Chapter 75 - Mountain Position Defense Battle ③
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew wildly. Just as the Fenrir leaped to avoid the ice block Angelica-san had launched, Paul-san suddenly released his Wind Barrier.
As it reflexively braced its four limbs to avoid being blown away, Marcelo-san's Holy Lance pierced it. While it staggered, silver arrows concentrated on it. Finally, the first one.
One Fenrir leaps at the three of them. However, there is nothing where it landed. This is because they have already jumped once in front of the fence with Teleport, and from there moved to the far outside of the remaining vertical trenches.
I set the Fireflies slightly higher than the fence and moved them further back. This way, I can illuminate the front and darken both sides where the three are moving. If blinded by the light of holy magic, they won't be able to see through the darkness that wouldn't normally be an obstacle.
The three high-level mages are deploying a guerrilla war making full use of Teleport, repeating ambushes outside the position. From inside the fence, they can't show their full power because their respective magic barriers get in the way.
They are enemies with strong inherent magic defense and are difficult for attribute attack magic to work against. Even if holy magic can deal sufficient damage, the effect is still weak if it's passed through a barrier.
In that case, they just have to enter the enemy camp. It's reckless if you call it reckless, but it'll work out if they carefully choose the places to move to with Teleport. At any rate, we must prevent the Fenrirs from leaping into the fence. If it becomes a melee, considerable damage is expected. They'll probably be jumped into eventually, but it's better to reduce them as much as possible.
The archers, confirming Marcelo-san and Paul-san's movements, fire holy water arrows all at once. They don't have as much effect as silver arrows, but they have the numbers. It's enough to suppress an area and stop them.
Receiving the request for reinforcements from atop the cliff, about half of the melee combat personnel have already run up the stairs carved into the cliff. The units that were on the rocky ledge with us also all went up.
"Beowulf, Will, you two go and help up there too."
One of the Jaegers in my quartet looks back.
"But, the defense here..."
Both are hesitant. Their original role is to guard me as I handle the Fireflies.
"Both of you, go! It's far from the fence here, and there are three Jaegers and Hanna-san, so it's okay. If the top is taken and they invade, a position like this will be gone in one shot!"
I'm sure Paul-san said something like that. It shouldn't be wrong. The two hesitated for a moment but nodded to each other and stood up.
"Hanna-san, everyone, please take care of Jeanne."
They run up toward the stairs just like that.
"Did you hear that? Our Madonna knows about position defense."
"Yeah, she's as reliable as can be. She really is our Madonna."
"Hanna, we're leaving the rest to you. Don't let the enemy get close to Jeanne. We'll protect the Madonna."
"Yes! Leave it to me. I won't let the enemy get close to our Madonna!"
I really wish they'd stop already... I mean, Hanna-san, you're number two, aren't you? When I look at Hanna-san, she sticks out her tongue and laughs.
Watching from the rocky ledge where only five of us remained, our allies are fighting well, but it seems stopping them is the best they can do. It's good that they managed to defeat one, but attacks probably have patterns. They seem to have been predicted to some extent, and the remaining six have started to dodge them. Besides, all three of them have been using magic continuously. I'm also worried about them running out of mana.
Finally, one Fenrir leaped over the fence. However, that too is a trap. At the place where it was expected to land, several silver short-spears are buried in the ground with their tips pointed toward the sky.
Its large size worked against it. We left enough space for a human to easily pass through, but a shack-sized body can't dodge it. Moreover, since it ended up charging toward the Fireflies I'm illuminating at a low altitude, it should be somewhat blinded.
Even so, the Fenrir reflexively twisted its body in mid-air and rolled into the mountain of spearheads while rotating. Of course, several pierced it. However, it gained distance by rolling and knocked down a considerable number of short-spears.
While still rolling, it raised its head and roared once, twice, and with a thunderous sound, two bolts of lightning fell on the fence, destroying part of it. It fell with its neck to the ground after taking several short-spears in that posture.
"The bastard reflexively sacrificed itself to secure an entry point for its comrades."
I heard that wolves live in families. They say they all protect each other. Even if it's a monster, if a Fenrir was originally a wolf, it might be the same.
"They're finally coming. Hanna, aim well."
"Yes!"
Are they going to charge? Once they retreated, first two, then three, in two rows, they charged all at once. Orcs come running out of the forest shouting. Marcelo-san fires magic intermittently, targeting the Fenrirs. A Holy Lance hit directly, and one dropped out. White light snipes them.
The archer unit fired arrows all at once toward the top of the fence. In the air, they can't change the direction they're flying. If they're going to create a barrier of arrows and shoot them down, the time until they land is the deciding factor. I think several hit, but they leap up to clear the fence without slowing down.
"Number four! Release—!"
From the fence—no, from the magic circles lined up in front of and behind the fence—several beams of white light shoot straight up. We caught one. Jaegers with silver short-spears swarm and attack the one that failed its landing and fell over. Now three remain.
Angelica-san and Paul-san intend to suppress the Orc horde. After temporarily evacuating inside the fence with Teleport, taking advantage of the magic barrier being gone, they blast them with Glaciate to create a defensive wall. Paul-san is piling up dirt to try and fill the collapsed wall.
On the other hand, the three Fenrirs that invaded the fence went wild. The redeployment of the magic barrier didn't make it in time. When they roared, three bolts of lightning fell on the towers inside the position. The towers where ballistae were installed were hit directly and blown to pieces.
"The, the towers..."
I stood up without thinking. Beatrix and Lyudmila should have been in a tower.
"Pull yourself together! The light is getting weak!"
"But, Beatrix and Lyudmila were there!"
In a place like this, by a wolf monster...
"It's okay! Jeanne. Calm down! It didn't look like people were hit. They evacuated beforehand!"
"That's right. Those two were with the Jaeger Corps. I'm sure they're protecting them."
I pull myself together at the words of the Jaeger Corps and Hanna-san, but I've started to lose focus. I can't breathe properly... At this rate, I won't be able to maintain the light... I can't stay standing and drop to both knees.
"Calm down, breathe slowly."
"Shall I go and see how they are?"
At that moment, I saw several fireballs forming a ring in the air. It's Beatrix! One fireball flies through the middle of the ring. It must be Lyudmila! Both are safe. In fact, they gave me a slap on the butt for letting my light intensity drop. They were extinguished in an instant, but they'll surely be okay.
I can't stay like this. Those two will be mad at me later. I calmed down, knelt on one knee, and somehow managed to increase the light intensity. A Fenrir roars. It dropped lightning on the part where Paul-san had piled dirt, but in exchange, Marcelo-san's Holy Lance hit it. Several silver short-spears thrown from point-blank range, aiming for that split-second opening, pierced its body, and it collapsed with a single cry.
By then, Marcelo-san had already moved. He's countering the Fenrir's agility with Teleport. Paul-san and Angelica-san are at the fence. Two or three hundred Orcs, it'll surely be okay.
Two left. If we defeat these, we win. Several arrows are stuck in them, but their movements are agile. The Jaegers are chasing them, but since they change locations one after another, Marcelo-san's magic doesn't hit either.
The Jaegers discarded their bows and arrows to avoid friendly fire, and everyone took up short-spears. Four or five people form a group and face them. One group points their short-spears at the Fenrir to stop it, and the other groups throw short-spears from behind. The Fenrir growls at the Jaegers, and when it dodges the thrown silver short-spears, it tries to leap and bite them to death.
They don't have enough people to challenge them to a melee. They're doing their best just to not get killed, and they haven't reached the point of finishing them off. Most of the buildings have been destroyed, and there's almost nowhere to hide.
When I increase the light intensity of the Fireflies for a feint, they are extinguished in an instant. Light vanished from inside the position. With only the light of the full moon, our allies won't be able to respond to the Fenrir's movements.
At this rate, we'll be killed...
"Get low!"
I reflexively shouted to the four people on the rocky ledge, stood up, and thrust both hands forward.
"Light!"
It's a full-power Light using both hands. I made it as intense as possible and released a thin but powerful beam of light toward one Fenrir's face.
Even the Fenrir looks away. Just as I aimed! An opening was created! When Hanna-san, from a prone position, held her bow horizontally and fired two arrows at once, one arrow stuck between the Fenrir's eyebrows and the other in its neck. It fell over just like that. We got it! Hanna-san said she killed a bear with two shots. So that's what she meant.
When the last one roared, my Light was extinguished again. Finally, the magic barrier reached the very rear of the position. I can't use Fireflies anymore. The Fenrir, illuminated by the full moon, comes toward us while changing directions here and there. Whether they can't follow the movement or the numbers are few, the thrown short-spears don't hit.
Its target is us. It braced its four limbs below our eyes. Hanna-san fires an arrow, but it was a feint. It was easily dodged. The commander charged with his whole body and thrust a silver short-spear into its side, but the Fenrir didn't fall. Instead, it kicked the commander away. Hanna-san fired one more shot, but it didn't dodge and took the arrow in its shoulder with its head low. Two, then three people charged with short-spears, but it was no longer even trying to dodge.
This guy... it intends to take me down with it.
It opened its mouth again.
Magic is coming... I'll be killed...
When I reflexively stood in front of everyone, I was pulled down by Hanna-san. Three Jaegers cover the two of us.
All five of us will be killed...
But, huh? Nothing's wrong...
"Jeanne. Were you safe?"
It's Beowulf's voice. It's coming from above.
"Ah, yeah. Somehow I'm okay."
I look up while thanking the four who protected me.
"That was a close call. If I hadn't had the spear I borrowed from Katherine-sensei, I wouldn't have made it in time."
Will's voice is also there. When I look at the Fenrir, it's not moving, in the same posture as when it was about to release magic. A spear was stuck in the mouth it had pointed toward us. It seems Will finished it off by throwing the silver-white spear from above. The two came down the stairs.
"The top is settled. How about there?"
The response to Will, who probably raised her voice intentionally, was the collective cheer of our allies.