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Cattleya’s brows are softly wrinkled.
[I feel like the numbers of these Ogre Soldiers are steadily increasing…]
[Their numbers…?]
That’s when it happened.
Somewhere far away, a large amount of our allies were flung through the air.
Along with the sound of screams.
[Guwaaahhhhhhhhh!?]
[Gyaaaaahhhhhh!]
A sheep-headed demon with four horns raised a tyrannical storm.
That thing looks like it’s nearly seven meters tall—–
[The black dragon!]
The black dragon chaotically dances around the sheep-headed giant.
It looks like it lost control.
[It’s probably because the Tyrant’s Miasma around is so strong that the rider can’t even give it instructions!]
Analyzing so, Cattleya’s eyes strongly focused on me.
And then—- With eyes as sharp as a hawk, she stared at the sheep-headed demon.
At that moment, I felt like all the hair in my body raised.
It’s pointing towards this way.
The sheep-headed giant—– is pointing towards me.
[I suppose it hast to be thee.]
A heavily distorted voice cut through the battlefield and pierced through my ears.
————Ba-dump————-
My heart lurched.
A heavy pressure as if I’ve encountered a repulsive dark vortex.
It was as if something was tightly gripping my heart.
[The only person who can hinder my most ideal “harvest” is thee.]
The sheep-headed giant started running.
[The Hero from Another World.]
Stomping on the ground, it roared as it drew closer.
That’s also while it blows away the battle formation of the helpless Alion’s soldiers.
[I am the Great Demon Emperor’s Second Oath, Zweikzeed… I will now commence elimination of the greatest hindrance to my ideal “harvest”.]
Splat!
The sheep-headed demon—- Zweikzeed suddenly did something incomprehensible.
With its huge claws, it slashed its own chest.
Blood vigorously gushed out from its wound.
The blood he spilled turned into a blood-colored mist and floated near Zweikzeed.
In the next moment…
Its blood took on a new form.
The blood became thicker and eventually took the form of a huge curved sword.
As he kept on running, Zweikzeed clutched the hilt of his blood sword.
The ground echoes as the Confidant draws near with the huge blood sword in its hand.
It’s going to come at me in a straight line.
I dismounted from my horse.
Taking a deep breath—– I promptly “released my limiters”.
Then, raising my right hand to the side…
[——-
A huge silver sphere appears beside my right hand.
Then, I heard a loud voice coming from behind.
[They’re here! From within the castle, the Golden-eyed monsters from the Demon Zone suddenly appeared!]
It seems that the monsters from within the ramparts have finally reached them.
[We must brace ourselves! Go for it, everyone!]
Nihei, who suffered a minor injury and is bleeding from his forehead, hurls out his declaration.
As for that side, I—-
(All I can do is to rely on them…!)
Not showing any sign of stopping at all, Zweikzeed brandished his blood sword with the momentum of his charge.
The closer I look at it, the more intimidating this monsters becomes, probably because of its huge body.
However, I—- choose not to evade.
Creating a double-edged inherent sword in my hand, I took a stance to intercept his incoming attack.
Swooossshhh!
Zweikzeed’s blood sword swung down.
And then, I received his large swing with my sword.
Matching the size of my opponent, my inherent sword became larger.
My silver sword, imbued in my oni ki, strikes back…
Klaaaannnngggg!
With the clash of steel ringing out, I flicked back the demon’s blood sword.
[——–!?]
With the power of my attack, Zweikzeed slightly recoils back as I repelled his blood sword.
I could see surprise appearing Zweikzeed’s face.
It seemed that my attack was heavier and faster than he had imagined.
On the other hand, I was almost blown away by the power of my opponent.
However, I managed to hold on.
And then—– I tried pursuing him for more attacks.
The Demon’s blood sword which was shaken from the recoil, returns back a counterattack.
And once again…
Klaaaaaannngggg!
A high-pitched sound rang out as our blades clashed and bounced away from each other.
My body was once again pushed backwards.
(What a heavy strike…! And for a guy that big—- he’s fast!)
Just as if I turned numb, I felt a shiver running down my spine.
Meanwhile, Zweikzeed squinted its golden eyes.
[To be able to compete with my physical strength… As I thought, thou art their hope.]
Not responding to his words, I launched another attack.
Clashing for the third time, our swords look like it’s making the air tremble.
I then clashed my blade with his once again, for a second, a third, and a fourth time.
However, we weren’t able to deal the deciding blow.
As our blades clashed, I took a brief glimpse around the battlefield.
I wonder if it’s because I’ve been holding off Zweikzeed here?
Our local allies, who were taking a distance away from us, seemed to be moving around now with almost no problems.
It appears that they were now outside the range of Zweikzeed’s Tyrant’s Miasma.
And then…
(I guess the Tyrant’s Miasma of the Ogre Soldiers aren’t that strong? That means… If I can hold off this Confidant, Cattleya-san and the others will be able to fight without losing much of their strength…!)
I don’t plan to let the other Heroes participate in my battle.
With Zweikzeed as our opponent, their life will be in danger.
Fortunately, they themselves perceived that they weren’t able to intervene, and there were no Heroes who wanted to go support me.
Everyone’s doing what they have to do—– doing everything they can do.
Amidst the reverberations of blood and silver, Zweikzeed spoke.
[This talent for battle, thou may possibly become a threat to our emperor. Before it could get out of our hands—-]
The intimidating feeling began swelling up.
[I’ll just have to nip out the bud right here, right now…!]
I wonder if it’s because I’ve always been neglected by the Goddess.
I was a little surprised by his high evaluation, that could be taken as praise.
However, I quickly discarded my surprise—– and forcefully pushed forward.
Putting all of my strength within my body, I swing my inherent sword with all of my might.
Then, Zweikzeed turns his blood sword blocking my inherent sword, to the side.
Kshhiinnnggg!
Our blades screamed and sparks scattered about.
The enemy isn’t just someone that only had power in his arsenal.
He also has the skill to use it
We continued our clash of swords, not giving each other a moment to rest.
The burden of releasing my limiters is heavy.
But without it, I wouldn’t even be able to fight against this enemy.
However, that also means that prolonging this
fight for a long time is disadvantageous for me.
(I have to quickly make a decision…!)
In the midst of our clash of swords…
Zweikzeed’s blood sword suddenly transformed into a blood scythe.
Naturally, the path of his blade also changed due to the sudden transformation.
Just like a Grim Reaper, it’s trajectory of attack drew a sharp curve that would certainly spell my death.
[Ayaka-chan!]
Moe raised her voice, almost as if she’s screaming.
The sharp and wide curved blade of a scythe.
With my inherent sword, I wouldn’t be able to block it in time.
In order to cut off my head, the thick blade of death mercilessly strikes——
——- Create ——–
Klang!
[!]
Zweikzeed’s golden eyes widened in surprise.
I caught the enemy’s scythe with a scythe of my own.
Sharply staring at him like an oni, my mouth curved into a smile.
[You’re not the only person who can change the shape of your weapon…!]
Based on the shape and trajectory, I immediately judged that the same scythe could block it but—-
Somehow, I still get to keep my life.
Zweikzeed laughs.
[Interesting.]
As if it turned into a Tsubazeriai, our weapons began to repeatedly strike against each other.
Turning a bit impatient, I shoved him away and said.
(T/N: Tsubazeriai is a situation in kendo where the two fighters got too close with each other. I guess you could say this is the kendo equivalent for clinching in boxing.)
[You mentioned something about “nipping out the bud”, didn’t you? No, rather than that—-]
Just like an arrow being pulled within the bow, I pulled my body back as I released my oni ki and transformed my scythe into a spear.
[The one who’ll be doing the nipping here would be me!]
[Well spoken, Hero from Another World.]
Once again, his claws pierced through the skin around his chest, and Zweikzeed released a blood-colored mist.
[One’s worth is in his will to live a dignified life… Otherwise, their life wouldn’t be a good harvest. The stronger their hope is, the sweeter will the fruit of despair become when their hope is crushed. Oh Humans, never give up and fight for thy fate with a strong will until the very end. For we are those who sincerely believe in the dignified spirit of Humanity.]
To relish the taste of the deepest despair, he would even admire the hope that humanity embraces.
That’s insanity.
I felt shivers in my spine, almost resembling repulsiveness.
There’s no way I can have a mutual understanding with someone like this.
I have no choice but to exterminate him.
As he sonorously declared so, a huge pair of crimson swords appeared in Zweikzeed’s hands.
On the other hand, I changed the tip of my spear into a trident.
[I welcome thy presence, Hero of Hope.]
The twin crimson blades ripped through the air, just like kamaitachis sketching my life and death. (T/N: sickle weasel)
[If thou dost not defeat me here, there would not be any hope anymore… All thy hope will turn out to be a great lie! All the hope will disappear! And everyone will die!]
[Yeah, that’s why—-]
The silver sheen in my weapon increasingly shone.
With a stab bearing all of my strength, I sliced the side of Zweikzeed’s cheek.
Splat!
Drawing a thread of blood from the wound on Zweikzeed’s cheek, I could feel the wind gently breezing past me.
[I’m going to kill you right here, no matter what.]
Chapter 187
The End, The Beginning
[That’s right. That determination of Humanity makes them most suitable for harvest. However—-]
[…!?]
[That nonsense of yours, I wonder how long you can keep that up!?]
Zweikzeed is still on the defensive.
While he danced with his blood blade—– I moved forward.
However, I would be pushed back each time I attacked.
It seems that he realized it huh.
(He realized that I’m at a disadvantage if this fight took longer than it should be…!)
It can be said that the two of us were in a state where we’re trying to struggle for the upper hand.
I can’t seem to find any factor that would decide this fight.
On the other hand, Zweikzeed himself was also struggling to attack.
Therefore, he avoided a short-term decisive battle with me and turned this into a battle of attrition.
If that were to happen, it would be really bad for me.
(If I can’t take my distance from this Confidant… In that case—-)
The victory will be decided by our armies’ remaining forces.
Ogre Soldiers.
The monsters from the Demon Zone.
The Holy Alliance is now in a position where they’re being sandwiched between these two forces.
However, our allies have still managed to hold on.
Especially the army that was commanded by Cattleya, they were putting up a good fight against them.
Currently, she also had the soldiers of the Anti-Demon White Castle under her command after they lost the castle lord.
Neia’s Female Holy Knights alo kept the enemies at bay.
Alion’s army was also nibbling unto the enemy’s forces, showing the effectiveness of the steady tactics of attack and defense.
Duke Polarie is barely keeping the morale of his soldiers in check.
As the person that the Goddess placed in that position, he really had high commanding skills.
The Bakuos army was also struggling against them.
Among them, the attacks from the sky by the Black Dragon Knights can be said to be powerful.
However, they need to be wary of the crossbows from below.
Therefore, if we need to fight for a while, they can’t just do whatever they want.
And, as for the Heroes…
Unaffected by the Tyrant’s Miasma, they stood at the forefront against the Ogre Soldiers.
They were holding firm in their formation, and they were now fighting without any danger in their lives.
However, I could see that they were just barely holding on.
Once one of the cornerstones in their formation collapses, that could result in the total collapse of their formation.
(Everyone, do your best! Kuh… I should at least…!)
Swooossshhh!
Spreading wind pressure, I tremendously mowed down my opponent with my inherent sword.
However…
Klang!
His thick, large blades repelled my attack.
(No! If he keeps his defensive stance, that also means he can’t attack…!)
As I expected, I can only hope that my other allies will push through them.
Sure enough—– My prayers showed signs of coming to fruition.
My allies began pushing back the monster while they slowly closed in on them.
The Heroes, in particular, have defeated a considerable amount of Ogre Soldiers.
The reason why they managed their situation changed for the better is probably that…
(Level ups.)
That’s right.
The more monsters they kill, the stronger the Heroes become.
They gain experience, and then level up.
While I’m currently releasing my limits, I’m at quite a disadvantage in longer fights.
However, if I were to fight normally—-
(It would be us Heroes, who have the advantage in longer fights.)
In fights, we could grow.
Our MP also recovers.
This is the Heroes from Another World, the so-ca
lled Saviours of this world.
A spirited strike from me sent Zweikzeed a few distance away.
[Ngh!?]
(Now’s the time!)
I found an opening on the enemy’s guard.
And I wouldn’t let such an opening pass.
Without a moment’s delay, I charge forward.
[My name is Eingrantz, the First Oath of the Demon Emperor.]
A dignified voice echoed out in the battlefield.
His voice is so loud that it’s as if he’s using a loudspeaker.
This alarming presence spontaneously drew my attention.
Even the other Heroes stopped their hands and gazed upon where the voice came from.
And then… their expressions begin to turn into despair.
[No way…]
In front of our eyes…
[That amount of Ogre Soldiers…]
The battle formation of the Ogre Soldiers stretched even further to both sides.
It’s like a net that catches its prey.
And in the middle of their formation—- I could see a ridiculously sized throne.
The throne was being carried by a few huge monsters from below.
It’s like they’re carrying a portable throne.
A purple shadow is seated on the throne.
Even from a distance, I could feel the heavy pressure from it.
Strangely, I also felt that the atmosphere on the battlefield has become heavier.
The new enemy’s forces were slowly, but surely advancing towards us.
[What in the world is that number…]
I could feel astonishment covering the noble Cattleya’s voice.
Duke Polarie had also stopped in his steps.
[Where the heck did he get that amount of monsters…!? That wasn’t even in the report! There’s no way that we, the Holy Alliance, wouldn’t notice such a large amount of Ogre Soldiers moving around!]
Eingrantz spoke.
[Thou must have been very surprised, Oh Humans. You must have been wondering how did this amount of Ogre Soldiers get here… However, that’s only if they really moved to this place.]
As if thrusting the answer to us, Eingrantz spoke.
[I created them.]
[Created… them…?]
Duke Polarie became indignant.
[T- That’s impossible! The only one who can create the Golden-eyed monsters is the Root of All Evil…! In that case, you can’t possibly be—–]
[You’re mistaken.]
Eingrantz flatly denied Duke Polarie’s conjecture.
