kscans

Chapter 214 - The Kingdom's Battlefield, Part Two.

The second round of battle in the Kingdom began.

`Wind Guard` and the captain leading his knights versus two Orc Kings. The human side had the advantage in numbers, but the monsters were superior in power.

They needed more support, but the fighting with the other monsters was so fierce that sending reinforcements was out of the question.

Glad ordered, "...Alright, we’ll proceed as planned. Everyone, charge!!"

With a roar, they rushed forward.

The Orc King, unfazed, brought its club down mercilessly. Glad blocked it with his shield. Unlike Leona, he didn’t deflect it but met it head-on. This alone showed the extent of his strength.

…The two were locked in a stalemate… In that opening, the knights surrounded the Orc King and thrust their swords at it all at once.

However, the Orc King’s skin was so tough that it only dented slightly, drawing no blood. Still, the knights didn’t give up and continued to slash at it repeatedly. The Orc King paid no mind to the knights’ attacks, focusing solely on Glad.

Sensing the increased force in the club, Glad shouted, "...Skill: ‘Immovability’!!"

He activated his skill.

From that point on, he didn't move an inch. The Orc King, not understanding, continued to pour on the pressure. …The battle was at a complete standstill.

…One of the knights took out a sphere the size of a baseball from a small pouch, lit a fuse extending from it, and threw it at the Orc King’s face.

The Orc King noticed it just as it exploded. White smoke enveloped the Orc King’s entire face.

…Startled by the sudden event, the Orc King pulled back its club and waved away the smoke. Glad immediately deactivated his skill and moved away.

Glad said, "...That was a help. Thank you."

He expressed his gratitude.

The knight replied, "...Not at all. If anything, we apologize. …Because we lacked the strength, Captain, you had to…"

He looked apologetic.

The other knights felt the same way.

Glad said, "...It can’t be helped. We’re up against a high-level monster. Half-hearted attacks won’t even faze it. …If the current method doesn’t work, we just have to try another. …We’re switching to Plan B."

The knights nodded at his decision.

…When the Orc King’s vision cleared, all it saw in front of it were knights with bows drawn; Glad was nowhere in sight. The Orc King had no interest in the knights. Just as it was about to search for Glad, the knights fired their arrows in unison.

The Orc King, feeling nothing, paid no attention to the arrows. That was a fatal mistake. The arrows didn't pierce its body, but they stuck fast and wouldn't come off. …Dozens of arrows clung to it, making it look like a pincushion. …The tips of these arrows were not arrowheads, but spheres filled with a liquid adhesive processed from the sticky thread of a Spider Monster.

When such a thing hits the body, the sphere bursts, and the adhesive sprays out. Moreover, the bonding speed is fast, and it hardens immediately. The Orc King tried to pull them off. In the meantime, a knight threw a torch at the Orc King.

…When it hit the fletching, it burst into flames, which spread to the other arrows, becoming a raging fire. The secret was in the fletching, which was made from the feathers of a Danger Pigmon, a bird-like monster whose feathers burn easily. …Incidentally, the reason it's called dangerous is that its feathers are flammable, and the moment they burn, it self-destructs towards its target. Such flames spread across its body, and it rolled on the ground to extinguish them.

As if waiting for this action, Glad shouted, "Shield Attack!!"

He timed it with the rolling Orc King and unleashed a shockwave.

…The Orc King was sent flying like a soccer ball. It flew about three meters. Considering its massive size, that was quite a distance.

Glad said, "...Alright, now for the rest…"

As he said that, the other Orc King came flying to the same spot.

A short time earlier.

Bardos and Leona had begun their second battle with an Orc King.

…Their strategy was the same as before: Leona defended while Bardos attacked. Bardos’s great axe inflicted minor cuts on the Orc King. He knew from before that swinging with all his might would get him stopped. Although they were minor cuts, a continuous barrage would inflict considerable damage.

…The Orc King was swinging its club, but Leona’s shield blocked every blow. In the midst of this exchange, Bardos swung his great axe in a wide arc, clashing with the Orc King’s club.

…The impact sent both of them flying backward.

Leona shouted, "...What are you doing?! It’s my job to block attacks!"

She thought he had taken her role. Bardos replied, "...I’m going to blow this thing away. When I do, focus on sealing its movements."

Leona was puzzled by this instruction. "...? What do you mean by that?"

Bardos explained, "...To be frank, after I beat this guy, I’ll be completely exhausted. I can’t take on the lizard in that state. …I want to fight the lizard too. To do that, we need to seal this one up so it can’t move. Then maybe the lizard will come, don’t you think?"

Leona’s eyes widened. "...Huh? …Well, putting that aside, since when did you start thinking so much?"

Bardos retorted, "...How should I know? …Here it comes. Anyway, I’m counting on you for the rest."

With that, he charged forward.

Leona said, "...Well, that might be the most logical course of action."

She was somewhat convinced.

As Bardos closed in on the Orc King,

"...Here I go. …Skill: ‘Berserk’!!"

He activated his skill.

…His physical abilities soared. It was a state that should have sent him into a high-tension frenzy, but through long-term use, he had succeeded in maintaining his reason.

Bardos roared, "ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!"

He charged, swinging his great axe with one hand.

…The Orc King readied its club like a batter to intercept Bardos. As they closed the distance, the great axe and club clashed, but the great axe sent the club flying.

The Orc King was shocked. It had lost a contest of strength against a human. …Bardos’s great axe, in a swift counter, struck the Orc King’s stomach. It was a blow powerful enough to split it in two, but unfortunately, the Orc King quickly came to its senses and, at the moment of impact, tensed its stomach muscles to receive the blow.

…It was dented, but no blood was drawn. However, this was convenient for Bardos. If it had bled excessively, he wouldn’t have been able to send it flying, and the battle might have dragged on.

Bardos put every ounce of his strength into it.

"DOOOOORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

With a roar, he sent the Orc King flying.

And so…

Two Orc Kings were now lying in the same spot. It wasn’t planned; it was a product of pure chance.

Bardos shouted, "...How lucky!! …Leona! Do it!"

At his command, Leona responded, "...Leave it to me!! Rock Spear Cage!!"

Innumerable earth spears erupted around the two Orc Kings.

…Several of them pierced the Orc Kings. The penetration was shallow, but with so many spears, they couldn’t be easily pulled out.

The sight was like a cage made of spears. They had successfully captured the two Orc Kings.

Glad said, "...That was a magnificent sight. …Let’s finish them off now."

Convinced of their victory, he was about to deliver the final blow when Bardos said, "...No time for that. …The big boss has arrived."

Bardos was looking at the Salamander as it approached.

Glad said, "...Indeed, the Orc Kings won’t die immediately. If we take too long, the lizard will join them, and our golden opportunity will be ruined. …Well then, both of you. Let’s retreat."

Bardos responded to this instruction, "...? Why?"

He asked with a straight face.

Glad looked at him with a face that said, `Huh?`.

Leona said, "...You’ve forgotten again, haven’t you? …Once that lizard is in range, there will be a cannonade from the Royal Capital. We can’t fight the lizard."

Bardos looked surprised. "...Huh?! …Ahhh. Just a little bit won’t hurt, right?"

Leona replied to his pleading face, "...No. …You will follow the plan. …Captain Glad, please make arrangements to raise the smoke signal immediately."

She requested coldly.

Glad said, "...Ah, ah. …Understood. …You, prepare the smoke signal at once."

He ordered the knight carrying the signal.

…The knight saluted and raised the smoke signal. Red smoke ascended into the sky.

Leona said, "...Come on. Let’s go."

With that, she started running.

Bardos grumbled, "...Ah, ugh… …Damn it. …Just when I was getting fired up."

He started running while complaining.

Glad and his men also retreated.

Rumily, seeing the smoke signal, shouted, "...It’s the signal!!"

The magicians immediately took their positions.

…They poured their magic into the magic stone set in the priming pan. Then, the cannon traced a pale blue line, and the magic stone at its tip glowed with a white light.

Seeing this, Matilda asked, "...H-Hey. …Don’t you think it’s charged enough?"

She asked with a slightly tired look on her face.

Milfy replied, "...Y-Yes. …The needle on the meter is in the red zone. …Gunner, if you please."

The gunner holding the trigger said, "...Understood. I will not let your efforts go to waste."

He looked through the scope.

The target, the giant lizard, approached the two Orc Kings and entered the range.

The gunner shouted, "...Eat this and die!!!"

He pulled the trigger.

The Salamander saw the humans fleeing and thought they were running scared. It continued to approach the Orc Kings to get them moving.

…Just then, a white light approached from the distance.

`What’s that?` it wondered, and as it looked, a giant beam of light struck the spot where the Salamanders were. An explosion occurred.

…The power was immense, like five missiles exploding at once. The aftermath was tremendous, and the nearby monsters were also blown away.

Bardos and his group, though they were at a distance, were caught in the blast and sent flying. A deafening roar echoed, and even after it ended, black smoke continued to rise.

A soldier watching from the cannon emplacement shouted, "...Incredible power. …Most of the monsters are down. …It’s a success!!"

Cheers echoed all around.

The plan had succeeded. There could be nothing more joyous. …All that was left was to mop up the remaining enemies. …That’s how it should have been.

Rumily, who was watching the battlefield, said, "...? Wait a minute. …I think I saw something move in the smoke just now."

A magician nearby responded to her uneasy report, "...Huh? …Hey, hey. Stop joking. A monster that can withstand a direct hit from that cannon… th-th-that…"

When he looked at the battlefield, he was speechless.

…As the smoke cleared, a giant crater had formed, and there was nothing where the Orc Kings had been. However, the Salamander was still standing. In fact, it didn't look like it had taken a fatal wound; it was perfectly fine.

The other people, sensing that something was wrong with the magician’s demeanor, looked as well. They stood there, unable to say a word.

The Salamander’s mouth opened, and it took a deep breath. …From its mouth, which had swelled up like a pufferfish, a giant fireball was launched. It was the size of a two-story house.

It was headed for the walls of the Royal Capital… …towards the cannon emplacement.