Episode 2 of the Overly Competent Villain

＜ ijij(2) (from here on out) ＞

It has been decades since the prisoners rose up against the oppression and discrimination of the empire.

The northern part of an extreme land full of snowy mountains and snowfields. In that blessed land, the beastmen who chose to resist the empire sublimated the northern part of the empire into the tomb of the empire despite the overwhelming number of troops and the difference in resources.

Relentless guerrillas using geographical features and sabotage by infiltrating inside.

However, that alone cannot force the empire to bleed painfully.

After all, the power of a huge country called the Empire can crush the beastmen with 10 or 100 times its power.

However, there is one reason why it has not been possible in the past decades.

The existence of a brotherhood. To be precise, at that apex–

“Don’t stop! Never let them get close!”

– Base scramble begins!

– Marigo Ho emergency battle begins. Alia Ho and Cayenne Ho are not ready!

– Securing the spray system. Shooting specifications modified! Fire as soon as you’re ready!

A number of combat airships have been sortied for the converted organizations, but the Krales fleet still has enough power.

Not only heavily armed combat airships, but also battleships capable of air interception.

They aimed their arms at the single airship that was approaching.

-Their ships are flying over the city! No gunpowder weapons! Limit the use of magic cannons!

The magic cannons pouring down soon after. The rise of airships and anti-aircraft interceptors developed accordingly rushed towards the approaching airships of the Brotherhood.

However, the Brotherhood’s airships rushed in at a speed that exceeded the expected impact of the pouring interceptors.

“Kaplan is the Royal Navy’s rapid penetration ship.”

“Those damn pirates…”

Heisenberg had seen that ship several times even in the north.

The Kingdom of Kaplan, which is secretly hostile to the Empire, is an unofficial supporter of the Brotherhood that holds the Empire in check on its borders.

And the founders of Kaplan Kingdom are pirates who invaded the continent from the distant past. Since the advent of the airship era, the Kaplanze rapid airship boasts the world’s highest speed.

And the purpose of that speed is——

-The enemy is piloting!

– Stop it!

The Brotherhood Airship, which approached at an overwhelming speed, tried to pilot the Imperial Army Airship without delay.

Firearms fired right in front of their noses, but all the warriors were beasts. Beast warriors emitting powerful air jump onto the deck ignoring modern firearms.

– Hand-to-hand combat!!

-For His Majesty the Emperor!!

Sailors aboard Imperial warships charged the beast warriors with bayonets. But it is pointless.

For an emergency launch, even the semi-knight-class fighters who normally reside on airships could not fill the quota.

It might be a large-scale firefight, but on the narrow deck, ordinary soldiers are no match for the brethren’s beast warriors.

-Ah!

-Save, save…!

Bibo flying one after another. News coming through military channels clearly indicated the direction of the battle.

“Yes, Commander. What should I do…”

“Tell the battleships to intercept.”

“Yes? But my ally…”

The Prisoner Brotherhood was closely attached to the Marigo. If you fire the interceptor like this, your allies will surely not be safe.

“We need to give our ships time to surface! It’s over when they pilot it anyway!”

“Ah, I see. The entire fleet! As soon as the interceptor guns are ready, intercept the enemy ships!

Sunk along with an allied ship. Despite that harsh order, the imperial army faithfully followed. That was the moment they aimed at dozens of interceptors.

phut!

and there was a blast of air.

-what?

A voice flowing inadvertently from the channel. Before the voice of the superior who pointed out the stupid voice poured out, they witnessed it.

A wave that seems to have compressed the air around the world, ‘trampling on a battleship’.

– Kwaaang!!

A terrifying roar echoed throughout the base. Everyone turned their gaze toward it, including Heisenberg and his adjutant.

-What, what is it…

-Battleships…

Wow! It was impossible to believe that it was the latest battleship with a full load displacement of 10,000 tons.

No firepower can split a battleship in half. Even if an air bomb unluckily hits the ammunition magazine directly, it will not be unrealistically cut into pieces.

-What happened!!

-Nonsense! Unbelievable!!

astonished and again dismayed. Panic, bewilderment, anger… All those mixed emotions pour randomly through the channels.

All of them couldn’t control their emotions at the unrealistic sight in front of them.

While everyone was denying their eyes from a reality they couldn’t understand, Heisenberg realized the identity of that thing.

“Cromwell… really coming in person…”

A monster that crushes a battleship with a human body.

“Really… are you really that Cromwell?”

Despite the adjutant’s trembling voice, Heisenberg kept his cool and asked.

“How many members of the rank of quasi-knight or higher are there in the base?”

“Most of the hunting units have returned. 32 knight-level, 4 para-knight-level special forces squads. Even the sailors and the military police battalion… We have enough power.”

“·······.”

Heisenberg was in agony. But it’s such a power. I couldn’t leave without a fight.

* * * *

Red flames flare up at the fleet headquarters in Kralles. Against the backdrop of a burning base, the man quietly contemplated the world.

This man’s name is Cromwell.

Heaven and Earth, Earth and Underground, Great Power on All Peoples.

He proved again today that his brilliant respect is an existence that lacks nothing.

“One airship and three battleships of the imperial bastards. And we captured about 400 enemy soldiers. This is a great victory.”

The person who reported to him was Leonardo, the Great Warrior of the Brotherhood. A lion-bearer, he is Cromwell’s old comrade-in-arms.

“No, the judgment and response were quicker than I thought. I carefully planned the retreat route in preparation for the attack.”

Fleet commander Heisenberg held a siege around the base buildings and stopped the beast warriors as much as possible.

There were only one hundred hand-man warriors in the airships of Lord Cromwell. Furthermore, even Cromwell, the strongest man who can crush a battleship by stepping on it.

When Heisenberg found it difficult to stop the beastmen, he quickly launched a fleet to reduce the damage and left the base with his men.

“Commander?”

“Jeron and Marty are chasing them with their brothers, but it won’t be easy as they’re scattered.”

“Leave it alone for now. Our priority targets are our people.”

There are three reasons why Cromwell personally led the ship to the western fleet base.

The first is to rescue the convicts who are being trafficked here.

The second is to secure the ‘Poongrimok’ that was not secured at the Grand Cruno Casino.

And the last one–

“What happened to the brothers who were dragged into human trafficking?”

“I rescued the brothers who were imprisoned and caught the black magician who was casting the branding spell. Poongrimok… I’m sorry. I couldn’t find it.”

Cromwell saw the warlock brought by his men. When he met Cromwell’s blazing gaze, he was terrified.

“Hick…! Yes, please let me live! I’m just doing what I’m told…?!”

Cromwell’s palm wrapped around the warlock’s head. And Kwajik! The body bent backwards falls helplessly.

“What do you want to do? If we retreat like this…”

The arms don’t fit.

On this side, Cromwell, the great lord, took a risk and raided the Imperial army base with a hundred warriors.

It was nice to have saved dozens of people from the point of being sold, but it wasn’t enough for the risk.

According to Jacques Pietro, well over a thousand of his own people were about to be sold…

“Daeju-nim, what vehicle is approaching!”

It was then. A vehicle approached the prisoners who had seized the Kralles Fleet Headquarters.

-Kik!

The vehicle soon stopped in front of Cromwell. The man who got off there walked on, not caring even though the prisoners’ guns were pointed at him.

“You bastard…!”

Leonardo growled ferociously. It’s because the memories of the past that made my teeth tremble came to mind.

“Hello. Let’s talk a little bit about our business.”

A man in a suit who calmly walked into the domain of beastmen and proposed a business. He opened the topic with his unique smirk voice that was no different from that time.

“Yeah~ As expected, you’re a major general. You can’t imagine destroying an Imperial army base in less than an hour.”

“You son of a b*tch! f*cking us in Bruenthal and then shamelessly reappearing!”

Leonardo’s eyes widened wildly. Either that or not, Jacques’ gaze is directly facing Cromwell’s.

“Jacques Pietro.”

Cromwell let out an angry voice at Jacques, who was facing him. His gaze was numb, but it was full of threats that stimulated the survival instincts of creatures.

If no living thing can stand in front of the strongest creature on earth, this man is still smiling.

“I would have told you. If you caught my eye again, I would tear you limb from limb.”

“Circumstances always change, and unfortunately you failed to kill me. It’s the same this time.”

“You bastard!”

Leonardo raised his greatsword in a fit of rage. As big as his stalwart stature, his huge greatsword is big enough to cut Zach in half.

However, having endured Cromwell’s gaze, he could not shrink from the threat of that subordinate. Zach rather tried to take control of the situation.

“Imperial troops will soon come from all sides. Airships from other bases will arrive in three days. The ground troops will arrive in four days. If the Imperial Central Army arrives, it will definitely be out.”

“·······.”

It was thanks to guerrilla warfare that they took advantage of their home ground that the prisoners were able to resist against the Empire.

No matter how much Cromwell, who is said to be the strongest creature on earth, and about a hundred beastmen warriors, the Imperial regular army will put in numbers and firepower that will overwhelm him.

“Thanks to the route I suggested, you were able to come this far without being detected by the imperial army.

“That’s funny. The reason you brought me in in the first place must be to get rid of a competitor in your business.”

Jacques attracted Cromwell and the prisoners through the communication channel of the Brotherhood of Prisoners he had secured in the past.

The reason for this, needless to say, is the exclusion of competitors. The Brotherhood was not unaware of that insidious trick.

“Let’s have a good look. You guys destroyed the Imperial Army base that was trafficking prisoners. Of course, we couldn’t root it out, so we should definitely end it this time.”

Cromwell glared at Zach carefully at Zach’s smirk saying, “We’ve come this far, but we can’t go back empty-handed.”

In the past, he used the Brotherhood to his own ends and ostracized the Brotherhood. The Empire isn’t the only one he f*cked up in the train robbery in Bruenthal.

– Knock!

Cromwell’s palm turned to Jacques. At the snap of his fingers, the king of that insidious crime empire would break his neck and die.

“Lord. Think wisely. You have what I need. And I can provide it. Isn’t that why you came all the way from the North?”

These eyes are no different from back then.

A great villain who calmly came to the North to enlist the Brotherhood in raiding the Empire’s military train.

He always prepares a way for himself to live and proposes a deal. Even if it’s an enemy, you can’t kill yourself.

“Tell me. Guys, where did you run to?”

Provisional Cooperation Agreement. Zach, who got what he wanted, grinned.

“The same protocol exists for the ‘former’ men attached to Heisenberg’s side. Make a safe house, and make an escape hole at any time.”

I know all of their safe houses.

It was the beginning of the Great Purge.

borrowed someone else’s hand.

·········

······

…

“Daeju, do you really intend to follow what he said?”

Inside the military vehicle stolen from the burning headquarters, Leonardo could not hide his resentment.

It would be shameful to be stabbed in the back of the head by him again, as it was in Bruenthal.

“Leonardo.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“The brothers who contacted me the other day. Their information must be reliable.”

Leonardo recalled the information from the brothers that had been reported earlier.

The beastmen infiltrated the Grand Cruno auction house to retrieve the clan’s treasure, the ‘Pungrim jade’, but Jacques Pietro intercepted them in the end.

But that wasn’t the point. An enemy of the compatriots accidentally discovered by the prisoners who missed their number one target.

The attempt to kidnap them was also foiled by Jacques Pietro, but unexpected information was acquired.

“Are you really going to hold hands with ‘them’?”

“·······.”

Cromwell did not answer right away and was lost in thought.

There was information that one day ‘their’ agent requested.

“If there are beastmen with deer antlers, hand them over to us. If that’s the case, ‘Death’ can be of great help to you.”

Cromwell and the Brotherhood cast out the witch, saying they had no intention of selling their compatriots. but······.

“Is it Mayer?”

A vicious corporation that exploits its compatriots. And a child belonging to such a family.

I didn’t even have to say which one to prioritize.