The Allied Forces, having defeated the Kirin Army, Spirit Turtle Army, and even the Phoenix Army, returned to the Wing of Order as no further reinforcements appeared.
It seemed that Rex had defeated the commander of the Kirin Army, Lord Harut the commander of the Spirit Turtle Army, and Faris the commander of the Phoenix Army.
While it was understandable that the Kirin Army, encountered first, might have been difficult, the Spirit Turtle Army and the Phoenix Army should have had the opportunity to merge. The fact that they didn’t, and apparently never intended to, was quite something.
Deploying forces piecemeal is a foolish strategy unless there’s an overwhelming disparity in strength, so did the Divine Emperor not even know such a basic principle?
Still, our casualties were minor, so it was a profitable outcome.
There were Ritter who had lost limbs, but they were scheduled to be healed by Mako and the other healers on the way back, so calling our losses minor was appropriate.
“I thought we’d get some rest, but it seems that won’t be the case,” Lord Harut murmured.
Just as Lord Harut said, many shadows were seen flying from the eastern sky.
They were likely the Ouryu Army, but were Chimeras involved on that side?
“Perhaps a Chimera research or breeding facility is located there?”
“That would make sense.”
Yeah, that seemed probable. I hadn’t actually expected there to be a facility like Prim described on the eastern side.
If they had planned to bypass to the east and attack, they would have encountered Chimeras first. Still, even if the enemies were Chimeras, they were still enemies to be defeated, so the objective wouldn’t change.
“It’s unlikely that so many Chimeras were bred within the city of Abaricia. Therefore, it’s highly probable that those Chimeras belong to the Ouryu Army. Moreover, it’s not out of the question that they would have passed by the castle on that route.”
“Does that mean not only the Chi You Army but also the Divine Emperor will come?”
“We don’t know that for sure, but we should consider the possibility.”
I agreed with Lord Harut’s analysis. In fact, I suspected he would come. After being thoroughly defeated and then let go by Father and Mother last time, there was no way he wouldn’t come if he sought revenge.
“Then, I’ll prepare. If there’s a possibility of the Divine Emperor appearing, you won’t stop me, will you?”
This was the main reason I came here, and I had been holding back for this very purpose. If he wasn’t there, I could simply storm the castle after defeating the remaining forces. This was my turn now.
“Of course not. I feel ashamed to rely on you at the very end, but since the opponent is the Divine Emperor, Yamato, you will be the one to face him.”
With Emperor Reinhardt’s permission, this was the final battle on the Gradia Continent, so I had to put my all into it.
“Yes!”
“Then, Yamato, let’s go.”
“Unlike last time, Prim and I are with you this time.”
Come to think of it, during the Linea Battle, Mana had just given birth, and Prim and Flam were pregnant, so they hadn’t participated. That’s why both of them were already brimming with fighting spirit.
“Ah, I’m counting on you. Mako, I’ll generate it as soon as we get on deck. Is that alright?”
“Of course.”
I had long abandoned the foolish idea of waiting for the Divine Emperor to appear before generating the Engraving Divine Artifact. There was no guarantee that he would wait for me to generate it, nor was there any guarantee of an opportunity arising. Therefore, generating it beforehand was more reliable. Besides, this wasn’t a match or a duel, nor was it a war; it was a battle for the survival of the world, so my personal feelings could take a backseat.
Mina, Flam, Ludia, and Athena followed suit, as if to follow me.
“Then, I’ll go ahead.”
“Alright, please do. Rex, inform the Ritter and Hunters.”
“Yes!”
I quickly returned to my room and rushed to the deck. Stepping onto the deck, I performed the Dual Heart Fusion Technique with Mako and generated Blau Solaris and Agatholam. Agatholam was equipped on Mako’s back, while Blau Solaris was held in its ring-like form. Then, using Flying, I ascended into the sky, positioned myself in front of the Wing of Order, and created Scaffolding to stand on. There were reinforcements coming by land, but most seemed to be arriving by air, so being here was the right choice.
The Demon Race riding Chimeras also seemed to notice us, their movements slowing down before they eventually stopped right in front of us. The Divine Emperor didn’t appear to be among them, but their equipment was different. This meant it was, as predicted, a mixed force of the Ouryu Army and the Chi You Army. With the Chimeras, they would likely be tougher than the other Four Spirit Armies, but since there was a risk of them boarding the Wing of Order, I decided to prioritize taking down the Chimeras.
“Are you fools who plotted to invade my homeland?”
“Huh? Who are you to say that after invading us first?”
“Invasion? All of this world belongs to His Majesty the Divine Emperor and the supreme god Abarisia. How we treat our own property is our prerogative.”
Ah, so that was their way of thinking. It was extremely unpleasant, but it also meant I didn’t need to feel guilty about crushing them.
“Hah, your delusions are quite something. Everything in the world belongs to the Divine Emperor? Then why were your forces annihilated in the war two years ago, and why did the Divine Emperor flee back alone like a pathetic coward?”
This was a question that repeatedly asked of the Abarisia soldiers, a veritable taboo, and it seemed to have the same effect on this commander. His face turned red, and his expression became monstrous.
“Shut up! That’s because you used dirty tricks! Otherwise, it’s impossible for all soldiers of our nation to be annihilated!”
Since Father and Mother were the ones who annihilated the Abarisia army last time, well, it was a dirty trick, I suppose. No, Mako seemed capable of defeating them too, albeit taking time, so it was just a matter of how long it took for them to be wiped out.
“What are you talking about? There’s no way such a method exists. Oh, so you’re just making excuses because you can’t admit your own weakness.”
“Besides, even the slightest thing is, the Divine Emperor fled in such a rush, so there’s no way such a method exists. If it did, they would have used it long ago.”
Yeah, Mana’s right. While there was indeed such a method, it couldn’t be used repeatedly, and neither I nor Mako could use it again for a while after using it once. Moreover, this was enemy territory, so it was considered an absolute last resort. It would also require Emperor Reinhardt’s permission.
“Silence! Don’t compare our elite Chi You, the strongest and divine soldiers of Abarisia, with your weak soldiers of the Seiryu! You should just shut up and let us kill you!”
Wow, he’s already contradictory. He started by praising the strength of his own soldiers, then called them weak and claimed superiority for himself. Could this be another side effect of Demon Crystal-induced demonization? He seemed to lose control of his emotions when excited, and his speech became erratic, clearly labeling him as dangerous.
“There’s no fool who would come all the way to Abarisia just to be killed. Your words are nonsensical, and I doubt we can have any further meaningful conversation.”
My true thoughts slipped out, but I genuinely believed further discussion would be pointless.
“Then, do not move from that spot! We, the Chi You, will deliver divine punishment upon you! Offer the heads of these heathens to our god Abarisia and His Majesty the Divine Emperor, the apostle of God!”
As the commander uttered these words, the Abarisia army launched a full-scale attack. The demons’ magic, the Chimeras’ flames and breaths, and a considerable number of attacks were directed at us simultaneously.
However, none of them reached the Wing of Order, nor even us.
“Their power is greater than I expected, but they absolutely won’t get past me!”
Mina’s Unique Magic, Wide Mirror Shield, perfectly blocked the demons’ attacks.
“It can withstand the attacks of even the Demise Species head-on, so its defensive power is indeed high.”
“It’s not as effective against attacks from the sides, though. And just in case, having Mako prepared beforehand gave us some leeway.”
Ah, Mako had Field Cosmos at the ready too. Both could defend against the attacks of Demise Species, making them top-tier Unique Magic for defense. If they were deployed simultaneously, breakthrough would be impossible. I wouldn’t be confident either.
Witnessing such high-level defensive magic, the demons were thrown into utter disarray.
“I-Impossible…! To think that our divinely granted power, coupled with the strength of divine beasts like Chimeras, could be defended against?! Unacceptable!”
“Face reality. Besides, you call demon power divine power, and Chimeras divine beasts? That’s quite a delusion.”
“Even the most eccentric of dreamers would have more coherent fantasies than that.”
I agreed with Mako, but “eccentric of dreamers” was a phrase I’d never heard before.
“I’ve never heard of an ‘eccentric of dreamers’ before.”
“More importantly, does such a person even exist?”
“Probably not, honestly.”
Prim, Athena, and Ludia also looked exasperated, but it was probably a good indication that the idea was indeed outlandish. Anyway, that hardly mattered. Since they attacked first, it was time for us to counterattack.
“It looks like this is the end. Then, it’s our turn now!”
I separated about fifty blades from Blau Solaris, imbued them with Mist Inflation, and used them as cores to create Ice Edge Javelins. As a prelude, I fired them, aiming to exclude the commander for now!
“…What?”
It seemed the commander couldn’t visually track the Ice Edge Javelins. Hearing the screams of the demons from behind and confirming with his own eyes, he still didn’t understand what had happened.
“No way. He couldn’t see that?”
“It was certainly fast, but it was a speed a High Demon could see, wasn’t it?”
“I think so.”
“Seriously? Some demons did try to deal with it, though. Yet the commander didn’t see it? Even though he’s the commander?”
Everyone else seemed surprised too, but Ludia’s remark was particularly harsh. In reality, a few demons had reacted to my Ice Edge Javelins; whether they could completely deal with them was another matter. Three of them managed to escape by shattering the Ice Edge Javelins.
“Ah! Perhaps that commander got his position through connections or bribes?”
“That’s likely. The Chi You Army is supposed to be the highest rank within the Abarisia Army, so it’s highly improbable for their top leader to be incompetent. Since the Gradia Continent has been at peace for a long time, it’s probably possible for someone of noble birth but lacking in ability to reach the top.”
“Peace is a good thing, but it has such downsides too.”
Yes, this was a valuable lesson for me as well.
“It seems so. However, even though I held back, several demons managed to block Yamato’s Ice Edge Javelins, so we could be eaten if we let our guard down.”
“Indeed. While the previous Ice Edge Javelins were a greeting, any more sluggish attacks like that will be grounds for a scolding, so tighten up your focus.”
At this point, Mako made a terrifying declaration, and our faces changed. As Mako mentioned, the previous Ice Edge Javelins were indeed thrown with some restraint, meaning they were a prelude. Of course, I had anticipated Mako seeing through this, but I never imagined it would lead to a terrifying scolding. After all, everyone present had been scolded by Mako at least once, and even some of the Hunters accompanying us had received her lectures. The pressure was immense, leaving us utterly drained afterward. I certainly didn’t want to go through that again, so from now on, I’ll fight seriously. The Divine Emperor would likely arrive soon, so I’ll finish this before then!
