Reborn: The Female Monarch Is My Life’s Greatest Love - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Western Theater

Following the orders, Constant and Bai, who had been under confinement, were released. Bai, driven by his long-standing obsession with “the battlefield,” headed straight for the roster registration desk.

Watching Bai’s back as he walked ahead, Constant’s mind was filled with worry for his Female Sovereign’s safety. Because of his changes in this life, the onset of this war seemed to have shifted earlier. As for the outcome of this campaign, Constant already knew the score.

The Zerg lost…

Except for the Southern Theater led by Nathaniel, which secured a victory, all forces in the Western Theater were pushed back by the assembly units of the Butterfly Race. Using their newly developed weapons, they repelled the Zerg soldiers and even captured many alive.

It was this very battle that left two Generals from the Northern and Eastern sectors severely wounded, shattering morale and plunging the Zerg soldiers into a deep slump.

No one expected the Bee and Butterfly races to join forces at this moment to assault the Zerg home planet from all sides.

Successive retreats threw Zerg cities into a state of panic. Residents hid as they were surrounded from the periphery toward the center, eventually falling into slavery.

But this time, will the result change?

Though he was a reborn Zerg, Constant didn’t feel he was capable of the heavy responsibility of saving a planet.

I am just a male who wants to protect his own Female Sovereign…

Constant thought this, yet his feet never stopped moving forward.

I fear death; I fear experiencing the tragedies of my past life again…

I dread war because it breeds despair…

Nate, can I truly protect you?

I am just an ordinary private. Do I really have the power to change the future?

Fear caused the doubts in Constant’s mind to expand; he feared everything he could imagine.

But his footsteps didn’t falter for even a fraction of a second…

Finally, he stood before the roster statistician. His azure eyes were filled with resolve. Looking at the military oath behind the officer, he declared loudly:

“I am Private Al Lex of the Zerg Training Center. I swear to defend every inch of the Zerg planet with my life. Even if a spear is raised before me, I will not lower my head! Loyal to the planet, loyal to the generals, loyal to my comrades! I voluntarily join the Western Theater combat readiness team, to advance with the army and never retreat!”

“The glory of the Empire shall be with us!” At that moment, Nate’s words from the battlefield in his previous life echoed in Constant’s ears.

—Let us fight for the Empire!

Nate! Let us fight for the glory of the Empire!

After finishing the oath, Constant looked at his reflection in the projection, straightened his cap, and left the words he wanted to say most.

Before going to the battlefield, Zerg soldiers record a final message on the projection after their oath—a last will to be left for their families if they fall in battle.

For the current Constant, the person he was most concerned about was his Female Sovereign…

Constant stared into the projection with his azure eyes, his lips curling into a slight smile. He silently called out Nate’s name and then said: “You are my partner for this life, my only lover. I shall be loyal to the Empire, but even more loyal to you.”

However, even in such a tender moment, there was always someone to spoil the mood.

“Didn’t even say a word to his Father Sovereigns, only thinking about his partner…” Leicester’s voice was loud, audible to almost every private lining up to register.

Constant turned to meet his eyes, his expression darkening. “My Father Sovereigns passed away many years ago.”

Then, Constant lowered his head and walked toward the exit with a somber expression, leaving Leicester standing there staring blankly at his retreating back, fists clenched.

As Constant stepped outside, he saw Bai waiting for him at the door. The gloom in his eyes vanished instantly.

While Bai looked on in confusion, Constant smoothed back the stray hairs near his ear. “It seems someone won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“We’re shipping out tonight anyway; of course we won’t be sleeping.” Bai was puzzled by Constant’s remark.

“It’s fine. He’ll have to sleep eventually.” Constant stretched his arms and back, then headed toward the dorms with Bai.

When night fell, the training center was brightly lit. Constant stood in formation, feeling the night wind. Though he felt apprehensive, the thought of easing his Female Sovereign’s burden chased away the last traces of fear from his heart.

The troop transport ships flew in “V” formations through the sky. Constant sat in the largest vessel at the center, watching the scenery flash past the window, leaning back slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Bai, sitting next to him, noticed his mood and asked.

“No, nothing.” Though he knew the outcome of this battle, Constant couldn’t say it under these circumstances. He remembered the Battle of Time Lake from his previous life—the Zerg suffered heavy casualties because they couldn’t identify the energy weapons used by the Butterfly Race and thus couldn’t fight at full strength.

The key to this mission was to identify the type of energy weapon the enemy was using and its working principle. Only then could casualties be minimized.

Amidst the low roar of the ship’s engines, Constant looked down at the ring on his ring finger and pressed a light kiss to it. Nate, if I don’t make it back this time, at least you can use this to find where my bones lie.

Suddenly, a loud bang shook the steady ship. The privates who had been resting with their eyes closed snapped them open. They knew what they were about to face.

“Zerg soldiers, we are approaching the airspace above Time Lake in the Western Theater. Our front lines have fallen due to previous attrition, and we have retreated fifty kilometers. Prepare for landing!”

“Repeat, prepare for landing!”

Hearing the prompt in his earpiece, Constant checked his equipment and protective measures just as he had in training. He looked at Bai beside him. After a mutual nod, they both pressed the red button on their right side, and their seats sank backward.

As the protective layer enveloped him, Constant was ejected from the ship. He looked down during his descent—as far as the eye could see, there was only devastation.

“Third Squad, target the Butterfly Army’s left flank and push inward.” The command in the earpiece prompted Constant to press his hand to his ear. “Third Squad copies.”

Not far away, Bai received orders from the commander at the same time. After a nod, the two diverged toward opposite sides.

Because of their excellent performance in previous training matches, Constant was assigned to lead the Third Squad, consisting of twenty members, while Bai, who had similarly high scores, became the leader of the Fifth Squad.

Upon landing, Constant swept his gaze over his members from behind a piece of cover. After confirming the count, he switched to the internal squad channel.

“Our mission is to push inward from the Butterfly Army’s left flank, coordinate with Squads One and Two in rescue operations, and manage the withdrawal of Squad Four in conjunction with Squad Five.”

Looking at Leicester diagonally behind him, Constant was actually a bit worried about his former rival. “Do you need me to repeat that? No. 3.”

“No need, No. 1,” Leicester replied, pressing his transmitter.

As the reports came in through the channel, Constant nodded. “Numbers 1 through 8, push forward. The back four form a group to provide cover from both sides. The remaining four split into pairs to scout and take out enemy snipers.”

“Copy!”

After receiving the confirmation, Constant lowered his head for one last check of his light gun and looked forward.

“Back four, cover!”

As the sound of Butterfly wings drew closer, Constant gave the signal, and the cyclic-charge guns behind them began raking the area instantly.

Under this suppressive fire, eight members pushed forward in a straight line. Constant glanced at his terminal while seeking cover. After confirming the time, he turned to relay instructions to the privates behind him.

Receiving the brief weapon-type switch, they toggled their light guns to charge settings, perfectly syncing with the cover group’s buffer time to give the rear personnel maximum protection.

A moment later, Constant issued the next command. Just as they were about to move positions after coordinating with the cover group, he caught a glint of light from a high tower.

Sniper—

Judging quickly, Constant saw Leicester, not far behind him, looking dazed after killing a Butterfly soldier who had run into his line of fire.

“Get down! Leicester!”

Calculating the sightlines of the Butterfly sniper and their available cover, Constant instantly locked onto his own field of vision. The only person exposed to the sniper was Leicester, who was currently in a trance after his first kill on a real battlefield.

Constant’s shout clearly didn’t snap the pampered young master out of it. In the next instant, Constant lunged and tackled him to the ground just as a bullet tore through Constant’s combat pack. “No. 17, high tower at 246 degrees!”

As Constant’s voice fell, a massive flashbang detonated at the location he described. Amidst the visual interference, a shot rang out, and a Butterfly soldier with a hole in its head tumbled from the tower.

Before Leicester could recover from the sudden turn of events, Constant raised his hand and slapped him. Through the helmet, Leicester felt his head ringing, but the pain snapped him back to reality.

“This is a battlefield! You idiot!”