That Time an American was Reincarnated into Another World

Chapter 190 – Catastrophic

June 2, 624

Our return to the outpost was… difficult. Not for any Scourge presence preventing us, but because we hadn’t even had an opportunity to take stock of our remaining forces before the call for reinforcement had arrived. The mood was sullen at best, actively bristling at worst, and only military discipline kept us from erupting in sorrow or rebellion. 

Even Nonnen was pissed, but, seeing just how angry he was for his men, I couldn’t find it in myself to be the same. Things were starting to feel desperate.  

The Lancer Brigadier, whose name I learned was Jay, was working overtime, staving off death for the critically wounded while forcing his mana into life force to rejuvenate our remaining forces. 

As for me, I was getting a read on the situation, tapping into channels and trying to make order of the chaos. I was also leeching off Major General Quill’s reports, trying to determine an appropriate vector of approach. He wanted us to come in and flank. Things weren’t looking good, but it wasn’t quite dire yet either. 

The Scourge was sieging the place with everything they had, spitting on our attempts to use tactics. Sallies were rebuffed almost immediately, and anyplace a Brigadier or Marshal wasn’t tended to suddenly surge in Scourge count. How the hell did they manage to coordinate, gather, and launch such an assault, and keep it hidden from us? There was a serious gap in our information network and such a massive oversight needed correction. It was arguably more important than deciding our immediate path of approach. 

Certain names flitted up in my Mind Palace. It was completely uninvited, but the people soon took on the shapes of suspects and possible traitors, to be set aside for when I had the time to worry about them. This was a betrayal. I just wasn’t sure who was in the right place at the right time to do such a thing. 

I pushed it to the back of my mind as we pulled up to the battlefield. 

We had arced a little around Scourge concentrations to arrive on the side of the sieging army; trying to push through the main force would be futile even with two Brigadiers. 

Instead, we reformed detachments, splitting our wounded and combat-capable. Quite a few of the conscious fought hard to be included with the main force, but eventually only those unwounded were left. We would whittle away at the edge of the Scourge army, relieving the outpost and providing a distraction for the wounded to enter the base without a fight. Brigadier Jay would be our greatest weapon to that end. 

There was only one person who was diverting. 

Brigadier Nonnen would be taking two of his best Chiefs and striking at the rear of the army, where the Bombardos were. We needed to relieve that source of pressure immediately, or the base wouldn’t last long enough for our distraction to do anything. 

I was worried about Nonnen, but we had just killed an Authority 10; there shouldn’t be many more of those in the main army. He would be fine, especially if I got him at least one other Brigadier to reinforce… and he could at least escape. As for the two Chiefs going with him… it wasn’t my place to think about that. 

“I’m leaving things to you, Cooper.”

Nonnen spoke as he pushed open the hatch on the top of the Steed. 

He gave me one last look. Everything was on my shoulders now – the tactics, the soldiers, the lives of many. I’d be directing what remained of the Snow Doves and Lancers, positioning them for attack. Things would be out of my hands after I set them loose, but our success hinged on my proper judgment. 

I gave him a salute. 

“You’ll have my best, sir.”

“I believe it.”

He said that before jumping through the hatch. The entire Steed jolted when he jumped off it, and off he went. The two Chiefs followed, I could feel their Auras shrinking in as they flanked the main Scourge force. 

I thought about the map in my head. Major General Quill wanted us to provide flanking support, but I wasn’t about to sacrifice the rest of these two platoons just so we could be a harassing distraction. We were weakened and I was betting on long term survival, not a short term blitz to get us through this. 

We had come out here with more than enough troops to take on the Scourge forces because we had the intel advantage. If Quill couldn’t make do with greater numbers and combat power, he wouldn’t be fit for his position, and I’d take who I could and retreat. Such incompetence wouldn’t deserve my life or that of those around me. 

I hoped Pollux was doing fine. 

I stood and stuck my head out the hatch Nonnen had left through. I could see the Scourge army in the distance and the about three dozen Bombardos at their rear. They were raining down hellfire on the outpost, the occasional warlock barrier splattering the acidic sulfuric projectiles in midair. But the infrastructure was already beginning to crumble, besieged by the endless barrage of explosive projectiles, clouds of dust billowing from within the walls. 

Thankfully, the Scourge hadn’t completed a full encirclement; in fact, they’d only bothered with one side. I could bring us around to one of the clearer areas, near a gate, easy to retreat to if necessary. Better yet, it was also a weakpoint, so we wouldn’t be disobeying orders yet as we reinforced the beleaguered forces plinking away at the swarm outside. 

“Come in, Brigadier.”

I talked into my Aerial, hailing Jay. 

When he responded, I gave him instructions. Then, on his go, we headed toward the target area. 

On approach, the warlocks from the Lancer platoon started raining down spells. We attracted plenty of attention, but once we were near the walls, the knights jumped out and formed defensive lines. A few wounded, those who couldn’t fight well but weren’t critically injured either, were manning the turrets on top of the Steeds. They had insisted they stay with us and fight, and I was glad they were sticking through with it. The turrets were a good way for them to provide value without overexerting themselves. 

Fireballs and other air spells flared out amidst the crowds of Scourge beasts, shredding many to pieces and fatally maiming others. When allowed to do what they did best, wide area spells and the warlocks that cast them were forces of reckoning. Against weaker enemies, they reigned supreme. They could take out dozens at a time and hold entire defensive lines alone. 

With all the sounds of beastly screaming and exploding spells, my gunshots didn’t stick out as much. Thankfully, I wasn’t too tired. I had more than enough in my tank to do some damage, especially since the bulk of this army wasn’t all that strong, at least not compared to how strong I was now. 

My multiplied Psyka pool was putting in work today. 

After we came to a stop I brought out yet another rifle. Not the Colt Commando that was good at shorter ranges nor the M40 that was designed for sniping, but the M21. 

The M21 bridged the gap between shorter range rifles and longer range snipers. It would handle medium distance engagements, perfect for my current situation. 

What made it a better option though was the semi-automatic fire rate and the 20 round magazine. A precision shooter with sustainable fire rate, with the same Redfield scope the M40 had. 

I opened fire as soon as I shouldered it. My Steed was positioned behind a few others, giving me sufficient breathing room to properly aim. 

I really wished I had been able to find some machine guns in my dimension. I had a feeling that one or two had to be in the 6th Star, but I hadn’t had enough time to properly explore its depths, despite it having been a priority of mine. 

“Hold before the gate! Squads Two through Four, rotate spells! Squad One, prioritize larger targets! Knights, hold your line!”

Brigadier Jay slated out commands and everyone obeyed, even though they had already fallen into their roles. Jay wanted to set up for a drawn out battle. 

I just fired at my own pace, keeping my eyes peeled for all the changes around me and in the distance. My Aerial was filled with chatter, and occasionally I had to chime in and communicate with some of the Brigadiers I knew, coordinating them with our efforts beyond the wall. 

After a few minutes, I saw one of the Bombardos explode. That was Nonnen, and he quickly brought down five more in the next minute. An explosive miasma – likely a Royal – rushed at his now gleaming Aura and the two started tangling. 

I relayed that information to the other Brigadiers, and thankfully, one of them found the opportunity to leave the outpost and pair up with Nonnen. 

Another Royal appeared after that, along with a few Authority 9 Royal subordinates to hold off the extra Brigadier. Of course, I relayed that information as well and managed to get yet another Brigadier out there.

That brigadier managed to kill another six Bombardos before a batch of Authority Nine Royals went out to stop her. Even then, the Scourge was running out of combat power to meet us on equal grounds, precisely thanks to the battle we had just come from. 

We could win this. 

The two towering Auras pervading the battlefield were skewed in our favor. However, those Bombardos were doing heavy damage to the outpost despite their relative power being low. They certainly couldn’t match a Brigadier, even the most powerful ones, but that wasn’t their purpose. They weren't meant to fight strong individual opponents but level bases from afar, and they were performing their job excellently. Despite almost a third of them having been diced or pulped, the rest were firing even faster, and the clouds of smoke and dust rising from the camp persisted in intensity. 

Being alone with my thoughts, nothing but a reticle and monsters before me, I started getting pissed. Another month and our operation would’ve gouged the Scourge presence here, chunk by chunk. We had every advantage, tactical superiority, and just one move from the Scourge had dashed everything to pieces. They had ambushed our main force and their Bombardos were allowed to wreak havoc, the very thing that I had been trying to prevent from happening. 

Now, our victory would be pyrrhic. Casualty rates would skyrocket, initial projections around 10-20% easily rose to a minimum of 60%, probably more depending on how much damage the Bombardos had actually done while we were gone. 

It pissed me off to no end. This shouldn’t have happened. We’d done so much to explicitly prepare for this, accounting for it before we even left the treehouse. It was obvious the Scourge would rush in given an opening, and we shored up our defenses to compensate. It was why we had so many patrols running around the clock. It was why our strike teams, even operating almost constantly, were still held back at night. It was why I had drafted up no less than six battle plans for almost every circumstance the Scourge could reasonably siege us in. 

There was only one weakness that I knew about. 

It relied on our intel. We had to know what they were doing. The second that changed, we lost most of our advantages. 

The second we no longer had intel, they went and did this. It was almost predictable besides the fact that I couldn’t predict ever creating such a glaring and obvious opening. 

Perhaps I’d have to start factoring that in. But something was more concerning. Even if we had a gap, the Scourge couldn’t know, by themselves, to exploit it. They had tested us before and we responded, sending the message that we had our eyes on them and that they couldn’t just launch a siege, or they’d risk fighting on unfavorable terrain against superior resistance. 

But we not only received zero information on this Scourge attack, but they had timed it perfectly. Patrols were running at least every two hours and through every sector between us and the Scourge encampment. That wasn’t a big enough window to slip through, unless several patrols weren’t launched, or were wiped out fast enough that they couldn’t send out a signal. 

I wasn’t willing to believe things had just worked out so well for the Scourge. With every passing minute, I was playing out in my head exactly how this could’ve gone down, exactly how the Scourge could’ve moved everything they had without getting detected by any of our patrols. 

While I thought about all of that, the battle situation gradually snowballed into our favor even further. 

Jay’s spells were devastating, wiping our hundreds at a time, and he was casting dozens of them simultaneously. Along with all his other warlocks, we actually managed to cut down the entire side flank of the Scourge army and advance further in, crushing them between us and the troops on the walls of the outpost. It was a meat grinder. 

However, the most important battle was occurring with the Brigadiers. We had three of them and they only had two. It was a definite win for us, especially since we still had Jay in reserve. 

Unfortunately it would not be without cost. The Scourge was always good at taking its pound of flesh whether it was losing or not. 

Perhaps it was through sheer coordination or perhaps one of the Royals was just that skilled, but I felt some particularly massive releases of power before feeling the shockwaves across the earth and sky. Some seconds later, I heard a scream on my Aerial. 

“Brigadier Finne is dead!”

It was Nonnen, and he seemed desperate. He had been locked in a battle with the first Royal to intercept him the entire time. I had been watching when I could, and the other Brigadiers weren’t even able to help him. 

That’s when Brigadier Jay yelled. 

“Stop advance! Regroup and hunker down! I’m going to reinforce!”

He leapt into the air, not waiting for a response. Several of us looked not at him, but where he was going. 

I wasn’t particularly sensitive to mana, but with my temperings, I had gained some sense for it. And even I could feel a horrifyingly dense source radiating in the middle of the Scourge army. 

Another Royal. 

“Nonnen, MOVE!”

Jay yelled again, right before I saw whatever spell it was activated. 

Hundreds of spell circles lit up above someone’s head, rising into the sky and gathering catastrophic power. 

I tried to see who was under them, catching the faint details of the clothing one of the other Brigadiers wore. It wasn’t Nonnen, even though he was nearby. 

“HAAAHHH!”

I heard a scream. It was from Nonnen, and with a single strike he bisected his enemy. Then he rushed toward the Brigadier underneath those spell circles to help, Vigor turning his four foot long sword into a 40 foot long monstrosity. He tried to slice into the spell formation from a distance, but the beam came first. 

It was so bright I was temporarily blinded, a pillar of pure energy crashing down onto the planet. The ground shook. A shockwave, hot and heavy, buffeted our combined platoons and the Scourge alike, throwing weaker combatants to the ground. Even beneath my coat I could feel the uncomfortable warmth. 

I closed my eyes and let them flush out the blindness, opening them back up at some point to try and look around. 

The area was scorched, vaporized, the dirt glowing with heat 50 feet around the impact area. My eyes fluttered back and forth, spots in my eyes still blocking most of my vision. 

Nonnen was safe, having thrown himself backward just in time to avoid being caught as well, and Jay was still on his way over. He seemed to have spotted whatever Royal cast that spell, but even from here I could hear the cackling, the grating, crunching sound that passed for gleeful, gloating laughter for the Scourge. It didn’t even put up a fight as Jay vaporized it in turn, the dome of concentrated flame turning it into less than dust. 

The other Brigadier was nowhere to be seen, not the slightest hint that he had ever existed remaining in this world. 

We had lost two of our four Brigadiers to a lesser force. 

There were currently only three other Brigadiers back at the Treehouse. We had a Marshal as well, but they weren’t easily moved. 

This was catastrophic. None of the predictions, even the very worst, had accounted for half our Brigadier combat forces being lost in phase one of Breakwater. 

Most of our troops too were half blinded now. The Scourge hadn’t fared much better, given that a good chunk of their formation was cored out in exchange for the Brigadier, but those near us were already charging back at our shaky lines. Knights had mostly recovered and were reforming battlelines, but without warlocks to clear the masses behind those in direct combat with the shielded, speared wall, it wouldn’t be long before they were overrun. 

“FIGHT! FINISH THEM!”

Nonnen’s voice rocked the hills, and knights raised their weapons. Warlocks were cycled out, the ones behind the walls with some degree of vision moving forward to cover for their blinded comrades. Most troops were fatigued but now, there was nothing stopping us from eradicating the rest of the enemy. Not that it was any consolation. 

Brigadier Jay and Nonnen quickly finished off the remaining Bombardos before slaughtering the army from behind. It took pressure off the walls, and with all our knights deployed, we were able to sweep through them. I helped as much as I could, gradually killing hundreds by myself.

It took about three more hours to put down the last monster. By then, most troops had retreated for medical attention or rest. 

I went back with the Snow Doves and Lancers only after the battle was finished. We entered the gate, finding what looked like a junkyard with how destroyed everything was. 

Debris, bodies, limbs, lots of blood, and the red smoke signature of the Bombardos. I quickly put on my protective mask and hoisted the air bottles onto my back. I wasn’t about to breathe that stuff in. 

I looked around once everything settled. There was one building still standing, an outhouse. Everything else was leveled, including the headquarters building that had only been partially built, good for nothing more than establishing a war room and a place for summoners to congregate. 

Suddenly, I clicked my Aerial. 

“Envoy to General, come in.”

“...”

I got nothing back, looking down and realizing the entire channel was dead. I could name these channels and usually tagged them with key words, and the name was still there, but I was getting no signal. That meant the Node was destroyed. 

Everything was connected to that Node, which meant right now there were no communications going anywhere. It must’ve been destroyed with the last of the volleys. 

Thinking that, I suddenly merged every signal underneath my Aerial’s Node. That was when I got barraged by dozens of chattering channels, everything suddenly coming back online all at once, every channel regardless of level all on one line. 

I could actually hear some feedback from nearby aerials the soldiers were using, quickly going through everything and dividing up the channels according to who controlled them and what rank they were. It was chaos and I felt like this would be a good way to get things under control. 

Once it was done, I brought in all of the highest ranking personnel under one channel, at least those who were still giving off a signal. 

“All channels, this is Envoy. I need everyone to listen close. It’s chaos right now and the Major General is currently missing. We need to regroup and take a count. There’s currently only one standing building, the outhouse on the western side of the outpost. Everyone meet me there.”

I gave out that message and waited. Sure enough, most of the highest ranking soldiers and intelligence agents here conglomerated. It was slightly humorous that it was around an outhouse, only overshadowed by the fact that we had lost so many people so quickly. 

Nonnen and Jay were there too. Before talking with everyone, us three stepped to the side. 

Nonnen was tattered. Jay was the only one who looked fine, but it was clear that he was low on mana. His lucidity was wavering. 

I turned my attention to Nonnen. He spoke before I could. 

“We’ve killed all the enemies. We need to get back to the Treehouse.”

“I agree. We should figure out Quill’s status first though.”

“Sirs!”

We suddenly heard a shout, a bloodied Lieutenant Colonel running over. We looked at him as he heaved for breath and stopped. 

“Yes?”

“...Major General Quill is…”

He held up an insignia covered in blood, a Dragon with two pairs of wings, the insignia of a Major General. 

“We found him dead under some rubble…”

“... Thank you for telling us.”

I took the Insignia as Nonnen answered. 

“You can go.”

“Sir.”

He saluted before backing off, lingering in the surrounding crowd. Beyond we could hear the yells of healers and troops trying to render medical aid. 

As I looked down at the insignia, Nonnen patted my shoulder. 

“I need you to organize this mess. I’m sorry to put it on you, but you’re the most qualified. You know how Quill ran things. Can you do it?”

“...”
I looked around. It really was a complete mess. I barely knew where to start, but I had all the commanding officers here and I had a goal, which was to get back to the Treehouse. 

I took a deep breath. First thing we had to do was secure the lives of the wounded. I started with that, and an order of tasks started slotting into place within my mind. 

It was nothing I haven’t done before, except now there was nobody to give the commands. I just had to do it myself. 

I nodded. 

“I can take care of it.”

“Good. LISTEN UP!”

Nonnen yelled, everything going silent as everyone turned their attention to us. We were in the middle of a big circle of people. 

“Major General Quill is killed in action! Now, his assistant, the Envoy, will be the Commanding Officer! Under my authority, all shall listen to his orders! We’re going to get this mess sorted out and then get back to the Treehouse as soon as possible! Standby for orders!”

Everyone turned their eyes to me. 

“What do you need me to do first?”

“... How much energy do you have?”

I asked back, getting a shrug.

“As long as you’re not asking me to kill another Authority 10.”

“We need to recon the area as well as the Scourge’s encampment, see if they’re really all dead. We also need to check the status of that company that we protected from that contingent. If you can’t do it, I’ll scrape together a team to deploy.”

“No, I’ll do it. I’ll be back in an hour.”

He said that before shooting off. His steps left craters in the ground. 

After watching him for some seconds I turned back to the others. Then I remembered the red gas still lingering in the air. 

I turned to Jay.”

“Sir, can you clear out that red gas?”

“Yes.”

He waved, winds getting kicked up throughout the base and carrying the red gas with it. Within seconds, it was all cleared out, taking care of a major problem with disgusting ease. 

I took off my mask and exposed my face. Now I could properly give orders. 

I faced everyone, Commanders, Chiefs, Colonels, and what remained of the Intelligence agents, and I started delegating, just as Major General Quill had taught me.