I Became the Commander in a Trash Game Who Copies Skills

Chapter 158. Seed of Disaster (1)

The Archpriest of the Weird Priesthood, Rakkash Papuccino Kallas.

It seemed certain that he had possessed two or more sacred relics.

He himself had said that one could use the power of the Warrior 'if one gathered two or more sacred relics'.

'Om-nyom-nyom-nyom…'

According to Crusty, who was sucking on Karen's twisted breadsticks in the subspace, the Archpriest seemed to have had exactly two sacred relics.

It appeared the Emperor had seized one of them.

Unfortunately, due to the rules between the sacred relics, it didn't tell me which sacred relic that was.

Still, I could make a rough guess.

The Archpriest had noticed that I was a sacred relic bearer.

Even before he saw me in person.

'That must be the ability of the sacred relic the Emperor took.'

To be precise, he knew that I was a mercenary captain and mage who had participated in the civil war and possessed two sacred relics.

In other words, he had perfectly pierced through my profile from the time just after the civil war.

I had a hunch about this, but I would hold it back until I had solid evidence.

There would be a chance to confirm it if this operation concluded well.

'But how did the Archpriest recognize you, master? He said the sacred relic was already taken by the Emperor?'

“Are you asking me when you already know what that stolen sacred relic is?”

'Hoho, a truly wise advisor must know how to speak of what he knows as if he doesn't.'

It was somewhat infuriating, but he wasn't wrong.

I answered as I sent back the troops summoned by Warrior's Binding.

“It was probably left as a record.”

'A record?'

“A general record about me. The Archpriest must have known that I had struck the Marquis' main camp with a small force during the civil war. He probably predicted that I would infiltrate this time as well, while the Emperor and the punitive force drew attention.”

That was why he had sent his underling to greet me.

Unlike during the civil war, it wasn't a pre-arranged operation, but in the end, his prediction had hit the mark.

Anyway, it was time to move again.

As I briefly let the fatigue of battle subside, the vast battlefield where the two armies had clashed disappeared.

With the Archpriest's death, the authority of the Warrior he had used was also dispelled.

Similarly, the Ratman army also scattered like mist, and I returned to the temple-like place.

Out of habit, I checked my physical condition.

Overall, it was good.

'It ended rather anticlimactically.'

'Crunch-'

In my head, the sound of Randal grabbing Barum's neck and snapping it echoed.

Using Eyeball's authority, I teleported to where the clone was and simultaneously deployed a spell.

[[Devouring Purgatory] deployed.]

Ruuuumble…!

Not leaving behind evidence was one of the essential virtues of someone who made use of multiple identities.

I walked over to Randal, glancing sideways at the Ratman-transformed clone being sucked into the ground.

Perhaps because of my sudden appearance.

He was looking at me with a peculiar gaze.

“…Viscount?”

“Yes. I've dealt with the Archpriest of the Weird Priesthood.”

“That Ratman…”

“Even if it was tamed, it was an enemy. It's better not to leave any variables.”

“I see.”

The sensation of being buried alive, even for a moment, was not pleasant, but what could I do.

The clone didn't leave a body when it died.

To escape Randal's senses, burying it was the only answer.

To naturally change the subject, I gestured with my head towards Barum's corpse in his hand.

“You killed him before you could interrogate him?”

“Proper assassins should not be left alive.”

“That's true.”

He probably didn't know much anyway.

He hadn't joined the Ratman forces of his own free will, but had been brainwashed by a curse.

It was a shame in that I wouldn't have had to kill him if I had defeated the Archpriest a little sooner.

“Now that we've defeated the Weird Priesthood, the brainwashing curse that was holding back the punitive force should also be gone. Archduke Gabir will likely notice soon and make his move.”

The full-scale, all-out war was about to begin in earnest.

From the inside, the Emperor and his Royal Guard.

From the outside, the punitive force led by the Archduke.

A battle would erupt from both inside and out, surrounding the Ratmen's subterranean city.

With the Weird Priesthood gone, the Ratmen had no way out, so it was clear they would resist with all their might.

“We need to rescue the Emperor quickly. Randal, can you move immediately?”

“Of course.”

“Then let's hurry and follow the tracks left by Siollus and Karok…”

“Didn't that spellcaster attach a tracking magic to the Ratman the Viscount was controlling?”

“……”

That's right.

I buried that thing in the ground.

I hadn't thought of that.

The thought of destroying the evidence was too strong.

Still, maybe luck was on my side for once.

“I feel a vibration.”

“A vibration?”

“It's getting closer.”

Randal turned his head.

Due to the complex, tangled nature of the Ratman tunnels, it wasn't precise, but it was roughly in the direction of the main tunnel of the subterranean city that we had passed through.

If a vibration was felt from that direction, there was only one reason.

“Lead me that way.”

The punitive force had begun to move.

***

The Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2022 with Russia's multiple offensives, left several deep marks on modern military history.

The full-scale outbreak of the new Cold War era that had been showing signs, the retreat of some Russian forces that seemed poised to capture Kyiv within a week of the war's start and the fall of their prestige, the trench warfare aspect that was called a return to World War I, the debate over the uselessness of armored and air power due to anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, the brilliant performance of drones as low-cost, high-efficiency equipment, and so on.

Countless people debated among the endless list of issues, but to me at the time, whose 24 hours consisted of games, meals, and sleep, it didn't leave much of an impression.

Still, since the game I was playing was a war game, there were a few issues that piqued my interest, and the part I personally paid the most attention to was the following.

'Immediate weaponization of spoils of war.'

It was a strategy that the Ukrainian army had long utilized.

As soon as they captured equipment abandoned by the Russian army, they quickly repaired it and immediately used it in the next or the battle after that.

Some interpreted this as a desperate struggle to overcome their numerical inferiority in equipment, but from the Russian army's perspective, the tanks they had abandoned while retreating would have been pointing their cannons at them a few days later.

Personally, I think this is the strategy I've used best in this playthrough.

I've been capturing and making good use of skills, armies, sacred relics, and even identities.

As I retraced my steps with Randal, I organized what I had gained this time.

[Inevitable Disaster (Level 7)]

[Rakkash's Eight Senses of Death (Level 7)]

[Scream of the Flesh (Level 5)]

[Soulbinder's…]

I think I've acquired the most skills in a single battle since the eastern expedition.

Besides that, there are a considerable number of traits gained from achieving feats, but I can look at those slowly later.

The most important thing is the sacred relic.

The sacred relic of the Outer God that I took from the Archpriest.

The palm-sized, beetle-shaped sacred relic has twelve tentacles instead of legs, and its source, the Outer God, is called 'The Aphid that Consumes the Universe'.

Its nickname has been decided as 'Crusty'.

It is now clinging tightly to a twisted breadstick with its twelve tentacles.

'Eat slowly. After you're done, there's a square sweet for dessert. It's called a sugar cube.'

'Om-nyam!'

It was a rare sight to see Kkumteuli, who was notoriously picky with newcomers, being so accommodating.

The Archpriest had said that there were ranks even among the Outer Gods.

Perhaps this one was also a being of a rather high rank?

Considering its ability to grant infinite mana, it was a plausible story.

“Viscount, the vibration is that way.”

“I can hear it now too. Lead the way.”

Anyway, Crusty's basic ability was to grant infinite mana to inanimate objects.

As can be seen from the fact that it targets inanimate objects, it was impossible for a mage to directly receive a supply of mana.

As for how the Archpriest did it, he had apparently modified his own body to be on the border between living and inanimate, and then implanted Crusty to receive a supply of mana.

It was a solution worthy of the Weird Priesthood, but honestly, I didn't want to go that far.

'He's practically a walking corpse. What's the difference between him and a Ratman zombie?'

'Om-nyam-nyam.'

'Crusty says it was a very unpleasant experience. It says it would be more comfortable to run a mana stone factory like the Emperor?'

I learned one more thing.

Crusty's original owner was the Emperor.

So, the Archpriest had first stolen what the Emperor had, and then had one stolen back.

Perhaps the Emperor had two from the beginning.

Anyway, in the Emperor's hands, Crusty was said to have been used as a factory that churned out infinite mana stones.

The prototype of the factory complex that had started operating in Wolfskrig was, after all, the Imperial army's weapons factory secretly operated by the Imperial family.

And a factory that was powered by directly using expensive mana stones, no less.

Come to think of it, even though the civil war had occurred earlier than usual, the prestige of the Imperial army had not been shaken at all afterwards.

On the contrary, the quality of their armaments was improving day by day, and Viscount Pewin was even able to launch an eastern expedition with the Emperor's support.

However, if I were the Emperor, it wouldn't end there.

The supply of mana stones was a problem that plagued the Empire until the very end of the game.

Most of it was imported from the Northern Archduchy, which was under constant invasion, or from the neighboring dwarves, and their own production was extremely low.

But they say a problem means an opportunity.

The Empire, in the playthroughs where it solved this problem, would become one of the most powerful nations on the continent.

There was not a single exception.

“Viscount, we've arrived.”

Ruuuuuumble…!

I turned the corner.

My vision opened up.

The first thing I saw was a massive fortress of steel.

A deafening roar that shook my eardrums.

Caterpillar tracks that trampled the rough ground.

A body four meters tall and over ten meters long.

Front-mounted devices specialized for widening tunnels, and sharp protrusions to prevent Ratmen from climbing on.

And.

Vwoooom- Kabooooom!

A cannonball of terrifying power, fired by the pure force of mana.

“Mana Tank.”

One of the Empire's final weapons.

The fruit of the combined efforts of the Black Magic Tower promoted by the Emperor, the Imperial Gunpowder Graduate School, and other genius engineers.

When the Empire, which had grown under the leadership of the pro-Emperor faction, also solved the problem of mana stone supply, they would literally create legions of these mana tanks in the late game.

If the dwarves had handcrafted aerial battleships and giant bipedal robots, the Empire had a tank corps churned out from factories, so to speak.

“Who goes there! State your rank and affiliation… huh? Viscount Ash?”

“Sir Lamin Patama, isn't it? It's been a while since the festival in the Imperial Capital.”

“Y-yes, it has. I hadn't heard that you were participating in the operation.”

The convenient thing about being well-known was that I didn't have to go to great lengths to prove who I was.

It was a point that shone even brighter in a pressing situation like now.

“I was conducting a separate mission with the Imperial Secret Knight Order. I would like to be guided to Archduke Gabir for operational cooperation.”

Guided by a knight from the Patama Knight Order, with whom I had built a rapport upon returning from the civil war, I met Archduke Gabir.

Gabir, who was leading the punitive force from the rear, looked surprised but quickly accepted the situation.

“To summarize, Ella Siollus and Karok were deployed to rescue His Majesty. Barum was struck by the enemy's curse and died in battle. Is that correct?”

“That is correct.”

“Confirmed. According to the information I have, most of the remaining Secret Knight Order members are guarding His Majesty's side.” Official source ıs N0velFire.ɴet

“That…”

I was about to answer but stopped.

The Archduke looked at me with a curious expression, but that wasn't important.

As I was heading this way with Randal, I had created a new clone and moved it in the opposite direction.

The clone, transformed into a Ratman and hidden among the enemies, had naturally moved along with the concentration of the enemy's forces.

Through that clone, I heard it.

'Do not falter! Protect His Majesty the Emperor!'

'Your Majesty, please take refuge this way!'

The shouts of the Royal Guard protecting the Emperor.

The resonance of powerful miracles and spells.

The screams and screeches of Ratmen and mutants.

And a voice with a magical power that overwhelmed them all.

“Hold on! The seed of disaster is before us! The fate of the Empire rests in our hands!”

[[Lord’s Unyielding Mind] deployed.]

It was the Emperor's voice.

If this were a game, a notification like this would have also appeared.

[Louis Karlos deploys [Lord’s Unyielding Mind].]

[The effects of [Lord’s Unyielding Mind] mutually cancel each other out.]

There was no notification window, but I could feel that voice losing its power, at least on me.

At the same time, I also felt the ironclad will resonating within me swallowing the surrounding air.

The Emperor must have felt the same thing.

“Everyone, hold on! Reinforcements have arrived!”

The Emperor shouted, fixing his gaze on me, who had the same Ratman appearance, among the countless Ratmen.

“Retrieve the plague bomb first! Whatever happens, we must prevent it from going off in the Imperial Capital!”