novelraw Chapter 220: Abyssal Holy War - The Longest Week (2)
Chapter 220: Abyssal Holy War - The Longest Week (2)
Episode 220. Abyssal Holy War - The Longest Week (2)
"What? Where's the attack coming from!"
"Rockets! It's rockets!"
"What are those!"
"The things the Eastern Empire used!"
Whizzz-
"There!"
"Ah..."
Whizzz-
Wheee-The rockets, making a deafening noise, split the sky as they burned, causing explosions here and there.
Flames scattered everywhere, setting the barracks on fire, and screams erupted.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Fire, put out the fire, the fire!"
"Where's the water! Get water!"
The encampment, caught in a surprise rocket bombardment in the dead of night, fell into utter confusion.
"Martin is inside! We have to get him out!"
"You crazy bastard, if you go in now, you'll burn to death too!"
Barracks were burning all over, and soldiers, woken from their sleep, poured out in a state of confusion.
Faced with rockets suddenly flying from beyond the fog and raining down, all the soldiers could do was run, praying they wouldn't be unlucky enough to take a direct hit.
I pushed and weaved through the panicked soldiers, running desperately until I reached the command post.
"Millbeau!"
Demian, who had been standing there with an anxious face and trembling hands, urgently asked as soon as he saw me.
"M-M-Marquis Lafayette, Your Excellency! What should we do?"
"Deploy the artillery corps, return fire!"
Hearing my words, Demian sharply turned his head toward where the rockets were coming from and replied.
"I can't see anything through the fog."
I followed Demian's gaze and clicked my tongue at the dense fog.
But unlike the drones that just move as designated, rockets are indirect fire weapons that involve ballistics.
It's not something the puppet drones can fire, so it must be the Demon Race or someone else out there shooting them.
They probably can't see through the fog on their side either; they're likely just firing blindly in the direction they think our encampment is.
Indeed, rockets are exploding all over the encampment, creating pandemonium, but the actual damage from direct hits doesn't seem that great.
"I know! Just fire!"
"Ah, yes, sir!"
In any case, as long as they can't accurately assess our situation either, they'll be more cautious once they determine we've started returning fire.
"All artillery corps deploy, lay down a barrage in the direction of the rocket noise!"
The artillerymen scrambled and worked diligently until preparations were complete-
"Fire!"
Our deployed artillery corps began to unleash cannonballs.
And a moment later, the strange noise of incoming rockets abruptly stopped, and I let out a small sigh of relief.
It was just a guess, but it seems I was more or less right. But this isn't the end.
"Dispatch the reconnaissance team! Emergency alert stance! Except for the troops engaged in firefighting, prepare for an enemy raid!"
"Yes, sir!"
It's possible they stopped firing the rockets to avoid friendly fire. If they've thrown our encampment into chaos in the middle of the night, this could be the real all-out offensive.
However-
"A report from the reconnaissance team, Your Excellency the Marquis Lafayette. It seems the enemy only intended to conduct a rocket bombardment and has no plans for an offensive. We found nothing in the vicinity."
"Hah..."
I felt the tension drain away, leaving me completely exhausted.
A quick glance around told me I wasn't the only one; everyone either sagged with relief or wiped their weary faces with their hands.
Damn bastards. They're deliberately provoking us.
"Damn it, dismiss the troops. Have only the guards remain on duty and let the rest get some rest."
It's not like they can get any proper rest like this.
I know it in my head, but I can't force everyone to stay up all night preparing for an offensive that might not even come.
Letting them get even a wink of sleep is the only option.
"Ah, understood, Your Excellency the Marquis Lafayette."
After dismissing the troops, I also lay down on my cot to get even a moment's rest, and about two hours later.
The rocket bombardment began again.
*
The rocket bombardment occurred a total of four times from dawn until noon.
We tried to respond based on the roughly two-hour interval between attacks, but the enemy, as if mocking our attempts, repeatedly changed the attack cycle irregularly, firing rockets from within the fog and then retreating.
It was only by noon, after massively increasing the reconnaissance teams without any rotation, that we were able to stop the demons' rocket bombardment. In the emergency strategy meeting that followed, commanders with bloodshot eyes from a sleepless night were raising their voices.
"We must do something to break this stalemate!"
"The actual damage from the rocket bombardment isn't that great! The enemy is just hiding in the fog, repeating inaccurate long-range strikes-"
"Because of those inaccurate long-range strikes, we can't even sleep at night, damn it! At this rate, our soldiers will be exhausted before a real battle even begins!"
"Then what do you propose we do? What can we possibly do against an enemy that just shoots and scoots from a location we can't even see through the fog?"
A headache was starting to pound in my already weary head from lack of sleep.
In all my long years of fighting wars, I've never been in a battle this hopeless.
The enemy knows our location. At the very least, they know the terrain better than we do.
We have a place to protect and limited troops, so we have no choice but to defend this spot.
But we don't know the enemy's location.
We don't even know where the enemy's military base is on this fog-covered island, forced to endure a relentless one-sided assault.
"This is the fourth day. If we can just hold out for four more days, the gate will be complete, and then..."
As I was speaking, trying to calm them down, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The person who entered was Louis d'Aquitaine.
But the young man, acting as the liaison between the Magic Corps and the Allied Forces, had an extremely grim face, and I intuitively knew something had gone wrong.
"I-I apologize, Your Excellency the Marquis Lafayette. The continuous rocket bombardment this morning hit the gate's framework, and the mages haven't been able to rest properly due to the constant surprise attacks..."
I instinctively raised a hand to my forehead.
"Right, it's our responsibility too for not defending it properly. So, what's the conclusion?"
Louis replied with a half-despairing look on his face.
"The construction period will be extended by at least two more days. If this situation continues, it could take even longer..."
"That's absurd!"
"We've been waiting for just that all this time!"
"Damnation, this is the fourth day! We held out for nearly half the required time, and now you're saying we have to start over from scratch! Where are all your mages who boasted it would be done in a week!"
A wave of anger and discontent instantly washed over Louis.
Watching the scene, I felt a sense of hopelessness, but grilling Louis wouldn't get the gate finished. I gestured for Louis to leave.
Louis bowed his head repeatedly in apology and scurried outside, leaving the conference room in utter chaos.
Alejandro, the Commander of the Paladin Order, so agitated he looked ready to charge into the enemy camp at any moment; Kroxx, muscles twitching in irritation as he remained silent; Scharnhorst, cynically spouting pessimism about the current situation; Gilles, who looked like he'd reached enlightenment and was doing something else entirely; Demian, half-panicked and muttering nonsense about how we were all going to die; and all the other commanders, each barking their own opinions...
Could it possibly get any worse than this?
As I was wrestling with a serious sense of frustration, Paladin Order Commander Alejandro shouted loudly.
"Our Paladin Order will lie in wait and, the moment the rocket bombardment begins, charge and annihilate the enemy!"
This is driving me mad. Those guys, their heads filled with nothing but faith and courage, must be dying to get themselves killed.
"A reckless charge with no visibility and no plan? Surely you don't think the enemy has no countermeasures and is just firing rockets and running away? The drones don't sleep, and they don't tire."
Before I could speak, General Scharnhorst of Krafte spoke first, and Alejandro flared up.
"Are you suggesting we just cower like cowards and get picked apart? The likes of drones cannot stop our Paladin Order!"
"Oh, how reassuring. It's driving me mad. Let us hope the demons are as simple-minded and thoughtless as you are, so they can all be smashed by the Paladin Order. If not, we'll have to face drones that used to be paladins."
"What? Do you dare insult the sacred servants of God!"
Alejandro looked ready to draw his sword, so I slammed my fist on the conference table first.
"Enough!"
The dispute between General Scharnhorst and Alejandro at least came to an end.
But the gazes of all the commanders, filled with dissatisfaction, annoyance, and an anxiety that transcended everything else, instantly focused on me.
It feels like I'm suffocating.
In this powerless and weary situation, everyone's blood is rushing to their heads, and their rationality and consideration for one another are crumbling.
At least Alejandro was right about one thing.
If we just sit here, sleep-deprived and tormented, it's obvious the fragmented and exhausted Allied Forces will collapse without even putting up a fight.
Is the decision I'm making now the right one?
Have I actually lost all reason and composure, and am I making a poor judgment call, hounded by impatience?
I've never longed for Christine, who would show her trust in me by saying she believes in me, or for Eris, who would put me at ease, as much as I do at this moment.
But the longer I remain silent, the stronger the commanders' distrust grows.
Finally, I let out a small sigh and spoke.
"I cannot agree to a policy of recklessly charging into the enemy camp. That said, if we simply maintain our current alert stance, we will remain helpless against long-range rocket attacks that use the fog."
I swallowed dryly and spoke.
"Instead of passively dispatching small reconnaissance teams and standing guard, we'll divide into teams and conduct large-scale patrols. The entire team will survey the nearby area and block any enemy approach, so they can't fire rockets at the units resting in the rear."
It will be more fatiguing than just standing guard, and there will be danger in scouting through the fog, but.
At least this way, the personnel of the other teams left in the rear can get some rest, however brief.
"But brother, that is ultimately little more than waging a slightly more active defensive battle..."
Alejandro said, sounding somewhat displeased even with this.
Ha, you lunatic. Then what, are you suggesting an all-out offensive on Pandemonium with these troops?
Perhaps because my leeway is disappearing, my patience feels like it's about to snap.
"It is a reconnaissance-in-force using large-scale units. If the enemy tries to attack with a small force, we can intercept them. Even if not, the search efficiency is higher than with small reconnaissance teams. At the very least, it will serve as preparation for when we advance on Pandemonium after the 'gate' is complete."
"If you put it that way, the Paladin Order will also follow."
"Indeed, there are risks, but it is better to reduce the variables than to remain idle."
"I agree, Marquis Lafayette."
Fortunately, almost all the commanders came forward without much opposition.
"Good, it's decided. For convenience, the teams will be formed from the units of nations that coordinated during the landing."
We don't have the time or luxury for proper mission rotations or mixing allied forces to try and build coordination; everyone has reached their limit.
In a situation like this, trying to mix national armies that haven't coordinated before would just lead to discord.
"Understood."
"No objections!"
The commanders, seemingly sharing the same thought, answered promptly.
A self-mocking laugh escapes me.
If I had ordered them to lead their troops to explore and patrol this fog right after we landed and were ambushed by drones, they would have all protested, asking if I was mad.
But to think we'd reach a point where that reckless, lesser-evil choice seems rational to everyone.
In just three days, no, to be precise, in just one night.
The enemy has pushed us this far.
I never thought it would be easy, but to be honest, I never imagined it would be this kind of fight.
The fourth day since landing on the island.
The most terrible and longest week of my life has only just begun.