I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 203 Greed, Foolishness, Price, Deprivation

The next day, early in the morning.

Inside the Allied headquarters command tent, Roxie, dressed in military uniform, was calmly gazing at the sand table in front of her. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that her blue eyes appeared somewhat unfocused.

Clearly, their attention wasn't on the sand table; they were thinking about something else.

It wasn't until heavy footsteps sounded outside the tent that she snapped out of her daze. Sensing the chilling magical aura emanating from outside the tent, so different from her own, she seemed to guess the identity of the person who had entered. A glint of light flashed in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously began to turn up slightly.

"Wow!"

As the tarpaulin was suddenly pulled open, what greeted Roxie's eyes was an exceptionally large shadow.

The other party was tall, at least three meters, but his body was somewhat hunched. Although his upper body had the head of a square middle-aged human male, his cheeks were covered with large, dense, dark green scales.

Its arms are slender and reach all the way to its knees, but its legs are exceptionally thick and have a beast-like appearance, with ferocious and sharp nails protruding, leaving scratches of varying depths on the ground whenever it walks.

In conjunction with the sail-like dorsal fin that extends from the neck to the buttocks, and the thick tail that swings unconsciously.

The other party's identity is already obvious.

"Commander of the 109th Division of the Third Orc Legion, Major General Zalga Blackswamp, greets General Roxie!"

Facing the scrutinizing gaze of the relatively short blonde woman in front of him, Zalga took the initiative to cup his hands in greeting.

"On behalf of the Fifth Army Corps, I welcome you, Major General Zalga Kurozuma."

Seeing that the other party took the initiative to lower his posture from the start, instead of trying to test his bottom line with foolish behavior like Gary, Roxie instantly realized that this heir of the Black Swamp Clan was a smart man.

But outwardly, she calmly played with the chess pieces in her hand, then casually said:

"To be honest, the 109th Division arrived earlier than I expected. After all, in my impression, the 2nd Imperial Division's combat strength was relatively good."

"With the added firepower of the heavy magic cannon vehicles, even if we are attacked from both divisions, we should not be defeated in about half a day."

"So, if I'm not mistaken, the 109th and 502nd Divisions probably didn't manage to annihilate the enemy this time. They only routed them before joining forces and rushing here?"

"...Although there were some special circumstances, in general it is indeed as you said. Our side failed to completely annihilate the enemy, but only killed most of them, about five thousand people."

Seeing that the other party had hit the nail on the head, Zhalga stopped struggling and honestly told the truth:
"Upon discovering that they were caught in a pincer movement, the enemy commander immediately led his troops to retreat to Morning Star Territory in the north, while simultaneously deploying a heavy magic artillery regiment to cover their rear."

"Under the enemy's overwhelming firepower, it was difficult for us to pursue them. We could only prioritize eliminating the enemy's rearguard."

"By the time we dealt with them, the enemy's main force had already withdrawn. Considering their vehicle advantage and your order to reach the Dark Corridor as soon as possible, we had no choice but to abandon the pursuit and come to meet you instead."

Having said that, seemingly afraid that this troublesome human woman would find fault with him again, Zalga added:
"However, thanks to the reconnaissance of the Black Swamp scouts I sent out, I have learned the movements of this remnant army. The enemy has now retreated to Horseshoe City and set up camp within the city."

"Based on the troop losses suffered by the enemy and our forces in previous battles, it can be concluded that the enemy's current total strength does not exceed five thousand men, and their magic artillery regiment, which they rely on, has been destroyed by our side in this joint operation."

"Therefore, this force has become a toothless tiger, and in my opinion, it poses no threat to our army."

"And it was precisely because of this consideration that I chose to return together with the 502nd Division."

After saying that, Zalga stopped talking and stood there silently observing Roxie's expression.

"Five thousand... Although I'm a little disappointed, this is a fairly standard choice."

Roxie nodded noncommittally. In fact, it didn't matter to her whether the 109th Division annihilated the Imperial 2nd Division. As long as John Maslow's main force was dealt with, the recapture of Faoken Bay would be a piece of cake for her.

The most important thing is that with the arrival of the 109th Division, her plan to cause a landslide can officially begin.

In other words, tonight is the night she will completely win over John Maslow!
Thinking of this, Roxie's smile grew even wider.

She casually tossed the chess piece from her fingertips and turned to Zalga, saying:

"Major General Zarga, now that we have reunited, I won't waste any more words. I need you to lead the entire 109th Division, utilizing the Black Swamp Clan's expertise in cave warfare, to serve as the vanguard of the main force in this battle and help me achieve victory."

"As a reward for your support, after we win this battle, I can, in the name of a lieutenant general of the kingdom, request the esteemed Beastman King of the Kingdom of Saga to specially request a 'purple warrior' banner' for your Black Swamp tribe clan in recognition of your heroic performance. What do you say?"

The so-called warrior's banner is actually a symbol of honor.

From top to bottom, they are divided into five levels: gold, red, purple, blue, and green.

It's roughly the same as the Iron Cross First Class that John previously received; it's a symbol of honor.

However, unlike humans who regard it as a personal achievement, the warrior's banner in orc culture not only represents bravery but also has many practical functions.

For example, clans that carry warrior banners can enjoy different levels of tax exemption when trading between tribes, depending on the rank of the warrior banner.

Furthermore, if they were to use the Warrior's Banner as a price, they could proactively apply for protection from large tribes, or directly exchange for territories and resource-producing areas of varying sizes.

Furthermore, to demonstrate loyalty to the king, any territory acquired through the honor banner, regardless of size, will enjoy a twenty-year period of security, during which no tribe may occupy or plunder it.

The purple warrior's banner given by Roxie could be exchanged for something roughly equivalent to a medium-sized salt mine or a secondary magic crystal mine.

As for precious metal ores, because the orcs did not master the relevant smelting technology, minerals such as mithril and adamantite, which are very popular in human society, are not valuable in the eyes of the orcs, but rather seem like a pile of burdens.

After all, compared to the finest iron ore that can be forged into incredibly sharp weapons, and the sturdy and durable ore that is difficult to break even when bombarded by artillery shells, it is much more difficult to forge such ore.

These can only be used for fancy magical technologies, and the smelting process is extremely complex, while the conversion process is extremely dangerous.

Most orcs wouldn't even consider using such dangerous 'scrap' metal, which could easily be blown up by a magic surge.

The reason Gary Mad Fang felt the pinch when he asked the Allies for help and signed a 50% mining development agreement was mainly because he was reluctant to give up the Ming Iron Mine and the Orichalcos Mine in his territory.

He had even planned that once he reclaimed the territory, he would find all those 'waste mines' and use them to replace the other ores that could be used to forge weapons and armor.

This will minimize the loss of our own resources.

As for why they didn't seek help from other tribes...

Naturally, the cost of asking them for help was far higher than the Allied offer.

After all, the Allied forces only wanted 50%, while the neighboring tribes of the Golden Lion Territory intended to take it all.

Of course, if the Mad Fang Clan had a purple warrior banner, then the situation would be completely different.

As the heir to the territory, Gary only needs to offer his flag in exchange for asylum to receive the aid of a division-level elite force from the Blood Wolf Clan. They will not withdraw until the enemy is eliminated, and the Clan will not take a single penny after the battle.

The purple warrior banner alone can achieve this.

Therefore, it is not difficult to see how valuable this item is among the orcs.

While obtaining it is extremely difficult for orcs, it is far too easy for Roxie, who hails from the Kingdom of Victoria.

She only needed to find a few low-level researchers from the Kingdom's research institute and use the pretext of assisting the Saga Kingdom in developing magical technology to easily achieve this exchange condition.

After all, the current Orc King of the Saga Kingdom has long coveted the magical technology of the Victoria Kingdom.

"!"

Seemingly not expecting Roxie to make such a promise, Zalga's pupils constricted immediately upon hearing this, and his breathing became rapid.

But soon, he forcibly suppressed the urge to agree to the other party's request, and his brown eyes began to flicker.

After a moment of silence, he then proposed a condition that surprised Roxie:

One purple flag isn't enough!

Looking at the slightly surprised Roxie in front of him, Zalga slowly grinned and then stated his goal:

"I demand half of the mining rights to the Golden Lion Territory from the Allied support operation, and I further demand that the Black Swamp Clan have the right of first refusal!"

Zalga stared at the small human woman before him, making no attempt to conceal his greed and ambition.

Compared to the conservative and complacent Mad Fang clan, which firmly believes that they can gain the king's favor through force and also possesses the rich mineral resources of the Faoken Bay, Mad Fang is a different story.

The Black Swamp Clan lives in a filthy, muddy swamp where even hunting for food is extremely difficult, and resources are scarce.

In order to maintain the clan's fighting strength and the integrity of its territory, the Black Swamp Clan has been trading with human merchants frequently since the Kingdom of Saga re-established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Brown in the north more than ten years ago. They have been constantly hunting for magic crystals and even leasing young laborers from their tribe to the other party as mercenaries to serve as guards.

Through various sacrifices, the Blackswamp Clan rose rapidly from a weak tribe, annexing the other lizardman tribes that had previously looked down on them, and eventually grew to its current size.

Therefore, compared to those ancient tribes that disdained communicating with humans and even regarded humans as a group of powerless weaklings, and those small and medium-sized tribes that, although they had contact with humans, were limited to handicrafts and simple cultural exchanges.

The Black Swamp Clan has maintained close ties with humans for over a decade. Many members of their clan have ventured into human society as mercenaries, and upon their return, they recounted everything they had witnessed to their clan, giving them a truly objective view of humanity.

They understood the power of magical technology better than any tribe in the Saga Kingdom, and they also understood the true value of those 'scrap metals' that the orcs looked down upon.

That was a benefit far more worth fighting for than the so-called purple warrior banner.

Once acquired, it will allow the clan to move beyond its current barren territory and gain better opportunities for development.

In Zalga's view, it was not impossible that he could even directly elevate the Black Swamp Clan to become the largest tribe in the Saga Kingdom!

Therefore, in matters of great importance concerning the future development of the clan, he had to be greedy.

And it has to be an unprecedented level of greed!
"..."

Upon hearing this, Roxie slowly suppressed his smile and narrowed his eyes, as if reassessing the value of the orc general before him.

But after a while, she smiled and said:

"Yes, 25% of the mining rights in exchange for reduced losses for the Fifth Legion and an easy victory in this war is a good deal. I can agree to that."

After saying that, before Zalga could even try to raise the price if he felt he had quoted too low, Roxie added directly:

"Of course, all of this is on the premise that the 109th Division must complete this vanguard battle against the Imperial Army on its own and find the enemy's main camp before I will send soldiers from the Fifth Army Corps to cooperate with you in the final annihilation operation."

“Otherwise, Major General Zalga Black Swamp, even if I wanted to apply for this condition for you, the kingdom might not agree.”

"In addition, I feel it is necessary for me to remind you of a few things in this battle."

"Although the average combat strength of the Imperial Army we are fighting this time is not very high, the enemy commander is no less capable than me. In fact, putting aside the techniques, John Maslow's personal command ability is indeed superior to mine."

"In addition, the enemy has already set up a large number of traps here in advance, so the offensive and defensive battle of this campaign will probably be more difficult than you can imagine."

Seeing Zalga's slightly furrowed brow and somewhat displeased expression, Roxie's smile deepened.

"It's not that I look down on the fighting ability of the Black Swamp Clan, but the casualties we've suffered in our battles with the enemy make me quite worried."

"Of course, if you find it difficult to operate independently, I can make some concessions. For example, I can reduce the mining rights to 10%, and we will have priority in selecting the minerals, while the Black Swamp Clan can choose the rest. How about that?"

"If you can agree to these conditions, then I can agree to them on my own initiative. What do you think about this?"

After saying that, Roxie ignored Zalga, who was deep in thought, and poured himself a cup of coffee.

He then sipped his coffee, rested his chin on his hand, and watched the foolish lizardman in front of him with a smile, pondering the benefits that would soon cost the other man his life.

She knew that, given the reductions she proposed, the ambitious heir to the Blackswamp clan would most likely choose the option that was most foolish to him but most advantageous to himself.

After all, the immense ambition that the other party had previously displayed, which they lacked the ability and wisdom to control, had already spoken volumes.

"So, there's a reason why the orcs lost to the humans!"

"If one only learns human greed but not the corresponding cunning, one will develop blind confidence, be dominated by stupidity, and ultimately meet with death."

"What an innocent creature."

Roxie sipped his coffee, his gaze toward Zalga gradually becoming playful.

As if to confirm her judgment, after a moment of silence, Zalga suddenly grinned and then gave the answer that Roxie had expected:

“I’m sorry, General Roxie, but in my opinion, you seem to be overestimating those Imperial soldiers and underestimating the warriors of our Black Swamp Clan.”

"As beings who live in swamps and caves, are accustomed to darkness, and are constantly engaged in life-and-death struggles and plundering with monsters, orcs from other tribes, and even their own people in order to survive."

"The soldiers of the Black Swamp Clan who have survived to this day are all, without exception, the strongest hunters."

"In other words, caves and darkness are our battlefield."

"On this battlefield, no one can take the initiative from us, so..."

Zhalga paused slightly, then met Roxie's ambiguous gaze.

He expertly performed a hand gesture of respect towards the other person, and replied in a firm tone with an indescribable arrogance:
"I will accept the 25% mining rights you just promised on behalf of the Black Swamp Clan."

"Next, I will show you with facts just how fragile and weak that Imperial army, which tried to use caves to carry out their operations, is in the face of the Black Swamp Clan!"

"Please wait patiently on the ground for the news of the 109th Division's defeat of the enemy, and then, as an assistant, with our help, welcome that victory!"

"Really? I'm looking forward to it."

Roxie's smile grew warmer, but her eyes grew colder, and then she added meaningfully:

"Yes, to be precise, I'm extremely, extremely looking forward to it!"

……

Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Dark Corridor, inside the command tents of the Imperial headquarters.

John, unaware of the Silverstone mine incident and the Allied changes, was frowning as he stared at the real-time map in his field of vision, filled with doubt and confusion.

Because things didn't turn out exactly as he had expected.

During the fighting over the past two days, he noticed that the Allied forces seemed to have sent too many troops to the main battlefield.

If Roxie had indeed divided his forces significantly, then with such a large deployment, the enemy's main camp would likely have been undefended long ago. Given the enemy's strategic acumen, they would certainly not have made such a suicidal move.

In John's view, this was more like a trap.

It seemed that the other side was deliberately trying to lure him into deploying assault troops. Fortunately, the ambush resulted in the direct elimination of this highly mobile elite force that was unaffected by the Void spell.

"So, did Roxie manipulate the division of troops?"

The number of soldiers actually sent by the other side was much smaller than expected.
Only in this way can we explain why the other side is so confident in committing large numbers of troops to the main battlefield and engaging in this meaningless war of attrition.

"But if we reduce the allocation of troops, wouldn't the previous six-fold game mean that they have all become a smokescreen to restrict us?"

Could it be that, without my knowledge, the other party had set up a real trap?

A hidden weapon that takes less time than a flood and can truly wipe out one's entire side?
"..."

Thinking of this, John couldn't help but fall into deep thought again.

However, after racking his brains for a full hour, he still couldn't find the key, and his mood became extremely irritable.

So, taking advantage of the fact that the enemy had not yet launched another attack and both sides were in a period of rest, he slowly walked out of his command tent and went to the dark river.

He lit a cigarette and frowned as he examined the map in his field of vision.

He tried to activate his brain by breathing fresh air in order to find out Roxie's true goal.

As he continued to survey the map and ponder, a faint sound of footsteps came from the cave on his right, causing him to instinctively glance in that direction.

What she saw was Wendy, looking irritated, leading a group of former Squad 14 members who dared not speak out, walking towards her.

In fact, as soon as the battle in the Dark Corridor began, he immediately gave the original 14th squad members the order to clear out the monsters along the evacuation route.

This allowed him to move his old subordinates, who had followed him from the very beginning, to the safest rear, thus preventing them from losing their lives to stray bullets on battlefields where magic soldiers were not skilled.

However, it was clear that the other members of Squad 14 were quite happy to accept his conservative instruction.

Lieutenant Wendy, a military enthusiast, was clearly very dissatisfied with this.

However, out of respect for his superior, the other party did not dare to complain to him. Instead, after receiving the appointment two days ago, he angrily led everyone to carry out a safe monster extermination mission.

But the frustration of wanting to fight but being assigned a sinecure by his superiors was evident in the pitiful state of the other members of the original 14th Squad, making it clear where Lieutenant Wendy was venting her frustration.

Honestly, Wendy Pig, what's wrong with your head?

You'd rather risk your life and face danger to get the rewards than just sit back and collect the credits, right?
Do you even know how much effort I put into ensuring your survival on the dangerous battlefield?
How did you end up doing this to me?
What a bastard!
John grew angrier the more he thought about it. He was about to glare at Wendy, that idiot, and call her over so he could give her a good scolding for stepping into the cave with her left foot when...

The next second, the other person's complaints made him freeze in place.

"By the way, Charlie, have you heard a clanging sound coming from the rock above us while we were on missions these past few days? It sounds like someone is drilling a hole in the ground."

"And it's not just in one place, it seems to cover a wide area. I can hear it all the time when I'm resting these past two days, it's so noisy that I can't even recite Maslow's quotes backwards properly."

Wendy complained with a disgruntled look, then squinted and suspiciously looked at the bewildered members of Squad 14.

She suspected that the drilling sounds she heard were not hallucinations.

Instead, it was this group of bastards who only wanted to curry favor with Battalion Commander John and didn't want to make any contribution whatsoever.

This was a deliberate act of revenge against her, as she had ordered everyone to read Maslow's quotes for 20 hours every day before they could rest.

Otherwise, how can we explain the fatigue and irritability that Lieutenant Wendy, who can recite Maslow's quotes fluently in her sleep and only needs three hours of sleep to regain unprecedented energy the next day, is showing these past two days?
Moreover, his hearing has always been very sensitive since childhood, and after becoming a magic soldier, this hearing has been greatly enhanced, often allowing him to hear faint sounds that ordinary people cannot distinguish.

Not to mention the drilling sound, when using magic, one can immediately detect even the slightest change in the breathing of those around them.

So I'm sure I didn't mishear!

Someone must be up to no good!
It's either Charlie or some other bastard!
Anyway, it's definitely not my problem.

As for whether the hallucinations were caused by sleeping too little, that's another story.

Please, as a dedicated Maslow's Hierarchist fighter, sleeping three hours a day is already a lot!
If Captain John hadn't explicitly forbidden himself from applying this extraordinary sleep system to others, thus preventing them from engaging in Maslow's hierarchy of needs with unprecedented enthusiasm...

I'm afraid I would have already whipped these lazy, worthless bastards with a small leather whip long ago.

What utter nonsense about eight hours of sleep being the standard for human health? I think these bastards are just making excuses on purpose.

Only useless people need rest. True Maslow's warriors like me never need rest!
Now, I wish I could experience the captain's great spirit 24 hours a day!
After all, if he were to be negligent in the slightest, his dazzling status as the number one follower might be snatched away by that bastard Hawke!

For me, everything else is fine.

But this is one thing, absolutely not!
This is blatant Minotaur behavior, something Lieutenant Wendy absolutely cannot accept!

"Hey, you bunch of bastards, were you secretly making this for me when I wasn't looking...?"

Just as Wendy was about to coldly demand to know who was behind this, she suddenly felt a familiar hand press down on her head.

Immediately afterward, under the other person's force, her body began to twist uncontrollably.

Upon seeing John's serious face, Wendy's ferocity vanished instantly, replaced by a pitiful expression.

But before she could even feign tears and try to shift the blame, John's words instantly stunned her:
"Wendy, do you remember the exact locations of those strange noises? Quick, answer me!"

"...Uh, I've always had a good memory, and the noise was really annoying, so I remember all those locations. But why are you asking, Captain? Is it important?"

Wendy looked puzzled; she didn't understand why the captain cared about that kind of thing.

Could it be that the usually aloof captain actually has a great passion for burrowing?

Well, although it's a bit strange, it's not entirely incomprehensible.

After all, commanders are under a lot of pressure, so going underground should be quite stress-relieving.
perhaps?

Wendy's mind raced with wild thoughts.

"Come with me!"

Upon hearing that Wendy actually remembered the exact location, John's eyes were immediately filled with excitement. He didn't care about anything else, grabbed the bewildered Wendy, and hoisted her onto his shoulder.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he quickly ran towards the command tent.

He then barged in, ignoring the expressions of jealousy or amusement on Martha and Lunebo's faces as they witnessed the scene.

Without saying a word, John immediately had Martha connect the real-time map in his mind with Wendy's consciousness using telepathy.

After shifting the focus to his own rear lines, he spoke directly to the bewildered Wendy in a deep voice:
"Wendy, immediately recall the exact location where you heard the strange noise and mark it on the map, quick!"

"Yes, battalion commander!"

At that moment, as if realizing the seriousness of the matter through John's expression, Wendy, for the first time in a long time, showed a serious expression on her face. She dared not be negligent in the slightest, but concentrated on recalling the location where she heard the strange noise and quickly and accurately marked it on the map.

As red dots appeared one after another on the map, the outline drawn by connecting these red dots seemed to finally confirm his terrifying guess, and John's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

But still clinging to a sliver of hope, he spoke in a low voice to Martha, who seemed to have grasped the situation, and to Lunepo, whose expression had become more grave than ever before:
"Marda, Lunepo, immediately process the data and retrieve the rock strata analysis diagrams for the locations of these red dots. Be quick!"

"Roger that!"

"Yes, battalion commander."

Upon hearing this, Martha closed her eyes and established a connection with Lunepo through a telepathic spell. Subsequently, under Lunepo's own supercomputing ability, the data that they had previously collected was quickly categorized and organized, and then rapidly displayed in the form of patterns.

"..."

And looking at the red dots that appeared in the field of vision, all of them were covered with layers of rock from dark corridors.

And it was clearly carefully selected. Once it was blasted, it could quickly create a synergistic effect with other locations through resonance, thereby completing the fatal collapse of a large area.

Realizing the horrific and ruthless plan of annihilation that the enemy commander was carrying out, Martha's forehead began to bead with sweat, and her eyes were filled with disbelief.

She looked almost pleadingly at her superior, who had fallen silent after seeing these images, her voice inexplicably hoarse under the heavy pressure of her emotions:
"Commander, this must be fake..."

That's right, how could anyone choose to forcibly blow up an underground cave system covering an area of ​​tens of kilometers just for the sake of a victory?
Moreover, the enemy's soldiers are currently fighting their side underground.

Aren't they afraid of going to a military court for doing this?
If the other party had even a shred of human compassion, they would never have done such a thing!

"Although I would love to say it was an illusion, unfortunately, Martha, it is the truth."

Meeting Martha's incredulous gaze, and Lunepo's increasingly ashen expression, John slowly closed his eyes, then exhaled a long breath, uttering in a complex tone the answer even he himself didn't want to believe:
"Yes, the opposing commander, the 'Morning Star' Roxie Sancaster, intends to destroy the entire Dark Corridor by launching an unprecedented massive sinkhole."

"And in this way, let's end this battle completely!"

"!"

Upon hearing this, even Wendy, who hadn't yet grasped what was happening, was momentarily stunned, her face filled with disbelief, and she instinctively asked:
"Battalion Commander, this is impossible! The Dark Corridor stretches for tens of kilometers. How could the enemy make such a decision?"

"Besides, we are at war, and there are allied soldiers underground as well as our own. She can't possibly massacre her own soldiers as well, can she?"

Yes, no one expected this possibility, not even ourselves. We never imagined that the other side would go to such lengths to win and wash away their previous humiliation.

It was probably for this reason that Roxie came up with this insidious plan that left even him speechless.

At the cost of nearly 30,000 lives, at the cost of being branded as a heartless monster, at the cost of falling from a righteous guiding star praised by countless people to a demon who tramples on life.

We paid such a heavy price.

Is the goal merely to win a victory, merely to wash away the shame of the previous defeat?

Roxie Sancaster, are you really still the same Supreme Commander I knew, the one who fought alongside me, crossed life and death together, and witnessed an infinite future?
Instead of being blinded by the desire for victory or clouded by the shame of defeat, driven by anger, jealousy, and resentment.

Have you become a monster who has followed the same twisted path as your brother, Carlyle von Sancaster?
John sighed inwardly, while simultaneously feeling a slight headache.

He originally thought that by overwhelming Roxie tactically, he would crush her and cause her to sink into despair, so that after joining the Allied Special Operations Department, she would be influenced by the heroine Anna and move back towards a more humane ending.

But unexpectedly, the current situation is more like the worst scenario he encountered when playing the game and experiencing Roxie's solo character side story.

It is neither a return to humanity in a perfect ending, nor a pursuit of an ethereal god in a pseudo-ending, attempting to become a true apostle of the gods.

Instead, they had no choice but to abandon both options. Driven by an obsessive desire for victory and an unprecedented hatred, the Spirit Heart Technique mutated and collapsed, turning from pure gold to dark red.

It eventually transformed into a real monster called the 'Purgatory Cage'.

The original plot should have been that all members of the Allied Special Operations Department, except Anna and Roxie, would die in battle, and that the player would reach the fourth stage of their relationship with Roxie, shield her from Siegfried's dragon-slaying arrow from the Wild Hunt, and die in her arms before the BAD ending would occur.

But why is it happening earlier now?

And it was a whole six years ahead of schedule!

Can anyone tell me what's going on?

Could it be the butterfly effect?

"This is a huge problem..."

John murmured to himself, his brow furrowing as he fell into deep thought.

But he quickly put this troublesome problem out of his mind.

He then turned his gaze back to the battlefield, his eyes gradually becoming cold and resolute.

He couldn't be sure whether Roxie's spiritual formula had been distorted or corrupted, nor did he have the time to confirm it.

Right now, his most important task is to figure out how to safely evacuate his side from the impending cataclysm and make the most of the killing move that Roxie has designed for him to counter the enemy.

Ideally, we should try to maximize the negative impact of this incident, attempt to influence the other party's command, or even strip them of their command!
Only in this way could he ensure that he would be facing a human or divine messenger whose thoughts and tactics could be deciphered.

Instead of a true madman who would do anything for victory, even abandon his beliefs, and use civilians to carry out tactics!

This is the question I need to think about most right now.

John frowned, pondering various countermeasures.

After a large number of ideas were generated, he rejected them outright.

Soon, the safest and most reasonable idea emerged in his mind and began to take shape rapidly as he carefully considered it.

If that's the case, it's feasible!

Although it will most likely only temporarily deprive the other party of their command ability, in any case, as long as the other party can be restricted and prevented from going down this twisted path, then it will be beneficial to achieve the goals you want to achieve.

It is still beneficial to the world!
Although for Roxie himself, once this begins, the other party will most likely fall into the mortal world and spend a long period of darkness in torment, and may even choose to commit suicide because they cannot bear the pressure.

"But everyone has to pay the price for their actions."

"Therefore, when you abandon your pride and self-respect and choose to try to win by trampling on life, you should be prepared to bear the consequences."

"And I will be the one to execute your judgment!"

John murmured to himself, then cleared his mind of all distractions. He immediately turned to look at Martha, who was pale and looked somewhat panicked, and then gave her the order:
"Marda, immediately notify all soldiers at the front to abandon all lines and supplies and retreat to the rear along the underground river!"

"Also, connect me to Lieutenant Iguodala of the Surface Assault Company. I have a mission for him to carry out."

"Yes, battalion commander!"

……

(End of this chapter)