Author's Preface
Alone in the waxen expanse of District 1, Skadhi Bhattacharya turned his gaze skyward, observing the clear blue sky.
“Hehehe…”
Skadhi had failed thrice over. His strongest magician, Madam Crowler, had not only lost her life but also failed to protect the world barrier, and Melethusda had failed in her task of eliminating that pesky human.
And yet, the man could not help but laugh triumphantly, as gallant and virile as any king should.
“I, no, we haven’t lost anything. Urr isn’t as weak as you humans think.”
He slicked back his shriveled hair and wore his signature smile, full of obnoxious bravado.
“This is Supreme President Bhattacharya speaking,” he said into his earpiece. “Do you copy?”
“P-President?! Yes, copied!”
“What’s with that stutter? Did something bad happen to you today?”
“Sir…”
“I jest, I jest! Sergeant Major Toliver , we’re taking a different approach to this war. Evacuate non-combatants towards any available shelter. Repurpose local infrastructure if need be. Anything will do.”
“Sir!”
“Oh, and pull back our forces to Districts 1-12. We’ll be playing defense.”
“By your leave, sir.”
“Ask away.”
“This isn’t like you, sir. I understand that the situation is quite dire, but you’ve never ordered us to take a defensive position in combat. May I presume the situation has changed?”
“Hm…something like that. Scattering their forces is unnecessary and expensive. We will funnel them into the high districts, before eliminating them with a single stroke.”
“Do you mean…”
“Yes, I do. Ready the V.E.Ls immediately.”
“Sir…are you really sure about this?”
“What isn’t there to be sure of?”
“The V.E.Ls are extremely experimental weapons of mass destruction. Magic Particle Fusion remains a recent theory with countless unknowns. There’s no telling what effect these will have on the environment, our people. ”
“Indeed. You are correct, Sergeant Major Toliver. However, we must remember our people's philosophy. Those who are not ready to bleed cannot be a part of the super-organism. We are of one body, one mind, and one essence. Any sacrifice, no matter how great, is imperative for the prosperity of Urr. I trust you remember this, yes?”
“...Yes, sir.”
Skadhi ended the communication line and looked at his wrist watch, which had long since been broken in his previous battle.
“Hehehe…it won’t be much longer, Twilight. The people of Urr shall destroy that tyrannical throne. We alone shall exist within this universe.”
———
It had been eight days since the assassination attempt on Skadhi Bhattacharya. The Secretary of Defense, Athene Noctua of the Fifth Seat , had infiltrated Urr from the far west, gradually advancing eastward through Districts 28-30. These were mostly rural districts, with small cities dispersed throughout.
Mai’wen of the Third Seat would join the front lines, alongside her subordinate, Lieutenant Sahyat, at the ruins of District 20, aiming for a potential pincer attack.
The strategy was simple—Secure local infrastructure connected to major districts, suppress guerrilla fighters and insurgents, all while creating potential defensive positions. It was not only a material advantage, but a psychological one. Holding individual cities may project the illusion of progress while leaving the countryside untamed. Yet it is the rural heartland that ultimately demonstrates true authority over a nation.
With that being said, it would be foolish to assume that this was an easy war. We may have captured some of the lower districts, but Urr has quickly shown its military prowess within the mid-districts. District 18 in particular was a logistical nightmare.
It was an urban sprawl, the garrison totaling 170,000 soldiers strong, equipped with Urr's most advanced military technology. The metropolitan terrain gave the enemy a noticeable advantage in both mobility and elevation. Though many of their talented mages had been killed in District 20, they made up for their losses with machinery that far surpassed Wisterian means.
That leaves the Fifth Seat with a second option—The Gaulf Strait.
To the southeast lay the Gaulf Strait, a natural choke-point linking Districts 17 and 18. It served as the primary artery supplying the metropolitan front with food, ammunition, and reinforcements. Those who controlled the strait controlled the flow of battle.
Mai’wen had already recognized this fact, deploying her troops towards the narrow passageway. Under ordinary circumstances, this should have been our victory—a perfectly executed pincer attack. War, however, was far from a predictable engagement.
A flash of light. A piece of the sun itself.
Some would say it was a divine revelation from God, others may proclaim it punishment, but one fact about that day was certain.
On September 5th, 1042, nearly half of the Third Seat’s battalion had been obliterated in an instant.
We had far underestimated technological supremacy. The Gaulf Strait had been bait from the very beginning—a killing ground engineered for a single purpose: to unleash their super-weapon, even at the cost of their own soldiers.
This was the culmination of Urr’s political philosophy. If one could not bleed, then they had no place within the super-organism. No deed too cruel. No sacrifice too great.
With the destruction of nearly half of Mai’wen’s fighting force, her side was forced to cede ground, taking refuge southward.
That left us, the Problem Children of Barrack 12D, to regain the tide of battle.
“...Mmmm”
Derrick groaned, having recovered from his fight with Skadhi. He had been unconscious for the entirety of our 8-day escape, slowly piecing himself back together. His Mang seemed fuller, healthier, but his mind and body were still slow on the uptake. Just moving seemed to cause him insurmountable amounts of pain.
“Don’t move. You still need time to recover,” I said, preparing a new set of bandages for him.
“Where…are we?” His voice had the raspy wisp of a ghost, a being drifting between life and death.
“District 8. We managed to meet up with Keresaspa on the way back to District 20, but even with her, it will take a while before we can rejoin the front lines.”
Keresaspa was currently on the roof, acting as our scout in case soldiers were fast approaching. Many times we were discovered, chased for days on end without respite. Sleep became a luxury for us.
I, as an automata, did not need such amenities, but my comrades certainly did. Keresaspa may be putting up a brave front, but I’m certain that even she is seeing the strain of hunger and sleep deprivation.
“What?!” He said, before erupting into a coughing fit. “Why…why did we leave?”
“You know just as well as I do that we had no chance of winning a direct encounter with Skadhi. You were practically on death’s door, and my fight with his subordinate, Melethusda, had drained a significant portion of my strength. Fighting would have been suicide.”
“Tch—” He sucked his teeth, lowering his gaze. “So we failed.”
“If by failure, you mean assassinating Skadhi Bhattacharya, then yes, we did.”
“...”
“However, that was not our only objective. You managed to not only eliminate countless angels, limiting Skadhi’s personal fighting force to the extreme, but personally injure Skadhi as well.”
“That’s…”
“The world barrier is broken, and our reinforcements have been marching north. Currently, they are in an unfavorable situation, but that does not mean that our choices were meaningless. You did well, Derrick.”
Awkward silence filled the air. I replaced his old bandages with fresh ones, before preparing him a meal. Well, a “meal” was stretching things. It was an old military ration of curry rice, with just enough flavor to be edible.
“Tastes terrible.”
“Yes, well, we don’t have anything else at our disposal.”
“Sorry, that came off as rude. Consider it an inside thought, that’s all.”
“Alright.”
He forced the curry rice down.
“Ereth…why are we here?”
“Us?” I cocked my head in confusion. “Well, we’re here to exterminate the nation of Urr, whose military might pose a threat to Wisteria, and humankind as a whole.”
“Sorry, I phrased that badly. Why are you here?”
“...”
“Was that too forward?”
“No, no—it’s fine. I just don’t understand the question.”
“Well, as far as I know, you were recruited to the army as a special exception and assigned to Barrack 12D. You don’t seem especially loyal to the kingdom, nor do you ever mention anyone or anything from your past, well, except for your father.”
“Yes, my father is very dear to me.”
“More than the kingdom?”
“...Yes, more than the kingdom.”
“Is it revenge?”
“No.”
“Is it for humanity?”
“No.”
“Then what is all of this for? Why are we fighting on the front lines like this? Why are you putting yourself through so much danger protecting me? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just leave me there? To throw me away like any good soldier would?”
“...” I met him in silence. I could not meet him with an honest answer, or any answer at all.
“Just leave me here. I’ll only drag you down. There’s no point in dragging around dead weight.”
“It isn’t like that.”
“Stop telling me that!” In a fit of anger, he tossed the half-finished ration to the side, its contents splattering across the wall. “Why can’t you just be honest with me? It’s like everything you say has already been prepared in advance, like a machine only carrying out orders!”
“What if I was a machine?”
“...”
“What if I was a machine, an automaton, who lived solely for the sake of fulfilling someone else's wish? What would you think of me then? Would you look down on me? Despise me? Pity me?”
“...”
“I fight for my father, and my father alone.”
A pause.
“My will, and anyone else's will, is irrelevant.”
Silence.
“I consider neither humanity nor shura my enemies, nor do I consider them my allies. As long as I can fulfill that man’s wish, then I don’t care about who I have to slay.”
“Even if it means going through hell?”
“Yes.”
“Even if it means slaughtering countless people? Children?”
“Yes.”
“Haha…” Derrick collapsed onto the twin sized bed, his arms covering his face. “It must be bliss…heaven on earth. Always so sure of your ideals, never wavering no matter the occasion. If only I could be like you, a faithful servant.”
“...”
“What I wish for is to become a machine, a tool, and nothing more. But I’m weak, Ereth, weak! I can’t do anything! Hahaha! It’s pathetic, isn’t it?”
“No, it isn’t.”
“...”
“There is something…intriguing about the way everyone acts. The hearts of men rest on a single string, their ideals oscillating back and forth, threatening to thrust them into the doleful void below. It’s admirable, in a way, even if I do not share their proclivities.”
“Yet it is precisely because of that weakness that nobody can achieve everything.”
“Correct, everyone just ends up losing. That’s why I am necessary.”
“...What?”
“Would you believe me if I told you that I was a machine? That I belonged to neither side, good or evil?”
“No, I couldn’t. Honestly, I’d be insane to believe so. After all, you have everything that living beings do. Hair, nails, breath, energy. Hell, you even have Mang. That’s something only sentience can give you.”
“Then perhaps I’m the most advanced robot in the galaxy.”
“Maybe so. Being a robot wouldn’t be all that bad.”
“Yes, I can attest to that.”
“Wait—you were serious about that?”
“...Take it as you will.”