"Here, I'll take care of these minions with the soldiers."
I commanded Lucas.
"You take the elite heroes... and rescue Mikhail."
Without the heroes, it would be tough for just the soldiers to handle these hundreds of scarecrows, and the heroes, on their own, would find it difficult to confront the legion commander who had absorbed most of the forward base's strength.
Both sides would be overwhelmed. But, there's no time now. We have to do it.
"Yes, my lord."
Thus, Lucas nodded without any objection and gestured to the other comrades.
As if they had been waiting, Torkel, Nobody, Chain stepped forward, and then... Zenis stood up. I asked with a bit of worry.
"Can you move, Zenis? Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
"Not at all."
Zenis, who had just recovered from exhaustion, looked strained but showed a uniquely sly smile.
"And, the presence or absence of a healing priest greatly affects the tactics, doesn't it."
"..."
He was right. And now, in any case, everyone had to push themselves. I nodded.
I gently adjusted one side of the magic fortress's wall, and the four heroes slid down it.
And then,
"...Phew."
Hannibal took a deep breath and stood by the wall.
I patted Hannibal's shoulder lightly.
"You're crucial in this operation, Hannibal. Just do as I've instructed beforehand."
"Yes, Your Highness...!"
Clenching his teeth, Hannibal followed the uncles before him, sliding down the wall as if he was sledding.
And lastly, Dearmudin.
"..."
The grand sorcerer stroked his beard and glanced silently at me before suddenly saying,
"See you again, Prince Ash."
"...?"
I squinted in confusion and shook my head vigorously.
"Of course. We'll see each other again. I'll follow shortly."
"Don't rush too much."
Dearmudin showed an inscrutable smile, then leaped into the air, gliding down below the wall.
Watching the heroes charge at the scarecrow legion commander, I turned towards the ordinary soldiers.
"Now, let's quickly wrap this up!"
Standing where the scarecrows were most densely packed on the wall, I activated [Kraken's Ring].
"Summon-!"
A magic circle formed in the air, and the mightiest cephalopod monster, which could only be summoned once every three stages, fell from the sky.
Boom!
Roar!
The Kraken roared upon landing, shaking the area violently, further damaging the already crumbling forward base.
'I'd like to release all the captured monsters if I could.'
But since managing their loyalty was problematic, releasing several could lead to them fighting each other or attacking allies, so I only released the Kraken, whose summoning could be surely dismissed.
"Alright, quick and decisive! Let's sweep these up and go help our friends!"
I shouted atop the Kraken, looking down at the pouring scarecrows.
"Let's gooo-!"
***
In a forest a bit away from the forward base.
Mikhail was dying.
Held in the embrace of the scarecrow legion commander, he was being drained of the last remnants of his soul essence.
'...Well, it doesn't matter.'
Spitting out blood several times, his face stained red, Mikhail thought with unfocused eyes.
'After all, I'd die if I went back anyway.'
He was the crown prince of Vermillion.
If he failed, his status would be revoked immediately, and the griffin's blood injected into him would also be reclaimed. In other words, all his blood would be drained while he was still alive.
His life was doomed either way. It was just a matter of time being shortened.
'If I was going to die like this, I should have died back then...'
He remembered a time not long ago when he was captured by the moving forest legion.
Bound by the legion commander Elder Tree, Mikhail had to watch his subordinate knights rush in to save him.
He had to watch them die one by one, miserably, with wide eyes.
If only he had died that day, the first time he faced failure, he wouldn't have had to suffer like this.
No, perhaps if he had died even earlier... his subordinates wouldn't have had to die trying to save him.
'Why have I been alive, only to cause harm to those around me...'
The satisfied breathing of the scarecrow legion commander filled Mikhail's ears. It seemed this terrible harvest was nearing its end.
He wanted to die quickly.
He wished for it to end soon...
That's when it happened.
"It might be a bit hot."
The voice of the Ivory Tower Master, Dearmudin, echoed.
Flames surged.
Magic flames, rising from the ground in a circle, exquisitely burned only up to the scarecrow legion commander's body, right behind Mikhail. It was a terrifyingly precise control.
"Kuh?!"
Engulfed in flames, the scarecrow legion commander, made of wood, couldn't withstand and had to move. Naturally, the harvesting stopped.
"Prince Ash's added power is indeed tremendous."
Dearmudin murmured, surprised by the exceptional strength of the flames he conjured.
Lucas shot forward like a bullet, proudly puffing up his chest.
"Now do you see? My lord is such a remarkable person!"
"He may be remarkable, but now's not the time to brag...!"
Torkel, who had the highest tanking ability among all the heroes of Crossroad but the worst mobility, gasped out.
Then, the dark magician Chain, using his arm made of darkness, swiftly grabbed Torkel and threw him forward.
Torkel, with his heavy armor and shield, was launched like a siege projectile.
"You pests! Back off! Aren't I in the middle of harvesting?"
The scarecrow legion commander roared, effortlessly dodging Torkel's bodyslam.
"Don't interfere! I was about to consume the essence of the essence, the very bottom remains...!"
"I know, I get it! It's like when you drink cocoa, it gets sweeter and richer towards the bottom, right? That's why I like the sediment at the bottom of the cup too!"
A voice resounded through the air.
Startled, the scarecrow legion commander looked up, just in time to see the blind swordsman Nobody falling towards him.
"So it's infuriating when you spill it right before you finish it, right?!"
Chain had deliberately thrown Torkel with a bang to then sneakily launch Nobody in a follow-up.
Nobody grinned, showing his yellow teeth.
"My condition is top-notch today! It's almost like I have both eyes open! Be prepared!"
His long sword flashed as it was drawn from the sheath.
Slash!
A cutting strike that could slice through anything was swung.
True to Nobody's words, his slash traced a path with unprecedented precision, aiming perfectly for the scarecrow legion commander's neck.
"Kuk?!"
The scarecrow legion commander attempted to dodge in desperation, but he was already within the range of the attack.
The problem was, the long sword had been broken in half when cutting through the walls of the forward base earlier.
The length of the blade was reduced, and despite getting closer than usual to make the cut, it was still not enough.
Crack-!
Nobody's slash managed to cut through the scarecrow legion commander's neck.
Only halfway.
Frustrated by not being able to cleanly sever the enemy commander's neck, Nobody clenched his teeth.
"Damn it, I was in good condition..."
Thud-!
Nobody was struck by a rough blow from the scarecrow legion commander's flung arm and was thrown backward.
He broke several trees in the forest as he was flung far away.
It was only after a while that he, smashed into the dirt floor, tried to rise, spitting blood, then collapsed back to the ground with his head hitting the floor.
"Nobody!"
"Damn, to think it wouldn't work..."
Lucas clenched his teeth.
It was a crucial surprise attack, and while it succeeded in landing a significant blow, it failed to kill the enemy commander in one strike.
'We must finish this now!'
Whoosh-!
Lucas, using [Step of Persistence], was launched like a bullet.
The knight's hand formed a blade of light with [Bestowed Sword], and [Strike of Will] shone dazzlingly, ready to end the enemy commander in a single blow.
Now that the commander had taken a hit, it was time to finish him off in one go!
Lucas aimed the sword straight and thrust at full speed towards the scarecrow legion commander's side. Or, that was the plan.
With a twist.
The scarecrow legion commander easily turned his body sideways, placing Mikhail, who was hanging from his chest, in the path of the sword.
Mikhail's empty gaze met Lucas's desperate one in midair.
"...!"
For a moment, Lucas was conflicted.
His rational mind judged that killing the scarecrow legion commander along with Mikhail was the best course of action right now.
However-
Suddenly, the image of the man he followed flashed through Lucas's mind.
The back of Ash, leading with a flag fluttering.
"...Gruh!"
Feeling as if the banner his lord wished to protect was right in front of him, he couldn't bring himself to strike. So, Lucas twisted the sword path,
"How foolish."
The scarecrow legion commander struck Lucas's abdomen with all his might.
Boom!
A sound like a cannon exploding resonated.
In that instant, Lucas used [Step of Persistence] to jump back, reducing the impact, and pushed his sword into the path of the monster's fist to guard.
Despite this, the blade of light shattered- and Lucas, spitting blood, bounced off the ground several times before crashing miserably into the dirt floor.
The scarecrow legion commander's strength was immense when it had only absorbed Mikhail's power, but now, having monopolized the strength of about a hundred guards from the forward base... it was a disaster-level threat.
To use Ash's words, Status-Drain.
Each strike was a monster, condensing the strength of a hundred men.
"Your interference may not have allowed for a complete harvest, but my stores are already abundant."
With half its neck cut, head bizarrely twisted more than 90 degrees to the side, the scarecrow legion commander cackled eerily.
"From the moment the ambush failed, you had no chance."
"Gr, ugh...!"
"Come, let me devour you all as well."
The scarecrow leaped effortlessly, striking down towards Lucas. Lucas barely managed to get up but sensed he couldn't evade.
"Hmph-!"
Torkel intervened in the meantime.
Torkel raised his massive shield to absorb the scarecrow legion commander's attack.
Boom!
Torkel barely held on, but the solid shield was deeply indented. Torkel's nose bled within his helmet, and one of his legs gave way, kneeling on the ground.
If not for Ash's buff, that strike alone would have been fatal.
"Torkel!"
"I'm okay... Regroup...!"
Second, third, fourth attacks came in quick succession.
The scarecrow legion commander merely had to swing his limbs lightly for the ground to upheave and giant trees to be uprooted.
"Grrr!"
Torkel activated his ultimate skill, [Man is not Made for Defeat], and held on.
His body withstood the onslaught, but his solid armor and shield crumbled away instantly.
"Sir Lucas! You need healing!"
Zenis, having finished administering first aid to Nobody, rushed to Lucas and cast healing magic on him, but the damage was too deep for complete recovery.
Chain and Dearmudin looked for an opportunity to squeeze in their attacks.
However, every time magic flew towards him, the scarecrow legion commander thrust Mikhail into its path. Then, Chain and Dearmudin had to grit their teeth and forcibly dismantle their magic.
"Stop it."
Watching the rescue team crumble miserably before him, Mikhail murmured.
"Stop it..."
The scene before his eyes overlapped with the sight of his subordinates dying.
Mikhail's voice trembled.
"Don't die for someone like me...!"
The scarecrow legion commander now stood in place, swinging his arms wildly with a bizarre, joyful laughter.
Torkel, holding the shield, had his legs almost buried in the ground.
"You all have nothing to do with me!"
Unable to watch any longer, Mikhail closed his eyes tightly.
"Why are you throwing away your lives to save me...!"
As Mikhail cried out,
"Why did we try to save you, you ask. Just..."
A young voice sounded from the side.
Surprised, Mikhail turned to look, and there was a shaggy-haired boy.
With a small stature, using the earth spirits for ground camouflage.
It was Hannibal, who had finally managed to sneak up amidst the distraction provided by everyone.
Hannibal placed his hand on the branches binding Mikhail, showing an awkward smile.
"Because."
Crack!
The tree spirits swiftly unraveled the scarecrow legion commander's tight bind, and Mikhail was finally freed.
--TL Notes--
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