kscans

Chapter 208 - Two Fierce Battles

The battle against the monsters raged on.

After that, I joined up with Tina and we engaged the Goblin Mages and the surrounding Lizardmen. It was a reckless charge, but it was enough to catch the enemy off guard. Furthermore, with the general and his forces seizing the opportunity, the pressure on us was practically nonexistent.

It was a scene worthy of being called a brawl, a chaotic melee.

When the number of monsters dropped below half, they began to fall back. However, it wasn't a retreat, but a slow, gradual movement.

The adventurers and soldiers advanced without suspicion. The exhilaration from the fierce battle and the certainty of victory had clouded their judgment.

The general, who had fallen back for a moment, shouted, "Wait! The monsters' movements are strange! Cease pursuit!"

He gave the order to halt.

The soldiers and adventurers stopped, but some were too close to the monsters and had already engaged in combat.

The monsters flashed a sinister smile at the humans who could no longer retreat. At that moment, something fell from the top of a high cliff.

Zdooooon! A deafening crash echoed as a cloud of dust rose.

"Hey, Tina? This scene looks familiar," I said, a bead of cold sweat trickling down my face.

"What a coincidence," Tina replied, her voice calm but her face betraying her anxiety. "I was thinking the same thing."

When the dust cleared, what stood there were three Goblin Guardians.

The spear-wielding adventurer was in disbelief. "So this is what they call a death flag... Hah. I shouldn't have tried something I'm not used to. Well, if this is it, I'm going out with a bang!"

He readied his spear and charged forward with all his might.

His spear was not mere iron. It was infused with Mithril, and its power increased when imbued with magic. It could have taken down an ordinary monster. But...

Gakiiiiin!

The spear struck the Goblin Guardian's abdomen but didn't pierce it, let alone break it. In fact, it didn't even leave a scratch.

Of course it didn't. The Goblin Guardian was a high-ranking monster with incredibly high durability. Even Mithril was ineffective. The Goblin Guardian emotionlessly swung down its spiked club.

The adventurer's last words were for his beloved. "I'm sorry... Be happy with... whoever you find."

He was crushed, his life extinguished.

Those who saw the adventurer's mangled corpse panicked.

"This is bad. What do we do?"

"Fire is effective against these things. Does anyone have oil?"

"There's nothing like that here. I don't even know if we brought any."

"We... we have to run."

As they spoke, the monsters attacked all at once.

It was common sense to hunt down panicked prey. The adventurers, soldiers, and knights who witnessed the scene were momentarily unable to react.

The general's voice cut through the chaos. "Calm down! We will regroup immediately and launch a counterattack! Magicians, begin chanting fire spells! Focus only on the Goblin Guardians! All units, engage!"

At his command, everyone sprang into action.

"Looks like I can't hold back anymore," I said, dropping my hammer and drawing my sword.

Tina nodded. "I agree. Still, the general is quite impressive. He restored order to this situation so quickly."

She sheathed her spear and drew her Orichalcum Sword.

At her words of praise, I felt a strange pang. "I don't know why... but my chest feels tight, or maybe painful."

I placed my left hand over my heart. Tina looked at me and said, "Hehe, are you jealous? Don't worry. My body and my heart belong only to you, Shinsuke. I will never give them to anyone else."

She answered with a smile, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Her rather embarrassing words caught me off guard. "Well then... let's make sure we survive. No matter what."

Tina nodded firmly.

We began our attack on the monsters.

*

The scene changes to the Kingdom. The Royal Capital.

The counteroffensive had begun, and the Kingdom's army was advancing to the designated location.

The monsters, seeing this, approached without suspicion. And when they were within weapon's reach, the battle began.

A fierce clash of swords and screams of agony and rage filled the air. Not just the humans, but the monsters too, were roaring.

"Hraaaagh!" an adventurer yelled, swinging his sword left and right, cutting down Goblins.

But from behind, a Slime latched onto him. The adventurer thrashed about, trying to shake it off, but in that opening, a Wolf lunged at him. He couldn't dodge or block it, and he became prey to its fangs.

The adventurer screamed, but it was not his comrades who came to his aid, but more monsters. Goblins and Wolves swarmed the fallen adventurer, beating him to death like a pack.

The humans did the same, surrounding monsters and beating them down before immediately moving on to the next target.

It was a fierce battle, a term that fit the scene perfectly.

And in the midst of it all, two figures were fighting with exceptional skill.

Bardos, swinging a great axe with one hand, cut down Goblins and Wolves one after another. "Is that all you've got?! Is that it?!" he laughed as he rampaged.

Nearby, monsters tried to attack him from behind, but Leona, with her Great Shield, blocked them.

She didn't even flinch under the charge of multiple monsters, instead thrusting her spear in a continuous barrage.

"You need to watch your surroundings more," Leona said. "It's dangerous, and it worries me."

To this, Bardos laughed. "Hah! I'm not worried. I've got you with me!"

He swung his great axe down from the upper right, slicing a Slime in two.

Leona sighed. "Honestly, you are incorrigible!"

She swung her spear in a wide arc, cutting down two Wolves.

Glad, who saw their impressive display, shouted, "Alright! Thanks to those two, the monsters in the rear are coming forward! Keep up the attack!"

At his command, everyone roared.

Meanwhile, atop the main gate's walls...

The installation of the new weapon was complete.

It had been brought up during the night, but adjustments for any defects, range, wind direction, wind speed, and various other factors had taken time.

Matilda, who was among the magicians on standby, muttered, "So this is the new weapon. Looking at it again, it's like an evolved cannon."

As her words suggest, the weapon was shaped like a cannon. However, it was twice the size of a conventional one, with a slightly thinner barrel.

But what was most remarkable was the tip. A Colorless Magic Stone, at least a meter in diameter, was attached to it.

Milfy added, "And it's a weapon that fires a condensed cannonball by infusing it with magic. Honestly, it's an unbelievable story, but since the idea came from the Dwarves who came from the Empire, I guess it makes sense. And it's a good thing they're only making one of them."

Her gaze seemed distant.

And for good reason. If a weapon like this were mass-produced, magicians would be reduced to nothing more than cannonball factories. Of course, neither the Kingdom nor the Empire would do such a thing.

For the record, the Empire did not have this weapon. They had the Edgeson units.

Displaying any more power would supposedly invite resentment or lead to an endless cycle of escalation.

As a side note, no one other than the Dwarves knew that Shinsuke was the inspiration for this weapon's development.

As she was thinking this, Rumily reported, "Leona-san and the others are dealing a heavy blow to the monsters. The monsters in the rear are also taking damage."

Milfy replied, "Thank you. But are you sure you're okay with this? I know this place is important, but I can't imagine monsters reaching us anytime soon."

She was worried.

It wasn't that she thought Leona and the others were struggling. She knew their strength well. Milfy was worried about Rumily's position. A scout would normally be fighting on the battlefield, so it was unnatural for her alone to be here.

For the time being, under the pretext of guarding the magicians, she wouldn't be looked at strangely.

Rumily said, "It's fine. My being there wouldn't change the situation. The other scouts are doing their best. Besides, the Queen also said that there's an intelligent one among them in this turmoil. If it finds out about this weapon, there's no telling what it might do. It might come up with a method beyond our imagination."

She, in turn, was worried.

It was true, they fully understood that there was an intelligent being on the monster side. And if it learned of the weapon's existence, it was highly likely that it would try to destroy it. For example, by using an Anaconda to scale the walls or by attacking from the sky with bird monsters. There were various methods.

Meanwhile, the only ones here were the magicians and a few soldiers helping out. Their defensive strength was unreliable. The presence of Rumily, an A-rank adventurer, was, in a sense, a relief.

It seemed their worries were unfounded. Just then...

"Reporting! New enemies are approaching from the far rear of the monster horde! They are multiple Orcs and Ogres... and one Orc King!"

At the soldier's report, the captain of the soldiers said, "So they've made their move. But only one Orc King? Are they still cautious of us? Or are they just that confident? Either way, this is a golden opportunity to thin their ranks. I'd like to say that, but as long as the unknown giant lizard doesn't appear, we can't fire yet. How are the preparations for the weapon?!"

The researcher who had been maintaining it replied, "Completed without a hitch!"

The captain grinned. "Alright! Now all we have to do is wait for Captain Glad to raise the red smoke signal and retreat."

He turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

On the battlefield, a chill ran down everyone's spine as they saw the new enemies approaching from the far rear of the monster horde.

It was Orcs and Ogres. As if they weren't troublesome enough, an Orc King had appeared behind them.

Glad said, "Only one Orc King. I can't raise the signal yet. But... you there. Take my place and be in charge of raising the signal."

He handed the red cylinder to a knight.

The knight asked, "What? What will you do, Captain?"

To this, Glad replied, "I'm going to deal with the Orc King. Even if it's just one, it's still a high-ranking monster. If something happens to me, I won't be able to raise the signal when the time comes. I'm counting on you to follow the plan."

His eyes were filled with resolve.

The knight said nothing and simply saluted. Glad, shield and mace in hand, headed toward the Orc King.

Meanwhile, Bardos, who was watching from a different location, said, "Ho, the Orc King has appeared. This is good. I couldn't finish it off last time, but I've gotten stronger too. It's the perfect opponent to test my skills."

At his belligerent smile, Leona said, "It seems I can't stop you now. I will accompany you. To the very end..."

She readjusted her grip on her shield.

Bardos, still smiling, turned and ran without a word.

Leona, also without a word, followed him.