“It tickles~”
“Hah, hah, hah!”
Though our shouts differed, the increasing number of Orc corpses was a good sign.
We, the army outside the castle walls, were hit by rock projectiles from the Sand Dragon four times before we could engage the Orcs, defending as much as we could with defensive magic.
“Orietta! Watch out, those magic rocks are still coming!”
“But there are Orcs here! Are they really flying? We have to make sure they don’t get points ahead of us~!”
That’s not what I meant. It would be too easy to hit our allies with those rocks. For us defenders, with Orcs attacking and rocks flying, it’s a busy and difficult situation. I dealt with the undead first and headed towards Alana.
“Sophia! Can you fire the Platinum Laser!?”
“I can fire it. I can fire it, but I think it would be better to get a little closer. What if they use magic defense?”
This is bad. I’d forgotten. Whenever I see the word “Laser,” I tend to think of modern weaponry, but it’s a type of magic, isn’t it?
“How many shots can you fire right now!?”
“I can fire eight shots.”
“To supplement that, once they enter range and you think you ‘can,’ fire one shot sweeping horizontally forward. That will help us determine if there are Mages. If it’s defended, we’ll get closer and fire again. If it’s not defended, fire five shots in a fan shape consecutively!”
“Understood.”
“Christine… Christine, are you okay!?”
The sweat pouring from Christine drenched her beautiful silver-gold hair. I’d never seen Christine sweat this much. …Except in bed.
“…I’m fine. …I’m fine.”
Christine has less stamina than a mercenary should, but I’ve never seen her this exhausted outside of bed. Is it that hard to stop the Sand Dragon’s heart?
“Alana, help her out. Christine, I know it’s tough, but please hang in there a little longer.”
“…I’m fine. …I’m fine.”
Is it simply too big? The Sand Dragon’s heart. Leaving them to it, I returned to the front lines. Rufina… she’ll be fine on her own. I don’t want to get too close and get bitten on the neck. What would happen if I blacked out here?
“Captain~ Look!”
Upon my return to the front lines, Orietta showed me the castle’s large shield equipped with spikes.
“Ori-chan likes pink more than red~. Look~ My favorite shield is all red~!”
Well, it can’t be helped since she’s bludgeoning them to death with it. The sharp spikes were tangled with torn clothes, Orc heads, and scraps of flesh, stained bright red and grotesque.
“Mikael~ My Halberd is all red too~!”
Priscilla has some nerve! Get to work. The unit that had moved to the west of the Orc formation proceeded towards the West Gate as if ignoring us, and this might even reach the Sand Dragon.
“Magic rocks are coming~!”
Around the Sand Dragon, which shone even in the daytime, magic rocks were formed and a mountain weighing several tons was launched towards us.
“Defense! Magic defense!”
The magic rocks, fired like shotgun pellets while involving Orcs, would turn into a bloody mess with nothing left if hit directly. Even those that dodged were crushed by the rolling rocks.
With long attacking lines moving, it’s impossible to defend the flanks completely with magic defense. The undead, splitting left and right to envelop the mercenaries from the front, had already lost half their numbers.
We can’t turn back now! The mercenaries are mostly unharmed, and the Mages’ magic power is intact. Most importantly, the three in the vanguard are strong. Orietta stands out in her giant powered armor, but she’s completely unscathed thanks to the ultra-vibration flowing through her whole body.
As for Priscilla, there’s no need to even talk about her; she’s clearly enjoying herself. I’m not slacking off either! I’m just poking and prodding with my worn-out, second-hand sword, trying not to break it…
“It’s flashing! The magic rocks are coming!”
I want to teach the Sand Dragon about “cherishing allies.” Though not the same species, they are allies! What’s the point of sacrificing your comrades!
“Home run, here I come~!”
Hearing Orietta’s home run announcement after so long. Orietta, facing a magic rock that exceeded two meters.
“Hmph!!”
With Orietta’s sharp voice, the magic rock was struck, shattered, and blown away. The scattered rock fragments attacked the Orcs, with some having their limbs torn off and heads pulverized, wailing in agony.
“We should have done this from the start~. Bring on another one~!”
Is she invincible! It makes me feel ashamed, me who only has speed. Just poking and prodding isn’t flashy at all.
“Good job, Orietta! Should I go for it too!”
You should stop. The mass is different. Orietta is flowing ultra-vibration through her entire powered armor, and her weight alone is equivalent to several Orcs.
Even though Priscilla is flowing ultra-vibration through her Halberd, her weight…
“Watch out! Priscilla! Don’t send Orc heads flying towards me!”
“How should I know! Do your own job!”
Sometimes, her wild instincts kick in, and she’s uncontrollable. I can handle Orcs with just speed, but it looks like I should use Mind’s Eye as well, especially against Priscilla.
I’ll reveal my weight someday. Christine, for example, has the body of a model; personally, I’d like her to put on a little more weight.
Next would be Sophia. Of course, she’s not fat. She’s not plump either; for me, she’s just right. Not too thin, not fat…
Mind’s Eye! Godspeed Mode Two!
A platinum light, completely lowered under my head, sweeps away enemies. No, seriously, heads are flying.
“Sophia?…”
“You told me to shoot when you entered range…”
Is that true!? You really shot because I entered range, right!? Can I believe you? Heads are a bit much, you know.
“There was someone using defensive magic on the edge. If you fire again, it might be blocked.”
Distracted driving is dangerous, but I couldn’t help but look at Sophia.
“I can fire four more shots. Ufufu…”
“Gah…”
An Orc’s sword pierces my side. I cut off the Orc’s arm and pulled out my sword. Distraction is bad. Remembering the old slogan, “A moment’s inattention, a lifetime of injury,” I looked at Sophia’s angry face.
“You bastard!”
Sophia’s enraged Platinum Laser sweeps away Orcs and our own undead. I saw a beautiful rainbow of magical defense, but afterwards, only legs remained below the waist.
“I still have three shots left. Ufufu…”
Learning to think positively like “still” remaining. I, on the other hand, think “only” three left; perhaps it’s because of the wound in my stomach.
I can still fight. I swing my sword with positive thinking. But the blood isn’t stopping; it seems to be overflowing. This wound surpasses even the healing power of demon blood. If it continues like this, it will eventually end. Before that, Rufina approaches.
Should I have Sophia heal me? It would be bad for the front line to collapse if I left. Other mercenaries are filling the gaps left by the undead, but if I retreated, the left flank would crumble.
Sophia knows that too, so she won’t come to heal me… I think. But that’s fine. With three shots left, get as close as possible and pierce the Sand Dragon’s heart.
Everyone else is working hard; I can’t just complain! This is where I need to show grit! I swing my sword, lost in the moment.
My sword feels heavy, my shield, my armor; my body moves as if underwater. Am I even using Godspeed? Mind’s Eye? I moved forward, using Orietta’s powered armor next to me as a landmark.
“You’re in range.”
“…I can do it.”
Show me the killing power of Sophia and Christine.
“Kill!”
A platinum light and invisible force pierce the Sand Dragon.
