The gate was completely destroyed, with no trace of its original form remaining. Ivan stared at the ruins of the gateway.
Numerous soldiers were demolishing what remained of the gate's debris.
Physically crossing over would certainly be possible, but it would be impossible for an army to move through it. While they couldn't prevent individuals from climbing over like rock climbers, large-scale forces couldn't do the same.
Now a physical barrier existed at the border between the Demon Realm and the Northern Frontier of the United Kingdom. No national-level force would be able to invade each other's territory.
"Do you regret it?" asked Grand Duke Volonobyn as he approached. Ivan looked at his face, then quickly turned away.
He probably didn't expect an answer. Indeed, the Grand Duke continued speaking alone.
"I regret it. Damn it."
"The territory?"
"Of course."
Ivan couldn't help but smile. Grand Duke Volonobyn was the nobleman who possessed the largest domain in this land.
He was the one who had been granted all the territories beyond that great gate by royal decree.
Though barren, there were certainly places where humans could live. Moreover, rare resources that couldn't be obtained within the United Kingdom's territories were abundantly buried everywhere.
Any plant or animal could grow with surprising ease beyond that land. The Demon Realm was fundamentally a land rich in magical energy to the point of excess, and within it, simply cultivating the land could yield crops so bountiful they would be unimaginable in Krasilov.
Every land he pioneered became his territory. If he had just a bit more ambition, he could have proclaimed himself King of the North. The 1st Legion, while officially belonging to Krasilov, was essentially his private army.
The only duty imposed on him was to protect northern Krasilov from the hands of demons. In other words, as long as he could defend his territory, he could claim all rights to the North.
Now he couldn't do that anymore. The colonial military government of the Northern Demon Realm had completely collapsed, and now no legion could march toward the Demon Realm.
The Grand Duke spoke with a sigh.
"My son is over there."
"How old was he?"
"Older than you. I had a grandson too. He was adorable. At two years old, he grabbed a kitchen knife and swung it around. The boy might have become a great knight. I taught him swordsmanship and gave him a dagger as a gift. Want to see it?"
The Grand Duke rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a dagger. He seemed to have been wearing it around his neck, tied with a leather strap. The Grand Duke's face was reflected in the blue blade of the dagger. He was smiling, as if he knew no other expression.
"Now I can't even pull weeds at their graves."
"Grand Duke."
"Most of those fellows over there are the same. My children. Most of them had settled down and built families in the colony. Do you understand what that means?"
"Hmm."
The colony lost most of its people in the first offensive... Ivan nodded as he watched the soldiers who had finished their work sitting in groups around bonfires, tearing into demon meat.
"Colonel."
"Hmm."
"Lead us to revenge. Our final duty..."
"I intend to."
No need to ask. It's probably the only "victory condition" that could save Krasilov in the current situation. Ivan nodded at the Grand Duke. A dry smile appeared on the Grand Duke's lips. As if to change the mood, he clapped his hands and said:
"Well, now we've gotten rid of all the sentimental parts. Annihilation Squad officer. Brief us on the operation."
"The direction may vary depending on the Grand Duke's operational objectives."
"Huh?"
"If you want to save the people of Krasilov, the forces at this location could rescue most of the lost northern territories."
Ivan calmly organized his thoughts.
Seven thousand. And not just any seven thousand, but the elite of Krasilov's finest legion who had survived countless life-and-death situations.
With this number, they could save most of the northern territories currently being invaded. The demons inevitably have poor supply capabilities, and they need humans as "military supplies" to move them.
The way they attack human territories is similar to the movement of locusts. They swarm in without form, spread beyond expectation, devastate most of the raided areas, and leave.
The Seven Dragon Lords can control their movement radius, but even that has its limits. The hungry ones will soon start eating each other. They must be raiding nearby territories to maintain their combat power.
So responding to these scattered forces is not impossible with this number. But...
'It would be wasteful.'
This side would also have to disperse its forces. Moreover, even if they defended those territories, it would be difficult to request additional aid from them. The lords wouldn't support his army when they didn't know when the next demon raid might come.
As the battle continued, forces would inevitably be depleted, and the dispersed troops would soon lead to a surge in deserters. The more a legion is divided, the more arithmetically the rate of non-combat losses increases.
If the goal is to save the people being invaded, only these soldiers could be their lifeline in this world, but in exchange for saving them, the 1st Legion would slowly burn away.
"Are you forcing me to choose between two options?"
"Aren't we all here because of the choices we've repeatedly made?"
"That's right. I'm rather grateful. For giving me the opportunity not to be a coward."
The Grand Duke smiled and shook his head.
Right now, in one of his hands was the opportunity to save hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
If Ivan hadn't mentioned this and had only spoken exactly what the Grand Duke wanted to hear, the Grand Duke would have comfortably accepted his opinion. While deliberately forgetting that he was giving up countless lives.
That shouldn't happen. A commander, more than anyone, should clearly understand the opportunity costs consumed as a result of choosing between two options.
Their deaths are his responsibility. But revenge, that is their duty.
He unclenched his fist and raised his other hand to grasp the air. Not the hand of a benevolent savior embracing his people, but the hand of a defeated soldier declaring revenge.
"The operational plan I wanted from you wasn't about civilian rescue. You should know that. Now, skip the introduction and tell me. What's best for us?"
"The enemies are scattered, and the march route is a mess due to the rasputitsa. It's impossible to match the 2nd Legion's retreat by crossing on foot."
Ivan continued, looking at the horizon stretching far to the south.
"The 2nd Legion's operational objective is to retreat to the central plains and prepare for a turning maneuver. There must have been a calculation that if a battlefield situation could be created where the 2nd Legion could fully project its maximum firepower, it could handle even the main force of the Seven Dragon Lords. But, is it possible for the 2nd Legion to retreat intact?"
"Yes, those 2nd Legion fellows are abandoning their hometowns and families to retreat. Their morale must be terrible, so the loss of troops will be serious."
"Elizabeta knows this. The best option would be a complete retreat, but if that's impossible, the second-best option is simple."
If the maximum capability of the troops being led is naturally decreasing, the only way to use the legion's maximum firepower is to execute the turning maneuver as quickly as possible.
In other words, Elizabeta would want to execute the turning maneuver right now. Her intention is probably...
'To buy time until the 2nd Legion establishes artillery positions and solidifies the defense line.'
The problem is that the enemy also knows this fact. In other words, it's fair to say that the decisive factor in victory depends on whether they can prevent the enemy's southward advance until the defense line is perfectly established.
So, assuming all commanders on both sides make rational judgments, the movement path of the demon army can also be predicted. The demon army will ignore Elizabeta and strike the 2nd Legion, which will be securing a containment line from the rear.
If Elizabeta can think this far, her best move would be...
'To expose a vulnerability as bait, and lead the troops herself.'
Elizabeta's life is the future of Krasilov itself. All components of this country had been redesigned to a level designed solely for her.
True dictators tend to concentrate all decision-making power and capabilities of the state on themselves. Power comes from diligence, and Elizabeta was a case of filling her relatively vulnerable power base with overwhelming administrative capacity.
In fact, at the time of her absence, Pritzenkaya was occupied by demons who were little more than a pack. This was because all officials were unable to move without her approval.
So, if she dies, Krasilov will be divided. At a point where not a single person remains to succeed her royal family, this country will certainly perish, and the collapse of Krasilov leads to the loss of the United Kingdom's last line of resistance.
At this point, if a great war breaks out, Krasilov is the only country in the United Kingdom that maintains military power.
So from the demon army's perspective, striking the rear containment line is not the best option. Elizabeta's life alone is the easiest means to determine the outcome of this war.
"We'll move along the railway line. With the roads in shambles due to the rasputitsa, the railway line is probably the only road the legion can move on."
"I can understand heading straight south, but can you match the battlefield and timing?"
The Grand Duke's question was valid. That wasn't a matter of information and inference. Inferring the opponent's operational plan with as high a resolution as possible is difficult but not impossible.
However, specifying the battlefield where the decisive battle between the two sides will take place, and accurately predicting the timing of that battlefield is clearly "impossible." There is extremely little information to support this.
But now, their only "victory condition" lies in arriving at that battlefield, at that time of the decisive battle.
'Yuri's ability is not omnipotent.'
Her ability was to maximize even a 1% possibility. Throwing her into a situation without knowing both time and place would be no different from forcing her to solve a puzzle without pieces.
To utilize her ability in a directional way, at least minimal materials must be provided.
So at least one of the missing materials. One of the two keys needed for the victory condition must be secured. What Ivan can secure with his ability here is...
"Here."
The location.
There's a joke that the first casualty when war begins is the operational plan. War is chaos intertwined with countless variables, incompetence, and orders and actions where reason is paralyzed.
After combat begins, any control is virtually meaningless, so meticulously planned operations along a precise timeline often become useless. This is true even for the most well-trained legions, so a commander's capability doesn't lie in combat performance.
Rather, the more excellent the commander, the more they tend to focus most of their capabilities on marching and supply. War is, simply put, a contest decided by feeding and arming better soldiers better, and then pushing more numbers than the opponent to the front line at the appropriate moment.
So if the commanders on both sides are sufficiently capable, they can infer the engagement starting point by clearly recognizing the expected movement path and capabilities of the opponent, and the maximum efficiency and tactical objectives of their own forces.
More clearly if it's within Krasilov. This is because Krasilov's internal intelligence capabilities are superior to any other country in the United Kingdom.
Therefore, Elizabeta, immediately after establishing a policy to use herself as bait to decide the match, stabbed a point on the map with her dagger.
"Here."
"My lord, they've s-stopped!"
As the scout returned and knelt, Nekinon hissed with laughter.
Humans are truly easy to understand and handle.
With just one intimidation, they had to stop their legion. They've given up the optimal battlefield where they could display their best efficiency, and started a hopeless siege in an unfavorable area.
Truly rats in a trap. Nekinon laughed and said:
[Issue an assembly order to all legions. Tell them that if even a single one wastes time on plunder, I will devour their entire clan.]
"Yes, yes, my lord!!"
The goblin ran off in a hurry. Nekinon rose with a satisfied smile.
The Demon King tried to disperse the human forces by employing complex strategies. To him, this was a ridiculous strategy committed because of his human origin.
Humans failed to stop the demons' advance even decades ago. Their only tactic on fronts where the Seven Dragon Lords appeared was to retreat while throwing bait.
Pathetic moths. What they're doing now isn't much different. Aren't they throwing themselves as bait and sending minimal forces to the rear to try to create a containment line?
They've failed even at that. Unlike demons, humans have many flaws, easily dividing when their tribe is invaded. Their army must also be on the verge of being torn apart.
Demons are not like that. They have a real god, and that god's will encompasses the entire legion. The solidity of the species itself is on a different dimension from humans.
His legion is infinite. The human soldiers are at most a handful, and even if he doesn't personally step forward, the difference in numbers is absolute.
Without their toy-like artillery, how would they face his legion, and how could they stand against the personal battle of the Seven Dragon Lords?
It wouldn't be difficult to crush them with just his forces, but Nekinon decided to lead the army himself.
-If you want my head, come and take it yourself.
[Arrogant wench.]
Nekinon rose, hissing.
[Your head will be displayed as a banner at the highest point of my palace.]
The Seven Dragon Lords who destroyed humanity... no, no.
As a symbol of becoming the only god of this world.