Tsuyokute New Saga - Volume 3 - Chapter SS

Stronghold Acrolyth, a fortress that had been used in the great war against demons 300 years ago, is essential for humanfolk. With the number of inhabitants it amassed, it was less like a stronghold and more like an actual fortress city. In terms of military use against the demons, it was used as a stronghold, but since it was only useful during war, it had been left alone a long time after the war ended.

However, after the flames of war burned again because of the ‘Great Invasion’ by the demons that had started nine months ago, it acted as the frontline of war again after 300 years. The guards stood on the walls, observing their surroundings, confirming a person approaching. It wasn’t the west where the demons were closing in, but the east. Realizing that this individual had been long-awaited, the guards immediately gave out a report. This individual—Magic swordsman Kyle arrived in front of the large gate, with it opening with a loud sound.

“You’re back!”

The man greeting Kyle was in his later thirties, with a well-built physique and careful facial features. However, he now showed Kyle a friendly smile, seeming close to embracing Kyle, who was dirty and sullied from his long travels.

“Zentos, huh…Seems like you protected this fortress.” Kyle called out to Zentos, sounding relieved.

Zentos was the captain of the first Imperial Knight Corps of the Kingdom of Zilgus, which was the closest to the demon territory. Traditionally, the captain of the first Knight Corps would be serving the king as an additional post. However, his fame crossed borders, and even the neighboring kingdoms knew of him as a knight. He was also a stronger magic swordsman than Kyle. However, this Kingdom of Zilgus was no more.

“I promised after all…By the way, where’s Basques?” Zentos was assaulted with a bad premonition, as he asked Kyle about the lizardman that should be traveling with him.

However, Kyle calmly shook his head.

“…It happened this morning. A demon searching for us, we immediately entered a battle. Basques…sacrificed himself to take the demon down.”

He used the flame bag inside his body to create an explosion, which was the secret technique courageous lizardmen would use against strong foes. Just talking about this event let Kyle mourn again.

“Just a bit more…and we would have made it home.”

“I see…” Zentos knew the lizardmen, so he simply responded with silence.

However, the situation didn’t allow them to grieve forever.

“I know you just got home, but…”

“I know. Gather everyone, I’ll give you my report.” Kyle swiftly walked inside the fortress, closing the gate behind him.

“Also, she’s gotten a lot better. Sorry to delay your emotional reunion, but go meet her after the meeting is over.”

“Got it…Thanks.” Kyle let out a truly relieved voice.

The ‘Great Invasion’ began in the 9th month. Many countries fell to ruin, and humanfolk were cornered. The army stationed at this Stronghold Acrolyth was the ‘Western Nation Union Army’. It was a combined force of humanfolk countries of the west, located close to the demon territory. However, most of those countries that were part of this were destroyed at the hands of demons, and even the leader of this union, the Kingdom of Zilgus, was destroyed two months ago, and the people at the stronghold were the last survivors. Thanks to this stronghold, they somehow managed to keep the shape of an army.

Right now, Kyle’s duty was to head to the Galgan Empire’s imperial capital Luos, gathering information and beginning negotiations, which is why he set out to travel roughly half a month ago. As his return was late for several days, his allies were worried, but at least Kyle managed to make it home. Receiving information about this, the roughly 24 main actors of the human army gathered in the strategy conference room inside the stronghold.

These main actors didn’t consist only of humans, but also elves and dwarves, beastmen, as well as members of nobles. Some even were generals and politicians, even royalty from nations, but their common ground was that they all carried the ‘Lost Country’ label on their backs. The meeting began with Kyle.

“First up…the country of Thaihon seems to have fallen.”

With Kyle’s words, the already dampened mood inside the room dropped even more drastically, creating a heavy atmosphere. Thaihon was known as a military nation to the north of the continent, proud to possess one of the greatest military prowess in all of humanfolk. That is why they managed to withstand the attacks of the demons up to this point, but hearing that they had fallen at long last was hard to swallow.

“…This leaves Galgan as the only country that has yet to fall.”

Zentos opened up a map of the continent, putting another X on there. This map reflected the state of the invasion, seeing that three-quarters had already fallen to the hands of the demons.

“How is the Galgan Empire doing?” One of the participants, a former general beastman of a country to the south, asked.

“They’re trying to stand strong, you could say. They are the last fort of humanfolk after all. It seems like the surviving warriors and soldiers of Thaihon managed to group up with the Empire. However, without Emperor Maizar, the Empire would have fallen a long time ago.”

The current Emperor Maizar was a beacon of hope, which even a mere soldier like Kyle understood. He managed to calmly observe the situation, choosing the best possible method, listening to the information Kyle had given him.

“As for anything good to report…We apparently had a lot of surviving blacksmiths from Callan. They should be able to supply us with new weapons and defensive items.”

“If we can give them mithril, right?” A dwarf, former leader of a large accumulation of villages, raised his voice.

“Yeah. Of course, we’re lacking the material. And…we can’t send them reinforcements.”

Silence filled the conference room. It was only a matter of time until they were unable to defend against the demons’ attacks. They’ve been requesting back-up for quite some time now, but they knew that the Empire had its hands full, and they didn’t have much hope, but being denied like that still hurt.

“…In turn, with a specific condition, we can move all of our forces to the Empire.”

Hearing Kyle’s words, the participants of the meeting grew noisy.

“Should we abandon this stronghold and join them?”

The only country that still held its ground against the demons was the Empire. Forming a bigger force together most definitely raised their chances of survival. Naturally, that would give the Empire full reign. However, there was another big problem if they abandoned this fortress.

“…No, I believe that is far too difficult as of right now. We have too many refugees.” An elderly priest of the Cairys faith commented.

Moving from the Stronghold Acrolyth to the Galgan Empire’s imperial capital Luos would take five days at least. The problem was the many refugees they harbored in this fortress, most of them women or children that couldn’t fight, or were heavily injured. Moving everyone would take at least ten days, and if they were to get attacked by demons along the way, they would not have the strength to protect all of them. That was the main reason Kyle preferred moving in smaller groups.

“…Exactly. Their condition for taking us in was to only bring the ones who could fight with us, and leave everyone else behind.”

This cruel condition Kyle mentioned made the tension inside the room explode.

“We cannot do that! Casting aside those innocent people!” The elderly priest opposed that.

“However…it’s only a matter of time until we all fall. If at least the soldiers can be saved…” A member of the royal family of a small northern country showed a complicated expression.

“That would be far too inhumane…!”

“But otherwise…!”

Following that, it was just a constant fight of back and forth, with no proper conclusion drawn. As this was exactly what Kyle expected, he could only sigh. The Empire’s condition was cruel indeed, but the correct one at the same time. Thinking about it rationally, there’s no right or wrong in this disastrous situation.

Maizar didn’t give us this condition because he wanted to. It was a painful decision for him as well, and I know that…There’s just no other way around this.

As Kyle had been in touch with the young Emperor many times, he held high respect for him, and it seemed like that feeling was mutual as well. They got on well with each other, to the point he made time in his already busy schedule, inviting Kyle over to the Empire. However, Kyle had a reason to return to the stronghold.

‘I don’t know when or if we’ll get to see each other again, but…survive.’

Upon leaving the Empire, Kyle heard these words from Maizar, as he smiled. After everyone in the meeting had calmed down again, Kyle told them all the other information he obtained during his stay in the Empire. However, none of that was anything worth celebrating, and instead simply stated that the situation was getting worse.

“Great work out there, Kyle.”

After the meeting ended, Zentos called out to Kyle, giving him a few words.

“Right back at you, great job protecting everyone. I’m thankful that I had a place to return to.”

Kyle had left this stronghold for about a month, so they must have been attacked by demons several times. The only thing that protected them from the impending doom must have been Zentos and everyone else.

“I promised after all…Though it’s a shame with Basques.”

Zentos had promised to protect this stronghold until Kyle would return. And, he was tasked to take care of .

“Still, it is grotesque…if only we had listened to your words back then…” Zentos showed a pained expression, reminiscing about the past.

Kyle was a survivor of the small town of Rimarze, where the ‘Great Invasion’ began. After he escaped to the royal capital Malad, and reported the damages, he suggested immediately bringing all countries together to face the demons as a common threat, because humanfolk might fall to ruin. He himself knew the terror of the demons the best after all.

However, the king of Zilgus, Remonas, prioritized his own country, fortifying their defenses. Naturally, that choice in itself may not have been the wrong one. However, when even the dwarven kingdom beyond the Sangurd Mountain Range was attacked by the demons, not acting to help them was a fatal mistake. Despite that kingdom asking for reinforcements, the king considered the power balance and tried to wait longer so that the dwarves’ debt towards him grew.

Even to the residents of Malad, the demons were like beings out of a fairytale, and they failed to see this as a problem of their own. The three hundred years of peace robbed humanfolk of its perception of danger towards the demons. Everything ended with naive thinking, as the reports came in that the proud dwarf kingdom, which had lasted for a thousand years, now fell to the demons after a mere seven days.

Shortly after, the surrounding kingdoms felt the true sense of danger set in, and they formed an alliance. However, that ended up with a battle for authority, showing no cooperation whatsoever, which is why many more countries amongst them fell to ruin. Then, roughly half a year after the initial beginning of the ‘Great Invasion’, Zilgus had realized its mistakes in handling this threat, but it was too late.

“If we had acted according to your words…things may have been different.”

“…Complaining now won’t change anything. If anything, you were the weird one for even caring about me.”

The only individual in the upper echelon of Zilgus who even offered any hearing to Kyle was Zentos. However, even he was half doubtful about the true strength of the demons. Kyle could only appeal to that. Kyle may have talent with the sword and magic, but he was an average human with no major achievements. Even if he begged the country to listen, there was no weight behind his words, nobody bothered. If he was in a position like Zentos, that result may have been different, most certainly.

“Kyle…be honest with me. From your judgment, how long will the Empire last?” Zentos asked with a serious expression.

Zentos valued Kyle greatly. Not only with his sword and magic, but also his ability to make decisions and his knowledge.

“…Around two more months, I guess. Nothing much will change even if we join them either.”

Maizar was doing great. However, even that good work had a limit. Kyle and his group knew that the fall of the Empire would be the same as the end of humanfolk.

“I see…So as long as we don’t find a way to turn this situation around, it’ll be over soon.”

“In regards to that, there’s something…that might be worth trying out.”

“What did you say!?” Zentos pushed his body forward, grabbing Kyle’s shoulders.

He seemed desperate to try anything as long as it offered some kind of hope.

“What is it! Please tell me!”

“Calm down…Honestly, it’s a bit questionable to say the least. I don’t have any confidence in it, and it’s pretty much like a bad bet.” Kyle showed a gloomy expression.

However, Zentos shook his head.

“The fact that you mentioned it to me shows that you have some hope in it, right? I don’t mind if it’s a bet. At this rate, we’ll die in vain, so anything is better than that.” Zentos laughed ever so slightly.

Pulled along by this smile, Kyle changed his approach.

“…I’m so glad to have you, really…”

Not only because of his strength but even as a person, Kyle deeply respected Zentos. There was no greater comrade to have than Zentos. However, this time Zentos’ expression grew grim.

“That’s not the case…I couldn’t protect the princess after all.”

“Are you talking about Princess Milena? That happened years ago, and it’s not your fault.”

The [Treasure of Zilgus], Princess Milena, was attacked by monsters during her travels, which happened four years ago. It is said that Zentos had been with her, but her death was self-deserved, they said. As a result of that, Zentos received no blame, and was even named an Imperial Knight in Zilgus the following year. However, at times, Zentos would blame himself for the princess’ death.

“…So far, I only swung my sword for the sake of the country, as well as the royal family, and it was the obvious decision for me, but…” Zentos looked at his hand. “Now, I am swinging my sword in order to survive. This is much easier, allowing me to fight for what I believe in.” Zentos said, showing a somewhat saddened, but also refreshed smile.

From how Kyle could see it, Zentos seemed much more cheerful, and freer than when he was acting as the captain of the Imperial Knights.

“Got it…By the way, I’d like to meet her now.”

“Oh yeah, right. I don’t want to get in your way, so…go ahead.” Zentos tapped on Kyle’s shoulder.

After splitting up with Zentos, Kyle walked through the fortress, reaching a residential area. On the way there, he spotted refugees scattered through the fortress, all of their expressions distorted in terror and despair. All of them were in a situation where they didn’t even know if they would survive tomorrow, so that couldn’t be helped, most likely.

Luckily, they had an abundance of water available in this fortress, and along with food, they could still hold out for several months. Anything beyond that would require a miracle though.

“Kyle.”

Someone called out to Kyle behind his back, to which he turned around. Standing there was a young woman, clothed in black complementing her black hair, giving Kyle a sharp and cold gaze.

“Minagi, huh.”

She was a resident of the dark side of the world, someone Kyle normally wouldn’t get involved with, but in these chaotic times, good or bad didn’t exist anymore, and they started fighting together. All so that they could survive.

“I’m back. Personally, I bet you wouldn’t make it back.” Minagi showed a cynical grin.

“Sorry to say, but I’m not letting you win that bet…So, what do you want?”

Minagi looked at Kyle’s face, tossing him a small bottle.

“You used some this morning during battle, right? I can tell by looking at your face. Here’s your next share.” Minagi said, seeing a faint red color left in Kyle’s eyes.

Kyle didn’t even need to ask what he could find inside. The name of the liquid was [Blood Eye]. When using it, it could temporarily raise your physical abilities drastically, but it also eats into the user’s body, so the more you use it, the more you come to death itself. Minagi was skilled in the arts of the dark side of humanfolk, a professional when it came to poison, which then resulted in a lot of knowledge in regards to drugs. This Blood Eye was a mixture she created.

“I set it up so it has a less negative impact on your body, but make sure to not use it too excessively. If you go beyond once a day, I can’t guarantee your safety…though it might also be too late already.” Minagi looked at Kyle with a severe gaze.

In fact, Kyle had been relying on this Blood Eye quite a lot, and he started to feel the damage on his own body. Of course, in most of the battles he had to use it in he was fighting to the death, so hesitation would have killed him either way.

“Huh, you’re worried about me…where did that change come from?”

“Don’t be so arrogant now…I just don’t want to lose a valuable asset to our strength. Well, you do what you want with your own life, really. Just make sure not to die.” Minagi’s expression was the same as before, as she gave Kyle a few cold words, and turned her back towards him.

Watching her off, Kyle let out a faint sigh.

“No affection whatsoever…I really wish Souga would have raised her to be a bit more friendly.”

“Why, sorry about that.”

Another voice called out to Kyle, this time being a small white-haired elderly man, flashing a warm smile.

“Souga, don’t sneak up on me like that, this is bad for my heart.”

Normally, Kyle wouldn’t let anybody get this close to him. That’s just how perfectly Souga had erased his presence up to that point. As you would expect, though, since he was Minagi’s teacher, and the second strongest assassin in the entire world. Naturally, Minagi is number one.

“My bad, my bad…She may be a genius, but she can be a bit fragile at times. I’m glad she’s acquired more confidence recently, but the way it’s moving…Well, she’s also cute that way.”

“Fragile? Cute? …Sorry, what are you talking about?” Kyle tilted his head, unable to process what he had just heard.

“Also, what you need the most right now is skill and talent, not personality, no? In that regard, Minagi is excellent.”

“That…is true, I guess.”

As both Minagi and Souga are renowned assassins, many gave them dubious stares, but their skill itself made up for everything. Without those two, this stronghold may have fallen already, all of them dead.

“Especially compared to before…”

Souga commented on his pupil that he loved bragging about, and left Kyle alone again.

In front of a single room in the living area, Kyle cleared his throat and knocked on the door. Since a response came shortly after, Kyle entered. It was a simple room, only equipped with a bed and chair.

“Ah…Kyle!”

The elf woman raised her upper body from the bed and raised a voice of joy the second she saw who entered. Kyle saw Urza, and flashed the first smile of the day. It was faint, but he undoubtedly had a happy expression on his face. A smile was a smile. Seeing the girl like that, Kyle felt relieved from the bottom of his heart.

“So you’re back safely. I was worried because it took you so long. I’m so glad!” She tried to push herself up with tears in her eyes, but Kyle stopped her.

“Don’t force yourself…you should keep it slow for now.” Kyle sat down next to the bed with the chair, putting Urza down again.

“I’m a lot better already, just getting a bit more rest.” Urza felt like she was treated as a child, and started sulking a bit, but still listened to Kyle. “Sorry…for getting hurt during such an important time.”

Normally, Urza should have joined Kyle in his travels to the Empire, but on the day of the departure, she suffered a severe injury, forced to be left behind. As a talented spirit magic user, she could have used her movement-boosting [Wind Walker] magic, which would have allowed them to return in a mere few days, but it couldn’t be helped.

“It’s not your fault…More importantly, did something happen while I was gone?”

“Well…”

After exchanging a few smiles, they both reported on what each other had missed. However, when Kyle explained the death of their lizardman comrade, Urza’s face distorted in visible pain.

“I see…So Basques is…”

She lamented the passing of the lizardman she knew quite well. However, allies dying was something that happened every day, so getting swallowed in grief was not something they could afford. Naturally, whether that was good or bad was up for debate.

“Still…I’m so glad that you’ve come home safely.”

“I’m happy that I got to meet you once more…”

There, the two went silent. The two first met half a year ago, when the war between humanfolk and the demons had reached a disastrous moment. At first, they were simply comrades fighting back to back. However, they eventually reached a mutual helping and being helped relationship, getting to know each other more, learning that they both had lost everything, and cared for each other. It may have just filled the large holes in their chests, but they slowly started to get attracted to each other.

However, both Kyle and Urza hesitated to take the final step. In this reality where you could lose someone close to you in a matter of moments, you never know when you will never get to see each other again. If they crossed that final line, and they became an irreplaceable existence to each other…the pain would be even greater once they’d lose each other. Both of them feared this.

If I have to go through that again, then…

Kyle remembered the last moments he had with Lieze before his hometown fell to ruin. He didn’t want to experience such pain ever again. But even so, being with Urza felt comfortable to him. Even this silence now gave him happiness to the point it helped in forgetting the cruel reality they were in. However, staying in silence forever won’t help them either. After thinking for a bit, Kyle spoke up.

“…I’m thinking of going back to Rimarze.”

“Rimarze? That was your hometown, yes? But, why?”

Urza had heard that it had already fallen into the demons’ hands.

“Do you know the legend of the [Magic King]? There’s supposed to be a great labyrinth hidden in the Sangurd Mountain Range…”

The Ancient Magic Kingdom was supposed to have existed a thousand years ago and more, regarded as humanfolk’s greatest and most developed country to date. The great labyrinth supposedly left behind by the [Magic King] Shildonia was hidden somewhere in that mountain range, legends stated. Naturally, it wasn’t exactly that believable of a story, Kyle heard from a survivor of a certain country’s royal family—which now had fallen into the hands of the demons—that there existed a document with a map to this labyrinth.

“I’m assuming that this old document might be hidden in the library at my former home.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My mother loved gathering all sorts of literature, and I feel like I read something about that before…”

Kyle’s parents had gone missing on the day of the ‘Great Invasion’.

“When Zaales had still existed, they managed to completely push back the demons…I’m hoping they might have some sort of information that could save us.”

It truly was just a shot in the dark. It might be Kyle’s memories playing a trick on him, and there was no guarantee that the library wasn’t fully burned down. Even if there was a map, trying to reach the Sangurd Mountain Rage was another problem. More than anything, there was no guarantee that what they would find in the labyrinth would even help them. Even so, it was better than waiting for the impending doom to arrive.

“I’m planning on going there once Seran returns.”

Seran was currently out on another mission, away from this stronghold, assumed to return in a few days.

“I see…then I also have to go with you.” Urza said it like it was obvious. “Over this past month, I’ve realized. I’m not good at waiting…So, I’m coming with you.”

Hearing those words, Kyle hesitated. If Rimarze was under the control of the demons after all, then it was a danger zone, and Kyle had no way of knowing what would happen. However, this location wasn’t safe either, so it was better to keep Urza close to him than far.

“Got it…Let’s go together.”

“Yeah.” Urza said with a smile, and asked Kyle. “Hey, can’t you tell me about your past in Rimarze?”

“Where did that come from?”

“I want to know…about you…”

“…Alright. When I was eight years old, Lieze and Seran…” There, Kyle told stories of the past, everything he experienced in Rimarze. “And then, Lieze just…”

As Kyle was gleefully telling stories, he realized that Urza’s smile slowly but steadily turned into a complicated expression. All of his memories contained Lieze in some way. Her existence was such a huge influence that it shaped Kyle’s life. In a way, from Urza’s point of view, Lieze was Kyle’s ex-girlfriend. Surely, she must have had her own thoughts when she saw him talk about it like this.

“Ah, well, you know…Lieze is Lieze, but it doesn’t have anything to do with…you know…” Kyle panicked to provide some sort of follow-up, but he couldn’t find the right words.

Seeing him like that, Urza let out a faint snicker.

“I would have loved to meet that Lieze.”

“R-Really?”

“We might have been good friends, you know?”

“…I’d hope so.”

Imagining it gave Kyle a severe stomachache, but even so, they both smiled at each other.

Right then, as if to rob them of their time, a loud sound filled the fortress. Kyle was awfully accustomed to this, even if he didn’t want to be. It was a warning sound, signaling that the demons were attacking. At the same time, both Kyle and Urza’s expressions turned serious, dashing out of the room. The fortress temporarily grew chaotic, as the people unable to fight evacuated, and those who could fight prepared for battle.

Kyle and Urza ran towards the fortress walls, grouping up with Zentos who had arrived early, now glaring at the west. Right next to him was Minagi. The two were talking, with Minagi apparently reporting the sighting of demons nearby as she went out for reconnaissance. Tension filled her face, as she told Kyle and the others.

“They should come in sight soon…It’s around 100 of them.”

Kyle swallowed his breath, and Urza tightly grasped the staff made out of world tree wood, which could deepen your bonds with your spirits, heightening your knowledge. If they were humans foolish enough to attack this fortress, there would be no problem whatsoever. However, even a weak demon had the strength of a hundred human soldiers, and the strongest ones were unparalleled. On top of that, demons would generally be rather reckless, so even if they had protection thanks to this fortress, there was no guarantee that it could hold off the demons.

“So they finished off Thaihon, and then took the rounds over here…” Zentos glared at the horizon.

“They’re mostly demons, I didn’t find any half-demons in there…”

The half-demons Minagi was talking about were basically different from pure-breed demons, such as goblins, kobolds, and orcs. They held nothing resembling a human conscience, often used as slaves by demons, simply categorized as laborers or sacrificial soldiers during a battle, but even their strength greatly surpassed that of a normal human soldier.

During the war three hundred years ago, there had been enough of them to rival humanfolk’s numbers, but now in the ‘Great Invasion’ even Kyle barely saw any. Kyle didn’t know why that was the case, but the fact that they didn’t arrive at humanfolk’s doorstep with millions of them was good luck. Of course, Kyle and everybody else knew that this wouldn’t have changed much.

At the walls, the soldiers prepared their crossbows and other ranged weapons, and the magic users were focusing on their chants. All of them were evidently tense. They knew that there was a great chance this could be their last battle. Losing would spell death, or enslaved and taken to the demon territory, never returning alive.

“I see them!” Zentos screamed with a sharp tone, as tension rose ten-fold.

Finally, the band of demons appeared on the horizon. They did not look that different from humanfolk, but there were those who had wings growing on their backs, those who had several arms, those who were small like fairies, and many more. Some were covered with moving tentacles, and others had grotesque visuals that sent shivers down your spine. The only common ground they all shared was the horns they had on their heads, from sheep to cow horns, even bigger singular horns, or multiple smaller ones.

At the same time, most of the demons didn’t possess any proper weapons, instead wielding rough clubs or swords. It was a sign that they were absolutely confident in their own physical abilities and mana. If this was a war between humanfolk, they would use throwing weapons as well as sieging arsenal like a ballista, which were like giant crossbows, but demons didn’t rely on that, and neither did they need to. They had something far better for that.

“Two giant demons, huh…”

Kyle commented, glaring at two giant shadows in the crowd. The giant demons possessed physical appearances like humans, but they were around ten times taller than the average human, with dull movements, without any particular special ability, not giving off any conscience, simply acting as lumps of raw vigor and destructive power. As this stronghold was built with anti-demon measures in mind, the wall had been fortified with anti-magic properties, able to protect them from long-distance magic attacks. Those giant demons were solely used to break down these kinds of walls with raw physical strength.

“Shoot!”

At Zentos’ signal, a shower of arrows rained down on the giant demons, and as they had no way of avoiding and defending, those hundreds, most likely thousands of arrows stabbed right into them. However, the giant demons didn’t bother much with that, simply moving forwards one step at a time, heading for the wall.

“Guess we need to go in there directly, as expected.”

Kyle cast support magic on himself and gulped down the second portion of Blood Eye without hesitation. His pulse accelerated, his body burned up fiercely, and his sight turned red. Immediately, he was assaulted by the typical Blood Eye symptoms. Everything was pumped up inside of his body for a fight. His strength may have been boosted, but his life was being chipped away at with every passing second. Minagi saw this, clicking her tongue, and Urza looked at Kyle with a hurt expression, but they couldn’t stop him.

“Blegh…Alright, let’s go.”

Kyle stepped on the veranda of the wall, glancing at Urza. She seemed to have understood what she was thinking, and immediately started summoning a spirit. With just a glance, the two could convey what each other thought. At the same time, if they couldn’t do that, they probably wouldn’t be able to survive. Kyle jumped off the wall, directly aiming at the giant demon, stabbing his sword into its left eye. At the same time, Urza used her Wind Spirit Sylphid to create a pistol, firing at the demon’s right eye.

That seemed to have worked wonders, as the giant demon screamed in agony, covering its eyes. Before those hands could capture Kyle, he swiftly jumped to the ground. Losing its eyesight, the demon was forced to recklessly swing its arms left and right, stomping on the ground. Kyle calculated the timing, moved towards the giant demon’s right ankle, slicing at the tendon with his sword. The demon once again roared in pain, lost its balance, and collapsed with a loud thump.

Next to that was the other giant demon, clinging to the wall, right then and there defeated by Zentos in a similar way. The rest was done by the soldiers rushing out of the gate, stabbing the two giant demons everywhere.

“That takes care of them…”

Through this almost inhumane coordination and flawless attacks by Zentos and Kyle, managing to defeat giant two monsters, the motivation of the humanfolk’s army was raised immediately. However, the two’s expressions were as tense as before. As those giant demons were slow and their movements predictable, they were the easiest threat to erase if you knew how, so nothing was done here.

“This is where the real deal starts…” Zentos muttered, looking at the large number of demons in the back.

If this was any normal warfare against humanfolk opponents, their next strategy would be to hole up inside the fortress, going for long-distance attacks, prioritizing defense over everything. However, if you attempted something similar with demons, who held much more strength than the average human, there’s a chance that they would break through your defenses. Rather, it was much more crucial to thin out their numbers. This aggressive role was Kyle’s and Zentos’ duty.

Despite the two giant demons collapsing to the ground, the large group of demons continued their march forward without any hesitation. The most troublesome part of these battles was that even the advantageous demons showed absolutely no opening. Usually, the side with the advantage would relax, certain of their victory, but there were no signs of that. If anything, they continued to put pressure on Kyle and the others.

“…Him.”

Kyle glared at a demon in the front pack, sheep horns on his head. He had clashed with him before. He put his life on the line as the other demons, but he hid his cruel side, constantly taunting Kyle. More than anything however, his strength still remained in Kyle’s memories. At the same time, Urza summoned another spirit from above the wall, preparing support. Minagi must be hiding in the shadows somewhere, poisoning her blade. Zentos stood next to him, readying his blade. After confirming that the guards had finished their preparations as well, Kyle breathed in.

“Let’s go!” Kyle howled and kicked off the ground, attacking the sheep-horned demon.

***

This battle lasted three days and three nights, with the humanfolk army succeeding in repelling most of the demons. At the same time, many of the refugees ended up as casualties in the large battle. However, humanfolk succeeded in capturing a single demon, which granted them a wide arrangement of information. This incident happened three months before the final battle with the Demon Lord.

After this, Kyle took Urza and Seran, as well as Zentos to Rimarze, managing to find a map of the giant labyrinth the [Magic King] had left behind. Through this, he acquired the riches in the treasure room, as well as the magic sword Shildonia and its magical personality, which assisted greatly in the battle against the demons and the Demon Lord.