My Goblin System : Levelling up with my SSS Class Devouring skill-Chapter 345

Jessica - Head healer. A goblin woman whose gentle features and healer’s instincts belied the steel core that let her make life-and-death decisions without hesitation.

Kelvin - Jessica’s brother and one of the settlement’s most skilled warriors. The goblin known as "Wolf-Slayer" stood with casual confidence that came from surviving impossible odds.

Urgak - Orc warrior captain. Despite losing his left arm in battle months ago, he commanded the settlement’s orcish contingent with brutal efficiency.

Chief Ssk’thar - Leader of the serpentfolk fighters. His scaled features showed no emotion, but his flickering tongue tasted the tension in the air.

Thrak - A demon engineer sent by Loki to oversee the settlement’s defensive construction. His obsidian-black skin and glowing amber eyes marked him as one of Loki’s specialist corps. Clawed hands bore scars from both combat and construction work—evidence of decades spent building fortifications across demon territories.

[Everything was from Vex’ahlia’s perspective ]

"Report," Vex’ahlia’s voice cut through the tension like a blade.

A scout—a young goblin named Tikka—stepped forward, trying not to show how nervous she was reporting to this assemblage of power. "Confirmed visual on human army. Estimated three thousand five hundred to four thousand soldiers. Heavy infantry, archers, cavalry, siege equipment visible. Battle mages confirmed in their ranks. They’re maintaining professional formation and advancing at steady pace. Current estimate: they’ll reach our First Line defenses in approximately forty minutes."

"Forty minutes." Vex’ahlia’s jaw tightened fractionally—the only sign of concern from the veteran commander. "Current defensive strength?"

"Nine hundred and seventy-three combat-ready fighters," Lyra reported, consulting her notes with practiced efficiency. "Two hundred and twelve positioned at First Line defenses. Three hundred at Second Line. The rest distributed between Third Line and settlement core defense. Plus Commander Vex’ahlia’s two hundred elites and Lady Seraphina’s two hundred corruption specialists held in reserve."

The brutal mathematics hung in the air. Even accounting for defensive advantages and elite forces, they were facing nearly three-to-one odds. Maybe worse if the human force was closer to four thousand.

"We knew the numbers would be against us," Kelvin said quietly, his goblin features set in determination. "The plan always assumed we’d be outnumbered. The defenses were designed for this."

"The plan assumed we’d have Lord Satou here," Urgak growled, his single hand clenching into a fist. "And that we’d have full preparation time. They hit us a week early—"

"Which means they’re trying to catch us unprepared," Lyra interrupted, her golden eyes already moving to the tactical maps spread across the table. "Commander Elric must have gotten intelligence about our defensive preparations and decided to strike before we could complete them."

"Who is Commander Elric?" Ssk’thar hissed, his serpentine features showing genuine curiosity.

"The human general leading this army." Lyra pulled out a sketch—rough but detailed, drawn from scout reports compiled over weeks. "Elric Stonewall. Forty-three years of military experience. Known for cautious, methodical tactics that minimize casualties on his own side. Doesn’t take unnecessary risks. Prefers siege warfare to direct assault."

She pointed to annotations on the sketch. "But more importantly—he’s smart. Two months ago, he encountered Lord Satou in a cave during a reconnaissance mission. They didn’t fight, but Satou said Elric was studying him, analyzing him. The commander knows goblins aren’t the mindless monsters human propaganda makes us out to be."

"That’s good for us, right?" Jessica asked, her healer’s optimism searching for silver linings. "If he’s cautious?"

"Yes and no." Lyra’s finger traced lines on the tactical map. "It means he won’t do anything stupid or reckless. He won’t throw his soldiers away in suicidal charges. But it also means he’ll grind us down systematically. He’ll probe our defenses, identify weaknesses, then exploit them with overwhelming force at the optimal moment."

Seraphina spoke for the first time, her voice carrying harmonics that made mortal ears ache slightly. "Classic siege doctrine. Which is why we don’t give him the time to execute it properly."

All eyes turned to the demon lord.

"Explain," Vex’ahlia said, showing no deference despite the vast power differential.

Seraphina moved to the tactical table, and the maps seemed to rearrange themselves slightly in her presence, reality bending to accommodate her will. "Commander Elric’s caution is both his strength and weakness. He’ll want perfect intelligence before committing. Days, possibly a week of probing and testing. That gives us time—time we desperately need."

"Time for what?" Urgak asked bluntly.

"For reinforcements." Seraphina’s hand moved over the map, and spectral markers appeared showing distance and time calculations. " Lord Loki. He’s mobilizing additional forces, but they need three days minimum to reach us. Possibly four depending on their route and opposition."

The command tent went silent as the implications sank in.

"So we hold for three days," Vex’ahlia said flatly. "Minimum."

"Three to four days," Seraphina confirmed. "Against a numerically superior force led by a competent commander. While hoping that Satou returns with whatever forces he can muster."

Lyra’s mind was already racing through scenarios, calculating probabilities, running strategic simulations. Her golden eyes flickered with intense concentration as she processed variables.

"It’s possible," she said finally. "Difficult, but possible. We have advantages they don’t."

"Such as?" Kelvin asked.

Lyra began placing markers on the map, her strategic vision crystallizing into concrete plans. "First—terrain. We know this ground intimately. Every hill, every gulley, every chokepoint. They’re operating in unfamiliar territory."

"Second—defensive works. Thrak’s fortifications are extensive even if incomplete. Pit traps, spike barriers, killing grounds, archer positions. All designed to multiply our effective force."

"Third—quality over quantity. Their army is mostly regular soldiers. Competent but not exceptional. We have Vex’ahlia’s elite two hundred, Seraphina’s corruption specialists, and warriors who’ve been training under Satou’s methods for months."

"Fourth—" Lyra’s golden eyes met Seraphina’s otherworldly gaze. "We have a demon lord. That’s not a small advantage."

"But using Lady Seraphina too early could be disastrous," Vex’ahlia interjected. "She’s our trump card. Once revealed, the humans will adjust their entire strategy around countering her."

"Exactly," Seraphina agreed. "Which is why I stay hidden unless absolutely necessary. Let them think you’re fighting alone. Let their intelligence suggest this settlement has no other demon lord backing other than Satou."