"They are approaching the intersection!"
Upon hearing the scout's cry, I nodded vigorously.
"Good! Prepare for crossfire!"
It was time to show the new recruits and the incoming monsters another special product of our Crossroad.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The skilled gunners adeptly aligned and aimed the cannons.
And, the moment the monsters entered the firing range-
"Fire!"
I stretched out my hand and shouted.
"Relentlessly, without mercy, pour it all out!"
Blam blam blam blam!
Along with the ear-splitting, thunderous cannonade, the cannons on the walls spewed fire in unison.
The moment in the defensive battle I loved the most.
A single blast of orderly firepower blossomed a flame in the sky.
The leading beetles of the monster army were swept away in the fire net, shattering to pieces.
The cannons, consistently maintained, upgraded, and researched, were fully tier-upgraded.
Not only that, but I also enchanted them with various enhancement materials and scrolls obtained from autonomous exploration farming.
Moreover, having visited the Imperial Capital, I acquired the blueprints for the new cannons of the Imperial Capital and was applying that technology in sequence.
Anyway, long story short... even if the third-year monsters have become stronger, we have more than enough firepower to melt them!
Kaboom! Boom boom boom!
The beetle monsters burst into pieces in the air.
"Crazy...!"
"The vanguard of the monsters, gone in one go...?!"
A sight of such a grand scale artillery unit, executing such precise and powerful firepower, is hard to find anywhere in the world.
The new recruits were as flustered by the artillery's overwhelming start as they were terrified at the appearance of the monster legion. Regardless, I gave the next order.
"Lilly! It's your turn!"
"Got it! Activating artifacts in sequence!"
Whirrr!
Lilly and the alchemists activated the artifacts, and the artifacts installed on the walls lit up in sequence, emitting their unique operational sound.
Various debuffs were slapped on the monsters, and the direct attack artifacts melted them with flashes of light.
For the monsters that crossed this artifact line, a second round of cannon barrage, reloaded and ready, awaited.
Boom boom boom!
With a monstrous explosion, the monsters of the second wave were all burned up.
This was the typical, usual routine of our defensive battles.
The difference this time was - the monsters were flying beetles.
Screetch!
The third wave of beetles, cutting through the thick smoke, flew towards the walls in an instant.
If they were ground monsters, the bodies of the fallen would have served as a barrier, and we could have delayed them with various ground tactics, including the kill zone.
But in aerial combat, we don't have such options. Hence, we needed to resort to various tricks.
'From this point on, a new option is available.'
Because the Sky Knights had newly joined our front line.
"Now, shall we deploy the new bait unit?"
"Knights of the Vermillion Kingdom!"
When I called them, Mikhail and the Sky Knights looked at me in surprise.
"How long are you planning to just watch?"
I smirked, not hiding my intent to provoke, lifting one corner of my mouth.
"Aren't you going to show off the skills you boast of?"
"Mmph!"
Mikhail, with a baby-faced expression and biting his lips, lightly climbed onto his griffon.
"Let's go, Sky Knights! Let's show them what we're made of!"
"Ha!"
"Yah!"
Leading the charge, Mikhail and the knights mounted on griffons soared into the sky.
'A magnificent sight.'
The griffons, spreading their massive wings, and the knights fluttering their capes.
Flying in formation, they attacked the beetle monsters.
Screetch!
The griffons cut through the wind with a mighty sound.
"Haah!"
With a spirited battle cry, Mikhail formed a sphere of magical power around his drawn rapier.
As Mikhail swung his rapier sideways, the spheres of magic power shot forward-
Boom! Blam blam blam!
Directly striking the beetles blocking the Sky Knights' path.
Following the heavy charge of the griffons, the knights crushed the monsters as they dove into the heart of the enemy lines.
Thud thud thud thud!
The knights' coordinated lance charge followed the griffons' hefty assault.
The beetles' carapaces were thick, but they were crushed under the overwhelming physical force that exceeded their defense.
"Break off now!"
After crumbling a corner of the enemy lines with a unified assault, Mikhail led his men out of the airspace without hesitation.
Screetch!
Cutting through the wind, the griffons and knights maintained their momentum as they exited the enemy lines. Watching this, I whistled.
'A sound strategy.'
The cavalry's typical tactic of using speed and weight for a charge attack, then withdrawing from the enemy lines, was executed well by the Sky Knights even in the air.
"It seems that boasting about catching all sorts of monsters in the northwestern part of the continent wasn't just a bluff."
I'm grateful for the immediate combat power that has come our way.
While I was smiling contentedly, Lucas looked at me as if he couldn't believe it.
"...Are you just going to watch, my lord?"
"Don't worry. I don't make losing bets."
The Sky Knights' role in this battle was to be the bait.
Thud thud thud thud!
The beetle monsters followed the hit-and-run tactics of the Sky Knights in a long line.
The monsters, by their nature, show hostility to the nearest humans, so they were drawn to the Sky Knights who had approached them momentarily.
Nearly half of the monsters flying towards the walls were drawn away by the Sky Knights, significantly reducing the burden on our wall defenders.
"Now, warriors of the world's forefront!"
I lightly slammed the flag in my hand downwards.
"Let's also make our move!"
Whoosh!
My ultimate skill [The Foremost Flag] activated, beginning the creation of a magical wall. Our melee combatants quickly climbed atop it.
The location of the wall's creation was above the heads of the artillerymen in the air.
While the artillery maintained their fire net, this position allowed them to protect themselves and engage the approaching monsters.
"We can't lose to the newbies!"
"Come at us, you buggered monsters!"
My melee heroes shouted spiritedly as they prepared for hand-to-hand combat.
"Waaaah! Waaaah! Bugs, bugs everywhere!"
Except for Kuilan...
As the beetles approached, Kuilan screamed weakly in fear. Beside him, Yun, shouldering a large axe, swung it, slicing an approaching beetle in two.
Then she looked at Kuilan with a meaningful smile.
"If you don't get it together... you'll be in trouble later."
"Eeek!"
Kuilan, more scared of the person next to him than the bugs, adjusted his fighting stance. Good, that worked out.
Thud thud thud thud!
Whack! Thwack!
The warriors on my magical wall began to fend off the beetles that had breached our artillery's fire net.
The numbers would have been slightly overwhelming normally, but thanks to the Sky Knights, the aerial bait unit, the burden was less. It was easier to hold them off.
This pattern of battle continued for a while.
The Sky Knights drew aggro in the air with hit-and-run tactics, while we dealt with the beetles not drawn to them at the walls, and our artillerymen fired their cannons diligently.
'Everything's running smoothly.'
Aligned with the twenty or so Sky Knights, my direct control party included Kuilan's Penal Squad, Verdandi's Holy Grail Seekers, Dusk Bringar's Dragonblood Knights, and my main party.
Even though they couldn't fly like the Sky Knights, the kill count was roughly matching up.
It seemed like it could turn into a pretty evenly matched good fight.
The problem was,
"Ugh?!"
"We are being caught up, Prince!"
The fact that the Sky Knights were gradually being worn down.
After the initial assault and retreat, they could shake off the beetles with no problem, but each repetition of hit and run saw their speed decreasing.
Both griffins and knights, being living beings, couldn't have infinite stamina.
Rather, as cavalry constantly engaged in intense movements throughout the battle, they tended to deplete their stamina faster than other troops.
Thud thud thud thud!
The beetles, which were easily shaken off at first, had now caught up right behind the Sky Knights.
The look of consternation on the knights' faces was clear even from a distance.
"Tch!"
With a click of his tongue, Mikhail momentarily slowed down his griffin, moving to the rear of the knights, and then swung his rapier backwards.
This created dozens of small magical spheres that scattered behind,
Blam blam blam!
and exploded upon reaching the beetles following the Sky Knights.
It was an excellent attack. Against the usual monsters they faced in the northwest, this single strike would have been enough to clean them up neatly.
But.
"-?!"
On this front, that was not enough.
Mikhail had to spread multiple weaker spheres to cover more beetles.
As a result, the attack covered a wider area, but despite taking the damage, the beetles remained unscathed.
The beetles, overcoming the deterrence, continued to pursue.
Eventually, they caught up.
The caught-up beetles started to attack the Sky Knights, clinging onto the griffins with their legs and attacking with horns and pincers.
"Ugh...?!"
"Shake them off!"
The Sky Knights managed to fend off the monsters clinging to their rear but were inevitably forced to slow down. More beetles were catching up from behind.
If they were closer to the walls, they could have retreated and landed, but they were caught quite far away.
If it continued like this, they wouldn't be able to retreat to the walls and would be attacked from all sides by the monsters.
The end of a cavalry unit that lost its mobility was predictably dire.
'Still, they lasted longer than I thought.'
Now, the Sky Knights, completely entangled with the monsters, began a desperate struggle.
Watching them, I coldly evaluated the battle when soldiers and nobles from the Vermillion Kingdom urgently requested my help.
"Pr-, Prince!"
"Please save our Crown Prince! At this rate...!"
"Eh? Why should I?"
As I casually responded, the faces of the Vermillion Kingdom people paled.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"It was him who requested to compete for command. And the competition is still ongoing. Crown Prince Mikhail hasn't surrendered yet, so I can't intervene first."
"But, but!"
"This monster frontline was built at the cost of lives."
I stated coldly.
"In front of monsters, death is equal. Knights, soldiers, royalty, commoners. Anyone can die from a single mistake."
"..."
"If he requested to take over the command of such a harsh frontline, didn't he prepare to stake his life? When you bet against monsters, naturally, you lose everything if you lose."
To have command means to bear responsibility.
If Crown Prince Mikhail truly desired the command of this frontline, then it's only natural that he bears the responsibility for his life and death as well.
I gave the trembling, pale-faced people of the Vermillion Kingdom a sly smile.
"Just kidding, just kidding."
I wouldn't let such a good card die after just showing off a bit.
After scolding them and using them well for my own benefit, that's the best approach.
Turning back towards the battlefield, I shouted.
"Main party! Assist the Sky Knights!"
I had the main party on standby, anticipating this.
"Damien! Junior!"
"Yes, Prince!"
"We've been waiting, Your Highness."
As I called the names of my two tactical weapons who had been waiting, they eagerly stepped forward. I smiled at the sniper and the magician.
"Shall we show these rookies the harshness of our frontline?"
Instead of replying, Damien grabbed the [Black Queen], and Junior held the [Lord of Crimson].
While preparing for sniping and magic, I turned to the others.
"And Lucas! Evangeline!"
My knight duo, also on standby, immediately came to my side. I nodded at them.
"It's time for aerial combat."
I had already given the strategic orders.
Evangeline snorted as if excited, and Lucas looked coolly up at the sky - and at the battlefield where the Sky Knights were struggling.
It was time to teach these greenhorn knights a lesson.
That you don't necessarily need wings to fight in the sky.
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading