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"The frontlines are in full retreat! We’ve engaged the enemy without incurring heavy casualties, but the results have been poor."
"We’ve lost two of the outer fortresses among the thirty-two bases."
"On top of that… a significant portion of the defense fleet has been destroyed."
Baron, the spiritist, delivered his report.
"Is that so?"
Kalstein’s response was far too calm, completely at odds with the gravity of the report.
"We have no means to counter their current strategy. They’re using large-scale spatial transfers to strike our bases. While we’ve prepared against such tactics, they’ve completely evaded our detection. We’re powerless to stop them."
"Hmm…"
Enemies who resurrect endlessly and can teleport across vast distances—it was an aggravating combination of abilities.
Even after concluding his report, Baron couldn’t shake his unease.
Isn’t this situation far more dangerous than he’s letting on?
How could Kalstein remain so composed?
What exactly was the admin thinking?
"Hmm."
Tock, tock, tock.
Kalstein lightly tapped the desk in his office with his fingers, a rhythm that hinted at deep contemplation.
And then, his words—
"We underestimated them."
"…Excuse me?"
"Hmm…"
Baron was utterly lost.
Kalstein, meanwhile, opened a holographic map and continued his musings.
The map displayed the territories of the three major factions, their expansions marked in different colors.
The territorial ratio was 4:1:2.
The Galactic Empire held 4, Sephiroth controlled 1, and the Beasts occupied 2.
The Empire’s expansion was overwhelmingly faster.
Even the Beasts, with their vast numbers, couldn’t keep up with the Empire’s pace.
Examining the tripartite map, Kalstein scratched his chin.
Thus far, expanding their bases had been akin to playing a game of Go.
All three factions had tried to avoid direct conflict, focusing on expansion. However, depending on territory placement, they could pressure or block the advance of opposing factions.
"It seems we’ve reached a saturation point."
While the World’s resources showed no signs of depletion, its physical territory was finite. The rapid expansion of all three factions had brought about spatial limitations.
"I expected this, though it’s a bit sooner than I anticipated."
It was a testament to how much effort all three factions had poured into their growth.
Tock, tock, tock, tock.
Kalstein’s rhythmic tapping accelerated his thoughts.
"Up until now, we’ve focused on pressuring Sephiroth."
They were the most troublesome.
The constant resurrection was annoying enough, but their spatial transfer abilities made them a nightmare to deal with.
The Beasts faced similar frustrations.
Kalstein had deliberately avoided direct confrontation with the Beasts, instead steering their aggression toward Sephiroth. The Empire’s expansions had been calculated to corner Sephiroth.
"Of course, that was by our design."
Efforts had been made to lure the Beasts into Sephiroth’s territories where their forces would clash.
As a result, Sephiroth had faced intensified pressure from both sides.
The 4:1:2 ratio wasn’t arbitrary—Sephiroth had been subjected to concentrated attacks.
"They decided to strike at us first, huh…"
They had severely underestimated the Empire.
"Hmm."
Had they pushed Sephiroth too hard?
"They wouldn’t have picked fights with both factions. Their plan must be to eliminate us first."
Kalstein would’ve preferred if they had dealt with the Beasts first.
"Heh."
Tock, tock, tock, tock.
"The enemy likely wants to take us out quickly… but strategy is about doing what your opponent dislikes most."
Kalstein’s voice grew firm.
"We’ll extend the frontlines."
"…Excuse me?"
"Retreat, but delay them as much as possible to stretch the frontlines. That alone will leave them floundering."
"…."
"Idiots. They should’ve gone after the Beasts first."
The longer the frontlines stretched, the greater the pressure on Sephiroth would be.
There was no need to rush.
By retreating slowly and methodically, they could preserve their forces while forcing the enemy into an untenable position.
"If it were just the two of us, a full-force clash would suffice…"
But this was a three-way war.
Recklessly expending their forces would only benefit the third party.
"There’s no need to act rashly."
"But… according to the retreat manual, we’ll suffer significant losses among the fleet."
Baron’s unease was evident.
"Hmm?"
The fleet.
Ah, from Baron’s perspective, it was natural to focus on their space vessels.
"Unmanned ships are expendable."
If it secured a strategic victory, sacrificing those resources was trivial.
Tock.
Kalstein stood from his desk.
"It seems you don’t fully grasp what it means to bear the name of the Galactic Empire."
"…Excuse me?"
"In planetary-scale wars, the Galactic Empire doesn’t even flinch. Especially not over something as insignificant as unmanned ships."
It was laughable.
Unless the loss involved rare resources or Ether, unmanned ships were disposable—mere scraps of metal.
Time was the Empire’s most valuable asset.
Time to train people, build ships, and restock supplies.
With enough time, the Empire could manufacture an endless supply of unmanned vessels.
"Do you understand?"
"…I see."
Baron swallowed hard.
"Good. Now, here’s where we’ll strike."
"That’s… isn’t that an active battleground?"
"Exactly. It’s where the Beasts and Sephiroth are locked in a territorial struggle."
An ongoing high-ground skirmish.
The Beasts were trying to carve a path, while Sephiroth desperately defended the position.
For Sephiroth, it was a critical stronghold.
Baron was speechless.
We’re going to intervene there? Shouldn’t we be bracing for attacks instead?
But Kalstein’s voice carried no hesitation.
"Yes. Our objective isn’t defense—it’s offense. Even if we cede a few bases to Sephiroth, they won’t be able to maintain them. Their infrastructure simply doesn’t compare to ours."
"That’s true…"
Sephiroth relied on their massive silver tree-like structures to secure their bases, but their speed was no match for the Galactic Empire.
"Send him there."
"Him? You mean…"
"Yes, the one who’s been getting cocky over his ranking."
"Ah…"
"Tell him it’s time to earn his keep."
"Understood."
Baron broke into a cold sweat.
The being in question—a monstrous entity created from the body of the strongest terrestrial dragon, enhanced by the Empire’s terrifying technology—was no trivial tool.
Yet Kalstein spoke of him so casually.
Then, realization dawned on Baron.
Oh, right… He’s a monster too.
It was easy to forget, lulled by Kalstein’s calm demeanor and faint smile.
The admin before him was the most terrifying monster of all.
***
"Hehehe."
"My, aren’t you overly excited?"
"Of course I am! Up until now, I’ve been restricted from using Ether!"
The red-haired figure huffed in excitement, while the golden-haired elven archmage shook her head.
"War is a beast that constantly evolves, breaking its opponent’s strategies. Unless there’s a significant gain, it’s strategically sound to keep our technologies and assets concealed."
"I don’t disagree. The admin’s judgment wasn’t wrong. It’s just been frustrating. I may not be the strongest, but holding back despite being equipped with new weaponry was suffocating!"
"We’ve all been under the same Ether restrictions."
"But you lot occasionally got authorization to go wild, didn’t you?"
The elf’s golden hair swayed as a subtle scent of herbs wafted through the air.
"Our circumstances are different from yours."
"But now, we’ve been given the green light."
Yongyong grinned widely.
"Time to unleash the Full Metal War Dragon! Hahaha!"
"...It feels like your personality just shifted."
"Fufu."
Yongyong, the red-haired dragon, and the elven archmage floated above the battlefield, hidden by magic and equipment. From their vantage point, they could observe the chaos below.
Their pairing was a formidable one:
The archmage providing support, while the dragon served as both a frontline powerhouse and a long-range bomber.
Screech!
Growl!
[Die!]
Boom!
The battlefield was alive with the clash between Sephiroth forces and the monstrous army.
"The reported tree ships aren’t visible. Their spatial transfers must be unrestricted."
"Their observed movements have been directed solely at us."
"Hmm."
For Yongyong, who had spent much of his enhancement period away from the battlefield, this was a rare chance to observe the Sephiroth up close again.
"A shot at redemption, huh…"
Before his enhancements, all he could do was watch. At best, he had provided basic magical support to his allies.
Sephiroth’s forces were impervious to most magic, and their sheer physical might was no joke.
Back then, even moving under their oppressive presence had been a challenge.
"Ether is truly remarkable."
"Agreed."
Yongyong clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling the immense power coursing through him.
"Even mixing a little Ether amplifies magic to absurd levels."
"The fact that it can penetrate their defenses is the most significant advantage."
"Enough talk. Time to act."
Crackle—BOOM!
"Hahaha! So it begins!"
Yongyong finished preparing to shed his polymorph form.
"YongyongTV is back in action!"
In an instant, he reverted to his true form—a massive metallic dragon.
His enormous body gleamed, plated with the Galactic Empire’s first-class alloys, which preserved the original form while enhancing it with reinforced materials.
Whirrr—
The elven archmage quickly distanced herself from Yongyong.
"Adjusting field parameters, refractive index, aura concealment…"
While maintaining concealment spells, she also deployed auxiliary magic to mask their presence.
But the energy gathering in the dragon’s maw was staggering.
Ding!
Community Chat:
Even through the broadcast, the tension in the air was palpable. The atmosphere seemed to scream as space itself warped under the immense energy being unleashed.
"I can’t maintain concealment anymore! Switching to shields! Brace for impact!"
Whirrr—
Not even the elven archmage’s magic could suppress the monstrous energy.
Crack!
Crackle-crackle!
The concealment shattered as the colossal dragon descended onto the battlefield of Sephiroth and the monstrous army.
Whirrr—
[What… What is that?!]
[Impossible!]
[What madness is this…?!]
Screeech!
Growl!
Snarl!
The massive metallic dragon, radiating overwhelming power, left both sides in shock.
"Hahaha! Behold, a 1.4 million combat-power breath!"
Yongyong’s breath engulfed the battlefield in a single, devastating attack.
[Evacuate!!]
[Requesting reinforcements immediately!]
[Deploy barriers! Activate spatial distortion fields!]
[It’s no use! We can’t bend this one!]
The Sephiroth forces fell into disarray.
And then, a massive explosion erupted across the battlefield.
Nice