The Inevitable (3)
At Sien's command, the reserve force withdrew to the rear—far enough to be completely cut off from the main body still forming up for battle.
The maneuver stirred confusion on both sides. The main force wondered why the reserves were being pulled away so suddenly, while the reserves themselves questioned why they were being taken off the field. The unrest ran deeper among the main force. The reserves existed so they could fight with some measure of peace of mind; with that safety net gone, their reaction was only natural.
The mouth of the rift would open any moment now, and demonic beasts would come pouring through. In a situation like that, unrest was more fatal than anything else.
"Quiet, all of you! Hold your tongues! They're about to come pouring out!"
"The reserves have their own reasons for moving. We just need to do our jobs."
"You think you're a bunch of greenhorns just because they're gone? You're not!!"
Fortunately, neither the officers commanding the soldiers nor the soldiers themselves were raw recruits who'd never seen combat. They knew how horrific the things they faced truly were—that a single gap in their ranks could cost them their lives in an instant. Any further unrest would serve no one.
"Rift forming! They're coming!"
"All units, prepare for battle!!"
The two formations stared down the rift. Let's make it home alive today. Alive—to eat dinner at home.
A moment later, grotesque sounds echoed from beyond the maw of hell.
Kieeek!!—
Greeeeek!!—
Monsters, frenzied by the scent of prey. They shrieked as one and charged. These were demonic beasts that had resorted to devouring their own kind when there was nothing else to eat. To creatures like that, the smell of humans right in front of them was nothing short of a feast laid out on a silver platter.
"Loose!"
Thwung!—
Tung!—
The waiting archers loosed their arrows in unison. One might ask what good arrows would do against beasts that shrugged off spears and swords—but even if their killing power was lacking, their stopping power was certain. Demonic beasts were larger than humans by nature. If they slammed into the shield wall at full charge, the impact could be enough to punch straight through.
Papapak!!—
Kiek! Kieeeek!!—
Being able to check their charge from a distance meant arrows were far from useless. And if luck was on their side, one might even find an eye or a vital point.
"Range check!"
"Closing in! Closing in!!"
At that cry, the main force's commander gave the signal. The soldiers locked together as one, becoming a single massive shield.
"Don't shame the Lichtenauer name!"
"Uwaaaaah!!"
They raised their shields and gripped their spears tight. Hold the line, and they all lived. Break, and they all died. They wanted to go home alive—wanted to run. But to actually survive, they couldn't flee. Terrified or exhausted, fighting was still the most effective choice.
KWAANG!— KWAANG!—
KREEEEEEEK!!—
The demonic beasts slammed into the formation, jaws gaping as they screamed. They had to snatch their prey now, to fill this hunger. They had to take even one scrap more than their own kind.
"Ghhhk!"
"Hold! Hold the line!"
"Pikes ready!!"
"Thrust!"
While the first through third ranks held their ground as a living wall, the pikemen waiting behind drove their weapons home with everything they had. They didn't need to kill the beasts—wounding them was enough. A wounded beast at the front would slow, becoming an obstacle that hampered its own kind.
The beasts' speed had dropped considerably. The house-sized wave had shrunk, its force diminished.
Ordinarily, this was the moment to tighten the encirclement and commit the reserves for a decisive annihilation. If the beasts threw their weight against a flank, or circled around to break out of the net, things would get ugly. But there were no reserves to carry out that role now. A handful of knights had finished preparing and were moving to the flanks, but they alone couldn't crash down like a thunderbolt.
"My lady."
Brender's face was faintly worried. The reserves had pulled all the way back to wait. Even the knights meant to protect Sien had been sent to cover the main force's flanks. They would fill some of the gap the reserves had left, but if the formation collapsed in that state, the casualties would be catastrophic. The beasts could surge all the way here in an instant. He didn't want to doubt Sien's decision or Adel's counsel—but there was always an if.
"Just wait a little longer."
Sien was no less anxious herself. Everything that came of this decision was hers to bear. At this point, she could have doubted the man who'd offered the advice. But she forced the unease down with her faith in Adel. He wasn't a man who guessed at things. There had to be a reason. Why else would someone who was always so quiet speak up? Because he was certain. Because he had lived through this before.
"My lady! My lady!!"
And not long after, an urgent report came flying in.
"E-emergency report. Signs of a rift forming in the rear!"
In that instant, Sien and Brender both looked at Adel.
Even under the two pairs of eyes boring into him, Adel's expression remained calm, as if nothing were amiss.
It's been happening more and more lately. Strangely so.
Two rifts would open at once, and then, not long after, another would appear somewhere at random. Through the middle of the Great War, this had never happened even once. It was as if each rift had its own territory—when one formed, no other would appear nearby. But toward the war's end, the first such cases were reported, and the frequency had climbed, little by little.
The Emperor and his ministers had even held grave discussions on the matter. It was a dangerous development that could upend the entire anti-beast doctrine built from years of accumulated experience. Adel, however, had only ever cared about fighting, so he hadn't paid the debates much mind. If a rift appeared, you just fought more. That was all.
"The rift is Class 4... Ah—ah! My lady! Correction! Class 3! Confirmed as Class 3! The rift that appeared in the rear is Class 3!!"
At the messenger's cry, Adel looked at Sien. She had suffered greatly because of a Class 3 rift before. But that had only been because their numbers were insufficient. Now they had a thoroughly prepared regular army and no shortage of knights. Those who would fight had already finished their preparations. What remained was the one who had to command that fight—and bear it.
"...Inform the reserves. They've been given the most important battle of all. Tell them to see it through thoroughly."
"Yes, my lady!"
After the messenger left, Brender spoke up carefully.
"My lady. As for command of the reserves..."
"I believe there's already a suitable person for field command. Am I wrong?"
"No, you're not."
"Then I think it best that I take overall command from here."
Sien looked at Brender as if asking whether anything in what she'd said was mistaken. The Knight Commander shook his head with a smile. It was a mistake novice commanders sometimes made. They'd do well at first, but the moment something big happened, they'd forget their own position and pour too much attention into that one place. Caring wasn't a bad thing, of course. But if you honed every nerve on a single point, you buried yourself in it. A true commander had to look at the battlefield more broadly.
"If anything, my worry is over there. The reserves will have to fight on their own now—hold out against two rifts by their own strength, and win."
Having said that, Sien glanced at Adel. She knew he was strong—stronger than anyone in Lichtenauer. But she couldn't keep leaning on him. Those who did not fight for themselves could not protect themselves, either.
"...Adel."
"Yes, Lady Sien."
But given the situation, there was no helping it. Nothing was more foolish than hesitating when you had the sharpest weapon at hand.
"I want you to go as you are and help the reserves take the Class 3 rift."
"Me, my lady?"
"Yes. I don't think it would be difficult for you."
"My lady!"
Brender cried out in alarm at Sien's order. The knights who'd been guarding the perimeter had already all been sent down to the main force. The only people protecting this position now were himself, Adel, and two knights. If even one point was breached and the beasts came flooding this far—in the worst case, Lichtenauer would suffer another great tragedy. And this time, they wouldn't recover. They would collapse entirely.
"Commander Brender."
But Sien dismissed Brender's worries with a few shakes of her head.
"Answer me, Adel. It isn't a difficult task, is it?"
It wasn't difficult. It couldn't be. To him, it was merely that much—no, that little. There was, however, a rather troublesome aspect. He wouldn't be sweeping through on his own; he'd have to support them. If he ran wild and accidentally broke the reserves' formation, the beasts could slip through the gaps and turn it into a melee. These people weren't like his old comrades, who thrived in chaotic fighting. Nor were the conditions like the recent Class 3 rift incident, where he could cut loose. Naturally, there would be any number of restrictions on how he moved.
"...Ten minutes."
But even fighting with every one of those restrictions in place—an apex predator was always an apex predator, no matter when or where.