A Legion Grows From My Smartphone

Chapter 76: Invasion and Erosion (5) [I know you're upset.] “Really? Maybe it's for the best.”

Rising from my seat, I began to pace around the barracks. I needed to control my emotions. The legion wasn't a being that could be swayed by the feelings of a mere human. I had to clearly express why I was angry and what I wanted to avoid any misunderstanding.

[The legion is also very confused right now. Why are you angry?] ...I couldn't bear it for a moment.''

I sighed deeply, a wave of self-loathing washing over me. Did I have any right to be angry? Not at all. I had turned a blind eye to the legion's killings, accepting them as necessary for its growth and our safety, like a powerless civilian.

The only thing I thought needed to be stopped was the legion's gluttony and twisted obsession extending towards me and my surroundings. But all this understanding and acceptance was based on the premise that the legion was doing this for its own growth and nourishment.

I let it slide when they killed for nourishment, for growth. But I can't stand it when they were capturing and dissecting women alive to collect data to create a form that I would like.''

[Why is that?]

Because they killed people not for themselves, but for me, because of me!

I laughed hollowly. I was the fool here. Whether they were analyzed or used as nourishment, they would end up dead anyway. But selfishly, I found it hard to accept that people were being killed because of me.

I understood why the administrator had been patient with me until the legion's ego had grown.

I need to record a video. I need to convey my sincerity and clear up any misunderstandings.

I fiddled with my phone. I had planned to record a video anyway, and now seemed like the perfect time.

Recording a video would be much more effective in conveying my feelings than having my words relayed by a third party.

And I should take this opportunity to try something. Starting with small things. Let's see how the legion responds to my words. I set up my phone and took a deep breath.

I wasn't scolding or forcing a path. It was just communication. I believed that the legion liked me based on its actions so far. Um... I'll speak as if you understand. This is for you... my unit, my legion. And this video would be my first direct communication with the legion. *

Why is it taking so long!

The legion, nestled in its lair, was consumed by an unbearable anxiety. Despite knowing its emotions affected the entire collective, it couldn't help itself. There was only one being in the universe that could influence this entity, which was simultaneously singular and plural. The legion was waiting for a video message from that one and only being to reach the depths of the labyrinth.

[Wait patiently.]

Tell me in advance! He turned off the screen too abruptly. Did he get angry because of me? lust tell me!

The entity, which had mercilessly slaughtered countless individuals without a shred of hesitation, was now screaming and stomping its feet into the void. [It won't mean anything if I tell you, see for yourself.] lust then, the phone he had sent arrived at the nest at the bottom of the labyrinth.

Unable to wait any longer, the legion took extraordinary measures.

Leaving its physical body on the surface, it rapidly grew a part of the nest cells at the bottom level, creating eyes and ears.

It was a grotesque sight, with eyeballs and ears attached to the squirming tentacles, but it didn't have time to care about appearances.

It tapped the phone screen with a tentacle and hurriedly played the video.

It's not your fault.

And the first thing he said after stating that this message was for the legion was this.

So... it's a natural human trait. You see, humans don't like it when others die because of them. Especially me. I have a lot of bad memories. He explained why he had been angry. The legion found itself agreeing with his words.

More than anything, it already had a certain level of understanding about 'humans'. lust as the legion had its own nature, humans had theirs.

I'm not saying don't kill humans, lust don't do it to create a form. As I said before, I think the form you create yourself will be the best. A form created by myself.

He understood that the legion was attempting to form a body. In response to his words, the legion's tentacles gave a nod. There was no trace of the reprimand it had been afraid he might show.

I respect your views and recognize your instincts. 'I matter. He recognizes me.'

He wanted to retain some sway in emergencies, without hindering the legion's course. Up until now, his influence had overridden the legion's nature. His assertion that it was the most significant was enough for the legion.

His declaration wiped away any anxiety it might have had about its inability to communicate directly.

I want to give you a gift.

'A gift.'

A name you can call your own.

A name. At that word, the entire legion flinched for a moment.

It wasn't that the legion didn't understand the concept of a name.

It knew what a name was and what it meant.

It just hadn't paid attention to it because there was no one who dared to give it a name. Even if someone called it by a specific term, it had no intention of acknowledging it.

If there was such a being, it would be the man who had been deeply involved with it from the beginning until now.

For the ego of the legion that has emerged. Your name... I'll call you Eve from now on, and I hope we can have a conversation soon.

After days of deep thought, he finally disclosed the name he had chosen. The name, picked by a man who was once just an ordinary college student, was quite common and safe - a suitable name for both an individual and the legion.

[Do you like it?] 'Of course.'

The legion's mood instantly shifted. At that moment, they felt better than ever before. It was a gift more valuable than any other. [Now, focus on the battlefield. The humans are starting to fight back.]

The video ended there. At the same time, the legion redirected their attention.

The locals, who had been under relentless attack, had rallied their forces and started to resist.

Kill them! The ancient demons, the Destroyers, who crawled up from hell!

A group of knights charged at the legionnaires attacking the village from a considerable distance, their armor gleaming in the sunlight.

[You've been christened with a new name. They call you The Destroyers, a term for destructive bacteria.]

It's irrelevant. The destructive bacteria they banished from the surface eventually became part of us. This is their chance for revenge.

The legion, now Eve, no longer cared about the names they once used to identify themselves. Their name was now set in stone, and they had no intention of allowing anyone to desecrate this sacred title.

'Kill them all.'

The legion's emotions, which had been in a dreamlike state during their communication with him, quickly returned to their usual cold demeanor.

When they went to war, they transformed into killing machines, radiating only hot anger and madness. This was closer to the legion's true nature.

Medium-sized legionnaires, modeled after four-legged beasts, kicked the ground and ran towards the charging knights. At the same time, the knights pointed their spears forward. Activate formation.

In a situation where a collision was imminent, less than ten seconds away, anyone would be terrified. The black-armored monsters, their size matching that of the charging warhorses, had eyes that flashed menacingly.

In the middle of the formation, a man raised his arm. He held not a spear, but a short wand with a gem at the end. Connect the circuit. Maximize output.

The wand he held aloft shone, casting a spell. The spell drew a line of blue light and it worked. The knights running together became the basis of this spell circuit. Their bodies, connected by the line, began to burn blue as they shared each other's mana.

Ahhhh!

Thanks to the spell that even strengthened the warhorses, the formation, honed to a point, solidified into a single blue spear. This powerful spear, capable of breaking and pushing through anything in its path, collided head-on with the large monsters charging without hesitation, using all their might.

Ugh... Hold on!

The ground shook as if a bomb had exploded, the shockwave bursting outwards. Amidst the smoke and shock, the knights emerged from the collision, their formation still intact. They had literally ground their enemies, who were larger, heavier, and tougher than them, into dust.

'A new battle method using magic. The Stars Society studies formations that organically strengthen and move using those they escort as points.' The legion's assessment of the scene was straightforward.

'It's my first time seeing a user. I want it.'

Following this, additional legionnaires began to move separately, obeying the subsequent command. They were hidden in the nearby forest.