Chapter 364: Invisible Factors

<Author’s Notes>

My apologies, I wrote “ideally posting by the first half of December” back in the last update, but it got delayed and it’s now New Year’s Eve.

I also apologize for the lack of updates in the latter half of this year.

I was writing at the same time for another work and couldn’t easily switch my mind to the current timeline of the second part of the final arc, which led me into a mild slump…… ending up with me being rattled for the latter half of this year.

That said, I thought I should at least express my thanks and greetings to everyone at the end of this year, so with this last update of the year (which may be somewhat lacking in polishing), I would like to take this opportunity to briefly express my greetings.

Thank you very much for your support this year.

Before I knew it, it felt like I’d been carried through to the final arc, all thanks to everyone’s support.

In 2024, I will do my best to return to regular updates as much as possible so that I can respond to the support I have received so far.

Well then, see you again next year for the next update.

I wish everyone a happy new year.

The other day, Gio asked me for my advice.

“You want to be part of the first wave?”

“Even though we’re reinforcements, we don’t have any actual accomplishments in the outside world yet.”

“And you want to show them early on———– that the Faraway Country properly had its solid force huh”.

“That’s part of the reason. What I had in mind…… was that if we show them our performance, we will be treated better later on. But well…… Even more than that, I just want to show them that we aren’t guests here. We too———–”

Gio paused for a moment before continuing.

“I want to show them that we are also in this together.”

Scratching the back of his head, Gio spoke.

“Thanks to you, it’s a lot easier to talk with those in the higher-ups, Fly King.”

Gio Shadowblade leads the Leopard Light Army.

And now, he’s showing the others his subordinates———-

——and the sight of them taking the lead in this war.

Gio’s vanguard units were exposed to the onslaught of the enemy and were on the verge of entering a melee.

Before them stands a  largish half-horse Sacrament lightly brandishing a large hammer.

The Mira soldiers are being blown away one after another by its great hammer.

It was the Sacrament whose strength stood out on that front line.

Gio seemed to have chosen that Sacrament to be his target.

The dual-wielding black Leopardkin leaps.

It seems that the half-horse Sacrament was well aware of the approaching Gio.

It was quite quick to move into an intercepting position.

While holding the hammer in its right hand, it drew a long-bladed scimitar from its sheath with its left hand.

The Sacrament swung its scimitar directly at the leaping Gio.

Not to be outdone, Gio received the scimitar with the blade of the black katana in his right hand.

Holding it at an angle, he allowed the force of the enemy’s slash to flow to the side.

The blades of their swords violently scratched against each other, scattering sparks nearby.

At that moment, Gio swung his other katana———- the black katana in his left hand down on the head of the half-horse Sacrament.

[——————]

The half-horse Sacrament reacted———– in what appears like agitation.

Gio’s attack is fast.

“At this speed, he won’t be able to receive his attack with his hammer in time.”

Perhaps having judged it that way, the Sacrament released its hand from its hammer and attempted to guard with its arm.

It tried to catch the attack with its arm clad in silver armor.

—————————ZUBAAAAAAN!

The half-horse Sacrament was cleaved in half from overhead.

Thump.

In stark contrast to his vigorous slash, Gio lands quietly with both feet.

Gio’s black katana, which had been swung through the air, had its tip now just above the ground.

Yes……

His overhead attack had simply slashed through the attack that attempted to block his attack.

It was a powerful black slash that seemed to ignore the enemy’s gauntlet.

Moreover, that was merely a one-handed slash.

After the surrounding Mira soldiers saw this, they looked as if they had seen something extraordinary.

Furthermore, perhaps the surrounding Sacraments had also judged him as “an opponent to be wary of”……

They seemed to distance themselves a little.

Thereupon, the Leopardkin soldiers following behind came in like an avalanche.

They overtook Gio and joined the surrounding Mira soldiers.

Still in his landing position, Gio readied his black katanas————-

[————–GO!]

The Leopardkin soldiers to their army commander with a war cry.

Then, one after another, they engaged with the Sacraments.

Perhaps inspired by this, the Mira soldiers also increase their momentum.

[We will not be outdone by the Leopardkins! If we don’t show His Majesty the power of our Mira soldiers, when will we!? Charge!]

A battle cry resounded.

Here, the somewhat late infantry units of Mira joined in.

As a result, the forces on our side began pushing the Sacraments back.

Seras, who was watching the situation with me, spoke.

[As expected of Gio-dono and the Leopard army.]

[Yeah.]

The following hordes of Sacraments still showed no signs of stopping.

Just like a surging wave, the enemy forces on the front line continued to expand.

If things continued like that……

As if being enveloped, the front line will be swallowed from both sides.

And———— the sound of horseshoes roaring through the ground draws near.

As seen from our current location, the Sacrament army had spread out, coming in from the left.

There, an army was approaching, aiming at its flank.

It was the mixed army under Cattleya’s command.

The vanguard of the mixed army had been concealing themselves beyond the low hill on the left-hand side.

At that moment, the first of these forces crashes into the surging wave of Sacraments.

Of course, the Sacrament army noticed their arrival and took up a waiting position.

However, the enemy side was somewhat slow in their response to the cavalry charge.

This reduced the momentum of the Sacrament on the left side.

[They struck a blow to the flank at the perfect moment.]

Seras also gives her opinion, her voice filled with her trust.

[If I were on the enemy side…… I would have felt really vulnerable in that situation. As expected of the Princess.]

It seems like we’ll be leaving the left side to Cattleya.

Now then, as for the Sacrament army that spread out on the right———–

[As for the right side…… An army made up of Mira soldiers, their reserve corps, and the forces of the Faraway Country huh.]

As I recall, Rohm, who I had met through that matter back in the Human-Faceds in the fortress, has been incorporated into this group.

One of those commanding in the rear is Lieselotte Ornick.

Other than them, there’s also the reserve corps, a squadron made up of Demi-Humans who have taken refuge in Mira.

An army made up of Demi-Humans who holed up in an enclosed country and those who remained in the outside world.

Liese was concerned about whether the forces of the Faraway Country would be able to get along with the reserve corps.

At that moment, the Mad Emperor, riding his white horse, arrived and spoke.

[It seems that person———- that Arachnid Prime Minister has successfully won the hearts of the men of the reserve corps. As of now, our Mira army’s knights and soldiers seem to be communicating well with those from the Faraway Country.]

[Their coordination is partly due to the strength of the trust that Mira’s citizens have in Your Majesty. If His Majesty believes in something…… They believe that such a thing must be true. For Liese to successfully utilize the foundation you set up without wasting it———– in that sense, you could say that’s a testament to Liese’s skill.]

[That Arachnid Prime Minister…… She has changed a little bit since we met before in the Faraway Country. With the way things are going, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about her in the future.]

Thereupon, a messenger arrives and comes to report to the Mad Emperor.

Incidentally, our side isn’t only made up of the usual horse-riding messengers.

There are also Black Dragon-riders and Harpies.

Having Black Dragons and Harpies that are capable of flight on our side are quite useful.

Among them———— There was also Nyaki, acting as a messenger while riding a Giant Wolf.

This was something she herself wished for.

“Nyaki also want to be useful nya! Even if it’s in a small way, Nyaki wants to help nya!”

That said……

Just as a precaution, she has been kept away from the dangerous frontlines.

Moreover, it seems that Nyaki has at least learned the basics of combat from Gio and the others.

Above all———– She has her sister, Nyantan, by her side.

That’s why, Nyaki shouldn’t be in that much danger.

Also, a Giant Wolf’s legs are faster than a horse’s.

These Giant Wolves are able to understand the language, so Nyaki is able to ride on them.

In other words, she’s able to become useful enough as a messenger.

Turning my attention back to the battlefield———- on the right wing, the monsters of the Faraway Country are also running amok.

Thank goodness the majority of the enemy are white Sacraments.

This makes it easy for our side to identify which are friend and foe.

For us to distinguish whether they’re golden-eyed or not.

This alone is risky. 

Especially during melee……

If people are worked up, they may make a mistake in distinguishing between friend and foe.

It’s a situation where their lives are at stake.

The so-called “accidental” friendly fires can happen.

But basically, on this battlefield, people only need to identify the “whites”.

All those other than them are allies.

In this way, even the monsters of Faraway Country can always be recognized as “allies” and fight.

[I felt this in the battle with Alion’s Thirteen Cavalries…… but I never thought that the day would come when we would fight hand in hand with monsters like this.]

So said the Mad Emperor.

The Cerberus Roa was particularly active.

Roa is also the unifying force for the monsters.

The monster squad belongs to the Dragon Light Army, which is on standby back in the Faraway Country.

However, Roa and the monster squad had been sent out here.

These monsters are boldly facing the Sacrament without hesitation.

It seems like Qir and her Horse Light Army and the Mira soldiers are coordinating well in battle.

Thereupon, the Harpy unit led by Gratora joined the fray.

However……

[The question now…… is when the others will move.]

I’m also keeping an eye on the overall situation.

However, the whole operation is basically left to the Mad Emperor and Cattleya.

Handling large-scale commands isn’t within my domain after all.

The three main areas where I directly direct the movement.

The Fly King Squadron.

The Knights of the Holy Kingdom of Neia, entrusted to me by Cattleya.

And———- the Heroes.

[The lack of information from the Royal Capital Enoh…… really became quite the bottleneck huh.]

It has been a long time since the reports from Mira’s spies ceased.

There have been no movements from Erika’s familiars either.

Whether the Heroes will be mobilized or not……

As for where those Divine Servants and Vysis are now……

Seemingly having sensed my thoughts, Loqierra spoke.

[Sorry…… I wish I could check the situation over there with my decapitated head, but right now, that head over there———- How should I put it…… It’s in an autonomous state, acting independently from me. And so, I wasn’t able to meddle with the situation over there. I’ve shifted my power to this offshoot, but as that side is on the verge of death…… so I’m not even sure if it’s even properly conscious……]

What I’m worried about is if both the Divine Servants and Vysis would simultaneously make their attack on this battlefield.

There are three Divine Servants.

The pieces I could use against them here……

Sogou Ayaka.

Takao Sisters.

Other than the Heroes, the Mad Emperor and Gio might also be able to contend against them.

However, these two also have the responsibility of taking command of others.

I think the Mad Emperor, in particular, should be handling the commanding more rather than fighting as an individual on this battlefield.

And the ones who will be facing Vysis are……

Me.

Pigimaru.

Seras.

Munin.

There’s also Asagi’s group who would be operating as a detached force.

………………..

It’s for this reason that it’s difficult for us to deploy the Heroes at the moment.

So to speak, the role of the Heroes is to take on the big bosses and boss-level enemies.

Thus, I have to take into consideration preserving their fighting strength.

The problem with Heroes lies in their usage of MP.

Our Unique Skills consume a large amount of MP.

Therefore, if they enter a battle with the Divine Servants after they ran out of MP———– or with their MP significantly reduced————- increases the risk of losing.

There are two ways to recover reduced MP.

Either level-up or sleep.

However……

[Reporting!]

A messenger from the center of the front line.

Not long ago, the Brilliant Squadron entered the battle there.

Yes, the Brilliant Squadron is a unit working together with the Asagi group.

With the cooperation of the Brilliant Squadron, I had them attempt something for me.

“I asked them to turn over the killing blows to the members of the Asagi Group as much as possible.”

The messenger spoke.

[As per our orders, we continued the battle while handing over the killing blows to the Heroes as much as possible but……]

What he’s about to say is probably not the report I’m looking forward to.

I can already tell what his message is from the expression on the messenger’s face.

[Currently, no level-ups have occurred for any of the Heroes……]

As I thought huh.

[I understand. Please keep me informed on the situation hereafter.]

The messenger steps back.

My bad premonition seems to have come true.

I turned to Loqierra on my shoulder.

[I suppose it’s better if we think———– that Vysis has made it so that we won’t get any EXP from defeating the Sacraments huh.]

[Looks like it……]

Of course.

It’s also possible that she could only make it so one could only get a small amount of EXP.

Perhaps, we would be able to level up if we kill a lot of them.

However, it would be really bad to rely on something we aren’t sure of.

If that’s the case———-

We can only recover our reduced MP by sleeping.

This being the case, even if we were to send out the Heroes, they would just be in a situation where they find it difficult to use their Unique Skills.

Naturally, even if they don’t use their skills, they will still get tired if they fight.

It becomes necessary to rest.

[……The scale of the Sacrament reinforcements they’d have after this is currently unknown. We also want to maintain the numbers of the non-Hero soldiers, if possible, with fewer casualties.]

[But deploying the Heroes is the effective way to reduce the casualties huh.]

[Sogou and Hijiri, in particular, as they have skills that can beat down enemies in a wide area. The skills of those two S-Ranks are also effective against the giant Sacraments…… Well, if it’s just the large Sacrament, I can also deal with them with my skill but……]

[Considering we’d need a wide-area attack against a large enemy force———-]

[Yeah, those two’s skills are better suited in this situation than my Abnormal State Skills.]

……The wave of enemies continues.

And———- I could see them.

In the distance, the silhouette of Giant Sacraments.

Their aim…… might have been me.

Fortunately, the MP consumption of Abnormal State Skills is overwhelmingly low.

Fighting with it also doesn’t accumulate that much fatigue in me.

It’s just, if those Giant Sacraments were “baits”……

What if Vysis is among them, looking for an opening……

Yes, I could see several possible patterns in this situation.

Vysis and the Divine Servants have come to this battlefield.

Vysis and the Divine Servants are currently on their way to Jonato.

Vysis and the Divine Servants———— even now, are still in the Royal Capital of Alion.

As for the probability of each pattern……

Actually, I see the third pattern as the most likely.

This is because I heard Loqierra’s predictions.

For example———-

“The location of the gate deployment can’t be quickly changed.”

“If the deployment location is to be changed, it will require Vysis a considerable period of preparation.”

“She can’t imagine Vysis leaving the Royal Capital unattended and risking having her Anti-Deity Sacraments destroyed right under her nose.”

Her predictions were persuasive.

However, there’s still a possibility that Vysis will try to outwit us.

I certainly don’t think she will leave the Royal Capital and head for Jonato.

After all, she’s afraid of having her Anti-Deity Sacraments while she’s away.

Especially since we have the means to destroy her Giant Sacraments.

However———–

If she were to leave the Royal Capital and come to crush us directly……

If she also intends to engage in the decisive battle on this battlefield……

That possibility remains.

“She intends to wear down the Heroes with her Sacrament army and then come to kill us.”

Such a possibility “exists” because the thought that such a thing wouldn’t happen has come to our mind.

A counterplot against our counterplot.

What we need now is proof.

Information that can be confirmed.

That right now, Vysis and the Divine Servants are in the Royal Capital.

Yes, what is needed———- is that definite information.

On the other hand……

If we can deal with this dilemma———– the Heroes can be deployed.

[These waves of subsequent Sacraments don’t feel like it would stop…… The number of enemies reaching the frontlines is increasing. Did Vysis…… come here to settle things once and for all? Or perhaps……]

Loqierra is also unable to tell.

I put my gloves back on.

[Well…… I’m going to fight to some extent too. To solve this issue of conserving the Heroes’ MP———- Me, who can deal with the MP consumption problem, should be the one to come out. I’ll handle dealing with those large guys.]

I must also move under the assumption that Vysis and the others would come out.

Thus, I should make sure that Sogou and the others are prepared as well.

……Hmm?

[Umm, Touka-dono.]

[……Yeah.]

I also noticed it.

A crow is coming our way.

[Could that be…… a familiar?]

The way it crows.

That’s one of the cues to indicate if that was a familiar.

The crow landed on the ground in front of me.

And then, it moved its wings.

A unique movement, similar to Morse code.

There’s no doubt about it.

This crow is a familiar.

[Is Erika back?]

The character board is always kept nearby so that it’s ready for when the familiar arrives.

Seras brings the character board and places it on the ground.

I get ready to take notes.

The crow begins to move over the character board.

Watching over this familiar———–

[………………]

[Is something the matter, Touka-dono?]

[When I went to defeat the Human-Faceds from the Northern Demon Zone that attacked a fortress west of the Anti-Demon War Castle…… Erika’s familiar, that I had left with Rohm at that time, had been retrieved by me later.]

[Eh? Yes……]

[Just in case, so that I was immediately informed when Erika regained consciousness and contacted us with her familiar…… There’s currently someone assigned near that birdcage. If they saw the familiar giving that signal we talked about, they are to report to me immediately.]

[Ah…… Indeed……]

[And yet, for some reason…… Erika has used a different familiar rather than the one over there?]

There may have been some circumstances at hand.

……No, perhaps……

This one……

Is this——— not Erika’s familiar?

[Sorry.]

When I called out, the crow stopped.

[Are you Erika?]

After a moment’s pause, the crow moved.

“No”

Thereupon, it started moving again, spelling out the word———-

“Liz”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep