Those Who Gather
The Black Iron Knights of the Luine Kingdom persistently persist, despite the many casualties. However, their resistance is limited. The knights and soldiers of the Black Iron Knights are unable to fight or even move to retreat. They have many wounded, but their progress is slow, and from the perspective of the Izrim Empire Army, it seems that they have finally had an opportunity to exterminate them.
In an attempt to make this a reality, the Izrim Empire Army launched an assault on the Black Iron Knights. But it was a trap. The ground caved in over a wide area. The Izrim Empire Army, which was about to charge in unopposed, was swallowed up by the hole. Even if they tried to stop, they could not. The steep slope of the hill would not allow it. Those who followed had been running without knowing what was going on ahead.
"……The nerve."
Seeing this, Yuya gritted his teeth. At last, he can obliterate the noisy little Black Iron Knights. He feels like a fool for thinking so.
"Such a trap..."
A huge trap that Mei did not expect at all. The scale of the trap is out of the ordinary, but Mei feels humiliated to have fallen into such a simple trap. There is nothing superior about her in terms of tactics and strategy. It was a blow to the complex inside her heart.
"I'll never forgive you. You lowly people are getting on my nerves."
It was not supposed to be like this. Yuya himself did not know what was not supposed to be like this, but he could not forgive the current situation. No matter how many times he stomped on them, he could not forgive the humans for forgetting it and struggling without understanding who was the master of this world. This is something that is not in Yuya's original thinking.
"Hey, Yuya!?"
Yuya runs out of the camp by himself. When Mei tries to call him, he ignores her and runs toward the front line at a tremendous speed.
"Minami."
"...Does he need help?"
If it was Yuya, the Yuya of today would be able to win no matter how many thousands of enemies there are. Minami, now Minami, thinks so.
"Just in case."
"……I understand."
Minami slowly moved his heavy-looking body. But it's only for a few steps. He immediately started running at the same speed as Yuya.
"...Mei. Look."
Rina called out to Mei who was watching his back.
"...I see. They fight like that, right?"
The Luine Kingdom Army is attacking the Izrim Empire Army, which is stuck in a pit and unable to move, without mercy. Even if they are mad soldiers who do not fear death, if they cannot move, there is nothing they can do. They will only be defeated unilaterally. The Luine Kingdom also fights in such a cowardly manner. Mei thought. She has no right to criticize them.
Mei not only complained, but also launched a magic attack against the attacking Luine Kingdom forces. However, her first attack was completely blocked by the enemy's defensive magic.
"…………"
Mei bit her lip. The defensive magic of the Luine Kingdom Army is different in strength than before. Mei understood that they were the main force of the Luine Kingdom's mage unit. In other words, they were not serious until now.
The Luine Kingdom made a decision on when to deploy as a strategy, not whether they were serious or not, but that is how Mei understood it.
"Should I leave it to Yuya and Minami... or..."
She is confident that she can defeat the enemy's defensive magic. However, now that Yuya and Minami are heading for the front lines, it is risky to continue a large-scale magic attack that affects a wide area. Then, should they head for the front lines themselves? This is also a risk. Even if they can carry out a series of attacks to keep the enemy at bay, there is always a contingency. Even if Mei herself is fine, Maki and Rina are not.
"Enemy!"
Rina noticed the enemy's approach and shouted a warning. Not only did she warn them, but she also released magic. But that magic was blocked by defensive magic before it reached the enemy.
"They have a mage?"
"...Demons."
The Luine Kingdom Army is already approaching the point where it can be seen. The first of them is a figure that looks different from the humans.
"Demons..."
"They're coming!"
The demons run up the slope without a care in the world. The main line of the Izrim Imperial Army was unable to react because they were so fast.
"What about Yuya!?"
Yuya's appearance cannot be confirmed. The only thing they know is that there is a battle going on at the front line. Mei could tell from that alone that Yuya would not be able to come back soon.
"Strengthen the defenses!"
She sends a proclamation to the soldiers in the main camp, but their movements are sluggish. Mei's proclamation is just a cry for help. It does not have the same effect as Yuya's magic [Holy War].
The chaotic main camp does not have the power to stop the surprise attack of the Luine Kingdom Army. The Izrim Empire Army, which was inflicted with much damage in previous battles that the word [much] seems a bit light, has only the former heroes like Mei and the soldiers who were driven mad by the [Holy War]. Without Yuya and Minami, who are capable of close combat, they would not be able to stop the trained and even demons of the Luine Kingdom.
Even so, Mei and the others are still trying to stop the Luine Kingdom Army with magic.
"Rina…Rinaaaaaa!!”
Rina was blown away by the demon who had broken through the defenses and approached her. Only Rina's head―― Rina's headless body slowly collapsed.
"N-no... Noooooooooooo!!"
Maki screams out as she is bathed in Rina's blood, which spurts out from her neck. The grief over the loss of her friend, and the fear of death, have dissipated what little remained of Maki's will.
The first wind that whipped up beneath her feet was a small one. Nor were the wings of light that grew on Maki's back. The feathers on her back grew larger, and the wind. It surrounded the entire main camp of the Izrim Empire Army and spread further. It didn't matter whether they were allies or foes, blood, and torn bodies rolled in.
◆◆◆
The surprise attack succeeds. One of the former heroes is killed with a single blow. The remaining former heroes in the Izrim Empire Army's main camp are the one right next to the woman they killed, and the Izrim Empire Emperor, the target of this operation, in the rear. Baat wondered which of them he should kill first. That lapse in judgment proved fatal.
A light spread out before his eyes. Baat, who was standing very close to it, had no idea that it was in the shape of wings. Nor did he need to know. The storm that struck immediately afterward gave him no time to think about it.
The sensation of having one's skin cut open. He knew immediately that it was magic, and he tried to prevent it by strengthening his own body. However, the storm continued to gain momentum. He couldn't stand, and when he wobbled, his feet left the ground. A sharp pain. He had no idea what was happening to his body. His sense of balance was completely gone.
A violent shock. A pain in his back. But it soon fades away. Pain throughout his body overshadowed it.
"…………"
The blue sky spreads out in front of him. Baat knew that he was lying on his back on the ground. Slowly, he manages to get up, despite the intense pain.
"...This is."
Around him were many others who were lying on the ground just like him. Some with only their arms, legs, or necks. Most of the moaning and groaning is Baat's comrades, the demons. The only survivors were the demons.
"They're alive!"
The voice belongs to a former hero. Baat already knows that his name is Minami. Minami, who had pulled away from the main camp, had returned, aware of the emergency.
Baat does not think it was a mistake to raise his upper body. He could tell by the groans that there were survivors. It's just that the order in which they were killed was a little faster.
Minami approached cautiously. Each step is a countdown to death. He is going to die. Baat felt it for the first time.
"You... how dare you, to Rina."
The former hero he had killed was apparently named Rina. The actual name itself was known to him, but he only recognized her as one of the remaining two women, excluding Mei.
Minami glares at Baat with eyes full of hatred. Only a few seconds to death. What came to Baat's mind under such circumstances was anger at the selfishness of the former hero. Even Baat's comrades were killed. Even Baat had hatred for the former heroes.
At the same time as that hatred came to his mind, he also felt unfulfilled. He wanted to kill all the former heroes. He felt frustrated that he would be killed without doing so.
"……Ah, I see."
Even if he died, Baat remembered the existence of someone who would take care of it in his place. He remembered that Ren also planned to kill all the former heroes.
Now their purposes overlapped. Thinking about it, his unresolved feelings grew stronger again.
"What do you mean by, I see? Don't joke around!"
Minami misunderstood the meaning of Baat's words, making him even more angry. A foolish existence, Baat thought. He is also foolish to be killed by such a fool. He has made a mistake, he thought.
Which was the right path? There was no time to think about it. Minami's sword, which he raised, would not allow him to do so. The blade shone in the sunlight. This is not what he was looking for. What he was looking for was a jet-black blade with blood rippling through it.
His thoughts drifted away in a matter of seconds. Death was near, it had to be.
"Guha!"
The blade that was swung down, went wide. Minami, who was holding it, fell to the ground.
"Minami!?"
"Enemy! Enemy attack!"
From the exchange between the former heroes, it was clear that Minami had been attacked by the enemy. Who was this enemy? Can he consider them their allies because they are the enemy of the enemy?
"They are demons!"
The answer to that question is only half of the answer, but Minami told him. It was the demons that attacked them. They are allies of Baat.
"Carry the wounded! Hurry!"
A woman's voice is heard. The voice is also familiar to Baat.
"Princess……"
"Can you move!? If you can move, stand up! Stand up and run away!"
It was Rin and her companions who attacked the main camp of the Izrim Empire Army, where now only the former heroes had survived.
"Run?"
They might be saved. At that thought, his stubbornness resurfaced. The will of a demon would not allow it to turn their backs on their enemies.
"Yes! Run away! Run away and fight again!"
"Run... and fight again."
"Don't dawdle! This battle is lost! Then escape! If you die, that's the end!"
If you're still alive, you'll get another chance to get your revenge. It's a matter of course. Until now, the demons did not understand that obvious thing. They have refused to understand.
"Live! Live and fight! Our battle is not over yet!"
"I won't let you!"
Naturally, the former hero interferes with the retreat. Minami attacks Rin. But he could not even get close to Rin. The arrows flying with a high-pitched sound kept Minami from approaching Rin.
Baat is the only one who can see the arrows. It was an arrow so fast that an ordinary person would only be able to tell that it was a flash of light.
"...Bow and arrow"
Demons use bows and arrows. That is not all. All the demons who are moving to rescue their allies are armed like humans. They are armed, organized, and fighting. They are now preventing the enemy's attack.
"Baat! Move quickly! Kisaragi is coming!"
Yuya is finally on his way to the main camp. The Black Iron Knights had kept Yuya immobilized up to this point, again at the cost of many casualties, but they had reached their limit. The Black Iron Knights and the entire army of the Luine Kingdom are about to retreat from the battlefield.
"I-I understand."
Baat stood up, holding on to the pain. His allies are moving, holding onto the shoulders of their comrades. He realizes now that he is lightly wounded compared to his comrades who cannot walk by themselves and are being carried on their backs.
"Retreat! Don't break the formation! Archers, restrain the enemy! Don't let them get too close!"
The demons start to move in response to Rin's order. The demons can act in a unified group like the humans. It was an unbelievable sight for Baat, who did not know the true form of the Nord Empire Army.
"Hurry up!!"
Magic rained down on the main camp of the Izrim Empire Army. After blocking their vision with it, there was nothing they could do. The demons left the battlefield, at the fastest speed their individual abilities would allow.
Almost only the former heroes remained in the Izrim Empire Army. Moreover, the former heroes also suffered casualties. However, after this day, the war situation suddenly tilted in favor of the Izrim Empire. It may not be correct to call it the [Izrim Empire].
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