Interlude 2
Lyferian Calendar: Month 7, Day 27, Year 164, afternoon—
Aboard a sand ship’s deck, on an elevated throne, sat Laminitus, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
A soldier rushed to her side.
“A report, m’lady! The evacuation of the civilians is halfway complete!”
“Only half... It’s taking too long.”
“My apologies! Due to the Paladin Captain’s absence, our coordination with the Church is difficult. Evacuation of the sick and wounded is taking—”
“Did We not order you to take care of that sooner?”
Lashing out at the messenger wouldn’t do anyone any good right now, but Laminitus couldn’t suppress her anger. She’d predicted this would happen ever since the day the Demon Lord’s Army’s Commander-in-Chief, Varakness, had appeared before her. She had made many preparations for when he would attack on the next full moon.
—But the full moon is still three days away!
Laminitus clicked her tongue bitterly. She disliked men who were sticklers for little details, but she hated men who outright lied even more.
Another messenger rushed to her side.
“The Demon Lord’s Army is 5,000 melds away! Our scouts have confirmed it! They number roughly 300, and we’ve detected large-class magical beasts as well!”
—300, huh.
If it were the races, a group of 300 would be meaningless in battles of this scale, and one sand ship’s worth of soldiers would be enough to take care of them.
Over the short period of time they had to prepare, Laminitus scraped together a force of 40,000 soldiers and adventurers, and their fleet consisted of 200 sand ships of various sizes. She had an impressive, large scale force...
But it still wouldn’t be enough.
They were up against the Demon Lord’s army, a mixed force of Fallen and magical beasts. Each and every one of them far exceeded a single one of Laminitus’s soldiers in terms of strength. Even with the odds of 40,000 against 300, they were still no match.
That was all that occupied her mind.
“We need intel on their formation, on the double!” Laminitus began giving her orders. “The enemy has species capable of flight, so keep your eyes to the sky! If so much as a bird draws near the fleet, gun it down!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The reports came in one after another. The Demon Lord’s army was fast approaching, maintaining its speed. The middle-sized magical beasts formed their vanguard, and at the center of their formation, what appeared to be their commander was riding on the back of a large, turtle-like magical beast.
Varakness. The handsome youth with batlike wings.
The enemy’s army had drawn close enough that Laminitus could see them with her own eyes. A skilled marksman could snipe them with a Magi Gun from this distance, but a shot or two would do nothing to halt their advance. If anything, they would need to solidify their position and try to draw out the battle for as long as they could.
They needed to finish evacuating Zircon Tower...
Have as many civilians as we can get away from the fighting. Make sure to lose as few troops as possible. And we have to survive this battle, no matter what...
She had no chance of winning with her forces. Zircon Tower would, in all likelihood, fall. But so long as they could minimize their losses, there was still a chance of staging a retaliation.
A scout, who had been surveying the enemy’s movements with a pair of binoculars, raised his voice.
“The large magical beast in the center of their forces is breaking formation and coming this way! The enemy commander is on its back!”
“What?”
According to even the most basics of warfare theories, the commander would always be either in the middle or the rear of a formation. No fool would ever move the King out of the safety of the back lines in a game of chess.
Yet the enemy did exactly that.
Laminitus hesitated. This must have been some attempt at provocation. She could issue orders to fire at will, but rumors of how Varakness infiltrated Zircon Tower had already spread among the soldiers.
—If we pull back now, the soldiers’ morale would plummet.
The soldiers would believe their commander, Laminitus, was afraid of the Fallen, and maintaining the front line would become impossible.
She clicked her tongue in frustration.
—To think a Fallen would employ psychological warfare like this...
“Captain!” Laminitus raised her voice. “Sail the ?Gallcarius? forward! There’s no need for any escort ships!”
Answering the taunt, Laminitus ordered the craft she was on, the Gallcarius, to sail forward alone to meet the enemy commander. The ship’s captain was a seasoned veteran, but even he hesitated to challenge the Demon Lord’s army with just one ship.
Despite his doubts, the captain loyally obeyed his order.
“Deploy cannons three and four! Forward at half-speed!”
The ship’s enchanted sails spread, pushed by the wind. The large sand ship sailed onward, leaving the rest of the fleet behind.
Laminitus could tell her unit’s troops were becoming more anxious by the second.
The enemy was drawing near. They were no longer just within range for a gunshot or bowshot; they were within earshot.
†
Just around where the two armies met—
Varakness and Laminitus glared at each other, the former sitting on the shell of a giant magical beast, and the latter aboard a sand ship.
Varakness was dressed in a tuxedo, just like when he appeared a few nights ago. His outfit seemed better suited for a night party in a ballroom than a skirmish on a battlefield. Four women, some with lizard tails or raven wings, doted on him.
—He did say something about a “harem,” didn’t he?
“Bringing women to a battlefield!? You make light of Us!” Laminitus shouted angrily. “We shall bury you with your foolish pride!”
“Heh heh heh... These beautiful flowers are my beloved wives, as well as officers of the Demon Lord’s army. And...they will also be your wedded sisters, Fanis.”
“What!?” Laminitus shouted, her gaze growing sharper. “What do you mean, ‘wedded sisters’?”
“I mean that, once I admit you into my harem, they will be your sisters.” Varakness smiled and spread out his arms. “Do play well with them... I absolutely dread it when women fight over me, after all.”
There was a silver ring on his finger, and the four women around him all displayed their matching rings proudly.
“We will never accept Fallen as husband or sister, you disgusting knave!” Laminitus spat bitterly.
“But I’ve prepared a ring for you, as well. I’ve made sure it’s just your size. Oh, how I cannot wait to put it on you...and make passionate love with you.”
“You miserable cretin... We just so happen to have prepared a little gift for you, as well.”
“Oh my, what a pleasant surprise!” Varakness once again spread out his arms.
Laminitus grabbed a Magi Gun that sat beside her, a large rifle that matched her in height.
“Take this, you nauseating lout!”
She bent down, supporting the rifle with both hands; her wounded right shoulder had already recovered.
“Get the hell out of my territory, you monsters! ?Lightning Shot?!”
She charged the shot with magic, increasing its firepower, and squeezed the trigger. The bullet was also laced and reinforced by several layers of enchantments.
Just around where the two armies met, the battle’s first gunshot echoed loudly.
The bullet pierced Varakness’s left breast.
The shock wave spread out as a large hole opened in the opponent’s chest.
Varakness looked down at his wound. “Spectacular...”
Uttering that single word, he crumpled, falling on his back. A roar of excitement rose from the races’ army.
“King! King! King!” some chanted, singing their praises.
Laminitus smirked, savoring the feeling of decisively striking her opponent. This would no doubt shake the enemy’s chain of command and give them a chance to win.
One of the wives ran over to Varakness’ side in a hurry. No, running wasn’t the right way of putting it, since while her upper half was human, her lower half was that of a fish. As soon as the fish woman touched the body—
Varakness suddenly rose to his feet. There was still a hole in his suit, but the skin beneath had been healed.
“Heh heh...” He smiled confidently. “I will not lie, I am truly surprised. Even before receiving power from the Demon Lord, I’ve never experienced such a severe injury. Fanis, my love...I will make you my wife, without fail. I swear it on this chest you’ve wounded.”
“So you have a Healer... Crafty bastard.”
“You will soon see this beauteous darling as your wedded sister. Treat her kindly, if you can... She’s something of a shrinking violet, you see?”
At Varakness’s introduction, the fish woman covered her face timidly with her hands.
Laminitus clenched her teeth nervously. She clicked the floorboard three times with the sole of her boots, and the ship’s captain raised a hand in response to that signal. Without need of verbal command, the ship’s crew began operating the sails. The sails spread out, receiving the wind. The Gallcarius began moving, kicking up sand as it sailed at max speed, trying to get away from the enemy.
As it did, Laminitus gave the order:
“All forces—charge! Don’t give them the chance to run!”
The sand ships, who were on standby until now, finally began their charge. The warships served as vanguard, and the Adventurers would later join in... That was their plan, in short.
If they forced a melee battle with the enemy commander out of formation, on the front lines, the Fallen army wouldn’t have been able to maintain a proper chain of command. But the turtle-like magic beast showed no intent of retreating.
The woman with the lizard tail, who had sat beside Varakness until now, rose to her feet.
“Can I...? Even though I will destroy...them...?”
“Yes, do as you wish, my love. It is for this reason I separated Fanis from them.”
—What did he just say!?
A chill ran down Laminitus’s spine. The lizard woman spread out her arms, and raised her voice in a shout.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
The air trembled, and at the same time, a large tear ran through the ground, forming a large cliff right in the warships’ way. The sand ships fell into the abyss, accompanied by literal waterfalls of sand.
Countless screams echoed throughout the battlefield. Some ships were able to skillfully maneuver themselves and avoid falling into the abyss, but many valuable elite soldiers were lost in the disturbance.
—Who would think they could use magic of such a scale!
Laminitus clenched her fist. Her forces had fallen into utter chaos and confusion. Just attempting to count how many ships were lost was difficult.
The Demon Lord’s army wasn’t kind enough to simply stand by and watch them flounder. The Fallen and their magical beasts charged them, raising nightmarish howls. Varakness’s large magical beast remained where it was, and the army’s charge made it so it now stood in the rearguard, the perfect position to command it.
—We were dancing in the palm of his hand the whole time!
Laminitus clenched her teeth again.
“Use large scale magic to confuse the enemy army, then launch an offensive...” Varakness said with a smile. “This was a basic strategy in the last war, you know? The races really do grow old and forgetful far too quickly... But I do not find that transient foolishness of yours unpleasant. Now, accept your eternal slumber in the embrace of my wonderful nightmare!”
†
Screams and howls filled the battlefield. Laminitus lay beaten.
—The front lines crumbled within a day, countless soldiers are lost... Even We are beyond help now...
“Ugh... Death is...more preferable...to being disgraced by the Fallen...” Laminitus put a bullet into her Magi Gun.
She shouted at the soldiers awaiting her orders.”Even should We fall! We shall never show our back to the enemy! For We are the king of this sandy land!”
The soldiers raised their fists in agreement.
“Your target is the enemy commander! Charge the large magical beast!”
“Gallcarius, move at full speed! Gunners, keep your eyes ahead!” the ship’s captain gave his directions.
All the soldiers carrying Magi Guns gathered on the front deck and began firing at the Fallen and magical beasts.
The Fallen weren’t all as durable as Varakness; he was simply too powerful. A Magi Gun’s bullets would definitely inflict damage on them.
“The problem is getting rid of Varakness’ lackeys...” Laminitus glared at the enemy’s formation. “The other women probably have irregular abilities, too.”
“Right you are ?”
Laminitus’s eyes flew open. From beside her, a woman’s voice spoke in an inappropriately bright voice. A moment later, a sharp pain ran through Laminitus’s flank.
“Gah!?”
The next thing Laminitus knew, she had fallen down and was now lying on the ship’s deck. The side of her body burned with pain, large amounts of blood pooling all around her.
A black mass rose from her shadow, assuming a human-like shape.
—She came out of Our shadow...!?
It was one of Varakness’ women, the one with raven wings.
“Peek a boo ?” The woman’s black curls shook as she looked down at Laminitus mockingly.
“Y-You...!?”
“Hehehe... Varakness told me to ‘stop the ship,’ buuut... I really hate women who have bigger busts than me, see~ So I don’t want you joining the harem~ So just go ahead and die for me, okay? I’m going to make you die!”
The soldiers standing around her only realized what was happening just then, and it was a moment too late.
They brandished their swords, crying out in defiance, but the Fallen woman caught their weapons with her bare hands which had bird-like talons.
Her ability to come out of shadows wasn’t the only thing that made her menacing. She was a fairly powerful Fallen by her own right.
“R-Run!” Laminitus moaned in pain. But before her words could reach them...
A cadence of odd bursting sounds resounded. It was the sound the Fallen woman crushing the soldiers’ heads, helmets and all. The troops were reduced to corpses in the blink of an eye, pools of their blood spreading around her.
Despair overwhelmed Laminitus.
—Just what in the hell...is going on here...!?
A commander that didn’t die even when shot in the heart. A Healer who can heal grievous wounds in a moment. A Sorcerer capable of annihilating a fleet in the blink of an eye. An assassin who can attack from one’s own shadow...
—A nightmare... The races beat these monsters in the last war...!? Impossible!
This didn’t constitute for a fight.
“Can you even call this a war...?” Laminitus whispered.
“Right right, this can’t be called a war~ This is more a spectacle where the Fallen butcher the races—a massacre.” The Fallen woman laughed maniacally, brandishing her bloodstained talons. “Bye bye ? This was fun—as if. You races are too weak to even be a distraction~”
“S-Someone...”
“Mmm?”
“Someone...save them... The soldiers! The civilians!” Still lying facedown on the ship’s deck, Laminitus squeezed out a voice.
“You silly skank~ If you didn’t want to die, all you had to do was... Well, you shouldn’t have even been born ?”
A flash of light blinded Laminitus’s sight as countless bolts of lightning fell on this battlefield fraught with mayhem.
The rumble of thunder sent shivers through the air. The Fallen woman looked around, her face colored with surprise.
“What’s going on!?”
“What...is this...?”
The weather should have been clear. This phenomenon was entirely unknown to Laminitus.
She could hear soldiers talking from somewhere:
“The enemy strike force has been reduced by half! Th-They’re confused! It seems the lightning...f-fell on them!?”
It was a different brand of surprise from when the large scale magic struck down the ships or when the enemy advanced and spread among the soldiers.
“Pull back. The situation has changed.”
Laminitus could hear Varakness’s voice. His voice echoed from the earring on the woman’s ear.
“Did you hear me?”
“Pull back!? Why!? Let me kill them first!”
“No. I won’t allow you to be stranded in the middle of the enemy’s formation. I do not wish to lose you.”
“Stranded? Me? What are you talking about!?”
The woman looked around as Laminitus rose to her feet.
And then, she saw it: someone floating in the sky.
—Who is...that?
It was a man clad in jet-black armor, holding a staff in his hand.
“?Lightning Meteor?!!!”
The man swung down his staff, and countless bolts of lightning rained upon the battlefield.
An Elemental Sorcerer...
The atmosphere trembled as the magical beasts were reduced to ashes. Magic of this level went explicitly beyond anything the races would ever be able to manipulate.
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