Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The Day of War Finally Arrives
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Finally, the day of war had arrived.
I woke up early in the morning and equipped all the gear I'd gathered over time, piece by piece.
They were things I'd bought with the money from selling quest rewards from Lena.
Since I'd purchased them on the black market, they were a bit glitchy here and there, but they still had plenty of useful effects.
"This is the first time I've ever hung all this stuff on me like this."
First came the belt-shaped artifact that temporarily boosted my total mana capacity.
The downside was that activating it consumed even more mana than the increase it provided, but for someone like me with fast mana regeneration, it was incredibly handy.
Next was the necklace artifact that enhanced hearing.
Just as it sounded, it amplified hearing to pick up noises from much farther away than normal.
The problem was that it caught every little sound, making it distracting, but since it could be toggled on and off, I could handle it just fine.
And besides those...
Leather armor that converted shock into mana consumption, arm warmers that could store mana for a short time, and so on.
I'd armed myself head to toe with items that could be useful depending on how I used them.
This setup should block most variables even in a war.
I glanced sideways, and the others waiting with me were geared up the same way.
"Phew, my body feels kinda heavy."
"Miss, that's a strength issue. You should exercise more."
"If it's physical training you want, I can teach you. Friend's discount, nice and cheap."
"...No thanks."
Everyone was thoroughly armed in their own ways.
Watching them chat in full battle gear really drove home that a real war was about to happen.
But was that not the case for the others?
"Ha, it's finally today? Why can't I wrap my head around this?"
"You too, mister? Same here. A war on such a clear day..."
Kayla and Thompson exchanged words, both looking like they couldn't believe it.
Not that it was strange.
How could anyone truly grasp the sight of blood spraying and flesh tearing by the thousands or tens of thousands before it even started?
Without experience in this sort of thing, that reaction made sense.
On the other hand, Barundel silently polished his axe with an oil-soaked cloth.
With his long history of combat, he was far more practiced than the other two.
His eyes fixed on the axe, he spoke.
"Fights always come out of nowhere, as a rule."
Right as Barundel said that.
Ruuuumble!
The sky suddenly let out a scream.
At the roar, everyone turned to the window, and in that instant...
We witnessed the clear sky being swallowed by ashen storm clouds in the blink of an eye.
"What the...?"
The true harbinger of war had appeared.
It didn't stop there—sirens wailed across all of Asteron.
Wheeee!
Like a signal flare announcing the start of war.
The atmosphere chilled, and the volunteer mercenaries moved with perfect discipline.
Thud thud thud!
No need to ask where they were headed.
They were moving to their assigned positions.
We weren't going to sit around either.
"Let's go."
"O-okay...!"
I led the group to the spot we'd been told about in advance.
Our assignment was to guard the main gate of District 6 and prevent any breaches.
Not the best mission, by any means.
After all, the most likely spot for demons to open a rift right now was near the District 6 main gate.
We'd even confirmed demons swarming District 7.
Assigned here meant a high chance of danger heading our way.
The other volunteer mercenaries here seemed to know it too.
"Huff, huff..."
"Is this a real war? Tell me it's not. It has to be a dream, right?"
"...No way."
Most were in disarray—panting wildly, panicking, lost in confusion.
They must not have grasped the reality of war either.
Worried my group might get swept up in the mood, I spoke calmly.
"Stay alert, but don't panic. If we stick to the plan, nothing will go wrong."
"...Yeah, got it."
After their reply, I turned my head.
Dozens of makeshift posts near the main gate.
We gathered at one, eyes locked straight ahead.
Only one thought filled my mind.
*Which side?*
If it matched the event from the game, the demons would appear...
The moment the moon turned red, as the name [Prophecy of the Red Moon] suggested.
That was the timing.
So...
"Huh? Wha—what's that!"
"Here we go."
Crackle!
As the moon bled red, the now all-too-familiar crimson lightning struck down.
The bolt hit a spot a short distance from the District 6 main gate.
The space there warped, then split open like a fish gaping its mouth.
*A rift.*
A rift connected to somewhere in the demon realm.
No need to imagine what came next.
"D-demons!"
Kee-eeeek!
Demon legions emerging one by one from the rift.
Their numbers swelled in an instant.
Easily hundreds, by rough count.
"Battle stations—!!"
"Volunteer mercenaries, charge the rift!"
"Ch-charge!"
As the kingdom had demanded, the volunteer mercenaries led the charge toward the rift.
Meanwhile, the kingdom's knights trailed slowly behind, dousing their swords with holy water.
Splash splash splash!
Infused with stronger holy power than standard holy water—pricey stuff.
But in this moment, they poured it out without restraint.
Now temporarily wielding power akin to paladins...
They raised their faintly glowing swords and stuck close behind the mercenaries.
As for us...
"So this is war..."
"More chaotic than I thought."
We watched the mayhem from a rear post, mana at the ready.
A privilege unique to mages.
After all, mages were ranged dealers.
Of course, Barundel was different from us.
"Raaargh—!"
Charging ahead of everyone toward the rift.
Thompson, eyes on him, said worriedly.
"He'll be fine, right? The dwarf fellow."
"As long as we support him well, no problem."
Our job right now was simple.
Protect Barundel with ranged fire.
And right on cue, the demon legion clashed with the mercenary front line.
Kee-eeeek!
Splat!
Kee-eeee—!
Slash!
The battlefield erupted into blood and flesh in seconds.
We didn't just watch—we fired spells focused around Barundel.
Kayla's fireball went first.
Fwoosh!
It carved a long streak of flame through the legion's front ranks.
Kiek! Kee-eek!
Demons aflame rolled on the ground in agony, while those yet to reach hesitated to approach.
And for those, an even greater disaster struck.
Whiiiish—boom!
Whiiiish—boom!
Rocks hurled like grenades by Thompson smashed into them mercilessly.
Krrk, krrrk...
Was it the effect of his physical training? The power was insane.
Every demon hit died instantly, foam at the mouth.
Those that barely dodged the rocks were mine.
Pew! Pew!
Like a laser sniper rifle, maybe?
The ones charging mindlessly dropped lifelessly, heads pierced one after another.
Cheers rose around then.
"Wooah—! M-magic!"
"Don't falter! We've got mages!!"
"Charge! Charge!!"
The mercenaries, tasting the fruits of ranged support, roared in excitement.
Sagging morale surged back to life.
*Yeah, this is what a mage is.*
In massive battles like this, a mage outclassed mercenaries of the same level by far.
One against a hundred wouldn't be an exaggeration.
That was why units with even one mage held morale steady.
And here? We had three. No wonder.
*If it were the zombie knight... he'd be right there beside Barundel.*
Not just beside, but tanking hits from hordes of demons.
Even imagining it was grim.
Not a game—you'd feel every bit of the pain.
Regeneration aside, your mind would break first.
Though it'd reassure the other mercenaries, sure.
Still.
"Mages are the best."
My words slipped out, and Thompson and Kayla chimed in.
"Yeah, that's right! This is what mages do!"
"Die, you demon scum!"
As if they'd been waiting for this, the group unleashed spells nonstop.
The mercenaries switched tactics, holding shields and enduring.
Our firepower nudged the line forward bit by bit.
Of course, it wasn't just us shining.
Slash—!
Whenever a mid-tier or higher demon emerged from the rift, a waiting royal knight dashed in and severed its head.
Demon heads flying clean off in one stroke, no resistance.
Holy water helped, but the knights' skill stood out more.
Each hovered at a level just shy of silver-haired elites.
Dozens of them gathered here meant even notable demons barely took a few steps from the rift.
Anyway.
*Smooth sailing so far.*
No major issues yet.
At this rate, we could encircle the rift and slaughter them as they came.
But things didn't stay rosy.
The demons knew they were losing ground.
Shrick, shrick!
They started sending out high-tier demons one by one.
And high-tier demons lived up to their name.
Shrriiick!
Crunch!
"Gaaargh—!"
[Massive Demon Cobra], bursting from the rift and tearing through lines, sinking fangs into mercenaries.
Bang!
Fwoosh!
[Stone Gargoyle], deflecting a knight's strike, soaring skyward to spew breath attacks.
Schling! Schling!
[Proliferating Slime], splitting and counterattacking physical hits.
Just a handful, and the battlefield shifted noticeably.
And at the same time...
An even more shocking scene unfolded.
"W-wait!"
"S-save me... save meee!"
"People? Humans?"
Humans, not demons, began pouring from the rift.
The bizarre sight made even me flinch.
*Why are there people?*
People emerging from a rift to the demon realm?
And it didn't end there.
The people from the rift lunged at mercenaries, biting their necks.
"Gk, guh! What the hell..."
"Die! Die!!"
What in the world was going on?
After some thought, I reached a conclusion.
*-Doesn't something feel off? Why plant that flower in District 7, where barely anyone's around, hidden in an inconspicuous tortoise den?*
They'd fallen victim to Asmodeus's power.
Their clothing was proof.
Rags so worn you couldn't tell when they'd last been washed.
Yeah, definitely the missing people from District 7 we'd never found anywhere.