"Princess Yun."
After a brief silence, Kuilan asked.
"Have you written your will?"
Taken aback by the sudden question, Yun blinked and then nodded.
"Yes. Not just for this battle, but because you never know what might happen afterward."
"Let's exchange them."
"Eh? Exchange? Our wills?"
Kuilan was the first to pull out his will and hand it over.
"I'm embarrassed to say, but my will is full of shameful content. I got a bit emotional while writing it. From my thoughts on my deceased brother to messages for my subordinates, it's quite lengthy."
"Ah, I did something similar. I wrote a paragraph each for my mom, dad, brother, sister, and siblings, pressing down with tears. My face was burning when I read it again."
"After writing it, I thought I never want anyone to see this. Never."
"Me neither."
"So, to ensure that nobody reads it, we mustn't die."
After a moment of silence, Yun, laughing, took out her will and handed it to Kuilan. They exchanged their wills.
"Let's keep each other's wills. And after this battle, let's exchange them back."
"..."
"And then let's talk seriously. About how our relationship should proceed."
"Okay."
Yun carefully tucked Kuilan's will into her chest and sat next to him, gently resting her head on his shoulder.
"Since we're still in a flirty relationship, I can at least borrow your shoulder, right?"
"Anytime."
Looking up at the summer night sky sprinkled with the Milky Way, Kuilan whispered softly.
"Let's not die."
"Of course."
Yun chuckled lightly.
"I have no plans to die without even experiencing a proper relationship, only to be rejected all my life."
***
The next day at noon.
The hot summer sun was positioned right in the center of the southern sky, heating the air until the ground seemed to simmer.
At the forward base in front of the black lake, Crossroad's elite forces were positioned ready for battle.
"Remember, this is merely a preliminary battle."
I reiterated to the heroes and soldiers.
"It's a battle close to reconnaissance, to observe their condition and gauge their strength."
Throughout the scouting period, the Fly Monsters monsters had only fled.
Without engaging in proper battle, they merely slithered away into the darkness, avoiding us.
Thus, we currently have no combat experience against them, nor do we know who their legion commander is.
The real gathering of information starts now.
That's why I repeatedly instructed my subordinates to proceed with caution in the battle.
"Don't push yourselves too hard. If necessary, think of the forward base as expendable."
Listening to my words, the heroes and soldiers under my command glinted fiercely.
"Stay light on your feet, heavy in your vigilance. Minimize casualties and gather as much information on the enemy as possible, understand?"
"Yes!"
My elite forces answered in unison.
Then, the newly arrived 5 members dressed in protective suits – the 'Insect Busters' – strutted their stuff beside me.
"Don't worry too much, Your Highness. As long as we're here, any bug can be exterminated."
"Hmm."
"There's no need to be tense. We'll take care of the pest control..."
The Insect Busters were specially assigned to my direct party for their expertise in exterminating bugs.
Though their boastful attitude made the existing heroes somewhat uncomfortable, I was lenient with them.
For this battle, at least, they were undeniably an elite force comparable to any hero party.
Swoosh...
That's when it happened. The surface of the black lake began to ripple.
"Foam spotted on the lake surface! They're coming out!"
A scout attached to the telescope shouted. I commanded.
"Activate all artifacts around the lake! Don't delay!"
"Yes! Activating artifacts!"
Lilly shouted, stretching out her hand, and the artifacts previously installed by the alchemy team around the lake started to flash and activate.
I gnawed at my dry lips, waiting for the enemy's emergence.
Then,
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the artifacts I had installed around the lake detonated simultaneously.
"Damn...!"
I couldn't help but curse.
A teleport gate trap.
A trap that covered the lake's entrance with a giant teleport gate, sending the passing monsters to the spirit realm. It was the same one used during the battle with the Goblin God-King.
All the resources and a fortune that had been gathered were invested in creating it.
Bang! Boom!
Inside the lake, an ominous energy surged, destroying all the artifacts.
I had hoped that the unintelligent Fly Monsters monsters would easily fall for it, but it was so easily neutralized.
And immediately after.
Bubble, bubble, bubble...
The lake's surface began to boil tumultuously,
Pop!
Water droplets soared high into the sky.
And then- it appeared.
Roar!
A gigantic- almost as if dozens of airships were combined into one, a massive... but unmistakably Fly Monsters-shaped monster.
With devil-like horns protruding from its head, the enormous Fly Monsters slowly emerged above the lake's surface and stopped there.
"...?"
I blinked.
"What is that."
It was huge.
There's a considerable distance from the forward base to the lake, yet the creature was clearly visible to the naked eye.
It was too big. Could a Fly Monsters of such size even exist?
And if it did, how had it managed to hide from our scouts until now...?
I hurriedly opened the system window, and there,
[Enemy Information – STAGE 35]
- Lv.? King of Flies: 1 entity
The enemy information window had completely changed.
"King of Flies...?"
It was the first time I'd seen it.
An entity not even introduced in the game. A cold sweat ran down my spine.
Moreover, why is it alone?
Where are the other Fly Monsters...
Roar!
The next moment, as the creature spread its hundreds of legs to the sides,
Whirrr-
Whirrrrrrrrr!
Countless Fly Monsters stored inside its body began to pour out.
"...!"
I finally understood the 'structure' of the creature.
This gigantic monster was a conglomerate of countless Fly Monsters monsters merged into one.
Whirrrrrrrrr!
As if mimicking the sound of a hornet in flight, thousands of Fly Monsters poured out from either side of the King of Flies.
Then, they began to move in a manner not at all characteristic of ordinary flies.
In an orderly fashion.
Like fighter jets performing an aerobatic flight.
They started an endless rotation following a predetermined orbit.
Screeeeech!
From behind the King of Flies, they flew tirelessly, tracing a figure-eight trajectory on its side. The shape drawn by these thousands of Fly Monsters was clear.
Infinity (∞).
Thump-
Though incomprehensible to the human mind.
Somehow, through this inscrutable ritual, lift was generated, though the principle behind it was unknown.
Slowly, the massive body of the King of Flies rose into the air.
Swirling!
This time, hundreds of Fly Monsters emerged from the vicinity of the King of Flies's head and began to circle around it.
The dark afterimages they created while circling looked like a halo or aura around an angel, just by their shape.
The Fly Monsters drew three layers of halos above the King of Flies's head.
The innermost and outermost halos rotated to the right, while the middle halo rotated to the left.
The massive form of the King of Flies, now rising into the air, dominated the sky.
Was it a coincidence?
At this moment, the halos above the King of Flies's head obscured the sun.
Given the time was noon and they were directly to our south, it was a natural occurrence. The dark circle of flies seemed to devour the sun like a solar eclipse.
The brightest time of day suddenly covered in twilight.
And then, the King of Flies, stretching hundreds of its legs to the sides, in the next moment.
Click.
Folded those hundreds of legs inward, gathering them at the center of its body.
It looked like a gesture of prayer or as if putting palms together.
"...!"
Chills ran up my arms unknowingly.
Under the devoured black sun.
A monster in prayer, with halos formed of Fly Monsters above its head and wings of infinity formed by Fly Monsters behind its back.
Ominous, unclean, irreverent.
All actions of this Fly Monsters were beyond human comprehension, something I had never encountered before.
Honestly.
I felt a chill down my spine.
"My lord."
Turning at Lucas's voice, I saw Lucas with an expression I had never seen before.
"Something... something's wrong."
Pale.
Even Lucas had a bloodless face, swallowing dryly and muttering.
"Although the legion commanders we've faced before had extraordinary evil energy, this one..."
"..."
"Is too... too malevolent. It's suffocating. What exactly..."
My passive skill, [Unyielding Commander], was functioning perfectly.
All heroes at this forward base were under the influence of my passive skill. Even if this monster inflicted some sort of mental status anomaly, everyone would withstand it without issue.
But it didn't take any action.
Merely, by its existence.
Its form and actions, alien to human understanding, and its innate malevolence... had managed to dishearten everyone present.
"...Grr!"
I clenched my teeth.
So what now?
Is this the first time we've faced an incomprehensible or malevolent enemy? No, it's not.
Nothing changes. Nothing is different. It's a monster intent on destroying humanity, and we are here to stop such creatures.
"Prepare for battle-!"
At my command, the heroes and soldiers who had been in a daze snapped to attention.
"Don't panic! Fight as we've trained!"
I swung the flag and then firmly planted it into the ground.
"It's a conglomerate of Fly Monsters flies! Don't be intimidated just because it's big! In the end, it's made up of those Fly Monsters we can easily capture!"
It's similar to the carrier and interceptor concept from classic strategy simulation games.
The King of Flies is the aircraft carrier. The Fly Monsters making up its body are the interceptors launched from the carrier.
We were intimidated by the monolith's presence, but at its core, they're just flies.
"We can definitely defeat it! Don't panic, stay calm, and prepare for battle as trained!"
My repeated commands rallied my subordinates into an orderly defense formation.
Experienced artillerymen lined up the cannons, and the mage units gathered their magical power. Various traps and artifacts densely installed around the forward base were ready to activate in an instant.
And then, the King of Flies, slowly rising and approaching us-
Click.
Unfolding one of its hundreds of legs, it leisurely extended it forward.
And the end of that grotesquely hairy leg... gently traced a small circle.
Was it an illusion?
For a moment, that motion felt like the conductor of an orchestra directing with his baton.
Whirrrrrrrrrr!
Following that gesture, a portion of the Fly Monsters stored within the King of Flies's massive body emerged and... began to pour towards the forward base at breakneck speed.
Watching the Fly Monsters form a picture-perfect flight formation, I was momentarily speechless.
No aerial monster we had faced before.
Had ever flown in such a neat and beautiful formation.
"Prepare for battle-!"
I shouted until my throat was raw.
"They're coming-!"
--TL Notes--
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