The hivemind is conquering for me? Chapter 770: "Statistically Speaking"

Returning to the fort's peak, I released a sigh of relief, noting many familiar faces resting and recuperating.

"Apollo!"

Willow called out, jumping up from her spot beside Rhea and dashing my way. She seemed poised for a hug, but got roughly shoved aside just before leaping at me, leaving me suddenly wrapped in a tight squeeze.

"Apollo~ I am so pleased to see you are well. This battle, this war. It was so hectic compared to a hunt. I still have a lot to learn about these guns you all use. Their sting is rather painful"

I twisted a hand loose and patted Sithrik on the... back? "Glad to see you are alright, Sithrik. You too, Willow. Sorry about this lady—she's still learning manners."

Sithrik gasped loudly at my comment, then uncoiled from me, appearing embarrassed. Willow rose and chuckled. "Don’t worry about it, I understand her excitement all too well. Plus being shoved over is nothing. The amount of injuries I have sustained today... That Francesca is something huh? Perhaps Sophia should hire her? Hmmm~"

I shot Willow a glare, but my helmet likely hid it, so she just stood smiling until Rhea joined us.

"Apollo, you look... Cleaner than the last time I was with you. I’m glad to see you still able to stand, mad bastard. You should probably go speak to Skaja though, I’ve had to go in that tent like half a dozen times to talk my great aunt down."

"Serena? Is everything alright?" I asked. Rhea nodded.

"Yeah, but ever since the orbital communication relay was set up here, she has been asking for your presence every five minutes. When she wouldn’t take the ‘The sentinel is still chasing down and culling the enemy’ card, she flipped to the Hyllus Hierarchy card and long story short I have been uninvited to my own birthday party even though my birthday was literally last month but... Can you go and speak to her before she starts calling my mom or something?"

I sighed. "So much for her not interacting with me, Valerica..." I muttered quietly. Then I addressed Gabrielle and Nerissa. "You two should get some rest. No need to follow me around for a bit. I’ll probably try to get some rest after this anyway."

With those words, Gabrielle approached and gently touched my helmet. "You did good work today, S-Apollo. I’ll come find you later." Nerissa stayed where she was. "I’ll sleep when you do. Besides, I need to make some communications of my own afterwards."

I shrugged, unwilling to argue with her further, and started toward the command tent, which was pitched within the framework of the old Boomstick tower.

Inside, a disheveled Skaja greeted me. She'd removed her armor, wearing just a tank top and tight pants. Her golden hair flowed freely down her back, unbound from its braids. The unexpected change caught me off guard more than expected, and she picked up on it.

"Oi Perv, you can look all you want later, will you get this red haired bitch to pipe it down!" She seized her headphones and shouted into the mic after apparently hearing a response.

"UGH! Yes he is here you senile old cow! Fuck! What? Oh you wanna try hoe? Take it up with my Grandmother then before I shove my figurative dick down your throat and suffocate you to death, strawberry dumbfuck! I’m sick of your shit!" She ripped off the headset, pounded it on the desk several times, then pivoted to flash me an endearing smile.

"Apollo, Commander Hyllus wants a few words, would you be a sweetie and take it for me? Please?" She fluttered her lashes innocently, pretending I hadn't heard the outburst. I played along.

"Sure, no problem." I agreed, stepped up, took the headset from Skaja, and fitted it over my ears.

- ’Strawberry? My hair is crimson, you ignoramus! Like all Hyllus women? And do you think I won’t take this up with your grandma you spoiled brat? Sviedana doesn’t scare me, you punk now hand me over to my-"

"She already did," I remarked.

"- Sentinel Apollo! So glad to hear your voice after all these hours. Are you well? Are you injured?"

Her voice's abrupt warmth left me stunned. It echoed Valerica's tone. ’No surprise—they're sisters.’

"I am well, Commander Hyllus. I have been told that you have been requesting me for some time? Is everything ok?"

I heard her cough before she went on.

"*Ahem* Perhaps I got overly eager and requested you a few times. Nothing beyond that, I promise. I require your confirmation that the siege succeeded, allowing me to dispatch aid to your position. I dare not shift the front lines toward you without knowing the area is fully secured. Unofficially speaking, Valerica would end me if she discovered I failed to check in after thrusting you into that siege."

Despite donning headphones and facing nothing but a tent wall, I nodded. "Yes, the siege has concluded. I believe I personally eliminated the final Drakoshi within the walls, while the tanks flanking from the east dispatched the remaining cowards."

"Outstanding job, my Sentinel. I placed complete trust in your tactical prowess. Now, do you have time to review the projected casualty figures? I had your... vibrant Vallaheimr deputy compile the stats while awaiting your arrival. But per the chain of command, I can only share them directly with you."

"Alright, I'll look." I replied, then turned to Skaja, who sat with eyes shut, rubbing her temples. "Uh, Skaja?" Her gaze met mine, devoid of emotion. "Got any stats for me?"

A heavy sigh of pure relief escaped her as she nodded. She approached a datapad, tapped the screen several times, then passed it over. "Simplified it for you, stripped out all the political nonsense—figured you'd prefer raw data."

I acknowledged her with a nod before addressing Serena. "Alright, I've got them."

"Splendid, so your deputy proves capable. Enemy losses first, I presume?"

"Yes, Drakoshi estimate: 92,000 killed."

"Mhm, solid. Actually, impressive. Rebuilding from those numbers will slow them considerably... Phalanx casualties?"

My eyes widened and jaw dropped as I scanned the next figure, freezing in place.

"Apollo? You still there? Are the figures grim? It's okay, first command nerves. Just share them." Serena's voice carried an attempt at empathy, yet the data glaring back held no deception.

"Between 400,000 and 650,000, pending wounded assessment."

Silence hung briefly before Serena responded with a swallow. "Y-You suffered how many casualties?"

"Between 400,000 and 650,000." I repeated, the sheer scale stunning me—and evidently her as well. Hadn't I performed well? Yet so many perished? Horrifying. Unthinkable—

"Amazing!" Serena exclaimed. She yanked back from the comms, yelling to her bridge crew. "Sentinel Apollo Hyllus-Lambdason conquered a Drakoshi stronghold brimming with over 90,000 foes, suffering only half a million losses!"

Cheers erupted from the connection, leaving me utterly perplexed. "Serena? Why the celebration? So many dead here."

Serena stared in disbelief before recalling her newfound nephew wasn't seasoned like Kathrine. He remained essentially a youth. Her tone shifted to gentle reassurance, stunning her listeners who halted their revelry at this unfamiliar softness.

"Apollo, these figures are... phenomenal. Typically, it requires ten Phalanx to fell one Drakoshi in open battle—likely a hundred to one in a siege...

At battle's outset, excluding last night's reinforcements, you received just over two million Phalanx with substantial heavy armor. Pre-your nocturnal clash, we estimated twenty thousand Drakoshi in that fort. They surged reinforcements at an alarming pace post-field battle.

By original stats, losses would've neared total Phalanx annihilation. Yet you annihilated a force that would challenge ten million Phalanx using merely two million, with only half a million estimated dead... Apollo, today's feat defies statistics... Utterly impossible. Be proud, not mournful, of those numbers."

I stayed quiet briefly. The toll remained... staggering. Yet Serena's framing resonated. I'd achieved the statistically impossible.

A smirk crept across my face at the notion, prompting Nerissa and Skaja to exchange glances.

"So, one might call today's work a miracle? Heh, then it deserves celebration indeed."