By Zephyria Apart from the crossed gazes between the two that no one else knew about, the conference that had opened early in the morning proceeded swiftly.
Gray first explained that the movements of the demon beasts on the peninsula after the core was defeated showed, as expected, that they were scattering in all directions as if out of control. He added that it was possible that the creatures had instinctively fled after sensing the volcanic eruption, but the same phenomenon had occurred even in areas unaffected by the explosion.
Some of them even lived near the active volcano, so the prevailing opinion was that the strange movements of the demon beasts were ultimately due to the death of the core.
Afterwards, he pointed to the stands set up by the members of the operations department and drew lines on the map along the demon beasts’ migration routes.
The final destination of the creatures that had moved from the south to the north was the Eldermilli Peninsula border zone.
“Immediately after the first eruption, the creatures that rushed in simultaneously launched an all-out offensive, neutralizing the 3rd and 4th Defenses that had been set up in the border zone. The hastily expanded 5th Defense and the Gate are holding, but we are not at the stage where we can rest assured, so we are simultaneously reinforcing the Defense line and carrying out elimination operations.”
“…….”
“This operation is being assisted by the Hares royal guard and Paren’s army, and approximately seven company-sized units are being deployed alternately. The remaining individuals are estimated to be less than 500. Most of them are Dermokas, so we cannot approach them rashly, but fortunately, we have received a response that they have lost their organization and are in a state of confusion, so they can be dealt with in about a week.”
“Are you collecting the eggs that are presumed to be the next core?”
Bruno, who was sitting next to Hugo, raised his hand and asked in the middle of the briefing. It wasn’t so much that he was really curious about the content, but rather to point out the key briefing points that shouldn’t be missed.
Gray noticed and turned over a sheet of data, answering.
“Some of the Dermokas that appeared in the border zone were spotted carrying the eggs. We immediately dispatched a dedicated unit to collect them, and so far, we have found a total of eight eggs. The individuals that were transporting the eggs were captured using Sleep Pellets for the purpose of searching for the remaining eggs later.”
Bruno nodded and lowered his hand. Gray, judging that the answer was roughly sufficient, quickly moved on to the next topic.
“In addition, the barrier in the southern area that was released to rescue survivors is being continuously observed and reinforced. However, we have confirmed the problem that the air blocking effect in that area is significantly reduced because the barrier surface has already been cracked once.”
“…….”
“The density of the barrier membrane is high, so the risk of collapse is low, but we were able to find volcanic ash containing moisture accumulated nearby. Fortunately, no large ejecta or toxic substances have leaked out, but a new trace has been added that deserves close attention. The type is unknown, but it was a trace that looked like a demon beast’s claws had sharply scratched the barrier surface.”
The commanders buzzed at the new report. The fact that there were traces on the barrier surface that hadn’t existed before indicated the possibility that some demon beasts were still surviving inside the barrier.
As expected, Isabella, the 12th Battalion Commander of the Southern Branch, immediately raised her hand and asked.
“Then are there creatures alive inside?”
“That’s the situation. However, most of them are judged to have already died of suffocation, and it is estimated that a small number of individuals capable of underwater breathing are hiding in the lake and moving in search of an escape route. We have not yet found any evidence that they have escaped, and we are tracking their location along the traces in case of emergency. They are generally following the southern coastline, and we have dispatched a company-sized investigation unit.”
Isabella crossed her arms and saved her words with a displeased expression. As the atmosphere became rapidly chaotic, Bruno added from his seat as if trying to sort out the situation.
“Even if there are surviving creatures, the number of individuals will not be large, so there is no need to worry too much. From the beginning of the operation planning stage, we didn’t think the possibility of a complete annihilation was high, did we? Rather, the number of demon beasts gathered in the border zone seems to be smaller than expected, so it is flowing in a much more positive direction than our concerns.”
Bruno tried to calm the commanders’ confusion, saying that the rest could be sorted out gradually as it was almost finished. Perhaps that was to prevent the meeting atmosphere from becoming agitated in preparation for the bleak topic that would be mentioned next.
Gray, who received his help, looked around and continued to convey the details related to the progress of the subjugation.
He explained that the elimination was generally in the final stages in each area, and that they were inserting poison and tracking chips into animal meat and scattering it like bait to prevent the surviving creatures from breeding or to track down hidden nests.
Hugo found the same content in the data organized by Flynn and scanned it with his eyes. Soon, at the sight of him quietly nodding, Bruno gestured to Gray as if telling him to move on to the next content.
“Next, the personnel in charge of each area will brief on the casualty rescue operation.”
As Gray’s words ended, the commanders who had been in charge of the search by dividing the areas came up to the podium.
The one at the head of them took over the baton and began to report on the status of the recovered remains and rescue operations.
“The areas with a high concentration of deaths are located in the southern area of the peninsula, ranging from coordinates (15, 368, 94) to (59, 70, 118), covering a radius of approximately 20km. This is the section where the core escaped from the 118th Fort and flew north, collapsing the Defense lines near the 112th-119th Forts and advancing to the plains.”
Behind the commander who was continuing the briefing, a member of the operations department turned over the map installed on the stand. What appeared was a map of the southern area of the peninsula, with the areas with a high concentration of deaths marked with red lines.
“Currently, this section straddles the inside and outside of the operating barrier, so we have only recovered the bodies and items outside for now. Approximately 220 bodies have been identified, and the remaining 70 or so are so severely damaged that they will be transferred to the Council headquarters for tooth matching and detailed examination of items to identify them.”
The expressions of the listeners were very miserable and heavy sighs flowed from between their teeth, as the number of deaths confirmed to date was nearly 300 in some areas alone.
Leonardo, who had been silently staring at the head seat, also turned his eyes to the podium at the terrible numbers. The horrific scenes of that time flashed back in his memory. His already furrowed brow twisted even more.
“Besides that, the corpses inside the barrier that can be visually confirmed are entangled with the demon beasts that tried to escape, making it difficult to determine the exact number. Therefore, we will wait for the volcanic eruption to subside, and when it enters a stable phase, we plan to release some Barrier Stones and dig tunnels to enter. Also, a large number of casualties occurred near the gorge in the Second Plains area, and Company Commander Hamilton from the Operations Department will continue with the report regarding that.”
The Second Plains area was where two companies, led by Marlene Diaz, the deputy commander of the 6th Battalion of the Central Branch, were stationed, forming a boundary line. Leonardo unconsciously scanned the commanders sitting in the front, searching for Dellua’s face.
As a battalion commander, he could easily find her near the head table. She looked somber but tried to appear composed, but Marlene, the deputy commander, was nowhere to be seen around her.
Leonardo’s eyebrows slightly rose.
‘Didn’t she attend?’
It was unheard of for a deputy commander to be absent from a major conference attended even by lower-ranking commanders. He rolled his eyes, wondering if she might be sitting elsewhere, but he couldn’t find Marlene’s familiar face.
Suddenly, Leonardo felt a chill down his spine, wondering if she was among the casualties being briefed by the commanders.
The weight of death wasn’t determined by rank, but at least he didn’t want to hear news of a familiar face dying. However, the thought grew uncontrollably, causing sudden nausea and cold hands and feet. It was a kind of aftereffect.
Meanwhile, the words death, corpse, and remains continued to be heard. The atmosphere of the small square became somber due to the grim topic.
A lost wind occasionally lingered eerily in the middle of the square where the four paths met before flowing away. Leonardo covered his lips with his hand, which had been propping up his chin, and turned his eyes to the right path where the wind was blowing, following his swaying bangs.
He thought he caught a faint smell of blood, the same as yesterday. When he reached the point where he couldn’t distinguish between reality and illusion, Leonardo suddenly felt regret.
‘Should I have said I would come?’
The sensation of the corpse he had carried by its clothes still lingered vividly around his lips. Leonardo, who considered his mental fortitude not very strong, worried that he might suddenly vomit in the middle of the gathering of commanders.
Because of that, he glanced around with anxious eyes, and by chance, his eyes met those of another adjutant sitting to his right.
In fact, it was Leonardo’s thought that it was a coincidence, and the adjutant had been aware of his poor complexion all along.
However, Leonardo, who was careful not to talk to strangers, quickly tried to turn his eyes away. But just then, the adjutant bent down and picked up a water bottle placed at his feet. He leaned his upper body towards Leonardo and whispered softly.
“Want a drink?”