Ｓｉｄｅ・Ｓａｙｕｒｉ
The reinforcements from the North, likely the Spirit Turtle Army, seem to have been quickly dealt with by Lord Harut using Dragon Resonance Magic with his wife, Lady Themis.
In that case, we can’t afford to take our time on the South side either.
“Is that the Phoenix Army? Hmm? Something feels off… Ah, I see.”
“What is it?”
“Well, it seems the Phoenix Army has quite a number of women in it.”
Certina noticed something, and I couldn’t help but feel surprised by her observation.
The Philia Continent has a higher female population, so there are many female Knights and Hunters, but on the Gradia Continent, the gender ratio is almost equal, so military service seems to be almost exclusively a man’s job.
In other words, it’s the same as Earth, but since there are units composed entirely of women, I wouldn’t find it that unusual even if the Phoenix Army were all female.
“Listen carefully. I said ‘many women,’ not ‘only women.’ From what I can see, about half of them appear to be women.”
“…That’s true. We’ve broken through several units to get here, but I don’t recall seeing any female soldiers. Why are there women mixed into the Phoenix Army?”
“Only the Phoenix Army?… Ah, I see.”
I had completely forgotten until now.
It’s knowledge I haven’t recalled in decades, so I hope it’s understandable.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a myth from Earth, I believe. The phoenix is a pair of auspicious birds, a male ‘Feng’ and a female ‘Huang.’ That’s all I can remember, but Yamato and Mako might know more.”
“Male and female? Ah, so that’s why nearly half are women.”
“Probably.”
I doubt the Divine Emperor thought that far, nor do I see the point.
After all, the Divine Emperor has been in this world for nearly 200 years, so it’s quite possible he only has fragmented knowledge like myself, even if he remembered.
…I hate to say it, but comparing myself to the Divine Emperor is something I really don’t like.
“I thought there might be some ulterior motive, but if Sayuri’s theory is correct, it seems to mean nothing more than the Phoenix being a pair of male and female birds.”
“For the female soldiers, it might be a pinnacle to aspire to, but it’s meaningless to us.”
“Indeed.”
It would be a problem if there was a deeper meaning, but the Phoenix Army is right in front of us; we don’t have time to ponder.
“Regardless, as they are Demon Race, we just have to fight. Whether they are male or female, we cannot have the Demon Race alive.
“That’s right. We still have the Ouryu Army and the ChiYou Army, and if we dally, the Four Symbols Army might even appear. Still, we don’t intend to lose, but our morale might not hold out.”
“We’ll defeat the Demon Race, but our ultimate goal is the Divine Emperor’s head. We can sort out what to do with the remaining Demon Race later.”
“Right. Hunters! Show Abaricia that Ritter is not the only one on the Philia Continent! Hold nothing back against the Demon Race before you!”
As Certina raised her voice, a loud roar of approval echoed from the Hunters.
While the number of Hunters accompanying us this time is small, nearly half of them are Ancient Class, so if you mistake them for a small force, you won’t know how many lives you have.
Not only their individual combat strength but also their coordination is extraordinary.
See, Lily Wish, whom I’ve personally trained, is moving freely yet with beautiful coordination, tearing through the Phoenix Army’s formation and defeating them.
Of course, Holy Grave and Falcon’s are not only coordinating with Lily Wish but also executing individual eliminations.
In fact, if they couldn’t even do this much, I don’t know what the Hunters who couldn’t participate would say.
“Everyone has gotten stronger again.”
“We haven’t been slacking on our training, though it’s not just for this day.”
“That’s how the youth should be. However, we can’t just stand by and do nothing, can we?”
“No. If we did, it would make our purpose here meaningless.”
Although we haven’t met directly, the three of us all have a deep connection with the Divine Emperor.
Hitomi is a descendant of Shinichi, and Shinichi had a track record of repelling the Divine Emperor nearly eighty years ago.
Certina’s situation is a bit different from mine and Hitomi’s, as her son married into the Torencia Phantom King Family, which is also a descendant of Kazushi. She also studied under Kazushi, so while not a disciple, she’s not unrelated.
However, both Kazushi and Shinichi were severely injured in the battle to repel the Divine Emperor.
While their wounds were fully healed with the magic of the time, it seems that perhaps due to the influence of the engraving tool called Life Reaper, they gradually lost their life force and passed away a few years later.
They were elderly, so that was a factor, but perhaps they would still be alive if the Divine Emperor hadn’t attacked. It’s truly a shame.
And I, a guest from the same world as the Divine Emperor.
The Divine Emperor is a person from several decades in my future and was an Engraver of the same generation as Mako.
Although, Mako herself didn’t know the Divine Emperor’s face at all, and she said she was a low-ranking member of a group obsessed with the eccentric theory of Engraver supremacy.
But the fact remains that he is from the same world as me, and if that person intends to destroy the Helios Orb, I believe it is my responsibility as someone from the same world to stop him.
Unfortunately, even though I have evolved into an Ancient Human, I cannot fight the Divine Emperor, so that role can only be left to Yamato.
However, that doesn’t mean I intend to stand by idly.
Even if I can’t fight him directly, I believe I have the strength to handle the surrounding demons.
After all, Hitomi and I evolved into Ancient Classes precisely for this purpose.
So, I’ll twist the Phoenix Army right before my eyes!
Ｓｉｄｅ・Ｆａｒｉｓ
At Certina’s command, we Hunters launched a simultaneous attack on the Demon Race.
I unleashed my Unique Magic, Grand Thunder Ray, at a group evading the attack.
El and the Furious Ladys are also targeting groups that evaded the attack, just like me.
I could hear the conversation between Certina and the others, but the fact that the enemy is mixed-gender provides no reason for leniency. Besides, I don’t care about Abaricia’s internal affairs.
“Burks, don’t get too far ahead.”
“I know! Here goes!”
Burks, a Martial Artist who has evolved into an Ancient Human, is smashing Demons.
His delighted expression as he demolishes them, imbued with fire magic in his Lapis Laz Gauntlets, makes him look like a villain from any angle.
Well, as long as the opponent is a Demon and he doesn’t do anything reckless, it’s fine.
“Honestly, he’s as reckless as ever!”
“Think about us who have to cover for you!”
Clarice, firing arrows imbued with wind magic to support Burks, and Sarina, launching a barrage of thrusts with a spear imbued with lightning magic.
These two have also switched to Lapis Laz bows and spears, and more importantly, having evolved into Ancient Vampires and Ancient Elves, they are defeating Demons without any peril while supporting their husband, Burks.
“I-Impossible…! How can my Phoenix, the strongest of the Four Symbols, be defeated so easily…!”
It seems the commander of the Phoenix Army is in shock.
Indeed, we have sustained little damage while facing one of the Four Symbols, considered the elite troops.
However, while having nearly twenty Ancient Class individuals is one reason, the larger issue is Abaricia’s strategy, which has essentially created a situation of sequential deployment of forces.
“Strongest of the Four Symbols, huh? Are you telling us to believe that when you see you utterly defeated without being able to do anything?”
Hitomi, who is slated to become the Grand Hunter’s Master upon our return, spoke with apparent exasperation.
There’s provocation mixed in, but it’s rare for Hitomi.
Compared to Sayuri and Certina, she is polite and gentle, so verbal abuse is very uncommon for her.
Naturally, the commander of the Phoenix Army’s face turned bright red at Hitomi’s words.
“Silence! What kind of despicable trick have you employed! Not only do you invade our country, but you also slaughter our subordinates who have lost the will to fight! Have you no shame!”
“From whose mouth are those words coming? You were the ones who initiated the invasion in the first place. This is simply a matter of you ending up in the position of being invaded.”
“It’s childish to think it’s acceptable for you but not for others. You should realize that it’s simply cause and effect.”
Sayuri and Certina are also merciless, but I agree with them.
However, the commander of the Phoenix Army, his face even redder, is shouting.
“Silence, silence, silence!!! My strongest Phoenix Army cannot possibly fall behind a bunch of weaklings like you! You are evil divine enemies who are not only ravaging Abaricia but are also attempting to seize Allegancia, where His Majesty the Divine Emperor resides! It is the very existence of the Four Symbols to annihilate divine enemies! And it is the duty of the Phoenix, the strongest!!”
Although it sounds incoherent, I suppose their personalities change somewhat as members of the Demon Race. Since Abaricia worships the Evil God Abaricia, after whom the country is named, the word “divine enemy” makes sense.
Still, this commander is obsessively fixated on his “strongest” status; he keeps mentioning it annoyingly.
A few demons attempt some resistance, but they, too, are turned into silent corpses without much time passing.
Although we are Ancient Class, we have not become complacent in our power and have continued our daily training.
Furthermore, there’s the Unique Magic that Yamato called “Wing Burst,” which I had initially dismissed but now I can use. I believe I possess a high level of skill among the Ancient Class.
On the other hand, the Phoenix Army, proud of being Abaricia’s elite unit, probably hasn’t even bothered with proper training.
This isn’t just about the Phoenix Army; I’ve heard that military authority in Abaricia is quite strong, and some soldiers tend to be arrogant.
The threat of monsters is not as significant as on the Philia Continent, and the continent is unified under the nation of Abaricia, so there are few external enemies.
Therefore, I believe the military has degenerated into organizations where authority and actual strength are inversely proportional.
Of course, they must have a minimum level of skill to be assigned to the Four Symbols, the Phoenix Army, considered elite, but whether they continued training afterward is another matter.
“That’s my analysis, but what do you all think?”
“I agree.”
“Likewise.”
“There’s no other way to see it.”
The three members of the Furious Ladys agreeing further fueled the commander’s rage.
He’s beyond words now, and I can’t understand what he’s saying. Even taking into account the influence of Demon Crystals, isn’t this a bit too much?
“Fariss, since it’s an opportunity, why don’t you try to take that commander’s head?”
“Me? Instead of you three?”
“While I am representing the Hunters this time, your level is higher, Fariss. In fact, excluding Wing Crest and Saya, you have the highest level, don’t you? So, for the sake of Hunter achievements, I think you should be the one to do it.”
“Ah, so that’s how it is.”
Excluding Wing Crest, Saya is the only Hunter with a higher level than me.
Until recently, El of Falcon’s Beak was higher, but mastering Wing Burst was a trigger, and I surpassed her.
Saya, for her part, has been maintaining a higher level than me while working things out with her husband and other wives. However, she’s participating on the Order side this time.
“It’s troublesome, but I suppose I have no choice. Then, I’m off!”
It’s truly troublesome, but the Hunters haven’t fought much so far, and their war achievements haven’t matched the Knights.
It’s not good to have it that way, and I don’t know what I’ll be told when we return, so I spread my wings and clad myself in Wing Burst. I imbue my sky-blue iron great axe with lightning magic, and using fire and wind magic for explosive acceleration, I approach the commander.
The commander, taken aback by the suddenness, falls to the ground and stops moving without even realizing his head has been severed.
With this, the Phoenix Army is wiped out. Next are the Ouryu Army, and then the ChiYou Army.
The Divine Emperor will likely appear as well, it’s finally time for the decisive battle.
