Chapter 254: Radiant Plasma
“408 lost. 522 red. 123 yellow, retreat.”
The tactical map displayed the friendly (green) icons, each being marked with defeat symbols one after another.
“Ugh, what in the world is that?”
Moving with the speed of teleportation, a formidable warrior was incapacitating powerful multi-legged tanks with a single strike. It was an extraordinary fighter that had emerged.
“They say he’s the High Priest of the Church. Quite strong, isn’t he?”
“The Priest was strong, but the High Priest is even stronger, huh?”
While sending tactical directives to the front-line AI regarding the multi-legged tanks, Erika revised her assessment of the High Priest’s combat capabilities.
“Can we really hold him back?”
As the number of destroyed multi-legged tanks exceeded twenty, Commander Eve furrowed her brow and asked.
“If he manages to attach himself to the land battleship, that could be bad, right?”
The land battleship was an incredibly powerful weapon, equipped with formidable cannons and housing numerous autonomous weapons. Thanks to the immense energy generated by its three nuclear fusion reactors, there were no operational time limits, even for accompanying units. However, due to its size, it could be vulnerable if a small yet powerful enemy managed to infiltrate its interior.
“There’s a mechanism in place to prevent them from getting close, but even if they do manage to breach the interior, it won’t be fatal.”
RINGO responded to Eve’s concerns.
“First of all, the interior isn’t designed for human movement. There are no corridors, and energy transmission lines run throughout. Additionally, the temperature is far from comfortable for any living being. On average, it reaches 60 degrees Celsius, and in some areas, it exceeds 200 degrees. The basic structure is made from non-metallic materials for weight reduction, but lightweight, high-strength materials like carbon nanotubes are used, making destruction difficult.”
“Speaking of energy lines, if we break them carelessly, there could be a backfire…”
“Yes, Ma’am. If destroyed, the circulating operational fluid will spew out. At several hundred degrees, harmful steam will be released, causing untreated metals and organic materials to corrode rapidly. It is also possible to intentionally induce a meltdown by sealing off sections.”
That was quite a vicious design. Even if one attempted to infiltrate, the environment would be inhospitable to any living creature. In a place where environmental damage was constantly inflicted, it would be challenging to exert full power.
“Well, even if it’s destroyed, we can always make more…”
Even the land battleship could be mass-produced with the current capabilities of The Tree. It was merely a matter of resources; they could send as many as needed to the front lines if they chose to. Of course, the cost-performance ratio would be terrible, so it was unlikely they would do so.
The fact that The Tree was preparing its production lines was indicative of this.
That said, the Prava Divine Nation had assessed that three land battleships would be sufficient to take them down. They would not engage in reckless operations that would lead to unnecessary losses.
“Big Sister, the troop movements are complete!”
“Commence concentrated bombardment!”
The High Priest carved a path alone, and the refugees ran along it. As they confirmed this, an overwhelming amount of heat was unleashed upon the High Priest.
The land battleship and multi-legged tanks simultaneously fired their anti-air laser cannons.
A total of several hundred megawatts of ultra-high energy converged on the High Priest. The matter in the targeted area evaporated in an instant, turning into plasma.
“Ugh!”
“Even so, this heat isn’t enough against a wyvern. According to calculations, we would need to concentrate ten times this amount to avoid dispersion.”
“Ugh!”
The refugees from the devastated relay city of Geni were surrounded and immobilized by the horde of multi-legged tanks. They had already eliminated all the monk soldiers who had foolishly attacked.
The monk soldiers and priests of the Prava Divine Nation truly did not comprehend reason. They stubbornly sought to eliminate the enemy and refused to heed calls for surrender. This had been revealed during the information-gathering process conducted by the infiltrated bots. Doctrinally, they recognized all beings outside their own as potential enemies. While they might impose demands, they would never compromise.
“At least the citizens from other nations aren’t as fanatical. They could literally turn everything to scorched earth, but thankfully, they don’t seem inclined to do so…”
“Alright, everyone, let’s go home!”
In the local footage, refugees could be seen being herded back to the city by Communicator Androids riding on multi-legged assault machines. Communication was impossible with just the assault machines, necessitating the use of Communicator Androids. Unlike the assault machines and tanks, they were structurally vulnerable, so they couldn’t be deployed until after the area was secured.
“We’ll begin governance right away.”
Confirming that the area had been secured, Ichigo issued instructions to the local AI. The residents needed to return to their jobs promptly. Imposing a curfew could easily lead to riots. However, it was certain that various changes would occur in their environment. For the time being, they planned to supply food and essential goods through Paraiso.
This also had a significant aspect of conditioning them.
“Refined flour, salt, sugar, yeast, various spices. Alcoholic beverages, sweeteners, and preserved foods like dried fish and meat. Their diet seems quite modest, so this will surely make an impact.”
“We’ll also set up a Fresh Water Purification Plant. Safe water is precious as well.”
Water that could be consumed without heating would be incredibly valuable. They likely couldn’t use the lake’s water directly, so they had probably dug wells to secure drinking water. Installing a water supply would greatly enhance convenience.
“We’ll secure the city internally, and then focus on the outskirts. That’s going to be our invasion base, right?”
“Yes, Big Sister. We’ll construct a storage facility and a runway. We’re currently laying down railway tracks from Yakari Port, and once connected, we will be able to transport large quantities of supplies. The plan is to be able to invade the entire Prava Divine Nation within a month.”
While this invasion plan was undoubtedly extraordinarily swift, Eve, who understood the capabilities of The Tree, thought it was rather leisurely. All units of The Tree were machines, and considering the time required for supply and maintenance, they could effectively operate 24 hours a day. Moreover, unlike humans, the acclimatization period after production was very short. Simple combat machines could be deployed to the front lines immediately after rolling off the production line.
Given that, it seemed somewhat excessive for The Tree to take a month to gather its forces.
“Rather, the goal is to draw the Prava Divine Nation’s forces together. In a month, we should be able to gather all the available combat power. Crossing this lake leads directly to the Holy City of Svyataya. They will undoubtedly mobilize for defense.”
“Oh, I see.”
The Prava Divine Nation was vast. They aimed to gather as much of their combat power as possible, creating a hollowed-out state. It was incredibly convenient for them, as they could simply wait for the enemy to come to them.
“Using that time, we’ll establish Geni as our base. I’ve confirmed that there are copper mines a bit further south. Geologically, there’s a high likelihood of multiple metal veins, including iron ore, nearby. Now that the pacification is complete, we can start trial mining immediately.”
“Are you planning to turn it into a production base as well?”
“The production base will be near Yakari Port. It’s easier for transportation. Airlifting large weapons is difficult; we have no choice but to rely on sea routes.”
The fortress under construction at Yakari Port was vast. This was because it was designed to house a large production base within. The flat terrain and the port’s location at the back of a V-shaped bay were the reasons for its selection. Facing the calm waters of the Lafret Sea, it was an excellent choice for a logistics hub. The Second Fortress, made of Black Iron, faced the open sea, which posed problems due to rough waves.
“The water resources in Geni are excellent, so we’ll also construct production facilities here.”
The lake adjacent to the relay city of Geni was over 200 kilometers wide, providing an environment where large quantities of fresh water could be utilized, which was crucial for production facilities.
Thus, The Tree swiftly seized control of the southeastern region of the Prava Divine Nation, but the advance of their invasion would halt here.
Taking action after meticulous research is, of course, the expected course of action, but in reality, it is often quite challenging.