I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution

Chapter 249: Abyssal Holy War – Finale (1)

Episode 249. Abyssal Holy War – The End (1)

"His Excellency the Marquis! The cavalry has completed its return!"

My adjutant, José Vachet, rode up and reported.

But my eyes wouldn't leave the fight unfolding before me.

From the sight of Kroxx and Gaston being overwhelmed by a single demon.

They are the strongest knight of Francia and the strongest warrior of Iberica.

Yet, those two are struggling, panting just from blocking and dodging the twin swords Baal is swinging like a madman.

"Pant, gasp... I must join in..."

Seeing that spectacle, José Vachet drew his sword and spoke, but I stopped him immediately.

"Don't interfere!""B-but, Your Excellency the Marquis."

"Interfering would only be a hindrance. Reorganize the remaining cavalry personnel and reinforce the flanks."

"O-okay, sir."

I watched the madly dancing feast of sword attacks.

At that level, no matter how elite they are—be they the Cuirassiers or the Revolutionary Guard—if ordinary soldiers tried to get involved, they would only be unilaterally slaughtered.

But...

I raised my still trembling hand and clenched my fist.

My mana was almost exhausted from annihilating the demons' cavalry and blocking Baal's strike.

To think I can't join in at a time like this.

I bit my lip, watching Gaston and Kroxx holding on precariously, as if they could fall at any moment.

Right now, it's better to recover even a little mana. Even though I know that intellectually, I can't hide my restlessness.

José Vachet returned quickly.

"His Excellency Marquis Lafayette! Both the Imperial Army on the left flank and the Krafte Army on the right flank report severe losses! They are abandoning the First Defense Line and falling back to the Second Defense Line!"

"...I see."

I turned my gaze to the front.

The offensive, which had temporarily weakened due to the light cavalry's activity, had grown strong again.

I started to wonder what had become of Jerome Morelle, then stopped myself.

"Fire!"

Rat-a-tat-tat- Gunshots rang out and Drones fell, but even so, the Drones formed a vast crowd and charged forward.

"Khu-aaak!"

"Aaaak!"

As the chaotic melee intensified, the infantry unit, which had been firing at the Drones in the rain of bullets scattered by the machine gun, collapsed as a group.

Belatedly, lightning struck down and destroyed the machine gun, but the speed had clearly slowed down.

The mages, including Giselle Davi and Louis, did their best, but they must be tired by now.

I slowly raised my head and looked at the blue orb still far from reaching the ground.

It's still far off. At this rate, we will collapse faster.

"Your Majesty. Do you have any strength left?"

I turned my head to look at Eris and asked, but her complexion was pale.

Her face was so pale it looked transparent, and she seemed to be forcibly keeping her drooping eyes open.

"Y-yes? Marquis?"

Her reaction was slow, and even that seemed like she hadn't properly heard my words.

...But it's not unreasonable.

Even though I just dealt with the cavalry, she has already blocked Baal's sword attacks multiple times, attacks I could only slightly deflect.

Having bestowed protection upon Kroxx and squeezed out the last of her strength to concentrate power on me, she has no strength left.

Suppressing my despair, I spoke.

"Your Majesty, I apologize, but I must borrow Lord Beaumont."

"However, Your Excellency the Marquis. I must protect Her Majesty..."

"No, Lord Beaumont. I am no longer helpful in battle. You cannot waste a combatant of your caliber just to protect me alone."

"You are Her Majesty the Queen!"

Lord Beaumont protested, but Eris spoke again.

"Please, Uncle Frank."

"...I obey Your Majesty's command."

Lord Beaumont immediately drew his sword and ran towards where Baal was engaged in combat.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Hearing my words, Eris faintly smiled and replied.

"I did my best, Marquis."

I caught Eris as she collapsed right then.

Did she somehow hold out until the moment Lord Beaumont stepped forward?

I silently thanked her inwardly and entrusted her to José Vachet.

"Take her to the barracks."

"Yes, sir!"

*

Even though everyone was exhausted, the battle continues.

"The 37th Regiment is routing!"

"Deploy the 26th Regiment!"

"Machine gun, be careful-"

Tu-du-du-du-du-

"Ugh-aaak!"

Drones swarm in from all directions like a surging tide, and demons hiding among the drones, firing machine guns or rifles in surprise attacks, keep appearing.

Until the middle of the battle, we could effectively reduce their numbers through continuous bombardment, but we suffered greatly from enemy counter-battery fire and magic.

Crucially, the losses incurred when trying to fire grapeshot to protect the collapsing center army, only to be chopped up along with the cannon by Baal, were significant.

As firepower weakened, the wave of Drones, which neither tire nor retreat, is gradually pushing us to our limit.

"Ugh, what a blunder!"

"Karok!"

Even the one-eyed orc Karok, who had been steadily supporting the battlefield, had to retreat with one arm mangled.

Swallowing dryly, I looked towards Baal.

"Just die already, you inferior beings!"

"Ugh-oooot!"

"Pant, gasp..."

Baal, spewing unextinguishable rage and swinging his twin swords, shows no sign of fatigue.

But Kroxx, Gaston, and Lord Beaumont, who are facing him, are a mess.

Bodies messy with sweat and blood, gasping breaths.

If Lord Beaumont hadn't joined in the middle, the two would have already been defeated by that monster-like demon.

I slowly clenched and unclenched my fist.

Cruelly, my mana has not recovered much yet.

Should I join in even now?

If I join now and exhaust the little mana I have left, I will simply be defeated in vain.

On the other hand, if I don't join and even one of the three falls, everything will eventually collapse.

How much mana does that demon have left?

He's busy dealing with three people now, but if even a little leeway appears, can he unleash sword energy like before?

What should I do?

...I thought I had pulled out everything I could.

But.

Even so.

No, that's not it.

Right behind this encampment, Christine is working hard on supply management here, and the exhausted Eris is also resting.

If there's anything I can do, I must.

"Your Excellency the Marquis, the defense line is collapsing. We've reached our limit."

"I know!"

The answer that came out reflexively to Nicolas Nere's words was so irritable it startled even me.

"No, I'm sorry. Your vanguard fought well enough."

Nicolas Nere's vanguard, which had fought since the early stage of the battle, was virtually annihilated.

The survivors are either incorporated into other units and fighting, or are casualties who can no longer fight.

To him, who has virtually no unit left to command and must be feeling more powerless than anyone, I...

But Nicolas Nere, for some reason, gave an answer full of fervor.

"Your Excellency the Marquis. I told my subordinates that every single second they endure would bring victory. I ordered them to hold their positions until the end and die."

"...I see. Well done."

Eris is incapacitated.

The cavalry is already deployed on both flanks, and the reserves are all exhausted.

What more should I do here? What more can I do?

While replying to Nere, thoughts rapidly swirled in my mind.

"I too will obey my orders."

Leaving those last words, Nicolas Nere ran forward.

"What? Come back, General Nere!"

Even reacting belatedly, he doesn't stop.

Holding a sword in his right hand, he ran towards the place where three people and Baal were fighting frantically.

"Stop-!"

"Huh?"

"Yiaaahhh!"

As Kroxx and the two knights both panicked, Nere let out a battle cry and charged at Baal-

The sword swung by Baal blew away Nere's sword and arm as is.

Gushing blood from the shoulder where his arm was severed, Nicolas Nere's body slowly fell to Baal's feet.

"Damn it...!"

Why on earth would he do such a reckless act!

But the next moment.

The grenade Nicolas Nere had been holding rolled—to Baal's feet.

"Hmm?!"

An explosion sounded.

Baal concentrated his magic barrier at his feet and blocked even that explosion.

"Tsk, a mere bug- Kraaak!"

But even that powerful demon, while concentrating the magic barrier at his feet, couldn't block all the sword attacks from three sides.

Blue blood gushes from Baal's back.

"Ugh-aaaaah!"

The wounded demon screams.

Baal, filled with rage, swung his sword wildly, but it clearly couldn't match the sharpness from before.

Every time that happened, blue blood poured from his wounds.

He was also tired. The severe injury sustained in such a situation barely pulled the weight, which had been favoring Baal, back to our side.

"General Nere..."

I looked at the spot where the explosion just occurred.

A brave but impatient and simple-minded general, suitable as a vanguard commander.

The man, to whom I had only that much of a perception, couldn't even be found intact.

I raised my gaze to the sky.

The blue orb is now almost overhead.

About an hour until the clash of grand magic the Magic Tower Master foretold. We just need to hold out for that!

The defense line is on the verge of complete collapse, but the three people dealing with Baal are heroes worth a hundred men each.

If I join in right now, we finish off Baal, and everyone is deployed to the defense line, somehow-

"Oh, oh. How touching."

My head turned on its own.

A violet dress stained with the blood and dust of the battlefield.

Eyes the same color as her long, blood-red hair.

"Paimon...!"

"That a mere sacrifice of an inferior race wounded the Demon King, whom no one could harm. Clichéd, but well..."

Paimon licked her lips with her tongue, looked at Baal, who was fighting furiously while spewing blood from his back, and laughed.

"It has its own charm to watch."

Damn it, one step forward.

Just one step, and of all times, now.

"Now, then. Having seen enough of this lengthy farce..."

Paimon grinned and declared.

"It's the finale. Let's start wrapping things up, Pierre."

*

Drones push forward endlessly.

"Damn it!"

Even the three people dealing with Baal, who was seriously injured and whose momentum was greatly diminished, couldn't finish off Baal because they were busy dealing with the Drones swarming in without any respite.

"Ugh-aaak!"

"Save me, save meee-!"

Screams and shrieks erupt from all directions.

The defense line crumbles.

And, I too.

"Khu-uk!"

As I slide across the ground and block the arm Paimon swung, my sword rings with a creeeak.

"My, my, what's the matter, Pierre? I thought you'd grown stronger than me..."

Paimon smiles slyly.

Damn it, to come and say such things after all my mana and divine power are exhausted.

"Pant, gasp..."

The annoyingly smiling face of Paimon wavers.

That even my vision is uncontrollable must be due to my stamina, squeezed to its limit.

"Ahahaha, you tried hard, Pierre. Honestly, just holding out this far means you've transcended humanity. Well, you were ultimately a bit short, though."

"Hah, you think I held out alone by transcending humanity?"

"Yep, it was most impressive."

"Even after coming this far, it seems you only see me."

"Hmm, who should I rate highly? The fool who made a suicidal cavalry charge and bought just a little time? Or the wretch who, without even an aura, self-destructed and at best managed to wound Baal?"

The demon, certain of victory, let out a sneer.

"Even so, in the end, they are inferior races destined for defeat even under your guidance, which overturned every single plan of Abyss Corporation."

I want to tear that damn demon's mouth apart, but now my arm won't even lift.

Is that it.

All those choices and sacrifices.

The life met again after failure.

Saving Christine.

Bringing Eris.

The battle against King Louis.

Lionel's will.

The breakthrough towards the Storm Witch.

The resistance of the National Assembly.

The victory against Valliant.

The war against the Empire.

The fight to the end where we survived the Great King.

Even all our struggles and sacrifices on this island.

Do they all end in a single conclusion: failure due to insufficient strength?

"Ahah, ahaha! Ahahahahaha! Pierre, your expression right now is a masterpiece. You know? Ah, I should have brought a mirror. I need to show you directly."

Paimon burst out laughing, then pointed behind her with her finger.

"Now, look."

I slowly turned my head.

Amid the swarming Drones, the sight of soldiers, unable to hold out any longer, fleeing entered my vision.

Behind them.

The Magic Tower Master is there.

Eris is there.

Christine is there.

Paimon's declaration struck my ears.

"It is your defeat."