Chapter 123: A Kingdom Built On Strength

The first scream came from the eastern flank.

Then another.

Then dozens.

Tanaka looked towards the healing tents. The dark figures he had seen approaching were no longer concealing themselves. Varkesh warriors broke through their ranks with brutal strength, cutting through the Eldoris formation before Razer was able to reposition his Orcs. They did not move like soldiers looking to conquer land. They moved like animals looking to tear something apart.

"Push them back!" Razer bellowed.

Greater Orcs charged forward, engaging the enemy. For a moment it worked. Then three bigger beasts surged through the Varkesh formation. One sent an Orc hurtling through the sky. Another tore through their formation. The third did not stop. It was heading straight for the healing tents.

"Razer!"

Tanaka shouted.

"I see them!"

Razer charged forward, his axe cleaving through the first beast and sending it sprawling. Two Greater Orcs followed up on his attack, running their weapons through its side. The creature barely slowed. A black tendril of corrupted mana pulsed within its flesh.

Razer’s eyes widened. "What the hell...?"

The beast roared, slamming its claws against the earth. The force of the impact sent the Orcs flying. Tanaka felt something inside of him clench. One of his people was dead. He didn’t see the death but he felt it.

The connection had only lasted a fraction of a second, but that was long enough for Tanaka to feel something inside of him empty out.

A name.

A soul that had been there a second ago and was no longer there. Tanaka went still.

He had seen monsters die before. Had seen his soldiers die in the First Border War.

Had watched Relia fall. But this was different.

They were now connected to his soul. The were recognized as his citizens. They had followed him, believing in the promise he had made to them. And now they were dying. Another sensation washed over him.

Then another. Tanaka’s eyes widened.

"No..."

Sora turned to look at him. "Tanaka?"

Tanaka turned his gaze away from the battlefield. Raishin was fighting off three Monster Lord class beasts. Everywhere he looked, Eldoris was waging war. Everywhere he looked, Eldoris was losing. "Raishin!" Tanaka called out. Raishin turned to him as he deflected a large strike. "Fall back ten meters!" "We cannot do that!" A beast ran into the back of his formation. Raishin drove his fist into its chest, sending a bolt of lightning surging from his arm. The creature staggered back, two more replacing it.

Raishin gritted his teeth. "They keep coming!" Tanaka’s eyes swept over the battlefield. The three wave rotation system he had set up was still working. But it was no longer enough. The first wave was being crushed before the second could rotate forward. The second wave was being overwhelmed before the third could take its place. His entire system was failing him.

"Western flank!" Tanaka called out.

Zephyr’s voice reached his ears through the communicator. "Raizen has been forced back! Raxolf is holding the wolves together, but the enemy numbers keep increasing!"

Tanaka clenched his fist. "Drakar?"

The Wyrmkin shouted over the noise. "Supply lines are under attack!" "TORGA?"

He shouted to the Ironcarapace Turtle. "Evacuation routes are nearly blocked!" Tanaka closed his eyes for a brief moment.

The entire engagement had escalated far too quickly. His rotation system. His reserve system. His concentration of force. His use of the terrain. His protection of the healers.

All the tactics he had absorbed from his time on Earth, all the lessons he had learned watching battles and playing war games had been poured into this engagement. And they were being stomped by Varkesh. Not because the strategies were flawed. Because Varkesh had enough power that it could overcome the requirements for those strategies.

A perfectly timed rotation system didn’t matter if the incoming formation was powerful enough that it could kill the soldiers before they rotated out. A reserve system didn’t matter if every front needed reinforcements. The use of the terrain didn’t matter if the enemy could crush through it with corrupted beasts. And a concentration of force didn’t matter if the enemy could simply generate more. Tanaka slowly opened his eyes. He exhaled. "So that’s your kingdom."

Rhazek stood on the opposite side of the battlefield. The Demon Lord observed the chaos unfolding before him, his patience seemingly endless. Then he raised his hand.

The horns of Varkesh sounded. The battlefield changed. Something large and powerful came forth from the back of the formation. Then another. Then another.

Corrupted beasts.

Their bodies had been twisted by the same black energy that had tainted the forest. Some of them had extra limbs. Others had glowing cracks running up their bodies. They were not simply stronger monsters.

They were weapons. Rhazek smiled. "Send them." The beasts ran forward. Tanaka’s mana sense immediately picked up on the difference.

Corrupted.

Thick.

Dense.

Violent.

"Everyone with Corruption Resistance, move forward!" Tanaka commanded. Raishin heard him. Raveana heard him. Raizen heard him. But not everyone had that resistance. A group of Greater Goblins found themselves fleeing as one corrupted beast engaged them. One of the Goblins brought his weapon to bear, but the corrupted beast caught it. Black mana coursed up the Goblin’s arm, causing him to scream in agony. His skin darkened almost instantly. Another Goblin grabbed him and tried to pull him away, but the corruption spread to him as well. The two collapsed.

Tanaka felt their deaths. Two more of his people taken from him. His breath hitched in his throat.

"No..."

A Moonhare healer rushed forward. Relia grabbed her by the arm. "Don’t!" The Moonhare turned to look at her, her hands shaking. Relia’s expression hardened. "He’s already gone." The Moonhare looked down.

Tanaka felt everything. Every death. Every scream. Every fading soul. His Soul Record had never prepared him for this. Now his body was learning the lesson. This was the cost. Before today, death had always been something that happened to someone else.

A fallen soldier. A fallen monster. A fallen friend. And now every death that occurred within Eldoris affected him. And there were far too many of them.

Tanaka’s gaze swept the battlefield. An Ogre fell. A Goblin fell trying to save him. An Orc was crushed beneath a corrupted beast. A Star Wolf tore through the enemy before being overwhelmed by three more. The Kijin continued to fight. Raveana laughed as blood stained her skin. "Come on!" She drove one of the beasts into the earth. Another lunged at her from behind. Ryuken intercepted it, slicing its body in half. Then another struck Ryuken across the back. Ryuken staggered. "Ryuken!"

Rogan shouted. Rogan charged forward, meeting the beast head on. Raishin’s Lightning Step brought him to the front lines, and Raveana forced herself to her feet.

They were giving it everything they had. And it was not enough. Tanaka’s hands trembled. Sora stepped to his side. "Tanaka." He did not respond. "TANAKA!" Tanaka turned to look at him. Sora’s expression had changed. The teasing had gone out of his eyes. There was only concern left. "We’re losing people." Sora said with a sad tone. "I know."

Tanaka replied drawing blood from his palm. "What do we do?" Sora asked. Tanaka turned his gaze back to the battlefield. For the first time since becoming king, he had no answers.

He had planned. He had predicted. He had prepared. He had divided his forces, set up formations and created reserves. He had placed his commanders in key positions.

He had defended his healers. He had used every tool at his disposal. And yet, Varkesh had dedicated their very existence to one principle.

Strength.

Not flexibility. Not efficiency. Not adaptability. Strength. Their warriors were trained to fight stronger enemies. Their monsters were conditioned to absorb damage. Their commanders did not hesitate to sacrifice formations in order to gain an advantage. And now, Rhazek was throwing corrupted beasts at an army that was already outmatched. Tanaka lowered his head. A bitter taste of truth coated his tongue. This was not a battle that could be won through wits alone. Across the battlefield, Rhazek watched as another Eldoris warrior fell. His smile grew. The Demon Lord was feeding off of the power surging through the battlefield.

Every engagement sharpened his understanding of his new realm. Every death increased the power within his grasp.

Tanaka looked up. Their eyes met across the battlefield. Rhazek smiled. Tanaka felt another of his people die. His chest tightened. Rhazek felt it as well, and smiled even broader. "The stronger the war," Rhazek said, his voice low, "the stronger I become."

Tanaka couldn’t hear the words but knew something was happening to Rhazek due to the war. Another corrupted beast lunged forward. The Eldoris formation broke. Tanaka watched the battlefield as screams echoed around him.

For the first time since becoming king, he understood something that no general or war strategist had ever taught him. A king could prepare and command and protect his people. But he could not stand above death. And Varkesh had come to teach him that lesson. The horns of Varkesh sounded once more. Their forces surged forward.

Tanaka’s eyes narrowed. The forces of Eldoris held their ground.

Barely.

Tanaka wiped the sweat from his head.

"Then we’ll fight."

Rhazek smiled and the war continued.