▽
The Magnar army was still fighting outside the walls.
They looked completely worn down.
But——— even so, they were still holding the line.
and the others, sent out as reinforcents, joined them.
At so point along the way, the Drunken Sword Party had rged in as well.
There were still so who could make it to the front lines.
Among them, I spotted Lili.
Having noticed too, she called out in relief:
[Tomohiro huh! This helps a lot!]
Fighting while I made my way over, I asked her,
[How’s the situation!?]
[Well, let’s just say it ain’t what you’d call good!]
Slashing down a Sacrant, Rinji spoke over his shoulder.
[Even so, there is at least one bit of good news!]
He passed along the matter of that "break".
The others also relayed it to the Magnar soldiers in the midst of battle.
When Lili heard it, she spoke.
[Good news, you say, but you don’t look very happy about it!?]
[Sure, the possibility that their numbers might be limited is good news, but whether the forces we have left can handle it is another story!]
I noticed Lili wasn’t using that Divine Magic Sword right now.
Probably because allies were fighting close by.
More than that———
"If you use it again without at least a day’s interval, you risk losing your reason entirely, past the point of no return."
That was the advice Sicily had given her.
At that mont……
[……?]
On the belly of a Sacrant……
A person's face surfaced.
It looked like———- like the face of an infant.
[ Waaaah! Waaaah! ]
(What the……?)
Then, all the other Sacrants began wailing at once.
Just like infants.
And at the sa ti……
[ Help…… ee! Help…… ee! ]
The voices were stilted, like they were parroting words.
On each of their bellies, a grimacing human face had ford.
Yes———-
Without slowing their attacks for even a mont, the Sacrants had suddenly begun speaking.
The battlefield resounded with the chorus of crying infants and begging voices.
[……You’ve got to be kidding .]
Lili bared her teeth and eyes, lips twisting in fury.
I saw in her eyes sothing like rage, seething irritation.
[They think they’re copying things that make us hesitate to kill!? ———You’ve gotta be kidding !]
She spat another curse and cut down a Sacrant bawling like a baby.
Behind her, Rinji swung sideways, sending a Sacrant’s head flying.
[But———- doesn’t the fact that they’ve resorted to such a cheap trick an the Sacrants are finally anxious that they might not achieve their goal!?]
[Geez…… you’re really optimistic, Rinji-san——– hah!]
With a "hah!", Lili cleaved a Sacrant diagonally in two.
I imdiately unleashed my flas———-
[Tomohiro! From here on, conserve your MP for dium-class or higher Sacrants!]
But as I was about to do so, Rinji stopped .
I’d already told Rinji that I didn’t have much MP left.
[The big Sacrants are more than we can handle! So right now, only use enough strength to defend yourself! Please, preserve it!]
[———-Understood!]
It left frustrated.
But——– Rinji was right.
So I tightened my grip on my sword and joined the fight.
(A sword doesn’t add much to our overall strength, but……!)
At the very least, I wanted to defend myself enough that no one would have to worry about .
[……Ah.]
Beyond a line of buildings———-
From a side street, a swarm of Sacrants burst out.
Lili clicked her tongue.
[Fifty…… no, over a hundred, at least, just from what I can see…… tch! They just keep coming one after another!]
Then, from above, Offensive Magic and arrows rained down onto the swarm.
Our allies had climbed up to the second floors and rooftops to provide support fire.
Among them, I even recognized mbers of the Drunken Sword Party.
[Captain! Don’t push yourself too hard!]
[Leave the support from above to us!]
That’s when I noticed it.
[……Lili-san!]
The Sacrants struck by the attacks above———
So of them shifted targets, breaking into the buildings.
So even began climbing the walls directly.
In no ti at all, they reached the upper floors and rooftops.
Our allies tried to retreat in a hurry.
But those who couldn’t escape in ti were cut down.
[ ! ]
A soldier, cornered by fear as his retreat was cut off, let out a scream and hurled himself from the second-story roof.
Unable to land properly, he hit the ground hard, sprawling.
On instinct, I nearly rushed forward to save him.
But———- he was too far.
(……——–I won't make it in ti.)
Even Lili——— clearly reluctant——— grabbed back.
We were still fighting, surrounded by Sacrants.
If the main fighters here, abandoned our positions, the balance of this defense would collapse.
Most of all, the Drunken Sword Party still had mbers up on those rooftops.
Even though they were no longer visible, Lili must’ve been aching to rush to their side.
But if she left, we would surely be overrun.
[……Tch.]
Even so, my eyes stayed fixed on the soldier who had fallen.
Down where he had landed, Sacrants sward in a mass.
The soldier lifted his head.
His face twisted like he had just realized, only now, the situation he was in.
His expression was steeped in despair.
A few of the Sacrants lunged at him all at once.
[Ah, help m———…… giiiiiyaaahhhhhhhhhh——–!]
I couldn’t even see him anymore, completely buried under that wall of Sacrants.
But from beyond it, his screams tore through the air.
Arms and legs went flying———– torn right off.
His limbs, no doubt wrenched apart by brute force.
A groan escaped my throat before I could stop it.
[Ugh……]
One of the Sacrants held the man’s entrails in its hands.
Pinching both ends, it raised them high, flaunting them.
On its bloated stomach, the human face stretched there…… laughed.
And then……
[ Heeelp eee ]
The thing spoke those words.
The sound carried a desecrating weight, as if mocking sothing sacred.
Or maybe……
Because the words ca out in that flat, almost monotone voice———-
It made them all the more profane.
[You…… b*st——–]
Lili, who had held back earlier, was radiating killing intent so sharp it could pierce people.
Her rage had clearly reached its peak, she looked about to launch herself at them any second.
[…..You sons of———!]
———Pfoosh!———
An arrow buried itself deep into the head of the Sacrant holding the entrails.
[ ! ]
Flooding into the street ca the Magnar soldiers.
Not the ones who had been here when we arrived, this was another group.
And at their lead———— was the White Wolf King.
They looked like the ones who had been fighting at the very frontlines, not here.
The knights and soldiers that appeared were covered in wounds.
Their numbers had also dwindled heavily.
Not enough to even be called an "army" anymore.
And yet———- their will to fight hadn’t died.
At the front of the group was Sicily Artlight.
Her twin hatchets swung, severing Sacrant heads with rciless precision.
Her eyes were wide, blazing with sothing close to madness.
Her soft, beautiful lips were parted just enough for breathing.
Her every thought, every movent, every fiber of her being, devoted only to killing the enemy.
Beautiful———- but terrifyingly, brutally so.
And it wasn’t just Sicily.
In the eyes of all the Magnar soldiers burned that sa gleam of madness.
It told ……
Without even needing words———-
Just how hellish their battles beyond the wall had been.
The White Wolf King barked out his orders.
[Leonil squad, go inside the buildings and support our allies! We hold the line here! Once our allies have secured their retreat, we’ll pull back together to the plaza in one sweep!]
Without a word, the Magnar warriors began to move.
Only the White Wolf King showed no trace of madness in his face.
I realized then, the warriors of Magnar had entrusted their reason to their king.
They left it all to him.
Their only role was to follow his commands, to devote themselves completely to one thing: killing.
To slaughter like lunatics———– so there was no space left for hesitation or unnecessary thought.
That was the survival strategy they had chosen to endure this frontline.
Sicily’s squad approached.
She locked her eyes on .
Those sky-colored, frenzied eyes seed to ask———-
"Why aren’t you using your black fla…… your Skill?"
Right now, her being existed only to "kill".
That’s why the silent question slipped out of her almost unconsciously.
Rinji moved close to her and raised his voice.
Sicily gave a short nod, then turned her gaze from .
He must have explained that I was saving my Skill for the larger Sacrants.
Just before her eyes left mine, I thought I caught a glimr of apology there.
[Fall back!]
The Magnar army under the White Wolf King carved out an escape path for as many allies as could still stand.
From the far ends of the passages, the Sacrants surged forward in endless waves.
Their numbers seed limitless, a roaring flood.
But the White Wolf King and his soldiers fought desperately to hold back that torrent.
Rinji called the order, and we, the reinforcents, began retreating too.
Behind us lay a large plaza.
In peaceful tis, it was probably a place for gatherings, for relaxation.
Now, it was nothing more than a staging ground for war.
A war horn sounded.
The White Wolf King’s voice rang out:
[We’ll wait in the plaza for allies still fighting to hear the signal and gather! Once we’ve pulled in the retreating forces, we fall back again, to the Final Guardian Wall! Depending on the situation———- within those walls itself, if need be!]
He was telling us that a full withdrawal behind the walls was on the table.
Together with the White Wolf King, we reached the plaza.
Manors and buildings surrounded it, but the plaza itself was open aside from a few defensive structures.
From here, I could see the main street, the largest inside the Second Guardian Wall.
It was the sa street we had co through earlier.
[……They’re not coming.]
There had been Sacrants flooding us like a tide……
And yet now, the main street lay silent.
The other roads leading here were also hushed.
Just a short while ago, the Sacrants had surged forward like a mudslide.
Still, it seed the number of Sacrants on the eastern side had greatly decreased.
In other words, the Magnar army fighting outside had put up quite the struggle.
Of course, their own numbers had also been reduced to a shocking degree.
[…………………]
We waited.
The cries that mimicked infants, the voices begging for help———-
None of them reached us anymore.
It has beco so quiet now, it almost felt unnatural.
Still, no one let their guard down.
Bows were drawn tight, magic tools for attack already prid.
Then, from several streets, allies began to appear.
They must have heard the horn and gathered here.
Among them, I saw mbers of the Drunken Sword Party, the ones we’d lost sight of earlier.
Relief washed over Lili’s face.
[You guys are safe! Thank goodness……]
[And you too, Captain…… you made it back alive……]
anwhile, Oru, who had just started to look at ease, frowned.
[Even so…… doesn’t this feel strange, Rinji?]
[Yeah.]
[It’s like the tide went out…… It's too quiet. Creepily so.]
Not long after, word spread.
The Sacrants——— had retreated.
Just like Oru had said, as if the tide itself had pulled back.
[But…… I doubt they gave up and just withdrew———]
The mont Oru voiced his unease……
[Look!]
Soone shouted, pointing north.
The northern wall had no gate.
Up until now, we’d managed it only with defensive strength from above.
And there……
[……Eh?]
A massive Sacrant appeared.
No———- It stood up.
It rose by the outermost wall———- the First Guardian Wall.
We had seen no sign of it until now.
Maybe it had been crawling low, like on all fours, as it approached.
And only now had it finally reached Azziz and risen to its full height.
Bishuuu!
The Sacred Eye activated.
Its laser pierced through the head of the giant humanoid Sacrant.
The head began to lt away as if dissolved by heat.
However, the lting stopped at the neck.
It was like a wax doll’s head that had lted and then hardened at the base of the neck.
This massive Sacrant’s golden eyes were positioned on its shoulders.
Most other Sacrants had them where a human’s eyes would be.
That was why decapitation had worked on them before.
But this one, its fatal "core" clearly wasn’t in its head.
And since the lting had stopped midway, I couldn’t expect it to die from "blood loss".
Unlike the others, this one wasn’t even "bleeding".
The fact was, it was still moving as if nothing had happened.
Then, just beneath its neck, a pitch-black hole——— a mouth, maybe———- opened up.
[ Fooooh…… Fooooh…… Fooooh…… ]
The sound echoed like wind through a hollow pipe.
A chilling, eerie cry.
The giant Sacrant climbed over the first defensive wall and advanced toward the second.
Its head had been within the Sacred Eye’s "high range", but———-
Anything lower than that was outside its attack range.
[———-I’m going.]
Almost at the sa ti I said that———–
Gyoooooooon!
A chanical roar, like the sound of heavy machinery, thundered from far behind us.
I turned with the others toward the noise.
On the far side of the Final Guardian Wall———-
The Sacred Cavalry rose to its feet.
It gave a short, hovering jump and cleared the wall.
The Sacred Cavalry’s right arm was fused clumsily with a lance-shaped weapon.
It looked like it had been slapped together in a rush.
The Sacred Cavalry began marching toward the massive Sacrant, across from the Second Guardian Wall.
Rinji, worried, muttered,
[Is that thing really okay……?]
The Sacred Cavalry’s movents were anything but graceful.
I muttered back,
[As expected, I'll———]
Saying that, I glanced around……
(But the distance…… if only there were even a single horse sowhere———-)
[Oi!]
Soone shouted, pointing east———– back toward the side I’d been fighting in earlier.
There, another Sacrant appeared.
Its head alone peered over the top of the Second Guardian Wall.
Smaller than the massive Sacrant that had appeared to the north earlier, but still big enough that its head jutted well above the battlents.
Two pairs of horns sprouted from its head.
They reminded of a deer’s antlers.
Poong———-
The horned Sacrant leapt high.
It was clearly aiming to clear the wall.
Bishuuu!
The Sacred Eye fired another laser.
[ ! ]
The horned Sacrant twisted midair, bending back, and dodged it.
Then, thud!, it landed heavily, a sound that spoke of imnse weight, imnse mass.
Its landing echoed with a thud so heavy, it could only belong to sothing of massive weight———– of massive mass.
When it had leapt, I’d gotten a clear view of its entire form.
From its head down to its chest, five golden eyes were lined up vertically.
Humanoid in shape.
But here and there on its body——— I saw the hands and feet of smaller Sacrants.
Zuzuzuuu……
Those limbs were being pulled inward, sucked into the horned Sacrant’s body.
Rinji gasped.
[The Sacrants that retreated…… did they fuse into it? Or…… were they absorbed until it grew that size? Wha——!?]
I sucked in a sharp breath.
It moved toward , like it was skipping.
A gesture that would normally only be seen when soone was in a cheerful mood.
And yet——— that only made it all the more unsettling.
———-It's within range.
Without hesitation, I unleashed the black flas I had gathered.
The swirling fire leapt forward, rushing at the horned Sacrant.
But……
[…………!]
Midair——— the Sacrant suddenly accelerated.
So fast the flas couldn’t catch up.
It was acceleration that felt like it defied the very laws of physics.
I drove my fire after it, forcing the flas to chase.
But before they could reach the Sacrant’s back——— they died out.
That was my Skill's difference from Kirihara Takuto’s .
My black flas were hard to maintain for long.
To sustain them———- and especially at range———- drained a heavy amount of MP.
And right now———-
After that last attack, my MP was nearly……
……completely spent.
[……………………]
There, in the middle of the plaza……
The horned Sacrant stood waiting.
□
Most likely, in that instant———- everyone in the plaza felt it.
The Sacred Cavalry to the north, the giant dragon to the south, none of them mattered anymore.
Just by having the horned Sacrant co this close, everyone could sense it.
That "it" was different.
This silent horned Sacrant wasn’t like the rest.
There was sothing, perhaps rank, perhaps presence, that sets it apart from the rest.
From the other Sacrants——— from us ourselves.
It didn’t need to do anything. Just by standing there——–
Everyone……
……was frozen in place.
The silence was suffocating.
Like we were all trapped at the bottom of the sea.
No one could do anything but stare at the horned Sacrant.
This was exactly what people called———-
"If you move, you’ll be killed."
That’s the state we had fallen into.
When faced with a disaster so utterly hopeless……
Most people could do nothing but stand there in dazed paralysis.
Ti in the plaza seed to stop———– sound itself seed to vanish from the air.
It was like———– "a localized vacuum".
An unbearable "empty terror" was born in that space, ruling over us all.
One whose presence tells us we're going to die.
Everyone realized it——– without reason, without proof……
We just knew.
A conviction close to certainty.
And because of that, we couldn’t move.
Then, from all over the Sacrant’s body, countless wing-like things sprouted.
Bichibichibichi!
Like fish thrashing violently on land, the wings twitched and beat.
Everyone must have felt the sa thing.
———-It’s coming.
Sothing terrifying.
Death.
[.]
Everyone held their breath, as if each of them were asking themselves whether they should simply wait for death to co or not———–
In that stillness, in that silence———–
I, alone——— had stepped into an attacking stance.
My instincts scread at .
If I didn’t act here, everyone would be wiped out.
So I did it.
I forced its attention onto myself———- then condensed the flas, shaping them into my shield.
Slowly, deliberately, the horned Sacrant turned its gaze on .
An instant later, one of its fluttering wings detached from its body——– and launched outward.
That thing it fired, it looked almost like a skyfish I’d once seen in so old internet video.
The living, fleshy wing twisted———– reshaping into sothing like an ultra-thin, elongated needle.
And in that instant……
Chuin!
A sound rang out, like so fake ga sound effect.
It streaked forward, slicing through.
Through my body.
That impossibly thin, needle-like thing with a terrible weight behind it.
It pierced straight through my shield of black fla.
If there really were such a thing as the sound of a life shattering————
[—————————————]
Probably…… this is what that sound would be like.
A sound I had never once heard in all my life until now.
A sound that seed to ring from sowhere deep inside ———–
Or at least, that’s how it felt.
The horned Sacrant’s wings twitched even more violently, thrashing with sharp, jerking motions.
This ti, instead of , it fired them in every direction, targeting the others.
……But then, botobotoboto———-
The wings that should have been launched burst into flas mid-air, tumbling down at the horned Sacrant’s feet.
Stretching out from my hand——— was a single colossal vortex of black fire.
A condensed strike, into which I poured my few remaining MP, along with every last shred of my own life force.
———–I just wanted to protect them.
My companions, my friends———– those precious to .
The way it tried to fire those needles at ……
That was nothing but to create an opening.
A gap in ti, in awareness———
And if I could carve that space open———–
Then, even if it cost everything, even if it resulted in a mutual kill, my strike might just reach it.
If I unleashed the very limit of my power, the maximum output I could unleash.
These flas of mine————-
At that instant, released at the sa ti as the enemy’s attack, with all my desperate resolve and all my prayers————-
My strike reached its mark.
□
If it hadn’t been for that one pointless strike the horned Sacrant aid at ……
Most likely——— the majority of the people here would have been killed.
"He has to be taken down first."
Yes. It was because I forced the horned Sacrant to think that way that this tiny [opening] was created.
Just for one beat, the enemy’s attack on everyone else was delayed.
It had to be necessary.
The people still alive here———
They’re needed in this battle——— and in the future beyond it.
And for , right now, too.
That’s why……
I desired so.
That I could protect them———– that they would keep on living……
▽
……It’s burning…… my whole body.
The horned Sacrant is burning.
Where is that voice coming from?
Ooooohhh……
The horned Sacrant is howling.
Is that a cry from agony, or———-?
The horned Sacrant tries to reach a hand toward ———– only to fail, collapsing to its knees.
A heavy thud.
Still burning, the horned Sacrant crumples down.
Its horns turn to ash, and then its body follows……
[……………….]
I hear soone calling my na.
Whose…… voice is that……?
[—————–]
If my MP runs out, I’ll faint.
But——— I can’t collapse yet.
There should still be confird enemy forces left……
There's also the blood.
The blood from where that long spear pierced …… it won’t stop……
[……But.]
I want to protect them.
I don’t want them to die.
That’s why……
Just a little longer……
……If.
If there really is a "God" out there, the kind everyone prays to……
————–Please.
Just give , for a little longer……
The strength to fight————————- And a bit more ti.
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