46 - Chapter 42: The Pride of a Pebble, the Fang of an Ant
Sirius-san "Fufufu, there is no one left to stand in my way...!"
Once, there was a race called the Demon Race.
Existing as servants of the Demon God to oppose the Angel Race, who were messengers of God, they disappeared from this world following a world war that occurred about 3,000 years ago.
The God-Demon War.
The final war between the Divine Race and the Demon God Race, Armageddon, is how this world perceives it. In reality, it was not a managing god like Refill-shin or anything of the sort, but simply a case where later humans misidentified highly advanced mages as gods, but the details of that would be long, so I will omit them.
What is important is that the faction later called the Demon God and the race later called the Demon Race, or rather, biological weapons, were created.
They were foot soldiers meant to fight the biological weapons called Angels created by the Divine Race, but they gradually became uncontrollable, and eventually, they were driven into the Infinite Prison using magic.
And, among the forbidden arts that Karina mastered, there was necromancy that served as the key to opening that Infinite Prison.
The summoning of demons, which can only be achieved by offering an immense amount of mana combined with the price of one's lifespan. The demons that emerge certainly possess the grotesque appearance and physique described in legends, and it is said that each individual is equal in strength to an Earth Dragon.
Though humanoid, they possess horns and fangs like ogres, and the main parts of their bodies are covered in a white exoskeleton, meaning that mediocre weapons or magic cannot deal proper damage.
And there are a thousand of them.
The moment he saw them, Radglyph began his incantation. Given the opponent, he could not afford to hold back. He chose his final means from the very first move.
"Heaven-Shattering Light Blast [Dainsleif]!"
A swarm of flaming swords appeared in the sky above the summoned demons, causing explosions as they rained down. The sight of the chain explosions was like the twinkling of stars. He could not employ the method he used in the first battle, where he drove them into a partially enclosed trench to increase the total power, but it was still a second magic formula equivalent to great magic.
If their individual abilities were merely equal to the Earth Dragon species, it should be more than enough, Radglyph thought.
"Did I get them...?"
Staring at the rising smoke, Radglyph muttered unconsciously. When it cleared, Radglyph was speechless at the sight.
Damage had certainly been dealt. Some had their exoskeletons peeled away, some lay prostrate, and some were missing limbs and could barely stand, but all of them had already begun to recover, and furthermore, they glared at Radglyph with eyes lit by the color of resentment.
Then, those who could move immediately roared and rushed toward Radglyph one after another.
●
The summoned demons scattered in all directions with Karina as the focal point, attacking friend and foe alike, even the monsters of the Kessel Army, who should have been their own kind, without hesitation.
The Kessel Army fell into a frenzy, and the Triad Army and the monsters began to counterattack almost instinctively, but their weapons were easily repelled by the exoskeletons, and even magic was barely effective. The most troublesome part was their regenerative ability. Even if a spear was thrust into the flesh through a gap in the exoskeleton, it was blocked by hard muscle, and even that slight wound regenerated instantly.
Despite being a small force of only 1,000, the way they indiscriminately slaughtered both armies, which were nearly ten times their number, could truly be called demonic.
"What the hell are those...?"
Ludglyph, who had finally reached the right wing, was speechless as he witnessed the scene. He could not read the situation. However, he understood that something abnormal was happening. Furthermore, near the center of those demons, he found a raging flame that had not yet lost its will to fight.
"Father...!"
It was Radglyph.
Surrounded by demons, bleeding from his entire body, yet still wearing a smile while scattering flames and continuing to carve a dance of death with his sword, the figure of his father was truly that of a Flame Demon.
(Will I make it in time...?)
Ludglyph gripped the horse's reins, hesitating. Unconsciously, his thoughts accelerated. The disadvantages of rescuing him, the losses to be incurred, the advantages of abandoning him, the trend of the subsequent decisive battle, various calculations raced through his mind. He did not let parental affection interfere. If he moved based on emotion alone, he would lose his subordinates. He would lose the protectors for the Triad to survive in the future. If he made such a choice, his father would surely scold him.
This was likely the watershed moment. Under that pressure, he felt a slight tremor of fear at the severity of the choice entrusted to his own hands.
Aware of this, Ludglyph clenched his teeth and glanced backward.
(Ah...)
The heat was there.
500 members of the Lotus Gang, 1,500 Alvaresta horse archers, a total of 2,000 of his subordinates were silently waiting for his orders.
In terms of simple combat power, they were twice the number. But could each individual fight against a demon of Earth Dragon class? No one held such a doubt. They felt fear. But they controlled it. For the current Triad, constructing a clear route map toward a set goal was perfectly normal.
That younger brother of his often spoke to the gang.
"There is a proverb from the 《《long ago》》 days that says, 'If you are drawn, you must enter the evil path, do not allow the reins to be held by the pieces of your heart.' It is fine to be cowardly, or to be scared and confused. As long as you are properly holding the reins and controlling it. Only those who occasionally forget that, or crazy people who never knew it from the start, can become heroes."
When asked if they were once-in-a-generation heroes, everyone shook their heads in unison with a bitter smile.
They thought that heroes would not be this covered in mud. They could not become as dazzling as those people, nor could they fly as high. They were fools who could do nothing but crawl on the ground, sip mud, and still move forward.
(Ah, I see... that is right...)
Ludglyph could not become like his father. He did not have as much abundant experience as him. Ludglyph could not become like his older brother. He did not have as brilliant a talent as him. Ludglyph could not become like his younger brother. He did not want to become a crazy idiot 《hero》 like that.
After all, Ludglyph was, no, the gang were the losers of society. Just ordinary people, mediocre bones, and that was fine. That was better. Otherwise...
(In that case...)
Because.
(...I will make it in time!!)
Because there were certainly things he had gained 《《precisely because of that》》.
Therefore, now the time had come to use the final trump card.
"—You bastards! What is it that we can do!?"
Infusing his voice with mana, Ludglyph shouted. As if passed through a megaphone, his voice diffused across the battlefield.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Responding to that mana and voice were his subordinates. Similarly infusing their voices with mana, they raised their weapons and roared loudly.
"What is it that we can do with the swords in our hands!?"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The vortex of voices and mana mixed together, enveloping them in a great torrent.
"Do we love the Triad!? Do we love the Lotus Gang!?"
"GANHO! GANHO! GANHO!!"
If an ordinary mage had seen this, they would have been speechless. They would have said they had never heard such an incantation. That was only natural. Originally, this was nothing more than the code of conduct for the Lotus Gang. However, as a result of saying it and chanting it countless times, it eventually 《《took on the meaning of a prayer》》.
"Very well! Then it is war! From this moment, we enter the realm of Shura! If we meet a god, we slay the god, if we meet a demon, we slay the demon! Cast aside your mercy! If we, talentless pebbles, are to seize a glory that surpasses the talented, then raise your indomitable pride!!"
"Long live the Triad! Long live the Triad! Long live the Triad!!"
That warning, which had permeated to the point where even the residents of the territory could chant it, had, by infusing it with mana, eventually sublimated into an incantation for Ensemble Magic.
Yes, Ensemble Magic. The chanting technique that was the origin of the Overlapping Mutation [Stack] that Geoglyph performed alone. Originally, it was an almost unrealistic technique that could only be achieved when twins or those who had been together for many years chanted and activated in perfect synchronization with a shared breath, but the gang achieved it through training and practice.
Eating the same food, undergoing the same training, facing the same enemies, running through the same hell, and reciting the same code of conduct.
Again and again, until they forgot the word boredom and it became ingrained in their bodies.
"Lotus Gang Code of Conduct Unison Chant—!!"
The culmination of ordinary people who foolishly continued this for ten years, namely, the Gang-style Ensemble Enhancement Magic.
A magic of courage that can only be handled by those who know fear, and those who can control fear.
Its name was—.
"In-Fight Until You Drop [YOU GET TO BURNING]!!"
Accompanied by a vortex of mana, golden shining divine soldiers appeared on the battlefield.
The time had come for the pebbles kicked aside by the world to turn into diamonds.
●
The 500 members of the Lotus Gang, who intruded with a golden phosphorescence, charged at the demons like a pair of shears while receiving covering fire from the Alvaresta horse archers, cutting through their formation.
Originally, the support magic Ludglyph handled was not that strong. Although he specialized in support magic, the target was not himself but the army including himself, so he placed more weight on efficiency and duration than on the effect itself. Of course, because he learned directly from Geoglyph, the performance was far beyond that of general support magic. However, as a result of downgrading it so that Ludglyph, who prided himself on being mediocre, could handle it, it was still considerably inferior to the original.
What he reached to compensate for that was the ensemble.
Although Ludglyph needed to manually tune the bundled mana and its execution, through the mana and chanting of 500 people, they reached a second magic formula equivalent to great magic, obtaining an effect comparable to the support magic Geoglyph applied with his super 《idiot》 mana to each individual. In terms of actual numerical values, it was approximately ten times the support magic Ludglyph usually used.
This was the final trump card the Lotus Gang possessed. It was the biggest reason they were regarded as a special force in the Triad.
However, it was not as overwhelming a rapid advance as one might think.
After all, the opponent was the Demon Race.
In terms of threat level, they were Earth Dragon class. It was madness to challenge monsters that required an army to move against a single one with only twice their number. No matter how much they were enhanced, a mere army would have been scattered. They might have been terrified, frozen, and fled.
But.
"In-Fight Until You Drop!"
They were different.
They felt fear. They were terrified. But they spurred themselves on with that warning, raised their spears, and charged.
As mentioned before, the enhancement from Ensemble Magic increased their physical abilities tenfold. When they swung their spears, they pierced the heads of demons, and when they pushed with their shields, demons with giant physiques were blown away like a bad joke. Ordinary weapons and armor would not have withstood their physical strength. It was only because of the Earth Dragon Equipment brought by their savior that it could keep up with their enhanced power.
However, the opponents were demons. The tyranny using those giant bodies pierced even the Earth Dragon Equipment, and the interception by magic carved wounds into the gang that even the automatic recovery of Ensemble Magic could not keep up with.
And since it was the final trump card, this super-enhancement did not last long. There was no way that they, as ordinary people, could use a high load of ten times without any risk. Just by moving, just by swinging a spear, muscles ruptured everywhere, and just by landing an attack or stepping forward, they even suffered fractures. They were merely fighting by forcibly repairing those with automatic recovery through support magic. Naturally, intense pain surged through their bodies during this. They were simply suppressing it with sheer willpower.
Gradually, a path was formed. A blood-path created by themselves and the demons. Their goal was only one, Karina, who maintained the gate. Radglyph was still alive. Therefore, they judged that if they crushed the leader and made her close that gate, the reinforcements of the Demon Race would vanish.
(How terrifying... the Triad)
And as the gang pushed back the demons and advanced, approaching the point where they would soon seize Karina, Karina, who was maintaining the Hell Gate, felt a fear she had not experienced in several decades.
(That said, simply dying is not interesting. If possible, I want to see the Evil God destroy the world...!)
However, she too was a hero known as the Forbidden Witch. She immediately shifted her mindset and cast a barrier without chanting. Furthermore, while controlling the gate with her right hand, she pointed the scepter in her left hand toward the gang, concentrating her consciousness to release magic.
●
There was someone who had been observing the witch's series of movements closely from the rear of the gang.
"—Found you, hey."
It was Jake, the former vice-captain of the Rafal squad.
What his bloodshot eyes stared at was the figure of that woman who had led the swarm of Earth Dragons during the fall of Adra Fortress, Karina.
At that time, when Adra Fortress was attacked, Rafal sent a messenger and intercepted the swarm of Earth Dragons. Since Adra Fortress was built on the premise of being a front line, they could have fought a good fight if it were only Earth Dragons. In fact, they managed to endure the first strike. But everything ended when that witch stepped in.
With rapid-fire without chanting, she took down soldiers one after another, and furthermore, she opened a gate to call in allies and suppress them.
The moment that witch stepped in, the tide was decided, and Jake had initially volunteered for the suicide squad. However, Rafal ordered him to escape with the information. Jake initially refused, but after Rafal told him, "Someone needs to avenge us. You are the most promising among us, so I leave the rest to you," he retreated with a heavy heart.
The witch did not care at all that one of the survivors from that time was here. No, she probably did not even know. She was a mage with that much ability. She never gave a thought to a single soldier, and for her, that battle was not even a battle, it must have felt like stepping on an ant that crossed her path.
There was no admiration in that, if anything, only the discomfort of having the sole of her foot dirtied.
He was looked down upon. No, he was not even in her sight. That was only natural. No matter how much effort the ordinary Jake put in, he could not even reach the witch's feet. A skilled mage and a single soldier were on different playing fields to begin with. They were not in a dimension where they could compete.
He knew. Jake knew his place. He understood that he was nothing more than an ordinary man who had some confidence in his archery skills. If it were only his own grudge, he surely would have looked away. He would have fled with his tail between his legs without even biting.
But on his shoulders rested the grudges of all the members of the annihilated Rafal squad.
"There is such a thing as pride...! Even for a loser!!"
Letting go of the reins of the horse he rode, taking his feet out of the stirrups, and crouching on the saddle using only the spring of his body, Jake pulled an arrow from the quiver at his waist, nocked it, and then leaped further upward. Normally, it would be a simple fall from the horse. However, now, with the influence of Ludglyph's support magic, a boost was added to Jake's own physical ability enhancement, and he rose 8 meters into the air with a simple vertical jump.
His field of vision was secured. His enemy was clearly visible. It was the same for the opponent, yet the opponent did not even notice him. No, perhaps she thought there was no need to.
That was correct. Looking at the difference in ability, at most, it was a matter of whether the arrow would reach. He did not even know if it could pierce that barrier.
Jake himself knew this better than anyone.
He did not have to defeat her. He did not have to kill her. He did not possess such ability. He only needed to interfere with the opponent's best 《moment》. If only that were granted, the golden heroes would go to kill her afterward.
He drew the bow tight, infusing it with all the mana he had.
He reached the limit of his leap.
A moment of floating.
In Jake's vision, every world stagnated for that instant.
"Taste this, the strike of an ant...!"
The fang of the ant was released, soaring across the battlefield.
Becoming the signal arrow to literally strike back at the arch-enemy who killed his comrades.
●
There is a saying, a hole made by an ant.
It is a phrase indicating that no matter how strongly a levee is built, it can collapse because of a small hole dug by an ant.
Looking at the result, the single arrow Jake fired became exactly a hole made by an ant.
"Wha—!?"
Just one single arrow.
An arrow that should have been nothing to Karina. An arrow that, even if infused with mana, should have just been repelled by the barrier. That single fang of an ant divided her fate.
She blocked it. It did not pierce, nor did she let it. However, there was one unexpected point. That arrow did not get repelled but 《stuck》 into the barrier. Truly the pride of a mediocre man. The retaliation of a loser. The fang of an ant. But that became the catalyst for victory.
What was brought was a slight crack in the barrier. Karina, and the Lotus Gang, did not miss that crack, which was less than a few centimeters.
Ludglyph, who noticed the stuck arrow first, moved faster than Karina's reaction. He leaped away as if kicking the horse, not just the saddle, let go of his great spear, and clenched his fist. His target was the single point of the arrow's nock.
There was no time. Both Ludglyph and the gang were already at their limits in terms of mana and body. This absurd super-enhancement brought a clear backlash to the body when used. In another minute, their bodies would likely stop obeying them. What lay beyond that was a massacre by the witch and the demons.
If they were to settle this, there was no other time but now.
"So fast...!"
"Damn...!"
He dove in like a bullet, not caring if he broke. He thrust his right fist into the nock with all his might, and the barrier protecting the witch shattered like breaking glass from that slight crack.
The wind of courage blew.
This was the final chance for victory.
The path to victory called in by a loser flipping the middle finger and opened by their own leader.
Therefore, they shouted their usual warning.
Precisely because it was such a critical moment where they could not afford to slip, they did the usual thing, in the usual way.
"—In-Fight Until You Drop!!"
And the fools charged toward the witch like an avalanche, raising their great spears. Karina performed several chantless deployments to intercept, but it was too late. She took down a few people with magic, but that momentum could no longer be stopped.
(—Well, whatever... with this, the Evil God will be revived)
While being skewered through her entire body by the forest of spears flying from the front, the Forbidden Witch died with a somewhat satisfied face.
●
"—It has been reached...!"
At the altar in the deep underground, the crystal seated in the center turned pitch black.
"Lord Delgamiride! Please be revived now!"
Responding to Basra's words, a black haze that could be called miasma swirled and raged from the crystal, sucking the lives of those around, Basra and the believers. Yes, it sucked them away. The believers who were meditating and chanting became instant mummies in an instant, and even Basra, who possessed a total amount of mana comparable to the Forbidden Witch, did not last long.
While offering blood, mana, and even souls, the only thing the dying Basra wished for in his fading voice was one thing.
"To this world, the end...!!"
And in exchange for their lives, the ritual of the Evil God summoning was finally completed.
To be continued next week, probably Wednesday.