novelraw Chapter 273 : Triumphant Return (2)
Chapter 273 : Triumphant Return (2)
“Advance!”
Heart de Garcon’s thunderous voice echoed across the densely packed battlefield.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Immediately following his command, a roar erupted, swallowing the echoes of his voice and creating a massive wave of movement.
The oppressive weight of the rectangular ranks, standing in perfect alignment as if precisely measured, was a wondrous sight that an ordinary person might see only once in a lifetime.
—Ukh!
—Oh!
—Ukh!
—Oh!
Wicked cries intended to boost morale erupted from the Orc camp as well.
They exchanged unintelligible slogans amongst themselves, their voices growing louder and louder.
—Ouuuuk!
Finally, a hideous sound, no different from a collective death rattle, burst forth all at once.
The Orc camp stood in stark contrast to the perfectly square formations of The Order.
Though they were lined up without any discernible rules, there was one thing that stood out: the sheer breadth and density of the space they occupied far surpassed that of the forces of The Order.
Dense in some places, sparse in others. The Orc camp sat there like a billowing sea whose depths were barely visible.
Beauty and ugliness.
Order and disorder.
Light and darkness.
Those massive masses collided in an instant.
The brilliant white ranks of The Order, shining under the light, met the dark green wave of Orcs, creating a fluid, curving line.
Parts jutted out, while others were pushed in.
From a distance, the merging of these two massive groups with such opposite natures looked as beautiful as a natural phenomenon, but up close, it was a scene of carnage where life and death were decided by the second.
One’s life was the enemy’s death, and one’s death was the enemy’s life.
This cruel deadlock of fate was surely the most significant destination in a being’s existence, yet on the battlefield, it was as common as the air one breathed.
Rumble!
An ominous black energy settled over the thick clouds of dust, and soon, masses of black mana squirmed beneath the feet of The Order’s ranks.
It was the crude mana manipulation unique to the Demon King’s Army, possessing properties entirely different from The Order’s magic circles.
“It’s a curse!”
“Fall back!”
The commanders of each section noticed the change and shouted the news, but their timing was too late.
The Heroes, capable of reacting nimbly, managed to pull themselves away from the curse, but the black hands rising from the ground snatched the ankles of the soldiers, handing their bodies over to the Orcs.
What happened next was obvious.
The heads of the soldiers trapped by the black hands were smashed by Orc clubs, and soldiers within the exact range of the curse were trampled under the Orcs' feet.
The formation, now missing a chunk like a bitten apple, was immediately filled by other soldiers, and The Order’s dispel magic was cast to neutralize the Orc shamans’ curses.
At the same time, magic circles of all colors filled the sky.
Each vomited fire, water, or rocks, piling up mountains of Orc corpses in the middle of the battlefield.
Carnage.
Absolute pandemonium.
It was a living hell, its horror beyond description.
“…”
Kanna, who was watching the atrocity—enough to make any ordinary person gag—without so much as blinking, muttered softly with a hint of worry in her voice.
“…Not yet?”
It was a stark contrast to previous battles where she had stood at the very front, leading the troops.
Currently, her state could only be described as ‘observing’ the battle unfolding before her eyes.
Of course, monitoring the situation of the battle was one of the most important duties of a commander.
After all, the person in total charge of the war effort was the Commander-in-Chief, Kanna Cartier.
However, sitting in the back and watching like this was not her style.
It had been her philosophy for decades that one could best read the rapidly changing reality of war while immersed in the battlefield itself.
Nevertheless, the reason she was staying back so uncharacteristically was linked to what she had just muttered.
『Stay out of it.』
『…What did you just say, Sir?』
『I told you to stay out of it. Watch the situation from the rear, and then help me when I hunt the Orc Lord, Commander-in-Chief.』
『…….』
『I can’t really leave it to anyone else, and no matter how I look at it, this is the only option.』
Because U-jin had specifically requested her to stay out of the fray.
The problem lay right there.
Her combat power, which exceeded that of a 5-Star Hero, was a significant portion of the Northern Subjugation Force’s total strength.
If one included the additional boost to morale that came from her leading the vanguard, her influence could be even greater.
The pretext for her staying out of the battle entirely was to help U-jin hunt the ‘Orc Lord,’ but even as the fighting continued, there was no sign of Nedkul appearing.
Since he had been defeated in the last battle, he should have appeared by now if he was going to show up at all. Something felt off.
『…The Orc Lord has not appeared yet, Kanna. They haven’t even used their Innate Ability over there.』
『It won’t be too late to decide after seeing the next battle. It may be called a success, but judge coolly how much the front line has actually advanced, Kanna.』
『…….』
『More than a thousand soldiers died just to advance a finger’s width on this map.』
Louis’s concerns were proving to be correct.
If things continued like this, it was one of two things: either there was some kind of trap hidden in this all-out war, or the number of Orc soldiers in reserve was so vast that the Orc Lord didn't even need to step out yet.
What was certain was that neither scenario was optimistic.
Whichever was true, it was a headache for her.
Ssh—
Her gaze shifted to a corner of the battlefield.
Or more accurately, somewhere deep beyond the current front line.
Bang!
There, a massacre was occurring accompanied by the light sound of gunfire.
Every time a shot rang out, four or five Orc soldiers along with a Named monster’s head would explode, the slaughter continuing so rapidly that there was hardly any interval between shots.
That wasn't all.
He was already so deep in that he could no longer be seen on the same line as the front, but as if even that wasn't enough, U-jin advanced further, step by step, toward the center of the Orc camp.
‘…Just what is he?’
Every person has their own preferred and practiced style of combat, but even Kanna Cartier, who had seen everyone who was anyone on the battlefield, had never seen a type like him.
He consumed mana explosively, yet there was no waste.
And that consumed mana, by some sort of sorcery, surged and overflowed endlessly.
It was as if… as if he were a spring from which mana itself gushed forth.
The Named Monsters, who had been intentionally avoiding him and waiting for his mana to run out, realized their judgment was wrong and lunged at U-jin all at once.
Even so, holes were eventually punched through their heads.
It was an overwhelming martial prowess that made almost no distinction between Named monsters and common soldiers.
The phrase ‘a fish in water’ seemed to have been coined for exactly this kind of situation.
‘…….’
Despite the concerns of Louis and Ludwig, the reason Kanna Cartier had been able to push forward with an all-out war was that it was U-jin’s opinion.
When Kanna spoke alone, she had to endure the worried rebukes of Louis and Ludwig, but when U-jin spoke of pushing forward first, even they held their tongues.
Actually, strictly speaking, U-jin’s opinion was far more radical than hers.
Kanna had also thought about continuing the fight, but she hadn't intended to start a total war like this immediately.
Nevertheless, Kanna had no choice but to comply.
She had reached a point where she could no longer doubt his judgment.
‘…….’
If U-jin had not participated in the Northern Subjugation War, it wouldn't have been surprising if the entire Northern Subjugation Force had been annihilated.
She wasn't the type of person to blindly believe in what couldn't be seen.
But U-jin was an exception.
The series of exceptional influences U-jin had exerted throughout the Northern Subjugation Force’s journey were no longer something she could deny.
At any rate.
U-jin, who was at the very front of the battlefield, would know better than anyone that the Orc Lord had not yet appeared.
If that were a problem, there should have been some reaction.
But U-jin’s actions remained consistent from beginning to end.
He advanced bit by bit, killing Named monsters that weren't too far from the straight line leading to the heart of the Orc Mountains.
Even if she didn't know exactly what it was, she suspected he had something planned.
“…The suspense is killing me.”
If she had been given even a hint, she could have waited quietly without worry, but although U-jin mentioned he had a way, he gave no word on what that method was.
『If the method is certain, I also agree with doing as you say, Sir… so what is that specific operation?』
『It’s a secret.』
『…What?』
『I think it’s better not to reveal it. I’m sorry, even to you, Commander-in-Chief.』
『…….』
『It’s to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, so please understand. Instead, I’ll take responsibility and bring back the Orc Lord’s head.』
It was, in fact, madness.
Moving an army-level force based solely on the vow of a mere 1-Star Hero was an act for which she would have no excuse even if she were heavily disciplined and stripped of the honorable title of Valkyrie according to The Order’s manuals.
It was no exaggeration.
U-jin said he would take responsibility, but that was just a conventional way of speaking.
If the Northern Subjugation Force were annihilated due to that one wrong choice, the responsibility would inevitably fall on Kanna Cartier.
The fact that Kanna was uncharacteristically worrying while watching the battle was partly due to that pressure.
‘…Just what kind of operation is it?’
And so.
Just as she was instinctively scanning the battlefield and unknowingly bringing her thumb to her lips.
“……?”
U-jin suddenly exhibited strange behavior.
He raised the muzzle he had been pointing at the Orcs in front of him and fired directly into the sky.
K-boom!
A massive explosion, distinct from the previous ‘bangs’, shot a giant fireball into the sky. The mass soared far past the peaks of the Orc Mountains and let out another explosion high in the atmosphere.
K-boom!
And what happened next…
“…My God.”
Was something that forced Kanna Cartier to let out a low gasp.