Chapter 116 - A Defensive Battle Behind the Curve
The jeep, driven by one of the Young Master's combat support team, sped through the night streets.
In the Royal Capital, where security is poor, there are rarely any pedestrians at night, so the risk of an accident is low. Still, it's dangerous, but right now, we need to hurry.
When we returned to near our base without seeing a single soul, the situation became clear.
“It looks like a battle is happening...”
Explosive flames rose from around the base, confirming my bad feeling. I wasn't happy about it, but in a way, it was perfect. If the enemy had come to us, we could just take them down and make the rest easier. It's all about staying positive. Besides, this was a perfect opportunity to use the Silver Super-Hard Bat.
The jeep sped straight to the front of the base, where a group of people was gathered at the gate.
There should have been guards at the gate, but either they were taken out or simply not there. It seemed they were caught off guard by attacks from various directions, and with the limited number of defenders, they couldn't handle the enemy.
“Let’s plow right through!”
“Got it, Onee-sama! Hold on tight!”
The conversation was happening in the jeep at the front. I had no objections.
The jeep accelerated and charged into the group of ruffians. Those who noticed us started casting magic, but my anti-magic armor deflected everything. At the moment of impact, I switched to physical armor, completely negating any damage to the jeep. Body-checking was one of my specialties.
Using the wide physical armor, I knocked down anyone who tried to get out of the jeep's path, then stopped.
“The gate is open... They’ve already made it inside. Gradena, take the Young Master and the others from the following jeeps and clear out the enemy inside.”
Beyond the outer gate was an inner gate, which, due to the structure, couldn’t be seen from here.
Straight ahead from the inner gate was a large corridor leading to the main stronghold. On either side were dormitories and warehouses. The enemy’s advance was unclear.
“Got it! What about Yukari?”
“I’ll continue circling the perimeter in the jeep and drive off the ones outside. Valeria, you go with Gradena inside. Rosmerta, I’m counting on you.”
“Understood, I’ll hurry.”
“Leave that to me. Keep the jeep moving at full speed. We’ll make a complete circle.”
“Got it, President!”
After a quick farewell with everyone, the jeep I was in sped off. There were still many enemies around, and I was determined to clear them all out.
After dispersing several groups, I realized there were few personnel defending the outer walls.
Probably, most of the defenders were fighting inside the base. The number of defenders was small compared to the base's size, making it difficult to hold off a large-scale attack.
Even if the walls were attacked, they wouldn’t easily break, and only an extremely skilled mage could destroy them. The walls were also too high to climb over. Of course, if they had special tools or could fly, it would be a different story.
While the walls couldn’t be broken, the attacks on them were effective in pressuring us. The enemy's goal was likely to break through the gate while dispersing our forces. The gate was much easier to break than the walls, and perhaps it should have been reinforced more secretly.
Still, their numbers were overwhelming. We were supposed to be attacking the Retnark side, but instead, we were being ambushed. What was going on?
Racing around the perimeter, I received grateful signals from the few personnel on the outer walls and mowed down the stray enemies before returning to the front of the base.
The gate was still open, but that didn’t matter now. Driving straight in and through the inner gate, I saw a tall, unfamiliar wall that stood out.
“What is that?”
“President, Gradena and the others are here.”
In front of the wall were Gradena and Valeria, who were supposed to have infiltrated to support Rosmerta. They seemed to be held up.
After getting out of the jeep, I looked up at the wall again.
“Sorry, Yukari. This thing has us pinned down.”
“Onee-sama, we can’t do anything to it.”
What is this wall? It’s ridiculously high. Trying to climb over it would be faster to do from outside, but even then, it wouldn’t be easy.
The wall was extremely thick and sturdy, and if Gradena and the others couldn’t break it, it must be incredibly strong. Even Valeria’s Collapse Magic couldn’t breach it with sufficient mana.
“When did they build this? Did they?”
Looking at the fallen figures, they were clearly enemies. They even had their emblems on display.
“When we arrived, they were all building this wall. The moment they saw us, they poured all their mana into it and collapsed. It was a lot of power.”
...So they devoted everything to building this wall?
To prevent our entry and trap the enemy inside. They must have sent a significant force.
“Still, to come in with their emblems on display... They’ve got some nerve.”
“They must be planning to finish us off here. The Kikyo Society, including you, Yukari. Quite entertaining.”
If that’s the case, I welcome it. Not just Gradena, but Valeria and the Young Master are also eager to fight. They’re more energetic than they were a moment ago.
The emblem on the fallen figures was a design of interlocking snakes, the mark of the Snake Head Society. They’ve finally decided to confront the Kikyo Society directly.
“Fine. This is a fight we’ve been sold, so no holding back. We’ll take down every last member of the Snake Head Society!”
“Yeah! Everyone, let’s do this. Show them what we’re made of!”
“Onee-sama, I’ll go first. I’ll take down the wall.”
Destroying the wall was child’s play for me, a specialist in mineral magic.
I interfered with their magic, taking control of it. With my superior control and power, this was a trivial task. I could overwrite their control or simply destroy it, but taking control was the most efficient.
The wall, tall and sturdy, vanished with just a touch of my finger. It was like a magic trick, similar to Valeria’s Collapse Magic, but leaving no debris.
With the wall gone, I could see what was happening beyond.
The main stronghold, the warehouse we first used as our base, was at the end of the straight corridor. The area in front had become a battlefield.
Rosmerta was likely inside the stronghold, and the entrance was being defended by our Kikyo Society members, who were putting up a good fight.
The Crimson Knights, in their red armor, were nowhere to be seen. They must have been wiped out by a sleeping gas, which would explain why only our members were standing.
Still, the number of enemies was overwhelming. The Kikyo Society was holding their ground admirably!
Valeria ran forward with an intense smile, living up to her declaration.
“Don’t fall behind!”
Following her with a fierce grin was Gradena, and the Young Master also had a similar smile. I wasn’t sure why.
“What about them?”
One of the Young Master’s men was concerned about the fallen Snake Head Society members.
“They’re on the brink of death. Leave them. We have to move.”
These people had used up all their mana, and if left alone, they would surely die from exhaustion. Their loyalty to their organization was commendable.
I retrieved the Silver Super-Hard Bat from the jeep and ran toward the battlefield with the remaining Young Master’s men. I was probably smiling too, a mysterious expression I couldn’t explain.
I could sense the enemy’s positions from the sounds of battle and my superior mana perception. The stronghold hadn’t been breached, so Rosmerta was safe. Valeria would lead the assault from behind and guard her. Gradena and the others would join the members in the fight. The enemies were numerous, but that was nothing new to us. There were probably no Ghost-level threats. With time, we could secure the stronghold and Rosmerta’s safety.
So, I needed to clear out the enemies elsewhere.
“Follow me! This way!”
I changed direction with the Young Master’s men toward another warehouse. After crossing one vast, empty warehouse, we found the next one filled with enemies.
There were so many of them. How many had they sent?
The enemy was so numerous that I couldn’t see anything else. I couldn’t tell if the Kikyo Society members or the Crimson Knights were surrounded.
But I didn’t find the numbers bothersome. Rather, I was grateful.
“Great, there are so many!”
The Young Master’s man’s comment echoed my own thoughts.
Because I hadn’t fought much today. My power was overflowing. If the enemy was going to attack, at least come in large numbers!
I charged into the crowd of enemies with the Young Master’s men.
The Silver Super-Hard Bat, made from the extremely dense Nova Ore, unleashed a roar as it swung. With my strength, it became a weapon of unimaginable brutality.
Enemies caught from behind collided with others, creating a domino effect. The first to be hit were shattered, and those grazed were also destroyed. The shockwave from the bat’s impact knocked down even those further away. The broken equipment scattered like an explosion, piercing the bodies of distant enemies.
One strike created a scene of chaos.
Repeated several times, it created a hell.
I wasn’t drunk on violence. I don’t enjoy killing, and I usually only incapacitate enemies unless necessary.
But I saw something as I attacked. In the crowd, some were being beaten brutally, trying to protect their fallen comrades. Others were kicking them for sport.
“...These scum.”
Attacking in numbers is fair. It’s a form of strength, and using any means to win is acceptable. But toying with defenseless enemies is unacceptable. In the Kikyo Society, if anyone did such a trivial thing, I would punish them.
The Young Master’s man, who had noticed this, was now fighting with anger and determination, not just the initial excitement. Yes, that’s the right approach.
I was angry. This was the true nature of the Snake Head Society. No wonder they never got along with us.
With the Young Master’s men’s widespread magical attacks and my brutal bat, the enemy was quickly eliminated.
The Kikyo Society and Crimson Knights who had been nearly killed were in a sorry state, but as long as they were alive, I could heal them. They wouldn’t be discouraged by such a setback and would join us immediately, more battle-ready than ever.
We repeated this process in several warehouses and alleys, clearing out the enemies within the compound. The only place left was the battlefield in front of the stronghold.
A fortress is only as strong as its defenders. With proper personnel, it should have been able to hold off any number of enemies.