Chapter 538

December.

Winter has come.

The Allied forces have been destroying the warp gates of small cities, traveling from Saekeurian to the outskirts of Rizelrun.

The small warp gates of small towns were already destroyed by the demon's forces, and the Imperial headquarters disguised it as part of the Imperial vanguard's operation.

Only a few knew that the Allied forces were receiving help from the demon, and it had to be kept secret to avoid causing confusion and division.

Large-scale troops had to leave for winter. This war will continue beyond the year.

Seven small towns and three medium-sized cities were the achievements of the Allied forces so far.

Vertus was watching the situation board with a stern expression in front of numerous military commanders gathered at the Allied headquarters.

All the battles they had experienced so far could not be described as small.

But now, the Allied forces were facing the biggest battle they had ever encountered.

Three large warp gates.

One super large warp gate.

Seven small warp gates.

Serandia, the largest city in southern Rizelrun.

It was the first time they were attempting to destroy a super large warp gate.

That was the point.

The staff officers began their report.

"Your Majesty, if we succeed in capturing Serandia, we expect a significant decrease in the number of monster groups in the southern region of Rizelrun."

"We can use the Lajie River near Serandia as a water source, and if we solve the water supply locally, the Allied forces can spend the winter more easily by replacing the transportation for water supply with other materials."

"However, due to the nature of winter operations, a significant loss of combat power is expected while the main force moves to Serandia. In addition, if the operation fails, it is expected to cause irreversible and very severe losses, as retreat is almost impossible."

"We can focus on defending the base camp and spend the winter, then start the Serandia campaign. However, it is unclear whether the necessary material supply for the army will be smooth until spring. The monsters in Serandia will periodically attack the Allied forces' base camp area during the winter and continue to replenish their combat power, so there will be no loss of combat power for the enemy."

Vertus narrowed his eyes as he listened to the staff officers' report.

Winter is a season where everything freezes, and soldiers are no exception.

Winter marching is even more hellish than normal marching.

There will be soldiers whose frozen toes will actually fall off, not just exhausted and falling behind.

The priests of the Holy Order can heal them with divine magic, but not everyone can receive such benefits.

Due to the nature of the large city, the surrounding area is filled with waves of monsters, so the Allied forces have set up their base camp in a place far away from Serandia.

Just getting to the battlefield in Serandia is a forced march.

A forced march in extreme cold, and the monsters become more and more agitated as they go. "The environment where you can rest for a day and fight with the battlefield right in front of you is never possible. The troops will have to face the most enemies when they are the most exhausted. And that's in the winter. 'We can't expect the weather to improve if there's another weather anomaly on our way, but we can't rely on that....' They proceed with the Serandia campaign through marching in the extreme cold. Ultimately, significant damage is expected in the campaign. And even if they capture Serandia, the gate situation will not be over. There are still cities that need to be destroyed. If they experience irreversible losses here, the next battle will be even harder. If it becomes more difficult and burdensome, and if there are continuous losses of irreplaceable personnel, they will ultimately fail to destroy the final gate, and then humanity will lose all hope. But if they wait out the winter here and attack Serandia in the spring, the army will consume an enormous amount of resources. Humans need to eat, and they need to do whatever it takes to withstand the cold. And even though they are far away, there is Serandia, where monsters pour out from the super large warp gate. They will have to continue defending throughout the winter, and that will result in not only resource loss but also personnel loss. If they succeed in capturing Serandia, they can secure resources to survive the winter. And they can cut down the forest area nearby to withstand the winter. 'We can't survive the winter here. We're going to Serandia.' They can't always expect help, but there has always been help. That's why Vertus had no choice but to rely on the demon's forces again. The land where the Allied forces are going will thaw, and a strange climate called warm sunshine will appear. The rulers of humanity rely on the demon king. 'If we can't receive any more help....' He couldn't be sure he wouldn't panic then. Ellen regained consciousness at the sound of a crying voice that seemed to be calling her. There was a black cat pressing its front paws on her thigh. It seemed to be worried, with a pitiful look in its eyes. Why is it doing this? Ellen was sitting in a tent. She realized that she had lost consciousness for a moment. She had heard that there was a meeting about the Serandia campaign, but she didn't necessarily have to attend. She had the right to speak, but it was not an easy issue to discuss when so many lives were at stake. So she was considering whether to go or not. But when she came to her senses, the cat that had been neglected for the past few days was crying in front of her." Ellen is in her tent, petting a neglected black cat that has been crying. Ellen's condition is worsening, and she periodically loses consciousness. The cat seems to have a calming effect on her. Ellen is aware of the upcoming Serandia campaign and the potential risks involved. The Royal Class members are discussing the decision to proceed with the campaign despite the harsh winter conditions. They may need to rely on demon forces again for help. I nodded at Ellerys' response. A full-scale battle at the end of a winter march. A full-scale battle after a defensive battle in the cold, followed by spring. Both require a tremendous burden. In the original work, this time is not winter. They face winter in another major city conquest. In that situation, the alliance chooses to endure. But now, Rianna has awakened the ability to change the weather that she couldn't use in the original work, and we are helping. So they will expect our help and proceed with the march. The alliance will be protected from the weather on the way they go. That way, the alliance can protect the harsh cold on the way they go. But the next problem. "We need to decide what to do when the Serandia attack begins." It was Lurien's words. Yes, we have to decide that. In the gate conquest so far, we have hit the warp gates that we can handle at a level before the alliance and collapsed them. But the place where there are medium-sized warp gates swept away the monsters with preemptive strikes and left them to the alliance. We took on the mission of the vanguard that the alliance did not know, but we did not think they would notice us when the main operation began. But this time, the scale of the operation is different. One super-sized warp gate and three large warp gates. There is a limit to the monsters that can be handled even with Rianna's weather-changing ability, and even if the monsters are exterminated, they will be replenished at an enormous speed. We can see a meaningful effect with preemptive strikes. But if we leave this operation to the alliance, there would have been casualties as we did not fight directly. If we participate, the number of casualties will decrease, and the alliance will be able to preserve their full strength. It is also practically beneficial for us to participate. "But if we participate, it is highly likely to be a big mistake in the long run, even if we can help with the Serandia attack right away." "Yes, that's right." I had no choice but to agree with Galarsch's words. Antirianus opens his mouth. "Our army is small, but it will be noticeable on the battlefield. This is also true of the large-scale magic used by the magicians of the Gaju and clans here. Of course, the lightning used by the King of the Brain, the divine power of the High Priestess, Tiamata, and the Alsbrenger used by the Great Being will not be exceptions." The power we use is too powerful and will inevitably be noticeable. Sarkegar, who is back in Lazak for the meeting, speaks up. "The current alliance headquarters is aware of our help. A small number of personnel in charge of the front-line reconnaissance mission are silenced. And the personnel of each army headquarters know that what is happening on the front line is the power of the empire. Of course, there are quite a few cases where they are aware of the suspicion, but it seems that neither the empire nor the alliance is mentioned unnecessarily." "But if we reveal ourselves in this battle, most of the alliance, especially the ordinary soldiers, will know our involvement, and this could lead to unexpected problems." "Your Majesty, I believe it is the right decision for us not to reveal ourselves in the upcoming Serandia attack. The power we possess is too great and will inevitably be noticed. The moment we use it, the demon king's forces will sense our presence. The memory of the meteor shower that struck the temple from the sky, like a shattered mirror, is still remembered as an unforgettable nightmare by those who witnessed it. The rumors of that magic have already spread far and wide. If we participate in the battle, it will undoubtedly help the alliance, but it could also lead to unexpected problems. The alliance headquarters is aware of our help, but if we reveal ourselves in this battle, most of the alliance, especially the ordinary soldiers, will know our involvement. We must weigh the benefits and risks of participating in the battle and make a decision. There is no absolute right choice. Every choice requires us to gain something while also sacrificing something. We must make a choice that gains us something while minimizing our losses." The moment to participate in the battle will come. That won't change. And the Gate situation is becoming more and more dangerous. In the early stages of the Gate incident, Sabrina Tanar led a mobile unit that easily destroyed cities with these large warp gates. Now that the Gate situation has become more dangerous, isn't it necessary to travel with such a large army? Serandia is dangerous, but the cities that will face us later will be even more dangerous than Serandia. "Serandia will only launch a preemptive strike, and we will watch without participating." Now is the time to watch over those who die, no matter who dies. Is it the right choice to turn a blind eye to those who are dying right now to prevent more deaths? I don't know. However, like Louise von Schwarze said, I can only make a choice. "And if possible, it would be good to destroy a few warp gates, even if we don't know about the large ones." Preemptive strike. If that's all we can do, we have to do everything we can there.