Chapter 154: Great Terran Wall - 101st Battalion
The Great Terran Wall was 1000 feet tall. A certified giant even amongst the great buildings and infrastructures of humanity. It's said that this was made by a single person. How? That's a damn good question. Unfortunately, the truth isn't available to the public.
Most of the people only knew that it existed to protect them, the rest doesn't matter.
There are only four, and only four, entrances built to access Azure Terra, and each of those entrances are located in the cardinal directions and each gate is heavily fortified and guarded by the military.
On each gate, there are at least a 1000 Batallion of soldiers. Each battalion consists of 1000 strong men and women ready to confront any sort of nightmares that will dare wander close to the walls of their civilization.
Mind you, each soldier here was a Tier 5 Superhuman at minimum. Each one is training to withstand the horrors of what lurks beyond the walls. Strong-willed and unyielding in the face of adversity.
Each battalion is led by a person who earned the title of a 'Lord Commander'. Under the Lord Commander are the 10 Knight Captains each leading 99 Soldiers to form respective teams.
The sheer number of soldiers here is why the Military is feared and admired. The majority of these soldiers volunteered or willingly joined their cause, risking their lives to make sure that their friends and family remained safe from the demons.
Today, the 101st Batallion's Knight Captains, their Lord Commander, and Instructor Orion were gathered in a single room to discuss how the batch of the academy's students be divided amongst them.
If the students saw how polite and subdued Orion was acting around the soldiers, they'd probably have a whiplash. In the few instances that they interacted with him, Orion always had an air of aloofness and disdain for the world around him, yet now he looked like an obedient lackey, not even daring to speak out of turn.
That's because, in this room, Orion had the lowest status. Hell, his prestige was no better than a foot soldier - a cannon fodder.
And this isn't because he was weak. Orion was a proud Planar Traveller, one of the Academy's best. However, this is the army. The true protectors of this world. They don't ask for respect, they demand it. And if he acted arrogant here, he'd lose his head before he could even blink.
The worst part is that the academy wouldn't even avenge him. They'd side with the army for this one because everyone knows that they are not to be trifled with.
"...so I suggest four groups on each Knight Captain. That way, the entire batch will be divided equally. We will follow the standard patrol route for now and adjust it depending on the situation." Orion concluded his proposal in front of the battalion leaders, taking a step back afterward to listen to their response.
One of the Knight Captains asked: "Is it wise to follow the standard route? The demons might take advantage of that."
"That's an ominous claim, friend! It's like you're implying that we have spies in our ranks."
"No, that's not what I mean. But you all have to agree that whenever the academy sends their students here, this place always becomes lively. It happens every single time that it has become the norm now. In fact, isn't that the reason why we're having a discussion? Because if we're not expecting any activity, what's there to discuss?"
"He's right, guys. That has turned into a tradition by now. Even the foot soldiers know that. But at the same time, I think that we should still stick to the standard patrol route to make things easier for us by making their attacks predictable."
"I support the division of 4 groups for each captain and following the standard patrol route."
"I do too."
"Same."
"I vote against it. Demons aren't dumb. If we could think of this, then they would most likely be able to as well. That's enough for me to believe that they will switch things up just to mess with us. Even though we've set proper expectations for the students, I don't want the kids to be traumatized by seeing their batchmates die, especially if we could've done something to change that outcome."
"You speak as if you're certain that some of them will die."
"Because they will." The previous guy grimly replied, "It has always been that way whether we follow the standard route or not. Their numbers will be culled. A world-class talent is raised through the remains of common people. The weak will die and the strong will prevail. This is the most cruel yet fundamental truth in the frontlines."
"You said that you don't want to see the kids traumatized or dead, yet you also preach about the survival of the fittest. Aren't you contradicting yourself here?"
"I'm just telling the truth. Besides, the law of the fittest applies to his soldiers. They are kids, they still have so much to live for. If they return to the place wanting to join our cause, then they will be subjected to the law of the jungle. Right now, I don't believe it's necessary to terrorize them too much, especially since this is their first time here.
I just don't want to scare them away and force them to the enemy side if we could avoid it."
...
It was mostly the Knight Captains who debated against each other here. Orion politely listened to their words, standing at the corner and waiting until the final decision was made. He didn't dare to voice out his thoughts unless he was specifically asked to.
The debate lasted for an hour until the Lord Commander, who had been silent all this time and was just watching the heated debate transpire, suddenly lifted his hand.
The Lord Commander was a middle-aged-looking man wearing a soldier's uniform. If he were to stand, he'd be at least 7 feet tall and he had a massive build. Even though he's sitting there and doing nothing, he's exuding an aura of pure authority and grit that have been cultivated after decades of experience in his line of work.
His appearance could cause a misunderstanding because in truth, this man was at least 300 years old. He's one of the oldest people here. And in this line of work, where death is a constant thing, his age was one of his greatest badges of honor.
Everyone went silent right away, a sign of his undeniable authority over them, and waited for the Lord Commander's words.
"You all raised good points, but we will be following the standard patrol route." He then looked at the Captain who was the first to vote against it and explained: "Your concerns are valid and I agree with most of your statements. After all, I am a father too. However, we cannot afford to leave them out of this.
They might be children to your eyes but they've been legal adults from the moment they awakened to their Superhuman potential."
"Uneducated or not, we made sure to inform everybody that power comes with responsibility. And all of them have been training for this. We've already broken the veil of illusion that our people sheltered them with right in front of their faces as soon as they arrived here."
"Most of them might've been forced out of their comfort zones because of this, but this is necessary for their growth. As for driving them to the other side, don't worry too much. We have Acala to cover our backs. We only needed to do what were supposed to here."
"Just look after them. It's okay to give them pressure but don't expect them to perform at your level. Remember who we are and who they are, and everything will be fine. Am I clear?"
"Sir, yes Sir!" The Knight Captains roared in response.
"Good!" The Lord Commander then looked at Orion and asked him: "I hope that this arrangement is satisfactory to you, Young Man."
"It is, Lord Banestar. I believe that our dear Headmaster will also agree."
Not only did Orion not get mad at how the Lord Commander addressed him, but he even showed humility. Calling him 'Young Man' was well within the rights of the Lord Commander because Orion's not even 70 years old. Compared to the Lord Commander's age and experience, he is undoubtedly a Young Man.
"Oh? Lissandra, huh?" Lord Banestar hummed in a melancholic tone. "I'm guessing that she told you that your brats would be under me. That's fine, I guess."
"Still, the youngsters nowadays are truly fierce. I can't believe that my foolish secretary has now become a Headmistress of the strongest Academic Institution there is. She's even stronger than me now. Oh, how the time flies. Hohohoho..."
After saying that, the Lord Commander stood up from his seat and left the rest to discuss which teams with be with whom.