My head is throbbing.
The headache, a result of overusing my brain, continues to pound relentlessly.
I could barely endure it up until the point where I tore through the light gate, but the moment I returned to normal mode, unable to push any further after splitting it open, this hit me.
“Argh! This is so annoying!!”
On top of that, the angels, sensing my distress, swarmed me like flies drawn to light, making it a hassle to deal with them.
In frustration, I ended up lashing out, slicing them down.
This time, instead of clean cuts, I simply tore through their bodies.
Blood flowed, leaving behind gruesome corpses.
I don’t know how angels differ from humans, but I know for a fact that decapitating them, bisecting them, or slashing them diagonally from the shoulder will kill them just like anyone else.
“Good work, you’ve done it again.”
“Yeah, same to you.”
Just as I was getting tired of wiping out the weaklings, Valse-san and the instructor cut in and took care of them for me.
“Ah, Valse-san, do you have any headache medicine?”
“As if I would!”
Thanks to that, already feeling the strain, I slumped over, using the ore tree as a staff, and tried to ask for headache medicine, but reality is cruel.
“Huh? What a wimp. You can overcome a mere headache with grit.”
“That would work for a normal headache, but this isn’t a normal headache.”
I don’t know if headache medicine would even work, but the reality of not even being allowed such a small comfort made me feel worse.
Even with my body, renowned for its toughness, failing, I heard myself letting out a pathetic groan, my face pale.
The last time I sliced through the Tower of God, it was due to mana overload, physically overexerting my body, and also putting a strain on my soul.
That method was so dangerous that Suella and the others prohibited me from using it except in emergencies.
Personally, I also considered it impractical because a technique that incapacitates me would be useless in prolonged combat, so I proposed an alternative improvement, which led to this technique.
Instead of forcing more attacks, I decided to increase their quality, focusing on perfecting the quality of my slashes.
The result is using magic to allow my brain to perceive the other world.
Saying it like that might conjure an image of me messing with my brain, like getting high, but it’s not like that.
Unlike drugs, this magic functions more like adding a new information reception capability to my brain’s processing.
It breaks down sensory information and recognizes it as data, allowing for the forced perception of abstract concepts like soul as reality.
“…It can’t be helped if you end up like this after fighting so recklessly. How are you feeling now?”
“Even now, my brain is processing the information that has entered my memory domain, so frankly, my five senses are jumbled and not functioning properly.”
However, after trying it, I realized that while I could face those distorted senses with sheer willpower during use, the aftermath was terrible.
The information is different from usual.
My brain recognizes this information as abnormal and tries to reject it.
But, since it has already entered my memory domain, it’s on the verge of being mixed up with my original memories.
“It will heal over time. In other words, it can only be cured by the passage of time. You just have to wait for it to naturally integrate with your body.”
“Ughhh…”
Valse-san looks at me with concern, but it seems there’s no solution, and I can only shake my head, resigned to natural healing.
Even as we’re having this conversation, the white serpent is overwhelming the angels.
The divine beasts that were our last hope have been annihilated.
The light gate, from which we could have expected reinforcements, is completely destroyed.
The angels have no chance of winning anymore.
Yet, why do they continue to attack us mechanically?
Enduring my headache, I quietly observe the angels.
Their mechanical eyes, their emotionless expressions—it’s a stark contrast to Himik, whose expressions changed so often.
“Alright, I just called for reinforcements. In a short while, my army will arrive and annihilate all the angels in this area.”
With Himik, there’s an endearing quality, a cuteness, but these angels, despite their refined features, don’t evoke any positive feelings.
They’re just a nuisance.
So, it’s a relief that the instructor called for troops to handle the aftermath.
“In the end, we didn’t need to request reinforcements, did we?”
“Indeed. I thought they’d put up a bit more of a fight.”
However, the reinforcements I requested from headquarters in my panic have been assembled before I could finish dealing with the immediate threat.
What should I do? It feels awkward to say we don’t need them anymore.
“What do you think? Should we honestly say we don’t need them anymore?”
“Nah, we need to investigate this guy anyway. The Machine King should be able to handle that smoothly. There might be some other weird stuff coming here. The more troops we have, the better.”
“That’s true.”
While the battle itself has temporarily subsided, it doesn’t mean it’s over.
We destroyed their important weapon, but I don’t think that’s the end of it.
Since they attacked us, this was probably just the vanguard.
“So, about how much damage do you think we inflicted?”
“I don’t know. Information gathering is more your main job, isn’t it?”
“That’s right, let’s see…”
I try to calculate the damage inflicted in this battle, but the headache interferes, making it difficult.
“Roughly, looking at the overall damage, it’s about three percent.”
“Huh? That’s all?”
“It’s an approximation, and considering the scale of the entire army, three percent is not a negligible loss.”
This results in a rough estimate.
A few percent loss for the entire army is a conservative estimate; in reality, it’s likely more.
“Is that so?”
“You’re a general in command of an army, you should be able to calculate that.”
“You can do it now, so it’s fine!!”
The instructor should also consider the enemy’s attrition rate and adjust our movements accordingly.
No, he’s an Oni who can do it if he really tries.
He’s just not motivated, and when someone capable is nearby, he just dumps it all on them.
“By the way, how was it? I think we managed to inflict quite a bit of damage.”
“Hmm, I doubt such minor damage would trouble that god. They’d probably just have another country do it if one was destroyed.”
“Ugh…”
However, there was a being even more unconcerned about the attrition rate than the instructor.
The thought of that god’s response made my headache worse, a sharp pain shooting through my skull.
“We need to consider that as well.”
The battle may be over, but the war is not. Is this what it means?
“Damage report, war situation report, and then the report on postwar processing…”
“Roger! Leave it to me!!”
The moment a mountain of paperwork was confirmed, I glanced at the instructor, hoping he’d help with the urgent task. There stood the Ōni with a smile and a thumbs-up.
“Haa, I understand. I understand. But you’ll still have to do the final approval. I’ll send it out with both our names on it.”
“Roger!”
“Your reply is so cheerful.”
This clearly means he’s not going to help. But that’s fine; I’ll let him handle the field command. I feel the presence of approaching Oni from afar.
“Reinforcements have arrived.”
“They were already close by.”
“Many battle-lovers, just like the instructor’s army.”
“No doubt.”
We’ll leave the postwar processing to them and retreat for now.
The Oni and angel armies clash once more.
But this time, the Oni are attacking with greater ferocity.
The enemy are remnants of the defeated; if they won’t flee, we’ll show no mercy. Watching the Oni attack bravely, we retreat to the rear.
“So then, we’ll be retreating to the rear like this?”
I moved to a position where I could quickly respond if anything happened. It was a cliff that most ordinary people would never approach. I came to this incredible place by brute force, relying on my physical abilities, just to survey the battlefield.
I crouch down and survey the battlefield. The war situation is overwhelmingly in our favor.
It seems our anti-air capabilities are handling their aerial advantage.
“That’s right, there doesn’t seem to be anything exciting left to see here. Shall we go back?”
It ended sooner than I expected, but both the instructor and I are more worn out than we thought.
If no enemy reinforcements are expected, we can retreat.
“If you’re retreating, want a ride?”
“Let’s do that. What about you, instructor?”
“Will there be alcohol?”
“No.”
“Damn it, then I’ll stay here and watch the battle. After all, there might be some rear support coming.”
The instructor volunteered to stay as a witness to the battle, so I decided to head back to the Dungeon to file my report.
He’s probably not completely letting his guard down, but believing the battle is over, the instructor sits down and waves me off with a flap of his hand.
I suspect he’s planning to push all the troublesome reporting on me.
In return, he’ll take care of the battlefield’s aftermath.
I accept his kindness and leap onto the head of the white serpent ridden by Valse-san.
With this headache, attempting to use magic to teleport near the Dungeon, where a barrier is disrupting teleportation in this emergency, is too terrifying.
The white serpent begins to move along the rough, winding path.
I lie on my back, sprawled out on its head, which is more comfortable than a car.
“That’s hardly ladylike.”
“It’s Valse-san, so you’ll have to forgive me.”
The wind hitting my cheeks feels pleasant now.
It feels like my headache is slightly improving.
It might be wishful thinking, but I have to believe it to keep going.
“Haa, war is exhausting.”
The battlefield, a world of the extraordinary. I’ve heard people lose their minds when immersed in battle, and it truly feels that way.
“Even though you say it’s exhausting, you don’t look that tired.”
“Physically, other than the headache, it’s not that tiring. Mentally… well, it’s an exhaustion I can somewhat accept.”
I am in a different way of being insane than I was in the past.
I’ve killed people before.
I do feel guilt, but not to the point of disgust.
In fact, today, I was even actively exploring ways to kill more efficiently.
I raise my hand, as if reaching for the sky.
Physically, there’s no blood on my hands, but will I start seeing blood on them in my mind’s eye?
“Do you regret going to war?”
“There’s so much going on that I can’t quite keep up, but strangely, I don’t regret it. In the end, I made the decisions and acted on them myself, so I feel a strong sense of responsibility.”
I know I’m not the type to lament and cry like a tragic hero, appealing to common sense. It’s probably because I understand that this battle, while seemingly futile, was necessary.
Ultimately, the reason I have few regrets is that I can accept my own actions.
If I hadn’t acted, immense damage would have occurred unbeknownst to me. I can’t imagine us losing, but there was also a future where the instructor struggled to conquer that floating castle.
“If you can accept it, then that’s fine. Things are only going to get tougher from here.”
“Ugh…”
The fact that I believe I could change that future with my own power means I’m facing the current situation positively.
Of course, as Valse-san said, the hard part is yet to come.
The desire to lament, the urge to rest—these feelings, though different in nature, are sensations I experienced at my previous company. I could only laugh while lamenting.
Today’s Word:
Being unable to give your all innocently is what it means to be an adult.
Thank you as always for your comments and for pointing out any typos.
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Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, But We’re Fighting Back with Secret Bases and More!!
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