Side: Gram
“It’s time. Yamato, you’ll deploy the barrier as planned, and with Clarice’s support, we’ll charge the Orc settlement!”
The Order’s Master gave the order, and everyone nodded vigorously.
The Alliance’s main operation, the strategy to subjugate the Orc King and Orc Queen, was finally beginning.
“Alright, here I go.”
Yamato, holding a single-edged sword called a ? in his right hand and the same kind of short sword in his left, deployed a wind barrier.
It was some kind of magic called Engraving Magic from Yamato’s world, Alfheim.
He said it wasn’t magic, but it didn’t matter.
Besides, several Grand Orcs had already been slaughtered.
Even though Grand Orcs are B-U rank monsters, they were being defeated too easily.
“Clarice.”
“Understood.”
Clarice, a High Vampire and archer of Holy Grave, shot an arrow made of ice-attribute magic at the Grand Orcs, who were surprised by the wind barrier, causing further chaos.
This is our chance.
“Charge!”
Seizing the opportunity, the Order’s Master’s command echoed.
Yamato and Prim, the Alliance’s strongest assets, were tasked with defeating the King and Queen, so their charge was delayed slightly.
The rest of us were to handle the rabble, including the S-R rank monster, Giant Orc.
“Jade, as agreed, please.”
“Fluorite, I’m counting on you.”
From above, Yamato and Prim’s familiars, Hippogriffs, were also scheduled to provide support.
Apparently, their Hippogriffs had evolved into rare species.
While Hippogriffs are G-rank, there’s no higher species, making them P-R rank monsters. However, since they were children only a few months old, they’d probably be G-rank equivalent.
Still, considering Battle Horses and Grantpus are C-rank, they’d be quite high-ranking familiars.
“Whoa! That was close!”
I dodged the fist of an attacking Grand Orc and swung the sword made of Jade Silver at its neck without holding back.
With that, the Grand Orc’s head was cleanly severed from its body.
I had heard I didn’t need to worry about the limits of magic reinforcement, and I had practiced it on the way, but this sword is truly amazing.
“Hah! Take this!”
“Orya!”
Faris, the Helfaery leader of Holy Grave, mowed down two Grand Orcs at once with her great axe, while her husband, Cliff the High Human, cut down a Giant Orc with a single blow from his greatsword.
That one was made of Blue-Gray Iron, a metal based on Adamantine Steel, wasn’t it?
Either way doesn’t matter.
This was my first time seeing G-rank Hunters in action, and they weren’t as refined as the Order.
However, they were bold yet precise in their attacks, so the attacking Grand Orcs and Giant Orcs were being defeated quite easily.
The Giant Orc, at least, is an S-R rank monster, so even G-rank Hunters should have a tough time with it…
“Taaah!”
“Serya!”
The Order members were not to be outdone.
While their shields were still Magic Silver, they surely deflected attacks and drove their swords into vital points.
They all used single-handed straight swords, so they weren’t as flashy as Holy Grave, but they were still defeating them surely.
“Oh, this fire is Fluorite. I’d never heard that Hippogriffs could breathe fire, but since they evolved with Prim’s Mana, it’s not impossible.”
No, wait a minute, Faris.
Prim is good with fire magic, but for her familiar to be able to do the same? That’s brand new information!
Faris also heard it for the first time, but it’s still abnormal!
While I was thinking about that, ice spears rained down from above, piercing the limbs of Grand Orcs one after another.
Jade again!
“To think a Hippogriff could handle ice-attribute magic to this extent.”
“As their familiars, it’s only natural. But the aerial support is helpful. Let’s keep reducing their numbers!”
“Let’s do that! If we dally, those two will snatch all the prey!”
Those two? You mean the Ancient pair.
It’s true they were scheduled to charge twenty minutes after us, but since we’ve defeated nearly twenty Orcs in less than five minutes, it’s hard to say how many will be left…
No, with Yamato’s Alfheim, more than ten Grand Orcs were eliminated, so if they join in, we might really get wiped out.
Or so I thought, when an Orc with dark bluish skin appeared from what looked like a fortress in the center of the settlement.
Normal Orcs have green skin, Grand Orcs have red skin, Giant Orcs have the same green as normal Orcs, and Kings and Queens have dark red skin, but Princes and Princesses have dark bluish skin.
This means the one that appeared must be a Prince and Princess.
Wait a minute!
Why are there so many abnormal species of Prince and Princess here!?
“Impossible… Seven Prince and Princesses in total?”
“Even with a King and Queen, this is unheard of…”
The Order’s Master and Faris are shocked, but it’s generally believed that abnormal species are born only one at a time.
Including the one Holy Grave defeated the other day, that makes eight in total.
And with two Catastrophe Species above them, even an Alliance composed of two Ancient Classes and thirteen High Classes could be annihilated.
“This is unexpected, but… What do we do, Order’s Master? I don’t think we can escape.”
“…”We have no choice but to fight. Soon, we’ll be surrounded by Grand Orcs and Giant Orcs from behind. Even if we retreat, we can’t find a way out without fighting now.”
“You’re right. With seven abnormal species and two Catastrophe Species waiting, we need to reduce their numbers as much as possible.”
Muse and the Order’s Master have very serious expressions.
I agree with reducing their numbers, but I recall Holy Grave saying it took five High Class individuals to finally defeat one Princess.
Seven of them would require at least thirty-five people, but we only have fifteen, so we’re severely outnumbered.
“Look at that!”
Just as I thought that, Cardina shouted.
Confused, I looked, when suddenly the Prince and Princess were enveloped in a barrier of wind and fire.
What is that!?
“Yamato and Prim!”
It’s them!
They were supposed to have more time before their charge, but did they break through their limits already!?
And why are they flying in the air normally!!
“We came out because we saw a swarm of Princes and Princesses and thought it was dangerous, was that a mistake?”
“N-no, it’s not a problem since it helped us…”
“W-what is that barrier…?”
“I’m fanning Prim’s fire magic with my Alfheim.”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but it worked out well.”
All of us, forgetting we were in the middle of enemy territory, were utterly dumbfounded.
“What are you two doing!!”
I’m absolutely not wrong for shouting that.
“Geez! Don’t shout so close! My ears hurt!”
Prim the Ancient Foxy, with her keen hearing, complained, but I couldn’t care less.
“What about the Princes and Princesses?”
“They don’t seem to be moving, so they’re probably dead? I’ll freeze them just in case, but I think we can consider it over.”
“I-is that so…”
Faris has a look of disbelief, but I can say with certainty that everyone here feels the same.
Defeating G-I rank monsters so easily is amazing, but when I think about what they’ve done, it makes me feel like they’re not all there.
Indeed, Yamato immediately froze the Princes and Princesses.
“Well, for now, the Princes and Princesses are dealt with. The King and Queen are still remaining, but now that things have escalated this far, they’ll surely appear soon.”
The Order’s Master is still shaken.
I understand perfectly.
I almost pity Retisencia for having to deal with them.
“That’s right. Also, we still have Grand Orcs and Giant Orcs to deal with.”
Has Faris already recovered?
Ah, now I remember, she was present when they easily dealt with Abyss Taurus.
She probably didn’t expect this level of performance, but still, she’ll take less damage than us.
“Well then, shall we get to it?”
“Let’s.”
Yamato and Prim, increasing the intensity of their Physicarring and Manaring, took down Grand Orcs and Giant Orcs as they passed them.
Is it luck, or are they all one-hit kills?
The worst case was the Giant Orc that Prim charged headfirst, creating a large hole in its torso.
“Do you even need my support?”
“When it comes to those two? Besides, this is absurdly overpowered…”
“Not only Grand Orcs but even Giant Orcs are blown away like tissue paper. There definitely won’t be any left for us.”
Clarice, Salina, and Burks were beyond shocked, utterly dumbfounded.
Indeed, with this, there will be no prey left for us.
Couldn’t we have just done this without the Alliance?
“We’ll think about that later. For now, we must take down as many as we can. All troops, follow them!”
I forgot, we’re in the middle of a battle.
The surrounding Orcs were being eliminated by them, so I unintentionally forgot.
But there are still Orcs left, and more importantly, the King and Queen remain, so complacency is forbidden.
I need to get serious!
In about twenty minutes, most of the Orcs in the settlement were defeated.
There are still some left, probably about ten.
Normally, some would flee, but Yamato and Prim were advancing along the outer perimeter, in opposite directions, so even the escaping individuals quickly turned into corpses.
Fearing them, all the Orcs have barricaded themselves in a massive fortress-like structure at the very back.
The reason for the question mark is that it’s nothing more than a hastily built hut made of piled-up logs.
“We’ve almost wiped them out, and they still won’t come out?”
“We have no choice but to charge in there. It’s troublesome, but let’s go.”
As expected of a “fortress,” several felled trees are piled up, giving it a sturdy appearance.
And with a sheer cliff behind it, there’s probably a cave where the King and Queen are.
Yamato and Prim’s reconnaissance didn’t reveal that much; they thought the large fortress in the center was where they were.
“That’s definitely not good. If there’s a cave and the fight happens inside, it’ll be too dangerous even for you.”
“I agree with the Order’s Master. You might not be outmatched even by P-C rank monsters, but we should still eliminate any potential risks as much as possible.”
As the Order’s Master and Muse said this, Yamato and Prim, who were about to charge, stopped in mid-air.
If they had been a little slower to stop, wouldn’t it have been too late?
“Then, what do we do?”
“Let’s see… Shall we try burning the inside of the cave?”
“Ah, that’s a good idea. Besides, if we use wind-attribute magic, we should be able to send smoke all the way to the back even if we can’t burn the cave.”
“Smoke them out, you mean? That’s a bit questionable, but it’s our only option.”
“Understood. Then, if there’s a cave behind that fortress, we’ll throw logs in and set them on fire.”
It’s not typical Order behavior, but given the circumstances, it’s unavoidable.
“Then I’ll go ahead and check out the situation.”
“Please do.”
“Leave it to me. Fluorite, Jade!”
Yamato and Prim, riding Jade and Fluorite, who had been providing aerial support, infiltrated the fortress from the sky.
They seem almost defenseless against aerial attacks, but if there’s a cave, it won’t be a big problem.
“There seems to be no problem.”
“Yes. All troops, advance.”
Even if there was a problem, they probably would have solved it with brute force.
We successfully infiltrated the fortress.
It was larger inside than I expected, but not large enough for this many people to fight in.
“First, we need to destroy this fortress and secure some space.”
“Right. Fortunately, they’re just stacked logs, so it’ll be easy to clear. There are many, but it shouldn’t take too long.”
As the Order’s Master and Muse said, it all started from there.
Still, Faris cleared away the remnants of the fortress with her Blue-Gray Iron great axe in one go, so it really didn’t take long.
“Then let’s begin.”
With the space secured, I, Burks, and Dart, carrying the wreckage of the fortress that Faris had cleared, threw them into the cave.
Then Prim, Elena, Muse, and Riala cast fire magic to set them ablaze, and Yamato fanned the flames with wind and prevented smoke from escaping, completing the preparations.
We waited in a tight formation, with Yamato and Prim at the front, ready for the Orcs to emerge from inside.
Of course, we kept a distance of over ten meters from the cave, and about five meters from Yamato and Prim so as not to obstruct them.
“This ground trembling…”
“They’re probably rushing out in a panic.”
Within five minutes of lighting the fire, there was a reaction.
They’re probably rushing out in a panic, but there seem to be quite a few of them.
“They’re coming out.”
“Indeed. Wait, something’s wrong!”
Faris exclaimed, but I could tell something was wrong too.
The Orcs that appeared before us numbered eighteen in total.
Eight Grand Orcs and three Giant Orcs are acceptable.
But what was with the five nearly four-meter-tall Orcs with dark reddish skin!?
“Two Kings, three Queens…? That’s absurd!”
“More are coming… What is that!?”
And lastly, two Orcs emerged, as large as Giant Orcs, with dark bluish skin like the Princes and Princesses, and dragon-like wings on their backs.
“W-what are they…?”
“I’ve never heard of them, but it’s not impossible…”
“I-is that so?”
“Yes. But if my prediction is correct, we’ll all die here…”
Everyone gasped at Faris’s confident assertion.
No, at this point, facing five Kings and Queens combined is already a death sentence, but those two huge blue ones are even more dangerous!?
“If we survive, I’ll tell you all about it!”
Faris let out a nearly screaming voice, but retreating wasn’t an option.
Even though demi-humans have low intelligence, they’d understand where we came from, and if we retreated, they’d likely attack Feel.
So, we needed to reduce their strength even a little, but it’s hard to say how much we can do.
“We might have to use our trump card.”
“I didn’t want to use it as it’s still unfinished, but I guess we have no choice.”
We were prepared to fight with our backs against the wall, but Yamato and Prim still seemed unfazed.
Wait, do they have a trump card?
“Rex, based on the position, we’ll miss one Queen, can you handle that one?”
“It’ll be difficult, but I’ll try to manage one. And are you two planning to fight not only those blue Orcs but also the Kings and Queens!?”
“Now, those are secondary!”
Yamato, who had asked the Order’s Master to handle the Queen, made a great number of Multi Edges float around them, piercing one of the giant creatures, and then severed its neck, while Prim, clad in her ultimate move, Extreme Flame Wing, charged at incredible speed, creating a gaping hole in the other giant.
Oh, their Mana is still increasing!
“Gah!”
“…Indeed, it’s secondary.”
The two Kings who were about to attack us were skewered one after another by Yamato’s freely controlled Multi Edges, falling with blood spurting from various places. The two Queens exploded internally as soon as Prim’s Extreme Flame Needles pierced them, and then died.
They defeated Catastrophe Species too easily…
“Shielding!”
“Don’t space out, Gram!”
“S-sorry!”
I shouldn’t be staring in admiration!
The Order’s Master created a giant shield in front of him, using Knight Magic Shielding to reinforce its defensive power, and Muse snapped me out of it while striking with her sword.
As a signal, Cliff also swung down his greatsword, but the Queen blocked it with her own sword.
“It’s shallow! Uwah!”
“Muse!”
Muse was blown away, but luckily the Queen wasn’t wielding a sword in her left hand.
However, being blown away by the Queen’s brute strength, even with a punch, meant Muse was severely injured.
“High Healing! How is it?”
“S-sorry, Faris. As expected of a P-C rank monster, it broke several of my ribs in one blow…”
“My High Healing can’t fix fractures. Muse, you focus on support.”
“I understand. I’d only be a hindrance in my current state.”
Muse, multiple rib fractures from one blow?
Even with Faris’s High Healing, it’s tough to be incapacitated here.
“Faris, I’ll take over Muse’s treatment.”
“Cardina, is it? I’m sorry, but I’ll leave it to you.”
Cardina, an S-rank healer, is the only healer participating in this operation, so she can use healing magic more effectively than Faris and can also use regenerative magic.
Of course, no one expected no one to get injured, so Cardina didn’t participate much in combat and was guarding Clarice with Burks and Salina, but I never thought this timing would be so opportune.
Right, I should join the attack too.
“Oooorayyyy!!”
I imbued my sword with my signature lightning-attribute magic and leaped at the Orc Queen with a war cry.
“Ughh!!”
But the Queen easily dodged my attack and swung her sword at me.
Gah!
“Shielding!”
However, that attack was blocked by the Order’s Master’s Shielding.
Shielding is supposed to be used only in front of oneself, but for her to use it on me who is at a distance, she’s amazing.
“Thank you, Order’s Master!”
“Don’t charge recklessly! It’s a Catastrophe Species!”
I know, but what choice do I have when my attacks are ineffective?
“Ugh!”
While thinking that, a kick flew towards me.
I dodged it at the last moment, but I couldn’t avoid it completely, and it grazed my side, blowing me back a little.
Even though it only grazed me, my ribs are broken…
“Ouuuch… To break my ribs from just a graze…”
Looking around, everyone else has sustained injuries, albeit to varying degrees.
Fortunately, no one took a direct hit from a sword, but the continuous gusts of wind and fire from swinging swords are causing damage.
“Shielding!”
For the nth time, the Order’s Master’s Shielding blocked the Orc Queen’s sword.
However, since the shield is made of Magic Silver, it shouldn’t withstand the Order’s Master’s Shielding repeatedly.
Just as I thought that, the Shielding shattered, and at the same time, the Order’s Master’s shield also broke.
What the heck!!
“Now!”
But the Order’s Master had anticipated this. Throwing the shattered shield at the Orc Queen, he thrust his sword into the base of her left arm.
Furthermore, from behind, I saw Faris swinging her great axe from high above.
“Seyaah!”
“Groararararararara!!”
That blow deeply embedded itself into the Orc Queen’s right shoulder, but it didn’t sever it.
Nevertheless, the damage taken was significant, and she finally dropped her sword. Her left arm also became immobile, so this was undoubtedly our chance.
“Order, I have an announcement! Use Arresting to immobilize the Orc Queen! Holy Grave and Iris, you’ll join me in a full-scale assault!”
“Understood!”
Arresting is a Knight Magic used to restrain criminals, and it’s effective when used with ropes.
However, by consuming more Mana, it can be used to restrain with Mana alone, making it versatile.
I don’t think it can completely restrain an Orc Queen, but it should be able to immobilize her movement for an instant, and with that opening, the remaining members plan to finish the battle with a full-scale assault.
“Arresting! T-this is tough!”
“Don’t complain! Now’s our chance!”
“I know!”
It was tougher than I expected, but Muse, despite her injury, is using Arresting, so there’s no time to complain.
That was just a comment.
And then, multiple arrows from Clarice pierced the immobilized Orc Queen, Burks and Salina executed a well-timed coordinated attack, Faris’s great axe struck down her right arm, Cliff’s greatsword severed her left arm, Iris’s sword pierced near her heart, and as a finishing blow, the Order’s Master’s sword decapitated her.
Finally, it’s over.
Speaking of which, what about them?
As I thought that, I looked towards where Yamato and Prim were fighting. Yamato was piercing the giant creature with a multitude of Multi Edges, then decapitating it, while Prim, unleashing Extreme Flame Needles, plunged in at tremendous speed, creating a gaping hole in the other giant.
To defeat individuals who are likely stronger than the Orc Queen we just defeated with our combined efforts, what is going on with them…?
