Chapter 578

"Moving together would be the best option, but realistically, it's difficult. There's a high chance we won't even be able to maintain our party structure. It's likely we'll be scattered and have to regroup as we move."

I continued to issue the operation instructions.

"Destroy as many eggs as possible in the process, draw their attention, and cause disruptions. If you encounter any survivors, rescue them."

I then showed the teleport scroll.

"And when you judge that you've held out long enough, don't hesitate to use the teleport scroll to retreat."

The teleport scroll can teleport all allies within a certain range.

The designated retreat point is right here, behind the lord's mansion at the teleport gate.

We should be able to bring out any survivors without a problem, if they are alive...

After making sure everyone understood various tactics and precautions, while the heroes were gathering their equipment and packing their supply bags,

Lucas approached me and asked quietly.

"My lord. I understand the outline of the operation we are undertaking. However,"

"However?"

As I looked at him, Lucas glanced towards the backyard.

There, the fly White Night was preparing to fly in a clumsy stance.

"I have my doubts about the effectiveness of White Night's operation to infiltrate the collective consciousness of the King of Flies."

I nodded at Lucas to continue.

"White Night is undoubtedly a great sorceress, but I cannot imagine him succeeding in seizing the consciousness of the King of Flies on his own."

"What makes you say that?"

"It might sound amusing to say, but it's a hunch."

I blinked in surprise at this unexpected statement. Lucas explained seriously.

"All the monsters we've encountered have a natural presence, or evilness, if you will. As a knight used to physical combat, I've gauged the caliber of our opponents by this."

"Hmm, that's an interesting criterion."

"Among all the enemies I've faced, the King of Flies possesses an evilness far beyond others. White Night too was a formidable enemy, but I just can't see her facing the King of Flies alone."

I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

"That's a good point, Lucas. So?"

"I suggest taking out insurance."

"Insurance?"

I blinked in confusion.

"Yes. Actually, I've prepared something separately while you were leading the meeting."

Lucas's next words made my eyes widen.

"Not just one White Night, but several."

"...What?"

"Over here."

Lucas led me a short distance from the lord's mansion to a field and pointed in that direction.

"...!"

I gasped slightly at the sight.

There... several magicians were creating new zombie flies.

"Lucas, this is...?"

"...White Night's consciousness transfer magic is essentially a copy and paste, as you said. Meaning, the same source can be applied multiple times in different places."

Lucas continued evenly.

"We've enlisted the magicians who created the first zombie fly to create new ones. With your permission, we'll clone additional White Nights and insert them inside."

"..."

"Creating many clones of White Night, each believing they are the only one, the unique White Night, and all under the illusion they've been ensnared by your mind control magic."

The illusionist party 'Gambler's Club' seemed to have been called by Lucas in advance, probably to mimic my mind control magic.

I swallowed my words in astonishment. Lucas continued.

"We'll clone numerous White Nights, and if the first one fails, we send in the second. If the second fails, we send in the third. We keep going until the operation succeeds."

"..."

"It doesn't matter if White Night fails to seize control from the King of Flies. It doesn't matter if White Night is consumed by the flies' collective consciousness."

Lucas's voice was as sharp as a blade.

"As much as they consume her, they will become smarter, and as they devour the magic, their intelligence will evolve insanely fast."

"..."

I swallowed hard.

Continue cloning White Night and feeding him to the collective consciousness.

Until they become wise enough.

Until they, like in history, divide and fight each other to death.

And as the flies become smarter, we inflict as much damage as possible from inside, accelerating their generational change...

Struggling to continue, I looked at Lucas with trembling eyes.

"Lucas, this is..."

"I know. It's excessive."

Lucas spoke coldly.

"But she has already been confirmed as a 'monster.' So why not use her to the very end?"

"..."

Right. I didn't come this far to pretend to be naive.

I was the one who devised the cruel plan to insert White Night into the body of a fly, and Lucas's secret preparation of this clone operation of White Night... I had considered it too.

White Night, in any future, was a being that would bring about the destruction of this world for his own ascension. A monster with no other choice.

And I am here to save people. To kill monsters.

The end of the world is near. It's not the time to be choosy about methods. So there's no grounds, reason, or luxury to oppose using a monster cruelly for our strategy.

But.

"...No, Lucas. What I wanted to say was."

I looked directly at Lucas and said,

"The risk of this operation itself."

"..."

"Even if trapped in the body of a fly, White Night is the third-ranking general of the Nightmare Legion. If we clone her like this... even if our operation succeeds and we safely defeat the King of Flies, what then?"

Using one enemy to fight another.

But the issue is who survives.

If White Night doesn't stop at defeating the King of Flies but becomes something more...

Could I control White Night?

The reason I only planned this White Night clone operation and didn't use it is simple. I lack the means to control her.

The first White Night, though it was partly a threat, had her consent, and I even obtained absolute command with [Become mine!].

But what about these other White Nights? If we really use these clones, how will we control them?

I judged that this might return as a risk greater than the King of Flies itself. Therefore, I intended to dissuade Lucas.

Eventually, Lucas bowed his head to me respectfully.

"...I apologize, my lord. My consideration was shallow."

"No, Lucas. I thought the same."

"Then we will halt this operation here."

Lucas bowed to me once more and walked towards the field. I watched his retreating figure, thinking.

I had already decided long ago that I would become a being that disregards rules for victory.

And for a merciless victory, Lucas's operation might be more effective.

But why?

I had a premonition that we shouldn't go any further.

Maybe because White Night is dangerous, as previously explained.

Or perhaps it's a pointless hypocrisy, shamelessly shaking at the cruel use of captured monsters.

Or maybe, Lucas stepped a step deeper than I did, and me, watching from behind, was startled and looked around.

Above all else...

I felt as if the dark abyss I was peering into to kill, was now rolling its eyes gleefully as if asking why I took so long to arrive.

"..."

What could this inexplicable sense of doom be?

However, there was no time to explore its identity. Far away, the dark sky was gradually brightening.

The third day of the King of Flies's descent.

Only one day left until it reaches Crossroad.

***

Dawn was breaking in the distance.

The infiltration team members, each mounted on their horses, raced straight from the scout tower, the teleport gate closest to where the King of Flies was anchored, towards the King of Flies.

Boooo...!

With the sunrise, the King of Flies began its march.

Simultaneously, monstrous flies spewed out in all directions, once again devastating the area and abducting prey into their bellies.

Click-clack! Click-clack! Click-clack!

Charging towards the King of Flies, I yelled from the front of the group.

"Let's go all out since we're doing this-!"

The total of 20 infiltration team heroes spurred their horses with all their might.

Soon, a swarm of flies that detected us aggressively poured in.

Buuuuuuuum-

Squeeeeeeeak!

Since the real battle was planned inside the King of Flies's belly, we had previously agreed not to waste our strength unnecessarily.

"Did you think we'd just let you have your way-!"

Sssshhhhk!

Along with my shout, Lucas, riding beside me, started by swinging his sword of light.

Kuilan, leaping off his saddle, delivered a flying kick to a monstrous fly, and Verdandi, having thrown her blink dagger, appeared in mid-air and decapitated the flies.

We charged like people who had given up on life, tearing through the flies and shooting straight into the heart of the enemy lines.

And when we came to, we were completely surrounded.

Countless flies buzzed around us, their compound eyes flashing red.

"Everyone!"

I uncapped the antidote I pulled from my pocket.

"Take the antidote!"

Without anyone being first, all 20 of us swallowed the antidote simultaneously.

"Ugh!"

Not sure about the effect, but it really tastes like crap!

As I carelessly tossed the empty bottle aside, one unlucky fly got hit on the head and tumbled down.

"Haha, idiot."

Did they mix some alcohol in the antidote? I felt inexplicably good.

I spread my arms wide and yelled with all my might.

"Come on, eat me up, you bug bastards-!"

Squeeeeeeeak!

At the same time, thousands of flies poured towards me.

***

"..."

A moment later, I was being carried by the flies with a dazed expression through the hatching chamber's corridor.

'Ah damn, would've been better if I was paralyzed...'

Being pierced by the mouths or whatever of these monstrous creatures was one thing, but being captured and flown through the hatching chamber's corridors in this manner was very, very far from a pleasant experience.

It would have been better if I had lost consciousness and woke up inside, but whether it was the antidote working too well or my disease-immunity effect kicking in... Anyway, I was fully conscious and pretended to be knocked out while being dragged here quietly.

Eventually, when the transportation seemed to be over, a fly flung me into a large room of the hatching chamber. An involuntary yelp escaped me.

Ssssshhhh.

Then, all the flies turned their gaze towards me.

"..."

I obediently face-planted into the ground and didn't move a muscle. Pretend to be dead. Pretend to be dead. Just pretend to be dead. I'm dead, see.

Thud thud thud...

Fortunately, the flies seemed to stop suspecting further and swarmed out of the room. I cautiously lifted my head.

'There's... no one around.'

Not a great start. It seems I was brought here alone.

'Let's move... Oh shit!'

I was startled as I tried to stand up, supporting myself against the shimmering wall.

I thought it was just a shimmering wall, but upon closer inspection... flies the size of my fist were orderly lined up, clustering together like bricks.

In other words, this entire massive structure was made up of countless flies.

Where a large pillar was needed, there was a giant fly, and where a small structure was needed, there were small flies... and so on.

'Wish I hadn't known, ugh.'

I worried they might suddenly come to life and flutter around, but nothing of the sort happened.

Whether they were dead or hibernating, the flies making up the structure didn't react to anything I did.

This sight was grotesque but also... made this entire massive body of the King of Flies appear like an intricately designed alien spaceship, inducing a strange sense of awe.

'Enough of this!'

Shaking off unnecessary thoughts, I shook my head and surveyed my surroundings.

'I don't know where this is, and I don't see any allies...'

I need to find them one by one. Before I become maggot food.

Carefully, I tiptoed out of the room...

"..."

"..."

Ah.

Talk about bad luck.

Just as I stepped out of the room, I encountered another group of flies.

The flies, carrying two members of the Shadow Squad - Burnout and Bodybag - in their mouths, paused for a moment in surprise upon seeing me move.

I sighed deeply and whispered softly.

"Summon."

Immediately, a giant magical circle appeared behind me, and from within, long tentacles with giant suckers poured out.

The flies attempted to flee quickly, but the tentacles were faster. The giant suckers wrapped around the flies and crushed them.

Gooooooo-!

From within the summoning circle, a giant cephalopod monster revealed itself and roared. I clenched my fist.

"That's it, wipe them all out! Kraken-!"

Following that, I planted my flag into the ground and deployed my ultimate skill [The Foremost Flag].

Amidst the rising walls, I unleashed every captured monster and summon I had.

From the various monsters I had captured over time to the Colosseum Legion that Jackal had led me to. They all burst forth as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Among them, the most spectacular was the beetle legion commander I had recently captured, the SSR-grade Hercules.

Boom!

Hercules, charging forward with its giant horn, not only smashed the hatching chamber but also pierced through the ceiling with its horn.

From the gaping hole in the ceiling, a new swarm of monstrous flies poured in.

"Good, it's a monster battle! You fly bastards...!"

My dream of shooting a stealthy infiltration action had been completely shattered!

I whirled my arms around and shouted with great fervor.

"Now that it's come to this, let's go all out-!"