The Stargazer Squad's contribution to the battle on Throh wasn't to be underestimated.
Even without the discovery of the entity beneath the surface, Heaven's Army was still stretching its forces in this battle. It was one where most troops would die for the sake of the greater good, so the participation rate of the soldiers was incredibly low already.
Only a few tens of millions came to support Heaven's Army for this battle, and while this number itself was massive, when compared to the size of the warzone, it was truly nothing.
These forces were at wit's end trying to deal with the endless stream of Nox that seemed to be present on Throh. It wasn't just the mindless 3rd class Nox, but also droves upon droves of intelligent 4th class Nox.
The potential introduction of reinforcements from countess thousands of 4th class Nox led by a Mox Avatar was incredibly harrowing. The mental exhaustion caused by forcefully bearing the knowledge that the enemy might have reinforcements even with their already massive size was disheartening, to say the least.
Now, with the announcement from the control center that the forces of Calypto were successfully stalled, the various squads participating in the battle could focus wholly on what was in front of them.
The enemies they saw were all the enemies they'd have to face.
The true impact of this knowledge wasn't something that could be understood unless one was present.
There was only a single group who couldn't celebrate.
The squads chosen to enter the planet's surface and dig deeper were displaying utmost caution as they traveled, their weapons drawn even though there were no threats in the surroundings.
Their eyes darted around as if they were surrounded by terrifying auras. As they walked, the silence gave prominence to the crunching of their footsteps, forcing them to focus on the fact that that was all they could hear.
"Squad 22, report."
The team leader of squad 53 spoke into his radio.
"Squad 22, reporting. We haven't run into anything special quite yet, but the atmosphere itself is extremely ominous. I can't help but get the feeling that we're waking into a trap."
"Safety is more important than anything else, Squad Leader. Remember to evacuate if things look too difficult. We can regroup at the entrance and explore together later."
"Understood. We will proceed with caution."
Squad 53's leader cut his radio and refocused on the surroundings. His squad was currently within the depths of an underground cavern. Their surroundings were a beautiful array of stalactites and stalagmites, but from another perspective, they looked like the teeth of a massive beast.
'Our mission as me paranoid.' The Squad 53 Leader sighed. He checked the area with his awareness and found no signs of life from the cavern.
"Let's move forward. This thing is supposed to be a monster. Never drop your guard."
Squad 53 moved through the cavern and made their way deeper into the connected cave system. With every step, the atmosphere seemed to get hotter and hotter until even their armor couldn't protect them anymore.
"Halt."
The Squad 53 leader shot his awareness forward. Beyond the wall adjacent to him was a large empty area filled with molten lava. He could feel countless life signatures from within the lava of creatures waiting to attack them.
If it was his decision, he'd avoid this area with everything he had. However…
'This is the only path.'
Behind every other wall were waterfalls of lava that disallowed any sort of intrusion into their streams.
"Attention! The next section will be incredibly difficult, so be prepared!"
Only after making the announcement did the leader finally begin destroying the wall.
The squad walked into the empty spaces. The heated breaths of the lava below brushed against their skin and burned them with every touch.
"Watch out for the beings below! Let's go!"
The leader immediately hopped onto a nearby protrusion of rock and began hopping his way across the large expanse of lava.
Any free land was a valid landing point. Squad 53's members gradually followed their leader's footsteps and made their way across the lava sea:
However….
"AHHHHH! SAVE ME—!"
Not everyone could remain standing in the tiny rock protrusions.
The one scream led to a cacophony. Out of Squad 66's hundreds of members, at least a few tens of them died.
"Squad 22, do you copy? Squad 15, are there any changes on the outside?"
"Squad 22 reporting in, we haven't come across any changes. We just crossed a lava sea and are making our way deeper into the tunnel system."
"Squad 15 reporting in, there are no major changes on the surface. Nox forces have passed through the area, but none have been allowed close to the site."
"Understood. Squad 15, be sure to constantly watch our footage in real-time so you can support us when the time comes, I have a feeling that we'll run into the entity soon enough."
"Roger!"
The radio conversation ended and the squads began moving once more.
They moved so much that they almost doubted the original report about the entity.
At least, until they ran into it personally.
'It turned dark in an instant.' Squad 53's leader realized.
Even their scrunching footsteps could no longer be heard.
"Where is it…?" He wondered.
Out of curiosity, he raised his gun and fired a burst of mana bullets into the air.
Skreee!
A mild sound of pain reverberated through the room.
'So that's how it is…' the Squad 53 leader smiled wryly and raised his gun once more.
"Boys, we've already been swallowed! Let's go out with a fucking bang!"
HOO! HAH!
Squad 53 let out a spirited and unified bellow as they raised their weapons.
A section of the tunnel system was lit up with various colors of mana.
Squad 53 was already in trouble, yet they hadn't even met the main body of the enemy yet.
There were only five squads working together for this operation. To either destroy everything or get as much information as possible was far too hard.
But this was the exact type of challenge that they joined for.
If they couldn't even get past this much, how were they supposed to thrive in the universe?
Heaven's Army was full of opportunists, and the reward system made it infinitely easier to connect them.
When so many people desperately waited for their opportunities, the intensely competitive environment was always maintained.
Squad 53, Squad 22, and Squad 15 all fought with their everything and recorded footage of the being they faced.
But despite their immense advantage in technology and firepower, Squad 22 was wiped out in an instant.
They didn't even live long enough to send apologies to their loved ones.
The last thing visible in the choppy footage was a single eye, an eye bigger than even some smaller beginner worlds.
The existence of an unknown planetary being was confirmed at that moment.
The command center was lit aflame with solemnity as those within tried to find a way to take the entity down.
However, as someone who was facing it directly, the Squad 53 leader understood just how idiotic the idea was. His body roughly slumped against a nearby wall.
'We really are fighting…an unwinnable war.'
