Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 16 - Chapter 18

Fei

Our old world was unbalanced and unfair.

I knew that from early on in my previous life.

There are the haves and the have-nots, and those roles never change.

And even those who have can rarely win against others who have more.

It’s incredibly unbalanced and unfair.

And the girl named Hiiro Wakaba seemed to embody that unfairness.

I fell in love in middle school.

The object of my affection was a year ahead of me at the same school.

We met because we were in the same club.

It was my first love.

In retrospect, I think I was so excited about it that I got ahead of myself.

These days, I can’t even remember what he looked like, even though I supposedly loved him so much.

At the time I thought I was deeply in love. Now, though, I think I’ve forgotten his face because my feelings were just that fickle.

Even if I did study for a high school way above my level and manage to get in, just so I could chase after him.

I used to hate school and homework so much that when I finally studied seriously for an entrance exam, my mom actually got worried about me, funnily enough.

Looking back on that now, maybe that’s kind of a good memory.

We fought like hell at the time, though.

I mean, she asked me if I was “all right in the head,” you know?

Here I was taking school seriously for once!

Shouldn’t she be happy about that as a parent?!

All that aside, when I finally got into the high school I’d worked so hard and raised my grades for, I was hit with a swift reality check.

The boy I was chasing had started stalking a female student…

It’s fine that he rejected me when I asked him out.

I mean, it’s not fine, I was devastated at the time…but now I realize that it was pointless in the first place.

The guy was a total geek, although back then I thought of him as “quiet and mysterious.”

It’s not that he didn’t talk at all, he just wasn’t the assertive type.

I guess he was kinda like Shun in that way.

And in both cases, it turns out that kind of guy gets freaked out when someone acts assertive toward them.

Oh, I was assertive, all right.

I went after him like you wouldn’t believe!

Boundaries? Never heard of them.

I mean, I even followed him all the way to high school.

Talk about over-the-top, right?

Thinking about it now, I can’t blame him for being creeped out when a girl who wasn’t his type kept coming after him like crazy.

It’s easier to be frank about it now that I’ve left him behind me.

Not that I had any choice, since I’m literally in a different world!

But still, like, if someone you liked was stalking someone else, wouldn’t you be mad, too?

It’d be one thing if he was dating another girl, ’cause at least then you could give up properly. A stalker, on the other hand…

What’s worse, she didn’t even give him the time of day.

That girl’s name was Hiiro Wakaba.

Annoyingly enough, she was so gorgeous that I could understand why the boy I liked got obsessed to the point of stalking her.

She was number one by a landslide in the boys’ secret ranking of the hottest girls in school.

I was somewhere in the teens, by the way, which I’m still not sure how to feel about.

On the one hand, that means that out of all the girls in school from first-years to third-years, I was definitely pretty high on the list.

But on the other hand, isn’t it kind of a bummer that I didn’t quite make it into the top ten?

PS: It was some second-year boys who made that ranking, and the girls in their class are the ones who put it up for all to see.

It even made the rounds to every student in school, complete with photos attached.

And as much as it pains me to admit it, I could totally see why Wakaba was by far the best ranked.

Yes, she had a gorgeous face and figure, obviously.

But beyond all that, there was just something special about her.

Like something supernatural, or maybe paranormal.

She carried herself like she wasn’t even human.

That mystical aura of hers is what really grabbed your attention, not just her appearance.

And most people who saw Wakaba could be divided into two camps.

Those who feared her, and those who worshiped her.

Although honestly, I think it was a little bit of both for most people.

Maybe you could call it awe, I guess?

It’s just a matter of which of those two reactions was stronger.

For my former crush, it was definitely worship, which is why he wound up stalking her.

…You know, I was too heartbroken to think about this at the time, but why in the world was I so obsessed with the kind of guy who would turn into a stalker?

Then again, considering that I followed him to high school, maybe I was also kinda…

Nope! Not gonna think about that!

All I can say is that I was seriously short-sighted at the time, to the point where I blamed my rejection entirely on Wakaba.

Most of it was that I just didn’t like the girl who’d stolen my crush’s heart, although part of my hatred might have been that I was afraid of her, too.

…Yeah, I admit it. I was scared of Wakaba.

I hated the way she looked at all of us like we were ants beneath her feet.

The way she didn’t react to me in the least, no matter how much I bullied or harassed her.

She pissed me off, and scared me senseless.

So after I was reincarnated, when I was stuck inside that egg, all I thought about was Wakaba.

More than my old crush, more than my family, more than anyone, I thought about her.

Maybe that’s why, when we met the self-proclaimed Wakaba in this world, I could tell right away that it wasn’t really her.

Maybe that’s why, when we teleported from the system core or whatever to meet the so-called evil god D, it made perfect sense to me when I saw that it was Wakaba.

“Welcome.”

Wakaba spreads her arms in greeting.

This place is strange.

It’s pitch-black everywhere you look, except we can all still see one another just fine.

How can it be so dark but so clear at the same time?

In the center of that darkness sits Wakaba.

Several monitors float in the air in front of her seat.

“Ahh, I get it…”

This murmur of comprehension comes from Demon Lord Ariel, not me.

She’s sitting in a chair, too.

Hers is white and has a weird texture that somehow reminds me of a spiderweb.

Four small spiders are holding up each of the chair’s legs.

“Small” is relative here, since they’re still around the size of a tarantula from Earth, if not bigger, but compared to the giant things we rode to get here…well.

Anyway, these small spiders are holding up the Demon Lord’s chair and carrying it around.

At first I thought it was mean to make such tiny spiders carry her around, until I noticed that she obviously wasn’t doing very well.

For real, she looks like she’d barely even be able to stand without fainting dead away.

Is she sick or something? Either way, that definitely caught all of us by surprise.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Demon Lord Ariel. Please forgive my rudeness for entering your presence in such a disgraceful state.”

“No problem. Also, you don’t really need to introduce yourselves, or be so prim and proper. I know all of you perfectly well, and respect isn’t worth anything unless you really mean it from the heart.”

Is that her way of saying it’s no use trying to put on a polite act?

“Lemme ask you this, then. You’re Wakaba, aren’t you? What’s the deal with that?”

Getting a little annoyed, I go ahead and address her without respect. Hey, she asked for it.

It’s not my problem if a few people, like the pontiff and that demon guy, stare at me with their eyes bugging out of their heads.

“Right, I suppose I should introduce myself first for those who aren’t entirely in the know. I’m D, an evil god. That’s not my real name, of course. And I also spent some time at the same school as you reincarnations. At the time, I went by Hiiro Wakaba. Also not my real name, of course.”

Neither of them is your real name?!

Then can you really call that introducing yourself?

“Uhh…come again? You spent time as a student with the reincarnations?”

Hyrince cautiously ventures a question.

“That’s correct. And that’s when an attack trying to kill an administrator from this world came after me. It was actually intended for the ebony god, until Goddess Sariel redirected it by making me the target instead. As you can see, I’m perfectly unharmed, but all the students who got caught in the blast were killed. I suppose you could say it’s this world’s fault, and mine, that the reincarnations died.”

Hello?! It’s a little late for that big reveal!

Are you kidding me?! Seriously?!

“Excuse me? Are you joking? Can I punch this chick?”

“Fei! Cut it out!”

Shun hurriedly stops me when those words come tumbling out of my mouth.

Come on, I wasn’t really going to punch her, I swear.

But seriously, I spent so long feeling guilty in that egg ’cause I thought I was being punished for bullying Wakaba, only to find out it’s her fault we died in the first place!

I want my money back!

Can you blame me for getting the urge to punch her just a little bit?

“I felt bad about it, too, you know. That’s why instead of just letting you all die, I collected your souls, gave you skills, and sent you to be reborn in this world with your memories intact.”

“What, like that’s supposed to make up for it?”

“That was the idea, yes.”

“It’s not like we asked to be reincarnated, you know.”

“Does that mean you would’ve preferred to just die?”

“I mean…”

Well, no, but still…

Obviously I wouldn’t want to just die for no apparent reason and stay dead.

But I can’t say for sure if it was better that we got reincarnated.

Especially when we got caught up in all this “end of the world” stuff here.

“Couldn’t you have just made it so we didn’t die in the first place?”

Natsume speaks up.

That’s kinda surprising.

I didn’t expect him to take the initiative on anything at this point.

“In theory, that would’ve been a possibility, yes.”

“So why…!”

“Well, I was under no obligation to go that far for you. Reviving the dead is a whole lot harder than reincarnation, you know.”

Harder? So we got reincarnated just because she was feeling lazy?

“You can’t be serious…!”

“If you’ve got a problem, take it up with the people of that world. It’s not like I tried to kill you. I felt a bit of guilt and pity for you dying in an accident that wasn’t your fault, so I lent you a little hand, that’s all.”

When she puts it that way, it’s hard to argue back.

I know it wasn’t really her fault.

And I know we’ve got her to thank for the fact that we were reborn at all.

But still, still…!

“You’re saying this like you did it for our sakes, but that’s not actually true, is it? I bet you had your own goals in mind, and us getting reincarnated was just a bonus, right?”

“Right. Why do you ask?”

Wakaba doesn’t even try to dodge my question.

I knew it.

She definitely doesn’t seem to feel any kind of guilt, pity, or any such noble emotions toward us, that’s for sure.

The only feeling I get from her is that old familiar sense that she’s looking down on us like ants beneath her feet.

“It wasn’t any particularly lofty goal, though. I just figured I might give that world a little boost. Things were getting stagnant there, plus it looked like it was on a one-way path to destruction pretty soon. So I figured if I gave some souls from another world a little bit of power and sent them to reincarnate into this one, it might shake things up a bit.”

Wakaba looks at us with the cool expression of someone observing the behavior of lab rats.

Maybe that’s all we are to her, and maybe she sees this whole world as an experiment, too.

And if it all went under, she wouldn’t think twice about it.

“What were you trying to do in this world, exactly?”

“Nothing much. As I said before, I didn’t have any serious goals in mind, you know? Officially, I just lent a little support to help revive the planet on the ebony god’s request. Everything else was just a little personal project of mine. The same goes for you reincarnations. I didn’t do it out of any ill will, even if I wouldn’t quite call it good will, either.”

“What ‘personal project’?”

“I wanted to turn an entire world into a game. Then I wanted to see if anyone might find a way to become a god in that toxic gamelike environment. That’s about it.”

Wakaba’s calm comment belies the total insanity of the concept and scale.

She really isn’t like us at all.

The way she thinks is just too different from that of any normal human.

It’s to the point that just talking to her like this feels so wrong it almost makes me sick.

Even though we’re speaking the same language, I don’t think we’ll ever understand each other.

“I had high hopes for that Potimas Harrifenas, and for you, Demon Lord Ariel. I thought both of you might be able to attain godhood. Turns out I was wrong about that, though. Especially Potimas Harrifenas… Given his obsession with staying alive, I thought he might find a way to surpass the limits of the human vessel to achieve it, but it didn’t work out very well for him.”

“I shudder to think what would’ve happened if he became a god.”

Demon Lord Ariel looks blatantly disgusted.

As far as I can tell, Wakaba didn’t care whether someone was good or evil, only if they could become a god or not.

She just wanted someone, anyone, to produce results in her little experiment.

Something like that, anyway.

“Okay, enough about all that. What’s up with that weird copy of yours? The so-called ivory god?”

I change the subject before her thoughts on the previous one can drive me totally insane.

I want to know what the deal is with that weird Wakaba look-alike.

That’s basically got to be her puppet or something, right?

Seems a little excessive to pit it against the original ebony god if you’re trying to give the world a “boost,” though.

Not to mention, something feels off about that idea.

Would Wakaba here really get involved with such a proactive pawn?

“Ah, yes, my stand-in. If I was to reincarnate all of the students and one teacher present in that classroom, my seat would be left empty. In order to fill in that gap, I reincarnated the soul of a spider that just happened to be in the classroom at the time. Oh, and instilled it with memories of being Hiiro Wakaba.”

“Excuse me?”

That doesn’t even make any sense.

Confused, I look around at Shun and the others, not one of whom appears to understand what Wakaba is saying.

“What does that even mean?”

“Exactly what I said. It’s just a spider. So weak that even I thought it was just going to die right away. It only existed to prove that Hiiro Wakaba also got reincarnated. At first, anyway.”

I still don’t get it, or maybe it’s just not possible to understand at all.

That fake Wakaba wasn’t working for this one?

“So she’s not your pawn?”

“Oh no. That thing does whatever it wants. Amusing, isn’t it? The humans I had such high hopes for turned out to be a flop, and the creature I threw in as an expendable substitute is the one that wound up attaining godhood.”

Umm…o-kaaay?

To sum it up, that means the fake Wakaba became a god all on her own, and is fighting the ebony god of her own free will?

“You have my gratitude for sending White to this world, and to me.”

Demon Lord Ariel’s voice is full of warm feelings toward that fake Wakaba.

I can tell from her voice that the Demon Lord trusts the fake Wakaba completely, at the very least.

“The destruction of the system, and the collection of the resulting energy. It’s a method I left as a hidden feature, but given the current state of that world, I would say that it’s the correct choice. While the plan the Word of God pontiff there came up with isn’t bad, either, between the uncertainty and the huge losses involved, there’s a good chance it wouldn’t produce enough energy.”

At Wakaba’s words, everyone turns to look at the pontiff.

Finally, he speaks, as if he can’t handle the pressure of all those stares.

“My plan was to kill all of the gods who exist in this world.”

Huh? I don’t think I get it.

“What do you mean by that?”

Yuri is the one who questions the pontiff. Apparently, she didn’t get it, either.

“A god is a life-form containing an immense amount of energy. And the system has the ability to collect energy from any living thing that dies, even if that living thing is a god. If a god were to die, the system would be able to collect its energy, you see.”

Ahh, that’s why you were gonna kill the gods?

Wait a sec. Doesn’t that mean…

“So you intended to lay waste to Goddess Sariel, the ivory god, and even your own ally, the ebony god?”

“Just so.”

Without another word, Yuri fires attack magic at the pontiff.

Huh? Wha—?!

“Watch out!”

Barely a second before the spell can hit the pontiff, Shun jumps in the way and blocks it.

If he hadn’t made it in time, wouldn’t that have killed the old pontiff?!

“Yuri! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I could ask you the same question. Get out of the way so I can kill him, Shun.”

“What? Are you hearing yourself right now, young lady?”

Ms. Oka seems distressed at Yuri’s words.

“But that man needs to die immediately. How dare you speak of the gods that way? Hurry up and die, Pontiff. Die.”

Yikes! When did Yuri get so scary?!

“Yuri. I can understand where you’re coming from, but please restrain yourself for now. This is no time for us humans to be fighting among ourselves.”

“…Oh, all right.”

Shun manages to get Yuri to reluctantly back down.

Is it just me, or does it seem like the pontiff is gonna end up dead no matter how things shake out?

It is pretty awful that he was gonna kill the ebony god, his own ally.

Even if it’s for the greater good, you’ve gotta draw the line somewhere, y’know?

Nobody likes a backstabber for a leader.

“Well, that’s just one more reason that I intended to destroy around half of humanity, to make up for the lack of energy.”

“Right! That’s what we came to talk to you about!”

We got off topic when we realized the evil god was really Wakaba. I almost forgot that the real reason we’re here is to do something about her stupid plan to destroy half of humanity!

“It’s as I just said. The ebony god’s side’s methods wouldn’t create enough energy. The only way to complete the revival of this planet with the system still running would be to sacrifice approximately half of mankind. Which is why I intended to supply the remaining energy in the event of the ebony god’s victory. If the ivory god’s side wins, half of humanity or so would die anyway. Either way, half of humanity is either going to die or get destroyed. That’s just how it is.”

What she just said is basically a death sentence for humanity.

The pontiff sinks to his knees.

“But…that means everything I have done…”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call it pointless. You were just too late.”

The pontiff hangs his head at Wakaba’s harsh words.

“Still, the planet will be saved, and half of humanity will live, when originally the planet would have been destroyed and all of humanity with it. I think that’s a solid outcome, don’t you?”

Yeah, it does sound like a win when you put it that way. But for those of us who currently live in this world, it’s a serious problem.

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Shun presses desperately.

“Did you want to do something?”

“Of course it is.”

“Well, I could do something about it.”

“Please!”

“Then what will you offer me in exchange?”

That stops Shun’s enthusiasm in its tracks.

“The ebony god offered me that planet. He pleaded that I could do anything I wanted with that world if I would only restore it and save Sariel’s life. I accepted the offer, not that a dying planet has any real value, and decided to create the system and control it.”

Wakaba’s eyes flick toward Shun.

“Half of humanity. What can you pay me in exchange for saving it?”

Shun falls silent under Wakaba’s level gaze.

Wakaba was within her rights to make the planet into a game because she received it as fair payment from the ebony god.

Offering her something without any value wasn’t sufficient payment.

That’s why the system has been wringing energy out of this planet’s people all this time.

It’s like they’re paying off a debt.

We don’t have anything of value to offer, either.

If we did make a deal to save half of humanity, how long would it take to pay it off?

Would we be reborn in the same world over and over like this world’s residents, forced to pay off the debt ourselves?

Just thinking about it gives me the shivers.

Maybe a part of me still felt like this wasn’t my problem because I’m a reincarnation.

Like I wouldn’t become a slave to debt the way these people did.

But when I consider the possibility that I might meet the same fate, it scares me. No thanks.

And yet Shun responds without hesitation.

“I would give you anything that I have to offer.”

“Even the lives of all of your friends and acquaintances?”

“No. Those aren’t mine to give. All I can really offer is myself.”

“You want to pay for half of humanity with your life alone? How arrogant. And greedy, too.”

Shun has no response to that.

Obviously, no one could argue that Shun by himself has the same value as half of humanity.

Like Wakaba said, if he honestly thought that was an even exchange, then he really would be arrogant.

And at this point, maybe it is greedy in a way, trying to save the world without a single sacrifice.

“Even so, if there’s even the slightest possibility, I can’t let it go.”

“Yamada.”

Demon Lord Ariel utters Shun’s old name in a dangerous tone.

Negishi and Sasajima, who are also on the ivory god’s side, look equally displeased.

From what I’ve heard, Shun pissed off the Demon Lord during their weird little telepathic meeting, too.

The ivory god’s side hasn’t forgiven this planet’s people for depending on the gods to do everything for them.

So I bet they’re mad that Shun is begging a god for help now.

“This world’s problems should be solved by its own people. And at this point, a peaceful solution just isn’t an option anymore. You do realize that you’re just embarrassing yourselves by refusing to accept that and trying to wriggle your way out of it, don’t you?”

“…Maybe you’re right. But I want to keep trying, even if it is embarrassing. I guess I’m not gracious enough to accept the idea of making a sacrifice like that.”

“It’s not making a sacrifice, not really. Someone has already been sacrificed this whole time—Lady Sariel, that is. The people of this world have forgotten that. And now they’re freaking out because it might finally be their turn to pay the piper. Do you really not see how stupid that seems from my point of view? Hmmm?”

Demon Lord Ariel is still just sitting in a chair, looking frail.

But somehow, the anger she’s giving off is so intense I can barely breathe.

“I told you before, didn’t I? If you’re going to get involved in this battle, you’d better be seriously prepared. And you told me that you are, because it involves you, too. I’m sure that means you’re also prepared for us to take you out if we feel you’ve crossed the line, right?”

As the Demon Lord speaks, Negishi and Sasajima both reach for their weapons.

I automatically crouch into a fighting stance, but to be honest, I don’t think we can win this one.

“Please, wait a minute! I’m not your enemy!”

“Sure seems that way to me.”

Uh-oh. It’s starting to seem like we’re gonna have to throw down.

Just then, someone claps sharply.

“Let’s leave it at that for now, shall we? It wouldn’t be any fun for me if things end with the human side getting wiped out here.”

My relief that Wakaba put a stop to the fighting only lasts a moment.

It “wouldn’t be fun…”

Is that seriously the only reason?

“Demon Lord Ariel, your point is perfectly valid. However, you too have turned to reincarnations and the ivory god for help. Surely you can’t claim that argument only applies to humans.”

“…You’re right. I apologize.”

Whatever her reasons, at least it seems like Wakaba convinced the Demon Lord and her people to lay down their arms.

“Yamada, the answer to your request is no. There’s nothing you can offer that would convince me to save that world peacefully.”

“I…I see…”

“However, I will give you a chance.”

All of us who were hanging our heads look up at once.

“That world has been much more pleasant since the reincarnations arrived. The ivory god’s efforts. The Demon Lord Ariel’s decision. The determined struggles of Julius the Hero. The diligent efforts of the Word of God pontiff. The survival strategies for demonkind from the likes of Agner and Balto. And of course, the lives and actions of the reincarnations themselves. They instigated enormous change in a world that had been at a standstill. My little boost was a big success. I really rather enjoyed watching it all unfold.”

Wakaba talks about the events of this world like she’s reviewing plot points from a movie.

“And what’s more, you found the hint I left for you and managed to make it all the way here. Surely that is worthy of a bonus.”

In spite of the positive-sounding statement, an ominous mood fills the air.

It’s a lazily intimidating atmosphere, if not quite a violent one.

Wakaba stands from her chair.

“So here is your bonus stage. I’d like to see you defeat me. If you emerge triumphant, I will save the world for you. Not to worry—I’ll hold back as much as I can, of course. That doesn’t mean I’ll have mercy, though, you understand?”

For a moment, my legs almost give way.

The aura around Wakaba fills me with raw, instinctive fear.

This is it…!

This…feeling!

It’s the same supernatural sense Wakaba gave off in our old lives.

Like you’re gazing into an infinite, hellish abyss.

When we first met the fake Wakaba, I was certainly intimidated by her godlike aura.

I guess you could say it was more divine and immense than the sense I got from Wakaba.

But I still felt like the real Wakaba was scarier.

The fake Wakaba’s presence didn’t feel as darkly unknowable, even if it was strong.

That’s why I knew on instinct that something was wrong.

That it wasn’t really Wakaba.

And now, the real Wakaba is showing us just a glimpse of her power.

Is this seriously what it’s like when she holds back “as much as she can”?

There’s no way we can beat her.

I hear a few whumps and turn to see the pontiff and the demon guy going down.

Looks like they couldn’t handle Wakaba’s powerful presence.

“Pontiff?! Mr. Balto?!”

Hyrince runs over to the two men and calls out to them, with no response.

They must have passed out completely.

“Dammit! What are we supposed to do?!”

“That’s obvious, eh? We shall simply have to fight.”

Old man Ronandt sounds resolute.

Fight? Against that? Are you for real?

“Yes…you’re right. Let’s do this, everyone.”

Shun draws the Sword of the Hero.

Katia and Sue stand on either side of him, while Yuri and Ms. Oka bring up the rear.

Oh, come on!

They’re all raring to go! That means I have to do it, too!

I transform from human form to wyrm form.

Fine, let’s just get this over with!

Besides, when you think about it, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to slug Wakaba in the face and get away with it!

At least, I’ve gotta pump myself up like that or I might pass out, too.

“…When you say you’d ‘save the world,’ to what extent do you mean exactly?”

Demon Lord Ariel addresses Wakaba calmly.

“Good point. I should make myself perfectly clear. If you can defeat me, I will keep alive all of the people who would otherwise die when the system was destroyed. I’ll refrain from wiping out half of humanity, too, of course. I shall also supply the rest of the energy needed to restore the world. Ah, yes, and as for Goddess Sariel’s life span…I imagine if she were freed from the system now, she would die immediately. Instead, I will ensure that she stays alive for around the same amount of time as your remaining life span, Demon Lord Ariel.”

That sounds like more than anyone could have hoped for.

The Demon Lord’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Then I suppose we have no choice but to fight, too.”

With that, she rises from her chair.

So she can stand…

But it’s clear at a glance that she’s pushing herself already.

Still, with super-scary allies like Negishi and Sasajima, it’s deeply reassuring to have her on our side.

“Let’s begin, then, shall we?”

For a moment, I don’t understand what’s happening.

All I know is that Shun goes from standing in front of me to getting tackled aside, and Hyrince, who tackled him, crashes backward.

“Huh?”

I barely recognize the idiotic-sounding voice as my own.

Looking down at Hyrince, I see him crumpled on the ground with a giant hole in his chest.

Clearly, he must have died instantly.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’ll hold back, but I won’t have mercy.”

Wakaba shakes out her right hand, scattering blood everywhere.

It’s only then that I finally understand that her right hand must have pierced Hyrince’s heart.

“By the way, if you were to convert my current strength into stats, I’d say they’re around a hundred and fifty thousand each. See? Very generous of me to hold back so much, isn’t it?”

That’s easily a hundred times stronger than the average human.

We don’t stand a chance in hell.

My heart was already broken before the battle even began.