the Satou Settlement and there weren’t goblins but special demons due to their skin colors and the particular type of corruption spells they use, which links them to demon lord Seraphina.

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In the Human Command Tent

In Elric’s command tent at First Line, scouts burst in with urgent reports.

”Sir! Demon warriors on the walls! Purple-skinned, enhanced combat abilities, corruption magic augmentation. Our assault troops are taking heavy casualties!”

Elric absorbed this with grim satisfaction rather than surprise.

”Demon warriors. Loki’s forces, most likely.” He turned to Lieutenant Thorne. ”Send word to the heroes. Inform them that demonic forces have been confirmed on the battlefield. Tell them to prepare for potential deployment.”

”Prepare for deployment, sir? Not immediate deployment?”

”Correct. Prepare, not deploy.” Elric’s voice carried steel. ”We’re not calling them in yet.”

Lieutenant Thorne hesitated, clearly wanting to question the decision.

Elric addressed it directly. ”You think we should use the heroes now.”

”Sir, the demons are turning the battle—”

”At what cost?” Elric interrupted sharply. ”Relying on otherworldly champions to fight our battles? Admitting to the Pope that regular human forces can’t handle a settlement defended by monsters without intervention from summoned heroes?”

The political dimension became clear. This wasn’t just military—it was a test of whether the Church’s conventional forces could operate independently.

”This isn’t politics, Lieutenant. This is pride. The pride of every human soldier who trained for years to serve the Church.” Elric’s voice was hard. ”I will use the heroes if necessary. If demon lords deploy, if we face threats that regular forces genuinely cannot handle. But fifty demon warriors? That’s not beyond human capacity to fight.”

”Sir, with all respect—our casualty reports from the eastern wall are catastrophic. The demon warriors are killing our soldiers at a three-to-one ratio. Elite troops trained for decades are being cut down like recruits.”

Elric studied the tactical map, his jaw tight. ”I’m aware of the casualties, Lieutenant. I see the numbers. But consider what we’re fighting for here—not just this settlement, but the principle that human soldiers of the Church can stand against demonic forces without requiring divine intervention every time the battle turns difficult.”

”The men are dying, sir.”

”Men die in war,” Elric said flatly. ”That’s the nature of military command. The question isn’t whether casualties are acceptable in absolute terms—it’s whether they’re acceptable relative to the strategic objective. And right now, proving that the Church’s conventional military can break a fortified position defended by demon warriors without hero support is worth the blood price.”

Captain Marcus, one of Elric’s senior company commanders, spoke up from where he’d been reviewing assault reports. ”Commander, if I may—the men understand the necessity of casualties. They signed up knowing they might die. But they also know we have four heroes in reserve who could end this battle in minutes. Asking soldiers to die when victory could be achieved more cheaply... that affects morale, sir.”

Elric turned to face Marcus directly. ”Does it? Or does it build the kind of hardened military force that doesn’t need heroes to function? Captain, you served in the Demon Wars twenty years ago, before the heroes were summoned. What made those victories meaningful?”

Marcus considered carefully. ”We won them ourselves. With human tactics, human courage, human blood. When the banners came down after taking a demon fortress, every soldier knew they had done it—not some summoned champion with divine powers.”

”Exactly.” Elric’s voice carried conviction. ”And that pride, that knowledge that human forces could stand against supernatural evil and prevail... that built an army. That created soldiers who believed in themselves and their capabilities. The moment we start relying on heroes for every difficult battle, we become dependent. We lose that edge.”

”But sir,” Thorne pressed, ”the strategic situation—”

”The strategic situation is manageable,” Elric cut him off. ”Yes, the demon warriors are effective. Yes, our casualties are higher than I’d prefer. But we still have overwhelming numerical superiority. Fourteen hundred reserve infantry uncommitted. Artillery support. Three siege towers on the walls. The mathematics still favor us.”

He traced troop positions on the map with decisive gestures.

”Send word to the heroes to prepare. Then commit our reserve infantry. All fourteen hundred soldiers. The demon warriors are skilled, but they’re not invincible. Overwhelming numbers can still win this.”

”And if the demon warriors hold against our reserve forces?” Thorne asked.