Future Knight

Chapter 140

At Zikyon’s rebuke, Benziller looked at the beautiful woman on the screen.

『Who is she? Is she a girlfriend you met here?』

At the mention of a girlfriend, Zikyon flared up and shouted.

“Yes, she is my girlfriend! So what? Are you jealous because I have a pretty girlfriend?”

『Her face is passable, but her personality… Why don’t you try being a bit more selective about the women you date?』

“What does it matter to you who I date?”

『If you want, I can introduce you to a more demure and refined woman than her. How about it? And of course, she would be beautiful too.』

“Are you saying you are seeing such a demure and refined woman?”

『Indeed, a woman who is far more demure and noble than her.』

“Hmph! I would like to see how noble she really is.”

『Anyone from this star would know her. She was the princess of the Visman Empire. I conquered the Visman Empire and made her my woman.』

At the mention of the princess of the Visman Empire, a name popped out of Kang Chan’s mouth without him realizing it.

“Could it be Edelene?”

『You know her, as expected. Yes, only someone like her can truly be called noble and refined, don’t you think?』

Kang Chan looked at Benziller in disbelief, not imagining that Edelene would become Benziller’s woman.

Zikyon, the one being compared to the utterly reckless and arrogant Edelene, flared up and confronted Benziller.

“You bastard! How dare you compare me to such a wretched wench? Do you want to die?”

Zikyon glared at Benziller as if she wanted to tear him apart, but Benziller ignored her and seriously asked Kang Chan.

『Hey, Kang Chan. We have been enemies ready to kill each other for a long time, but with the solar system destroyed, is there any reason for the few of us remaining brothers to continue fighting?』

At Benziller’s words, Kang Chan’s eyes widened in shock.

“The solar system was destroyed? What do you mean by that?”

Benziller responded with a surprised expression to Kang Chan’s question.

『Didn’t you know?』

“What do you mean the solar system was destroyed?”

『All the Earthlings in the solar system were annihilated. During the Second Great Cosmic War eight years ago.』

“No way! Then, it was…?”

There was only one thing that could lead to the simultaneous annihilation of humanity spread across the solar system.

『Yes, they used the forbidden weapon…』

“This is impossible! They used the antigravity bomb?”

『That’s right, everything vanished into the black hole created by the antigravity bomb. The solar system and humanity alike.』

Kang Chan momentarily lost his words again.

‘No matter how desperately they wanted to kill each other, they were foolish enough to use an antigravity bomb powerful enough to swallow the entire solar system…’

It was the epitome of foolishness.

The news of humanity’s annihilation was heartbreaking for him.

However, at the same time, a glimmer of hope began to emerge.

He no longer needed to worry about reinforcements from Earth.

Now, if he just eliminated the enemies in front of him, all threats to this planet would disappear.

A murderous intent flashed in Kang Chan’s eyes.

Unaware of Kang Chan’s inner thoughts, Benziller tried to persuade him to join their side.

Because he coveted the Red Mars ship that Kang Chan was aboard.

With the solar system destroyed.

The value of a spaceship capable of traversing the universe was incomparable.

『It may be unbelievable, but it is the truth. You must accept it. Brother of Earth, how about we stop this foolish fighting and join forces to rebuild Earth here?』

Listening to Benziller’s words, Zikyon and Arteon tensed up.

It appeared as though Kang Chan was greatly shaken by the news that all Earthlings in the solar system had perished.

Who would be happy upon hearing that their own kind had been annihilated, no matter how much they had sided with others?

But their fears were short-lived.

Kang Chan did not betray them.

Kang Chan cherished the bonds he had formed here more than the Earthlings who had thoroughly exploited him.

The words that came out of Kang Chan’s mouth were not pleasant.

“What is the point of rebuilding the destroyed Earth? I believe the universe is better off without such a rotten place.”

『No matter how rotten humanity was, as Earthlings, we have a duty to rebuild Earth here. And we can avoid repeating past mistakes by uniting. Don’t you agree, Captain Kang Chan?』

“Hmph! You must be joking. What you have done on this planet is no different from what was done on Earth in the past. Enslaving the people here, building absurd structures, and running massive factories that destroy nature.”

『This is just a transitional phase for progress. You know how primitive the civilization here is.』

“Why are you so obsessed with rebuilding Earth? Do you want to become a ruler here?”

『Not a ruler, but a guide. A guide to lead these primitive people to a new world.』

“Who wants that kind of new world? Ridiculous.”

『What do you find ridiculous about my words?』

“Your selfishness in considering only your own gain, ignoring the will and thoughts of others, is laughable.”

『Why do you see this as selfishness? I merely seek to revolutionize their primitive lives with Earth’s science. You, of all people, should understand the prosperity that science brings.』

“Prosperity? From an Earthling’s perspective, maybe. But from their viewpoint, it’s not prosperity but disaster!”

『There are always sacrifices in a revolution.』

A heavy silence settled over the bridges of both warships.

Soon, Benziller, with a cold expression, issued his final ultimatum.

『As a fellow Earthling, I ask one last time. Will you join us in rebuilding Earth, or will you stand with them and obstruct our great endeavor?』

“I’ve already answered. I refuse!”

『Fool, you court death.』

“I’m not afraid of death, Benziller.”

『For a traitor to our race, death is the only reward we can give.』

Benziller abruptly cut off the communication and began firing the warship’s cannons at the Red Mars.

“Combat stations, everyone! Return fire!”

As hundreds of beams struck the Red Mars, it retaliated with all its firepower against the Zvezda.

The sky thundered with a tremendous roar, as if a storm had erupted.

While the rail guns and plasma cannons exchanged fire between the warships in the sky, fierce battles also broke out on the ground.

* * *

The grand clash between the Continental Allied Forces and the Green Elves.

It was clear to anyone that the Continental Allied Forces were numerically inferior.

However, when the knights clad in Aegis Armor led the charge, the encircling Green Elf army began to collapse instantly.

Their rifles couldn’t penetrate the shielded armor of the knights.

Their fate was as clear as day.

Every time hundreds of knights swung their aura swords, countless Green Elves fell as cold corpses scattered across the ground.

“Graaah!”

“Ahhh! Save me!”

There was no emotion to be found in the swords of the knights filled with resentment.

Their ruthless swords cut down the Green Elves like they were felling trees.

The allied soldiers, armed with heavy infantry and muskets, advanced toward the collapsing enemy lines.

Only those who could wield mana could wear Aegis Armor, so the regular soldiers were still clad in traditional heavy armor and were tasked with protecting the musketeers.

The sound of tens of thousands of gunshots echoed unceasingly from both sides, and numerous soldiers fell to the bullets.

However, most of the casualties were Green Elves.

The muskets of the Continental Allied Forces had superior range and reloading speed compared to the rifles provided by Zvezda.

Thanks to this, the numerically inferior Continental Allied Forces were able to kill many more Green Elf soldiers from much further away.

Even though both weapons were Earth technology, the difference was vast because the rifles relied solely on gunpowder, making them outdated firearms.

The power of those rifles was no different from that of regular guns.

However, the muskets used by the Continental Allied Forces were enhanced with Dwarven gunpowder and magic devised by Arteon, making their power incomparable to that of ordinary rifles.

The power of those muskets was almost on par with rail guns.

Additionally, the artillery pieces, the allied forces’ secret weapon, began to fire.

“Volley fire!”

“Fire!”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a tremendous sound that shook the ground, the specially designed shells created massive explosions in the enemy lines.

Hundreds of enemies were torn apart in an instant.

“Hurry and reload!”

The experienced artillery crews moved swiftly.

“W-what incredible firepower the Allied Forces have…”

The Green Elf army began to panic at the overwhelming firepower of the Allied Forces, which they hadn’t anticipated.

They charged, thinking of the old Allied Forces, only to suffer great losses.

Reading the enemy’s panic, Duke Sachsen judged that they needed to push even harder.

“The enemy is breaking! Push forward with full force! Deploy the Gigantes!”

Duke Sachsen’s voice, amplified by magic, echoed across the battlefield, and the soldiers’ morale soared to the skies. The elite guard, who had been standing by against the warship’s attack, began to pour Gigantes onto the battlefield.

These were the newly reborn Gigantes, built on the framework of the old ones.

The new Gigantes were imbued with the essence of advanced technology gained by the Dwarves while repairing the Red Rabbit.

As countless gates opened and the Gigantes of the Continental Allied Forces appeared on the battlefield, numerous Gigantes from the Green Elf ranks also emerged, cutting through space.

The new Arc Shadows were composed of Gigantes captured from the continent.

Their numbers had grown tremendously, reflecting the vast territory they occupied.

There were likely around 800 Gigantes.

In contrast, the Continental Allied Forces had only 250 Gigantes.

It was a clearly disadvantageous fight.

However, the moment the two groups clashed, it became evident that battles between Gigantes were not a mere numbers game.

The hastily trained Dark Elf owners of three years stood no chance against the experienced Allied knights who had endured countless battles to survive until now.

Moreover, the performance of the Gigantes piloted by the Allied knights far surpassed that of the Green Elves’ Gigantes.

This was because the Allied Gigantes were accompanied by 4th and 5th circle Elf magicians.

These magicians could use the mana stored in the Gigantes’ maglight furnace to cast spells, turning the Gigantes into true magical weapons, not just mere golems.

When the Gigantes used magic, the Dark Elves screamed.

『Gigantes using magic… This is insane! Are they all ancient giants?』

A Dark Elf, who had attacked the Allied Gigantes from behind, was shocked.

No wonder; the enemy Gigantes, which should have been pierced by his aura sword, had flown into the sky.

And it wasn’t just one Gigantes using magic. Every Gigantes in sight was casting a spell.

Some Gigantes were launching fireballs or lightning from long distances, while others used Earth Binding magic to trap the feet of the Dark Elf Gigantes.

There were even Gigantes that used spatial movement.

『How… How is this possible…?』

Even the Arc Shadows were thrown into chaos, just like the infantry.

It was impossible to remain calm while facing such enemies.

“These are all ancient giants. Agni, it seems your era has ended.”

『Am I obsolete now?』

“Hahaha, don’t worry. I will never abandon you.”

『That’s incredibly touching. To think you used to cry and beg for a contract.』

“When did I ever beg?”

『Shall I show you the memory stored in my mind?』

“……”

Agni’s words were true.

When Duke Sachsen first met Agni 50 years ago, he had gone through great hardships to contract with him. The ancient giants were known for their haughty attitudes, akin to the greatest beauties of the world. To form a contract with one, you first had to win their favor.