Chapter 18.4
The gaze from Emperor Vector, down towards her, frightened D. to the depths of her heart while she prostrated herself on the dragon military vehicle, her forehead against its floor.
There was no anger in the emperor’s ice-colored eyes. He seemed to measure D.’s worth without any input from his personal emotions. How would the emperor treat one he judged incompetent and useless—she shook to her core, merely imagining it.
A brief question eventually came in a deep, fluent voice.
“Hmm. That is to say, your plan failed and a thousand dark arts users died due to the enemy taking the initiative to absorb and consume the space darkness energy… is that correct?”
“Ye… yes!”
D. lifted her face by the slightest and answered.
“That is precisely the case, Your Majesty. I have not received any intelligence that the enemy army still retains an arts user of such caliber despite the highest minister’s absence, so…”
“Is there no means of replenishing darkness energy?”
Interrupting D.’s desperate excuses, the emperor pursued a countermeasure. However, D. could only shake her head at that as well.
“Un… unfortunately… replenishing the amount of space darkness energy necessary to annihilate the enemy integrity knights would require plentiful power from the earth and sun, but both are lacking from the battlefield. The treasury in Obsidia Palace does have minerals saved which could be converted to darkness energy, but we would need several days in order to retrieve…”
“I see.”
The emperor casually nodded and turned his sharp features towards the distant gorge.
“…From what I can see, however, there is no vegetation on this land and the sun has already set. Where is this energy source you planned to utilize for that large-scale art ceremony?”
Despite how the god, Vector, the supposed originator of the darkness arts, had enquired about the basic theory behind them, the fear occupied too much of her mind for her to pay attention to it. Desperately seeking for nothing more than means to secure self-preservation, the female arts user earnestly spoke.
“Yes, it is a battlefield, after all… the blood and lives lost by the demi-humans and enemy soldiers change to darkness energy and permeates the atmosphere.”
“Hmm… mm.”
D. stiffened up entirely with the emperor rising from the provisional throne.
Tap, tap ; the black leather boots drew closer. Fear squeezed her innards.
Coming to a stop on the direct left of D., frozen, the emperor’s fur mantle danced in the night wind as he muttered softly.
“Blood… and lives?”
* * *
“Radiant medium…?”
Taking big bites from flatbread mixed with diced dried fruits and berries, Knight Commander Bercouli’s sinewy chin moved as he spoke in a muffled tone.
Making use of the temporary ceasefire, rations were distributed to the Defense Army soldiers by the supply unit with great haste.
The healing of the wounded was almost complete and thanks to the integrity knights, and their status as high ranking arts users, even those on their deathbed were up and sipping at their soups.
However, the deceased naturally had no path of return. Among the first unit of over two thousand people, close to a hundred-fifty guards and a single lower ranking knight had lost their lives.
Alice nodded towards the knight commander sitting on the other side of a folding table.
“Yes. Though I do not recall such a name from any of the history books, it appears to be certain that the enemy commander is persistently searching for that person.”
“Commander… the god of darkness, Vector, huh?”
Pouring siral water into the cup left in front of the groaning Bercouli, Deputy Commander Fanatio spoke.
“It’s hard to believe… the revival of a god…?”
“There’s that. But well, it’s convincing. You felt that foreign incarnation covering the enemy’s main force, too, didn’t you?”
“Yes… certainly, I did feel as though I was being pulled into some chill…”
“It’s the first time the Great East Gate collapsed since the creation of the world. Anything can happen now, maybe we should be preparing ourselves for that. But still… lil’ miss.”
His forceful eyes caught tightly onto Alice.
“Let’s say Dark God Vector had descended onto the Dark Territory and he’s looking for the «radiant medium» who happens to be you, lil’ miss. That question here is, how will that affect this war… huh?”
Indeed.
That was what it boiled down to in the end.
Even if Vector would be satisfied with the medium in his hands, the other dark races would not stop until they had devoured the Human Empire. They still had to defend this gorge to the very end.
However, one other phrase remained stuck on Alice’s mind.
« World End Altar ».
The words spoken by the «god from the outside world» who Kirito conversed with via the crystal pane on the Central Cathedral’s top floor after that fierce battle.
—Head for the World End Altar.
—Straight south after you exit the eastern large gate.
It might be possible to resurrect Kirito’s heart if she went there. Still, even if she wished to go, she could not abandon the defense at the Great Gate.
But what if they chased after her?
What if Vector and his army chased after Alice alone, leaving through the Great Gate, in pursuit of the radiant medium?
Would it not buy time for strengthening the Defense Army by having the enemy army depart from the Human Empire?
Concealing the matter about the «Altar» which was far too uncertain, Alice declared to the supreme commander of the Defense Army in a firm tone.
“Esteemed Uncle… no, Your Excellency, Bercouli. I will break through the enemy camp alone and head for the remote regions of the Dark Territory. If the enemy leader seeks this «radiant medium», he should pursue me with a sizable number of troops. After there is a reasonable amount of distance between their divided armies, please launch a counterattack on what remains of the enemy army and eliminate them.”
* * *
Emperor Vector spoke with a dry voice devoid of all emotion.
“D.I.L. Would three thousand suffice?”
“Yes…?”
Not understanding the meaning behind those words, D. once again raised her face. The emperor’s side profile was glazed over to the extent of even appearing gentle, but his pale blue eyes looked down upon the troops with a frigid look.
Vector’s mouth moved again.
“What I asked, is that to gain sufficient darkness energy for that large-scale arts ceremony to eliminate the integrity knights—”
The following words made even the ruthless D. open her two eyes widely in astonishment.
“Would expending three thousands of those orc soldier lives we have in reserve suffice?”
A chill crept up her two legs. With an intense sensation of dread.
Those warped into sweet intoxication as they seeped into D.’s mind.
“…They would suffice.”
D. whispered with her forehead unconsciously against the emperor’s boots.
“Yes, they would certainly suffice, Your Majesty. I shall raise our collective strength and put on a display with the two thousand arts users remaining… my Dark Arts Users’ Guild shall showcase the greatest, strongest art in history, a terrifying art no one had ever witnessed before…”
* * *
Whether in the Human Empire or the Dark Empire, the names of its inhabitants held no literal meaning in the languages they use.
This originated from how the four Rath researchers raising the initial artificial fluct lights decided to give their children and grandchildren names in katakana typical of fantasy settings without much thought.
With those four dead (logged out), the fluct lights could only give birth to and raise children on their own volition. What perplexed them then was the inconsistent system of naming.
Reluctantly, the first parents gave their children names similar to their own, formed from combinations of sounds. However, as time or the generations passed, rules emerged for naming and they evolved into a sort of «naming convention» unique to the Underworld.
In short—they placed wishes for their children’s futures into the combinations of those characters, from a ( ? ) to n ( ? ) and their variations, which were given meaning.
To state an example, the vowels represented sincerity. Zeal for the k sounds. Wit for the s ’s. Vitality for the t ’s. Benevolence for the n ’s. Beauty for the r ’s… and so on 1 . For instance, «Eugeo» contains the traits of being gentle, working fast, and honesty. «Tiezé» was named as a wish for her to be energetic, helpful, and talented at military arts. «Ronye» was a name praying for her to be lovely, rich of heart, and earnest.
The naming convention was mostly shared by the demi-humans of the Dark Territory too. For example, «Sigrosig» was a greedy name, hoping for alacrity, bravery, fearless, and alacrity with bravery once again. The goblin races with their speed of reproducing were an exception, often using conjunctive forms of verbs such as «Kosogi» and «Shibori» 2 . Meanwhile, the distinguished families among the dark arts users consider the conventions as a practice of the inferior castes and have a tradition of using the initials alone of ancient Darkness Script.
Now then—
The final one still living among the five generals leading the demi-human races was the orc chief.
His name was «Rirupirin».
Rirupirin was, according to Dark General Shasta, known to hold an intense grudge against humans which made him as much of an obstacle to hindering peace with the Human Empire as the dark arts users’ leader and the goblins’ chiefs.
However, that nature was certainly nothing he had from birth.
He came into his world as the child of an influential and powerful orc family and was praised to be the most beautiful baby in the history of the race. The name gave to him contained the r sound for beauty thrice, rarely seen among the orcs.
Rirupirin was raised beautiful both outside and inside by his parents’ wishes. He was blessed with talent at the art of war as well and all had expectations of him as the next chief; and one day, he accompanied the current chief then out, from the southeastern lakes and marshes of the orcs for the first time, to Obsidia Palace.
Adorned with a set of gorgeous armor and a sword, he bent his back with pride as he entered the town near the palace—only to witness humans with their slender bodies, glossy hair, and lovely facial features.
Rirupirin went through a realization that broke down his entire cognizance. His beauty had to be quantified by affixing it with, “as an orc”. And that the orcs were belittled as the most unsightly race in the Dark Empire.
Stout, round bellies; stumpy limbs; a large, flat nose; beady, sunken eyes; and droopy ears.
Among the orcs given such features, Rirupirin was said to be beautiful as he possessed a face somewhat similar to the humans.
Rirupirin’s soul was driven to the verge of collapse upon that realization. He could only cling on to a certain strong emotion in order to maintain his mental state.
That was, animosity. Someday, he would definitely overthrow the human race, making them all slaves and crushing every last one of their eyes to prevent them from turning their sneers on the orcs; Rirupirin became the orc chief while veiling that gruesome determination.
Hence, he certainly did not have some innate inclination towards cruelty like Kosogi. His hostility towards the humans could be viewed as a major inferiority complex and he ruled over his people with unchanging benevolence.
“Dat… dat is going too far!!”
Rirupirin unconsciously shouted when the orders from the emperor arrived.
The orcs had already pitched in a thousand soldiers to serve as a reserve force for the first unit and they were all lost. Thinking about how they were ordered, outside of his command, by those goblins and giants to fight and die was enough to make his chest tighten, let alone this new, cold-blooded order handed down.
He was to contribute three thousand sacrifices as a foundation for the dark arts uses’ offensive arts.
It was to be a death devoid of honor as a warrior or even dignity as an intelligent being. They were to be just meat—no different from those yaks brought by the transport unit as edibles.
“We game here to bight! Ngot to pay for your mistakes wib ow lives!”
Rirupirin protested in a strained, shrill voice.
However, the leader of the dark arts users, D., who stood with her arms crossed looked down on the orc chief with cold eyes as she arrogantly declared.
“This is an edict from the emperor!!”
The orc chief felt something get stuck in his throat.
He had witnessed Emperor Vector’s strength during the dark general’s insurgency more than he had cared to. His overwhelming strength far exceeded that of the Ten Lords.
The strong must be obeyed. That was the absolute law of the Dark Empire.
Still— still.
Rirupirin stood still as his two firmly balled up fists trembled.
It was then when a voice, harmonious for an orc, came from behind.
“Chief. We must obey the emperor’s orders.”
He turned back in surprise and the one standing there, with a slender body and dainty, long ears, was a female of his race. She was born in a distinguished family related to Rirupirin’s and they had often played together in their childhood.
Revealing a placid smile on her lips, she continued.
“I and three thousand other soldiers will gladly offer ow lives. For the emperor… and ow race.”
“……”
Rendered speechless, Rirupirin could do no more than grinding down on his long fangs as though to crush them. The female orc took a step forward and whispered in a hushed tone.
“Riru. I believe. The celestial world invites ngot only the humans but the souls of us orcs too. We bill… meet again, someday, there.”
You would not need to sacrifice your life too, he wanted to say. However, he knew it would take far too much time for the three thousand soldiers to accept that unreasonable command without the noble lady knight, who they exalted more in a sense, sharing their fate.
Rirupirin opened his fist, held the noble lady knight’s hand, and moaned.
“I’m sorry, Ren… forgive me… I’m sorry…”
D.I.L. spoke without mercy while turning an unpleasant look down on the pair.
“You are to have three thousand troops in a closely packed formation a hundred mel from the gorge within five minutes. That is all!”
The orc chief glared at the dark arts user, turning away and leaving, with eyes short of flaring up. Why did the orcs alone have to suffer this treatment? It was the umpteen time that question had swirled in his chest, but this time, too, was fruitless.
The three thousand marching to their deathbeds, formed in orderly files, appeared even triumphant. On the other hand, soft weeping and outraged voices permeated deep within the other seven thousands of their race seeing them off.
The three thousand orcs led by the noble lady knight astride an armored boar boldly passed between the encampments for the Order of the Dark Knights and the Pugilists’ Guild, forming a square a short distance from the entrance to the gorge.
The two thousand dark arts users who were not engulfed within the earlier grand explosions ominously showed up, as though in wait, and surrounded the formation.
The atmosphere trembled, accompanying an incantation that started up horribly dissonant and grating on the ears, perhaps reflective of the art’s hideous nature.
“Ah… aah……”
Rirupirin let escape a hoarse moan. The orc soldiers had suddenly distorted in anguish and collapsed onto the ground.
White, fleeting light particles was being drawn out from their writhing forms without pause.
Turning into black, viscous sludge as they gathered at the arts users’ hands, they gradually transfigured into what resembled bizarre snakes.
The shrieks from the three thousand soldiers arrived at Rirupirin’s ears crisp and vivid. Along with a united cry mixed in.
Long live the Orcs. Glory to the Orcs.
The soldiers’ bodies burst apart in succession immediately after. Their blood and flesh scattered as the light leaving them grew in intensity before stolen by the arts users all at once.
Rirupirin was on his knees when he noticed, his right fist striking the ground. The overflowing tears spread out over both sides of his large nose and audibly fell onto the black gravel.
Fresh blood left the noble lady knight, dressed in ornate armor, like crimson flowers in the middle of his warped vision.
“…Renju…!”
It was in the moment he wrung that name from his throat that the noble lady knight slowly fell to the earth, out of his sight.
Rirupirin’s gritted fangs tore into his lips as blood trickled from his own mouth as well.
—Damned humans.
Damned humans!
Those damned humans!!
The screams of anger and hatred rattling the core of his mind, curiously enough, inflicted a great pain at his right eye each time they came.
?
* * *
Tens of minutes passed.
At the Human Empire Defense Army’s headquarters, the guards divided into two were exchanging handshakes and hugs, vowing they would meet again.
Accepting Integrity Knight Alice’s proclamation, Knight Commander Bercouli added another compromise.
That was to have Alice, the decoy «radiant medium» for luring away the enemy army, accompanied by half of the troops. Of course, Alice vehemently opposed it and requested for independent action, but the knight commander would hear none of it.
—There’re still many in the enemy army. You won’t be luring many of them away on your own. We’ll only succeed in breaking them up if there’re enough of us running with you.
She could say nothing to refute that. It certainly would be too arrogant to assert that she could lure the entire enemy army away based solely on that vague information mentioned by the ogre chief.
Besides, Alice planned to have Kirito ride with her on Amayori’s back. She was not fully confident she could continue protecting him while serving as a decoy alone. An accompanying force would be heartening in that aspect at least.
Bercouli had another surprise for everyone after deciding to split up the Defense Army.
He, the supreme commander and knight commander, would personally join the decoy unit.
With regards to that, Fanatio, who was assigned to command the unit staying back, raised vehement opposition along with Deusolbert.
“You’ve done enough, haven’t you? Lemme fight a little.”
Fanatio refuted with the corners of her eyes raised when Bercouli said that in an admonishing tone.
“Who are you to speak when you can’t even fold your own change of clothes without me by your side?!!”
That incited much jeering from the knights and guards. Bercouli showed a cynical smile, drew closer to Fanatio’s ears, and whispered something—with the deputy commander averting her face downwards and backing off, surprisingly enough.
As for Deusolbert, he reluctantly relinquished as well after having the evident fact that he had ran out of arrows from the battle earlier pointed out. Supply units were currently heading towards the nearest town to restock, but that would easily take more than an hour or two.
Worry and concern were on full display on the soldiers’ faces, regardless of whether they were from the departing or remaining unit. It was honestly unclear which was in more danger. Only the gods—no, only the god of darkness and the supreme commander of the enemy army, Vector, knew how many would pursue the decoy unit and how many would continue the assault in the gorge.
Those included in the decoy unit finished their preparations before long: the four high ranking knights, Bercouli, Alice, Renri, Scheta, and their flying dragons, a company of guards numbering a thousand, a company of ascetics numbering two hundred, and a supply company comprising of fifty. Eldrie insisted on being added to the decoy unit himself, but he reluctantly backed off after a fierce remonstration from Alice. The apprentice knights, Linel and Fizel, threw a tantrum as well, but even they could only give in after the knight commander told them that he would be “counting on them for the rest”.
Eight fast coaches, each drawn by four horses, were readied for the transport of materials. Kirito and his wheelchair along with the two female trainees should be riding on one of those.
Alice hesitated much over whether to allow Tiezé and Ronye to follow or not. However, someone had to care for Kirito and though she did not know what had happened, Renri, a high ranking knight, swore to protect the girls even at the cost of his life.
To be honest, Alice had few memories regarding Knight Renri. However, she felt no deceit from the determination visible on his adolescent face and the formidable gleam on the divine instrument, the «Twin Edged Wings», equipped on both sides of his waist.
Bercouli’s flying dragon, «Hoshigami», began its dignified ground run and the guards let out hushed cheers.
Alice gripped Amayori’s reins and awaited the time for take-off as she sent a glance towards Eldrie sending them off on from the ground.
She was bothered over how her perpetually talkative disciple was unusually quiet while they prepared for the sortie. However, before she could send any words his way, Hoshigami softly took off and Alice turned towards the front in a fluster before gently kicking Amayori’s side. Her beloved dragon lifted off after a powerful ground run, followed by Renri’s knight dragon, «Kazenui», and Scheta’s knight dragon, «Yoiyobi».
Bercouli, who had taken a slow lead, turned about and shouted.
“Right, we’ll hit the enemy’s main force with the dragons’ heat rays all at once as we get out of the gorge! They shouldn’t have any means for long ranged attacks now, so just be on your guard for the dragon knights!”
They responded to the knight commander’s instructions with a sharp “yes”.
The sound of the guards charging in on horseback or foot chased after them from right behind. The four high ranking knights had to shake up the battlefield on their own until those guards and the coaches left the gorge, turning south—towards the right—and gained sufficient distance from them.
Countless torches were visible before them in the confined, dark gorge.
They were really many of them. Despite the many defeated, it appeared the enemy was still almost thirty thousand strong.
That said, their main military strength should be with the dark knights and pugilists. Both units focused on close quarters combat and possessed no offensive effective against integrity knights mounted on flying dragons.
——No.
What, was that?
That deep, meandering recitation, much like a curse, that came from below the noise of the wind.
A coordinated chanting… of arts!?
That would be ridiculous, this zone should no longer have the sacred energy left for a large-scale art!!
Alice rejected her own instincts.
However, just as she did so, Bercouli who flew right in front of her spat out, “Those bastards… what have they done?!!”
* * *
Aah.
What power!!
The leader of the dark arts users, D.I.L. raised her hands towards the sky as her entire body shivered in sweet ecstasy.
Had any other arts user in history experienced a space charged with such concentrated darkness energy?
Nothing in this world held priority as high as and power as pure as intelligent Life.
It did not matter even if it came from those vulgar, repulsive orcs’ lives. If this viscosity was precious wine, aged for a hundred years, then the darkness energy provided by the sun and earth would be plain water.
The energy meant for «Wide- A rea Incineration Projectiles» earlier were, in the end, mere dregs left from the lives expended on the battlefield. However, a whole three thousand lives were converted explicitly to darkness energy, here and now, for this art.
Every arts user, from Dee to the other two thousands, had both of their arms extended as numerous grotesque snakes with countless legs, each seemingly appearing from clotting black mist, coiled about them.
These were artificial organisms, «Life eaters», created from umbra elements. No corporeal object could guard against them, not even swords or armor of the highest priority. The conversion efficiency for darkness energy was inferior to that for offensive flames, but everything changed with a source this abundant.
Dee had chosen this art as revenge for the enemy’s «light pillar» that burnt a thousand of her precious subordinates to death. Even the screams of the orc soldiers, writhing as they dyed, sounded pleasant to her ears now.
“Good… be prepared to launch the «Death Curse Worms» art!!”
Dee’s shout rang out and—
She spotted four dragon knights charging in from the gorge, as though they had lost their minds, with her own two eyes.
The momentary shock soon changed into elation. She could tidy up the enemy’s greatest force, the integrity knights and their flying dragons, all at once as things as they were.
“Stand your ground!! Let them approach!! …No… not yet…… —Now, let them loooooose!!”
Zwaaaaaaaa!!
The countless black snakes set off in straight courses towards the enemy knights, scattering vibrations that seemed to spread pure fear.
* * *
The realization that the enemy’s offensive art had become an immense, pressing wave of absolute darkness shut down not only the ordinary guards’ minds for several seconds but the high ranking integrity knights’ too.
It was an umbra elemental art with an extremely high priority, likely surpassing the luminous elemental art released by Alice earlier. A ranged hex that directly inflicted damage on one’s Life and could not be defended against through physical means.
The mystery—of how they had invoked the umbra elemental art, with its low sacred energy conversion efficiency, on such a scale and density despite the inadequacy of energy in the area—was seen through only by Knight Commander Bercouli.
But not even he could give immediate countermeasures against it.
There were many aspects to offensive arts: the element they were based on, their density, range, speed, direction, and so on.
Hence, defending required either offsetting or countering those attributes. Instantly choosing and carrying out a suitable countermeasure could be said to be part of being a high ranking arts user.
Being capable of immediately selecting and carrying out a suitable countermeasure, such as extinguishing a thermal art with cryogenic elements, scattering decoys against a homing art, or quickly avoiding an art going straight, could be said to be a requirement for becoming a high ranking arts user.
However, this case was an exception.
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