Chapter 41
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 41. Monster Wave
"Many."
If summarized in one word, it was that.
Many. Very many. Tremendously many.
The white snowfield beyond the ice wall was painted black.
Not just brushed lightly, but a scene as if an entire ink bottle was overturned.
The identity of that black wave is demonic beasts.
Frost Bear, Snowfield Wolf, Combat Horned Rabbit, Snowfield Widow Spider, Ice Troll……
It would look exactly like this if pages 1 to 300 of the Northern Ecosystem Encyclopedia were spread out at once.
Brynjolf opened his mouth with a serious expression.
"The scale is not ordinary. Saw all sorts of things in the North for 40 years, but this amount is the first time."
Freya gripped the handles of her twin swords tightly.
"Was this the reason Father went to investigate beyond the ice wall……?"
Atmosphere is heavy.
I scanned the battlefield with my arms crossed.
Amount enough for all territory people to have a meat party every day even by rough calculation.
"Refrigerators will be insufficient."
"What? Is that something to say right now?! Talking about meat in a life or death situation?"
……This is quite shocking.
Freya saying something normal.
Am I perhaps more barbaric than Freya?
No, can't be.
That is a proposition that doesn't hold even if the world splits in two.
I am not barbaric, but efficient.
Mm-hm. Indeed so.
"Small talk later. Enemy is right in front."
Then, Lucia stepped forward.
Today's Lucia is different from usual.
"Currently warriors are gathering quickly. But still need time until full assembly."
Makes one wonder if she is the same girl who barked 'Hiek' on the snowfield when first met.
The North's cutting wind carved the raw stone called Lucia steadily.
"Signal fire system activated, messenger deployment complete. Supply line secured from 3rd Logistics Warehouse to East Wall route. Wounded evacuation through West Gate. Already contacted warehouse manager, evacuation personnel currently organizing."
Freya clicked her tongue.
"Sister, seems like you ran a mercenary corps or something?"
"Learned in Academy. Liberal arts required subject."
What kind of place is RoFan Academy on earth.
From war command to administrative practice, social dance, magic theory.
Nothing missing.
Is it a super curriculum enabling one-man state operation upon graduation?
"Knight-nim."
Eyes met with Lucia.
If before, she would have flinched at this gaze. Would have turned eyes away as if running away.
Not anymore.
"Please take charge of Mobile Strike Force. Go out beyond the ice wall and disperse the formation. Disturb the monster advance route with frontal breakthrough, and scatter the concentrated mass before it reaches the castle wall."
"Easy task."
"Leon, guerilla. Join while handling remnants generated where Knight-nim broke through."
"Got it."
"Freya, Sir Brynjolf. While two disturb the front, main force please build defense line on the wall. Eri, barricade installation and wounded evacuation in the rear."
"E, Eri is not combat agent?!"
"Will give overtime pay. With pudding."
Lucia's command was natural like flowing water. Process of sending messengers to each outpost through magic crystal ball, checking signal fires, and confirming supply location ended in an instant.
Just before sortie.
I looked around getting on the dog sled.
Warriors' expressions are stiff.
What is needed at times like this is a leader's word.
There was such a scene in the original novel too.
Eve of decisive battle, scene where Hero stands in front of soldiers and gives a speech.
'Do not fear. I will become your sword. Will become your shield. When this night passes, we will greet the morning together.'
Empathy, encouragement, and promise.
Good. I will reproduce that.
Thump.
I planted the greatsword.
Warriors' gazes gathered.
Good. Gaze concentration complete.
Now just need to speak with heart.
'Do not be scared. I will take the lead. You just need to follow looking at my back. When this fight ends, let's hold a banquet together. I will treat you to the best cuisine.'
"If you want to live, prove your worth."
No empathy, no encouragement, and definitely no promise.
Only thing existing is pure threat.
Isn't 'Prove your worth' another expression for 'Die if useless'?
However──
Uooooooo-!!
"Did you hear? Great Warrior-nim is testing us!" "Useless guys die! Fight if don't want to die!" "Let's prove! North's pride! Our value!"
Warriors raised weapons high simultaneously.
Morale pierced the sky.
Why does that work as encouragement.
Northerners' thought circuit is still incomprehensible.
……Well, result is good so okay.
Intention is not important.
Important thing is result. North is result-oriented.
Next to me, Leona re-gripped the Holy Sword and shot a glare at me.
"Annoying."
……Thank you?
"Raising morale with threats, indeed have tyrant's quality."
"If hiding behind me tell in advance. Will make space."
"Ha! Don't make me laugh. Rather go into monster belly than hide behind you!"
Good answer.
Hero's spirit is felt.
"Going first."
Rumble rumble rumble-!
Castle gate opened, white snowfield spread out.
Black dots filling the snowfield greeted us.
Bark! Bark bark!
Eight huskies kicked the ground simultaneously.
Sprinting dogs and combat sled.
Wooooong-!
Aura of Abyss wrapped around the greatsword.
Good. Condition best.
Then, a first greeting befitting Black Knight quality.
Horizontal flash.
Kwaaaaaaaaang──!!
Sound followed belatedly.
Slash like a black crescent moon spread out.
Everything within 50 meters front was cut in two.
Wolf's head parted with body. Spider's legs asserted themselves. Bear's waist separated up and down starting respective lives.
Regardless of species. Regardless of size.
Blood and entrails scatter fairly.
Bark bark bark bark!
Husky pack stages a frenzied run.
Black sled running on road mixed with blood and snow.
Black Knight standing on top of it.
Every time greatsword swings once, crack forms in monster formation, and when sled penetrates that crack, road is paved with monster corpses.
But RoFan's war part is not completed alone.
Protagonist filming Musou alone is different genre.
Important thing in RoFan is chemistry with comrades.
"Don't be late, Hero."
Flash─!
White flash burst from rear.
It is Leona.
She jumped into the path I made.
"Haaaaaap!"
Monsters burned and pushed back wherever Holy Sword's light touched.
Crunch! Thwack!
Our strategy is simple.
First I tear the formation with sled. Monsters fall into confusion and run about in confusion.
In that confusion light flashes. Like moths gathering to fire, monsters' instinct rushes towards light.
Leona holds gathered monsters and engages.
Cluster. Gather. Dense.
Towards that clustered lump, I turn the sled and ram.
Hammer and Anvil.
Black Knight is Hammer. Hero is Anvil.
Two superhumans perform tactics hundreds of troops should perform.
Labor cost reduction effect is considerable. Lucia will like it.
Second turn. Amount of 3 monster platoons evaporates.
Third turn. Frost Bear herd falls into eternal hibernation.
Breath matched more repeated.
Timing Leona gathers monsters.
Timing I return and sweep monsters.
Never practiced beforehand once.
Far from rehearsal, our conversation was mostly curses.
But fits accurately.
This is exactly the essence of party play.
Beautiful. Touching.
Surely Leona must be feeling this rhythm of battlefield too.
'Good teamwork. If you draw enemies' attention with light, I will sweep them without missing that gap. Having a comrade to entrust back on battlefield is greatest blessing to a knight.'
Go, my comradeship!
'May I call you partner from now on?'
"Quite useful bait. Gather lots of bugs with light."
……Bait?
Leona glared this way while dealing with Frost Bear.
"What?"
Glare.
Murderous intent towards me not monster.
"Light doesn't come out from me. Be faithful to your role."
Unhelpful excuse popped out.
Resultantly failed to deny word 'bait'.
But isn't it plain fact?
What comes out from me is Aura of Abyss, namely darkness.
Luring bugs with darkness is biologically impossible.
"……Ha. Monster is first now."
Leona ground teeth and jumped into monster swarm.
Holy Sword's light brightened radius 30 meters in proportion to rage.
Monsters flocked towards light like moths.
……Excellent. Performance as bait upgraded further.
Of course moment uttering this analysis I will be cut by Holy Sword before monsters, so decided to admire only inside helmet.
Of course, there were guys we couldn't handle too.
Natural story.
War is not a test. Concept of full score doesn't exist.
No matter how much two superhumans overturn the front, thousands of monsters won't turn back politely saying 'Ah, front door blocked so let's go back home'.
Guys detouring to side. Guys digging underground. Guys coming down from sky.
Battlefield is three-dimensional.
"Block! End if breached!" "Just wolf pups! Don't be scared!" "Hahaha! Taste my axe!"
Role of Northern warriors was responding to that three-dimensional threat.
"Worth being rolled by pitch-black bastard every day! Easier than peeling potatoes!"
Freya swirled twin swords and slaughtered Horned Deers.
"One good thing about being old. That is not wasteful to die anytime! Kuhaha!"
Brynjolf split monsters with war axe.
What warriors are wearing is armor made of Black Mammoth bones. Holding is weapon reinforced with Saber Tiger claws.
Materials I hunted meanwhile increased their survival rate dramatically.
And behind that.
"Aack! Eri tired! This is overtime! Will charge all later!"
Eri screamed and waved hand.
Thorn vines soared wherever crack formed on wall creating barrier.
If wounded warrior falls, vines stretch like tentacles snatching warrior and throwing to safety zone.
"Thank you, Little Mage-nim!"
"Not little! Eris-nim! And don't thank but worship!"
Complaining but not missing even one.
Excellent supporter.
All elements of battlefield running engaging like gear wheels.
I disturb front. Leona handles remnants as guerilla. Freya and Brynjolf protect wall. Eri supports rear. Lucia commands overall.
Each performing own role 120%.
Overwhelming quantity of monsters too, just experience points and ingredients in front of this perfect party.
1st Wave started to subside.
Monster corpses piled like mountain on snowfield, surviving guys hesitated and retreated.
Good atmosphere.
But this is not the end.
Because more vicious energy was writhing far away.
Lull continued.
Warriors relaxed shoulders and started passing around water canteen.
"Uooooo!!" "Won?" "Did we get them?"
Someone threw a joke, laughter spread.
Then Freya's sense screamed.
Vibration rising from under feet, under snow.
"Dangerous!!"
Before Freya's warning ended, snowfield right next to warriors' formation rose.
Obsidian exoskeleton tore surface and soared.
Frost Scorpion.
Body length 4 meters. Scorpion of obsidian exoskeleton reaching 8 meters including tail.
Frost Scorpion is an ambush hunter.
Was lurking under snow in confusion of 1st Wave.
Hid own presence in scent of blood and magic poured by monster corpses, waiting for moment warriors let guard down.
Swaaaek──!
Immediately upon protrusion, scorpion's tail stinger swept surroundings.
"Kuaack!"
Two warriors grazed by stinger.
Ice crystals bloomed like flowers instantly at contact site.
Skin turning pale blue. Stiffening muscles. Weapon falling from hand.
Ice Poison.
Warriors fell.
"Don't die! If die people calling Eri cute decrease!"
Eris's thorn vines stretched out immediately. Wrapped two fallen warriors like tentacles snatching them, dragging to rear safety zone.
"G, Gently throw! Wounded!!"
"Didn't throw! Eri's vines are precise!"
Actually wounded landed softly on rear snow pile.
Lucia made immediate judgment.
"East Reserve Warriors 15, deploy to West Scorpion engagement sector! Movement route through inner wall passage! Ground is dangerous!"
Scorpion is scary, but manageable opponent.
Just need to endure until Black Knight and Hero come.
Then, a warrior on the wall pointed at sky and screamed.
"Sky! Look at sky!!"
Shadow covered watchtower.
Giant raptor over 6 meters wingspan.
Ruler of Northern sky. Blizzard Eagle.
Top predator that even Frost Bear and Saber Tiger lower body instinctively if shadow passes.
That is forming formation.
Eagle at lead flapped wings once.
Puk puk puk puk!
Razor-like ice feathers poured down.
"Shield! Raise shield! Head down!!"
Brynjolf shouted.
Clang, clang clang, clang!
Ice feathers hit metal splashing fragments.
Frost Scorpion on ground. Blizzard Eagle in sky.
"Archers focus on eagles! Shoot when eagle dives. Arrows don't reach while circling because distance too far! Warriors on wall maintain shield wall move behind cover! Leave scorpions to Freya and Sir Brynjolf and──"
Rumble rumble rumble.
Lucia's voice stopped.
Wall shook.
Fragments fell like rain, cracks spread like web on wall surface.
Below.
From underground.
Rumble rumble rumble──!!
Wall base swelled up.
Stone pushed away, ice cracked, ground itself twisted.
Penetrating stone and permafrost, something soared.
First thing seen was mouth.
Rotating saw blade teeth on snout. Three layers of ice crystal saw blades overlapped in concentric circles.
Wiiiiiiiing-!
Saw blades tearing wall flesh, spewing sharp friction sound.
Following that body came up.
Came up. Came up. Came up endlessly.
Translucent body. Length would be 15 meters.
Glacier Worm.
Death Worm inhabiting underground of Ice Wall of Lamentation.
2nd Monster Wave.
Underground, Ground, and Sky.
Simultaneous threat from three directions appeared.