kscans

Chapter 166 - The Battle at the Base.

When I arrived at the border base, I announced, "A-rank adventurers, 'Red Lightning.' We've come in response to the request."

The soldier confirmed our identities. "The general has informed us of your arrival. We'll take care of the cart. Please, come inside."

As the soldier cleared a path, I said, "Thank you. There are some fragile items inside, so please be careful."

I showed him a wooden box containing ten potions.

After seeing the contents, the soldier said, "Understood. You, take this cart to the storage area. Be gentle with it."

The subordinate he ordered led the cart away.

We proceeded inside.

The Commander's Office.

The room was as luxurious as a high-class hotel, with an office desk, a long guest table, and two sofas. A large hammer was displayed on the wall, and a shelf held medals and certificates of commendation. Unlike the Imperial Guild Master's office, it wasn't filled with extravagant items.

Rather, it gave an impression of dignity, a silent warning that insolence would not be tolerated. I wasn't sure why, but my intuition told me so.

General Goltor, who had been working at his desk, looked up. "You've come. Please, have a seat. I believe you've heard the situation from the Guild, but allow me to confirm it one more time."

He stood up from his desk and sat on one of the sofas.

We sat across from him. Tina recounted in detail the explanation we had received from the Guild.

After hearing it, the general sighed. "Hah... Same as always. My apologies. That has nothing to do with you. Well, there are a few additional points. First, regarding the monsters' movements, there have been eyewitness reports of them conducting what seems to be reconnaissance at night. Also, their attacks now include not only ambushes but also traps. And finally, multiple Skeletons have been seen moving alongside the monsters."

The general paused for a breath.

"Skeletons?" I asked, a little unsure. "I thought the Undead attack monsters, too, right?"

Beside me, Tina added, "And what do you mean by traps? Monsters are doing something so human-like?"

To their two questions, the general replied, "To answer your question, beautiful Tina-jou, the traps are not things like pitfalls or rockslides. There have been multiple cases where monsters feign a retreat, lure our pursuing troops into an ambush, and then surrounding monsters attack all at once. Of course, we've issued warnings, but… some still fall for it. Especially the adventurers."

He had a pained expression, as if the words were difficult to say.

And rightly so. The more experience one has, the harder it is to immediately accept something so unbelievable. Not without learning a painful lesson first. Most would die before that happened.

The general continued. "As for the Skeletons… honestly, I don't know. When I received that report, I couldn't believe it myself. Not until I saw it with my own eyes. Skeletons were indeed moving with the monsters. What's more, I witnessed a scene where a Skeleton seemed to be giving orders to the monsters."

He looked utterly perplexed.

It was Tina who seemed more shocked than I was.

"That can't be. The Undead giving orders? They're supposed to just wander around and attack the living. Wait, Shinsuke, could it be something like the Church's Headless Knight?"

She whispered the last part to me.

"I doubt it," I whispered back. "He was a samurai with a will of steel. He had the mental fortitude to maintain his sense of self even after death. Not everyone can do that."

The general looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

"And so," he continued, "this has become a more dangerous battlefield than ever before. I know it's been a long journey, but after a short rest, I'll have you assigned to your posts—"

Just then, a frantic knock sounded, and a soldier burst into the room.

"Forgive the intrusion, sir, this is an emergency! The monsters are attacking!"

"What?!" the general demanded. "Where?!"

The soldier, still flustered, replied, "Sir! The attack is coming from the east!"

"You two," the general said, turning to us. "I'm sorry, but please head to the east side immediately."

We nodded and hurried out.

When we arrived, the area was in the midst of preparing a counter-attack.

An elderly platoon leader was shouting orders. "The lookouts are holding them off for now, but it's only a matter of time before they break through! We're heading out as reinforcements immediately! Just in case, a few soldiers will remain here! Don't let your guard down!"

His men saluted without a word of complaint.

"Alright, let's see just how bad this is," I thought. "This is the perfect chance to find out."

My hands itched for a fight, and I idly stroked the pommel of my sword.

"Don't let your guard down," Tina warned, her face serious. "There might be some kind of trap."

Her quick thinking, based on the briefing, was a huge help. I nodded and steeled my resolve.

We marched out, moving quickly without breaking formation.

A few minutes later, we reached our destination. Soldiers and adventurers were engaged in battle with monsters. Their ranks consisted of multiple Anacondas, Wolves, and Goblins with bows positioned in the rear.

"These aren't exactly tough opponents," I observed. "But this is an unpleasant sight."

I should have been optimistic, but something felt wrong.

Because it was strange. No matter how the monsters ambushed them, there was no way the humans should be losing to this.

"I agree," Tina said. "But right now, we're hired hands. We should follow orders."

She felt the same way I did, but she was suppressing it.

The platoon leader shouted, "Provide support at once! But do not pursue them too deeply! Just drive them back!"

At his command, the soldiers charged forward.

Just as we were about to join them, the platoon leader stopped us.

"Wait. I presume you are 'Red Lightning.' I need you to act as messengers and return to the base immediately."

"Why?" I asked. "What's the reason?"

"Something is strange," the platoon leader replied. "The monsters have no intelligence, yet there are no high-rank, or even mid-rank, creatures here. For that reason, I need you two to return without fighting here."

To this, Tina responded, "If it's an order, we will obey. Let's go."

With that, we headed back to the base.

As we were returning, I muttered, "Well, I can understand how that man feels. It's an unsettling sight to watch."

"I completely agree," Tina said. "And we have been given the role of messengers. Even if nothing happens, we won't be abandoning our posts—"

She was cut off as someone came running towards us from ahead.

As we got closer, we saw it was a soldier, arrows sticking out of his entire body, running and gasping for breath.

"Hey! Are you alright?! What happened?!" I asked, alarmed.

The soldier gasped, "A…ambush… After…everyone…was gone… from…below…the cliff… li-lizard…men…"

He died before he could finish his sentence.

We rushed back in a hurry.

The area around the base had become a battlefield.

Lizardmen were attacking the soldiers one after another.

I silently drew my sword.

"Suuuu… CHEEEEEEST!"

I roared and charged forward.

A surprised Lizardman turned to face me, and I unleashed a powerful overhead slash.

"EEEEEEEST!"

The Lizardman couldn't block it and was split in two. The other Lizardmen turned their attention toward me. I had drawn their focus.

"Gale Strike!" Tina shouted.

A drill of wind erupted.

Using Aqua Roller, she closed the distance in an instant and took down three Lizardmen.

"Fire Shot!" I yelled.

I unleashed a volley of explosive fireballs.

Their accuracy was low, but it was enough to halt their advance. Some hid behind rocks, but others were hit directly.

Two of them were burned to death. I couldn't be sure about the rest, but there should have been about twenty of them.

Amidst the flames, a Lizardman emerged from behind a rock, drew its bow, and fired. The arrow flew straight toward Tina. Its aim was precise. And since it was coming from her side, she hadn't noticed. At this rate, it would pierce her head. But Tina simply tilted her head slightly and dodged it.

Thanks to her spatial awareness skill.

The Lizardman tried to nock another arrow, but my horizontal slash, enhanced by Thunderclap Incarnation, sliced its torso in two. Even if it could have dodged my magic, I had to ensure a certain kill.

The Lizardmen all raised their weapons, preparing to counterattack.

Just then, a monster suddenly appeared from below the cliff.

It was less like it had climbed and more like it had flown. A bird? I thought, but it had no wings. It possessed that much leg strength. The monster that appeared was a Lizardman wielding kodachi-sized swords. But its aura was different.

It was a head smaller than the others. They were normally around 180 centimeters tall, but this one was about 140. I thought it might be a child, but my instincts screamed, That's not it.

The Lizardman spotted me and charged with swift movements.

Not in a straight line, but weaving left and right. This was bad. I couldn't get a good read on the distance.

"Flame Demon Sword!" I shouted.

I created a wall of fire in front of me.

If I couldn't predict its movements, I would just create an obstacle to disrupt them. The Lizardman seemed to sense this and appeared to stop. But then, it leaped on the spot.

Into the air. About five meters. To jump that high from a standing position… what kind of leg strength did it have?

The Lizardman threw three knives from its belt simultaneously.

I deflected them with my sword. As the Lizardman landed, the wall of fire vanished. We stared each other down. But the Lizardman immediately retreated and jumped off the cliff.

As I stood there, confused, Tina called out, "Shinsuke! The Lizardmen are retreating!"

At her words, I looked around.

Indeed, not a single one remained. Was that thing just buying time? It seemed I was up against a tough monster.

This battle might be even more severe than the one a year ago.