I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 524

Whether our side’s atmosphere turned cold or not, Mikhail continued.

“Our Vermillion Kingdom is in a remote area in the northwest of the world. It’s a terrible environment, bordering deserts, snowy mountains, and even the sea. In other words, monsters invade from all sides all the time.”

“……”

“I’ve been dealing with monsters since I was five years old, when I first rode my griffon. And, to be honest, I don’t think dealing with monsters is that difficult.”

Mikhail, gently stroking the neck of the griffon behind him, glared straight at me.

“Prince Ash. You’ve exaggerated the crisis of monster invasions to scare the world, and under that pretext, you’ve launched this huge alliance. It’s all to lay the groundwork for the Everblack Empire to unify the world.”

“……”

I shrugged, breaking the silence.

“So, what do you want to do, Crown Prince of Vermillion?”

“I’ll prove it. That monster invasions aren’t a big crisis.”

Mikhail quickly stretched out his hand forward.

“During the next monster invasion, let’s have our Sky Knights and your direct forces compete against each other. To see who achieves the higher score.”

“Oh ho……”

I couldn’t help but smile, baring my teeth.

“If you win? What happens?”

Mikhail answered without hesitation.

“We’ll take over command of this front line… our Sky Knights will.”

Lukas was furious, but I stopped him with my hand.

The young knight, Mikhail, continued to speak in a clear voice.

“You can remain the leader of the alliance. But we’ll take command of the front line.”

“……”

“That way, we can keep your Everblack Empire in check within this huge alliance.”

Indeed.

He’s quite clever for a fifteen-year-old.

While the Empire is overwhelmingly powerful in terms of actual national strength, he doesn’t touch the position of alliance leader. Instead, he aims to prove that they are more capable in dealing with monsters and take command of the front line.

‘If successful, the national prestige of the Vermillion Kingdom will rise sharply in the World Guardian Front, an alliance of all countries in the world.’

And the name of the young crown prince will be widely known on the international stage.

Moreover, the competition itself is quite favorable to the Sky Knights.

Sky Knights, aerial cavalry riding griffons… [Griffons are mythical creatures, part eagle and part lion.]

They are a force that can only be obtained in the late third year of the game, but they are very useful and well-used. They are definitely a very high-quality elite force.

He must have thought it was a worthwhile fight, and in reality, there is a good chance.

The problem is that if the commander of this front line were a normal person, they would never accept such a competition.

“Interesting.”

Well, I’m not exactly normal.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

Lukas, horrified by my easy acceptance, stared at me with his mouth agape.

“My lord?!”

“However, the conditions must be clear.”

Pushing away Lukas, who was trying to stop me, I laid down the law to Mikhail.

“If I win. You and your Sky Knights must become my loyal hands and feet. Do you agree?”

“Of course.”

Mikhail nodded readily, as if he had expected that much.

However, his face turned slightly pale at my next words.

“You’ll bite if I tell you to bite, die if I tell you to die, kneel if I tell you to kneel, and if I tell you to show your belly and pant, you’ll show your belly and pant. Okay?”

“No… that’s a bit…”

“You also have to do griffon air shows. I’ll request them at every event. Things like a three-rotation formation flight in the air!”

“……”

“Anyway, I’m going to work you to the bone, so don’t complain then. Okay?”

Mikhail hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

“Okay. I accept.”

In fact, they don’t have much to lose.

Even if they just stay put, they’ll become my subordinates as part of the alliance. This is an opportunity to have a match for command before that. There’s no reason to refuse.

“Good. The next defense battle is in a week.”

I smiled and reached out towards the new barracks.

“I’m looking forward to it, Mikhail Vermillion. Since you dared to challenge the monster front with monster hunting, I’m very curious to see what kind of amazing flight you’ll show.”

“……”

“Now, until then, please don’t cause trouble and settle in quietly. Go in quickly!”

The Sky Knights, who had been causing trouble with their move-in, finally began to lead their griffons one by one into the new barracks.

I whispered to Mikhail, who was about to head into the barracks with his griffon.

“And this is a piece of advice.”

“Huh?”

“The monsters you’ve met so far are completely different from the monsters of the monster front. Keep that in mind.”

“……”

Mikhail looked at me intently with clear eyes, then led his griffon inside again.

As soon as Mikhail disappeared, Lukas rushed at me, making a sound like ‘Uwaaaak-‘.

“Why did you accept, my lord?!”

“Huh? We’re going to win, what’s the problem?”

“There’s always a chance of something going wrong! The betting conditions are strange! We have so much to lose, and they have nothing to lose!”

Lukas scolded me in a stern voice, as if rebuking my emotional response.

“If we lose, and we have to hand over command, why would you take such an inefficient gamble?!”

“If they’re good enough to beat us, it wouldn’t be bad to leave it to them, right?”

“Huh?”

“That means they’re that capable and knowledgeable about fighting monsters, right?”

“Uh……”

Lukas made a dazed sound, as if he realized there was some logic to it. I chuckled.

“Right? If they’re good enough to beat us, they’re incredibly talented. It’d be okay to leave it to them.”

“That’s… true, but… no, um…”

Of course, that’s not going to happen.

I have a cold grasp of the stats of our army and the Vermillion Sky Knights.

And in reality, there are all sorts of variables and real abilities that cannot be explained simply by stats.

‘There’s no way we’ll lose.’

Stats, variables, in all aspects… we are ahead.

Strategies must be carried out in the realm of certainty.

I was 100% sure of victory.

“And, with this one match, we’ll gain a lot.”

“A lot?”

“Mikhail is one of the strongest in the world, and the Sky Knights are the most outstanding high-level force among the troops joining this time.”

I turned to my subordinates and cracked my knuckles, making a sound.

“If we defeat them and break their spirit, the rest of the troops will naturally obey me.”

In short, Mikhail and the Sky Knights are the representatives of the newly joined troops who challenged our side this time.

It’s also necessary to break the noses of these arrogant and spirited newcomers in order to run an organization.

‘I’m actually grateful that they picked a fight first.’

There’s no need to convince them one by one. This one event will sort out the hierarchy.

“You guys aren’t scared of those newbies, are you?”

I looked around at my subordinates and asked provocatively, and immediately, heat flushed their faces.

“Let’s show those brats who ignored the battles we’ve fought what’s what.”

I smiled fiercely, baring my teeth.

“The battle of the monster front veterans, the real battle with monsters… !”

***

“Ah! I was going to be the first to have a match and take command!”

A few days later.

While inspecting the state of the walls in preparation for the monster invasion that was quickly approaching, Dusk Bringer came running up, making such a noise.

Come to think of it, I almost had a 5-on-5 PVP with Dusk Bringer and her Dragon Blood Knights, five of them. It somehow went away…

“Has the rumor about this match already spread?”

“It’s all over the city! The command battle between Prince Ash and Crown Prince Mikhail! Everyone knows about it!”

I chuckled at her, who kept lamenting, ‘I was going to be first~!’

“Is Your Grace still aiming for command?”

“Umhat?! Isn’t that obvious? I’m always watching for a chance to take your neck!”

After saying that, Dusk Bringer playfully clung to my back and opened her mouth to nibble at my neck.

Hey, please stop. Your Grace’s teeth are sharp and it hurts.

After finally getting Dusk Bringer off me and putting her down, she tilted her head and asked.

“But, are you really going to be okay? The Sky Knights are one of the most prestigious knight orders in the entire continent. They have a reputation comparable to my Dragon Blood Knights. Are you confident you can win?”

“Of course, I am.”

I looked towards the other side of the wall… towards the southern plains.

“Above all, battles between people aren’t that important.”

“Huh?”

“The next monster invasion that’s coming soon is also not going to be easy.”

It’s the third year.

Now, even the normal stage waves will bring more powerful and terrible monsters than before.

“If there’s a bet, the prestigious Sky Knights will fight even harder. Our guys will also be stimulated and squeeze out every last bit of strength.”

“……”

“It’s also a good opportunity to test how well they fight, so it’s all good things.”

When new people come into an organization, they can stimulate each other and create healthy competition.

If we can use this kind of synergy effectively, there’s no reason not to.

Dusk Bringer, who opened her mouth slightly and made a sound like ‘Hoo~’, lowered her large dragon eyes slightly and asked.

“But in the end, this match will result in some troops acting independently, not following your tactical command. Is that okay? Won’t the operational efficiency decrease?”

“The next defense battle will be fine.”

I nodded, looking towards the black lake behind the southern plains.

“It’s a battle that will be easier if the aerial cavalry draws attention with individual combat.”

That’s because the next defense battle’s opponent is…

***

Defense battle day. Early afternoon.

The troops lined up on the wall swallowed hard, staring at the southern sky.

Dududududu-!

A sound like helicopter blades turning echoes through the sky.

What appeared, darkening the sky, were huge, beetle-like monsters.

Thick carapaces. Various horns protruding from their heads.

And wings that vibrated as they spread wide, and six thick legs.

It was a beetle legion.

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

“They’re so gross!”

Kuilran and Junior, who were weak against bugs, screamed at the same time.

I clicked my tongue inwardly. Hey, even beetles are okay. Imagine if it were centipedes or cockroaches. I would have fainted first.

‘It’s a flying monster, just in time…’

I turned my head slightly to the side and looked at the Sky Knights, who were on standby.

When do aerial cavalry shine the most? It’s when they’re facing flying monsters. They will be able to fully demonstrate their combat power today.

“……?”

But.

For some reason, our Mikhail, the leader of the Sky Knights and the Crown Prince of Vermillion… his face is pale. His fingertips are also trembling slightly.

I approached and asked, puzzled.

“Mikhail? Um, are you… nervous right now?”

“W-w-what are you talking about? I’m just a little taken aback because it’s a type of monster I’ve never seen before.”

“…Are you perhaps weak against bugs?”

I asked out of genuine concern, but Mikhail widened his eyes and vehemently denied it.

“No, no way?! The blood of griffons flows through the people of our Vermillion Kingdom! And griffons bravely chew up all kinds of bugs! I can even chew bugs raw!”

“W-well, you don’t have to eat them…”

I tried to calm Mikhail down.

No, I sincerely want you to fight well at your full condition. Safely and bravely, okay?

“What is this…”

“They’re too big, and there are too many of them…”

The other Sky Knights also seemed quite flustered.

It wasn’t that the enemy was a bug monster, but they were overwhelmed by the size and scale of the monsters, which they had never faced before.

The Crossroads soldiers, who had become accustomed to battle, were mostly watching the approaching monster legion without any agitation, but the newly arrived soldiers were already trembling and stepping back.

“Why… aren’t you guys nervous?”

One of the Sky Knights asked a Crossroads soldier in a trembling voice.

The Crossroads soldier smirked and replied.

“This is nothing. We’ve faced much worse.”

The new knights and soldiers gaped. Mikhail also looked at the sky with disbelief.

I, who was listening to this conversation from behind, chuckled. Don’t be so surprised, guys.

You’ll get used to it as you face the local specialties here.

‘That’s how everyone becomes a veteran.’

At that moment, a scout’s loud voice was heard.

“They’re approaching within range!”