Chapter 52 : Preparing for War After revealing that I was also human, the king was curious as to where I originated from and why I had fallen from the sky. I didn't tell all the truth behind our arrival on this planet since I didn't know the intentions of these natives yet, so I roughly explained that we battled a powerful enemy and ended up getting transported here after the final battle. I informed them that mankind have been exterminated on Earth, and that before finding out that the King and his men were also humans, I thought my squad and I were the only survivors of our species still alive. These revelations stunned the King, nobles, and knights in the tent ; they couldn't believe we fought against foes so powerful that they could wipe out billions of people with ease. I'm not sure how long it would have taken, but I was certain that the Scyllas could have done the same on this planet, regardless of the mysterious beings who lived there. The people living on Lunaris do have access to mana and can cast Scylla-like spells, but on Earth, we had large modern armies, advanced technology, and nuclear weapons. Nonetheless, it did not save us from extinction. I don't recall how the Scyllas conquered our planet and abducted us, but after seeing how difficult it was to kill a single one of them in its original form, I realized that even billions of us had no chance against an invasion fleet with just a thousand Scyllas. Compared to the Singularity dimension, they weren't limited by their templar clone when they invaded Earth in our former universe. While the King and his men had a hard time believing my story, the elves didn't question my words once and accepted everything I said as the truth. When I asked them why they trusted me so easily, I learned it was because they already knew my story from a prophecy their clan religiously revered, hence why they call me Chosen One... Apparently, even the Scyllas are mentioned as the 'Fanatic Ones' in this prophecy, which surprised me because of how well this name was fitting for these space-freaks. I didn't want to accept the abstract divination coming from a dying old man centuries ago has been right, but the details were so accurate that it was hard for me to deem it wrong. Maybe their ancestor really saw a glimpse of the future, which is now the current present... When the natives asked me about my former world, I kept all the important details to myself, especially those involving our advanced technology and our combat capabilities. From the information I gathered so far, the people living on Lunaris didn't develop science but instead pursued something called 'magic'. Suddenly spreading scientific knowledge into this world I know nothing about would be a major mistake. The people here use primitive weapons and their civilization is closer to medieval ages than modern times compared to Earth before its fall, but surprisingly, they are also extremely advanced in unexpected domains. From what the King told me, those 'mage' who pursue magic can make small cities and islands ignore gravity and levitate in the air, they can conjure elements from thin air such as fire, water, or wind with just an incantation, and I also heard some of them can heal a dying person or even revive the dead. I shouldn't call these natives primitive anymore as, from my current understanding, they just followed a different path from the humans who lived on Earth. I still couldn't restore all my memories, but thanks to Gladia's help, I recovered enough of them to know how humans on Earth functioned as a whole. Earthlings and the humans living on Lunaris have nearly identical genetics, yet their cultures, beliefs, and social systems are fundamentally different. I thought it wouldn't take long for us to repair the Lance of Kar'goth and escape this planet, but when I asked the King if any country explored space yet, he didn't understand the meaning of my question and everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. The village chief then explained to me that no souls could escape Lunaris, as it is protected by the main gods residing on the three moons revolving around the planet. I thought these tales about gods were absurd, but the elf told me a story that made me change my mind about these godly figures. This was a tale about the demise of the strongest race that existed in this world ; the masters of elements and rulers of the sky, also called 'Dragons'. They were mythical beasts who dominated the planet thousands of years ago. After living for so long, their sovereign the Dragon King got bored of the mortal world and decided to lead his kin to the boundless stars beyond the sky to discover new worlds. However, the moment the dragons flew and passed through 'Heavens' (which is how the natives call the high atmosphere), the King and all those who followed him got instantly reduced to dust and disappeared without letting a trace behind. It is said that this Dragon King was one of the most powerful living beings that has ever existed. He was strong enough to subdue the whole continent by himself, and yet even he has been defenseless against the three superior entities protecting this planet : the three main gods. I didn't know if this was a real story or just a fable, but if this was the truth and it is indeed impossible to leave Lunaris...then it will be a major problem to escape this world and get back to our universe. I continued to discuss with the humans and elves for another hour to get more information about this world, when a sudden commotion broke out at the entrance of the camp and interrupted our talk. When we left the tent to check what was happening, an elf soldier came to us in a panic. "V-village chief, your daughter !..." "What with my daughter ?? Did she come back ??" "S-she... I think you should see for yourself..." This was probably not a coincidence that the commotion happened the moment I felt the presence of Kat and Jerome getting close to the camp. Were they so late because they caused trouble on their way ? The village chief ran to the entrance, and I followed him accompanied by the King and his escort of golden knights. 'Leader!' I heard Kat's voice inside my head the moment I stepped outside the tent. She probably had something important to report to show herself before I called for her. 'Kat, what happened for you guys to be so late ?' 'A powerful native pursued us, so we were forced to take care of her.' 'I see... Did you kill her ?' 'No, we kept her alive but unconscious. I thought she could be of use for Gladia's studies.' I was relieved to learn that they handled an unexpected incident in the best way possible. The issue is that this female elf seems to be the Village Chief's daughter. 'You did well, however, I fear this fellow is an important figure for the elves living there. I'm sorry Gladia, but releasing her would be better to forge good connections with the locals rather than keeping her as a lab rat.' [It's fine, the three prisoners are more than enough for now. I forgot to tell you, but the two beings that you let go near the ship were also extremely interesting, so I took the freedom to ask Douglas to capture them.] Since the third protocol, Gladia resided in my own soul and became a part of me the same way Tassadar became a part of my body... and yet, no matter the situation she can control the flagship, the drones, and communicate with the entire squad from a distance. Gladia's ability to take care of so many things at the same time will always surprise me. 'It's fine, you can fill all the isolation cells with captured natives as long as you do not make them suffer. Let's not commit the same atrocities the Scyllas did to us.' [Yes, don't worry.] When I arrived at the camp entrance, I saw both Jerome and Kat silently waiting for me, surrounded by the village chief and his men aiming at them with their bows. "Release her immediatly !!" "..." "DO YOU HEAR ME ??" "..." "IF YOU DON'T, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO GRIND BOTH OF YOU TO DUST AND USE YOUR REMAINS AS FERTILIZER FOR MY GARDEN!!!" I didn't expect such a gentle elf to become this violent so quickly. This usually calm village chief seemed like another man ; he was firmly holding his spear with both hands and I could feel the bloodlust he emitted toward Jerome and Kat from a dozen of meters. 'What the hell did they do to his daughter ?' I passed through the elfs standing in the way and got closer to take a look. When I saw the state of the elf Jerome was carrying, I understood her father's anger. Her lifeless body was devoid of color, her tanned skin appeared nearly as pale as a human, and the multiple internal injuries I discovered using X-Ray vision made me realize how tough this young elf must have been to endure Kat's force field without dying. I felt sorry for her, but it didn't justify the village leader insulting and threatening my squad right under my nose. "Calm down, or the ones that will become fertilizer will be you and your entire clan." I approached him and talked loud enough for everyone to hear. A thin layer of red mist slowly formed all around my body. I had to make them understand what it meant to menace one of us. "I may have been amicable toward you because of the information you provided, but I would not hesitate to slaughter every one of your people living in this forest if you harm one of my squad members." It seems like my cold warning was effective enough, as everyone took a step back and trembled in fear. When they heard me, the elves surrounding Jerome and Kat began to sweat profusely, and fear was written all over their terrified faces. Threatening them so openly will definitely sever my future relations with them, but I didn't care. As far as I'm concerned, my squad members will always come first. If they decide to go against one of us, killing all of them wouldn't be a big loss, I could still get information through the human King. In the worst-case scenario, I could even make contact with the other elves from the Aliomeri kingdom who are currently progressing through the forest. "Chosen One... Even though our ancestors awaited your arrival and I truly respect you as the patriarch of my clan, I am first and foremost a father to my daughter. This girl that your men are carrying like a vulgar sack of grain is my one and only daughter... If she offended you in any way, I am willing to give you my own live to pardon her, as long as you let her go safely. She is deeply injured, so please, set her free so she can be healed and take my head instead." The village chief sincerely bowed in front of me, his face pressed to the ground. "Village Chief, you can't !" "Chosen One, please take my head instead !" "We can't let the Village chief die !" "It doesn't matter if we die, we can not let him lose his life in vain !" "Yeah ! We will all follow the chief !" And soon after, the other elf warriors also bowed to me. "You guys..." 'What the hell are they doing ?' These elves who acted more like comedians in a third-rate drama than experienced soldiers were starting to seriously get on my nerves. "When did I say that I wanted you dead ? If your daughter is in this state, it is because of her own decision to pursue and attack my squad members without any reason. It is not their fault for defending themselves. In fact, you should even be grateful they didn't kill her !" 'Which is also something I will need to discuss with them. I am happy they neutralized this elf and brought her just unconscious, but code 2 was still in effect... No matter how I think about it, this elf was an unknown threat and from the traces of combats on Jerome's armor, she was powerful enough to threaten their lives. They should have confirmed the kill to eliminate the danger. Did they turn softer after going out of cryo ?' [You better not blame them for acting more like human beings ! Should I remind you how many times you complained about them not taking their own initiatives ?] I couldn't help but smile under my helmet every time I was getting scolded by Gladia. It was funny to see her acting like a protective mother hen when it was about the squad. 'I won't blame them Gladia, but there is still something I need to figure out with Kat and Jerome's mental health. I don't know yet how the disconnection of their cryo pods when the infirmary got destroyed affected them. Becoming more human is good for them, but becoming softer than necessary isn't. Especially when we are stuck on this weird planet.' I moved forward and passed through the elves who were still bowing face on the ground, until I reached the village chief. "sigh... Do not worry we will not kill her, for we are not cruel slaughterers. Jerome, give her back to her father." "Many thanks, Chosen One..." The village chief loosened up when he heard my words, and he deeply bowed to me before telling his men to bring his unconscious daughter inside the camp so she can get healed by their shaman. "Just keep two things in my mind from now on, elf. First : the next time someone menace or harms one of my people, not only will I deal with him myself, but I will also kill his family, his friends, his friends' family, and the friends of his friends' family. We are not cruel, but we are extremely revengful, don't forget it." "I u-understand... May I ask what is the second thing you want me to remember ?" "Stop calling me Chosen One, or whatever other name coming from your ridiculous prophecy. My name is Jun-Yeob, but you can just call me Jun." "Y-yes, Lord Jun..." 'sigh... You were right Gladia, I should have talked with the elves of Aliomeri first instead of these weird people. They are already exhausting me... By the way, how is Alpha Zero doing ?' [I was about to tell you about him ; he requested the use of two isolation cells half an hour ago. I didn't want to interrupt your talks with the natives as it wasn't of much importance, so I authorized it.] 'You did good. Let's go back to the ship and organize our plans for the future. I learnt a lot from the King and the village chief ; after Alpha Zero completes his mission and gives his report, we will need to set up our next course of actions.' [Yes.] Once the matter with the first two native groups has been resolved and I confirmed they had no ill intentions toward us as they even offered their support, I decided to focus on the third and largest group of natives still present in this forest : the elves of Aliomeri. Alpha Zero's constant updates allowed me to monitor them and track their position in real-time on the detailed map in my visor. They moved carefully through the forest, and they were about thirty kilometers distant from us. If they do not stop for the night and continue at their current speed, they will reach the ship in less than six hours. I also need to find a way to deal with the mysterious Scylla we met when we landed. The elves revered her as an 'Oracle', and the humans from Lyssandra called her the 'Protector Spirit'. The whole forest was her domain and she protected it against monsters and invaders alike for centuries, but since our previous encounter, I couldn't find the smallest trace of her presence in the forest. She could very well be hiding from our sensors so I'm not sure yet whether she's gone or not. We will have to prepare some countermeasures in case we have to confront her once again. I still don't know why this Scylla would go as far as to meddle with the native species of a random planet in this vast universe, but I'm almost certain this hides something bigger. What irritates me the most is that I can't figure out the reason why this Scylla contacted me when I was fighting Legatus, or why she didn't kill us when we confronted her even though all our attacks have been ineffective... I was so busy since we arrived in this world that I didn't even notice the evening sun slowly fading away on the horizon, giving up a warm orange tinge to the sky. Only a single of the three moons was visible in the sky today. It was shining like a bright lighthouse towering over a sea of darkness, illuminating the reddish sky with its silvery light and casting long shadows of trees on the ground. "It is time for us to leave and get back to our ship. There are numerous hostile elves coming in our direction, so I advise all of you to not stay here for long. If they keep advancing through the night, they will reach your villages in less than six hours." "A large group of elves you said ??" The King immediately asked. The village chief stood silent, but his visage contorted in an ugly way the moment I mentioned them. "Yes. Weren't you aware of them all this time ?" "It must be Aliomeri... We knew their main army was preparing for a second invasion, but since we entered the forest a month ago we couldn't get any report from our inteligency department, so we had no way to know their most recent movements..." "To be honest with you, I originally wanted to meet with them before coming to you, but since you guys were the closest I came here first." As expected, my words made both the King and the village chief uneasy. It was a lie, but I wanted them to understand that I could change sides at any moment. "You should not side with them, Chos... I mean, Lord Jun. I do not seek to influence your will... but most of the elves from Aliomeri are evil and malicious, especially towards those who are not part of their pure-blood clans. I am not proud to say this as an elf myself, but the vanity of our kin is limitless when it comes to dealing with other races..." I knew the Village chief didn't like this Aliomeri kingdom, but I didn't expect him to go as far as putting the blame on his own species. I do not know all the social differences between elves and humans, but from the few scattered memories I have of my former world, both species tend to be arrogant. "I think the same, Sir Jun. However, no matter how bad those invading the Forest of Truth can be, none of these foot soldiers can reach the ankle of their monarch when it comes to evil deeds. I would offer my soul to Zenon if he could bring me their Queen's head on a silver plate so I could feed it to the pigs inside my castle. This, is the only mercy she deserves." Even the human King had a profound resentment toward them. Contrary to what I told them earlier, I never intended to meet them even though Gladia thought it was a logical choice to side with the most powerful force in our situation. I mentioned them only to see the King and village chief's reactions, and I wasn't disappointed. "Do you mean your words ?" "I do, Sir Jun. The Queen of Aliomeri caused more civilian death in our Kingdom than any other countries reunited, even more than the northern beastmen tribes that invade our borders every once in a while." The King paused as if to recollect his emotions, before adding. "I don't even want to talk about the young girls and women who have been secretly abducted on the border villages during the years...when I think about what they are forced to endure, I..." I couldn't see the King's face under his helmet, but I noticed his eyes getting watery when talking about this kidnapping case. 'Did he personally know someone who has been kidnapped for him to be so emotional ?' If these perfidious elves were risking so much to secretly cross the borders and capture human females, there was no need to be a genius to understand what they needed these poor girls for. Even if a part of my emotions have been dimmed through the years and my empathy greatly diminished after all the atrocities my squad and I went through in the Singularity, I still found myself sensible to the misfortune of others humans. If there was one thing I could never tolerate, it was injustice. I was aware that life is unfair ; the strong always prey on the weak and I wasn't naive enough to think I could change this. However, I knew far too well this feeling of being helpless against unjustified adversity. I still remember what I felt when I first woke up in the mother-ship and the only person I remembered from my previous life gave up her own life while I couldn't even move the pinky finger to stop her from doing so. "Do you want them dead ?" I asked the King. "Nothing will makes me happier. If it was not for the northern tribes keeping my kingdom in check, I would have long waged an all-out war against these seed eate...Hum, against these elves." The King almost forgot he was in presence of numerous elves. Luckily, the village chief didn't matter his rude words as he shared the same hate against Aliomeri. "You do not have to censure yourself, human. To be fair, they are not even deserving to eat seeds, they should be called bloodsuckers or shiteaters instead." These two really got along when it comes to cursing Aliomeri. "I see... Alright, it's decided then. Gladia, lock a proton warhead onto their main army, and prepare one more to be sent on their capital. Kat, Jerome, go back to the ship and prepare two regiment of drones for deployement. Tell Douglas and Alice to be ready for deployment when I come back. Code 1 will be in effect until the imminent threat is neutralized." "Roger." "It will be done." Kat and Jerome, who were quietly standing behind me, both departed the moment I finished giving them my orders. Both humans and elves looked at me totally puzzled, as though they weren't sure whether they had heard me correctly. "Sir ?..." Even the King wasn't sure was surprised I ordered my squad to prepare for war against Aliomeri so casually. "You two, bring your men with you and follow me to our ship. I will need more information about this kingdom of Aliomeri : their population, the coordinate of their major cities, the dishes they eat for breakfast...You need to tell me everything you know about them." Everyone present in the camp was dumbfounded by my words. They probably thought I was crazy. The kingdom of Aliomeri was a powerhouse in the region, and an influential country as strong as Lyssandra. Frontally attacking them would be deemed as nothing else but suicide... What these natives didn't know, was that our squad never engaged in a losing fight. I still lacked information about the natives of this world, but what I learned so far was more than enough for me to evaluate the risks/benefits of confronting Aliomeri. Instead of a suicidal idea, I considered this a valuable opportunity to create a foothold on this planet. "Chos...Hum, Lord Jun-Yeob, do you perhaps plan to battle them ?" "Battle ? Do not underestimate us, elf. There won't even be a need for a battle. To thank you for your precious help, I will show you guys how we, the Void Rifters, deal with our ennemies from where we come from." The elves' superiority complex reminded me of the Scyllas' arrogance, but at least, the Scyllas had the strength to back their ideology and look down on other species. On the other hand, the elves from Aliomeri just used underhanded methods to kidnap weak females from the borders. I smirked under my helmet, as I could already smell the blood of those fools who dared to use human lives as mere disposable when I tried so hard to save my race from extinction. I never met any of them, yet they already pissed me off.