A Village Appeared on My Desktop

---

Chapter 211: Struggle (1)

‘Indeed, it won’t be easy right now.’

The parasite planted has evolved by mixing with the genes of the neural body, making it possible to connect as one consciousness.

Thanks to this, Rihir could observe the battlefield situation from his seated position. And contrary to the anxiety of others, the battlefield situation was not favorable at all.

Soldiers, terrified by the advancing cavalry, were trampled without being able to hold their ground, and the enemies were wreaking havoc on their formation.

If this continues and they are eventually forced to retreat, powerful grand magic will rain down upon them one after another, sealing their fate.

“We need to conscript more soldiers. We must prepare for any unforeseen circumstances!”

“If we overreact, we might ruin an entire year’s harvest.”

While Rihir watched the battlefield, the ministers were squabbling over their opinions. Unaware of the current battlefield situation, they were discussing countermeasures, weighing both pessimistic and optimistic outlooks.

‘Meaningless.’

Such scenes no longer resonated with Rihir. The only one beside him who remained silent was Chancellor Stas.

With a mere thought, Rihir could increase the number of comrades infected with parasites to completely dominate the area, but he chose not to.

The parasites in Rihir’s body deemed it inefficient.

After all, they were ministers who obeyed his commands without needing parasites. It was more beneficial to use that energy elsewhere.

“If they win this battle, do we have the power to stop them? They are too fast and unpredictable. It’s limited to confront regular troops blessed by the Evil God.”

“Y-Your Majesty, that is…”

As Rihir finally spoke up, the ministers panicked. Regardless, Rihir maintained a faint smile.

“It seems we need a special method as well. There are certainly areas where they are ahead of us.”

“Like the ones deployed against the Elves?”

“Of course, they are one option, but the method I’m suggesting is one that can unify the entire national power of this empire. Frankly, isn’t it too inefficient?”

Rihir’s ambiguous words, which seemed to acknowledge the enemy while heightening their expectations, left question marks floating over the ministers’ heads. In truth, he hadn’t intended to seek their understanding or agreement.

He was already thinking of his own plan and intended to push it forward.

‘As suspected, we must acknowledge the reality. But there is still an opportunity.’

The bugs too were aware that they had weakened in the power struggles they engaged in after forming a colony.

Instead of rebuilding their colony and growing in size, they chose to parasitize the existing powers and exploit the imperial strength according to their tastes, which was a possibility afforded by that acknowledgment.

However, that alone was insufficient. To overcome the users and guardians, who had shown nearly perfect bonds while overcoming countless crises, they would need to resort to uglier and more petty methods.

“Time is on our side.”

Somewhat vaguely, he had realized that his kin were invading a world where users were protecting the Arin Tribe.

If they couldn’t kill the enemy in this world, they could do so there. The reverse was also applicable.

After all, all bugs had one goal. The bugs that emerged on Earth would kill the users, and the bugs here were devouring the world that had lost the users who nurtured the guardians.

Then both worlds would be monopolized by the bugs.

*

“What a pity. The main force has been pushed back and will ultimately lose.”

“Ha, you do have a talent for mockery.”

At Riena’s words, glancing around the atmosphere, Raulus, who was pinned beneath, spat blood and grinned, unable to push back against her sword.

He had barely held on. If Riena pushed just a bit more, Raulus would die right then.

Of course, even if he held on without dying, the anemic imperial forces would retreat, and the Arin Tribe warriors would come rushing in.

It was obvious they were at a disadvantage, but Raulus, who had stepped in for rescue, had to defeat Riena to assist his side, yet he failed, leading to a complete defeat.

“What I said is true. If we do not stop the Emperor, the monsters that will devour the world will have a greater chance of resurrecting. Humanity must unite.”

“Is that why you are sparing me? I have no interest in such matters.”

Riena wanted to persuade him, a master. It was all a preparation for the future. He, who scoffed quietly, was slightly surprised by her attitude, yet calculated his timing.

‘There’s only one chance left.’

If he used the hidden trick, he might not be able to turn the situation around, but escaping would be possible.

Charging boldly yet disgracefully fleeing was ugly, but he was that sort of person. To continue the conflict he desired, he ultimately couldn’t afford to lose.

“!?”

With a final resistance that he summoned, Riena was slightly pushed back. She immediately swung her sword to retaliate, but it sliced through empty air.

“What’s this?”

Riena sighed as she watched his back, which had swiftly made its escape. She never imagined that someone once called the strongest in the empire would disgracefully flee like this.

While she could chase him, she didn’t pursue him, as Riena was in a different position than he was, who could do as he pleased.

“Don’t overextend yourself. The battle is entering its final phase.”

“Father.”

“More urgent news awaits.”

It was then that Chieftain Balun, who had transformed, flew to her side.

Despite having achieved a great victory against the imperial army in the large-scale battle, Balun didn’t seem pleased. Instead, his face was rigid with concern.

“Some factions that have joined the empire are heading to the grasslands to attack us.”

The news Balun relayed was shockingly serious enough to stiffen her expression.

Putting her sword away, she furrowed her brow at the thought of people moving to rob empty houses while they rushed to lead their main force toward the imperial capital.

“Were there ever just a couple of factions that joined the empire’s order? It was expected. If we’ve received news, he must already know.”

“What should we do now?”

Riena looked up at the sky. The being they believed in had yet to issue any significant commands. In such cases, they would act based on their own judgment.

“We do not look back. We only charge forward and capture the Emperor.”

“And what if our base is attacked? We must protect the holy site at all costs…”

“I believe in the remaining people. Luckily, it seems our allies from the Kingdom of Baruk are quiet, so we don’t have to worry about the south.”

Balun understood that this was a kind of strategy and had no intention of letting the enemies act as they wished.

Even if the enemies pressed in, they calculated that they wouldn’t be faster than themselves, who had already advanced close to the capital where the imperial palace was located.

“Leave the back to those left behind and our allies. Focus on what’s in front of us. We will capture the capital and the Emperor.”

“I haven’t heard that the Emperor has fled. Thanks to that, the citizens in the capital are uniting, which I find puzzling.”

When Balun hurriedly informed a few executives of this fact, Rihar raised a question. Contrary to their expectations, Rihir hadn’t abandoned the capital, even though he was cornered.

When a leader is captured, it is practically over, so it was common for rulers to abandon the capital and flee, resisting in a pathetic manner.

“It must be because of the Emperor’s pride. I’ve heard he is a person with a very strong ego. In fact, this is a good thing for us, as we must capture him as soon as possible.”

Balun hesitated for a moment but ultimately made the most rational judgment. If the imperial army continued to suffer defeats due to a lack of proper preparation, they would inevitably become paralyzed if they hesitated.

“Perhaps a vanguard should go to contain him, to prevent the Emperor from escaping easily.”

Additionally, they wanted to eliminate any possible surprises.

Selecting a less fatigued team, Balun placed Chieftain Rakum in command, instructing them to depart as quickly as possible to contain the confused Emperor from fleeing easily.

“Is everyone prepared?”

“Yes. We can run immediately.”

Following the order, Rakum commanded the vanguard to set off right away. Although it was a vanguard, the scale exceeded 10,000, which was sufficient to contain the enemies.

“U-uh?!”

But at that moment, Rakum and several executives, who were encouraging the soldiers and ready to set off with vigor, suddenly froze in place.

The soldiers looked on in surprise at their frozen commanders, murmuring and agitated.

“T-this is the will of that being. Is he warning us?!”

Startled, Rakum’s eyes widened as he looked up at the sky.

It wasn’t the first time they had experienced this. At truly crucial moments, their guardian deity would directly intervene, restricting or compelling their actions.

Every time, there were specific things they must do or things they must avoid.

Realizing through the intuition he had developed that their guardian deity did not want them to depart, Rakum inquired anxiously.

“What is happening ahead?”

“Is there any news coming in?!”

The abruptly halted team put their heads together, debating why Junyoung had restricted their movements.

Unfortunately, Junyoung had no time to answer their questions.

‘What in the world are these guys doing?’

Having gained a clear view of the imperial capital through the screen opened by the Elves in the past, Junyoung was also frozen in place.

“I thought they would pull some strange tricks…”

He mumbled absentmindedly. Having fought tirelessly against bugs both on-screen and in reality, he already knew the enemies wouldn’t simply give in.

After realizing that they aimed to seize the upper echelons of the empire, including the Emperor, and manipulate it as they pleased, he would not let his guard down for a second.

But what was happening now was beyond his expectations.

“R-run away! It’s a monster! It’s not human!”

On the screen, the imperial center was now a chaotic scene filled with countless screams and the terrifying roars of unidentified monsters.

In a loss of sanity, humans were biting others and infecting them. The infected would scream as their black veins swelled and then become new hosts, seeking to bite others.

“It’s a zombie infection.”

Clenching his teeth as he watched the screen, he summarized the situation with a single phrase.

It was a horrific biochemical terror committed by the bugs who had changed their concept from ‘Legion’ to ‘Parasite.’

[Recommended Zombie Survival Program]

Simultaneously, with an almost nostalgic timing, the Master Program presented a game as though it had been waiting for such a moment.