Chapter 424: Shape of the Heart

▽

The Magnar army was still fighting outside the walls.

They looked completely worn down.

But——— even so, they were still holding the line.

Me and the others, sent out as reinforcements, joined them.

At some point along the way, the Drunken Sword Party had merged in as well.

There were still some who could make it to the front lines.

Among them, I spotted Lili.

Having noticed me too, she called out in relief:

[Tomohiro huh! This helps a lot!]

Fighting while I made my way over, I asked her,

[How’s the situation!?]

[Well, let’s just say it ain’t what you’d call good!]

Slashing down a Sacrament, Rinji spoke over his shoulder.

[Even so, there is at least one bit of good news!]

He passed along the matter of that “break”.

The others also relayed it to the Magnar soldiers in the midst of battle.

When Lili heard it, she spoke.

[Good news, you say, but you don’t look very happy about it!?]

[Sure, the possibility that their numbers might be limited is good news, but whether the forces we have left can handle it is another story!]

I noticed Lili wasn’t using that Divine Magic Sword right now.

Probably because allies were fighting close by.

More than that———

“If you use it again without at least a day’s interval, you risk losing your reason entirely, past the point of no return.”

That was the advice Sicily had given her.

At that moment……

[……?]

On the belly of a Sacrament……

A person’s face surfaced.

It looked like———- like the face of an infant.

[ Waaaah! Waaaah! ]

(What the……?)

Then, all the other Sacraments began wailing at once.

Just like infants.

And at the same time……

[ Help…… meee! Help…… meee! ]

The voices were stilted, like they were parroting words.

On each of their bellies, a grimacing human face had formed.

Yes———-

Without slowing their attacks for even a moment, the Sacraments had suddenly begun speaking.

The battlefield resounded with the chorus of crying infants and begging voices.

[……You’ve got to be kidding me.]

Lili bared her teeth and eyes, lips twisting in fury.

I saw in her eyes something like rage, seething irritation.

[They think they’re copying things that make us hesitate to kill!? ———You’ve gotta be kidding me!]

She spat another curse and cut down a Sacrament bawling like a baby.

Behind her, Rinji swung sideways, sending a Sacrament’s head flying.

[But———- doesn’t the fact that they’ve resorted to such a cheap trick mean the Sacraments are finally anxious that they might not achieve their goal!?]

[Geez…… you’re really optimistic, Rinji-san——– hah!]

With a “hah!”, Lili cleaved a Sacrament diagonally in two.

I immediately unleashed my flames———-

[Tomohiro! From here on, conserve your MP for medium-class or higher Sacraments!]

But as I was about to do so, Rinji stopped me.

I’d already told Rinji that I didn’t have much MP left.

[The big Sacraments are more than we can handle! So right now, only use enough strength to defend yourself! Please, preserve it!]

[———-Understood!]

It left me frustrated.

But——– Rinji was right.

So I tightened my grip on my sword and joined the fight.

(A sword doesn’t add much to our overall strength, but……!)

At the very least, I wanted to defend myself enough that no one would have to worry about me.

[……Ah.]

Beyond a line of buildings———-

From a side street, a swarm of Sacraments burst out.

Lili clicked her tongue.

[Fifty…… no, over a hundred, at least, just from what I can see…… tch! They just keep coming one after another!]

Then, from above, Offensive Magic and arrows rained down onto the swarm.

Our allies had climbed up to the second floors and rooftops to provide support fire.

Among them, I even recognized members of the Drunken Sword Party.

[Captain! Don’t push yourself too hard!]

[Leave the support from above to us!]

That’s when I noticed it.

[……Lili-san!]

The Sacraments struck by the attacks above———

Some of them shifted targets, breaking into the buildings.

Some even began climbing the walls directly.

In no time at all, they reached the upper floors and rooftops.

Our allies tried to retreat in a hurry.

But those who couldn’t escape in time were cut down.

[ ! ]

A soldier, cornered by fear as his retreat was cut off, let out a scream and hurled himself from the second-story roof.

Unable to land properly, he hit the ground hard, sprawling.

On instinct, I nearly rushed forward to save him.

But———- he was too far.

(……——–I won’t make it in time.)

Even Lili——— clearly reluctant——— grabbed me back.

We were still fighting, surrounded by Sacraments.

If the main fighters here, abandoned our positions, the balance of this defense would collapse.

Most of all, the Drunken Sword Party still had members up on those rooftops.

Even though they were no longer visible, Lili must’ve been aching to rush to their side.

But if she left, we would surely be overrun.

[……Tch.]

Even so, my eyes stayed fixed on the soldier who had fallen.

Down where he had landed, Sacraments swarmed in a mass.

The soldier lifted his head.

His face twisted like he had just realized, only now, the situation he was in.

His expression was steeped in despair.

A few of the Sacraments lunged at him all at once.

[Ah, help m———…… giiiiiyaaahhhhhhhhhh——–!]

I couldn’t even see him anymore, completely buried under that wall of Sacraments.

But from beyond it, his screams tore through the air.

Arms and legs went flying———– torn right off.

His limbs, no doubt wrenched apart by brute force.

A groan escaped my throat before I could stop it.

[Ugh……]

One of the Sacraments held the man’s entrails in its hands.

Pinching both ends, it raised them high, flaunting them.

On its bloated stomach, the human face stretched there…… laughed.

And then……

[ Heeelp meeee ]

The thing spoke those words.

The sound carried a desecrating weight, as if mocking something sacred.

Or maybe……

Because the words came out in that flat, almost monotone voice———-

It made them all the more profane.

[You…… b*st——–]

Lili, who had held me back earlier, was radiating killing intent so sharp it could pierce people.

Her rage had clearly reached its peak, she looked about to launch herself at them any second.

[…..You sons of———!]

———Pfoosh!———

An arrow buried itself deep into the head of the Sacrament holding the entrails.

[ ! ]

Flooding into the street came the Magnar soldiers.

Not the ones who had been here when we arrived, this was another group.

And at their lead———— was the White Wolf King.

They looked like the ones who had been fighting at the very frontlines, not here.

The knights and soldiers that appeared were covered in wounds.

Their numbers had also dwindled heavily.

Not enough to even be called an “army” anymore.

And yet———- their will to fight hadn’t died.

At the front of the group was Sicily Artlight.

Her twin hatchets swung, severing Sacrament heads with merciless precision.

Her eyes were wide, blazing with something close to madness.

Her soft, beautiful lips were parted just enough for breathing.

Her every thought, every movement, every fiber of her being, devoted only to killing the enemy.

Beautiful———- but terrifyingly, brutally so.

And it wasn’t just Sicily.

In the eyes of all the Magnar soldiers burned that same gleam of madness.

It told me……

Without even needing words———-

Just how hellish their battles beyond the wall had been.

The White Wolf King barked out his orders.

[Leonil squad, go inside the buildings and support our allies! We hold the line here! Once our allies have secured their retreat, we’ll pull back together to the plaza in one sweep!]

Without a word, the Magnar warriors began to move.

Only the White Wolf King showed no trace of madness in his face.

I realized then, the warriors of Magnar had entrusted their reason to their king.

They left it all to him.

Their only role was to follow his commands, to devote themselves completely to one thing: killing.

To slaughter like lunatics———– so there was no space left for hesitation or unnecessary thought.

That was the survival strategy they had chosen to endure this frontline.

Sicily’s squad approached.

She locked her eyes on me.

Those sky-colored, frenzied eyes seemed to ask———-

“Why aren’t you using your black flame…… your Skill?”

Right now, her being existed only to “kill”.

That’s why the silent question slipped out of her almost unconsciously.

Rinji moved close to her and raised his voice.

Sicily gave a short nod, then turned her gaze from me.

He must have explained that I was saving my Skill for the larger Sacraments.

Just before her eyes left mine, I thought I caught a glimmer of apology there.

[Fall back!]

The Magnar army under the White Wolf King carved out an escape path for as many allies as could still stand.

From the far ends of the passages, the Sacraments surged forward in endless waves.

Their numbers seemed limitless, a roaring flood.

But the White Wolf King and his soldiers fought desperately to hold back that torrent.

Rinji called the order, and we, the reinforcements, began retreating too.

Behind us lay a large plaza.

In peaceful times, it was probably a place for gatherings, for relaxation.

Now, it was nothing more than a staging ground for war.

A war horn sounded.

The White Wolf King’s voice rang out:

[We’ll wait in the plaza for allies still fighting to hear the signal and gather! Once we’ve pulled in the retreating forces, we fall back again, to the Final Guardian Wall! Depending on the situation———- within those walls itself, if need be!]

He was telling us that a full withdrawal behind the walls was on the table.

Together with the White Wolf King, we reached the plaza.

Manors and buildings surrounded it, but the plaza itself was open aside from a few defensive structures.

From here, I could see the main street, the largest inside the Second Guardian Wall.

It was the same street we had come through earlier.

[……They’re not coming.]

There had been Sacraments flooding us like a tide……

And yet now, the main street lay silent.

The other roads leading here were also hushed.

Just a short while ago, the Sacraments had surged forward like a mudslide.

Still, it seemed the number of Sacraments on the eastern side had greatly decreased.

In other words, the Magnar army fighting outside had put up quite the struggle.

Of course, their own numbers had also been reduced to a shocking degree.

[…………………]

We waited.

The cries that mimicked infants, the voices begging for help———-

None of them reached us anymore.

It has become so quiet now, it almost felt unnatural.

Still, no one let their guard down.

Bows were drawn tight, magic tools for attack already primed.

Then, from several streets, allies began to appear.

They must have heard the horn and gathered here.

Among them, I saw members of the Drunken Sword Party, the ones we’d lost sight of earlier.

Relief washed over Lili’s face.

[You guys are safe! Thank goodness……]

[And you too, Captain…… you made it back alive……]

Meanwhile, Oru, who had just started to look at ease, frowned.

[Even so…… doesn’t this feel strange, Rinji?]

[Yeah.]

[It’s like the tide went out…… It’s too quiet. Creepily so.]

Not long after, word spread.

The Sacraments——— had retreated.

Just like Oru had said, as if the tide itself had pulled back.

[But…… I doubt they gave up and just withdrew———]

The moment Oru voiced his unease……

[Look!]

Someone shouted, pointing north.

The northern wall had no gate.

Up until now, we’d managed it only with defensive strength from above.

And there……

[……Eh?]

A massive Sacrament appeared.

No———- It stood up.

It rose by the outermost wall———- the First Guardian Wall.

We had seen no sign of it until now.

Maybe it had been crawling low, like on all fours, as it approached.

And only now had it finally reached Azziz and risen to its full height.

Bishuuu!

The Sacred Eye activated.

Its laser pierced through the head of the giant humanoid Sacrament.

The head began to melt away as if dissolved by heat.

However, the melting stopped at the neck.

It was like a wax doll’s head that had melted and then hardened at the base of the neck.

This massive Sacrament’s golden eyes were positioned on its shoulders.

Most other Sacraments had them where a human’s eyes would be.

That was why decapitation had worked on them before.

But this one, its fatal “core” clearly wasn’t in its head.

And since the melting had stopped midway, I couldn’t expect it to die from “blood loss”.

Unlike the others, this one wasn’t even “bleeding”.

The fact was, it was still moving as if nothing had happened.

Then, just beneath its neck, a pitch-black hole——— a mouth, maybe———- opened up.

[ Fooooh…… Fooooh…… Fooooh…… ]

The sound echoed like wind through a hollow pipe.

A chilling, eerie cry.

The giant Sacrament climbed over the first defensive wall and advanced toward the second.

Its head had been within the Sacred Eye’s “high range”, but———-

Anything lower than that was outside its attack range.

[———-I’m going.]

Almost at the same time I said that———–

Gyoooooooon!

A mechanical roar, like the sound of heavy machinery, thundered from far behind us.

I turned with the others toward the noise.

On the far side of the Final Guardian Wall———-

The Sacred Cavalry rose to its feet.

It gave a short, hovering jump and cleared the wall.

The Sacred Cavalry’s right arm was fused clumsily with a lance-shaped weapon.

It looked like it had been slapped together in a rush.

The Sacred Cavalry began marching toward the massive Sacrament, across from the Second Guardian Wall.

Rinji, worried, muttered,

[Is that thing really okay……?]

The Sacred Cavalry’s movements were anything but graceful.

I muttered back,

[As expected, I’ll———]

Saying that, I glanced around……

(But the distance…… if only there were even a single horse somewhere———-)

[Oi!]

Someone shouted, pointing east———– back toward the side I’d been fighting in earlier.

There, another Sacrament appeared.

Its head alone peered over the top of the Second Guardian Wall.

Smaller than the massive Sacrament that had appeared to the north earlier, but still big enough that its head jutted well above the battlements.

Two pairs of horns sprouted from its head.

They reminded me of a deer’s antlers.

Poong———-

The horned Sacrament leapt high.

It was clearly aiming to clear the wall.

Bishuuu!

The Sacred Eye fired another laser.

[ ! ]

The horned Sacrament twisted midair, bending back, and dodged it.

Then, thud!, it landed heavily, a sound that spoke of immense weight, immense mass.

Its landing echoed with a thud so heavy, it could only belong to something of massive weight———– of massive mass.

When it had leapt, I’d gotten a clear view of its entire form.

From its head down to its chest, five golden eyes were lined up vertically.

Humanoid in shape.

But here and there on its body——— I saw the hands and feet of smaller Sacraments.

Zuzuzuuu……

Those limbs were being pulled inward, sucked into the horned Sacrament’s body.

Rinji gasped.

[The Sacraments that retreated…… did they fuse into it? Or…… were they absorbed until it grew that size? Wha——!?]

I sucked in a sharp breath.

It moved toward me, like it was skipping.

A gesture that would normally only be seen when someone was in a cheerful mood.

And yet——— that only made it all the more unsettling.

———-It’s within range.

Without hesitation, I unleashed the black flames I had gathered.

The swirling fire leapt forward, rushing at the horned Sacrament.

But……

[…………!]

Midair——— the Sacrament suddenly accelerated.

So fast the flames couldn’t catch up.

It was acceleration that felt like it defied the very laws of physics.

I drove my fire after it, forcing the flames to chase.

But before they could reach the Sacrament’s back——— they died out.

That was my Skill’s difference from Kirihara Takuto’s <Dragonic Buster>.

My black flames were hard to maintain for long.

To sustain them———- and especially at range———- drained a heavy amount of MP.

And right now———-

After that last attack, my MP was nearly……

……completely spent.

[……………………]

There, in the middle of the plaza……

The horned Sacrament stood waiting.

□

Most likely, in that instant———- everyone in the plaza felt it.

The Sacred Cavalry to the north, the giant dragon to the south, none of them mattered anymore.

Just by having the horned Sacrament come this close, everyone could sense it.

That “it” was different.

This silent horned Sacrament wasn’t like the rest.

There was something, perhaps rank, perhaps presence, that sets it apart from the rest.

From the other Sacraments——— from us ourselves.

It didn’t need to do anything. Just by standing there——–

Everyone……

……was frozen in place.

The silence was suffocating.

Like we were all trapped at the bottom of the sea.

No one could do anything but stare at the horned Sacrament.

This was exactly what people called———-

“If you move, you’ll be killed.”

That’s the state we had fallen into.

When faced with a disaster so utterly hopeless……

Most people could do nothing but stand there in dazed paralysis.

Time in the plaza seemed to stop———– sound itself seemed to vanish from the air.

It was like———– “a localized vacuum”.

An unbearable “empty terror” was born in that space, ruling over us all.

One whose presence tells us we’re going to die.

Everyone realized it——– without reason, without proof……

We just knew.

A conviction close to certainty.

And because of that, we couldn’t move.

Then, from all over the Sacrament’s body, countless wing-like things sprouted.

Bichibichibichi!

Like fish thrashing violently on land, the wings twitched and beat.

Everyone must have felt the same thing.

———-It’s coming.

Something terrifying.

Death.

[<Laeva———]

□

In the battle to defend the Second Guardian Wall, I was wounded.

A gash ran near my wrist.

It wasn’t deep, but it left its mark.

Later, someone treated that wound.

It was the same dragonkin who had once healed me in the Faraway Country.

We had met again.

Here.

Inside the Final Guardian Wall, where we had temporarily withdrawn.

The dragonkin smiled at me and said:

“We meet again.”

Then added,

“You’ve become quite the noble Hero.”

Wry smiling at that, I replied.

“I don’t know if I’d call it noble.”

Then continued.

“If anyone’s noble, it’s your War Lights leader…… wasn’t it? Kokoroniko-san, who transformed into that great dragon. She’s the one truly fighting with pride.”

As the dragonkin wrapped a bandage around my arm, she asked,

“Do you know why Kokoroniko-sama refrained from using that power until partway through?”

I answered with what I had heard before:

That once transformed, it was irreversible———- she could never return to her original form.

That she would no longer be able to speak human language.

But upon hearing this, the dragonkin gave a faint, conflicted smile.

“Kokoroniko-sama told us something more———- that after a certain time, she would likely die. This is something revealed only to a few close to her.”

“…………———Eh?”

“Of course, it isn’t absolutely certain she will die. But…… if the old belief holds true, the likelihood is high.”

“That’s……”

“She must have hesitated. On the way here…… she said there were people she wished to see again after the war.”

“……………………”

“And yet, she must have decided. That the people here, the companions fighting alongside her———-“

The dragonkin turned their gaze southward, where the great dragon was locked in battle.

“———that they were worth protecting. Her comrades…… her friends.”

Even if it cost her life.

▽

[———–teinn>.]

Everyone held their breath, as if each of them were asking themselves whether they should simply wait for death to come or not———–

In that stillness, in that silence———–

I, alone——— had stepped into an attacking stance.

My instincts screamed at me.

If I didn’t act here, everyone would be wiped out.

So I did it.

I forced its attention onto myself———- then condensed the flames, shaping them into my shield.

Slowly, deliberately, the horned Sacrament turned its gaze on me.

An instant later, one of its fluttering wings detached from its body——– and launched outward.

That thing it fired, it looked almost like a skyfish I’d once seen in some old internet video.

The living, fleshy wing twisted———– reshaping into something like an ultra-thin, elongated needle.

And in that instant……

Chuin!

A sound rang out, like some fake game sound effect.

It streaked forward, slicing through.

Through my body.

That impossibly thin, needle-like thing with a terrible weight behind it.

It pierced straight through my shield of black flame.

If there really were such a thing as the sound of a life shattering————

[—————————————]

Probably…… this is what that sound would be like.

A sound I had never once heard in all my life until now.

A sound that seemed to ring from somewhere deep inside me———–

Or at least, that’s how it felt.

The horned Sacrament’s wings twitched even more violently, thrashing with sharp, jerking motions.

This time, instead of me, it fired them in every direction, targeting the others.

……But then, botobotoboto———-

The wings that should have been launched burst into flames mid-air, tumbling down at the horned Sacrament’s feet.

Stretching out from my hand——— was a single colossal vortex of black fire.

A condensed strike, into which I poured my few remaining MP, along with every last shred of my own life force.

———–I just wanted to protect them.

My companions, my friends———– those precious to me.

The way it tried to fire those needles at me……

That was nothing but to create an opening.

A gap in time, in awareness———

And if I could carve that space open———–

Then, even if it cost me everything, even if it resulted in a mutual kill, my strike might just reach it.

If I unleashed the very limit of my power, the maximum output I could unleash.

These flames of mine————-

At that instant, released at the same time as the enemy’s attack, with all my desperate resolve and all my prayers————-

My strike reached its mark.

□

If it hadn’t been for that one pointless strike the horned Sacrament aimed at me……

Most likely——— the majority of the people here would have been killed.

“He has to be taken down first.”

Yes. It was because I forced the horned Sacrament to think that way that this tiny [opening] was created.

Just for one beat, the enemy’s attack on everyone else was delayed.

It had to be necessary.

The people still alive here———

They’re needed in this battle——— and in the future beyond it.

And for me, right now, too.

That’s why……

I desired so.

That I could protect them———– that they would keep on living……

▽

……It’s burning…… my whole body.

The horned Sacrament is burning.

Where is that voice coming from?

Ooooohhh……

The horned Sacrament is howling.

Is that a cry from agony, or———-?

The horned Sacrament tries to reach a hand toward me———– only to fail, collapsing to its knees.

A heavy thud.

Still burning, the horned Sacrament crumples down.

Its horns turn to ash, and then its body follows……

[……………….]

I hear someone calling my name.

Whose…… voice is that……?

[—————–]

If my MP runs out, I’ll faint.

But——— I can’t collapse yet.

There should still be confirmed enemy forces left……

There’s also the blood.

The blood from where that long spear pierced me…… it won’t stop……

[……But.]

I want to protect them.

I don’t want them to die.

That’s why……

Just a little longer……

……If.

If there really is a “God” out there, the kind everyone prays to……

————–Please.

Just give me, for a little longer……

The strength to fight————————- And a bit more time.

<A n■w Sk■ll h■s been u■lock■d>

<■■■■■■■■>

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