LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 230.1
Chapter 230.1. Mid-Game
Sakimori, dressed in all black, sat atop the roof of the 10th-generation heavy tank, a proud asset of the Amatsugahara army. He leisurely observed the battle ahead, where dust clouds rose, explosions erupted, and gunfire echoed.
“Has the enemy’s offensive weakened after taking down that mole?”
“They’re using an old tactic— infiltration. They outnumber us by a lot. They probably planned to break through our lines and then surround and annihilate us.”
Masamune, holding an anti-tank rifle, answered my question. Infiltration tactics? What’s that?
[Infiltration tactics focus on passing through enemy strongholds in small units, ignoring them. With support from rear artillery and well-trained troops capable of charging, they punch holes in the enemy’s defenses, pass through, and cause confusion by reaching the rear. It’s a tactic used by Germany in World War I.]
[Impressive as always, Shizuku. You’re really knowledgeable about battles. So, was this tactic really that strong?]
Shizuku, with a serious expression, explained, and I couldn’t help but be impressed by my partner’s intelligence, which I hadn’t seen in a while. Lately, I’d only seen her foolish side, so seeing her like this almost brought tears to my eyes.
[At first glance, it seemed powerful and effective initially, but it failed strategically because it didn’t set clear objectives and lacked the mobility and striking power needed for decisive encirclement. It’s considered a precursor to the later blitzkrieg. By the way, blitzkrieg was eventually defeated by an unlucky man who could negate illusions.]
[Ah, I see. So, the enemy resorted to this desperate measure because of our intense bombardment, huh?]
Well, charging at tanks with spears and swords isn’t something anyone would willingly do. But since they had no choice but to fight, they probably used magical attacks as artillery substitutes and sent the mole to assault us. By the way, doesn’t that last part sound odd?
“That mole was probably their main assault unit, but there weren’t enough of them. The enemy must have desperately thought about how to use their cards. Haha!”
“It’s been a while since I’ve felt the power of modern weapons.”
Like Masamune, Grandpa Soma, and Grandpa Nanbu, both holding anti-tank rifles, were laughing joyfully. These three were the ones who landed the critical shot that took down the big mole earlier.
They were fully equipped, dressed in green combat uniforms, with automatic rifles on their shoulders, pistols at their waists, knives, potions, and mana potions hanging from their belts.
“There’s a sense of security when you see fully armed soldiers.”
I agreed. Modern weapons are truly terrifying. No matter how strong you become, the human body is still vulnerable.
[Don’t worry, Sakimori-san. Golden adventurers can walk into a nuclear reactor without flinching. Just don’t bring a coordinator along, okay? Though, it might be fine if they summon a giant robot.]
[Um, I don’t really get it, but it means that if you become strong enough, you can fight modern weapons too, right? In that case, I’ll work hard to get even stronger.]
With a shrug, I turned to look back at my enthusiastic, strong-willed young female partner, who proudly declared herself a golden adventurer.
“There are 800 of us. Two tanks, armored vehicles, and trucks. One hundred and fifty automatic rifles. Do you think we’re lacking?”
The Japanese tank squad stood in formation, with fully armed soldiers. They gave off a sense of reassurance. In comparison, only 20% of our troops had automatic rifles. The rest held swords or spears, and our long-range weapons consisted mainly of bows and arrows.
“On the other hand, you’ve got 500 familiars and your men, don’t you? Right, boys?”
I turned to Shingen, who was mounted on a horse behind me, and asked if he wasn’t worried. He let out a hearty laugh, raised his spear, and the energetic old general, a military history enthusiast, shouted out.
“Whoa! We’ll do it! Leave the dungeon conquest to us!”
“That’s right! Who cares about the army!”
“Leave it to the Silver Honda Tadakatsu!”
The adventurers shouted enthusiastically. However it felt like they were subtly saying they couldn’t do anything outside of dungeon conquests… Well, I guess I feel more secure with these cunning guys.
“Alright, the enemies in front should be dealt with soon. After that, the Japanese army will ask us for support in conquering the dungeon… Huh? What the hell is that?”
Just as I was about to tell everyone that it was time to start earning our pay, the massive Japanese command vehicle was sliced diagonally, crashing loudly to the ground. I could see inside the vehicle, where a man who seemed to be the commander was scratching his cheek awkwardly.
“Looks like it was slashed from the inside. Seems the enemy got inside.”
“The enemy? That’s supposed to be in the rear. Did they use teleportation?”
Yukihana, with a serious expression, relayed this to me, causing me to tilt my head, but then a sharp thought resonated in my mind.
[Sakimori-san, it’s a demon! Look closely. It’s flying towards us.]
[A demon?]
Focusing on where Shizuku pointed with a serious tone, I saw clusters of mana flying through the air. And there were hundreds of them. The term “demon” has a bad ring to it. The thought of hundreds of them flying invisibly spells trouble, something anyone could easily predict.
[It’s a gazer! Its body consists only of an eye surrounded by tentacles. It’s an A-rank monster, but its abilities are support-oriented. It’s using one of its support spells, [Invisibility], to hide its comrades! Having gazers here is bad news!]
[Why is that bad?]
Watching the rare sight of a panicked Shizuku, I confirmed with her, and she waved her hands frantically, explaining.
[Gazers are summoned demons! Which means there’s a demon capable of summoning gazers! It’s probably the Demon General! Not the one skilled in guillotine, but the real Demon General said to come from the Demon World!]
[So… What does that mean?]
[It means this battlefield just got a lot more interesting. Even a low-level demon with bat wings is B-rank at the very least! They boast resistance to physical attacks, magic, and status ailments, along with high stats. Mid-level demons are solid B-rank, while high-level demons are A-rank. Named demons use a variety of spells, making them exciting opponents. I’m guessing this one’s a special Demon General, given how many demons it’s leading!]
[Sounds like fun. And delicious enemies too.]