Enemy's Appearance
Despite suffering many casualties due to the Izrim Empire Army's mad offensive that was willing to sacrifice their own troops, they managed to prevent the collapse of their entire army, and the Black Iron Knights continued to retreat. They were able to do so because of their willpower. The humiliation of being prisoners of war kept them from losing their will to fight. Their strong desire not to hand over this world to the atrocious former heroes has kept them fighting to this point.
However, they are approaching their limits. The Black Iron Knights were moving slowly through the hills and ridges. There are many knights and soldiers who are badly injured and unable to move, and the people who are carrying them are also very tired. If they are attacked by the enemy in this condition, they will not be able to counterattack. That is what it looks like.
If that is the case, naturally, the enemy Izrim Empire Army would not leave them alone. The Izrim Empire Army has sacrificed dozens and dozens of times more than the Black Iron Knights, but they have been gathering people in the invaded areas and have been chasing the Black Iron Knights hard.
"We can finally crush one of them, can't we?"
"...That's right."
The Black Iron Knights, which had been hindering the march, could finally be eradicated here. Yuya seemed happy to be convinced of this, but Mei's reaction was dull.
The former heroes, with the exception of Yuya, do not hesitate to carry out atrocious acts as much as the Luine Kingdom thinks they do. As former heroes and people from another world, they have a strong sense of disgust about their deeds. After the battle of the day is over, and their sanity, and their consciousness of themselves as reincarnated people, are strengthened.
Guilt-ridden to the point of almost going insane, they have suppressed their feelings with an orgy of seeming madness. The five of them have repeatedly engaged in s*xual acts that have no trace of morality. They have managed to maintain their mental equilibrium by repeating rituals that make them feel like they are not themselves.
But even that is approaching its limits. Their mind is so worn out that they can no longer maintain their consciousness. That is the result of the ritual. They are about to be completely taken over by something that is not them.
"Once we've crushed the army in front, is it finally the main force of the Luine Kingdom Army? I can make that pompous Harrisman crawl, can't I?"
One person who is different is Yuya. His mind and his thoughts belong to the being that inhabits him. It seems to those around him.
"...You look fine?"
That was strange to Mei, the original Mei. The person talking is Yuya. It seems to be Yuya without a doubt. But his words and actions do not see people as people. It is the very existence that looks down on all the other races as the highest in this world.
Mei, who also has a part of herself like that, understands that.
"It's strange to me that you guys aren't feeling well. You are not fighting to the point of exhaustion. Oh, are you over-exerting yourself at night? Maybe it's my fault?"
"...Will you shut up?"
The bad thing is that her memories, which are disordered but remain clear. For Mei, it is a time of humiliation. But only for Mei, who woke up in the morning and regained her ego.
"You're tired because you're continuing to put up with silly resistance. It would be easier if you just accepted it."
Yuya accepts a being that is different from himself. He does not feel disgusted by their thoughts and actions. That existence is also him. He believes that they are his own thoughts and deeds. He thinks that the people of this world, or any other existence that has humiliated him, should just go away.
"...The battle will start."
Many more will die. They themselves will kill their allies. Even knowing this, Mei cannot stop the fight. They believe that this is their mission, that they are the ones who are equal to God in correcting the disorder of this world.
This is not the original purpose of the fight. In this regard, Mei is no longer Mei.
"Well then, let's begin. Let the holy war begin."
It is Yuya's magic, [Holy War], that is driving the knights and soldiers of the Izrim Empire Army crazy. For them, killing the people of the world is a holy battle. It is purification. It does not matter if they are allies or foes. The people living in the world are not their comrades. They are lowly beings who are being kept alive by mercy.
The Izrim Empire Army is on the move. The minds of the knights and soldiers are far more exhausted than those of Mei and the others, and they have already lost their sanity. They simply kill the people in front of them, as the magic commands them. That is all they can think about.
"Die! Kill them all! Kill them all!"
Yuya's screams are also insane. He may seem to be fine, but Yuya is also like that of a madman. He has lost all recognition of what he is and just accepts the orders from his mind unconditionally. He has simply given up on resistance.
It would be nice if this world just disappeared. Perhaps, this might be Yuya's original thought.
"Minami, Maki, Rina. Let's end this here. Get ready."
"...Yeah." "Understood." "Got it."
The three of them look even more lifeless than Mei. Still, as instructed, they begin preparing to go into battle. Despite their strong aversion, they have no power to resist. Like Mei, they do not have the power to express their displeasure. If that were the case, it would be easier if they were completely dominated, but that is not the case. The three of them were too small as vessels to fully accept their existence.
The Izrim Empire Army closes in on the Black Iron Knights. Another battle of attrition was about to begin, or so it seemed.
"What!?" "You can't be serious!?"
Yuya and Mei's surprised voices. It echoed around without being drowned out by the rumbling of the earth. Within a very narrow range.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
The ground ahead has disappeared. It appears to have disappeared from where Yuya and the others are. In fact, it caved in over a wide area. It swallowed up the Izrim Empire Army.
◆◆◆
The forces of the Luine Kingdom have been retreating with the Black Iron Cavalry as a prop. While the Black Iron Knights managed to delay the advance of the Izrim Imperial Army, they prepared for the battle at this location. Most of the work is civil engineering. Taking advantage of the hilly terrain, where it was difficult to see what lay ahead, they created a number of huge pitfalls.
The soldiers of the Izrim Empire Army push forward without fear of death. They should not fight such an enemy properly. The best thing to do is to make the enemy unable to fight. This was the strategy that had been prepared with this in mind.
"...I don't like fighting like this."
[Don't like] is an understatement. King Albert has a critical view of this operation.
"We must avoid casualties on our side."
"I know. But we should not be slaughtering our enemies for the sake of it......"
The attack is being carried out against an enemy who has fallen into a pit. Even though they are enemies, they are killing those who cannot resist. King Albert knows that this is the best strategy to win the battle. That's why he gave permission to carry it out, but it inevitably creates a sense of disgust.
"Even if we don't kill them, the Izrim Empire will kill them. No, the Izrim Empire is evil, forcing those who are not supposed to be on the battlefield into it. It must be defeated."
Harisman, the Commander of the Platinum Knights also knows that King Albert will not be convinced no matter how he talks. Still, they have to win. The Izrim Empire must be destroyed. This is absolute.
"Yes. But that Izrim Empire is neither soldier nor people."
"I know. In this situation, how will they come out?"
The former heroes should be defeated. Without them, they wouldn't have to fight like this. How will they move in a situation where their soldiers can no longer fight? Retreat or not?
"Anti-magic defense! Hurry up!"
A voice of command is heard from the front line. It means that the Izrim Empire Army has started a magic attack. Apparently, they have no intention of retreating immediately. However, right now, the situation is not yet what the Luine Kingdome Army is looking for.
The attack magic released by the Izrim Empire Army dissipates in mid-air. Now the Luine Kingdom Army has a main force of mage troops. The power of defensive magic is different from before.
The question is how long the magic attack of the Izrim Empire Army will last. The power of defensive magic is not a problem. However, the former heroes of the Izrim Empire Army, especially Mei, have a magic correction. In terms of continuity ability, the mage corps of the Luine Kingdom Army is likely to be inferior.
"...It's here."
But the Izrim Empire Army did not try to take advantage of this. It is not that they did so on purpose. They did not think about it in the first place. The reason is that Yuya moved without thinking deeply. The figure of Yuya coming to the front line was clearly visible to Harrisman, the Commander of the Platinum Knights, eyes in the rear of the main camp.
"On my mark!"
In response to King Albert's order, a black flag was waved. It was a prearranged signal to the allies. The Black Iron Knights stops attacking the enemy who has fallen into the pit, and retreats back into formation. They were in a defensive posture with no thought of counterattack.
In addition, the troops that had marched out from the main camp were heading toward the Black Iron Knights. It was not only the formation of the Black Iron Cavalry that the troops from the main camp headed toward. Some troops bypassed the movement so that they would not be found and headed onward.
The plan was to lure Minami, and if possible Yuya, to the front line and then take out Mei, who would be in the main line of the Izrim Empire Army. Mei is not only the emperor of the Izrim Empire, but also the key to the attack of the enemy army, and her magic, which is a threat to the army of the Luine Kingdom, will be the first to be eliminated. This is the strategy of the Luine Kingdom.
The Izrim Empire Army is allowing the opening. Mei and the others lack tactical knowledge. They had no real combat experience as commanders. Yuya and Jin were in a position to learn, but Jin was not on the battlefield. From the perspective of the general of the Luine Kingdom, who served under him, Yuya is just as inexperienced as Mei and the others. In fact, that is true.
"Make it... make it happen..."
As the commander-in-chief, it is foolish to wish for the success of the operation. It is pathetic for King Albert if he can only execute operations that will not succeed if he does not pray.
The operations of the Luine Kingdom Army are not perfect. How close can they get while Mei and the others are unaware of their presence? They want to bring them into a close battle at once before they receive a magic attack from Mei and the others. The success or failure of the operation depended on whether or not they could do that.
"...I-it's no good, huh."
However, King Albert's prayers were in vain as magic was unleashed from the Izrim Empire Army toward the location where the detachment was expected to be. They knew they were approaching.
The magic was so huge that a force as large as the one that had launched the assault would have suffered near-elimination damage. The operation had failed. King Albert thought so.
"Defensive magic? Is there a mage unit accompanying them?"
The defensive magic deployed in front of the magic attack from the Izrim Empire Army. It prevented the magic from hitting the troops directly.
"No, that was done by the demons."
"I see……"
The Luine Kingdom and the demons have formed an alliance, although only the demons working with Baat. At first, the alliance was not trustworthy, but since the battle against the Izrim Empire began in earnest, the demons have been actively participating in the battle. King Albert has come to believe that it is because of the presence of the demons that the Black Iron Knights have been able to retreat so far despite the many sacrifices they have made.
On this battlefield as well, the demons joined the troops who had the most dangerous mission of assaulting the enemy's main line. King Albert was reassured by this.
"It looks like they are about to reach the enemy's main camp!"
"What about the Black Iron Knights!?"
"They are fighting!"
That means they are still attracting Yuya. If Yuya is not there and there are demons on their side, then their assault on the enemy's main camp is likely to be successful.
The main camp of the Izrim Empire Army is positioned on one of the small hills. King Albert could see its vanguard moving. The Izrim Empire Army ran down the hill and the Luine Kingdom Army ran up the opposite hill and collided. Although the Izrim Empire Army had the advantage of being at a higher elevation, the Luine Kingdom Army was not defeated by the disadvantage of the terrain and moved forward.
The military flag of the Izrim Empire Army is waving widely, a sign that the enemy's main camp is in turmoil. They might be able to take Mei's head, the emperor of the Izrim Empire. At that moment, such expectations were in the minds of the generals and knights in the main camp of the Luine Kingdom Army.
"...What, is that?"
"No way... is that Wings of Compassion?"
A light, looking like wings, spread across the main camp of the Izrim Empire Army. Magic that even the mages of the Luine Kingdom Army did not know about. What they thought of as a possibility was the magic they had only heard about, the Wings of Compassion.
The only magic that only Shizuku should be able to use was used by the Izrim Empire Army, although no one knew from whom. The Luine Kingdom Army thought so.
"...Pull back the troops! If that's the Wings of Compassion, the attack won't reach them!"
King Albert orders the troops to retreat. [Wings of Compassion], an absolute defensive magic, blocks all attacks. It was decided that if they remained in place for too long without defeating the enemy, they would be counterattacked and suffer many casualties. This decision is correct. As for retreating the troops.
"Wha... what's the meaning of this...?"
The magic was not [Wings of Compassion]. It was not defensive magic. A tornado-like storm spread out from the main camp of the Izrim Empire Army. It soon engulfed the troops of the Luine Kingdom Army.
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