We arrived at Gruzhnil's private room.
"Sir Hellraider, I apologize beforehand, I ask you to just wait here, alright. I, Grelmure and Johann will go downstairs to take equipment and weapons. This will not take long..." said Gruzhnil.
Hellraider then sat on the front sofa while crossing his arms. Mendicore and Sherubiel just stood beside the lift. I was not worried leaving them because surely Hellraider would not do anything.
After arriving at his private room, Gruzhnil immediately ordered me to put on armor and take weapons. I then immediately wore the same armor as the infiltration operation before.
"Do you feel afraid now, sir?" I asked while Grelmure helped wore my armor.
"Only now in my lifetime will I experience a disaster this big. But I know you have experienced something far worse than this. So there is no reason for me as a soldier of The Graendall to feel afraid anymore in this situation." answered Grelmure while smiling.
Instantly memories of the catastrophe that first happened in my world flowed back. Of course I could not express any words that explained how I could survive this far. Again and again, I hoped to find out at the end later.
After finishing putting on my armor and taking weapons, we went out and Gruzhnil had already used his combat armor along with his iconic weapon. When returning upstairs, Gruzhnil brought us to the command room to receive reports regarding that invasion.
I arrived in a room similar to the main monitor room at the Army headquarters in my country. Many screens were installed on almost all walls and rows of computers shaped like arcade machines. Almost all were occupied by soldiers specifically monitoring the development of the hell monsters' attack.
It was seen on the main screen a digital map of the entire surface of planet Grivendal where in the southern part there was a blinking red color. I felt that was where the source of the invasion occurred.
Gruzhnil placed his weapons on the side of the room and opened his combat helmet. Someone who looked like a commander of the data and information center approached Gruzhnil. He immediately explained the latest news in front of all of us.
"The information we obtained from the southern military base. They said that the source of this chaos came from the destruction of the ancient portal seal so that the portal became active again and hordes of monsters from the realm of terror emerged..." reported the commander.
I had already suspected this came from there.
"How could this happen??? Did the seal break directly due to the power from inside that portal or what???" asked Gruzhnil in a slightly high tone.
"This is the terrifying part, commander. The seal didn't break due to the portal's power, but because of massive sabotage in the perimeter around that ancient portal..." he answered.
The commander then explained that the southern battalion soldiers had evacuated several surviving perimeter guard soldiers although they were severely injured. Those victims only said that there was a traitor among them who attacked suddenly.
Then another victim who survived by pretending to be dead said that he saw from above the perimeter there was a group of attackers wearing armor similar to The Graendall order but colored black and red dragging other injured but still alive guard soldiers to the center near the ancient portal.
However near that portal there were already many strange stones colored pitch black and red. Those attackers drew their swords and each beheaded the soldiers they brought. After that they simultaneously chanted a strange mantra and suddenly those stones glowed bright red. The ancient portal appeared to grow larger and its seal weakened further until the structure generating the seal exploded and shattered. Then from inside the portal masses of monsters came out and directly attacked and devoured every human whether already dead or even those traitors themselves.
"This is truly beyond all our expectations, commander... Those traitors seemed to have long planned this carefully and secretly. If we had unveiled their actions earlier, all of this would not have happened!" said him.
Gruzhnil looked increasingly agitated at the cause of all this until he could not say anything.
I felt there was a similar connection between the attack on the main energy plant and the ancient portal perimeter.
"They attacked the main energy plant to take the dreadstones deposit then used it for a ritual summoning demon monsters by sacrificing those guard soldiers... Truly very cruel..." said Mendicore.
"But for what did they do that if in the end they would also be eaten by those demon monsters? Is there a mastermind behind all this?" asked Sherubiel.
I thought again, what Sherubiel said was true. Suddenly I remembered the large symbol in the deposit room and the horrifying thing that happened to one of the traitors who had been interrogated.
"Commander, I have seen that symbol when I survived in the realm of terror where it is the symbol of servants of demon rulers. Does this mean there is something from the realm of terror controlling those traitors where it could come from the Dreadstones as its medium?" I tried to speculate.
"It could be, Johann. However those stones were only recently obtained and their mind-corrupting effects only appear after long exposure." countered Mendicore.
"Previously we had a small reserve of Dreadstones, but it was stored tightly underground in the main energy plant and not just anyone could access it." explained Gruzhnil.
Then I thought of something. Could those traitors be people who previously opposed Commander Gruzhnil's leadership? I remembered during the duel between Hellraider and Gruzhnil in the arena some time ago there were people who wanted Gruzhnil dead at Hellraider's hands. Were they that determined to destroy The Graendall even in this way?
I remembered Mr. Thebes had said that the people of Grivendal once worshipped a demon lord.
"GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...!!!!"
Suddenly we were startled by a loud growl. Instantly everyone in the room fell silent and looked toward the source.
It turned out the sound came from Hellraider who looked at us with an annoyed expression while crossing his arms again on his chest.
"Ahh... it seems our presence here is sufficient for now. We will immediately head to the southern military base. We will continue the report on the way through the radio." said Gruzhnil to the commander.
We all walked out toward the shuttle aircraft prepared in front of the headquarters. I glanced again at Hellraider. Although briefly startled, I knew he didn't like long conversations and prioritized action more.
As we flew, I saw in various cities troops were still evacuating civilians using shuttle aircraft and large trucks belonging to the military order. They also evacuated residents living in rural or remote areas from the city.
Our aircraft passed a house at the edge of a field. I immediately recognized it as Mr. Thebes's house. It looked like one soldier was carrying Mr. Thebes into the evacuation aircraft. I was very grateful he was not left behind.
I looked around again. Gruzhnil was continuing communication with the data and information center through a laptop-like device. Sherubiel sat holding Mendicore on her lap while staring forward. Hellraider sat at the very back, reloading ammunition for all his smaller-sized weapons.
He truly awaited this moment, slaughtering those hell monsters. Previously, I only controlled him from the screen through my joystick.
"Is everything under control there?" asked Gruzhnil through that laptop.
"Those monsters have devastated the area around the ancient portal, commander! We can still handle it to prevent them from entering the small town near the portal area. However their numbers keep increasing. Many small portals have begun forming around the ancient portal. Assault troops are on their way here..." said someone over the radio.
"Please hold as much as you can! We have coordinated other troops to arrive as soon as possible too!" said Gruzhnil.
I hoped this would not become another great catastrophe like in the game storyline. I looked again out the aircraft window. A large reddish-orange light could be seen glowing in the distance behind thick smoke. I felt the aircraft was almost at our destination.
Gunfire, tank shots and rocket launches began to be heard echoing. Not long after, our aircraft began descending. I could see the sea of all kinds of combat equipment on the ground. Many Graganthurions were already moving there. Finally the aircraft landed and we all got down.
The southern The Graendall base was quite large but not as vast as the main base integrated with the military complex. Many soldiers moved around. I saw some still carrying severely injured soldiers or even those already dead to the base's emergency hospital. I felt like visiting the Army headquarters in my region before.
Gruzhnil then brought us to a building that appeared to be the command center.
"Sir Hellraider, please be patient a little longer... We will all meet the main commander of this war. After that we will act there." said Gruzhnil.
Who is that main commander? Shouldn't Gruzhnil hold the highest command? Wait, could it be...
When we entered that building, two people immediately approached us. I was quite surprised because they truly descended to the battlefield area.
"Ahh... Finally you have arrived, Gruzhnil. This situation is truly chaotic. Even though we had just celebrated the empire's anniversary..." said someone who turned out to be Emperor Gregustus.
I looked at the person beside him. She looked like an elegant female warrior, holding a curved straight device more like a bow without a string and wearing a magnifying lens on her right eye.
Yes... Princess Glynpatra would also join in this battle.
She immediately glanced at Hellraider while smiling.