Rirupirin opened his fist, held the noble lady knight’s hand, and moaned.
“I’m sorry, Ren… forgive me… I’m sorry…”
D.I.L. spoke without mercy while turning an unpleasant look down on the pair.
“You are to have three thousand troops in a closely packed formation a hundred mel from the gorge within five minutes. That is all!”
The orc chief glared at the dark arts user, turning away and leaving, with eyes short of flaring up. Why did the orcs alone have to suffer this treatment? It was the umpteen time that question had swirled in his chest, but this time, too, was fruitless.
The three thousand marching to their deathbeds, formed in orderly files, appeared even triumphant. On the other hand, soft weeping and outraged voices permeated deep within the other seven thousands of their race seeing them off.
The three thousand orcs led by the noble lady knight astride an armored boar boldly passed between the encampments for the Order of the Dark Knights and the Pugilists’ Guild, forming a square a short distance from the entrance to the gorge.
The two thousand dark arts users who were not engulfed within the earlier grand explosions ominously showed up, as though in wait, and surrounded the formation.
The atmosphere trembled, accompanying an incantation that started up horribly dissonant and grating on the ears, perhaps reflective of the art’s hideous nature.
“Ah… aah……”
Rirupirin let escape a hoarse moan. The orc soldiers had suddenly distorted in anguish and collapsed onto the ground.
White, fleeting light particles was being drawn out from their writhing forms without pause.
Turning into black, viscous sludge as they gathered at the arts users’ hands, they gradually transfigured into what resembled bizarre snakes.
The shrieks from the three thousand soldiers arrived at Rirupirin’s ears crisp and vivid. Along with a united cry mixed in.
Long live the Orcs. Glory to the Orcs.
The soldiers’ bodies burst apart in succession immediately after. Their blood and flesh scattered as the light leaving them grew in intensity before stolen by the arts users all at once.
Rirupirin was on his knees when he noticed, his right fist striking the ground. The overflowing tears spread out over both sides of his large nose and audibly fell onto the black gravel.
Fresh blood left the noble lady knight, dressed in ornate armor, like crimson flowers in the middle of his warped vision.
“…Renju…!”
It was in the moment he wrung that name from his throat that the noble lady knight slowly fell to the earth, out of his sight.
Rirupirin’s gritted fangs tore into his lips as blood trickled from his own mouth as well.
—Damned humans.
Damned humans!
Those damned humans!!
The screams of anger and hatred rattling the core of his mind, curiously enough, inflicted a great pain at his right eye each time they came.
* * *
Tens of minutes passed.
At the Human Empire Defense Army’s headquarters, the guards divided into two were exchanging handshakes and hugs, vowing they would meet again.
Accepting Integrity Knight Alice’s proclamation, Knight Commander Bercouli added another compromise.
That was to have Alice, the decoy «radiant medium» for luring away the enemy army, accompanied by half of the troops. Of course, Alice vehemently opposed it and requested for independent action, but the knight commander would hear none of it.
—There’re still many in the enemy army. You won’t be luring many of them away on your own. We’ll only succeed in breaking them up if there’re enough of us running with you.
She could say nothing to refute that. It certainly would be too arrogant to assert that she could lure the entire enemy army away based solely on that vague information mentioned by the ogre chief.
Besides, Alice planned to have Kirito ride with her on Amayori’s back. She was not fully confident she could continue protecting him while serving as a decoy alone. An accompanying force would be heartening in that aspect at least.
Bercouli had another surprise for everyone after deciding to split up the Defense Army.
He, the supreme commander and knight commander, would personally join the decoy unit.
With regards to that, Fanatio, who was assigned to command the unit staying back, raised vehement opposition along with Deusolbert.
“You’ve done enough, haven’t you? Lemme fight a little.”
Fanatio refuted with the corners of her eyes raised when Bercouli said that in an admonishing tone.
“Who are you to speak when you can’t even fold your own change of clothes without me by your side?!!”
That incited much jeering from the knights and guards. Bercouli showed a cynical smile, drew closer to Fanatio’s ears, and whispered something—with the deputy commander averting her face downwards and backing off, surprisingly enough.
As for Deusolbert, he reluctantly relinquished as well after having the evident fact that he had ran out of arrows from the battle earlier pointed out. Supply units were currently heading towards the nearest town to restock, but that would easily take more than an hour or two.
Worry and concern were on full display on the soldiers’ faces, regardless of whether they were from the departing or remaining unit. It was honestly unclear which was in more danger. Only the gods—no, only the god of darkness and the supreme commander of the enemy army, Vector, knew how many would pursue the decoy unit and how many would continue the assault in the gorge.
Those included in the decoy unit finished their preparations before long: the four high ranking knights, Bercouli, Alice, Renri, Scheta, and their flying dragons, a company of guards numbering a thousand, a company of ascetics numbering two hundred, and a supply company comprising of fifty. Eldrie insisted on being added to the decoy unit himself, but he reluctantly backed off after a fierce remonstration from Alice. The apprentice knights, Linel and Fizel, threw a tantrum as well, but even they could only give in after the knight commander told them that he would be “counting on them for the rest”.
Eight fast coaches, each drawn by four horses, were readied for the transport of materials. Kirito and his wheelchair along with the two female trainees should be riding on one of those.
Alice hesitated much over whether to allow Tiezé and Ronye to follow or not. However, someone had to care for Kirito and though she did not know what had happened, Renri, a high ranking knight, swore to protect the girls even at the cost of his life.
To be honest, Alice had few memories regarding Knight Renri. However, she felt no deceit from the determination visible on his adolescent face and the formidable gleam on the divine instrument, the «Twin Edged Wings», equipped on both sides of his waist.
Bercouli’s flying dragon, «Hoshigami», began its dignified ground run and the guards let out hushed cheers.
Alice gripped Amayori’s reins and awaited the time for take-off as she sent a glance towards Eldrie sending them off on from the ground.
She was bothered over how her perpetually talkative disciple was unusually quiet while they prepared for the sortie. However, before she could send any words his way, Hoshigami softly took off and Alice turned towards the front in a fluster before gently kicking Amayori’s side. Her beloved dragon lifted off after a powerful ground run, followed by Renri’s knight dragon, «Kazenui», and Scheta’s knight dragon, «Yoiyobi».
Bercouli, who had taken a slow lead, turned about and shouted.
“Right, we’ll hit the enemy’s main force with the dragons’ heat rays all at once as we get out of the gorge! They shouldn’t have any means for long ranged attacks now, so just be on your guard for the dragon knights!”
They responded to the knight commander’s instructions with a sharp “yes”.
The sound of the guards charging in on horseback or foot chased after them from right behind. The four high ranking knights had to shake up t
he battlefield on their own until those guards and the coaches left the gorge, turning south—towards the right—and gained sufficient distance from them.
Countless torches were visible before them in the confined, dark gorge.
They were really many of them. Despite the many defeated, it appeared the enemy was still almost thirty thousand strong.
That said, their main military strength should be with the dark knights and pugilists. Both units focused on close quarters combat and possessed no offensive effective against integrity knights mounted on flying dragons.
——No.
What, was that?
That deep, meandering recitation, much like a curse, that came from below the noise of the wind.
A coordinated chanting… of arts!?
That would be ridiculous, this zone should no longer have the sacred energy left for a large-scale art!!
Alice rejected her own instincts.
However, just as she did so, Bercouli who flew right in front of her spat out, “Those bastards… what have they done?!!”
* * *
Aah.
What power!!
The leader of the dark arts users, D.I.L. raised her hands towards the sky as her entire body shivered in sweet ecstasy.
Had any other arts user in history experienced a space charged with such concentrated darkness energy?
Nothing in this world held priority as high as and power as pure as intelligent Life.
It did not matter even if it came from those vulgar, repulsive orcs’ lives. If this viscosity was precious wine, aged for a hundred years, then the darkness energy provided by the sun and earth would be plain water.
The energy meant for «Wide-Area Incineration Projectiles» earlier were, in the end, mere dregs left from the lives expended on the battlefield. However, a whole three thousand lives were converted explicitly to darkness energy, here and now, for this art.
Every arts user, from Dee to the other two thousands, had both of their arms extended as numerous grotesque snakes with countless legs, each seemingly appearing from clotting black mist, coiled about them.
These were artificial organisms, «Life eaters», created from umbra elements. No corporeal object could guard against them, not even swords or armor of the highest priority. The conversion efficiency for darkness energy was inferior to that for offensive flames, but everything changed with a source this abundant.
Dee had chosen this art as revenge for the enemy’s «light pillar» that burnt a thousand of her precious subordinates to death. Even the screams of the orc soldiers, writhing as they dyed, sounded pleasant to her ears now.
“Good… be prepared to launch the «Death Curse Worms» art!!”
Dee’s shout rang out and—
She spotted four dragon knights charging in from the gorge, as though they had lost their minds, with her own two eyes.
The momentary shock soon changed into elation. She could tidy up the enemy’s greatest force, the integrity knights and their flying dragons, all at once as things as they were.
“Stand your ground!! Let them approach!! …No… not yet…… —Now, let them loooooose!!”
Zwaaaaaaaa!!
The countless black snakes set off in straight courses towards the enemy knights, scattering vibrations that seemed to spread pure fear.
* * *
The realization that the enemy’s offensive art had become an immense, pressing wave of absolute darkness shut down not only the ordinary guards’ minds for several seconds but the high ranking integrity knights’ too.
It was an umbra elemental art with an extremely high priority, likely surpassing the luminous elemental art released by Alice earlier. A ranged hex that directly inflicted damage on one’s Life and could not be defended against through physical means.
The mystery—of how they had invoked the umbra elemental art, with its low sacred energy conversion efficiency, on such a scale and density despite the inadequacy of energy in the area—was seen through only by Knight Commander Bercouli.
But not even he could give immediate countermeasures against it.
There were many aspects to offensive arts: the element they were based on, their density, range, speed, direction, and so on.
Hence, defending required either offsetting or countering those attributes. Instantly choosing and carrying out a suitable countermeasure could be said to be part of being a high ranking arts user.
Being capable of immediately selecting and carrying out a suitable countermeasure, such as extinguishing a thermal art with cryogenic elements, scattering decoys against a homing art, or quickly avoiding an art going straight, could be said to be a requirement for becoming a high ranking arts user.
However, this case was an exception.
The enemy’s offensive was too far beyond the norm.
Only the luminous element could offset the umbra element. However, luminous elements also had a low conversion efficiency and it was effectively impossible to generate enough to dispel a curse on that scale. Fanatio’s recollection release attack would most certainly pierce through the enemy’s art without issue, but the Heaven Piercing Sword’s light was far too narrow and she was absent from this decoy unit to begin with.
“Turn!! Climb!!”
Bercouli could only shout those.
The four flying dragons turned about as they traced out a spiral and headed straight for the skies above the gorge.
The swarm of snakes, too, adjusted their direction with an unpleasant buzz.
However.
“—No!!”
Bercouli shouted once more.
The worms on their tail were less than half of them all. The remaining went straight for the guards and supply unit rushing over the ground.
“……!!”
Letting out a sharp gasp, Knight Alice had her knight dragon roll and swoop down. She twisted towards the beginning of the darkness art creeping ever closer below and rushed forward headlong.
Shaa!! She drew the Fragrant Olive Sword as that distinct sound rang from its scabbard. A bright golden radiance immediately swept over its blade.
“Lil’ miss!! No, that won’t work!!”
Bercouli desperately tried to hold back his beloved disciple.
The Fragrant Olive Sword’s armament full control art exhibited overwhelming power in a fight of one-versus-many, but it was metallic elemental like the sword. It could not cut through the nearly incorporeal hex.
Alice, too, knew that all too well. However, she could not possibly bring herself to simply watch as the guards were attacked.
It happened then.
A fifth flying dragon rushed in from deeper in the valley with the momentum of a shooting star.
«Takiguri».
The knight dragon belonging to the high ranking knight, Eldrie Synthesis Thirty-one.
* * *
Eldrie repeated a single word over and over again in his mind as he gripped onto the dragon’s reins.
Protect.
His master. Alice. He had to protect the person he pledged his sword and swore his devotion to, no matter the cost.
Yet at the same time, he could hear a voice mocking that determination just as loudly.
How would you protect her? When you are so powerless? When you are but a fool, still wanting your master’s attention and feelings despite your capabilities falling far behind her?
Eldrie was still a fledgling when it became to being an integrity knight and what supported his blade was the fierce, single-minded will to serve Alice. That was how he became a high ranking knight, but that also amplified the backlash he felt whenever his heart wavered.
—I have neither the strength to protect Master Alice nor the right to stand at her side.
His strength fell rapidly as that thought adhered itself to him. Though he had leapt onto Takiguri and chased after the decoy unit, having sensed an ominous premonition, he had no idea what could he even do.
With things as they were, he might as well lay his li
fe down on this land with his master.
Flying in resigned to death, Eldrie thought he heard something and lowered his eyes down towards the ground.
The guards company was there in disarray after noticing the looming dark art. Behind them were the supply company coaches with their rows misaligned as well.
A quiet blue light flickered through the canopy over one of them.
A mysterious voice spoke into his mind.
—For your determination.
—For your desire to protect.
—You actually want nothing in return, don’t you?
—Love is not to be sought out. You simply do it: love, with all you have, without end. Don’t you…?
Aah…
Where was I looking?
I lacked strength? I couldn’t have her heart to myself? So I couldn’t protect her?
What a petty man I am…
And to think Alice-sama is there, trying to save the entire Human Empire.
Eldrie snapped Takiguri’s reins with his right hand and shouted.
“Go!!”
Perhaps sensing his master’s will, the dragon flapped its wings strongly and accelerated all at once. Eldrie heard Alice’s voice, her attempts to stop him, as they passed by with Amayori descending. Still, he showed no sign of slowing down and climbed steeply towards the deadly flood of snakes.
His left hand removed a whip of white silver from his waist.
The origin of the divine instrument, «Frost Scale Whip», was a gigantic snake said to be divine from the mountainous area of the eastern empire. Releasing its memories increased its range by several times and allowed for its trajectory to be freely changed.
That said, that power held almost no purpose against that art classified as a hex.
Still, Eldrie prayed hard with an unshakable conviction.
—Oh, snake!!
Oh, ancient snake!
If you lord over the serpents, then how about you devour that swarm of mere worms!!
“Release recollection!!”
The Frost Scale Whip let out a dazzling silver light as it perceived his booming voice.