All That War (3)
By the time Habitz had fully recovered, demon forces from across the three continents had converged on the central continent.
Led by six legion commanders, an army of Hell—220 million strong—gathered in the Galon Kingdom.
Two hundred and twenty million.
It was an unimaginable decrease compared to the first army.
"They underestimated the Break." The system-destroying ability produced results that weren't reducible to simple arithmetic.
Gaold, who had annihilated the south, Shirone, who had ruined Gustav.
"Rian's a tricky one, too." Natasha approached Balkan, who sat staring at the world map.
"How strong is he?"
"Strong? If strength includes being impossible to approach with conventional concepts… then yes, he's strong."
By sheer numbers, no human would surpass Natasha's combat ability.
"He's like a joker in a card game. Different rules apply—rules outside the usual ones. That makes him hard to deal with."
Smodo stepped forward.
"Having the joker doesn't guarantee you win. It's advantageous, sure, but not decisive."
"Right. And now we have our own joker."
Habitz sat on the commander's bunk, putting a bottle to Derys's child.
"Peekaboo."
Habitz seemed fascinated by the child.
"A being outside the Law yet tied to it. Habitz's vanishing clearly falls under the Break."
Smodo asked, "What are you going to do?"
With the Gustav Empire destroyed, they had nowhere to return to.
"We push forward. The central continent is the crux. If we break through here, we can cross the southern continent and reach Zion."
By then the human forces would probably be mostly sorted out.
The army of Hell—220 million—was reorganized into six legions and the war began.
Habitz's brief delay had bought the Order some time, but the situation was still desperate.
"Commander! The 13th Brigade has been annihilated! The hell army is crossing the Argant Mountains and moving south!"
"Eighth Division destroyed! Casualties number around thirty thousand."
One grim dispatch after another arrived, and the commanders reconfigured the strategic board in real time.
Iruki bit her lip.
"There's no way."
People liked to say humans had no limits.
But Iruki knew how arrogant and empty that claim was.
"There isn't! There really isn't!"
There was nowhere to look for a decisive victory.
Even a fool would agree that with 220 million demons, any battle could be lost.
"Balkan."
And the opponent Iruki faced was the greatest gambler—someone who had beaten every one of those "card players."
"Kekeke, it's obvious, just like I thought." Balkan hadn't met Iruki face to face yet, but he felt like he knew the woman.
Smodo asked, "Is the Order's army at its limit?"
"No. That guy's a genius. Honestly, if not for the mass-weapon, things might've turned around."
"You must be joking. How big's the disparity in forces…?"
It sounded like a joke, but in reality Balkan couldn't guarantee the outcome.
"He has a weakness."
Balkan shifted the armies on the map.
"He measures the efficiency of war in human terms. That's why he can't win. One hundred thousand lives. Surely, to chant about their lives would take a lifetime and still not be enough…"
The six legions formed a radial deployment.
"In war, they're just a hundred thousand—just a number. Lives you could name in a second—just a hundred thousand lives."
Like putting chess pieces back in a box when the game ends, in war humans were merely tools.
"Now, I move like this. Over there will writhe in agony without even a breath."
The Third Legion advanced one hundred kilometers.
Smodo shook his head at Balkan's perverse delight.
"Kekeke. How's that, kid?"
Balkan lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Iruki.
"War is fun, isn't it?"
Iruki slammed the table.
"Damn it!"
Even as she raged, reports of the Order's units being slaughtered kept coming.
"The capital of Galon has fallen. Estimated casualties exceed three hundred thousand."
"Three hundred thousand."
The staggering weight of lives made her head swim.
"I'm the one who kills them." Gray hairs kept spreading—Iruki's hair was nearly all gray now.
"I— I…"
It was taboo for the Commander-in-Chief to show despair, yet Iruki had already gone numb.
"Sir." A commander who assisted her stepped forward and offered a strong liquor.
"Drink. Cool your head, at least."
Iruki let out a bitter laugh.
"You want me to drink? Do you realize the lives of hundreds of thousands hang on my orders?"
Who would follow the strategy of a drunk?
"Exactly why you should drink." The commander pushed the bottle forward. "If the person holding hundreds of thousands of lives gets tipsy after a drink, then he isn't fit to be Commander-in-Chief."
Iruki turned to the commander.
"Your strategy is excellent. No one in the Order can think like you. But… this is war."
The commander spoke the words he'd been holding in.
"I don't care how many die. If we can't win, we all die anyway. The Valkyries follow you not to survive, but to win."
When Iruki slowly took the bottle, the commander bowed and pleaded.
"Please—win for us."
Staring at the commander, Iruki opened the cap and gulped it down.
"Phew."
She had to become a devil.
"For the sake of victory…"
As her thinking widened, elements that had been invisible before began to coalesce.
She still couldn't see a way to win, but at least a chance to avoid mutual annihilation seemed possible.
"The problem is time. If we don't make it as fast as possible…"
She had no choice but to trust Nade.
"Long time no see, Nade."
Richard, chairman of the Ainka Foundation, greeted Nade as he stepped down from the luxury carriage.
Neatly dressed, Nade was flanked by secretaries from Nade Military Industries.
"You've changed a lot, Richard the Alchemist."
Richard shrugged.
"Kekeke, shame about that old school nickname… Anyway, let's go. I hear you're busy—"
Richard had arranged the meeting to attract investments from wealthy backers around the world.
The funds required to develop the elemental bomb were astronomical, and the Order was running out of time.
What would normally take over three years had to be finished in months.
The only way to shorten time was money.
"They're all waiting."
In the VIP room of an upscale club, the world's tycoons sat arrogantly, waiting for the pair.
"Sorry for the delay. I'm Richard Ainka of the Ainka Alchemy Foundation."
Nade bowed.
"I'm West Nade, CEO of Nade Military Industries. Pleased to meet you."
After brief introductions, Nade laid various documents on the table.
"As noted, the elemental bomb's value is great enough to change humanity's future. If you invest in the Order—"
"Wait a second."
"Ah, come on. Don't be so rough."
The tycoons, each with at least two top courtesans at their elbows, barely listened to Nade.
"If you invest in the Order, we guarantee a minimum return of 1,200 percent."
Nade finished calmly.
They had likely examined the risks through private channels.
The investment opportunity was tempting, but the concept of an elemental bomb itself would make many uneasy.
"Iruki's elemental collapse theory could become a revolutionary technology that changes the future."
A bomb with power surpassing magic.
If commercialized, the entrenched powers that controlled the world would face upheaval.
The bald man spoke up.
"Is that it? The briefing was impressive. So you want us to invest?"
"Yes. The world is under threat. Please, for the greater good, lend us your strength."
It was a plea unlikely to move them.
"Right, right. I get the message. By the way, you're from Alpheas Magic School, aren't you?"
"Yes. I am."
"Isn't there a singer from your school named Maya? She's been a hot topic among young people lately."
A long-haired man across the table cut in.
"Oh? Todd, you know Maya? I saw her once—she was incredible."
"Hahaha! Isn't she the number-one idol among soldiers right now? Anyway, you know her?"
Nade blinked. "Yes, we were schoolmates. But why ask about Maya?"
Todd winked at Nade.
"Can you bring her here? That little agency's been insufferably picky. She acts like she's above the Order. She needs to be taught a lesson before she ends up dead."
"About Maya—"
"Why the fuss? It's for a good cause, right? We must all help each other for humanity's sake. If you bring Maya, I won't forget you."
A thread of sanity snapped in Nade.
"Damn it—!" Electricity crackled off him. Richard sprang up and lunged at Todd.
Without a word, he grabbed a liquor bottle from the table and smashed it into Todd's head.
"Aaaah!"
The heavy bottle shattered as Todd clutched his head and slumped under his chair.
Nade stood stunned while Richard wiped blood from his palm and said, "Do you think Alpheas Magic School is a joke? How dare you touch my classmate?"
Todd jabbed a finger. "You, you bastard! Do you know who I am? The Ainka Foundation! You think you can get away with this?"
"You'd better get a grip on the situation. Just because she's a singer you look down on her? Do you know what Maya's classmates are doing now?"
The cohort Shirone graduated with was called the Golden Generation at Alpheas.
"You… you…!"
Todd fell silent as several names popped into his head. Richard strode for the door and shouted, "Nade! Let's go! Are you going to entrust the future to guys like these?"
"Eh? Uh, yeah."
Nade grabbed Richard's shoulder as they left the club, grinning.
"Hey, wait. What are you going to do?"
"And you? The bald guy's lucky. If I hadn't smashed that bastard's head in, you would've killed him."
Nade couldn't deny it.
"How's the hand? Let's disinfect it."
"Forget it. You know my body, Richard the Alchemist. Let it be. The rich aren't only them."
"Right. Let's find other investors." Because it was Maya, Nade could let go completely and climbed into the carriage.
"Excuse me."
A sharp-looking man with horn-rimmed glasses approached with measured steps.
"Mr. West Nade?"
Nade glanced at Richard and answered, "Yes. I'm Nade."
"I see. I heard you were seeking investors."
"Who are you?"
The elemental bomb project was no longer a total secret, but very few knew details.
"We may be able to provide funding. If you're interested, could you spare a moment?"
Richard asked, "You can fund us? I don't know what rumors you've heard, but this isn't an amount one person usually provides."
"It's possible. Whatever the amount." The man smiled, reached into his inner pocket, and produced a coin which he tossed to Nade.
"This is my card."
"What is this????"
Nade's eyes lit when he examined the coin, and Richard's mouth fell open in surprise.
"A gold-wheel coin."
Fermi's face came to mind.