novelraw Chapter 217: Abyssal Holy War - Sunless Island (2)
Chapter 217: Abyssal Holy War - Sunless Island (2)
Episode 217. Abyssal Holy War – The Island Where the Sun Doesn’t Rise (2)
“Prepare to fire!”
For a moment, visibility was secured.
“Ready your fire!”
“Light Infantry, forward! Do not fire until you are within range!”
Damien De Millbeau screamed at the top of his lungs, and the soldiers moved with disciplined haste to form their ranks.
“Yes, Sir!”
Tension could be felt in the shouts of the officers and sergeants, but it did not border on chaos.
It might have been different if we had been ambushed in the fog, knowing nothing.
However, this Expeditionary Force was composed of elites, handpicked by the nations of the Central Continent for the landing on this island.“The enemy’s weak point is the head! Firing early is a waste of ammunition, so aim and fire only when they are as close as possible!”
Above all, after the war with Krafte, the primary adversary of the Revolutionary Kingdom of Francia was designated as the Abyss Corporation.
Naturally, during the nearly three years of peace, they had trained to the point of exhaustion to fight Drones.
“Light Infantry, open fire!”
As the Light Infantry’s muskets erupted in unison, the Drones charging at the very front fell in droves.
But the Drones not hit by the muskets continued their charge—and as sporadic gunshots followed the volley’s roar, they too dropped to the ground.
The Chasseur Light Infantry fired the first volley, and the survivors were sniped by the skirmishers, who had adopted the same rifled firearms used by Krafte’s Schützen.
The Drones' numbers dwindled rapidly under the extremely effective coordinated fire.
“Light Infantry that have fired, withdraw!”
Instead of performing a slow reload, the Light Infantry fell back through the gaps opened by the line infantry, retreating to the rear.
A Drone will keep moving unless its head is destroyed.
However, that is only when its body is intact, and it can only move.
“Artillery, fire!”
Next, the cannons all belched fire, spewing grapeshot.
The whirlwind of fragments and scrap metal unleashed by the cannons literally tore the charging Drones’ bodies to shreds.
Among them, some Drones with mangled bodies could be seen flailing on the ground, but it was meaningless.
Even if they can keep moving as long as their heads are intact, if their limbs are torn to shreds, they’ve effectively lost their combat ability.
“Line Infantry, aim!”
At the end of the time bought by the grapeshot fire while the Light Infantry retreated, the front row of the fully formed Line Infantry knelt in unison, raising their muskets, as the back row simultaneously took aim.
Krafte-style two-rank volley fire.
It had been a shock and terror the first time we faced it, but after training for so long, we could now manage this much!
Despite constantly falling to the gunfire and artillery, the fast-footed Drones had already closed to point-blank range.
Even if their marksmanship was less precise than the Light Infantry’s, the shots fired by sufficiently trained Line Infantry at close range are plenty threatening.
“Fire!”
As the muskets erupted in unison, the Drones, already tattered from the Light Infantry’s fire and the artillery bombardment, once again fell in droves.
“Brace for impact!”
The Drones surged forward right before their eyes.
However, having witnessed the Drones being wiped out so efficiently, the soldiers showed no signs of wavering, and their calmly raised bayonets aimed true for the Drones’ heads.
Soon, the noise of the clash and screams began to erupt from all over.
Though their numbers were greatly reduced, the Drones’ physical abilities were still no joke, and soldiers were sent flying with screams left and right.
But the Drones’ limits are clear.
They do not engage in tactical thinking.
They merely charge toward their target as programmed, engaging in a fight devoid of waste.
That is why they do not know how to avoid the certain doom charging from behind while they are focused on our army in front.
As the sound of hooves shook the very axis of the earth, a group clad in silver armor, gleaming even on this island of faint light, came charging.
“We praise Thee—”
“We laud Thee—”
The lances raised in unison by the Paladin Order shimmered, blessed by the overflowing waves of Divine Power—
“May the holiness of the Father be upon us—”
“May His grace raise our spearheads high—”
Their fanatical faith, chanting hymns loudly even as they charged, was as brilliant as the aura of light that surrounded them.
“So that we may punish those who have fallen!”
“For we are the swords of angels, the divine punishment descended upon this world!”
While the Line Infantry grappled with the Drones, the Paladin Order, which had galloped from the left flank, crashed into the Drones from the side.
“For the Father!”
“Long live the Saintess Queen!”
“A-men! A-men!”
Full plate armor, which had all but vanished from the modern battlefield, and consecrated warhorses strong enough to bear it.
The overwhelming mass of the last knight order on this land literally crushed the emaciated bodies of the Drones.
Not only that, but their lances, consecrated with Divine Power, pierced through three or four Drones at once without breaking, remaining intact.
Furthermore, as if the holy consecration was not for show, the Drones that couldn't be destroyed unless struck in the head burst into flames as they struggled on those lances.
“Ugh, bleegh…”
Damien gagged at the smell of burning flesh that spread in an instant.
I glanced over and saw that Giselle Davi’s expression wasn't good either.
…They were once human, or at least a species similar to humans. I can’t help but feel conflicted seeing them burned away by Divine Power.
And this isn't the end of it.
“Avenge our brothers!”
“Iberica does not forget its grudges!”
While the Paladin Order smashed the Drones by charging from the left flank, this time Orcs came charging with thudding steps from the right flank, leaping upon the Drones on the other side.
“Al-ardho!”
“Akbar!”
Charging at their vanguard was none other than their king, Kroxx.
The Orcs' thunderous battle cry bolstered the morale of our infantry fighting the Drones, and the moment they clashed, the Drones began to be destroyed in an instant.
No matter how fearsome the Drones were, their strengths were their tireless stamina, limited weak points, and the morale shock caused by their ghastly appearance and bizarre movements.
When that didn't work, and more than half were destroyed by gunfire and the subsequent charge, they were simply wiped out helplessly while being attacked from three sides in such a short battle.
As the battlefield seemed to be clearing up, I approached Louis and praised him.
“Well done, Louis d'Aquitaine. The visibility you secured was a great help. You are indeed worthy of being the Tower Master's disciple.”
In truth, besides Louis, there were many magicians brought from the Magic Tower to install the ‘Gate.’ Among them, there were surely those whose skill surpassed Louis’.
But since I'm not in a position to give them orders as I please, Louis’s presence, one who wouldn't complain even if I gave him urgent instructions, was appreciated in many ways.
It was no empty compliment; because Louis had secured our field of vision, our army was able to face the enemy calmly, just as we had practiced in our training.
“Th-thank you, Marquis Lafayette!”
Seeing the handsome, blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man unable to hide his joy and smiling like a pure boy still, I let out a small laugh.
Really, he doesn’t resemble Christine in the slightest.
As I was thinking that, Demian approached me with a wide grin and began to grovel.
“Haha, hahaha. The demons are, well, nothing much. A-as expected of you, Marquis Lafayette!”
“No, you were also excellent, Commander Millbeau. As expected of a ‘Master of Defense’ who has rolled through deathtraps, you are a cut above the rest.”
Well, while I devised the basic tactics, if the command had been clumsy, the battle could not have proceeded as smoothly as planned.
Although they were veterans who had experienced the war with Krafte and had ample training, the current Revolutionary Army seems to be on par with, if not quite as good as, the old Krafte Army.
This was surely thanks to the efforts of Demian and the officers.
Demian grinned foolishly at my praise, overjoyed.
“Ehehehe, th-thank you! At this rate, conquering the Abyss Corporation won't be just a dream! Muahahaha!”
“Well, I wonder about that.”
“Pardon?”
Demian asked, and just as I was about to click my tongue and reply, Alejandro, reeking of blood, approached with an incredibly loud and booming voice.
“Ooooh, that was a truly holy and glorious battle, my brother! Your fame that resounded throughout the Central Continent was no empty boast! Indeed, you, my brother, are more than qualified to be an honorary member of the Paladin Order!”
…I almost sighed for a moment.
I feel bad for pouring cold water on them while they’re all relieved and happy about how easy the Drones were, but it would be a problem if they became optimistic and let their guard down over something like this.
“This is just the beginning.”
Demian and Alejandro both looked puzzled, but at least I know the enemy.
The Drones' combat methods and movements are very similar to how they were in Iberica.
“This was probably a reconnaissance-in-force, or perhaps…”
That blood-red hair, the unbelievable combat power of a demon filled with madness, and that insane frenzy.
I could never forget that bone-chilling sight.
I had hoped it would have been disposed of, but I guess it wasn't so easily discarded, being the core designer of the Drones.
“…just a welcome greeting.”
Paimon.
If it's that completely insane demon, there's no way this is all he has.
Isn’t that right?
*
It took more time to finish the battle and handle the casualties in the fog.
During that time, the Paladin Order healed the injured, and the total casualties were kept to around 100, proving that Alejandro's boast was no empty words.
Their consecrated lances work on demons, they can block musket bullets with Divine Power, and they can even heal wounded soldiers in the middle of it all…
The Paladin Order really is going to do everything.
How embarrassing for the old Francia Kingdom, which called itself a nation of knights.
In any case, drawing out such a precious force was entirely thanks to the power of Her Majesty, our Queen, so I silently offered a short prayer of gratitude to Eris before ordering our departure.
We marched for a short while after that.
“My brother, I saw you offering a prayer to God just now! I knew you also kept your piety, Marquis! I never doubted it for a moment!
Without the Father’s divine protection, how could you have achieved such great military feats and displayed such valor to this day? Come, come, since it has come to this, how about officially joining the Paladin Order instead of just being an honorary member? A man like you, Marquis Lafayette, would at least be a Vice-Commander—”
Ugh, my head hurts.
What? Noble monastic knights who keep their distance from the secular world? Wouldn’t even the God they worship so ceaselessly be laughing bitterly?
Just as my patience, worn thin by Alejandro throughout the march, was about to reach its limit.
Fortunately, we managed to exchange messengers with the other expeditionary force and join up with them.
“Well, it’s good to see you! Haha! I’m as happy as if we were meeting after several months!”
“You’ve been through a lot, Lio—no, General Leonhardt.”
Jill shook my hand and smiled faintly.
“Haha, honestly, I thought I was going to die. We couldn’t secure any visibility, and those horrifying things we’d only heard about in stories were attacking us from the fog…”
As expected, Paimon's welcome greeting wasn't just for us.
“By any chance, how great were your losses?”
I felt sorry for Jill, but even with the military reforms, the core of the Imperial Army was so weak that I couldn't help but worry.
“About 2,000 men. The performance of General Scharnhorst's Krafte Army was a great help.”
As if Jill knew as well, he answered with an awkward smile.
2,000. It’s a lot compared to our losses, but it’s a respectable number considering it was their first engagement with Drones.
“I see. You’ve worked hard, General Scharnhorst.”
“Hmph, there was some trial and error as it was our first engagement with the Drones. In the next battle, we will prepare more thoroughly and show a performance that will not bring shame to His Majesty Heinrich.”
Perhaps because he was relatively young, Scharnhorst’s eyes gleamed with fighting spirit as he replied.
The Krafte Army, indeed. They were absolutely horrifying as an enemy, but now that they’re on our side, they’re quite reliable, aren't they?
“So, this is our destination.”
Jill turned his gaze to the hill on the coast before us.
“Yes. After investigating along the shoreline, Admiral Aquitaine and Admiral Lee judged this terrain to be the most suitable for installing the ‘Gate’.”
Before our eyes spread a wide, rolling hill surrounded by decent-looking hills.
There was ample space for the expeditionary force to set up a formation, and most importantly, the fog was thin since it was near the coast.
The rear was a coastal cliff, unsuitable for a landing, so we had to land some distance away and take a long detour.
“A glorious hill! It will surely adorn the grand epic of the Paladin Order and the Expeditionary Force, to be recorded in the Holy Scripture of the future!”
…Of course, if they had any sense, they wouldn't be in the Paladin Order.
Instead of paying any mind to Alejandro, I turned my gaze to the one leading the Magic Corps from the Magic Tower.
“Commander Maxim of the Magic Corps. How long do you think the ‘Gate’s’ construction will take?”
The middle-aged mage with a short, bristly beard stroked his chin and answered.
“By the book, it would take at least a month, but if we skip things like safety tests and proceed at high speed…”
…It sounds like he’s skipping something important?
As I tried to hide my uneasy feeling, Maxim grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth.
“It will take a week.”
“A week…”
During the week it takes to open the gate, the Magic Corps will naturally be unusable.
To defend for a week on this unsettling, fog-covered island, with a coastal cliff at our backs.
Yes, it has to be at least this difficult to be called a trial.
I grinned, turned around, and spoke to the generals from each nation who were looking at me.
“This is our battlefield.”
A week. So what? I will defend it.