Chapter 354
Translator: Nat
Aegir POV
I run towards the enemy in front of me .
If I break past this formation, will the headquarters be beyond them or will there be two more squads waiting behind?
Right now, I dont know . I will leave that for Leopolt to think about .
I only know that I have to focus on defeating whoever is standing in my way .
Lets go .
Schwartz doesnt slow down .
I notice an arrow is stuck near his face so I help pull it out for him .
Trailing us is my escort unit as well as the cavalry of the royal army .
As they did not have a role in the siege battle, they are pumped up and ready to contribute now that they have a chance .
We have already come far away from the dazzling flames which lit up the darkness .
Minutely maneuvering the cavalry to disturb the enemy while visibility is poor is out of the question .
Our cavalry will be the drill .
Simple is best when it comes to cavalry . We can charge into the enemy lines, open a hole and create a foothold which allows the infantry in the rearguard to easily punch through .
I, as the lead cavalry, will act as the tip of the drill .
Get into anti-cavalry formation! Defend
Schwartz accelerates further .
The enemy commander is giving out orders while overseeing the entire battle and he probably didnt expect my horse to be this fast .
We reach the enemy before long spears could get lined up .
S-so fast!
A black gale
Right before contact, one soldier turns his spear to me, but I throw my longsword at him .
Gugh!
My sword flies right into his stomach, the force of impact throwing him down on the ground on his back, which opens a hole in their lines big enough for a single horse to fit .
Schwartz quickly adjusts his path and heads straight for the hole .
He knocks away enemies coming from either side of him with his giant body and tramples through the reserve forces waiting behind .
I let you borrow it and now Im taking it back .
As I pass by, I pull out my sword sticking out of the enemys body, then bisect the upper half of the commanding officer .
Crossbows, what are you doing!?
Idiot! How can we shoot in this situation, we will friendly fire!
Schwartz travels like the wind through the enemy army .
The squishing sounds beneath his hooves echo loudly .
I also recklessly swing my sword and shield .
Being surrounded by enemies actually makes things easier .
On the contrary, the enemy has a difficult time .
The archers and crossbowmen especially have it the hardest as the darkness as well as how close they are together makes it extremely likely for them to shoot their allies .
In a short time, I was able to get through the second layer of defense .
What are you doing, letting Lord Hardlett go alone like that!? Pulverize the enemy!
Aegir-sama, please slow down a little!
It looks like my allies are colliding with the enemy behind me .
Having created a hole, the enemy is out of sorts and it should be a matter of time before they get run over .
that was pretty thin .
I mutter to myself and smile when I see what is waiting for me .
No wonder it was all to buy time for the third layer .
The third line of defense has appeared in front of me .
Their soldiers are prepared and neatly arranged, and it looks hard to get through quickly .
Loose!
Release!
Countless flaming arrows and bolts fly from the new enemy .
While I cut down any arrows aimed directly at me, the ones which fall around me lights up the area and helps secure better vision for the enemys next shots .
Moreover, the bolts I could not defend end up hitting me and Schwartz .
Sure, most of them bounce off our armor, however a few bolts find their way into the gaps in Schwartzs armor due to him being a larger target .
He exhaled slightly, pretending to be fine, but I know having him charge into this squad would leave him with more than a scratch .
Your job is done here .
I dismount from Schwartz who continues to run .
He had a oh, is that so? face as he runs off to the side somewhere .
I let the momentum from jumping off Schwartz propel my dash toward the enemy .
This guys whole body is black no, hes just covered in blood!
Damn demon shoot! Shoot him full of holes!
Multiple arrows and bolts soar at me .
The one that stopped was the enemy .
My shield protects me as Im charging and allows me to maintain speed .
I feel numerous blows hitting my shield and my armor .
Two projectiles dig into my flesh, although that is not nearly enough to affect my movement .
Here he comes!
Light infantry forwar uwaaaah!!
Almost like pushing apart the sea of arrows, I lower my hips right as I reach the first soldier and then make a sweeping motion .
Four crossbowmen get sent flying all at once .
I saw blood squirt so my attack must have finished off a few of them, but I dont have time to count how many .
Response time is fast on the opponents side, as infantry holding shields and swords appear before I realized .
Everyone dismount! Attack from the front!
Catching up with me after enduring the harsh barrage of arrows, the escort squad get down from their horses and choose to fight .
Its probably going to get messy from here on out .
Look how this guy is dressed . Hes a commander .
How brave of him to lead the charge . Now Im going to finish him and turn him into one of my achievements!
Oops, I better focus on the enemies in front of me .
When I take a deep breath, the world seems to move slowly .
About twenty enemies stand before me, all with the same swords and metal shields, plus the man at the far back with the red shield is the commander .
Prepare yourself!
The very first man shouts as he approaches me and swings down his sword, which I block with my shield, and then I return a slash to his torso from the right .
My sword tears through his armor, rips through his soft innards and cuts through his solid spinal column .
He lets out a sluggish scream .
I dont force my body back after it shifted to the right, instead I use the momentum to bash the next enemy with my shield .
The sensation of his facial bones getting crushed is transmitted through my shield .
Using the foes body to stop my initial slashing motion, I focus my gaze at the sword being thrusted at me from the front .
My response is a powerful slash to the opponents legs .
I purposely aimed low because stabbing him in the stomach would restrict my movement .
In a forward-leaning position, I bring myself down barely touching the ground to avoid attacks from two enemies on either side of me, then bounce back up in a spinning manner to slash their backs .
Showing my own back to the enemy will naturally invite attacks .
From what I saw last, they were aiming at my head, side and thigh .
Hup!
My shield is lifted to defend my head, I twist my body to dodge the thrust at my torso, then I shift my leg to allow the armored portion to take the hit .
The enemys astonishment was also sluggish and hard to make out .
Now is when I hear the first guy I cut fall to the ground .
I return to my normal stance and then throw my shield at one enemy while slicing in half another through his shield .
Noticing that the enemy let go of his sword, I leave my shield where it is, grab the spinning sword in midair and lop off the head of a third enemy with it .
Fuu
Time moves at regular speed once again after I exhale .
Mo monster
Eight people in a single breath
Before the enemy could finish speaking, I inhale deeply and start moving again .
I draw the Dual Crater at my hip for the usual dual-wielding setup and swing at two enemies in front of me .
My attack was faster than their attempts to defend .
The Dual Crater went on to bisect one of them, meanwhile the blade of my longsword was deliberately tilted to the side to deliver a blunt hit to the other .
A dull edge makes slicing cleanly hard, although the mans head is caved in so I guess the result is pretty much the same anyways .
Another man cries out sluggishly as I block the slash from my right with my longsword, then use the tilting center of gravity to launch a kick to my left .
I let my leg fall back down and lower my hips for another powerful sweep with my longsword .
The circular slash at shoulder level chopped off one head and four hands .
Positioning my Dual Crater lower at the same time I spun around sliced the faces of the two enemies who crouched .
That wasnt the end .
I follow up the rotation by running forward .
A fierce slicing of wind can be heard as my Dual Crater and longsword cuts through a head and body respectively, strengthened by the energy of my dash .
Retaliating slashes from the enemy are so slow they seem to be stopped .
I dodge one sword, then the second, then the third, and then slaughter their owners with my Dual Crater .
Im unable to evade the fourth slash to my waist, so I block with my longsword, proceed to tackle that soldier and finish him off after he falls by stomping on him .
The fifth sword which comes along with the shriek of the man I just took out gets grabbed with my bare hand and snapped in half after I toss my Dual Crater up in the air .
When I catch the Dual Crater, I behead the dumbfounded enemy .
Now the only one left is the commander .
A-a dem
Whos a demon?
I cut his words short with a headbutt, bashing my helmet-wearing head against his skull and splitting it open .
With a chance to look back, I see the ground littered with twenty corpses, and none who looks remotely able to get up and attack me from behind .
hiiih!
This is impossible its not real
Bystanding enemies immediately take steps backward .
Those I determined to be commanders hide behind their subordinates when their eyes meet with mine .
We cant fight head-on against that kind of beast! Shoot him down! Kill him with crossbows!
Crap, I let go of my shield .
I have no other choice except to deflect with my sword .
Just when I thought I was in a little trouble, my escort unit rushes in .
They may be off their horses, but the heavily armed soldiers should be more than enough to defeat crossbowmen .
Aegir-sama! Ive finally caught up to you . Gosh, how could you leave your shield!
Gununu
Its Celia and Mack .
Macks entire body is dripping with sweat as he picks up my shield .
Oh, thanks .
I saw what you did earlier . It was so fast my eyes couldnt follow .
Celias eyes are sparkling .
Hahaha, Im glad shes fallen for me all over .
During my escort units fierce attack, the bow cavalry and royal army also catch up and the third army starts to collapse .
Its not a rout . They are maintaining order and retreating to their headquarters .
In any case, the attack on the headquarters can finally begin .
Theyve pushed through! Stop them at all costs, those who can move go to the front!
A group of large men come forth amidst the melee .
Warhammer no, its even bigger . Theyre equipped with giant hammers and large axes!
Those are siege weapons used to destroy fences and gates .
In no way do they look like a squad meant for field battle, but I guess the enemy is desperate .
Hrggooooh!!
Over 2 m tall men wielding enormous weapons come at me .
Theyre equipped with gigantic two-handed weapons, wrapped in coarse-looking chains, and wearing a helmet that resembles a can covering their entire head except their eyes .
The pressure exuded by their sheer size and executioner-like appearance overwhelms our allies .
A boost to their morale is required .
Mack, lets do this .
Kay .
Mack and I stand in front, facing off against the executioner look-alikes .
Hnngooh!
The irregularly-sized hammer is swung down .
Since two hands are needed to use it, I can easily dodge and slash the mans vulnerable stomach, but I purposely block with my shield .
A loud clang rang out like the sound of the bell signaling the daytime, and then Celia and the others closed their eyes instinctively .
fumu, is that it?
The impact only pushed my shield back slightly .
Of course, the executioners eyes open wide like he cant believe what happened .
Hmmph!
When I return the favor and bash the hammer with my shield, the large man flies backwards .
Uooooh!!
Mack is also forcibly pushing the executioner to the ground with his warhammer .
As expected, since in terms of strength Mack is even stronger than me .
Hnggoh!
Once again, the executioner challenges me .
I meet his downward attack with my longsword .
Sparks fly when our preferred weapons clash, and then the executioners hammer shatters .
Its over .
I grab the man by the chains around him with my right hand and lift him up .
What the
He mumbles astoundedly in a low growl .
His weight should be around 150 kg .
Off you go .
I throw the big man .
He didnt fly far because he was so heavy, however he fell head-first and snapped his neck .
It would have been simple for Celia to land on her feet . I guess being heavy has its merits and demerits .
Guaah!!
At the same time, Mack also manages to get a hit on the other executioners head with his hammer .
Incredible Lord Hardlett is strong .
If you stay calm and think, those guys are full of openings . Theyre nothing to fear .
Now the morale of our allies has recovered .
They are quickly finishing off the executioners with spears and crossbows .
With Leopolt and Myla also in command, our forces are slowly pushing the enemy back .
I take a step backwards so I can look at the bigger picture and determine where to attack next .
Enemy general, prepare yourself!
Watch out!
Celias warning alerts me to an incoming spear .
The owner of the spear is a knight wearing red armor unlike the small fry around .
Woah .
That thrust was dangerously close to hitting me .
The spear is also a nice silver color .
Im not done yet!
The knight retracts the spear so a follow up attack can be performed, a feat which takes considerable skill .
Although not as heavy as a strike from Irijina, it is comparable in speed .
This is the finisher!
I falter when dodging the spun spear, allowing an opening for a full-powered thrust .
Failing to evade the sharp thrust it gets caught in my left hand instead .
Yes, your attack is quick, but has no weight behind it .
Unless such an attack was a surprise, it wont finish me off .
A prompt yank pulls the spear out of the knights hand .
A ah
Sorry .
I position my Dual Crater above the blankly staring knights head .
Right before my sword reached the downward looking head of the knight resigned to the inevitable outcome, I see long hair spilling out from beneath the helmet and catch a whiff of a sweet scent .
Guh!
My Dual Crater barely stopped in time .
The blade actually split open the helmet and cut off a few strands of hair .
With a dry clang, the two parts of the helmet fall to the ground .
You were a woman!? You should have said so in the beginning, I almost cut you!
The woman was taken aback when I yelled at her, then her face becomes dyed with anger .
So what if Im a woman!? Im a soldier of South Yuguria, whose allegiance is sworn to Her Majesty Wilhelmina, and Im your enemy!
Pulling out the knife at her waist, the female soldier assaults me .
Careful! Let me take care of it!
I hold out a hand to stop Celia from jumping in and stand in front of the woman myself .
Die, enemy of the Empire!
Her knife easily gets deflected by the arm guard on my left hand while my right hand dives into her crotch .
Ah!?
Finding a gap in her armor, my hand squirms into her pants and I insert three fingers in her hole all at once .
Messing around with Sekrit paid off .
Owwthat hurts!!
I see blood trickling when I pull my fingers out .
Oops, you were a virgin? Treat this as lesson of war then .
What lesson
She drops the dagger and squats down .
Uuuuu my virginity I had the resolve even so
At least I made her lose the will to fight safely .
If she continued to resist, she might have been killed by her own allies .
How dare you do that to big sis!
Woah, a sword this time?
Its a pretty silver sword too .
When I bend my body backwards to avoid the slash, I discover the attacker is another female knight . This one looks to be one size smaller than the first .
Im coming to save you now!
She shouts as she charges again .
Unfortunately, her attack is much lighter and much slower than the first womans attack .
Ill take that .
I steal her sword, lift her up and roll her pants down enough to fully expose her ass .
What are you doing!? Stop thaaat!
I thought I could demoralize her in the same way, but I guess shes a little too young .
How about this?
Ah!?
I shove two fingers into her ass .
Now shell lose her will to fight and will obediently become my prisoner .
Nhiiih! Dont I was nervous this whole time because this is my first battle ah, ah, ah, aaaah!!
She peed herself .
Oh my .
Celia calmly states .
This is a wonderful mess I created .
The small knight slumps to the ground in tears .
No shred of defiance remains in her .
My goal is achieved for now I guess .
Ill make amends later .
Lets leave these two to our allies .
Mack, Celia, and I found the place where the fighting will revolve around .
If we can take that hill by dawn, the bow cavalry can overlook the enemy and shoot as they please . The enemy wont be able to remain here!
Looking closer, I see Myla has taken command of a battle around the hill too .
She must have also figured out the importance of this point .
Reinforcements from the enemy are coming out in droves .
The enemy commander has been properly identified as well .
Lets assist Myla and secure that hill .
I want to get to her as soon as possible, but I cant relax when the night limits visibility so much that enemies can be hiding anywhere .
Hmph!
I cut down one of them .
Eei!
Celia slashes at the feet of another, then stabs the fallen soldier to finish him off .
Mmngh!
Mack crushes the head of yet another with his warhammer .
Hup .
Sekrit severs the arms of an enemy soldier with her swords, then severs the mans legs while shes at it, and leaves him to die .
When did she
She found her way behind us in this chaos .
Oh well, shes good with swords so Im sure shell be a good help .
Myla, Im here to assist .
Lord Hardlett!
Myla smiles happily .
The commanding officers around her also cheer .
Ooh, Lord Hardlett has arrived .
Our victory is practically assured!
I dont know if she unconsciously let her guard down when we get praised but Celia doesnt realize the enemy behind her .
Take that!
Auu!
The enemys sword grazes Celias shoulder .
It was a shallow wound which the enemy intends to add on to .
Kuh .
Celia hastily holds her sword up in defense .
It ends up being unnecessary as my body automatically takes action, jumping in from the side and slicing off the enemy soldiers dominant arm .
Im fine! Its a minor scratch!
Celia pleads her case that shes still in good shape, except I can only focus on the blood staining her clothes .
My vision instantly turns red .
You hurt my cute Celia unforgivable absolutely unforgivable .
Hiiih
I grab the legs of the fallen soldier who lost his arm .
This guy seems to be the lead so a few others are following behind .
Theyre all equally guilty .
Ugaaah!!
Gyaaaa!!
I swing the mans body at the other incoming soldiers .
Hes being treated like an abnormal warhammer .
Gueh!
Guaa!
My swings come from above to crush my enemies and then from the side to knock them away .
This is absurd Lord Hardlett goes crazy when a woman gets injured?
How frightening its not any different to the rumors .
You guys, be quiet .
I hear Sekrits laughter as well, although it doesnt matter to me now .
Gaah!
When I smash the final enemy, my human warhammer seems to have gotten lighter .
I look over and see that the soldiers body has torn apart, leaving only his legs in my grip .
Fumu
Celias not too badly injured so I guess I can let them off .
That guys head and body flew off somewhere .
If I rely on my anger to fight, I tend to make more careless mistakes .
Taking a deep breath, my eyes happen to find Sekrit facing off against an enemy .
The enemy is attacking her and shes merely blocking .
Dont tell me shes struggling .
Kuh, I got hit .
To my surprise, the enemys sword cuts Sekrit in the thigh .
Thankfully it was a small nick, however its the stream of blood on her dark-skinned thigh that sets me off .
Once again, my vision turns red .
She did it on purpose! Thats definitely done on purpose!
Celias voice seems far off in the distance .
I let out another animalistic roar and lift up the enemy over my head .
You hurt my Sekrit!
Ugyaaa!
I snap the enemy in half by bending him too far in the opposite direction .
Blood leaks out from the deceased mans mouth, anus, and the crack in his body .
Sekrit, are you okay?
Its only a scratch . pfft, that wasnt bad .
Im relieved theyre both okay, but they have to be more careful .
If you girls got hurt, I wouldnt be happy even if we won .
Guoh!
Mack was the next to grunt .
An arrow apparently struck him in the shoulder .
You alive? Youre a pretty big guy so youre an easy target . Be careful .
okay .
Lets get back to fighting .
We help out Mylas squad by rampaging wildly .
We defeat a tenacious enemy unit and take out the commander at the head of the army .
When the morale of our soldiers start darkening, we pick a big fight to encourage them, and push the enemy back again .
Myla commanding well at the head of her army and then Leopolt mobilizing the reinforcements at the optimal timing gradually tilts the battle in our favor .
A crack of light appears on the horizon to start brightening the sky and by that time most of the hill is in our hands .
Our bow cavalry is on standby and ready to rain down arrows on the enemy when the sun clears up the field of vision .
The end is near .
Infantry, go rout the enemy left wing! Just one more push . If we fend off this counterattack, we can drive off the enemy!
Myla wipes the sweat off her forehead as she yells her order .
Her dignified voice rouses me to fight harder on the frontlines .
I find a chance to take a breath and our eyes happen to meet .
Myla, while her face is dirty and stained with blood, nods and gives me her best smile, feeling that our victory is all but guaranteed .
At that time, I feel my face tense up .
!
I shout as loud as I can, but my voice gets drowned out by the background noise .
Myla notices my mouth move and smiles, her body acting on its own .
No need to worry! I wont be done in by something of this level!
Myla deflects the spear aimed up at her on horseback with her shield, then finishes off the enemy with a nicely timed counterattack .
Thats not it .
Im not worried about that guy .
I run to her while pushing aside enemy and ally alike .
Theres no way I make it in time though .
One enemy makes his way through to Mylas side .
He was most likely remarkably desperate to get this far through all the jostling .
A sword is swung in passing .
Fresh blood gushes out from Mylas neck .
More was spilled this time than when Celia and Sekrit got hurt .
Myla holds her hand to her neck, looking at my face as she slowly falls off her horse .
Protagonist: Aegir Hardlett . 24 years old . Winter . Wartime .
Libatis Reinforcement Army Supreme Commander
Subordinate Squad:
Goldonia Royal Army Seventh Division Army Corps In Battle
Infantry: 6800
Archers: 1100
Cavalry: 1500
Hardlett Army In Battle
Bow Cavalry: 3700
Escort: 160
Chariots: 75
(including vacancies left by wounded)
Subordinates: Leopolt (staff officer), Celia (minor injury), Myla ( ), Irijina (charge), Luna (charge)
Gido (charge), Pipi (charge), Pochi (charge), Marta (standing by), Keith (corps commander), Sekrit (minor injury)
Current Location: Melisbark outskirts
Achievements: Defeated siege army, repelled Melisbark first and second attack