[Nightmare]

Helix stared at the dead body of the Stalkwalker in a state of disarray.

People were cheering and surrounding him.

However, he could not hear or see them.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

—

"What's going on!?" Elsa yelled as a group of people burst into her tent.

"What happened!?"

The men in the group placed a body on her table.

"It's Tyrene! She's badly injured! You need to save her!" Marie cried in a panicked state.

Tyrene was groaning with her eyes closed.

She was losing a lot of blood from her arm.

It was shattered and distorted beyond salvaging, and blood spurted out in waves.

"Her ribs are severely broken!" Elsa yelled out.

"Fido, contact the best surgeon in the area!

Tell them that he'll be operating on a person under the official directive of General Lackbolt!"

The young man's eyes trembled in fear.

"This isn't the time to worry about trivialities!" Elsa roared.

"Take this, don't ask questions, and go!"

Elsa threw a metal she was wearing around her neck.

It was a medallion that gave her the official authority to order military personnel under the directive of General Lackbolt.

"Y-Yes!" The man affirmed before running out of the tent.

"Tyrene! Stay with me! We're going to get you breathing again soon.

So don't you dare give up on me!" Elsa yelled at full volume.

The woman quickly created a tourniquet on the top of the woman's arm.

"What the hell happened!?" She yelled to Marie.

"That idiot!" Marie yelled between sobs.

"What idiot!? Speak clearly, child!" Elsa demanded.

"Helix! That fucking idiot!" Marie screamed between sobs.

She fell to her knees and covered her hands with a broken expression.

—

"Good work, boy." General Lackbolt said as he walked over to Helix.

The young man stayed silent.

His mind was blank, and he felt as though his mind would distort and break apart forever.

"It wasn't your fault, boy." The man continued while putting his hand on Helix's shoulder.

Helix said nothing.

Tilo, Charlotte, and Riley approached Helix cautiously.

All of them had conflicted expressions on their faces.

"No. This was my fault."

—

30 Hours Before.

"That…." Helix muttered in disbelief.

"That's… one big fucking monster." Charlotte commented with a shocked expression.

"How far away are we right now?" Marie asked General Lackbolt.

"We're two miles away." He replied with a grave tone.

The Stalkwalker looked like a gorilla with the same arms and chest.

However, it stood like a human at all times.

Its face had the snout of a dog.

Walking tall and erect with its canine head made it look like Anubis, the dog god of ancient Egypt.

"If we can see it from here, it's at least three-hundred and fifty feet tall." Helix commented with a beating heart.

"I'm not going to lie to you all.

Now that I've seen it for the first time, I'm thankful your group has calamity-grade Nightmares." General Lackbolt commented with a dark tone.

"I feel like natural disasters are the only thing that can harm that thing."

Marie nodded her head in agreement.

The group was traveling in a wagon drawn by horses.

Calvary soldiers were riding next to them, and a thousand troops of varying skill were riding in air-exposed carts.

Each of them had shaking expressions.

"Now that you've seen it, what is your strategy?" Tyrene asked.

Helix nodded and started outlining his strategy.

Tyrene listened with keen interest and an attentive gaze.

General Lackbolt listened to the conversation with keen interest.

He couldn't believe that a small group could inflict so much damage and limit mobility on their own.

After hearing Helix's strategy, General Lackbolt considered putting Helix in charge of the entire operation.

His strategy was similar to Helix's, but their Nightmares would do the heavy lifting which would require a massive number of sacrifices to achieve.

He also failed to grasp the effect the Stalkwalker's size could have on the battle.

General Lackbolt cringed when Helix explained that every step the monster took would shake the ground and cause the troops to lose their balance.

Long distance spells were necessary and he lacked enough mages.

For that reason, Helix and his team were critical and he couldn't command them without understanding what they were capable of.

He wouldn't hand charge over to Helix normally, but he led a general that could guide him.

That was enough to convince him to hand over the operation.

Not only that, Tyrene was a legendary general that made him look like a joke.

He would give [her] the command without hesitation.

"What do you think, Tyrene?" Helix asked.

The older woman chuckled and a smile formed on her face.

"This is your operation, Helix. Don't you remember?" She asked.

Helix shot her a mysterious smile.

"Yes, it is. Part of being a leader is listening to the counsel of experienced subordinates.

As your leader, I'm asking your professional opinion to ensure my success." He laughed.

Helix was not joking.

He was being dead-serious.

"Hmmm. I see that you've learned a few things since our first hunt together." She chuckled.

Helix flashed her the fashionable Liken Wolf scar on his arm.

"I'll never forget it. I'm convinced that the only reason you let me get hurt was that the attack would make a cool scar." He laughed.

"Is that so?" Tyrene chuckled.

After a period of silence, she burst into laughter.

"I can't figure out if you've gotten to know me or if I let it slip.

But that's exactly why I let you get hurt during that attack."

The whole group erupted into festive laughter.

They all knew that Tyrene was a hard ass but a softy on the inside.

However, unlike Macron, her students didn't feel that way during training.

They felt a demon was training them.

"As for your question, I think your approach is right." Tyrene announced.

"I'm impressed by your strategy. To be honest, this is the first time that I've fought with people that had calamity spells.

In the past, I was the only one. If I were with my army…."

Tyrene explained her strategy in detail as well.

"My strategy lines up perfectly with yours." She commented after finishing.

So there's no reason that we can't add the two strategies together seamlessly.

Good work." Tyrene said with a warm smile.

"Um. Sir Helix?" General Lackbolt called out.

"Yes, sir?" Helix replied.

"Um, yes. Your and General Masney's strategy are the same as mine." General Lackbolt began with a pained expression.

"However, as you've pointed out, we lack the firepower to level decisive attacks.

As a result, we will face the issue of the Colossus' speed."

Tyrene and Helix nodded.

"Since… your Nightmares are powerful enough to shape the fight, it would be foolish not to use them." The man reasoned with a self-deprecating tone.

"However, I don't know much about them and couldn't utilize them as much as you can.

For that reason, I was thinking of allowing you to take charge of the strategy and attack.

I'd organize the men to execute the strategy of troop firepower to achieve the desired results.

If the troops don't have to take care of the major issues, they'll be able to kill the beast with ease."

General Lackbolt took a deep breath.

"Helix Margrave. You're only eighteen and inexperienced.

However, you've proven that you're competent, and your team has the power we need." He sighed.

"Since my, your, and General Masney's strategies align, I would like you to take control of the operation.

Giving you control hurts my pride, but not nearly as much as watching my soldiers die and risking Kozen's safety."

Helix nodded to the man with a respect-filled gaze.

"If that's what you wish, I will take charge of the operation and take full responsibility for its success and failure." He replied with a sincere tone.

General Lackbolt's eyes widened with shock.

"No, you don't need to do that!" He replied hurriedly.

Helix shook his head.

"Ultimately, we will fully bear that responsibility to Kozen, the King, and the world together." He replied.

"However, if I take control, I will let the troops know that I'm the person responsible.

If I don't take on that responsibility, I will not take their lives as seriously as I should."

Tyrene's eyes went wide alongside General Lackbolt's.

The man sighed.

"If that is what you wish, so be it."

—

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