Chapter 323: Faith, Belief, and Legacy

Edge of the Oslo Star Region.

Caplan Colony.

The ravaging of the interdimensional storm has filled the entire cosmos with eerie red and purple cloud masses, shrouding this terrestrial planet about 7,000 km in diameter.

Beyond the metropolitan area, the surface of Caplan hosts countless villages and towns, with a total population of roughly 2.4 billion.

It was meant to be a comprehensive colony combining tourism, agriculture and industry; Governor Rus also intends to develop it into a planetary base to supply sufficient manpower and material when the star region expands outward.

In terms of garrison forces, counting the law officers as well, there are about 20 million people, which is appropriate for Caplan's population of under 3 billion.

Sixty‑five percent of them are native Caplan youths.

The vast majority of colony planets enforce a three‑year conscription policy: upon turning eighteen, one may choose to join the military as an UNSC soldier.

The policy grants many benefits to soldiers and their families, and combined with compulsory education, media, games and cultural influences, the current social climate is quite martial; even without benefits, people are willing to enlist and experience military life.

After three years, soldiers may choose to continue serving, provided they pass an extremely stringent selection.

Veterans, however, can return to school or enter society directly, and their veteran status is a definite plus when seeking employment or interviews.

But at this moment…

Caplan's surface has become unrecognizable.

Since the Self‑First Path portal opened and released the first demon, only two hours have passed, and already two billion—or more—residents have been brutally slaughtered and tormented by demons in a twisted sacrificial frenzy.

Even with 20 million defenders and retired soldiers willing to take up arms again, Caplan cannot stop the demon tide.

Smoke and fire rage everywhere; demons stream through the portal into Caplan, harvesting human corpses, skinning and boning them to erect unspeakably bloody structures, then splattering flesh on the ground to achieve erosion and corruption.

The surface is effectively fallen, with only Metropolitan District 07 remaining a semblance of a "clean land"; the remaining human military holds this area, buying time for the last batch of civilians about to evacuate.

However… all civilian vessels are already packed, ferrying civilians into low‑Earth orbit and then into Rift Space to escape beyond the storm zone.

Hovering above the Star Port are the only seven remaining escort‑class warships; their live ammunition is exhausted, and without logistical resupply "them," they can only rely on plasma secondary cannons to cover ground forces.

Over three hundred thousand civilians gather in the Star Port, awaiting shuttle boats, the Cormorant and the Fisher, to board transport vessels bound for the warships' hangars.

At this moment.

The frontline position north of the Star Port…

"Tadadada!"

"Bang! Bang!"

"Ri— Boom!"

Gunfire and artillery roar.

Everyone pulls the trigger recklessly, pouring ammunition at the demon tide.

Although the warships' live ammunition is plentiful, the ground forces remain well‑supplied; not only are fortifications set between streets and buildings, but numerous wolves and pups patrol the underground tunnel network to prevent demons from breaching the Star Port.

Behind the position.

Inside the temporary Command Center…

"High‑intensity Spiritual Energy reaction detected at the Eastern Front! High School requests support!"

"Deploy all surviving hunter units, and inform Company Commander Kent to send thirty wolves to the Eastern Front; we must hold it at all costs!"

"Yes, Colonel!"

The intensity of the battle is no less fierce than that outside.

Andrei, standing at the center of the Command Center, coordinates based on soldiers' reports and the holographic screens.

Gen Luo, gravely wounded and near death, was taken by wolves back to the Heifu Yote; command then passed to Andrei, formerly a major in the UNSC Airborne Division and now Colonel Umbrella, the most seasoned officer.

Nevertheless, even with Andrei's extensive combat experience, leading the remnants to a counter‑offensive and a miraculous victory is impossible.

They have only 120,000 combat‑capable troops, not even a fraction of the demons.

"Colonel…" a soldier pauses his task, stands, and says hesitantly:

"The latest report from Second Lieutenant Luolan says the final batch of civilians has lifted off, which means… means…"

The soldier cannot continue.

"It means someone among us must… no, rather the vast majority must stay here, on this dead planet."

Andrei steps in to finish the soldier's words.

After all, the seven escort ships have exhausted all expendables; the remaining carrier aircraft now assist ground forces with suppression and bombing, and even hangar ground crew and numerous missiles have been transferred to the Star Port.

Thus, after squeezing the over‑300,000 civilians, there is scarcely any room left for these soldiers.

Upon hearing that.

The Command Center falls silent, while gunfire continues outside.

Andrei activates the powered armor's full‑band communication, looks around at everyone, and raises his voice:

"Soldiers! Children! The final batch of civilians has been evacuated; our struggle and comrades' sacrifices were not in vain!

However…

The evacuation ships have few vacant seats left; as a centenarian, I won't compete with the young for a spot—I'll stay here! Stay on this dead planet and keep fighting the trash that slaughtered our kin!

So…

If you wish to join this old man—Andrei Alexeivich Ivanovsky—to teach them a lesson, to show them what true victory is, to make them understand the warrior's cry!

Andrei's uniquely Russian‑flavored, impassioned declaration rings out…

"Me! Colonel!" the reporting soldier replies immediately.

"Me too!"

"Hahaha! Perfect! I still want to keep hunting demons with the old colonel!"

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Gao Haosen, representing the entire 01 Battalion of the UNSC 621st Infantry Division, fighting alongside the colonel to the last moment!"

"This is Captain Horna Williams, I represent…"

"This is…"

All the officers and soldiers inside the Command Center voiced their opinions one after another, and even the lieutenants and majors stationed at various positions replied via communications; it seems they likewise disregard the so‑called "ticket" and are willing to stay in Kapran.

"Hahaha! Good! Refreshing!" An Deli laughed heartily, then the old colonel looked at the soldier from before and ordered:

"Tell all captains to lift off immediately; do not delay the flight, this is an order! Otherwise neither we nor they can withstand the next wave of Spiritual Shock from that trash."

"Yes, Colonel!"

"Alright, you brats! Grab your weapons and follow me to the eastern front!"

"Hoo ha!!"

Outside the Command Center.

From the sky, looking down.

An Deli, wielding a laser rifle, rode ahead toward the high‑pressure eastern front, where they faced high‑Spiritual Energy demons.

And the eastern front…

Countless demons of various shapes were using Spiritual Energy shields, meeting laser, pulse, and explosive‑arrow projectiles as well as artillery, continuously launching assaults.

The "vacuum" zone between the two sides gradually shrank.

Until the situation neared close‑quarters combat, the remaining Krig, along with Space Wild Wolves and wolf pups, without a word drew their melee weapons and engaged.

The supervisory hunter unit, numbering fewer than a hundred, was dispersed among the positions as before, fighting while reminding the UNSC, the lawmen and the retired soldiers how to more effectively counter the demons.

"Awo~!"

"Roar~!"

A few elite, iron‑blooded hunters were too lazy to bother with formations or discipline, emitting their species‑unique war cries, standing out from the crowd, brandishing dual‑blade energy swords and telescopic wrist blades.

"Puff!"

"Pfft!"

In an instant, flesh and blood were splattered across the whole area.

At that moment, the seven warships that had received evacuation orders appeared above the stalemated front.

Some soldiers changing magazines merely glanced up, smiled, reloaded and threw themselves back into the fray.

Looking at the warship's portholes, they were filled with people watching from below, some shedding tears, others loudly expressing gratitude.

There were also very young children with innocent faces, saluting the soldiers below in a proper manner, perhaps moved by the atmosphere, perhaps a sincere gesture.

It seems…

The belief in heroic struggle and self‑sacrifice, even some ineffable faith, quietly passed on.

The seven warships accelerated upward and eventually vanished from sight.

In contrast, Starport 07…

One hundred twenty‑thousand soldiers learned the civilians had safely lifted off, finally putting an end to a lingering worry.

Now is the time to let the demons, who only indulge in tormenting hearts and are driven by instinctual desire, see what true "war" really is…

"In company‑sized units we hold our posts~! Immortal as flame~! Steadfast as rock~! …"

Someone, unknown, suddenly began humming a song amid the fierce battle.

But from the authentic Russian accent, it was easy to guess it was veteran An Deli, who had lived through the bipolar struggle, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and had personally witnessed humanity end its civil war and gradually head toward the star‑sea galaxy.

The one hundred twenty‑thousand soldiers, after the civilians lifted off, followed the "uplifting accompaniment" and at one point showed a counter‑offensive trend; the demons, who held absolute superiority, were utterly helpless.

Leaving the metropolis, and then the seven escort‑class warships left the murky atmosphere, reached the set altitude, and each opened a jump portal, carrying the final hopes of the one hundred twenty‑thousand soldiers into Rift Space.

When the jump portals faded…

Only Kapran, about to be corroded and assimilated by demons, remained.

Immediately afterward, the plasma bombs and nuclear weapons that had been buried during the successive retreats were remotely detonated by An Deli and his team, lighting a dazzling "fireworks feast" for the demons.

——————————

…

Meanwhile.

Ninety light‑years away, Finnris Star, located in the center of the Oslo Star Region's cosmic domain.

As the capital of the star region, Finnris is much larger in volume and mass than Kapran, with a diameter of about 14,000 km, comparable to Earth.

Two massive planetary‑terraforming devices installed at its north and south poles transformed the originally cold, frozen Finnris into a habitable world now covered with oceans and forests.

Its pre‑war population was about 10.3 billion.

During the war, i. e., the current interdimensional storm, its population did not plummet like Kapran's but rose to 17 billion.

The demons' rampage across the star region caused nearly half of the colony planets to choose Finnris, where the OriginalBody Rus resides, as the evacuation point; the rest headed straight for the Solar System, where the OriginalBodies Rog and Magnus are stationed, the safest destination.

The increase in numbers meant that the withdrawing troops and fleets also concentrated on Finnris.

Two thousand five hundred warships and supply vessels of all classes gathered in low‑Earth orbit over the metropolitan area and major cities; on the ground, roughly 460 million regular military personnel—already exceeding a hundred million—were deployed.

Lawmen and those who answered the call, picking up weapons and gear again, as well as retired soldiers who had not been incorporated into the regular ranks, were responsible for maintaining normal order in the metropolitan area and cities behind the front, ensuring the war would not plunge them into total chaos.

However, at this time people stayed home in accordance with the official curfew, and the "refugees" who had arrived from various colony planets were properly housed in large facilities, unlikely to spark riots in the short term.

Although the Red Queen, following Sui Bian's order, tried to mobilize nearby support forces, the fastest contingent still required an hour to arrive.

As for the surface situation, under the leadership of Rus, the first demonic incursion was successfully repelled.

Moreover, the number of opened portals was far greater than Kapran's, so Finnris's casualties were not as severe.

Only…

In the suburban plain north of the metropolitan area, a spatial distortion like a shattered mirror stretched for over a hundred kilometers.

This bizarre phenomenon forced Rus to take it seriously, so he dispatched his legions, reserves, and main auxiliary forces, as well as Krig and the UNSC infantry and airborne divisions, to this spot, constantly guarding against a crack that might open at any moment.

Thanks to Krig's skill at trench digging and fortification, and the various units' cooperation with Umbrella's engineering department, they could erect a defensive line almost equal to the fissure in a very short time.

The line comprised tens of millions of soldiers, forty thousand Space Wild Wolves, one hundred twenty mobile fortresses of the Mammoth class equipped with 240 mm parallel Gauss cannons or 300 mm plasma cannons, three hundred thousand Scorpion‑class siege tanks, armored personnel carriers and other armored units.

In mid‑air, the flagship destroyer of the Space Wild Wolves, the Destroyer, was docked, along with ten Golgon‑class battleships possessing absolute suppressive firepower.

Now.

As the Star District Governor, and as Rus, the most adept at charging into battle among all OriginalBody brothers, standing on the observation platform in the central sector of the defense line, gazing at the fissure spilling violet and pink light, he couldn't help but show a weary expression, his eyes filled with nostalgia, and he whispered to himself:

"If only Rog, that chatterbox, were here."

(End of chapter)