<Yasu Tomohiro POV>

Once the First Guardian Wall was breached, the main battlefield shifted immediately.

The battles moved to the defense of the Second Guardian Wall——— and to the battles outside it.

As expected, the fiercest clashes erupted in the east and south, where the gates stood.

But the swarm of Sacraments was already scaling the walls.

At first, I thought the gates wouldn’t matter anymore———-

But it turned out that mid-sized or larger Sacraments were struggling to get over the walls.

It seemed the Sacraments had realized this as well.

Their forces intensified their assault on the Second Guardian Wall’s gates.

Still, at the Eastern Gate where I fought, we somehow held the defensive line.

The Magnar army and both the old and new Drunken Sword Party were there fighting alongside us.

Meanwhile, the southern gate, defended by the Mira army and the army of the Faraway Country, was under heavy strain.

To help them, the Drunken Sword Party moved to reinforce the south.

The battle there became even more ferocious.

In the Mira army, Hauzen Diaz, the elder of the Three Elected Imperial Households, was slain.

The Drunken Sword Party lost one of its oldest warriors, Bigg.

Even their vice-captain, Foss, suffered grave injuries.

Others were wounded as well.

To cover the retreat of those injured comrades, their captain, Lili, stepped in to assist.

It was then that Lili unleashed Stormcalibur’s ability, “Null Field”.

(T/N: Infinite Mad Needles / Null Field)

It was a power that risked striking allies if any were nearby.

Thus, she chose to act alone, taking the rear guard position.

However, along the way, the ability’s side effects nearly drove her to madness.

She was on the verge of charging deep into the enemy swarm alone.

At that moment, Wright of the Mira army led his troops in to rescue her.

Somehow, they managed to retreat back inside the Second Guardian Wall.

But———–

The southern gate was destroyed under the relentless assault of the Sacrament army.

And standing in their way was———-

One of the Four Warlights of the Faraway Country: Dragonkin, Kokoroniko Doran.

Kokoroniko had drunk the “Ancient Dragonization Blood”.

It was one of the treasures kept in the Faraway Country’s sealed vault.

The ancient blood caused an irreversible transformation into a colossal dragon.

In exchange for losing the ability to ever speak human tongue again, she gained the immense power of an Ancient Dragon.

With fiery breath attacks, she burned Sacraments to ash, trampled them, slaughtered them.

However, with the southern gate destroyed, powerful large-class Sacraments poured in one after another.

Even with a mighty colossal dragon on our side, how long could we hold———-

Such a thought began to creep into some people’s minds.

In any case———- this was how mid-sized and larger Sacraments began flooding in through the Second Guardian Wall’s southern gate.

Eventually, the Sacred Eye Defense Force was forced to retreat to the Final Guardian Wall.

▽

I leaned my back against the wall of a building.

(MP’s…… running low…… That’s rather worrying……)

Right now, I’m inside the Final Guardian Wall.

It’s a plaza-like space just in front of the castle, with others resting here as well.

There are also plenty of wounded who couldn’t make it inside the castle, lying down wherever there’s space.

When I happened to glance down, I noticed the dead body of an insect at my feet, flipped over, its belly exposed.

[…………………]

I let out a long sigh, as if to release the fatigue from my body.

Ever since the defense battle started, I’ve been fighting almost without rest.

Even with the status boosts, I guess it was obvious to anyone watching that I was exhausted.

That’s why Rinji “ordered” me to take a break.

(I never had much stamina to begin with…… I should be grateful for the Hero stat boosts……)

Outside the wall, the sounds and voices of battle continue.

I’ve heard that our allies are still somehow holding out beyond the wall.

(If I remember right…… the people of Magnar are leading the fight out there……)

The White Wolf King and Sicily Artlight should be on the field too.

(I hope they’re both safe……)

Meanwhile, in the south gate area, the giant dragon is barely managing to hold her ground.

I can hear her roars from time to time.

On top of that, desperate battles continue atop the wall itself to stop the enemy from breaking through.

Here in this plaza, those capable of returning to battle have begun to gather in preparation for the next fight.

I spotted Magnar’s Diaris Artlight in the plaza, issuing orders.

At that moment……

[How are you holding up, Tomohiro?]

Rinji approached.

A bandage was wrapped around his head, covering his left eye.

Blood had seeped into the cloth.

He had bandages on his arms and shoulders as well, though it didn’t seem to be affecting his movements for now.

If anything, he still looked surprisingly lively…… at least on the surface, that is.

[My MP———- The fuel for using my Skills has gotten low, which is a bit worrying.]

[Can’t be helped. You’ve been fighting non-stop. Honestly, you’ve done amazingly well to make it this far, Tomohiro.]

Maybe it’s thanks to the level-ups I got before coming to Azziz.

My MP consumption has gone down compared to before.

If this were back when I’d just been summoned, I probably would have already run dry.

[Is everyone safe?]

[……Not everyone…… but we’re doing better than most.]

The pained expression on Rinji’s face was obvious.

I shifted the topic slightly.

[……The situation…… How was it?]

He looked toward the outside of the wall with a less-than-optimistic expression.

[……I think the enemy’s momentum has slowed just a little…… but it’s nowhere near enough to be hopeful.]

[I see……]

[What’s tricky about this is…… the only reason we can even cram the wounded and those resting inside the final wall is because our numbers have already been thinned out so much.]

[Yeah, I don’t really get the impression that the Sacraments feel any fatigue at all.]

They don’t even need sleep.

That’s what Lili, who once led them, told me.

Which means the longer this drags on, the worse it’ll be for us.

At that moment——– my eyes caught sight of something.

A short distance away stood Saintess Curia Gilstein, in front of the Sacred Cavalry I’d heard was being repaired, with several of her subordinates around her.

Rinji’s gaze followed mine.

[Ahh…… looks like they’re gonna try moving that thing, half-wrecked from the last invasion, even though no one knows if it’ll work. Problem is, with the Saintess’s body in that condition, I’m not sure she can even operate it……]

After the First Guardian Wall was breached, the Saintess had left the castle.

She joined the frontlines, using magic tools to support our allies.

I heard she left everything inside the castle completely to Queen Jonato.

I glanced toward the south gate.

[And over there……?]

[The King from the Faraway Country gathered the southern forces and is now fighting alongside that giant dragon. As for that handsome general, Wright, he’s pulled back for now…… Apparently the Saintess asked him to take command here if the worst happens and the final wall is breached for the last battle.]

For no real reason——– I looked up at the sky.

This battle had begun at dawn, and noon had long since passed.

Perhaps drawn by the scent of dead flesh, large birds circled in the clear blue sky.

(Doesn’t look like I’ll have the luxury of sleeping……)

I considered taking even a short nap to recover some MP, but my nerves were too tense for that.

The enemy was already right there beyond the wall.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t thick-skinned enough to be able to sleep in this situation.

(And even if I could, I doubt I’d get much time to rest anyway———)

[ ? ]

I noticed a subtle shift in the soldiers’ behavior in one part of the plaza.

Rinji seemed to notice too.

As we were both wondering about it……

[So here you are, Hero from Another World.]

The aforementioned handsome general, Wright Mira, walked over.

His beautiful face and golden hair were streaked with dried mud.

[Wright-san——– sama.]

[I already told you before, just “san” is fine. You still not used to that?]

[……Sorry.]

[Heh, it’s fine. Call me however you find easiest.]

Wright said that with an elegant, gentle smile.

Before the battle, he had taken the time to ask about my situation———— about how I was doing.

During that, I’d made some small talk and even consulted him about a few things.

That made him a bit easier to talk to.

Thereupon, his expression changed.

And……

[It’s only small…… but there might be the slightest hint of hope.]

Rinji, his arms crossed, asked,

[What do you mean?]

[Before the battle, I heard from Diaris Artlight———– they left some troops behind at several points while retreating from their homeland.]

[Oh?]

[They called for volunteers. Well…… Of course, some probably did it for the good of their country, but there may have been those who thought they’d have a higher chance of survival staying behind. No———- maybe it’s rude to speculate like that here.]

Their role was to use military war pigeons to report the movements of the pursuing enemy.

But up until now, no pigeons had arrived from them.

That could have been because of the distance.

Still, most were thought to have been shot down en route to Azziz.

Especially the Alion nobles who served as commanders, they knew about the pigeons, and likely ordered them to be shot on sight.

A common flaw of most war pigeons was that they took the shortest route, which made them easy to spot.

There were rare ones that could choose routes avoiding enemy forces, but they’re apparently rare.

Rinji narrowed his eyes.

[So one of the military war pigeons from those troops actually made it here?]

[Yeah. It’s only a temporary conclusion, but it seems they’ve confirmed a “break” in the enemy forces.]

[A break…… meaning……]

[In other words, there might not be any reinforcements beyond the Sacrament Army we’ve already seen.]

That endless wave of enemies———-

But past a certain observation point, no more of them had been spotted.

[Reports like that have been coming in from multiple outposts, each with a time delay.]

Without human commanders, and with their numbers reduced in battle, it seems more war pigeons would be able to make it through safely.

That was Wright’s guess.

I could see a faint glimmer of hope appear on Rinji’s face.

[So…… if we can just hold out like this———– this battle might actually be nearing its end?]

Wright gave a firm nod.

[Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility of more reinforcements arriving later. But judging from the reports, in terms of distance, we should have at least a few days’ leeway.]

Rinji touched his chin.

[……I see.]

It made sense to me too.

The shift in our allies’ mood in the plaza earlier must have been because of this news.

But Wright’s face still carried an unshaken weight of concern.

[However———– the problem is the enemy forces that are still out there.]

The Sacrament Army that was confirmed to be heading for Azziz———-

It was still too large to be called “small” by any means.

And they were coming straight here.

[The question is whether we can handle them with the forces we have left……]

Judging from Rinji’s look, he shared that same concern.

[How long the giant dragon outside the south gate can keep going…… how much that incomplete Sacred Cavalry can fight…… if we’re talking about our greatest forces, those are the main ones.]

[If the Drunken Sword Party’ leader can make full use of the Divine Magic Sword, it should be a decent addition…… but in terms of scale, yes, the two you mentioned are the ones to count on.]

Then Wright looked at me.

[And you? How are you now? I hate to ask this when you’re worn out from fighting since morning but……]

I closed the status window in front of me.

[I intend to fight as much as I can. No———- please, let me fight.]

Moreover……

[I’m not the only one exhausted. You too, Wright-san——— everyone is.]

Rinji met my eyes and gave a small smirk.

Then he slapped both hands against his backside and said, in a tone to switch gears———-

[All right…… then let’s get to work one more time!]

At that moment, Wright, his head lowered slightly, spoke again.

In a tone like he was about to apologize.

[Of course, if the need arises…… I’ll go out there myself.]

I could tell he felt uneasy about staying in the rear while the rest of us fought.

Seeing that reaction, I couldn’t help but think———-

Wright-san really is someone I can trust.

As we passed him, Rinji clapped a hand on Wright’s shoulder.

[You’re basically the lynchpin of our final defensive line. Knowing you’re back here lets us fight without holding back. So, well———– keep a hold of this place for us, yeah?]

It seemed preparations were just about finished to send a small reinforcement force outside the gates.

Rinji and I headed toward the Eastern Gate.

The former members of the Drunken Sword Party, who’d been resting from the back-to-back battles like us, also gathered there.

[Sorry we can’t give you more rest, Tomohiro.]

Rinji said, with Owl following him up.

[But y’know, when you’re around, somehow the morale of everyone on that side of the battlefield shoots up.]

Oru was injured, but still able to fight.

Even so…… no matter how upbeat he acted, his fatigue was obvious.

The same went for the rest of the Drunken Sword Party.

Still———- the report that the wave of Sacraments had “stopped”……

That alone was enough to rekindle morale that had nearly been buried under exhaustion.

Near the gate, a flag was waved.

————-The signal to open the gates.

[<Laevateinn>.]

The gate began to open.

Just like at the start of the battle, that moment sent a unique tension rippling through the air.

Our allies———- have started moving from the front lines.

Beyond this final protective wall lay a district full of noble estates———-

Lots of buildings, and streets far narrower than those outside the second wall.

Therefore, mounted combat would be far less effective here.

That was why we would charge into the battlefield ahead on foot.

Almost immediately, the Sacraments tried to force their way in through the gate.

At the front, I hurled a swirl of black flames forward.

I widened the arc of the flames as I advanced, clearing a path for those behind me.

Right behind me, Rinji glanced over his shoulder.

Raising his sword high, he roared.

[Let’s go! Follow the Hero!!!]

□

Another decisive battle.

The battle to defend the Sacred Eye, fought here in the Royal Capital Azziz———- was finally about to enter its final stage.

<Author’s Notes>

Since the last update, I’ve received a new review. Thank you very much.

Looks like we’re heading into the final stage here as well.

As for the next chapter, I think I’ll be able to post it quite soon.

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