Chapter 192

<Takao Itsuki POV>

Eastern Army .

Putting it in a few words, this battlefield has turned into an atrocity .

Corpse… Corpse… Corpse……

A large number of corpses littered around that it would be too absurd to even count them .

Over 90% of the corpses were from the Great Demon Emperor’s side .

[So this is…… the power of an S-Rank Hero……]

Languidly, he said .

One of the members of the White Wolf Knights lowered the arm holding his sword .

His gaze was glued to the scene happening in front of him .

One Ogre Soldier had been miserably dismembered .

One Ogre Soldier’s skin was burning that some smoke was fuming out .

Another Ogre Soldier had shards of ice painfully clinging to the surface of his body .

These were due to my sister, Takao Hijiri’s inherent skills that have awakened during the battle .

<Fire>

<Blizzard>

The effect of two other attributes was granted to her base wind ability .

A unique skill that can also be called a composite attribute .

This skill, which had increased the effectiveness in this battle even further, was raging about on the battlefield .

The user, Takao Hijiri…

[Fuuuu…]

Then, she indifferently adjusted her breathing .

I, Takao Itsuki, was standing next to her .

I’m looking at the side of her face with respect .

I could see that—- she’s quite tired .

As expected, even if it’s Elder Sister, she would also be very exhausting fighting for a long time .

However, if someone were to look at her from a distance, they would only seem to see that she’s relaxed .

Elder Sister wouldn’t let her exhaustion appear on her face .

Only me, who had been with her for a long time, can understand the subtle changes in her emotions .

Seeing her like that…

[As expected of Elder Sister . ]

I can only utter my usual praise with the usual grin on my face .

No—– I don’t know what more I can say .

Even on this battlefield, my respect for my Elder Sister has only grown stronger .

△

Initially, the Eastern Army where we sisters were participating in, was being pushed back and kept retreating .

Along the way, the idea of leaving Elder Sister alone at the exit of the narrow valley path came up .

It’s a strategy to hold back the enemies while buying time for our allies to escape .

However, Sigurd Sigmus decided that the horde surging into the valley was too big for Elder Sister to hold back .

The Eastern Army passed through the valley path intact, and all of us retreated south towards the Nord Plains .

This is when the reinforcements from the Holy Alliance would arrive .

It’s the army of Urza that had taken position in the southwestern of the eastern battlefield as a reserve unit for reinforcing the army .

Having joined up with Urza’s army led by the Magic Knights, the Eastern Army somehow managed to push the enemies back .

However…

That’s when the Great Demon Emperor made its appearance in front of us .

As a result, the situation of the Eastern Army suddenly turned disadvantageous .

A fortress-sized being colored in purple and gold .

Its form looks like a frightening carnivorous plant that climbed up from the pits of hell .

The surface of its body is dotted with flabby gummy-like parts that glow in contrast to its body .

At the edges of his body, organs that look like the limbs of a crab eerily writhed about .

While that looks as if…

Parts that look like horns…

Parts that look like arms…

Parts that look like legs…

And parts that look like wings .

Or so those parts seemed to look like for me .

A humanoid shadow is visible in the center of the ominously large frame .

However, for some reason, I can only recognize that thing as a “shadow” .

It looks really blurry and its real appearance wasn’t visible .

The shadow seemed to be fusing with the gigantic body .

Could that be the Great Demon Emperor’s core—– its main body?

Remaining silent as it stood there, the Great Demon Emperor didn’t say a word .

However, the speed of the appearance of monsters increased while he continued creating his own forces on the spot .

The monsters were born from those flabby gummy-like parts of its body .

And just like a mouth…

“Kwuuaaarrrkkk”

It burst open—- And immediately afterward, clusters of monsters were violently vomited out .

For some reason, it reminded me of the fishes overflowing out of the nets that were hanging on the deck while they’re fishing .

The newborn monsters, covered in mucus, stood up .

The monsters began stripping off the armor from the corpses nearby .

Taking along the corpses’ weapons, the monsters joined the battle formation .

No matter how many monsters we defeated, it looks like the number of monsters wasn’t decreasing at all .

We fought hard together with the White Wolf Knights, but we weren’t able to push them back .

Even if we were able to put up a fight against them, we’ll eventually get overrun by monsters .

However—- we still haven’t given up on fighting back .

This credit was mostly thanks to Takao Hijiri .

The amount of monsters she killed due to her inherent skills far overwhelms the others .

However, there’s still one more thing that needs to be done to turn the tables around the monsters .

The Great Demon Emperor’s side is constantly producing fresh, energetic monsters .

On the other hand though, our side’s constantly building up fatigue over time……

Most of all, there was also the fear in everyone’s hearts that if the Great Demon Emperor stepped forward even further, the Eastern Army would collapse at once .

He had come out in front of us—- but at that time, the Great Demon Emperor was in a distance away from us .

Its size is so large that it can be seen everywhere .

The narrow valley path that its massive body had passed through looks somewhat narrower .

The distance between the Great Demon Emperor and the Eastern Army itself was still quite wide .

Therefore, at our current distance, it doesn’t seem like they’re still affected by the Tyrant’s Miasma of the Great Demon Emperor .

Thanks to that, the non-Heroes can continue fighting .

However, once the Great Demon Emperor moved forward, there was the risk of everyone collapsing at the same time .

At that time, the only one who would be able to decently fight would be us sisters who weren’t affected by the Tyrant’s Miasma .

That’s when it happened .

The Goddess Vysis and the golden S-Rank Hero appeared, riding on a magic horse .

▽

The corpses of monsters bringing forth an awful odor around them .

During the battle, Elder Sister had spread out her <Wind> to the side, like a wall protecting our allies in the rear .

And then…

[Fuuuuuuuu……]

The one standing in the forefront looks up to heaven .

In front of the man lies a large amount of monster corpses .

Behind him is the surviving Eastern Army .

With him acting like a borderline, he seems to have separated the border of life and death of the beings in front and behind him .

Crackle

The man—- Kirihara Takuto tilted his head and snorted .

Looking at Kirihira’s back, Sigurd rode his horse beside the Goddess .

[So…… What do you think, Vysis?]

Riding on her horse, the Goddess is relatively close to me and the others .

She doesn’t have any scratch on her .

Incidentally, riding on the Goddess’ other side is the mounted Nyantan, waiting upon her .

Regaining her grip on the reins after switching from her magic horse into a white horse, the Goddess said .

[Don’t you think he fought remarkably well?]

Even if the area was filled with a terrible stink, the Goddess has a smile on her face as she gazed at the battlefield .

[The Great Demon Emperor has retreated . In addition, we haven’t lost any of our S-Rank Heroes . It’s just—–]

Sigurd’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the battlefield .

[Don’t you think he gave up way too quickly?]

[I’m assuming that he had sensed the evolution of our two S-Ranks’ inherent skills and made a quick decision to retreat . ]

[But don’t you think that something doesn’t seem to be quite right?]

It was certainly the victory for the Eastern Army .

However, the expression on the Goddess’s face was stiff .

Listening to their conversation, I glanced towards my sister again .

(There’s something wrong with the timing of his retreat huh…… That Goddess, she said the same thing as my sister……)

Actually, Elder Sister had grumbled the same sentiment as the Goddess .

After the Great Demon Emperor’s retreat, my sister and I had a conversation like this .

“They’re retreating too quickly, how should I say this…… I feel like something’s missing . ”

“I feel like he pulled out because he felt threatened by the inherent skills of our S-Rank Heroes though?”

“Eh? Is that really so? That he pulled out because he was too scared?”

“In the first place, while we were in the midst of battle, I could see lots of signs of their advance . However—– it seemed like they suddenly gave up halfway through . Yes, it’s as if something irregular had happened . ”

“Seriously? I never thought the Great Demon Emperor had any intentions though? It doesn’t even look like it’s capable of communication . ”

“It may just be intuition acting up . Before that though, did the Great Demon Emperor really intend to crush the Eastern Army this time? For instance—- he wanted to get the Goddess and the other S-Rank Heroes to leave the Southern Army by showing himself in this place . ”

“That’s awesome, Elder Sister . How should I say this, you feel like those strategists . ”

“It’s just the I felt that way though . It’s not like I have any grounds for such an argument . ”

Remembering that conversation we had after the Great Demon Emperor retreated, I look at Kirihara’s back as he stood there alone .

[……You said earlier that the Great Demon Emperor didn’t run away from fear from seeing our S-Ranks’ inherent skill, right? Elder Sister . ]

[I did say that . ]

[However, I don’t know…… With Elder Sister’s inherent skill—– looking at what you were able to do, don’t you think that the Great Demon Emperor would feel threatened by an S-Rank’s power?]

Kirihara stood alone, with his back to everyone .

Before him, up in the skies—-

Several golden dragons emitting light flew up high .

Half of the monsters’ corpses have had half their bodies “extinguished” .

It may look like those parts were “shaved away” .

I guess it should be called something with a body made out of energy .

The figures of these golden dragons in the sky as their bodies scattered out sparks, completely dominating the skies .

These golden dragons violently surged, killing every monster on its path .

This situation could only be called a one-sided massacre .

The Ogre Soldiers’ lives were eaten away by the golden dragons .

Having no way to resist, they were mercilessly slaughtered by the golden dragon thrown by the Golden Hero .

Even now, after they devoured the monsters, the golden dragons continued wriggling about in the sky .

Tsk

Kirihara clicked his tongue .

[The Great Demon Emperor managed to escape huh…… Well, we finally arrived after all . ]

Kirihara looks back .

Glancing over his shoulders, his eyes caught the sight of his allies behind him .

[Have you finally come to your senses?]

Tinged with absolute confidence and certainty, Kirihara asked .

[I expect that there wouldn’t be any fools among those who saw this king’s battle…… This is finally where it begins . Yes—-]

Whooooshh!

As if he’s showing off…

While he’s still looking over his shoulder towards his allies, Kirihara turned his right palm to those behind him .

[This is Kirihara . ]

<In a place somewhere else…>

The remaining half of the Southern Army was scheduled to join up with the Southern Army where Sogou Ayaka and the others are .

That army was waiting at Synod, the royal capital of Magnar .

However, the information that the enemy’s Southern Invasion Force has rapidly increased the speed of their march comes flying in .

The speed of their march was too fast .

And just as they were about to reach the royal capital—–

Magnar’s army, led by the White Wolf King, was forced to clash with the Southern Invasion Force before the other half of their army manages to arrive .

The Magnar Army struck out of the royal capital .

However, their defeat eventually became apparent and they were forced to retreat to the royal capital .

But a few moments later, their gate was breached and the enemy invaded the royal capital .

And thus—- the battle became a fierce one with the royal capital as the battlefield .

Soon after, led by the Mad Emperor, the Brilliant Squadron and the Mira Imperial Army rushed to enter the war .

Fortunately, the enemy’s Southern Invasion Force they have clashed with doesn’t have any Confidants among them, and although there were some casualties, the Holy Alliance emerged victorious .

However, this battle devastated the royal capital of Magnar, Synod .

To make matters worse, the White Wolf King became missing around the time this battle in the royal capital happened .

Currently, whether he’s still alive or dead is still unknown .

Their desperate search still continues .

…………………… .

▽

Meanwhile, in the west .

The Western Invasion Force had pushed back Jonato’s Holy Extermination Force towards Jonato’s territory .

Why was it that the Holy Extermination Force that was overwhelming them before, was suddenly pushed back again?

With the entry of the enemy’s Confidant into the war, the battle suddenly turned into a disadvantageous situation .

The Great Demon Emperor’s army embarked on a great march to achieve the destruction of the Sacred Eye .

The Western Invasion army, led by the Confidant Dreikuva, had gotten closer to the royal capital of Jonato .

In response, Jonato sent forward the “Sacred Cavalry”, an ancient weapon that only the Saint could activate .

She sets out to a counter-attack, together with the Heroes from Another World led by Ikusaba Asagi .

The great invasion of the Great Demon Emperor’s army this time……

A fierce battle was fought in various places, but it was in the battle of the Western Army that had turned into the most bloody battle of all .

<Kashima Kobato POV>

Jonato Principality, royal capital .

[—–Curia . ]

The woman being carried on a stretcher—- the Saint, Curia Gilstain .

Rushing towards her was the Queen of Jonato .

The cream-colored stretcher-like cloth was smeared with fresh blood .

Some droplets were falling to the ground .

Gloomily, the Queen of Jonato turned pale as she looked down at the Saint .

The Saint’s silver hair messily hangs down on the stretcher .

Even her beautiful silver hair had about half of it stained in blood .

The Queen grabbed Curia’s hand and held it in between her own hands .

[Ah, Curia—– How could something like this……]

A puddle of blood had formed in the area where the Saint had fallen earlier .

As for the Saint on the stretcher—– It should be obvious .

She’s about to die .

Fortunately, her head remained relatively neat .

However, her body was in terrible condition .

In fact, it may be a miracle that each part of her body hasn’t broken down into a thousand pieces .

The Saint is currently is such a bad shape that it seemed like a miracle .

In the first place, it’s a mystery how she’s still able to live .

[Isn’t it fortunate that we have our Recovery Skills?]

Ikusaba Asagi, who was watching the grieving queen from a somewhat distant place, opened her mouth .

Asagi gave a thumbs up to some of the girls in the group .

[If you want, should we go with her? I heard that the skills of the Heroes from Another World are quite superior compared to the magic of this world, or so I heard . Well, that’s aside from the Abnormal State Skill though . ]

The Queen raised her pale face—- terribly slow .

She had a complicated expression on her face .

However, in a few seconds, the complexity in her face lowered down as she spoke to Asagi .

[Please… do…]

[Yeah, yeah . Then~…… I’m sorry to ask this immediately just after the battle ended, but I’ll be relying on you three . ]

The three girls who had been instructed by Asagi responded in a snap .

[A- Alright . ]

[Errr—- Then, we’re going . ]

[Y- Yeah . ]

The three girls rushed towards the stretcher .

Then, they began talking about something with the feeble-voiced Queen .

Eventually, escorted by the Queen, the Saint on the stretcher was carried away .

The Saint, the Queen, and the three members of the Asagi group became more distant .

Putting her hands behind her head, Asagi seemed so carefree as she looked towards them .

And just behind Ikusaba Asagi—-

The cavalry-styled, fantasy-esque, robot (that’s how it looks like to me) have fallen, half-destroyed .

More precisely, it was leaning against a half-collapsed building .

Apparently, this robot-like giant is called the Sacred Cavalry .

That Cavalry had been entangling on top of a huge monster .

I think he was calling himself Dreikuva .

It appears that they are called “demons”, not monsters because they can understand human language .

A huge lance was sticking out of Dreikuva’s mouth .

The tip of the lance had been pierced to the back of its head .

Broken walls and bricks scattered around the area .

Turning around, Asagi looked at Dreikuva’s corpse .

[But you know, I’m glad that we somenyow made it in time . ]

Asagi’s mouth smiled like a cat as her eyelids slightly drooped .

[This demon calling itself Confidant looks really strong…… If I could kill him myself, I would always do so . Isn’t it common knowledge that those boss-level enemies would give large amounts of experience?]

Yes .

It was the Saint who actually clashed against and brought down Dreikuva .

However, just as Dreikuva was on the verge of dying, it was Ikusaba Asagi who was able to deal with the finishing blow .

I stand next to Asagi .

Right now, I didn’t turn towards the Sacred Cavalry and the Confidant’s corpse that had died with its tongue sticking out behind me .

What I was anxiously looking at was the direction where the stretcher carrying the Saint disappeared to .

[Curia-san, I wonder if she’d be okay……]

Asagi looked astonished .

[No, nonono…… Are you alright, Kobato-chan? You don’t look like you’re alright spouting nonsense like that……]

[—–Say, Asagi-san . ]

[Fue?]

Looking at the absurd size of this corpse behind and the wreckage around me…

I’m strangely not feeling any shock .

Maybe it’s because, for some reason, it still hasn’t felt real for me .

[This dead demon that called itself a Confidant…… Was the strategy that Asagi-san suggested the only way to defeat him……]

[Hmm~?]

[Errr, umm…… Aside from that desperate simultaneous attack from Saint-san…… I’m wondering if there was no other way to defeat him……]

The sarcastic smile on Asagi’s face faintly loosened up as she looked at the direction where the Saint disappeared to .

[Queen-chan…… looks like she wanted to say something, doesn’t she? Her eyes look like she wanted to say that “It’s because of your absurd strategy that my precious Curia had got into such an awful mess!” or something like that . ]

The true emotions behind the Queen’s expression .

Seeing her face, I could sense the kind of intention that Asagi had just said .

[Hmm, however…… As a result of my strategy, the Sacred Eye wasn’t destroyed, and the country may have been devastated, but it was not to the point of being taken over by monsters . The sacrifices of the few could save a greater amount of people, so this is a good choice weighing it down the scales…… or so this Asagi-san thinks . ]

[I don’t know if that’s really the truth but……]

[Is this some kind of logical harassment? Fumu fumu, then~ does Popo-chan have an alternate plan in mind?]

[……Nnh, I don’t . Nothing really came up to mind . ]

[Uhahaha, soz soz . That way I said it just now might have sounded too bad . It’s alright . I just don’t like those people who, when I complained as I did so, would immediately start talking about some alternate plan . It’s just that, Poppo-chan……]

In front of Asagi’s gaze .

There, the girls from the Asagi group were helping out with the treatment of the wounded soldiers .

They are moving around diligently, cooperating with the people of Jonato at a distance away from the two of us .

That was also Asagi’s order .

Asagi told everyone…

“Fortunately, all of us Heroes survived in this battle almost unscathed…… But I don’t want us to cause unnecessary trouble here, so even when we’re tired, let’s go show them some dedication . That’s why, I’m going to have to say sorry to everyone! I know all of you were tired, but can I ask everyone to do our best a bit more?”

And so, she asked everyone to help treating the wounded .

[Actually, I’ve been thinking about what to do, you know…… Being thrown into a different world and all that stuff? I felt like we’ve been through a lot, you know? So, I’ve been thinking about where I want to go from here on out . ]

Looking at me with a wry expression on her face, Asagi lightly kicked the wreckage under her feet .

[For one thing, I want all of this Asagi-san’s group to survive . The other is to return to our original world with all of this Asagi-san’s group alive . For the time being, I thought it would be nice if I moved with these two goals as my priority . ]

I was somewhat bothered by the fact that she limited her words to just the Asagi group but…

[So, Asagi-san, you’re thinking of defeating the Great Demon Emperor with everyone?]

I held some anticipation when I asked so .

However, Asagi didn’t answer right away as she looked at me for a moment with an expression where I couldn’t read any of her emotions .

[Depends . ]

[Eh?]

[Let’s just say that this is just for instance . ]

Playing with her side hair with her fingers, Ayaka continued .

[Let’s just say that if it’s not just the Goddess-chan who has a way to let us return to our original world…… Let’s just say that the Great Demon Emperor also had a way to let us return to our original world . And if, after this, the Great Demon Emperor’s side has a definite advantage over the Goddess’ side, and we’re invited to join his camp—– Well, this is just a hypothetical thing, get it? I’m just talking about “what ifs”, you catch my drift?]

After saying so, Asagi continues .

[In the event that we are able to get back to our original world, rather than taking the Goddess’ side, if there’s a camp that has a higher chance for the group to return back to our original world, I think picking that option would fulfill my goal as well . ]

[Eh, that’s…… But……]

[I’m sure that there’s nothing better than the Goddess winning the battle and all of us can happily go back to our original world . It’s just that…… Us humans are basically beings that want to ride the winning horse, right? Well, what I’m saying is…]

Bending down, Asagi picked up the small piece of debris that had fallen beside her feet .

Throwing that pebble-sized debris upward again and again, Asagi played it on her hands .

[I don’t think Sogou Ayaka, the person Kobato loves so much, would ever approve of taking the side of the Great Demon Emperor . But you know—]

Swoosh

Asagi tossed the debris away .

The debris slammed into the wall of a half-destroyed building with a dry thud and rolled down to the ground .

[To survive in this world, you need to have a good sense of smell to be able to sniff out the winning horse . Nyar nyar . ]

I don’t know why .

I felt something even more uncanny about Asagi’s nature compared to before .

[Even so…… The Queen-sama’s face just now was really amazing, wasn’t it? I’m certainly the one who suggested to sacrifice her most precious Saint, but it was also me who saved this country by making that plan of desperately attacking them at the same time, right? How should I put it, for humans to make such complicated expressions on their faces…… Did you know that humans can make expressions like that, Kobato-chan? It’s amusing, don’t you think?]

[I don’t…… really know……]

[That “I don’t know” of yours is something really convenient for you to say . Well, I guess this is where our conversation ends . ]

With that, Asagi calmly stood up .

[Now then, I guess it’s about time for me to also do my best . The new skills that I’ve just learned—- especially that <Sensory Deprivation>, will come in handy when you have a lot of injuries . ]

(T/N: 痛覚遮断, this is still chanted as Queen Bee afaik, but I put this in to distinguish it from her other skill . )

Asagi had taken her inherent skills to a new level after this series of battles .

Although she’s a B-Rank, which is considered inferior to S and A-Ranks, Asagi has an inherent skill .

Moreover, in the course of this battle, it has even evolved .

Asagi had said something earlier .

“It’s just what I think, but I felt like there’s something hidden behind the alphabet rankings of us Heroes . There may even be a disparity among the S-Ranks . For instance, you may usually think that their S-Rank would mean “S U P E R”, but there may be a chance that there’s someone “S P E C I A L” who slipped in that ranking . Does my B-Rank have some kind of hidden rank that starts with “B”? Or sometyin like nyan?”

No…… There’s may unexpectedly be some chance of that being possible .

I felt an odd sense of persuasion upon those words .

If that’s the case…

(There may even be some hidden ranks among the C and D-Ranks?)

For instance, if I was in that hidden rank among the D-Ranks…

(I may be able to help out Sogou-san . )

I can’t help but fantasize about it .

[Come on, Poppo-chan, let’s go . You weren’t very much helpful in the fight earlier, so it’s times like this where you could recover your good points back . ]

(T/N: The second sentence doesn’t specify anyone, so she could be pointing about herself for all I know . I’ll just go assume she’s talking about little, timid Kobato . )

After she said that, I trotted over towards Asagi .

“Fuuuaaaahh~” Asagi loudly yawned .

[Sleepy…… By the way, I felt like most of the skills I’ve got from my evolved inherent skill seems to have a lot of debuffs . ]

[Debuffs?]

That word doesn’t really ring a bell in my mind .

According to Asagi though, it’s a term mostly used in games these days .

[The <Group Enhancement> I’ve been using until now is a buff . Buffs are those skills that power up everyone . And debuffs are the skills working opposite of that . ]

[It power downs?]

[Well, that’s basically the gist of those skills . ]

As she walks, Asagi lowers down her upper body .

She then picked up another pebble again that was lying at her feet .

[And you see? There are certainly some games where buffs and debuffs are almost meaningless with or without them, but depending on the game, they can be a very important factor in determining the outcome of a battle…… Well, if you put it that way, I guess they have the Abnormal State Skills here . Does the general idea of Abnormal States exist in these types of games? Heck, there are even some games where the Abnormal State Skills were making strong parameters meaningless . Well, it all depends on the game though . ]

For someone who doesn’t play games at all, what she’s talking about doesn’t really make any sense .

“It’s just that…”, something suddenly appeared in my mind .

Speaking of Abnormal State Skills…

(Mimori-kun……)

I looked down .

Asagi continued .

[What I mean is, Attack Skills aren’t all there is to fighting . In fact, it was only with Asagi’s buffs and debuffs that I was able to defeat that Confidant who was spreading its Tyrant’s Miasma everywhere . Ah, now that I think about it, I guess that Tyrant’s Miasma could be classified as a debuff . ]

Swoosh

Asagi throws the pebble in her hand .

An empty, uneven hole in the wall of a collapsed building .

The thrown pebble was perfectly caught in there .

It somehow reminded me of a tennis ball that would sometimes be wedged in the meshes of the fences .

[Well, that’s– how– it is, I think? Whether it’s buffs or debuffs, if you could use them well—-]

“Umu . ”

Asagi nodded her head .

[No other skill would be as strong as this one . ]

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