Chapter 65
[Phew…]
Ah. This cool and heavy sensation.
Feeling the chill of the Death Scythe in my hands, I quietly closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
In truth, this was a strategy I had kept in mind ever since I first obtained this weapon.
The large-scale instant-death Area-of-Effect Attack, [Life Harvest].
This was a Skill that could truly be considered a cheat in Mass Combat like war.
Especially in a medieval-era war like this, I figured it would be Overpowered, practically on the level of a missile.
However,
There was one fatal problem.
For the past month, I have had to secretly put in painstaking effort to solve that problem.
That serious problem was exactly this.
[This thing is incredibly heavy…!!]
The Death Scythe was so heavy that it was difficult to swing it as I pleased!
When I first swung it in the Training Ground, I couldn’t overcome the scythe’s weight and my body even spun around in a full circle.
I didn’t want to show such a pathetic display in front of my Retainers.
So after that, I secretly practiced with it every single day, avoiding the kids' eyes.
After consistent effort, I became quite proficient, and today was finally my first proper live demonstration.
The core of this Chapter 3 Quest was to win the war and put on an overwhelming performance.
I needed to definitively show off my martial prowess.
That was why this was a stage where not only my Retainers but also the Lord was watching from behind.
[Alright, let’s do this well.]
Let’s show them the majesty of a True Ancestor!
I snapped my eyes open.
The countless Enemy Army was swarming blackly beneath the Castle Wall.
I fueled my killing intent by recalling something that pissed me off.
I hit the pity system in that mobile gacha game last time.
Ugh. That still makes me mad.
[Going all out!]
Whoosh - !
I swung the Death Scythe with all my might.
[Ooh?]
The result wasn’t bad.
It was the cleanest swing out of everything I had practiced so far.
It was still heavy enough to make my arms ache, but it seemed I had definitely adapted to it after doing it continuously.
The past month of rigorous training had paid off.
At the same time.
Swaaaa - -
A tremendous aftermath swept across the Battlefield.
The Enemy Army that had been surging in like a swarm of ants instantly turned into ashen dust.
[Wow.]
It was a far more overwhelming result than I had thought.
Nearly half of the Enemy Army had been annihilated in a single swing.
[Is it because my blood power has increased since before? The power seems stronger.]
Lately, I have only been using it to hunt remotely from my Home Base through [Sight Sharing], so I haven’t been able to experience the destructive power of the original version.
As expected, swinging it in person proved it really was a crazy Skill.
“M-My god…”
The Lord, who had been watching from behind, was shocked out of his wits.
“Ah… As expected of my Liege Lord’s authority.”
Katarina, who had been assisting and watching from the closest distance while holding the parasol, spoke in a trembling voice drenched in emotion.
“Waaah! Master is super cool!!”
“…Marvelous martial prowess. As expected of you, Master.”
“A-Amazing…! Master…! To take out so many enemies in a single blow…!”
Riri, Si-Yeon, and Sera also sent their heartfelt admiration.
Clap, clap, clap! I even heard the sound of applause.
I deliberately pretended it was nothing, arrogantly lifting my chin.
“Hmph. There is nothing to be surprised about. This is but a very small fragment of the authority this True Ancestor possesses.”
Of course, on the inside, I was beaming from ear to ear.
Because I was quite proud of executing the Skill I had practiced so hard perfectly.
My heart was also pounding wildly from the tension and dopamine.
[Huh? Wait a minute.]
While I was feeling so triumphant.
A sudden thought occurred to me.
A young girl dressed up in pretty, frilly clothes.
Showing off something she had struggled to practice alone for a long time with a 'Ta-da!' in front of many people, and receiving a barrage of praise…?
This feels familiar somehow.
[It’s just an elementary school talent show…]
As my thoughts reached that point, a sudden wave of reality hit me.
Was I, a twenty-two-year-old, doing a Children’s Performance and feeling happy about it?
[Ugh. This is a little embarrassing…]
My face burned.
* * *
The Lord of Arden, Reuben, was tense.
He had sworn to completely trust the Distinguished One.
But to be honest, his faith was constantly being tested as the war approached.
[Phew. Her words scolding me as one of little faith were a hundred times right.]
When the Distinguished One’s Retainers trained the Knight Order and displayed ridiculous strength, he sighed in relief.
He was certain that with this level of combat power, they could somehow defend the castle.
However, upon actually climbing the Castle Wall and seeing the endlessly stretching ranks of the Enemy Army with his own eyes, he couldn’t help but feel doubt once again.
Could they really win against them?
The pressure from the sheer violence of numbers was beyond imagination.
No matter how strong the Distinguished One’s Retainers were, no matter how strong the Elite Knight Order had become, wouldn’t it be meaningless in front of that Large Army?
However,
While he was having such thoughts, the Distinguished One suddenly stepped forward.
A black scythe seemed to be grasped in her hands, and then it lightly cleaved the empty air.
And the sight that unfolded.
Was a tremendous miracle that the Lord would never forget for the rest of his life.
In a single blow.
Half of the Enemy Army that had been swarming like a black wave disappeared.
Like collapsing sand, they turned into powder and scattered into the air.
Thousands of lives were extinguished in a fleeting moment.
“M-My god…”
The Lord slumped to his knees.
Only then did he realize.
War preparations? Reinforcing the troops? Expanding supplies?
Those things weren’t even necessary in the first place.
The existence of the Distinguished One. With that alone.
The war preparations had already been completed perfectly.
* * *
The Commander-in-Chief of the Enemy Army, the Knight Commander of the Valil Domain, Walter.
Clip-clop, clip-clop - !
He was marching majestically on horseback at the vanguard toward the Arden Castle Wall.
[A good battle is one fought after securing the victory already.]
This war was practically guaranteed to be a victory.
An overwhelming difference in troop numbers.
On top of that, a 'Bishop'-level Priest of the Holy Imperial Church had even personally joined the Army.
It was a structure where they couldn’t lose even if they tried.
[Hahaha. Unless a sudden natural disaster occurs, there is no way we will lose.]
At that moment.
A strange sight entered the eyes of the man who had been so full of confidence.
He saw a girl standing on the Castle Wall, at the highest point overlooking the Battlefield.
The distance was too far to clearly see her facial features, but she was dressed in an antique dress and holding a parasol, an outfit completely unsuited for a Battlefield.
[What is that?]
Walter furrowed his brow.
Judging by her attire alone, she looked like a Young Lady from some high-ranking Noble Family.
But why was such a frail girl out on this harsh Battlefield?
Before his doubts could fade.
The girl handed the parasol she was holding to the Servant standing next to her.
And the next moment.
A massive black scythe was grasped in her two small hands, as if it had suddenly sprung out of thin air.
Flinch.
Walter’s eyes widened for a moment.
[…A Mage?]
To Summon a weapon from thin air.
He hadn’t heard any rumors of an outstanding Mage in the Arden Domain.
Had they brought in a mercenary from the outside?
But he soon snorted.
[Hah, even if it’s Magic, we have the Bishop!]
Clumsy Magic would be useless in the face of powerful divine power.
Presently, the girl swung the scythe in a wide arc.
Whoosh - -
From Walter’s perspective, the movement looked far too light.
Rather than an attack, it was a motion of swinging it half-heartedly, as if she were annoyed.
[What does she plan to do with that?]
However,
“Uh…?”
The event that unfolded from that single, light swing of the scythe was horrifying.
“Gaaah…!”
“Aaaagh…!”
The soldiers who had been filling Walter’s surroundings and shouting battle cries began to topple over one by one.
They hadn’t been cut by a weapon or struck by Magic.
It was just that something translucent was being sucked out of the soldiers' noses and mouths into the air.
The blood-drained bodies of the Soldiers dried up and twisted, soon turning into hideous white bones.
And then they crumbled, scattering into ashen dust.
It wasn’t just one or two.
The Large Army of thousands was collapsing like dominoes.
[This is… crazy…!]
It was far too gruesome and unrealistic.
A sight that was nothing short of absurd.
A disaster.
There was no other way to describe it.
As Walter felt his own entire body crumbling into ashen dust just like his subordinates, his two eyes stared at the girl on the Castle Wall.
The girl was leisurely resting the scythe on her shoulder.
[Ah, aah…]
Only then did he realize what that scythe meant.
To reap.
To reap lives.
He had thought God was with them.
But they had a god too.
[The Grim Reaper…! That is, the Grim Reaper…!]
The God of Death.
That was the last thought that flashed through Walter’s mind.