40. Facing the Demon Lord (9)
"It"s over."
The Hero Ludin"s face was filled with thrill and exhilaration. The orcs had finally come out from their turtle sh.e.l.l! They were fighting, slaughtering the soldiers while roughly pushing their bodies forward!
No matter how one looked at it, the Hero Alliance overwhelmingly outnumbered the orcs. Yet, the orcs were showing immense superiority, and Ludin made an expression that showed he was convinced victory was theirs. Aris made a shocked face at how a.s.sured he looked.
"Lu-Ludin…?"
"Aris! I succeeded! My strategy worked! Haha! Right! I"m not stupid! Look! The magnificent sight of the demons falling into my trap…!"
Aris"s face grew pale at his appearance, while the Holy Knights who heard him next to them wore stiffened expressions underneath their helmets.
Not only the slaves, but their troops were also getting slaughtered mercilessly. But he was glad about that instead?!
"Look, there! That city of the demons and that fortress is now empty without the orcs! I"m sure they already used up all their war potential! If I… If I eliminate all these demons…!"
Ludin made a confident expression.
"Kuoooooooo-!"
The orcs" big and st.u.r.dy axes split the soldiers into two like chopping wood. They pushed the soldiers out of formation with their shields and burst their heads with war hammers and axes.
"Kill them all! Don"t show any mercy to these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! This is the game they started! There"s no need for honor and courtesy for those who underestimate the Demon Kingdom! Don"t leave out any of them, even all those that run away, kill them all-!"
Karakul"s angry shout echoed across the battlefield like a tornado, lifting the morale of the orcs to the sky.
Ludin"s face stiffened at that sight, and he stepped back unconsciously. He gulped dryly at the Orcs" madness and said, "…There are a lot of them, as expected."
"A lot…?" Aris wondered aloud about his words.
Ludin also followed in a trembling voice as if asking for Aris"s agreement.
"There are a lot of orcs! A lot of them! We won"t win against them if it keeps going like this! Even if the Holy Knights, the Priests, and I join the fight, it still is impossible! There"s no way we can kill the Demon Lord while going against those things! We need to cut down their number!"
Ludin then said to the Holy Knight next to him, "Aim large-scale magic artillery at that Orc army right this instant!"
The Holy Knights and Aris flinched at his command.
"That… What does that mean?"
A Holy Knight asked again, hoping to clarify his command. The slaves were tools and livestock they could find any time, so it wouldn"t be a problem if they died. However, the soldiers there were the ones all hand-picked from each kingdom and, at the same time, were freemen. Point magic artillery at those soldiers?
"Just do as I say! The Orcs are dangerous! We won"t be able to kill the Demon Lord if it keeps going like this! To penetrate those closely-packed Orcs is too difficult, even for me!"
"But still, we can"t do that! Our soldiers are there…!"
Ludin glared at the grumbling Holy Knight.
"These are the words of a Hero that was chosen by G.o.d. Should I make a report to the Holy Kingdom that there"s a Holy Knight disobeying an order?"
The Holy Knight stared back wordlessly.
"Shoot it out right now."
The Holy Knight stepped back while gritting his teeth. Aris, who understood Ludin"s order, held his shoulder and shook it to snap him out of this madness.
"Ludin! You"re kidding, right? Right? Countermand that order right now! Our soldiers are going to die!"
The corner of Ludin"s lips twitched with a forced smile.
"They would all die if they"re there anyway! So… it would be better for them to die in the war with some honor!"
"Lu-Ludin… you… changed."
"Changed? What are you talking about? Aris! I didn"t change! Haha! That"s it. The Orcs are already using up their power. And now their numbers will also be reduced with Magic Artillery! Stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.ds…! This is our strategy!"
Aris shook her head at Ludin"s change in behavior.
He had been slowly changing all along. Earlier, he was a person with a strong sense of justice; he was dependable the first time he was elected as a Hero. But he became different somewhere along the way.
He may be a superman physically, but mentally, he was nowhere near the mark. Their soldiers kept dying because of his own faults and delusions. The oppression of the Holy Kingdom finally pushed him to the corner that he lost even the ability to make correct judgments.
"The Magic Artillery! Load it!"
The muzzle of the Magic Artillery was aimed at the Orcs and soldiers".
Some of the soldiers that were gradually losing ground while trying to hold back the Orcs sensed the Alliance"s incoming barrage.
"What the…?"
"Wai—"
"Fire!"
The magic bullets were launched into the night sky like shooting stars.
The mana crystals burst in the sky and poured down like fireworks, except that their brilliance would snuff out the flames of their own soldiers.
"Oy… it"s a joke, right?"
Not only the soldiers but even the orcs were taken aback by the crazy attack. They stopped fighting and looked up at the magic bullets that were dropping from the sky.
Although the magic bullets were threatening, their aim was off. The mana was condensed, and since the bullets were rather light, the speed of their descent was slow due to the air resistance. In a wide place, it was entirely possible to avoid them, but in this situation where they were battling against humans and were entangled together, they couldn"t dodge the impending barrage.
Karakul stiffened at the magic bullets. He never thought Ludin would carry out such a reckless act in a situation where his soldiers were also mixed in between.
"…f.u.c.k."
The magic bullets landed in the midst of the battlefield.
The miserable screams of humans and orcs mixed together without any distinction of friend or foe. In a continuous bombardment, the combatants could only helplessly blow apart, unable to avoid their doom. At this moment, they cast their races and differences away, scampering to save their lives.
"Shie-shield…!"
"…It doesn"t help! It might help if it was a small magic gun or something, but that"s used for a siege. Things like shields would only blow up!"
The battlefield was burnt to the ground, the scorched earth a testament to the cruelty of the attack. Dense, black fog filled up the whole area due to the explosions, so much so that it was hard to even tell who was who.
A moment later, the rain of annihilation finally came to an end.
The field was charred black, and burning, with black smog rising up into the night sky. The Orcs that had survived stood up while wincing.
"…Fu-f.u.c.k!"
"As, as expected, humans are out of their minds."
The Orcs look ahead with disbelief in their eyes.
"Euaaaaaak! My arms!"
"Ssave me…"
"…Am, am I… dying? Me? Ha… what the? These… holes on my body…"
The human soldiers that survived fell into panic and begged for someone to save them. The Orcs couldn"t even think of killing them after seeing them like that. The moment they looked at the corpses of their kind, their gazes turned to the Holy Knights that were moving in from afar.
"…It"s now. It"s time to show our power!"
Ludin spurred his horse with a smile on his face. He looked at the Orcs whose numbers had been cut down from on top of a hill, with an expression filled with the certainty of victory.
The Orcs couldn"t recover their senses right as a loud ringing resounded in their ears; they shook their heads and faltered. Dizzily standing up was the best they could do. Next, the exhaustion and pain came in torrents the moment their enraged minds calmed down.
The Holy Knights started to make a move after the Hero"s command. They, who rode horses, gripped long lances in their hands.
"Catch the Orcs with one fell swoop! Priests, a.s.sist them…!"
Karakul stood up and brushed off the soot and dirt. His green skin was charred, with pieces of spear-blades embedded in it. He shook the grime off his head and pulled out the spear blades that were piercing his skin.
"…Ridiculous."
It was clear that there were survivors among the human soldiers. But the Holy Knights were still preparing to charge in on horseback. This meant that it didn"t matter whether their soldiers got trampled and died. Seeing as they had fired on their own soldiers earlier, Karakul felt that perhaps he shouldn"t have been surprised.
"Hero, because of you, I got to learn various things!"
First, humans had no regard for their colleagues; the other was that there was no hesitation if it was for victory.
Those two things were all hard for Kurakul to understand. But, the latter was also a moral lesson he needed to comprehend.
"Right! Bring it on! Bring it on! I will rip your throats open!"
The Orcs that were able to fight gathered up around Karakul, ready to launch a counterattack.
"Fight! Show what the battlefield is to those beasts that don"t know honor!"
"Kuooooooo-!"
The Orcs let out a yell while opening their mouth wide, emptying their lungs. They then lifted their weapons and rushed the cavalry that was dashing over.
"…It"s dangerous."
Tom, who was watching the situation from afar, frowned.
It was indeed fairly risky. He didn"t know the Hero Alliance would use such a stupid and irrational strategy. It had been a long time since they ignored all ethics. It was a tactic that"s only purpose was winning, and it seemed like sacrifices were merely offerings for that purpose.
"I should help."
The ground, however, echoed the moment Tom was about to move. He got startled and turned around. The black smoke blocked his view, though. The human soldiers that had survived the ordeal tried to escape the place by running or asking their compatriots to save them.
"Let"s… let"s run away! Even if we become slaves as runaway soldiers, it doesn"t matter! Are we to give our lives away in this kind of absurd war?!"
It was when the soldiers pa.s.sed the black fog while staggering.
The ground was rumbling, and in front of them, fully armored cavalry charged out, piercing through the fog.
"What…?!"
The soldiers" eyes grew big as they were trampled by horses. The regular troops gradually became minced meat. The shape of the corpses couldn"t be seen anymore, their heads shattering like watermelons. It was a gruesome sight, to say the least.
"Cavakry, full speed-!"
They were speeding up, their lances pointing ahead. The spear-blades shone with a blue light.
"Die! Wicked Demons-!"
"Blessings of Artarrk-!"
"In the name of Pope Salem Gottshuranche, run away like the beasts you are-!"
The Holy Knights let out a roar filled with fighting spirit.
The horse-hoofs and spear-blades were dashing forward to take the Orcs" lives. Just as their cavalry was going to trample down the orcs…
"Kwooooooooooo-!"
Huge ogres popped out of the black fog.
"What?!"
The ogres with ma.s.sive builds jumped over the orcs and swung the maces they were holding with all their might, like the incarnations of the thunder G.o.d. Unable to bear their enormous strength, the Holy Knights and their horses flew through the air and fell down all at once.
The bone armor that wrapped their whole 4m bodies and thick maces that reached 2m in length already weighed a ton. Yet, their movements were anything but slow, as one might expect. Instead, the ogres nimbly destroyed the Holy Knights" flying wedge formation. The cavalry split to avoid the huge rock-like ogres, completely giving up on any thought of attacking the Orcs.
Karakul looked to his side with a shocked face. One of the 12 Apostles, the Ogre k.u.man, approached him.
"k.u.man?"
"…Even though it"s late, from now on, the Ogre"s will join in on the battle."
"Wait! Then what about the Demon Lord"s Guard…?"
k.u.man pointed behind him with his thick finger.
Karakul"s eyes followed his direction and grew wide as saucers.
Wearing a red helmet that was custom made so both of the goat horns that grew from her head could stick out, and armor in the form of a red dress in which she could move around comfortably, the Demon Lord Lily was coming, riding a unicorn. Next to her, Ellin was also following her lead on a unicorn.
"…Your… Highness?"
Karakul"s eye muscles twitched. The Demon Lord had appeared in the middle of the battlefield? This was something not even foolish human leaders would do!
"What on earth were you thinking….! k.u.man! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you came here even though you"re Her Highness"s guard?!"
The moment Karakul scolded him, k.u.man said, "I only obeyed the Demon Lord"s order. I"m merely a servant, while she is the Demon Lord. And I"m also an Apostle. I don"t need to listen to what another Apostle is telling me to."
"Ngh…"
Karakul then turned to glare at her. Lily flinched and shrunk back, but Ellin spurred her horse and rode in front of Lily to protect her.
"It"s the Demon Lord"sorder. An apostle must not scold Her Highness, although you can give advice."
Ellin spoke calmly, which was rather unusual for her. Karakul was also not in a position to tell Lily off. Besides, he was thankful more than anything deep in his heart. If the battle had continued as it had been, countless Orcs would have lost their lives.
With the Ogres joining them, the Orcs" fighting spirit rose once more.
"Don"t retreat!"
"Ogres have arrived! We"re already at out limit!"
"Priests, support the Holy Knights!"
The Priests that were in the back held their staffs and chanted their spell. Soon, the bodies of the Holy Knights were surrounded by a warm light, helping them regain their physical strength and calm their minds.
The Holy Knights didn"t retreat due to the addition of another enemy, though they knew they stood little chance. With the addition of dozens of Ogres, the outcome of this battle was already decided.
There was no way the cavalry, having lost the power of their initial charge, could defeat demons who specialised in close combat.
"…It is not over yet."
The Hero Ludin"s eyes lit up as he lifted his Holy Sword and jumped up off his horse. As he swung, his sword began emitting a brilliant light.
The moment the flash of radiance struck the Ogres and the Orcs, their bodies burst apart and broke into pieces.
"The Hero…?"
The Demons looked at Ludin in shock. However, Ludin was unable to notice this, as his attention was already fixed on something else. Amongst the Orcs and the Ogres, a bit further from him, a woman stood out.
She rode a unicorn, a mythical creature which only appeared in fairy tales.
With her beautiful silver hair swaying out from under her helmet, she looked at Ludin with a confused expression. Ludin gritted his teeth while looking at her. A demi-human with two goat horns, tanned skin, and silver hair!
"That person is the Demon Lord!"
She looked exactly like what Bludifer had described. There were more Orcs and Ogres left, but it didn"t matter. Because here… was the Demon Lord. It would be a victory as long as she died.
"…I"m going to kill her."
Karakul"s eyes enlarged after reading his mouth from afar. He rushed to shouted at those around him.
"…It"s the Hero. Stop him right now! Protect Her Highness the Demon Lord!"
The Orcs and Ogres were and rushed to block Ludin"s way. They lifted their weapons and swung them at him, but Ludin avoided those attacks with inhuman speed. Cutting down the Orcs and rolling in between the Ogres" legs, he charged toward Lily.
"Human! I will protect the Demon Lord!"
k.u.man lifted up his mace. Tendons were wriggling like snakes under the Ogre"s muscles; k.u.man had the greatest physical strength among the demi-humans.
"Euryat!"
The ma.s.sive and agile mace swung down at Ludin.
"Do you really believe that something like a wicked demon could stop me?"
Ludin blocked k.u.man"s mace with his Holy Sword.
The ground beneath Ludin"s feet caved in, and the air around turned into a violent gale. Even though blood was flowing from the corner of Ludin"s mouth, he had withstood k.u.man"s attack.
"This b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
Karakul made a move while glaring at the immobile Ludin. He approached the Hero from the side, mace in hand, but was unable to land a single blow. Beams of light flew at both he and k.u.man like meteors, stopping them in their tracks.
Aris had chanted a spell while pointing her staff at k.u.man and Karakul from afar. Spheres of blue light, composed of mana, were forming around her..
k.u.man"s body was rocked by explosions, and his colossal frame staggered while being forced back. Meanwhile, Karakul was sent flying by the force of Aris"s magic.
"Kuaaaaaaaaaaaak-!"
The moment k.u.man let out a loud shriek as he lost his balance, Ludin saw his chance. He cut k.u.man"s side with his Holy Sword. The iron armor and thick leather vest were cut apart like tofu, and his blood gushed out like a fountain. k.u.man"s body collapsed to the ground.
"Mr. k.u.man! Captain Karakul!"
Ellin fell into panic as the two Apostles. .h.i.t the dirt in tandem. She quickly looked at the unicorn Lily was riding.
"Run away! Protect Ms. Lily!"
The unicorn nodded as if it understood Ellin"s words, turned, and sprinted quickly to the fortress.
"Wait…! What about Ellin…?!"
The unicorn didn"t even listen to Lily"s shout.
Ellin glared at Ludin. He looked back at her and saw through who she was in a glance.
"Human? No, this demonic power! You"re a doppelganger, huh! A filthy demon that impersonates humans! Scram!"
Ludin launched forward and grabbed Ellin"s head, slamming it into the ground. He then stamped on her fragile body with as much force as he could muster.
Ellin stretched out her hand and tried to grab Ludin. At the very least, she had to grab that b.a.s.t.a.r.d"s ankle.
But she missed. He was too fast
"No…"
Ellin"s eyes watched Ludin"s back. He was heading in the same direction as Lily. She had to stop him. She had to… but she couldn"t move her body.
Someone like her, that was Apostle in name only, couldn"t even hold the Hero back for longer than a second. She hated her incompetent self for that.
"Ms. Lily…! Escape… hurry…!"
Ellin gritted her teeth. She might have to witness someone precious die in front of her eyes, again. Like the monk, Ellie, or the apprentice Holy Knight.
"No way-!"
Even with Ellin"s desperate scream-like shout, Ludin"s figure quickly disappeared. His feet cut across the battlefield as he nimbly made his way through the few Orcs that still blocked his way. He quickly caught up and overtook the unicorn"s pace, which had a speed many times faster than a regular horse.
"At last, this tiring war is over! I"m going to become a real Hero!"
Ludin ran up with his reddened eyes, his Holy Sword covered with a white current. It was such a sacred light that it illuminated his surroundings even in the dark of night. This was a sharp blade filled with holy power, able to cut down every enemy he"d ever faced.
Lily, who was riding on the unicorn, looked over her shoulder; she felt a chill travel down her spine. A shining sword was all that filled her eyes.
"Ah…"
She let out a sound of disbelief.
Karakul, who was still trying to recover from Aris"s magic attack, could only watch the Hero Ludin get closer and closer to Lily. k.u.man also forced himself to stand up, while Ellin made an expression as if she was screaming.
They were Apostles with the duty to protect the Demon Lord. But now, there was no way to save her.
The Hero Ludin wore a cruel smile on his face.
"Die."
"…I"m sorry. I shouldn"t have blocked my junior"s way."
Ludin"s sword was repelled.
— Ω —