I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 466

My personal equipment, [Great Commander’s Flag], has the following stats:

[Great Commander’s Flag (EX)]

– Category: Flag (Support Equipment)

– Durability: 10/10

– Provides the following buffs to all troops commanded by the wearer:

> Strength +10, Agility +10, Intelligence +10, Stamina +10, Magic Power +10

> Physical Resistance increased by 10%, Magic Resistance increased by 10%

> Physical Penetration increased by 10%, Magic Penetration increased by 10%

> All types of elemental resistance increased by 10%

> Morale does not drop below ‘Normal’

It’s intuitive and ridiculously powerful.

It’s not just for a few party members, or even just hero characters, but it pours that many buffs onto all my troops.

The more troops I command as the game progresses, the more valuable this flag’s effect becomes. It’s truly equipment for a commander class.

But the true power of this flag lies in its unique equipment function.

– Exclusive effect for character ‘Ash’

> Passive skill, 1st skill, 2nd skill enhanced

> Ultimate skill [Imperial Territory Declaration] evolves into [Foremost Flag]

It enhances the passive skill, 1st skill, and 2nd skill, and at the same time, evolves the ultimate skill.

Among them, the highlight, the new ultimate skill, [Foremost Flag].

Basically, it has all the functions of the existing [Imperial Territory Declaration]. It can summon fortresses, declare territory wars, and remove the limit on the number of summons, etc.

And the added function here is… this.

“Everyone who once held this flag—gather here!”

I knelt on one knee and thrust the flag into the ground, and at the same time as my shout.

Flash-!

Light burst forth from the flag.

The black thorn trees that poured in from all directions towards me tried to keep rushing in, ignoring such light,

Clang!

The tips of the stems were cut off by a sword that appeared from the light,

Clatter!

The tips of the stems were blocked by a shield,

Whoosh…!

By the magic that poured out, the stems were burned by magical flames.

Various weapons that appeared from the light protected me, and simultaneously broke hundreds and thousands of thorn trees that were rushing towards me.

“What…?!”

Fernandes let out a bewildered groan.

Well, he had reason to be. He must have been sure he had won just now. But my trump card had nullified it.

Whoosh…!

The light emanating from the flag subsided.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

By now, hundreds of human figures made of flickering haze-like… gray shadows were lined up in an orderly fashion around me.

Among them, surrounding me as if protecting me, I slowly straightened my knee and stood up.

“This is… no way…”

Fernandes uttered a dazed sound.

“Are they all… ‘you’?”

I smiled silently.

Yes.

Each and every one of them is a remnant of ‘me’.

The shadows of past iterations that have passed through the ‘save slot’ that is me.

***

At first, I could choose any job.

As a wildcard character, I could nurture myself as I wished.

Among those many possibilities, I chose the commander and came this far.

…But, I was always curious.

What if I had chosen a different job?

What if I had become a knight of a damage-tank class as originally planned?

What if I had become a mage following my magical aptitude?

Assassin, archer, priest, fighter….

The countless paths not taken.

If I had walked a different path, what would I look like now?

The respective endings reached by those many possibilities are now summoned beside me.

Ash with a dagger, Ash with a spear, Ash with a magic gun, Ash with a staff….

Ashes wearing various armors, cloaks, and holding flags high.

All of them are failures who reached the end of their respective worlds, and ultimately lost.

“It’s not just you who left records.”

Ash also left his long path, his countless footprints, on this flag.

All of them are the remnants of my past strategies, the embers left after the flame that is me burned, and the afterimages reflected by the shadow of my existence.

“What principle is this…?!”

Fernandes gritted his teeth.

“Could it be Aider, that prophet’s doing?!!”

“I don’t know. What does it matter what the principle is?”

I don’t know the principle.

Whether it’s some miracle possible because Ash, who originally has the power of a regressor, has the talent to manipulate time.

Or whether it’s possible because, as Fernandes said, the previous Ash and Aider joined forces to make this happen.

‘Well, whatever.’

I don’t know the reason either.

Was it an arrangement left by Ash for another self who had been overlaid with the memories of others?

To lend his past experiences if he proves his worth and completes this flag?

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Now is the final iteration.

The reason or principle doesn’t matter. It’s enough to use it well.

‘I’m a regressor, so I should have this much of a perk.’

Otherwise, I’d just be losing my memories, having my soul shattered, and feeling miserable. Why would I be a regressor…!

– Cheer up, me.

Suddenly, the last phrase of the letter I received from my past self came to mind.

I unknowingly let out a small chuckle.

Receiving the support and records from my disconnected self-

The final me takes another step forward.

“Thank you, me.”

After muttering to the past Ash, I thrust the flag forward.

“Well then… now that I’m fully equipped.”

In response to my movement, hundreds of my afterimages simultaneously raised their respective weapons.

“Shall we start round 2, brother?”

Clatter!

Instead of answering, Fernandes fired hundreds of thorn trees like cannonballs again.

Staring at the thorn tree stems pouring down like a rainstorm, I shouted.

“Let’s go-!”

In response to that shout, my afterimages charged forward in perfect unison.

***

Ash… I am basically low in stats.

In other words, my talent is poor. This is due to a congenital limitation, a problem that cannot be overcome no matter how much of a regressor I am.

Lark, who was a genius as a knight. Fernandes, who was a genius as a mage.

Compared to the two brothers, Ash is nothing more than a mediocre or dull person with no outstanding qualities. He is by no means a powerful character compared to other heroes.

Even if I have accumulated a lot of experience and finally reached the end of the world, the limit is clear.

…But.

Even if each individual is weak, they are all ‘me’.

In other words – it means that every fingertip and toe of each one can be completely controlled by my will.

‘An army of shadows that moves according to the will of the commander?’

This is a cheat, what else is a cheat!

Bang! Crash!

The me with a shield takes the initial blow of the thorn tree.

Slash! Clatter!

Behind him, the me with a sword and spear cuts the thorn trees and advances.

Flash! Flash-!

The me with a staff casts magic, and the me with a bow and magic gun snipes continuously.

There is no need to give verbal commands. There is no need to direct the direction, nor to explain the intention.

The moment I think, the army made up of me moves exactly as I think, and advanced with transcendental efficiency.

This is my own one-man army.

The legion made up of me alone demonstrated transcendental breakthrough power and rushed to Fernandes’s doorstep.

“Kuh…?!”

Fernandes let out a groan of dismay as his defense was broken in an instant.

Swish! Swish!

Even in the midst of this, as if trying to counterattack, Fernandes moved the thorn trees hidden in the ceiling to ambush me from behind.

But I just watched it with my arms crossed.

‘There are a few more ‘me’ who have taken the commander tree on this side too!’

Thud!

When another me with a flag planted the flagpole on the ground, a gray wall was created from there.

Like the flowering process recorded by a high-speed camera, the layers of walls that sprouted in an instant blocked the thorn trees pouring towards me.

When even his last resort was thwarted, Fernandes laughed helplessly.

“This is ridiculous, brother. To hide such power… it wasn’t in the records….”

I smiled back at him.

“I told you not to rely too much on the walkthrough.”

If you only memorize the family tree, you won’t be able to cope if a question comes out of the exam scope, right?

Thwack-!

Breaking through the last thorn tree resistance line.

My afterimages that reached Fernandes did not hesitate to swing their weapons.

Thud! Thwack!

The swords and spears made of gray shadows pierced Fernandes’s wrists, insteps, thighs, and forearms.

“Kuh!”

Fernandes gritted his teeth and endured the groan.

I slowly approached that brother. My afterimages parted like waves, clearing a path toward the throne.

“Haha… really, you’ve always been a guy I couldn’t figure out since a long time ago.”

Fernandes was smiling softly even though he was sitting on the throne, pierced by my weapons.

“Sometimes you’re overly extraordinary, and sometimes you act like a thug out of the blue. You listen well, but then you mess everything up.”

“….”

“You always hid your schemes from me. You were strangely perceptive….”

I clicked my tongue.

“Is that the me you experienced, or the me in the records?”

“Either way, you were always like that.”

Fernandes’s complexion was pale, probably from the blood loss. Fernandes tried to keep smiling while his pale lips trembled.

“And… either way, we were always brothers.”

“Why are you being so cheesy when there’s nothing to wash it down with? You’re not trying to gain sympathy now, are you?”

“Haha, you’re right. What would I do by begging you for my life now?”

Fernandes leaned back on the backrest of the throne and muttered with a more relaxed face.

“Now we’re going to a world where we don’t need lives.”

“…What?”

“It’s too late, Ash.”

Thump!

Before Fernandes could finish his words, the entire audience chamber began to vibrate.

Confused, I looked around. What is it?!

“The shutdown protocol hasn’t been activated yet…?!”

Crash!

Along with the violent vibration, I felt a sensation of my body floating up.

I was surprised and looked outside, and only then did I discover it.

A huge thorn tree.

It was wrapping around the entire imperial palace as if holding it in its grasp, and slowly lifting it into the air.

The huge hand made of thorn trees looked like a huge ship.

The Ark.

This was the ‘final ark’ that Fernandes had been talking about all along.

“Did you do this, brother?”

I muttered, dumbfounded.

Could it be that Fernandes… even while fighting me, was manipulating Everblack to do this?

Was he aiming for this from the beginning…?

“…The shutdown protocol is just a bonus.”

Fernandes muttered in an increasingly faint voice.

“It’s just a consideration to take additional passengers in the remaining space of this ark that is going to the spirit realm….”

“What?”

“Even if the shutdown protocol is not activated and we cannot take the citizens… this ark will depart for the spirit realm.”

Fernandes’s dark red eyes stared at me.

“Carrying the person who must be kept alive.”

“…No way.”

“I told you, Ash.”

Fernandes laughed hollowly.

“I’m going to save you.”

“….”

“Even if the world is destroyed and my plan fails and I can’t save my citizens… I will save you. You deserve it.”

“….”

“You… in the new world, as the king of the spirit realm… you can live….”

I was so dumbfounded that my mouth was wide open.

I honestly blurted out.

“When I was called a madman by my father earlier, I was honestly a little proud? Like, I had a sense of pride that I was the best among the madmen of the era?”

“…?”

“But I’ll have to concede the title of the strongest to you.”

With admiration, I acknowledged it.

“You’re the craziest one, Fernandes. You unique psycho.”

Thump!

The ark was now completely soaring into the air.