Black Badger

Chapter 172: Territory Reclamation War (3)

There was something there.

A presence had been detected.

Riders on flying-type Creatures were attacking the devices inside the barrier—people of my own kind, though I had never exchanged a word with them.

But among them, I recognized one name.

An archer who had once belonged to Kyle’s unit.

He wasn’t someone who could pose a threat to Yehyeon, Ricardo, or Ami. Among his group he was likely the best, but not strong enough to overpower TF.

Even if he was using a magic-engraved bow, his firepower couldn’t match a gun.

His combat sense wasn’t as sharp as the others either.

Realizing the situation calmed me slightly.

The Core Device would be safe.

I searched to see if there were any other of my kind. Yet the number of presences I could sense was so large that the task was difficult.

Just as I was struggling with that, the endless transfusion finally ended.

Yun rose from his seat.

He stopped in front of me as I continued moving busily.

“Let’s head out after lunch.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re not planning to fight for eight hours straight, are you? It’s lunchtime anyway, no need to leave yet.”

“Kyle isn’t the type to eat lunch in the middle of a war.”

“He’s not moving right now.”

Yun handed me a tablet screen.

I took it and stared at the red dot.

The superior officer who’d claimed to have planted a tracker.

It really did point precisely to Kyle’s location. And as Yun said, the red dot wasn’t moving.

What was he doing?

Once my mind cleared a little, countless questions surfaced. I couldn’t understand what the Titans were doing. To win a siege, they would need far more forces than this.

If it were me, I would attack during a small Core expansion.

Succeeding in capturing a small Core would grant control over its infrastructure. It was possible to block Center Core’s expansion, but reclaiming Center Core itself was impossible. Wouldn’t it be far more efficient to spend ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) their strength on taking small Cores instead of blocking expansion?

Had Kyle and I diverged again in our strategy?

But if that were the case, I still couldn’t see what Kyle’s goal was this time. Angels were powerful monsters, but not effective in siege warfare. In reality, those precious creatures had already been obliterated by incoming missiles.

Did he not expect me to retreat and put everything into catching me?

Had he given up on winning against humans altogether and devoted all his strength solely to revenge...?

Lost in thought, I flinched when Yun softly grasped my arm and pulled me up.

His behavior startled me.

“Are you being considerate because I’m a patient? Thank you.”

“For what.”

“For helping me up so gently.”

Yun looked straight at me.

“I’m taking care of you in my own way.”

I dropped the tablet.

The marksman snatched it and set it down on the desk beside the bed—clean and efficient, as always. His face didn’t change. Not a trace of emotion.

And I couldn’t hold back.

“Don’t joke like that, sir. There’s a line even for jokes.”

“Why does nobody believe me?”

“Would you believe it yourself?”

Even without a conscience, there had to be some limits.

“You don’t even smile at me the way you do at Yehyeon or Ami.”

“Do I smile at them?”

“No.”

I answered quickly and firmly.

“You don’t need to. I’m sorry.”

Yun let out a short laugh.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked out of the barracks.

I quickly got up and followed. I had to stay near him anyway; Yehyeon would be relaying orders through him.

The dry man lifted the flap of the tent.

I trailed behind, grumbling.

“You probably care about me the same way you care about your sports car, don’t you?”

“I care about you more than my sports car.”

Yun replied without turning back.

There was a faint note of amusement in his voice.

“When you die, that’s the end.”

Such was the logic of a man with antisocial personality disorder.

Exasperated, I followed him in silence.

***

Outside the tent.

The view widened, revealing the battlefield. The giant barrier loomed at the edge of sight, lined with ranks of Badgers standing shoulder to shoulder.

Most were shooting down the Creatures climbing the wall.

There were Badgers inside the barrier as well—operating tanks and turrets across three layers of defense lines. They must have prepared for the wall’s possible collapse.

For now, even flying-type Creatures couldn’t breach the second defense line.

Those in the third line were eating.

“The third line and the wall team will switch soon.”

Yun pulled me toward the area near the third defense line.

“TF will be coming in soon too. The tenth-level ones have retreated.”

Apparently, they had retreated before being killed by Yehyeon or Ricardo.

Relieved that no more of my kind had died by human hands, I observed the situation.

It was just past noon. The number of Creatures had decreased considerably. Corpses of flying types lay scattered everywhere, rotting. The Badgers stepped over the piles without hesitation.

Taking in the sight, I walked toward the meal distribution station near the third line.

Kyle’s forces still hadn’t moved.

They seemed to be treating Sion’s wounds. Even so, it was strangely quiet.

I raised my head toward the sky above the wall, sending an unspoken question.

‘What are you doing?’

Even as I accepted the food Yun handed me, I spoke to Kyle in my mind.

‘You’re not waiting for me to show up, are you?’

“Hey, rookie!”

I was still shoving the unknown food into my mouth while tracing the movements of my kin when a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time snagged my attention.

I turned my head toward it.

“Were you crying?”

Jason Trevain.

I had almost forgotten he existed.

“It’s been a while, sir.”

I swallowed and replied.

“Are you on the third line?”

“I’m switching soon, heading to the wall.”

The man swaggered closer.

Yun ignored his presence completely, and I quietly chewed my food, watching.

Trevain stopped with a slouching posture.

He smirked at my swollen eyes.

“So, you were assigned to the wall?”

“Ah, yes.”

“You see human-type Creatures and get all teary-eyed, huh?”

Oh...

“Can’t bring yourself to kill them because they look too human?”

What should I even say to that.

I froze on the spot, speechless. A strange feeling stirred in my chest, but I couldn’t define it.

Whatever it was, I didn’t want to examine it too closely.

I needed to answer somehow—

Yun’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Judging by how much you’re running your mouth, you must not have any work to do.”

The marksman set down his water bottle and said lazily,

“Have you even seen a human-type Creature?”

“They’re locked up on the third line! How the hell would I have seen one? Damn it, if one had shown up, they should’ve called me! Who was the last one to take down a tenth-class Creature, huh?”

Trevain shouted, voice rising.

“The rookies don’t know how to fight them properly!”

This man, Yun, had already lost interest in the conversation.

He let Trevain’s words slide past his ears and tapped me lightly.

“Let’s go.”

Trevain frowned and opened his mouth to retort.

But I never heard what he said next—Yun had gripped my shoulder and pushed me toward the wall. His touch wasn’t aggressive; it was purely practical, devoid of emotion.

Pretending not to hear Trevain’s shouting, I followed his lead.

“Have we reached the next point?”

I asked quietly, and Yun nodded.

“We’re taking the motorcycle out.”

“Understood.”

“Stay sharp. The enemy’s movements are strange.”

His low voice cut through the gunfire and explosions.

“You see how the number of Creatures is dropping.”

I did.

Not only I, who could physically feel their presence, but even the Badgers below the wall had noticed the anomaly.

Suddenly, the surroundings grew silent. And then even quieter.

We still had over three hours to hold out.

Yet, oddly, the enemy barely attacked us.

As if they were retreating.

“The summoners are still there. It’s not over yet.”

“Yeah.”

Pulling the motorcycle up the wall, Yun replied calmly.

“They’re waiting for the right moment to push in.”

He was probably right.

But what did they plan to do once they broke through?

I still couldn’t grasp Kyle’s intention. Even if they forced their way in—sooner or later, they would all die. Center Core was enormous. Unless Kyle himself rushed in and destroyed everything in a suicidal frenzy, there was no chance of victory for the Titans.

Had he lost his reason to emotion?

My foot touched the top of the wall.

Beyond the barrier stretched the unbounded Earth, unblocked by Core or wall.

“Ricardo, Ami, and the others...”

“Moving to join us.”

A brief answer.

“As soon as they arrive, we’re jumping down.”

I nodded.

The sky was a clear blue.

We fell into silence.

Battle was always like this—boredom and panic. The repetition of boredom and violence.

Of course, even in the quiet moments, we never relaxed.

The quieter the wall grew, the tighter our nerves wound.

Unnatural stillness was never good...

Ah.

Damn it.

The moment Ami’s voice came from below, I realized the cause of the silence.

A chill shot down my back.

“Below!”

I shouted, whipping around to Yun.

“They’re gathering under the wall!”

I needed to tell him the exact location.

But how? Not here—further north. The place with the fewest Creature corpses. Even if I said that, what good would it do?

What good was it to shout that moles preparing for suicide explosions were swarming there?

And so, I was too late.

The moment Yun opened his mouth, the roar shattered my eardrums.

KWA-A-A-ANG!

Badgers were blown away, the shockwave scattering the first defense line.

Part of the wall collapsed.

“Protect the Core Devices!”

Richard Green bellowed.

“Defend Device Seven!”

Creatures began pouring in through the broken section.

[You take Line One.]

And through the comms came Yehyeon’s voice—

even as the situation flipped, the officer showed no trace of agitation, giving TF their orders with crisp clarity.

[Hilde leads the front.]

I felt Kyle’s presence.

He was moving toward the destroyed wall.

“Yes.”

I answered, grabbed the motorcycle, and leapt down.

“I’ll block them.”

Landing on the ground, I started the engine at once.

Without even checking if the seniors were following,

this time, I charged straight toward him.