"Order for the troops to turn back now! As things stand, we are about to be slaughtered like livestock!" Victoria barked, managing to get her composure in order.

"100,000 soldiers can't just withdraw in a heartbeat! It will take us time!"

To the horror of the personnel, parts of the ice sheet began to turn red, being melted before the numerous aliens began to slowly come out.

"This is disastrous. These numbers don't just threaten a base or two but the safety of the whole moon!" Victoria mumbled in displeasure before beginning to contact the nearest bases, informing them about the situation and requesting backup.

"To think that we could have walked right below them…" Ava muttered in a daze, seeing the wave of aliens slowly coming out of the ice.

"You have saved my life once again. It seems that the debt I owe you has increased even more." She said, tugging at Michael's arm.

'This must be her coping mechanism.' Michael thought, springing into action.

"Just as our general said, our troops won't be able to turn back before the aliens reach them! We, as the strongest troops of the army, have the duty to slow them down even at the cost of our lives!" He called out to the captains before exiting from the hatch.

This wasn't just his morale talking. Even as insane as it sounded, he was going to attempt to complete the quest. A legendary cybernetic was simply that valuable.

"Is he insane? Going to meet so many aliens is nothing more than suicide." One of the captains Roy had brought said out loud.

"Hmph! Who is the coward now?" Ava said with a mischievous smile before going after him.

Her comment hurt the pride of the captains. Not wanting to lose face and become a laughingstock, they soon followed.

In the carriage the two generals remained. Silence stretched after Victoria had contacted the nearest bases.

'Some will send forces our way, but it will take time to reach us. And sadly, all the mechs at Triton are fighting against the command alien ship, so we can't rely on them.' She thought, her gaze shifting to Roy, whose face was still as white as a sheet.

"Our troops have gone to meet our foes. As their superiors, we have a duty to stand beside them."

Her words broke him out of his daze.

Roy wanted to say that it was all pointless before such overwhelming forces but wasn't able to get the words out, seeing her eyes that looked like a fearless lioness.

With no other choice, he nodded before exiting.

"Weren't they supposed to be several thousand at most?! Until now I have counted tens of thousands, and their numbers are still increasing!"

Panic began to spread among the ranks of soldiers seeing the overwhelming force they were about to face.

"We have received our orders. We are to turn backwards and provide artillery support while the captains and generals slow them down!"

The sudden march halted. The soldiers started to turn backwards. Yet their speed was far from satisfactory. The aliens were going to reach them sooner or later.

Meanwhile, all of the captains had gathered at the front, ready to advance.

"You are looking awfully calm." Enzo commented, seeing Michael's demeanor.

Michael shook his head with a smile. "Think about it. Once we slaughter these aliens, the spirit energy will be so high that we will be able to breakthrough several realms at once."

'He sounds so confident that we are going to kill them. It's like the idea of failure doesn't even register in his mind. Is this the difference between him and me?' Enzo wondered.

Of course the others heard their conversation but didn't say anything.

"You have only two orders: slow them down and don't die." Victoria said before charging in.

Michael and Ava followed. A second later, so did the others.

Bryce, who had remained awfully quiet up until this point, sighed before activating his cybernetic arm, turning it into a cannon and getting into a sniper position.

At the same time, he made a call.

"Grandpa? It's rare for you to call. Please don't tell me you have found yourself in some kind of trouble." Claire's voice resonated from the other side of the call.

"Sorry to bother you, Sunshine, but I might have found myself in need of your assistance once again." He apologized before explaining the details.

"WHAT?! I am coming right now!" She said before cutting the connection.

Bryce laughed darkly, setting several shots. "To have such a loving granddaughter, I am one truly lucky fool."

At the frontline, Michael summoned Devil's Tongue, getting ready for the slaughter.

'Wow! Now this is many lives for the taking!' The sword said joyfully.

'The quest wants me to kill 20,000 aliens. It didn't specify what tier they need to be. So I will leave the Elites to the generals and the other captains while I focus on sheer numbers.' He figured, glancing at Ava.

"Can you do me a favor? Make sure to assist Victoria if she finds herself in trouble. The same is true for the ones close to us."

She frowned slightly. "She can take care of herself just fine. And you are not leaving my side!"

This was a problem. The more people were around him, the less he would be able to kill.

"You are the closest person to me and the only one I rely on for this task. Can I count on you?" He asked, leaving her speechless.

Ava's mind short-circuited when she heard him say that she was the closest person to him.

Michael, taking her silence as a form of agreement, shifted his focus forward.

'With so many foes, it's practically certain my technique will level up several times over.' He mused.

[Berserker activated]

[Dash activated]

For a second he rivaled Victoria's speed. With no hesitation he jumped straight at the fray, pouncing on the first foe.

[Quest progression: 1/20,000]

"Good! Now I just have to kill 19,999 more!" He roared, focusing on his next target.

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