Chapter 115
“I’m not angry.”
“Really?”
When Kang Chan spoke to Zikyon for the first time in three days, she ran over and sat next to him with a delighted smile.
“Are you really not mad?”
“Yeah, I’m not mad.”
“Yay!”
Zikyon shouted for joy with a genuinely happy face.
Then she apologized to Kang Chan once more.
“I’m sorry about before. I won’t do it again.”
“Really, you won’t?”
“Yeah, I swear on the name of the Dragon.”
After three days, they finally reconciled and talked about the things they hadn’t discussed.
They talked about the enemies lurking in space.
“Why do you think they’re helping the Green Elves?”
At Zikyon’s question, Kang Chan thought for a moment before speaking.
“They’re probably trying to win them over to their side.”
“Did you guys plan to do the same?”
“No, our plan was… well, it’s hard to say, but… it was to annihilate every living creature on this continent. Because there are an enormous number of Earthlings scattered throughout the solar system, more than enough to fill this planet.”
Zikyon was momentarily speechless at Kang Chan’s words about intending to annihilate all life on the continent. Then she asked again.
“How many are there?”
“With the last information I have, it’s about 36 billion.”
“36 billion!”
36 billion was a number Zikyon couldn’t even imagine.
Even combining the Orcs and Humans, the most populous races on the Arkandor Continent, didn’t reach a billion.
“Is your nation’s population really that large?”
“That’s just an estimate. There are also those living without space citizenship registration, so the actual number is much higher.”
“…”
At the thought of an even larger number, Zikyon’s expression turned grim.
“But the actions of those things in space right now are the exact opposite of what we were commanded to do. It’s very suspicious.”
“Let’s wait quietly for now. They’ll show their true intentions soon enough.”
“You’re right, Zikyon. But we need to prepare, or we might be caught off guard when they come. So, I’ve been thinking about several things over this past month.”
“What have you been thinking?”
“Ways for the people of this planet to fight against them.”
“Ways?”
“Yeah, I know their weapons and weapon systems well, so I’ve thought of several ways to counter them.”
“What are they? Don’t keep me in suspense, just tell me.”
Zikyon was genuinely curious about Kang Chan’s thoughts. There was no one who knew the enemy as well as he did.
Kang Chan’s strategies for countering the enemy, which he knew inside out, were indeed crucial.
“First of all, it’s about how to counter the most widely used fire arms by us Earthlings.”
At the mention of fire arms, Zikyon recalled the small cannon Kang Chan had fired at her before.
It was small but had an astonishing power that had even surprised her.
“Are you talking about that small cannon from back then?”
“Yeah, that’s right. The rail pistol. It’s the most common personal firearm among Earthlings, a hybrid pistol that uses both gunpowder and rail propulsion. But that’s not all. You saw the power of the rail gun I gave to Erika, right?”
“Of course. It was truly terrifying.”
“To be honest, I think that with just ten thousand soldiers armed with such guns, they could annihilate about fifty thousand soldiers here in half a day. Of course, unless they have the help of Gigantes or magic.”
Zikyon pondered Kang Chan’s words.
The power of Erika’s rail gun was indeed impressive.
Even if a soldier wore the toughest armor, it boasted a destructive force capable of smashing through dozens of them if lined up.
However, the battles in this world were mostly fought by infantry in close formations, with shields in front and long spears or crossbows to attack the enemy.
To them, it was like a feast laid out on a table.
“That’s true…”
“And the defensive power of their armor can’t be penetrated by the long-range weapons used here, like bows or crossbows, unless mana is used. And as you know, Zikyon, humans who can wield mana are not common in this world, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ve heard it takes decades to train a knight who can wield mana here. But they’re different. They just hand out mass-produced weapons and armor from factories to their soldiers.”
Zikyon, with a somber voice, replied to Kang Chan.
“So, the humans here have no way to stop the Earthlings. At least, not as things stand now…”
“That’s right.”
“Then, what should we do to help them?”
“To defeat them, only magic will work. The existing weapons and Gigantes of the humans here won’t do. We need to arm them with magic.”
“With magic?”
“Yes, Zikyon. That’s why I desperately need your help. I don’t know magic, but you’re the best magician in this world, aren’t you?”
Feeling quite proud, Zikyon thumped her chest.
“Of course! When it comes to magic, it’s the Dragons!”
“That’s why I’m asking you. No one else can do it. Zikyon, please. Take charge of developing new weapons combined with magic to stop them.”
“Why would you even need to ask! Of course, I’ll help. This isn’t just anyone’s problem; it’s everyone’s. All of us.”
As Zikyon linked arms with Kang Chan, he felt deep gratitude towards her.
“Thank you, Zikyon. Meeting you here has been the greatest fortune of my life.”
“Do you really need to say something so obvious? It’s embarrassing.”
They looked at each other and smiled without saying anything more.
“Oh! So what’s the concept for this new weapon development? What kind of magic needs to be imbued?”
“First, we need armor that can withstand their rail guns and laser attacks and powerful long-range weapons. The second priority is air superiority.”
“Air superiority?”
“Yes, if we lose control of the skies, no matter how hard we fight on the ground, it’s useless. So we need to take air supremacy away from the enemy.”
“Our Dragons are masters of aerial combat. Don’t worry.”
“The number of Dragons isn’t enough. I think it was a cruiser-class warship that attacked you before. If it’s a cruiser, it would have over a hundred unmanned combat aircraft. They’re small but incredibly powerful. They’re also extremely fast, reaching up to Mach 45 in space. But in the atmosphere, due to air resistance, they’d probably operate below Mach 5. Even at that speed, they’re still incredibly fast…”
Mach 5 was fast enough to circle this planet in about eight hours.
However, Zikyon couldn’t understand half of what Kang Chan was saying.
She didn’t know what a cruiser was, nor did she have any concept of how fast Mach was.
She wanted to ask, but Kang Chan turned his gaze away from her, looking up at the sky with a very dark expression.
“How many cruisers with these aircraft are lurking up there?”
Kang Chan knew well that no matter how hard they fought, it would be useless if the main force from the home planet arrived.
They had thousands of cruiser-class warships and over a hundred much more terrifying space carriers.
Each of those space carriers carried thousands of unmanned combat aircraft that Kang Chan was so worried about.
Facing such an enormous force was bound to be impossible from the start.
But he didn’t want to give up.
He couldn’t lose what was precious without even trying to fight.
However, he didn’t know.
He didn’t know that everything he feared had become a pile of scrap metal drifting through the solar system.
“Well, if they’re that fast, do you have a countermeasure?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“There are things in this world that even Earth’s science can’t achieve. For example…”
“For example?”
“Spatial movement.”
“Spatial movement?”
“Yes, spatial movement. If used well, it could be a big game changer.”
“Spatial movement…”
Zikyon started forming a blueprint based on the clue Kang Chan had given her.
Then she suddenly stood up and said,
“This won’t do. I can’t just sit here. I need to meet my kin for a moment.”
“Now?”
“Yes, see you later.”
Zikyon disappeared using spatial movement without looking back, and Kang Chan, watching her, decided to go meet Elradian.
There was something he needed to tell and ask for forgiveness about.
It was about the secret he had kept hidden all this time.
The Elves’ encampment was in a forest far from the humans’ base.
They lived so far apart because they originally dwelled in forests and found it very uncomfortable to live with humans.
Their beautiful appearance always led to unfortunate incidents.
Elradian and Arteon warmly welcomed Kang Chan, who had come with Erika.
To them, Kang Chan was like family.
Erika, too, felt the comfort of her kin’s embrace after a long time apart.
Though she had followed Kang Chan out of affection, the embrace of her kin was far more comforting than being amidst humans.
As Erika disappeared with her fellow Elven friends she hadn’t seen in a long time, Kang Chan entered Elradian’s quarters and shared tea with him.
Elradian’s quarters were, unsurprisingly, an eco-friendly structure made by shaping trees, much like the Elven forest.
“Master, has everything been well?”
“There hasn’t been much. There haven’t been any battles lately. Besides, humans seem to think we’re rabbits, feeding us carrots three times a day.”
“You do like carrots.”
“But they taste nothing like those from the Fairy Forest.”
Kang Chan smiled at Elradian’s rare complaint about food.
“I’m glad to hear everything’s fine.”
“By the way, I noticed your swordsmanship has improved considerably.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Master.”
“You always know what to say.”
They sipped their tea in silence for a moment, savoring the aroma.
“So, what brings you here today?”
“I came because I have something important to tell you.”
“Something important? What is it?”
Elradian was curious about what could make his disciple, Kang Chan, so serious.
“Well, the thing is…”
As Kang Chan prepared to tell the truth, he looked extremely nervous.
This anxiety was incomparable to when he confessed his identity to Zikyon.
Elradian had bestowed greater kindness upon Kang Chan than anyone else in the world.
It was only natural for him to feel nervous.
“I have been deceiving you, Master.”
“Deceiving? About what?”
“In truth, I am not a traveler from space.”
Elradian wasn’t too surprised by Kang Chan’s words. After all, he had somewhat expected this revelation.