“That’s–” Lil pointed towards the sea.
Indeed, the sea’s surface was a beautiful emerald green. The waves stretched out to the horizon. As I squinted, I could see something far beyond. It was hard to gauge the distance due to how far away it was, but it seemed to be approaching us at an incredible speed.
“An Imperial fleet…!?”
“No, it doesn’t look like it. It seems to be…”
Just as Lil was about to finish speaking, I realized the identity of the approaching group. It was the figures of stone giant soldiers.
“A large army of Golems—just as the report stated,” Ashe muttered, a grim expression on her face.
“Golem…?”
“Golem—as the name suggests, they are statues animated by magic. They are often made of stone, but some are made of wood or iron,” Ashe explained, still giving a detailed lecture even at a time like this. “They possess immense power, infinite energy, and will continue to fight according to the caster’s orders until they are destroyed and rendered immobile. They are troublesome opponents.”
“And there are a lot of them, too,” Lil grumbled, furrowing his brow. “Roughly a hundred!”
So, the report about a hundred familiars must have referred to this army of Golems. Of course, I doubted that such a mass of stone could float on the sea on its own. They must be gaining buoyancy through some kind of magic.
“Seventh Squad, draw swords, all of you!” Beatrice shouted, puffing out her chest. Her rocket-like bust jiggled with the movement, a truly impressive sight. “Magic Swords, prepare to activate! We’ll destroy them all before they land!”
Then—countless glints appeared on the surface of the sea. It was the light of Magic Bullets. Streaks of light painted the air as fire, lightning, wind, and ice—attack spells of all attributes—rained down. They attacked us before we could even strike!
“Abel, Lil! Unleash Silent Incantation counter-spells!” Ashe instructed me and Lil.
“Counter them! Go, you dogs, fire!”
“Ooooooh!”
The captain of the Fourth Squad gave the order, and his subordinates roared. Attack spells were unleashed simultaneously from their outstretched hands.
“All personnel, Acceleration! Magic Swords—Limit Break!”
Following Beatrice’s orders, the Seventh Squad also fired Magic Bullets from their swords, spears, axes, and bows. Naturally, so did I, Ashe, and Lil—all members capable of offensive magic unleashed their spells in rapid succession. The enemy’s spells collided with ours in mid-air, creating countless blossoms of explosive light.
Exploding flames. Thick black smoke. My vision was overcome with red, black, and gray.
Suddenly—something flashed in front of me.
“Gah…!”
A scream echoed from somewhere. I looked back in surprise to see one of the female knights of the Seventh Squad collapsing. Her chest plate was stained crimson with blood. She must have been hit by a stray projectile that slipped through our defenses.
“Monica!” Beatrice cried, her face draining of color as she rushed to the fallen knight.
“Cap…tain…” Monica coughed up blood and lost consciousness.
“—Cure Kiss.”
Beatrice cradled Monica, her lips closing over the knight’s mouth as she chanted the spell. Her pale lips met Beatrice’s bright red ones, and a faint pink light burst forth.
“…Mm, f-fa…” With a sigh that sounded like a moan during sex, Monica’s ashen face flushed, and her color quickly returned. It was a remarkably powerful Healing Magic. The wet sucking sounds—I suspect Beatrice even used her tongue. Whether this was a necessary part of the magical ritual or simply a personal preference, I couldn’t be sure.
“Haa…” Beatrice withdrew her lips after a surprisingly long and erotic deep kiss.
“Captain…” Monica, clearly inexperienced, stared up at the beautiful captain, her face bright red. Perhaps it was her First Kiss.
“Your wound is healed. You should rest for a while,” Beatrice said, standing up. Her expression was grim. It was understandable. She had been lucky to save her subordinate; one wrong move and she could have lost her.
Is this… war?
“Is it… a battle to the death…?” Biting my lip, I refocused my gaze forward. The area was shrouded in black smoke from the exchange of Magic Bullets. Beyond it, the Golem army emerged. They had apparently shot down most of our magic, as they appeared unharmed.
“That’s—” one of the knights exclaimed. The lead Golem suddenly accelerated. at an unexpected—no, far beyond expected—speed. Several people fired a second wave of counter-magic, but none of them hit the Golem, which was weaving at incredible speeds across the sea.
In no time, they reached the shore where we were. The stone soldiers landed, kicking up spray.
“They’re huge up close…” I marveled, a mix of awe and disbelief washing over me as I looked up at it. It was over twenty meters tall. Its appearance resembled an armored knight. Its helmet-like head had two horns, and its chest was adorned with a V-shaped plate. Although made of stone, its design felt more like a giant robot than a Golem.
A man stood on its hand. He was a small man dressed in a black robe. Goggles that completely covered his eyes glinted orange in the sunlight.
“I am Dopari! A mage of rank 7=4, Adeptus Exemptus, sent by the great Magatsu Emperor!” Dopari announced in a singing tone.
…Does the Magatsu Empire have a law requiring them to announce themselves ostentatiously before a battle?
“The Emperor’s will is absolute! Obey me, or die!” This was a remarkably direct villainous speech.
“Her Majesty the Queen’s will is also absolute. We will not yield to threats. If you desire submission through force, we will cleave it away with blades of honor!” Ashe retorted bravely. “Good, Captain! That’s the spirit!”
“Then we have no choice but to fight. Until one of us achieves their objective—until one of us perishes.” With a defiant smile, Dopari leaped from the Golem’s hand, which served as his platform. He then used Flight Magic to ascend to the Golem’s head.
“Pileder On!” Dopari chanted as he landed on its head. I assumed it was the activation spell for the Golem. With a creaking sound, the Golem’s colossal body began to move.
“Let’s go, my mounts, Mazingazet! And my supreme Golem army!” Behind Dopari, nearly a hundred Golems accelerated simultaneously. The Golems approached in an instant. If this continued, not only the one Dopari was on, but all hundred would land.
“Immense power and infinite energy… interesting.” I reflected on Ashe’s earlier explanation. If such massive creatures landed in the Kingdom, it would be a disaster. Monica’s image, struck down by a stray projectile moments ago, flashed through my mind. So many people could get hurt like that. They could be killed. I swallowed hard.
“Abel…” Claire, standing beside me, trembled slightly.
“It’s okay.” I squeezed her hand to reassure her. I felt her trembling in my fingertips lessen slightly.
“Racine, too.” I looked to my other side and saw she was also trembling. I took her hand just as I had Claire’s.
“Thank you, Abel-sama…” Racine’s expression was rigid, but a faint smile touched her lips.
That’s right, I have to protect them. Not just the Kingdom. But more importantly, Claire and Racine, who are right beside me, and everyone else—
“They’re coming! Everyone, raise your magic power!” Ashe announced in a clear voice.
“Fourth Squad, don’t lag behind!” The captain of the Fourth Squad, a burly man with a rock-like physique, boomed at his subordinates.
“Seventh Squad, I won’t forgive you if you fall behind the other squads,” Captain Beatrice of the Seventh Squad smiled alluringly at her subordinates.
“We’ll carve a path!” The first to charge forward were a trio of burly men. They were Giaia, Bosche, and Eltegar of the Fourth Squad, known as the “White Comet.”
“Bosche, Eltegar, let’s unleash a Magic Stream Attack!”
“Blaze Arrow!”
“Thunder Bullet!”
“Windy Edge!”
Attack spells of fire, wind, and lightning were unleashed one after another. Elsewhere—
“Seventh Squad, Crane Wing Slasher!” Following Beatrice’s formation order, the female knights lined up in a V-shape and simultaneously swung their magic swords and spears. The multicolored magic lights of red, blue, green, and yellow that erupted merged in mid-air. They became V-shaped magic blades and soared towards the Golem army.
It was a barrage of magic spells from the Fourth and Seventh Squads. Explosive sounds. Roars. Flashes. Fireballs. The Golems, unable to dodge, took direct hits one after another, and the surroundings were engulfed in dazzling explosions and flashes of light.
“Did we get them…!” the White Comet muttered.
Wait, isn’t that line a trope—
“Did something just happen?” The Golem army, emerging from beyond the explosion, was unscathed.
“Ah, just as I thought.” I blurted out. Their appearance was exactly as the trope suggested.
“Unfortunately, my Golem army is covered in an exquisite Anti-Magic Coat. Magic of that level won’t even scratch them.”
“This is bad, fall back!” Ashe shouted. Almost simultaneously—
“Face Open!” At Dopari’s voice, the masks covering the Golems’ mouths unfolded to the sides, revealing mouths lined with fangs.
“Crush them! Gravity Burst!” A colossal black sphere was spat out from each. It distorted the surrounding space, and as the name suggested, it was likely a mass of super gravity—
—No way. My heart pounded.
This was similar to the scene I saw in my dream this morning. The battle was taking place by the sea, too. A black shadow unleashing Gravity Magic. A formidable enemy, unlike any I had faced before—
“Could it be, this is…!?”
