stjorthotic Chapter 408: All-Out War
Chapter 408: All-Out War
Chapter 408: All-Out War
Writing this part...... made me realize once again that Touka is not a "classic protagonist" at all.
Socio snaps back to attention once more.
Around him are subordinates connected to the Eucalion family.
They were all watching his flustered state.
A surge of heat spreads across his face.
Socio grits his teeth.
How——— How unsightly......!
[Guh———— what are you doing, Sacraments!? Against our forces, that level of resistance is nothing! Crush them! If that flame is a power granted by the Goddess’s blessing, then eventually his mental power will run dry! It’s not infinite! Use our numerical advantage, exhaust him———– overwhelm him with sheer numbers!]
Sweat beads on his skin as he lets out a short breath and forces a confident smile.
He runs his fingers through his damp bangs, slicking them back with a practiced elegance.
[Do you all know? The so-called Hero of Black Flames achieved nothing in the battle at Anti-Demon White Fortress. In fact, he panicked and fled the battlefield in terror. Unlike the other Heroes, there hasn't been a single remarkable achievement from him since. Ah, I saw him once myself...... Hmph, at best, he looked like a dimwitted fool. That’s right! The Hero of Black Flames is nothing special! Listen well! He’s not even among the highest-ranked! He is neither that Human-Faced killer Ayaka Sogou, nor Hijiri Takao, who defied the goddess and was sentenced to death! He’s not even Takuto Kirihara————, ..........]
[............Brother? Is something the matter......?]
[———————-]
□
At that moment, a certain thought was born in Socio Eucalion's mind.
This thought would cause the Sacrament Army on the front lines to significantly slow their movements for a while.
I kept moving, incinerating my targets as I went.
I carved a path forward with my flames.
Even if only a little, I had to burn away the obstacles to lessen the burden on those behind me.
I raised my arm toward the giant Sacrament.
A giant——– no other word fits it.
But black flames coiled around the giant’s feet, surging up its body, engulfing it.
A face with only eyes and a mouth.
Letting out a roar-like cry, the burning giant sank into the ground.
(I want to deal with as many of these giant Sacraments as possible, even the ones not carrying baskets......)
I turned around on horseback.
[Rinji-san! Are the people behind us okay!?]
[Yeah! They’re keeping up! Man——— Magnar cavalry really are something! Especially those White Rabbit Knights!]
In my peripheral vision, I caught sight of the White Rabbit Knights' leader, Sicily.
With an axe in each hand, she beheaded two Sacraments simultaneously.
The White Wolf King cut down Sacraments one after another with his sword.
Meanwhile, Lili and the Drunken Sword Party were at the very rear, so I couldn't tell their situation.
Before long———— a horn sounded, the signal for the ambush troops to begin their retreat.
If we pushed too deep into enemy lines, we'd be completely surrounded, making escape nearly impossible.
The timing of the retreat had been entrusted to the White Wolf King's judgment.
All the catapults within sight had been destroyed.
This was the moment to pull back———— And then, it happened.
[————————]
Amid the shifting landscape crowded with Sacraments———–
My eyes locked onto a human figure.
A man on horseback, blending in among the Sacraments.
He was adorned in extravagant clothing.
Probably a noble of high status.
He was close.
His eyes were wide open.
A face that screamed "he's caught off guard".
Or perhaps———–
"He’s been found."
Lily, who had once commanded Sacraments herself, had told me this:
"Sacraments can be controlled with human commands, allowing for more precise deployment."
Their presence is like the difference between an army with a leader and one without.
Then———-
If I could take out the humans giving the commands......
Wouldn’t that also reduce the casualties on our side?
———-However.
I had never, not in my original world, nor since arriving in this one———
Killed a single human.
I had slain Golden-eyed monsters and Sacraments.
No...... Was there even any real difference?
Monsters.
Sacraments.
Humans.
Killing was still "killing", wasn’t it?
No———- surely, this was different.
A human killing another human.
A person taking another’s life.
Could I do it?
Could I———-
Kill another person?
————, ......Ugh.
These heavy thoughts weighing my mind, I questioned myself.
Monsters. Sacraments.
No matter what the being is, it's all the same "killing", isn't it?
Then why———-
Why does this act———- feel so heavy?
......Kill?
I will?
Doing that to another person?
For what purpose?
—————————-To protect.
All of that inner turmoil lasted only a moment.
Flames extended from my hand.
By the time I realized it————– The man on horseback I had passed by was already burning.
The instant he caught fire, a scream rang out.
I heard it clearly.
Gradually, the screams faded...... swallowed by the surrounding noise, until it disappeared completely.
[.............., —————]
What was this?
This suffocating weight in my chest?
Like a mixture of tension and unease, pressed down by something even heavier———–
[Half.]
A strong voice broke through my thoughts.
Rinji.
He spoke as if he had sensed something.
Before , he had guided his horse closer to mine.
I considered the possibility.
If those two, whose fates remained uncertain, were still alive...... and present on this battlefield?
Not only him, what if Oyamada and even Hijiri’s sister might also be here.
If that were even possible———– then I had to consider retreat as an option.
When the time came, I would use the Sacraments as shields to buy myself time.
The most precious thing in this world was my own life.
That much was obvious.
Yes......
This fear I harbored———- this strategic foresight......
——–was valid.
The Black Flame Hero, who was supposed to be dead, had been alive.
Then wouldn’t the same apply to the other so-called "dead" Heroes?
Considering the "worst-case scenario", however uncertain they may be———-
I chose self-preservation.
As a result, the movement of the Sacrament army slowed.
And so, the golden opportunity for an offensive———— had been lost.
▽
I glared intently at the empty skies.
(I can't move.)
I couldn't afford to make a wrong move.
......In the first place, the one at fault here was Vysis.
She was the one who fed us unreliable information.
Vysis was to blame.
Could it be that the Goddess was just making things up as she went?
I can't trust them anymore.
Any information that Goddess gave me.
That's why I......
I did nothing wrong.
[....................]
[Socio-dono, your orders!]
[............, .............Right...... For now, let’s observe the situation for half a day and......, ———-Hm?]
............OoooOOOOOOOooooooOOO............
The Sacraments......
Opened their mouths and began to howl.
My brows furrowed.
[What......? The Sacraments are......]
———-Shlkk!———-
[......Eh?]
I turned to look.
A spearhead was protruding from my younger brother Kuja’s left chest.
From behind———- He had been impaled with a spear.
[Bro...... Brother...... ——Ghuk.]
Kuja coughed up blood and died on horseback.
His body swayed before toppling to the ground.
I bellowed in rage.
[Who——— Who did this!? Who gave that order———–, .............!?]
But then——— my words caught in my throat.
Seeing this scene before my eyes, my eyes widened.
[GYAAAAAAHHH!?]
[W- What are you doing!?]
[STOPPPP!!!]
One after another, my subordinates———– the humans were slaughtered by the Sacraments.
Before I even realized it, my own legs, still on horseback, were seized by the hands of the Sacraments.
[Wha!? You insolent trash! Unhand me! S- Stand down...... Stand down! Oi——– Gah!?
I was dragged down from my horse by several Sacraments, tumbling onto the ground.
[Ugh, they...... won't obey orders? Why......, ——-!]
As I laid fallen on the ground, the Sacraments surrounded me, weapons in hand, looking down upon me.
One of them readied its spear.
Pointing it at me.
[! W- Wait...... Stop this at once! I said stand down! S- Stand...... ———STOPPPP!! GYAAAAH———-]
———-Pfsh———- Shlk———- Slash———-
Blades pierced into Socio Eucalion's body one after another.
He struggled for a brief moment, but———–
[This...... un...... sightly......, ————-]
It was a futile resistance.
And just like that———-
Not a single human of the Azziz invasion force was spared from the hands of the Sacraments.
"Humans are a hindrance to the conquest of Azziz."
Was it truly Vysis' will that had influenced the Sacraments?
At that moment, they had strayed from their original function.
Like the revenants of folklore that haunted the deepest forests, the Sacraments howled.
Their eerie cries echoed even within the walls of Azziz.
The Sacraments began to march.
And soon———– the march turned into a thunderous charge.
Were they acting in unison, or was it chaos?
By appearance alone, they seemed to move with coordination.
Yet, their human commanders were gone.
If anything remained to command them, it was perhaps "Vysis' will"".
They advanced.
Like a writhing horde of insects.
The Sacraments swarmed the walls of Azziz.
At that moment, a voice rang out from atop the walls.
[DRAW YOUR BOWS!]
The Sacraments charged forward.
And then———–
[FIRE————!]
A rain of arrows poured down.
Followed by attack spells descending upon the Sacraments from above.
And yet————-
The horde did not stop.
Dashing through the arrow storm, the Sacraments crashed into the walls.
But even after crashing, they did not halt.
The ones behind them used the fallen as footholds, climbing ever higher.
More and more Sacraments made use of their own as steps to ascend the walls.
The outer perimeter————- was soon overflowing with Sacraments.
The Defensive Battle of the Sacred Eye.
Another decisive battle unfolds in the land of Azziz———–and from here, the conflict is only growing fiercer.