by ---
She opens her mouth.
[In the midst of a one-on-one battle, showing an opening like that—–]
Her cross slashes made from those two flashes split up the Confidant into four parts.
[—is unspeakably detestable.]
[Guuoooooohhh—–,……!?]
The Confidant, whose head was vertically split in half, held both sides of his head with his hands.
I guess he was reflexively trying to stop his head from separating into two.
However, all that effort ended up dissipating into thin air.
He wasn’t even able to get some time to sink down on his death throes.
Even if he had the ability to regenerate, her dissection speed would be faster than that.
I could feel her drive from the speed of Sogou’s sword.
With relentless speed in her blades of war, the flesh of the monster flew up in the air as he got slashed in countless pieces.
The Confidant that called himself Zweikzeed transformed into a chunky mass of purple-furred flesh.
The remains of his corpse were mercilessly scattered on the ground.
——However, that’s really fast.
So that’s a fully grown S-Rank Hero huh.
No, rather than that…
Breathing over her shoulder, Sogou looked down at the Confidant that had turned into a mass of flesh.
The equipment that were covering around her shoulders were ripped wide open.
However, her bleeding had already stopped.
Probably thanks to the status correction.
…The atmosphere has changed a little bit, I suppose.
But more than that, I could sense that she was forcing herself to do something.
She’s unreasonably forcing her body to move, or so it seems.
[Haahhh… Hahh…!]
The gaze of Sogou, who was breathing hard, caught sight of me.
Holding onto her flanks, I just slightly leaned forward and let Slei walk.
Sogou approaches.
[Nice to meet you.]
I called out to her first.
My voice has been altered by the Gem of Voice Alteration.
I don’t have to worry that my—- that Mimori Touka’s voice would reveal my identity.
Sogou’s humongous silver double-edged sword has now returned back to the size fitting for her stature.
[…Thank you for your help.]
Sogou’s rough breathing had yet to subside.
She also didn’t let down her battle posture yet.
Must have been because of Slei huh.
[Rest assured… This black horse is on our side. I’ve personally tamed her, so you don’t have to worry…]
I courteously said, yet there was some weariness in my voice.
As the leader of the Fly King Squadron, this tone of speaking should be fine.
Yes… Just like how Ashinto’s Muaji speaks.
Slightly lowering her guard, Sogou asks.
[Are you alright?]
[To think that even this me would be affected by Tyrant’s Miasma of this Confidant… It was a really close fight. I didn’t expect the power of the Tyrant’s Miasma to be this great… Guuhhh…!?]
I acted like I’m in pain.
She may be worried about me falling off my horse, Sogou looks like she’s about to run over to me.
However, I held out my hand to stop her.
[If my sorcery weren’t able to deal with him… I wouldn’t have been able to win. If it had been a prolonged battle while I’m under the influence of the Tyrant’s Miasma… I would have lost for sure…]
[Umm, after you people showed up… the Confidant that was fighting me was clearly being concerned about your presence and his concentration in our battle went down… I think that’s why I was able to hold on. Thank you very much. Umm, are you… that Ashinto who defeated that Black Dragon Knights—-]
[Putting that aside, do you think that’s fine?]
Interrupting Sogou’s words, I slightly raised my body on my horse.
I then turned towards the direction where Sogou’s allies were still fighting.
[Being able to move that fast even when you’re right behind that Confidant… Unlike men, you weren’t affected by the Tyrant’s Miasma. That is to say… You’re a Hero from Another World, right? Moreover, you held quite the strength… Don’t you think that there’s still people that would require your strength?]
Sogou was taken aback.
Turning her head, she looked at her comrades still fighting the Ogre Soldiers.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Sogou turns back towards me.
[—–I’d like to thank you again later. For now… I have to help all of my classmates first.]
Sogou spots a war horse wandering around the battlefield and rushes out towards it.
Then, a few Ogre Soldiers noticed and attacked Sogou.
A quick kill.
Even if the Ogre Soldiers assaulted in large groups, they are still no match for her.
Sogou immediately grabbed the warhorse and rode on its back.
On the horse, her weapon changed into a silver spear as she rushed into the other waves of battles without hesitation.
…She’s handling her horse really well.
Her riding skills are definitely better than my own right now.
Should I say that it’s to be expected from that Sogou Ayaka?
[Even so…]
She’s still worrying about everyone aside from herself, that Class President.
The time when Mimori Touka got sent off towards the Disposal Ruins.
She was my only classmate who tried to stop that from happening.
The Class President who stood against the goddess.
The atmosphere around her has changed slightly.
However, it seems that her moral principles remain unchanged.
Her compassion for others… still remained.
Looking at Sogou in the distance as she killed the Ogre Soldiers like a raging storm…
[Yeah… See you later.]
I said in a voice that I don’t expect to reach her.
* * *
Now then… the flow of the battle has been decided.
Putting aside the work of the golems, the death of the two Confidants seem to have had a major impact in the battle.
The morale of the entire Great Demon Emperor’s army has been visibly shaken.
They probably never even dreamt that those two Confidants would all be killed.
While the Great Demon Emperor’s army has begun to fall apart, the Humans has followed it up with a surging assault.
I instructed Slei to return back to her second form.
This will make her look more like a regular horse.
If she were to stay in her third form all the time, the soldiers might mistake her for an enemy monster.
Also, it will be heavily exhausting for Slei if she were to stay in her third form.
Then…
[Milord.]
Eve came running towards me.
She’s covered in the blood of the enemies.
She’s clutching a sword in her hand.
[Did you do it?]
[Yeah. The troublesome-looking Confidants has been somehow taken care of.]
Eve gazes at the battlefield.
[It looks like majority of the battles are being taken care of.]
It seems that the Great Demon Emperor’s army was aiming to conduct a pincer attack to this place with the monsters that they would have summoned.
However, the monsters from the Demon Zone didn’t manage to arrive here just like they thought they would.
This is because a lot of them were annihilated beforehand by us with Erika’s handmade weapons.
The remaining monsters were those near the border of the Demon Zone, and the golems were holding most of them back.
Therefore, there aren�
��t many monsters that leaked out at the moment.
And then, half of the golems came up to this battlefield and stirred up the battle formation of the Ogre Soldiers.
The Confidants which bring a large amount of disadvantages to the Humans with their Tyrant’s Miasma have all fallen.
As a result, the Great Demon Emperor’s army, which was outnumbered, was on the losing side of the battle.
The armies of each country are also aligned and were fighting in unison.
They are now on the verge of exterminating every single Ogre Soldier.
They held a lot of momentum, especially those people around the Neia’s flag.
Their morale is visibly high.
They had someone good leading them.
They don’t even look like they’re being moved by their fury caused by the death of their princess.
At that rate, it probably won’t be a problem for Seras or the princess.
[………]
I see…
[She made it in time huh.]
I shift my line of sight.
[However, any time now—–]
The direction of the Demon Zone.
[I’m sure that those Golden-eyed monsters of the Demon Zone that have been held back by the golems may soon join in. Moreover…]
Taking out my pocket watch, I check the time.
The golems’ operating time…
Their time limit is near.
Stepping down Slei, I drew the dagger at my waist.
[Before the remaining Golden-eyed monsters seriously reached this place… How about we reduce the number of Ogre Soldiers around here as much as we can?]
Once the Great Demon Emperor’s army falls here, the rest of us could concentrate on the monsters from the Demon Zone.
We will also avoid being pincered between them.
Some of the Ogre Soldiers started running away.
However, not all of them were running away.
They were probably planning to take down as many people that they can for the sake of the future battles huh.
There are still those who are desperately attempting to kill us.
[Shigggiiaaahhh!]
A lone Ogre Soldier quickly charged at me with a spear in its hand.
Diving away from its attack, I slit its throat with my dagger.
Kicking it away with a front kick, I regained back my stance.
Eve, who had been quickly slashing other Ogre Soldiers, took up position behind me.
[Milord’s melee combat ability seems to have improved.]
[…After all, I was trained by both of you. Despite that, it seems that I still unable to fight as well as the two of you.]
Eve’s way of fighting was very polished.
She has already killed three of them while I’ve just finished killing one.
Eve was also making use the enemy’s weapons to butcher a large number of Ogre Soldiers, it was a sight you could only refer to as a slaughter.
I would also make use of my
My objective was to crush those two Confidants.
Looking at Neia’s army, the princess is also probably safe.
Once again, I check the war situation.
[…………]
From here on, I guess it’s time to just act as the kuroko in this theater.
(T/N: it’s those stagehands in black in kabuki theaters, he’s not about to play basketball.)
* * *
Just as the Ogre Soldiers were almost no longer able to function as an “army”, the monsters from the Demon Zone finally came crashing in like waves.
The golems’ working time has already ended.
As they were unleashing their tyranny towards those monsters, the golems crumbled down and lost their form.
And then… they turned into ashes and disappeared along the wind.
However, by that time, the Human side had already completely reorganized itself.
A duke named Polarie from Alion.
Cattleya Stramius, the “Princess of Neia”.
A young dragon knight named Gus from Bakuos.
And Sogou Ayaka, leading the Heroes from Another World.
The army they commanded was united as they clashed against the monsters.
There were no more Confidants sprinkling out their fearsome Tyrant’s Miasma.
There were also no people hiding in the back for fear against the monsters.
Now then, as for the Fly King Squadron…
From now on, our first priority should be preventing our identities from being discovered.
Eve and I continued to fight alongside Neia’s army in an unobtrusive manner.
Trying to not use my Abnormal State Skill as much as possible, I would use my weapon to fight.
I’ve somewhat lowered down the volume that comes out of my mask.
However, there’s still the risk that the 2-C Heroes will recognize me when I say the word that invokes my skill.
They had seen and heard my
The names of my other Abnormal State Skills also had obvious names that showed their identity as “Abnormal State Skills”.
If I abuse it too much, some people may notice it.
I’ve been pushing it as sorcery for now, but I should still be cautious about using my Abnormal State Skills here.
[Gyaahhh!]
I send a monster tumbling with a kick.
I then thrust the blade of a sword I picked up in the battlefield into its eye.
[…All those melee combat training sessions are finally paying off at a time like this.]
Unlike when I’m using my Abnormal State Skills, I could definitely feel the resistance of the enemy’s flesh from my attacks.
[Speaking of which…]
I don’t see any high ranking Heroes other than Sogou…
I’ve already known Kirihara’s absence from the information I’ve obtained beforehand.
However, those 2-C bunch that were assembled together…
Whether it’s the Takao Sisters or Ikusaba Asagi… Even Oyamada or Yasu, I don’t feel like I’ve seen them anywhere.
Have they been incorporated into another army?
Pulling out the blade I’ve plunged into the monster’s eye, I shifted my gaze around.
Right now, Seras was fighting near the Princess of Neia.
And she is now using the Regalia of the Spirits.
That means… She has told them her real identity huh.
The female Holy Knights around Seras were briskly following her instructions.
The reason why their morale was so high when I looked over at them from a distance earlier was probably because the Former Leader of the Holy Knights’ return became known.
Her use of the Regalia of the Spirits would also be the same as the exposure of her true identity.
I left it to Seras to decide what to do, but—–
[…Well, so this her choice huh.]
That’s right, I didn’t prohibit her from using this.
It can’t be helped.
After all, forcing people to save their strength when protecting someone important for them would just be too much.
Like that, the Southern Army who had gathered at the Anti-Demon White Castle had suffered heavy damage, but they had managed to defeat two Confidants who had ambushed them together with an army of Ogre Soldiers and they monsters that had suddenly poured in from the Golden Demon Zone.
* * *
Evening.
Even though they won, the armies of each country still didn’t seem to be able to grasp the current situation.
The commanders of each army are constantly sending out their orders to their subordinates.
There’s still a possibility that some monsters may still be lurking
inside the Anti-Demon White Castle, and so, each army has set up their camp outside the ramparts.
After this, the commanders of the surviving armies will meet again to discuss their future policies.
…About an hour before that meeting takes place.
Summoned by the Princess of the Holy Kingdom of Neia, I stepped into Neia’s military barracks, accompanied by Eve and Slei.
Chapter 190
Neia's Princess
Eve and Slei were told to wait outside the camp for a moment.
Turning towards Eve…
“For the time being, let’s go with what they said.”
Telling her so, I stepped into the camp alone.
Seras revealing her true identity—– that fact also had its merits.
For one thing, it makes it easier for us to justify our presence on this battlefield.
“Seras Ashrain has come to help Princess Cattleya, the person she used to serve.”
This makes it easy to understand why the Fly King Squadron took part in this fight.
The other advantage is that—–
[………]
It would be easier to get in touch with the Princess this way without having to go through all those troublesome steps.
I let my gaze crawl into the tent.
It looks like a fairly spacious tent.
This looks like the kind of tent that nomads seem to use.
In the back, there was an office set up.
[Welcome, please come in.]
A woman with silver hair tied in a vertical roll sits in a chair.
[My name is Cattleya Stramius.]
…So that’s the Princess of Neia huh.
Prudent, ash-colored pupils.
She looks classy in her military attire.
However, her sturdy stance looks like that of a warrior.
Two Holy Knights waiting at her side.
Diagonally standing in front of her is Seras in her Fly Knight attire.
She is still dressed as a Fly Knight, but she has removed her mask.
Seras seemed to be at ease.
She must have been filled with the joy of their reunion they shared.
I could tell that from the redness of Seras’ eyes.
Then, Seras came up to me.
This is the first time we have exchanged words since we’ve joined the battle in this place.
In a hushed voice, Seras whispered in my ear.
[My apologies. I’m sure that they already know who I am, so I…]
[I know. Don’t worry about it.]
