Ｓｉｄｅ: Mako
We had downed five Flying Red Dragons and were fighting the Demon Race on the ground when I never expected reinforcements to arrive from the Kobaldia direction at this exact moment.
The dragons that flew in seemed to be Red Dragons, but I wasn’t sure without using Questing.
Of course, I’ll confirm when they’re close enough, but I have a bad feeling about this.
“I can’t believe reinforcements would come at a time like this,” Yamato said.
“It’s unexpected. Even with so many Ancient Classes, we can’t fight indefinitely,” Ludia added.
“True,” Yamato replied.
As Yamato and Ludia said, Ancient Classes are powerful, but their strength relies on Magic Power, and both their Magic Power and stamina are finite. If we’re overwhelmed by sheer numbers, it’s not impossible for us to be defeated.
Moreover, since we’re up against the Demon Race, fighting High Demons, who possess Magic Power comparable to Ancient Classes, will deplete not only our stamina but also our mental fortitude, making prolonged battles difficult.
At this point, it seems we don’t have the luxury of choosing our methods.
“If I use Field Cosmos, we can surround them, including the main camp, but it’s defensive, so it’ll be tough to take down the dragons,” I said.
My Unique Magic, Field Cosmos, is a massive barrier covering a radius of over a kilometer. It’s even more robust than the ceremonial magic Protect Fielding that covers the town, but precisely because of that, its offensive power is quite low.
I can layer magic and S-rank spell arrays on top of it, but doing so requires intense concentration, leaving myself vulnerable.
There’s also the option of using my ultimate trump card, Meteorite Light Sphere, but that would likely mean sacrificing either the main camp or the reinforcements. If they manage to regroup, I’d have to focus all my attention on dealing with them, making it difficult to use.
Athena and Eos would be unable to concentrate on fighting if they were carrying me, and having Mina or Raus escort me would be difficult in the middle of a battlefield.
“Could it be that the Divine Emperor was waiting for reinforcements?” Carol asked.
“That’s highly probable. I doubt they knew our fighting strength, but it’s said that the Divine Emperor’s carelessness 30 years ago led to Amister’s victory. They say the Divine Emperor is an arrogant man, but he wouldn’t be foolish enough to repeat the same mistake,” I replied.
I suspect the Divine Emperor’s true identity is a believer in Engraver Supremacy. 30 years ago, due to his own carelessness, his Engraving Tool was destroyed, forcing him to retreat.
Engraver Supremacists are a bunch of fools who are treated as terrorists, but they’re not incapable of learning. I believe they intend to gather what might be considered excessive forces to crush us completely.
“So, the demons here are mostly decoys, with the real elites over there?” Salina asked.
“Probably. I don’t know how many there are, but we need to assume they’re all High Demons,” I replied.
Ancient Classes on the Gradia Continent should only be the Divine Emperor, so I don’t think there are any Ancient Demons, but I can’t be absolutely certain, so we must remain vigilant.
“Does that mean the Red Dragons we just defeated were weaker individuals?” Clarice asked.
“That’s likely,” I replied.
It’s certain that not only the Red Dragons but even the Burning Dragons were individuals with power below their rank. If that weren’t the case, abandoning Burning Dragons would be inconceivable.
This is hardly good news for us, but we can’t afford to ignore it. We need to understand this, or it could be fatal.
“Preventing them from joining up… is impossible, right?” Cliff asked.
“Impossible. If I could, I’d do it first, but I certainly don’t want to be incapacitated right in front of the Divine Emperor,” I replied.
Preventing them from joining up isn’t impossible, but it would require us to advance to the front lines of the Demon Race’s main force. However, if we go that far, the Demon Race will attack with full force, and the dragons will undoubtedly move.
Furthermore, it would mean doing so directly in front of the Divine Emperor, so if I were to become incapacitated, my life would be in danger.
“It’s frustrating to just watch them join up,” Raus said.
“I agree. Also, the possibility of the Divine Emperor appearing has increased, so I’ll likely have to withdraw from the front lines,” he added.
That’s also a problem. With the arrival of reinforcements, the chances of the Divine Emperor appearing have increased.
Although I don’t know how many more demons will arrive, there are over ten Flying Dragons, so we need to assume at least 500 more have arrived.
Moreover, since there’s even a possibility that all of them are High Demons, even Ancient Classes won’t emerge unscathed; they could even lose their lives.
Yet, if Yamato, the only Element Class, withdraws, a decrease in our combat strength is unavoidable.
However, Yamato is the only one who can hold back the Divine Emperor, as he’s said to be beyond the capabilities of Ancient Classes, so we have no choice but to have Yamato deal with him.
“They’ve descended. Those dragons… four Burning Dragons and eight Red Dragons. This is troublesome again,” I muttered.
“Athena and Eos’s Magic Power won’t last until the end either,” Raus said.
“More than that, I’m not even sure if they can disengage safely,” Marie added.
When Yamato confirmed with Questing, he discovered that four O-rank Burning Dragons were among them.
Indeed, there’s no way Athena and Eos’s Magic Power would last under these circumstances, and the talk of disengaging safely is no longer relevant.
“I understand. In the worst-case scenario, we’ll have to use Traveling or Gate Crystal,” Yamato said.
While those are our only options, I doubt we’ll have the time to use them.
“We’ll just have to bring down the dragons quickly. If all those reinforcements are High Demons, it won’t just be troublesome; I don’t see any other way,” Yamato continued.
That’s true.
If the Dual Heart Fusion Technique with Yamato had succeeded, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But we haven’t even seen a sign of it succeeding, let alone achieved it, so I’m starting to doubt if it’s truly possible.
This marks the transition into the mid-game, and we’ve lost all our early advantages.
However, there’s no use lamenting what we can’t change, so we just have to do our best with what we have.
I only generated Air Spirit to avoid alerting the Divine Emperor, but holding back any more forces at this point is a matter of life and death.
We need to consider the full generation of Spirit Hexa Dipper, and not just spinning the pinwheel.
But just because the situation is unfavorable doesn’t mean I’m willing to lose.
Come on. I’ll properly show you the origin of the name Spirit Valkyrie.
Ｓｉｄｅ: Faris
Once the Demon Race’s reinforcements were confirmed, the demons retreated to their main camp, and we did not pursue them.
While there’s a prohibition from our commander, pursuing the Demon Race’s main camp where the Ancient Demon, the Divine Emperor, resides is beyond our capabilities.
However, among the reinforcements that appeared were four O-rank Burning Dragons, and all eight Red Dragons were carrying containers, so we can calculate that the Demon Race has increased by about 400 individuals.
What’s worse, it’s expected that all the reinforcement demons are High Demons. Even with nearly 30 Ancient Classes, it’s undeniable that we’re at a disadvantage.
“A temporary retreat might be an option, but it would only embolden the demons,” I said.
“Most likely. Besides, we have Polar behind us. If even one High Demon breaks through, Polar will be annihilated,” Raus replied.
High Demons, comparable to Ancient Classes, possess combat power equal to or greater than High Classes even when alone.
In reality, they’re somewhere between High Class and Ancient Class, but even so, Normal Classes can’t counter them. If even one breaks through, Polar will truly be devastated.
“Retreat is out, and charging in is suicidal. All that’s left is to counter, but we’re at a disadvantage,” Cliff said.
“Even facing Solemn or Hanuman, the situation wasn’t this dire, was it?” Marie asked.
“No. We’re seriously in trouble,” I replied.
Raus, Clarice, and Burks are breaking out in a cold sweat, and I feel the same chill down my spine.
If anything, it’s the same feeling I had when confronting the Orc Emperor and Orc Empress, but the situation is worse than it was then.
Our fighting strength is higher than it was that time, but the same applies to the enemy. Moreover, several of our strongest members, the Wing Crest, are out due to pregnancy.
Mana, Prim, and Flam’s departure is truly painful.
However, bringing pregnant women onto the battlefield is not just unreasonable; if they were to experience morning sickness during combat, it would be far beyond a fatal problem. So, their departure, though painful, is unavoidable.
“We haven’t even been married a year, and I feel like I need to be prepared for anything,” Clarice said.
“Yes. I intend to act in a way that prevents that, but let’s be prepared just in case,” Salina replied.
Clarice and Salina have made a grim resolution, and I understand their feelings well.
The two married Burks immediately after returning from Solemn, but they haven’t evolved into Ancient Classes.
I wish they had evolved now that this is happening, but there’s no use regretting it.
“I want to say that young people shouldn’t make such resolutions, but in this situation…” Raus trailed off.
“I understand,” I replied.
Raus, the oldest of the Holy Braves, and Sheila also have determined looks on their faces.
These two are still in their mid-50s, but they have the most experience among us, so we rely on them…
“With so many dragons, the Wing Crest alone won’t be enough to handle them. And Yamato will likely be facing the Divine Emperor. While our combat strength is undeniably lacking, will we be called upon?” Burks asked.
“That’s possible, but I think Rex and the others will be the ones facing the dragons,” I replied.
As Burks senses, Yamato will be the one to face the Divine Emperor when he appears.
In that case, the combat strength of the already depleted Wing Crest will decrease further.
Even with Mako present, she’s not suited for close-quarters combat, and strong magic or engraving techniques would leave her exposed, making Rex and the Order more suitable for a protective role.
Not only Rex but also his wife Rosemary, Muse, and Saya are Ancient Classes, so there’s no shortage of combat strength.
Mobilizing Hunters could lead to the entire Raid being mobilized, so from that aspect, Rex and the others would be able to act more freely.
“It seems they’re moving,” I said.
“They are. As expected, there are many High Demons,” Raus replied.
The demons have formed ranks, and the vanguard appears to be the same as the second wave from earlier.
It seems they were truly decoys.
Reinforcements are positioned behind them, and the Magic Power I sense is clearly High Demons, with some possessing Magic Power comparable to Ancient Classes.
Even among High Classes, there are clear differences in Magic Power based on level, so it’s not unheard of for demons to be the same, but it’s surprising that demons with Magic Power comparable to Ancient Clase actually appeared.
“The dragons seem to be moving too. With their forces assembled, they plan to overwhelm us with their entire army, huh?” I muttered.
“Troublesome,” Raus replied.
“But we have no choice but to meet them head-on, right?” Marie asked.
“None,” I replied.
If we could escape, we would, but we simply can’t.
We would lose our standing, our credibility, and it would interfere with our work.
Moreover, Cliff and I are Ancient Classes, and Burks and the others are High Classes. If we fled, we wouldn’t be able to live on the Philia Continent.
“Attention all units! Regardless of how many demons increase, our mission to intercept all of them remains unchanged! However, with the increased number of dragons, we will be proceeding to support the Wing Crest. Therefore, command of the ground forces will be entrusted to Lord Arbent, the Order’s Master of Polar. I order you to follow his command and intercept the demons!”
As expected, Rex and the others will be tasked with intercepting the dragons.
I had anticipated this, and it makes sense to entrust the ground command to Polar’s Order’s Master.
Naturally, we have no objections, and neither do the other Hunters and Orders. There’s no reason to argue here, and no time to spare.
Now, the real battle begins.
Regardless of whether they are demons or dragons, we cannot afford to lose, and we have no intention of dying here.
We will fight to our limits!
