Chapter 20
-Fssht!
With a sound that cut through the air, arrows struck the living corpses, and they toppled where they stood.
Some corpses died instantly when arrows pierced their heads; others fell after taking arrows to the legs.
Then fireballs rained down on them, and they stopped moving for good.
"They're holding!"
"We can do this!"
The soldiers' shouts echoed along the defensive line as arrows continued to rain down.
"Rear squad, prepare to fire."
"Ready to fire!"
"Fire."
"Fire!!"
At my command, arrows once again filled the sky, and the corpses fell lifeless to the ground.
"Come on."
I looked at the Necromancer, whose face showed not a trace of emotion.
An hour and a half. I won't let you lay a finger on us.
-KABOOM!
-BOOM!
Arrows filled the air, and pillars of fire shot skyward.
But despite all our strategies and attacks, the Necromancer's army eventually began climbing over the walls.
"Shoot! Don't stop!"
"Don't let them climb up!"
"If you die, you'll become one of them! Stop them!"
The soldiers on the walls screamed as they thrust their spears down.
-CRACK!
With the sound of flesh being pierced, a living corpse fell straight down.
And that wasn't all.
-Fssht!
When the corpses climbing the gate touched the characters Lydia and the priests had inscribed, their bodies melted away and they fell.
It was an excellent defense.
Of course, it wasn't perfect.
"Aaaagh!"
A soldier who'd been thrusting with his spear was grabbed by the corpses climbing the wall and hurled toward the ground.
Or rather, he nearly was.
I sprinted toward the soldier, hand on my sword hilt.
I drew my sword and swung it.
-KRRRSH!
The wind tore through the air, sending the corpse flying far away.
Maybe it was because my VIT had increased by about two, ring included, but my body was under far less strain than when I'd first used Sword Wind.
The soldier who'd nearly fallen to the ground blinked and looked at me.
"Th-thank you."
"Focus."
"Y-yes!"
The soldier resumed his stance, and I moved past him and surveyed the area.
We're holding them off well.
We can manage this.
I hadn't been keeping an exact count, so I couldn't say for sure how long we'd held out, but it felt like about thirty minutes.
An hour.
I ran along the wall with my sword in hand, unleashing Sword Wind.
I couldn't use any powerful techniques.
Even Quick Slash would soon put a strain on my ankles, if not immediately.
Fortunately, Sword Wind alone was enough to hold off the grunts climbing the wall.
The problem was...
-THUD!
The wall shook, and the adjutant shouted.
"Th-there's some kind of grotesque creature made of a bunch of people attacking us!"
"..."
Right. That's the problem.
If the Necromancer had relied on hordes of corpses alone, it wouldn't be called the Southern Front's first boss.
I hurried to look down from the top of the wall.
It was a massive creature.
If you mashed a whole lot of people together, then molded them back into human shapes like clay, maybe it would look like this.
Human faces that still retained their features could be seen among the matted flesh.
A monster pounding the gate with its enormous fist.
"...A conglomerate."
A monster made by mashing people together.
The Necromancer's tank and damage dealer, and one of the most troublesome enemies in a defensive battle.
The soldiers shot arrows at it and hurled fire magic, but it paid them no mind as it pounded the gate with its fist.
-BANG! BOOM!
"Stop it!"
"Don't let it break through!"
The soldiers started bringing over every kind of equipment and scrap they could find to block it.
But as if that were nothing, the conglomerate swung its arm.
-KRRRCK!
"I-it's giving way!"
An ominous sound came from the gate, and the people turned pale.
"..."
Someone had to go down and take out that conglomerate.
But how?
I reached a conclusion quickly.
I raised my sword.
"I'll go."
"What?"
"Y-you'll die!"
"Silence."
Everyone fell silent at my words.
"Blonde! Pink hair!"
"Y-yes! What? I'm busy!"
"You called?"
Hearing my call, Laura jumped down from the wall, drenched in sweat, her blonde hair tied tightly behind her.
Soon after, Aila, her hair loose, dropped down from the wall as well.
Their uniforms were scorched and torn in places, so they really must have been busy.
But I was busy, too.
I looked at Laura.
"Boost my leg strength and physical strength."
"How much will it cost?"
"As much as possible."
"If you don't reimburse me for this, I'm sending the Empire an official letter of protest."
"Isn't the Crown Kingdom off the map now? You can't send them a letter."
"Are you picking a fight with me?"
"Both of you, quiet. Pink hair, lift me up."
I cut off Laura and Aila's conversation and gave Aila an order.
"Lift you up?"
"I'm going to cut down that conglomerate. You lift me up."
"...Can you even do that?"
"Are you talking back?"
"I can lift you..."
I glared at Aila, putting all my force into it, and she nodded and took her stance.
-Ting!
Laura immediately flicked two gold coins into the air and spoke.
"I offer two Imperial gold coins. I purchase swift feet and powerful arms for the man before me."
Strength immediately surged into my arms and legs.
Good.
"Let's go."
There was no time.
I pushed off and ran along the wall.
The startled expressions of the soldiers passed before my eyes like a panorama.
I ran past them,
"Haaah!"
"Commander!"
"No!"
and threw myself into the air.
I heard people screaming, but paid them no mind as I fell and drew my sword.
My eyes met those of the enormous conglomerate.
A monster far bigger than me.
I had no time, nor any intention, to exchange greetings.
I raised my sword above my head, then swung it down.
Cursed Swordsmanship: Draw Cut.
My sword struck the conglomerate's head,
-SHRAAAK!
and split it in two from top to bottom.
Blood burst out, spattering my body and clothes.
I had no time to care; a gust of wind burst out before my eyes.
"Step on it!"
Aila, who'd summoned the wind, shouted at me.
I jumped onto the head of a corpse charging at me, stepped on it, and leaped up.
The wind caught my body and sent me soaring,
and when I came to my senses, I was standing on the wall.
"..."
Aila stood there dazed for a moment, then blinked, looked at me, and grinned.
"You're alive!"
"Did you use your Stigma?"
"Yeah."
"I see."
I had a lot to say about Aila's Stigma, but now wasn't the time.
I hurriedly checked my status window.
[Debuff: Sprain]
[Your wrist is bothering you. Techniques that use your legs and ankles are under strain.]
A sprain.
Last time, using Draw Cut had caused muscle damage, so increasing my VIT by two had definitely made a difference.
As I clenched and unclenched my fist, thinking,
<That's not how you're supposed to use it!>
A voice rang out in my head.
What was that?
I tried to focus again, but heard nothing.
Was I really hearing things, and was my mental fortitude blocking them out?
I was thinking about that when...
"Wooooo!!!!"
The soldiers' shouts rang in my ears.
"D-did you see that?"
"Yeah, he split that huge monster in half with one strike...!"
The soldiers looked at me, talking excitedly with flushed faces.
Now wasn't the time for that.
"The next attack is coming. Prepare yourselves."
"Yes! Get ready!"
"Ready!"
The adjutant shouted, and the soldiers echoed his words as they prepared.
Right. If things stayed like this, holding them off wouldn't be a problem—
-BOOM!!
The wall shook with a tremendous crash,
"Aah!"
"Gah!"
Laura and Aila beside me lost their balance from the impact, while I planted my sword in the ground and looked toward the wall.
"That wasn't... magic...?"
The adjutant, who'd regained his footing beside me, muttered.
That's right.
"..."
The Necromancer had moved.
Until now, we'd been fighting things created by the traitor. What was attacking the wall now was the traitor itself.
-BANG!
People screamed again.
Magic? No. It wasn't magic.
I looked down beyond the wall.
At the Necromancer's gesture, corpses began to bunch together into a ball.
Then, when it stretched out its hand, the chunks of flesh flew like cannonballs and smashed into the wall.
-BANG!
The wall shook again, and the ground trembled.
It wasn't magic.
It was simply an uncanny power beyond all reason.
That's why it was a Stigma. That's why it was a curse. That's why it was a traitor.
I kept my sword planted in the ground and racked my brain.
What should I do?
About forty-five minutes had passed by now.
Was I supposed to hold out for another forty-five minutes like this?
I reached a conclusion immediately.
Impossible.
In <Dark Fantasy Saga>, the Necromancer's attacks lasted for about ten turns.
After ten turns, the wall was breached.
That's why holding out behind the walls wasn't the answer.
No. Truthfully, I already knew what to do.
I just had to follow the strategy for defeating the Necromancer, the one I'd already remembered from <Dark Fantasy Saga>.
Strike the Necromancer with a small elite team.
But would that really work? The only people I could take with me were three walking bombs and Gert.
-BANG!
The Necromancer's attack struck again.
The wall shook once more, accompanied by the sound of flesh and blood bursting apart.
"Grr...!"
"...There's no choice."
People screamed, and the adjutant muttered in a solemn voice.
"Commander. No, Cadet."
Changing the way he addressed me was simple.
"Run. We adults will take care of this."
He drew his sword.
The other soldiers also raised their spears and shields, their faces solemn.
"We'll hold them off somehow and buy the cadets time to escape."
The adjutant spoke and met my eyes.
There was no trace of the fear I'd seen at first.
"Go. The future of the continent is in your hands."
Only strong resolve remained.
And he wasn't the only one.
The others were the same.
The soldiers gripped their spears, their lips gone white, while the mages held their ground, drinking potions even as they staggered.
Not a single person spoke of giving up.
Headmaster Gildar's words came to mind.
'Give thanks to the talents who will lead the future.'
'And give thanks to all of you.'
"Cadet."
Just a moment. I'm thinking.
"Shut up."
"What?"
Please give me just a little time.
"I said shut up."
"Y-yes, sir."
I desperately racked my brain.
I couldn't just leave them here.
If I left, everyone would die anyway.
Even if I survived, the moment the defensive line broke, everything would be destroyed.
"..."
There was no choice.
"...Brown hair, blonde, pink hair."
The three looked back at me at my words.
"...Are we retreating?"
Aila looked ahead and behind us,
"Tsk..."
Laura clicked her tongue as if there was no other choice,
"..."
and Lydia quietly looked at me.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"We'll strike the main body. A small elite team of four, including me."
"What?"
The adjutant muttered in confusion as he looked at me.
"How is that possible—"
"It's an order."
I cut him off.
"While we strike the main body, you must make sure the reserve forces don't reach us under any circumstances."
The adjutant met my eyes.
"Hold them off with your lives. Then I'll come back after defeating the Necromancer."
"..."
"..."
A long silence followed.
At last, the adjutant spoke.
"Anyone confident in battle, step forward! From this moment on, we're pushing the defensive line forward!"
The soldiers began gathering in small groups at his words.
Countless eyes were fixed on me.
The adjutant shouted once more.
"Abandon the wall! From now on, we're the bait!"
"Yes, sir!"
"We have one goal! While our commander here drives back the Necromancer, we won't let even a single ant reach them!"
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers shouted, tightening their grip on their spears.
Their hands turned white, as if they couldn't squeeze any harder.
"Only those ready will go out! Assemble in five minutes!"
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers shouted with all their might.
As they watched me, I gripped my sword.
We're doing this to survive, but what a miserable turn of events.
How had I gotten caught up in something this huge?
But in the end, they and I were the same.
We were all trying to survive.
"Travel as light as possible."
At my words, the others gathered their things.
Lydia packed a few bottles, Laura took a bundle of coins, and Aila put on a new pair of gloves.
"...But..."
Lydia's voice interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up and saw her glancing this way and that before speaking in a small voice.
"Why... didn't you think we'd run away?"
It might have been an utterly human, foolish question for a Saint Candidate to ask.
No. She'd been the first to pack her things, after all. She must already have reached her own answer.
So my answer was the same.
"There's no gratitude without a reason."
Lydia blinked for a moment at my reply,
"..."
then smiled and headed back to her place.
Before long, we were ready.
Soldiers with spears and cavalry on horseback stood before us, with the adjutant and mages at the front.
And we walked through the middle of them.
"..."
-BANG!
Even with chunks of flesh pounding against the wall, was it just my imagination that our four sets of footsteps sounded louder?
At the exit, I faced the adjutant, who'd been repeating my commands all this time.
"...Commander."
He bowed his head slightly to me.
"I wish you good fortune."
The adjutant saluted me as he said this.
Then I had no choice but to live up to their expectations.
"See you later."
"...Yes. See you later."
-RUMBLE...!
The gate opened.
I gripped my sword.
"Let's go."
We had one goal.
Kill the Necromancer.