“Couldn’t you have flown a bit faster?” Sienna complained, feeling slightly regretful.
If Eugene hadn’t managed to finish off Kamash by the time they arrived, she would have made sure to catch his weakness and poke a lot of fun at his expense.
[I flew as fast I could,] Raimira defended herself.
Sienna snorted, “Don’t lie. Do you really think I wouldn’t notice you adjusting your speed for Eugene’s sake?”
There was no basis for the harsh words that Sienna shot at Raimira with a glare. This ill-tempered and slanderous Archwizard was just making a fuss like she always did.
[I… I’ve never purposely slowed down…,] Raimira muttered in an aggrieved voice.
If it had been Eugene, Kristina, or Anise being scolded by Sienna, they would have fought back without being intimidated, but unfortunately, Raimira just couldn’t do that.
“Stop making up nonsense and go sit down,” Anise said as she walked up to where Sienna was standing and slapped the wizard on the shoulder.
Sienna herself was aware that she was just fussing for no reason, so instead of arguing, she just awkwardly cleared her throat a few times, “Ahehem…. As expected of my disciple, for him to be able to defeat such a large giant so quickly and all on his own!”
Although she was disappointed that she wouldn’t get the chance to tease Eugene, his ability to take down the giant with strength to spare was deserving of praise. Especially because they had all clearly seen just how amazing Kamash’s strength truly was, even when they were flying over from a distance. It would have been troublesome and disheartening if that huge giant had blocked the army from advancing or had rampaged through the front lines.
[Aaaaah, Sir Eugene actually charged into the enemy camp all by himself in order to reduce the damage to his allies!] Kristina let out an excited shout.
Although her words were mostly spoken in adulation, they also weren’t all that incorrect. Even in Anise’s opinion, the reason why Eugene flew ahead on his own had to be that he was concerned about the collateral damage to his allies due to Kamash’s size.
“Well… it might be that he just wanted to kill Kamash personally,” Anise muttered to herself as she glanced at Sienna.
Sienna was proud of her disciple’s performance. She cleared her throat once more in response to this glance and then nodded.
“Well then, shall we get going?” Sienna prompted.
The magic corps that were the pride of Aroth were being led by Trempel, while each of the Tower Masters led the wizards who belonged to their respective Towers of Magic. In the case of the Green Tower of Magic, whose position of the Tower Master was currently vacant, there was no choice but to leave Jeneric temporarily in charge.
Sienna, Balzac, and Rynein were tasked with breaking through the Centipede Mountains. Of course, this didn’t mean they would only attack the Centipede Mountains. If help was needed elsewhere or if there was a good opportunity to cause a rout, they would be able to lend a hand there as well.
“Let’s go,” Sienna said confidently while turning to look at the other two.
The Black Tower of Magic had been virtually disbanded, so Balzac was the only member who still belonged to the Black Tower of Magic. In fact, even if that hadn’t been the case, it was still ridiculous for the allies to have brought along a black wizard to this battlefield. Balzac was here only because Sienna had taken many precautions before allowing him to be here.
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to use Blind,” Balzac said with a disappointed look.
If their opponent had fielded a human army as had been expected, then Balazac’s Signature spell, Blind, would have been able to come into play. However, the only humans currently on the battlefield were his allies. Even if he used Blind against the undead, demonic beasts, and demonfolk that made up the enemy army, they wouldn’t be able to see much of an effect.
“Don’t do anything that might seem needlessly suspicious. Just serve as my assistant,” Sienna ordered. “And make sure to eat in moderation[1].”
“Understood,” Blazac said, nodding obediently.
If Balzac did anything suspicious, Sienna would kill him without any hesitation whatsoever.
It was true that Balzac and Sienna had developed quite a lot of familiarity while working together, but even that wasn’t enough to make Sienna hesitate if it came to killing him. She had never once forgotten that Balzac was a black wizard, and she was also mindful of the fact that Balzac would definitely become their enemy one day.
Balzac was also aware of this fact. Although he had never imagined that things would turn out like this and he would be able to take part in such a battle, he felt that it was a great blessing for him to be able to fight alongside the Wise Sienna.
‘There is nothing that I would change,’ Balzac thought happily.
If Amelia was preparing to attempt the ritual to become a Demon King like Edmond had been, Balzac might have been able to gain various benefits during that process. Still, Balzac didn’t have any problems with how things had played out.
‘Through this war, I should be able to get closer to my secret desire,’ Balzac thought as he looked at Sienna with reverent eyes.
The greatest and most exceptional wizard in all of history. The wizard who had gone beyond the limits of humanity, accepting the challenge to become the Goddess of Magic, and was actually showing signs of reaching her goal. The Wise Sienna walked through the skies, holding Frost in her hand.
Fwooosh!
A galaxy unfolded behind Sienna. Rynein and Balzac followed further behind Sienna while feeling in awe of her.
Below, the leader of the White Dragon Knights, Alchester, muttered in a trembling voice, “The Empty Sword….”
Ever since the Knight March, he had never gotten the chance to see Eugene fight in person. That was why Alchester couldn’t help but be thrilled upon seeing Eugene’s strength and the level of completion that the Hero had reached with the Empty Sword.
The Empty Sword was the secret technique that had been perfected by the Dragonic family over several generations. However, Alchester now got the feeling that he couldn’t allow himself to remain complacent with his family’s achievements. Eugene’s Empty Sword had reached a far higher level than that of Alchester, the Head of the Dragonic Family.
‘He didn’t just use it with his sword,’ Alcester recalled.
The black sphere that Eugene had thrown, the one that had destroyed the giant’s crystallized dark power and arm all in one go, must have been created using the same techniques applied with the Empty Sword. This fact caused another tremor to run through Alchester.
Was it anger because Eugene had arbitrarily used his family’s secret techniques? There was no way that Alchester could be displeased by something like that. What Alchester was feeling right now was a big, almost indescribable, surge of emotion. This was Eugene Lionheart, the Hero who would defeat the Demon Kings and save the world.
‘To think that our family’s secret technique, the Empty Sword that he learned from me, could be used so exquisitely,’ Alchester thought in excitement.
Alchester grinned as he savored this fact once more.
He kept this grin up until the army had arrived at a certain point. Setting aside his satisfaction for now, Alchester lifted his hand. The riders following him raised the banner of the White Dragon Knights immediately.
Soon, the other army units had all raised their banners aloft. Their enemies were gradually coming into range. Beyond the giant’s corpse that was being consumed by Eugene’s black flames, the undead army had begun to advance over the still pitch-black desert.
But the demonic beasts had already begun to move even before the undead did. Although they couldn’t be compared to Kamash, let alone the Centipede Mountains, the demonic beasts running towards them were so large that every single one of them could tower over a sizable mansion.
They all belonged to a category of Super Demonic Beasts. They weren’t just called that due to their large size. Unlike other monsters, these demonic beasts were made up of pure dark power.
Some of the Demonic Beasts who were racing ahead of the pack opened their jaws wide.
Vuuuuuum!
Dark power was being concentrated between their jaws. It was clear what would happen next. This dark power would soon be shot out like a dragon’s Breath.
The moment that the demonic beasts moved into action, the allied forces immediately prepared a response. Following Trempel’s orders, the magic corps all cast a spell simultaneously.
Wooooom!
A dense magical barrier covered the front of the entire army. At the same time, various counterspells were also prepared. In the rear, the wizards of the Red Tower of Magic, led by Lovellian, all drew summonings circles, from which hundreds of cannons were deployed.
Boomboomboombooom!
The opening shot of the battle came when all of the cannons began firing simultaneously. All the different countries began unleashing their artillery. Aroth’s magic cannons had been predicted to perform the best in terms of firepower, but in actuality, that didn’t turn out to be the case. The Lionhearts’ cannons, which had been crammed full of the dwarves’ wildest imaginations, were firing the most destructive mana cannonballs with an absurdly loud roar.
Boom, boom, boom!
The artillery shells passed through the barrier and struck the demonic beasts.
The demonic beasts that were hit by the shells were forced to stumble on their feet. There hadn’t been any casualties yet, but the demonic beasts’ advance had been halted. But the enemy didn’t just sit there dumbfounded. In response, the condensed dark power exploded out of their mouths. The dark power sprayed out in a conical shape like a dragon’s Breath.
A layer of light began to shine on top of the dense magical barrier. The priests from the Luminous Covenant, who had been stationed near the artillery forces, all performed a miracle together as if they had been waiting for this timing. Except for the Knights of the Blood Cross, the Paladins taking part in the expedition had been given the duty of guarding the priests, but they also provided support to the priests by generating spare divine power.
Although it had proven possible to halt the advance of all these large demonic beasts with artillery fire alone, it seemed that it would still be difficult to annihilate them with cannons alone. As soon as this verdict was reached, all the cannons were aimed higher. This change in angle was made to target the undead troops who were following behind the demonic beasts.
The Beast King of Ruhr, the only monarch to personally participate in this war, let out a roar, “Charge!”
King Aman and his knights of Ruhr were all riding on wolves, but the wolf that Aman was riding was the largest of them all. That wolf was Abel, the same humongous wolf that had once served as Eugene’s guide through the snowfields. Aman and the White Fangs galloped ahead of the army, spurring on their wolves.
Seated on a huge black stallion, Gilead called out, “Cyan.”
“Yes, Sir Patriarch,” Cyan replied, also riding on a horse next to Gilead.
Cyan felt glad that he was wearing a helmet. Although he had already experienced the battlefield during his time in the Rainforest… he couldn’t help but be nervous when faced with a war on this scale. Conscious of the stiffness in his cheeks, Cyan turned to look at Gilead.
“You seem nervous,” Gilead said with a glance at Cyan.
Cyan’s true feelings had already been seen through.
But before Cyan could say anything in response, Gilead admitted with a grin, “I’m also feeling a bit nervous.”
“Huh…?” Cyan gawked in surprise.
“Just because it’s me, did you really think I was an old hand at war?” Gilead laughed, “Haha… let alone a war; it’s been a long time since I even fought seriously.”
Cyan’s eyes widened into circles at these words.
Why hadn’t he realized this before? After all, it was only natural.
Cyan couldn’t think of anything to say and could only flap his lips soundlessly.
Until now, the world had mostly been at peace. And it wasn’t like there were many nobles who would dare to make enemies of the Lionhearts.
Thanks to that, the Lionhearts had never really had an enemy to fight against. They also never had to duel with the other nobles or engage in a territorial war. The closest that the Black Lion Knights usually came to actual combat was through their combat training.
In fact, their training was very close to the real thing. But what about the main family or the Knights of the White Lion? They might both train regularly, but even with that, this would be their first time going to war.
Cyan hesitated, “Ah, Patriarch….”
“I might be nervous, but…,” Gilead began speaking calmly as his Exid shifted in response to his will, and his helmet opened up slightly, revealing Gilead’s face. “...But more than that, I’m excited. It feels like my blood is boiling.”
In his entire life, this was Cyan’s first time seeing such an expression on his father’s face. His father’s usually stern visage, which had always been full of majesty as befitting the Patriarch of their clan, now had an out-of-place grin resting on it.
“Cyan,” Gilead called out once more.
“Ah… y-yes?” Cyan stammered.
“Make sure to watch my back, just so that this father of yours doesn’t end up running too wild,” Gilead warned with an excited grin.
Cyan was struck silent, “....”
“As my son, I can only leave my rear to you,” Gilead said, his smile changing.
Now, Gilead’s smiling expression was full of his kindness, love, and trust in his children.
Cyan’s shoulders trembled for a second, then he nodded firmly, “Yes!”
To think that Gilead and his son would actually end up standing on the same battlefield together. No, it wasn’t just his son. Somewhere high in the sky, his daughter was also present. And also… his other son was returning to the army after going ahead to defeat a giant all on his own.
“Eugene isn’t the only Lionheart here,” Gilead said as he lowered his helmet shut. “So let us go and relieve some of that boy’s burden.”
Gilead raised his sword high.
Aaaaaaah!
All of the White Lion Knights riding along behind him roared in unison.
Then, all of the White Lion Knights charged forward as one. Soon after, Ortus and the knights of Shimuin also charged together, then came Ivic and the other mercenaries. Finally, Ivatar and the warriors of the Zoran Tribe also ran forward while roaring their war cries.
Kyaaaaaak!
Dozens of flying demonic beasts flapped their wings through the skies above. When Raimira hesitated, unsure of what she should do, the squadrons that had been flying along behind her also charged forward.
Thump.
“I should have cleared up the skies a bit before returning,” Eugene muttered as he landed on Raimira’s back.
“Why organize an army if you’re just going to try and do everything yourself?” Sienna asked sarcastically.
Eugene gave her a serious answer, “No matter how strong I am if I try to wipe them all out by myself, I’ll still end up running out of strength.”
“Since you are already well aware of that, why are you complaining?” Anise pointed out impatiently as she grabbed Eugene’s wrist. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“There’s no way I would get hurt just from facing a single bastard like him,” Eugene scoffed.
Anise sighed, “If you had showed up with even a single scratch on you, I was ready to tear strips out of your hide.”
“Don’t you think that response is way too harsh for someone who went out and fought so hard on his own like I did,” Eugene pouted. “Shouldn’t you give me some compliments instead?”
“You did a really good job,” Anise said with a bright smile as she patted Eugene’s hand.
Feeling a bit embarrassed by this treatment, Eugene awkwardly turned his head to the other side.
Down below, he could see the advancing banners. Charging along at the very front was the standard of the Lionheart clan. Several other standards were running along behind it.
Lifting his head, Eugene turned to face the front. He saw the flying squadrons that had flown ahead clashing against the demonic beasts. The first thing that caught his eye was the sight of Raphael swinging a claymore atop the giant Apollo. Casually, Eugene began looking for some of the familiar faces amongst the flying squadrons.
He first looked at the Black Lions riding their wyverns.
Carmen had left her wyvern to fly on its own, leaping on top of a demonic beast and pounding it with her fists.
Not far away, Gion was skillfully piloting his wyvern while swinging a sword. Eugene also spotted Genos performing an Asura Rampage. Dezra and Gargith were both easy to find as well.
Then there was Ciel. She was using Javel’s long, narrow blade like a spear, slicing open the demonic beasts’ hides. For a moment, Eugene just stared at the flames fluttering around Ciel like a lion’s mane.
“...Should I have just come here on my own?” Eugene muttered to himself.
“Are you talking about abandoning us as well?” Anise challenged him.
Eugene hesitated, “Well… in the case of you guys… you would have followed me even if I had told you not to.”
“They would have probably done the same,” Anise said with a smile as she held Eugene’s hand. “You didn’t summon them here. They all came here for your sake.”
“But they came here because I intended to start this war,” Eugene argued guiltily.
Anise raised a brow, “If you think that was a mistake, then what’s the point of doing any of this?”
Eugene shook his head, “I don’t have any regrets. It’s just that, suddenly, I couldn’t help but have second thoughts.”
“Even if someone dies here, it won’t be your fault.” Anise paused before shaking her head. “...No, I shouldn’t put it like that. It’s certainly true that you did intend for this war to break out. They also came here for your sake and the sake of the whole world. So perhaps, in a way, all of this is indeed your fault.”
Anise’s palm gently pressed down on Eugene’s hand. Eugene felt the Stigmata that had been carved into the soft skin of her palm.
“In that case, as the Saint, allow me to forgive you of your sins. I will also pray for everyone who dies here so that they will go to heaven instead of hell,” Anise vowed.
“Hah,” Eugene unconsciously let out a laugh.
Heaven, she says.
“It’s been a while since I last heard those words,” Eugene said with a wry smile.
“There’s always someone on the battlefield praying that those who die will go to heaven. As the Saint, it’s only befitting for me to take up the responsibility for that prayer,” Anise said, smiling along with Eugene.
She let go of Eugene’s hand and spun around. The priests of the Graceful Radiance were all down on their knees, looking up at Anise and Eugene.
The Saint’s consciousnesses swapped places.
[Well then, now let’s do what needs to be done,] Anise whispered from inside their head.
Having taken control of their body, Kristina slowly took a deep breath and nodded.
“Well then, now let’s do what needs to be done,” while repeating the exact words as Anise, Kristina unfurled her wings.
Fwoooosh!
Her eight wings were spread wide open. The priests of the Graceful Radiance lifted their hands in prayer at this sight and bowed their heads deeply.
Aaaaaaah!
A circle of light was drawn on the center of Raimira’s back.
“Please go ahead,” Kristina said.
Maise, the sole wizard left standing on Raimira’s back, was momentarily entranced by the show of piety from these priests, but he quickly straightened his expression and nodded his head.
“Yes,” Maise said as he raised his staff.
Then he cast his Signature, the Battleship. The spell that was usually used to arm an entire ship with magic now enveloped Raimira.
[Ooooh…!] Raimira cried out in excitement.
Although they had practiced this in advance, Raimira still felt a great deal of excitement when the time came for her actual performance. Battleship’s magic successfully armed Raimira.
Raimira also didn’t just stay still during all of this. One of the titles that was often used to describe dragons was Masters of Magic. So Raimira used her own Draconic Incantation to supplement Battleship’s formula.
[This lady is now both a dragon and a battleship…!] Raimira cried out excitedly as she flapped her wings.
In mere moments, their altitude had climbed up considerably. As Raimira ascended higher than the flock of flying demonic beasts fighting in front of her, she could clearly see how Hauria had been totally encircled by the Centipede Mountains.
She couldn’t see into the city all that clearly. This was because of the pitch-black veil of dark power that covered the top of the city like a roof.
“Try and take a shot at it,” Eugene suggested.
[Benefactor! Do you want to take a look at this lady’s Breath?!] Raimira responded with excitement.
Eugene encouraged her, “If you want to shoot, then you should just shoot.”
Until now, she had been so excited and impatient that if Eugene hadn’t allowed her to use her Breath soon, it would have been obvious that Raimira was going to lose her temper.
[Take a look at this lady’s strength!] Raimira exclaimed as a flashing light pierced through the sky.
1. Just in case this is confusing, it refers to Balzac’s new Signature, Gluttony, which allows him to absorb dark power. ☜