Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Demonic Realm (2)
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After the communication ended, I explained the situation to everyone who had gathered.
“For that reason, I believe we need to move up the schedule for our conquest of the Demonic Realm.”
We've learned the approximate locations of the Empire's bases in the Demonic Realm from the surviving soldiers.
Their main base isn't far from here. If we leave tomorrow morning, we can reach it in about three days.
“We'll strike their main base directly. If we can destroy that place, the remaining Imperial forces in the Demonic Realm will be isolated. Taking them out after that will be a piece of cake.”
Spreading out through the gate there might be efficient, but it has one fatal flaw.
If that entrance is destroyed, they'll have nowhere to retreat. To the north is the vast, open sea; to the south is Rzhev. To the east and west, they're surrounded by that damned forest.
Of course, their defenses are likely tight and their numbers large, but there's no reason we can't bring them down.
With Ivan Pons and his unit dead, their morale must have already hit rock bottom.
“I agree. We can't back down now. We need to crush them as quickly as possible and return.”
“Let’s smash those bastards and get back home.”
Reinhardt forced a smile, as if trying to erase his earlier anxiety. He was worried about the Mercenary Corps, of course, but as a mercenary, seeing comrades get injured or die wasn't exactly a rare occurrence. He could only try to console himself with that thought.
“We need to rest as much as we can, whenever we can. It’s unlikely we’ll face many more ambushes. In fact, there might not be any at all.”
“Understood. The Mercenary Corps has fallen... This is a grave matter. I must inform His Holiness of this as well.”
It was true that a major crisis had befallen them.
“…The Mercenary Corps can rise again.”
“The Holy Kingdom will also provide its full support, both materially and spiritually. We must repay the kindness the Mercenary Corps has shown us in the Demonic Realm.”
I didn't build the Mercenary Corps just to let it collapse so absurdly. I didn't raise it to be so weak.
“We will move out first thing tomorrow morning.”
Everyone began to clean up the camp. To get a good night's rest, they had to at least tidy up the surrounding area, which was littered with blood and flesh.
“Will it be okay?”
“It will be.”
Though he had listened to all the communications and followed the subsequent decisions, Seamus’s worries didn't seem to fade easily.
“Kanta Village... I wonder what happened to my uncle.”
Kanta Village had fallen during the monster wave, and its people had been relocated to the Mercenary Corps headquarters.
Seamus's uncle would have been caught up in that chaos. No one knew what had become of him.
“Your uncle will be fine.”
He could try to find out through the communication sphere, but Seamus wasn't the only one who had lost family and comrades in this coup.
“Let’s finish this expedition into the Demonic Realm as quickly as possible and go back.”
The end of the Demonic Realm expedition was in sight.
***
The capital's tavern, a gathering place for mercenaries, was packed to the brim.
“That bastard Iscario? The one who was the fourth captain of the Mercenary Corps?”
Three days after the incident at the Mercenary Corps, two identical messages reached mercenaries across the continent, one after the other.
The first was that the original White Mercenary Corps had fallen, and that Iscario himself had become the new commander.
The second was a declaration of war, stating that the ousted members were no longer part of the Mercenary Corps, and anyone who helped them would be treated as an enemy in the name of the new White Mercenary Corps.
“What a joke.”
“A guy like that is the new commander of the White Mercenary Corps?”
However, three days was more than enough time for the truth about the White Mercenary Corps to spread throughout the industry.
The news that Iscario had brought in the Empire to take over the Mercenary Corps sent shockwaves through the mercenary world. Some ridiculed the White Mercenary Corps, while others were enraged.
“Seizing power not with his own strength, but by borrowing the hand of the Empire?”
“It's a disgrace to all mercenaries!”
No matter how inseparable the mercenary world was from the nations, it was a relationship of giving and receiving missions, not one of staging a coup with the Empire's backing.
It was an act that violated one of the unwritten rules among mercenaries.
Iscario realized that Glen Pendley had spread the news and belatedly tried to suppress it, but word of mouth travels fast. And it had spread in an instant.
“Anyway, this is the end for the White Mercenary Corps. The absolute end.”
“Who would have thought they’d collapse so quickly?”
“I heard Mike Hoare is missing in the southern mountains.”
“Well then. I guess that’s fate.”
The second message was a plea for help from those with past ties, explaining that the original White Mercenary Corps was in crisis due to Iscario's betrayal and needed aid to rebuild.
In the end, both sides were forcing the mercenaries to make a choice.
It wasn't simply a choice between the original Mercenary Corps and Iscario. Considering the powers behind them, it had become a choice between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
Of course, there was the option of not choosing at all, but that was merely a postponement. They couldn't avoid making a choice forever.
“Whew. I wonder if this is going to lead to a war.”
“Mercenaries against the Empire? Don't be ridiculous.”
“Just because they didn't profit much from the wave doesn't mean they'll go to war.”
“Tsk. You idiot. I’m talking about the Holy Kingdom versus the Empire. They're already at each other's throats, foaming at the mouth and calling each other heretics. And it seems the Mercenary Corps has been getting cozy with the Holy Kingdom.”
Even though the monster wave had occurred, mercenaries, surprisingly, weren't seeing much action.
The Emperor, positioning himself as a divine figure, had deployed all of the Empire's forces to block the monsters, all for the sake of his own glory.
Even missions that would normally have been outsourced were drastically reduced, meaning mercenaries had fewer opportunities to profit.
“Let’s get moving, too. If we want to get a piece of the action, we need to move fast.”
And so, many mercenaries began to move, heading to their chosen destinations according to the choices they made.
***
“This is…”
It was less a base and more a colossal castle.
Many parts were broken and crumbling, but it was unmistakably a castle.
“Those crazy bastards. To use an old royal palace as their base.”
The royal palace of the kingdom where that mad king had resided. They were using the entire thing as an Imperial base.
The palace was immense, a testament to the kingdom's former power.
“No wonder they managed to dig up even some useless old religion.”
A royal palace is typically where a king resides and serves as the heart of a nation, but it's also a place where all sorts of worldly treasures are gathered.
Finding a single ancient religion in a place like this would be child's play. Not to mention all the other dark things in the world.
“It's a shame we're short on men. In a siege, the defenders have an overwhelming advantage.”
“It can't be helped. This was something we already anticipated. We have more than enough people to smash that place to bits.”
It wasn't an unexpected situation. Just in case, I had already factored in the possibility of them mounting a defense.
“Hmm…?”
As I was contemplating how to annihilate that place with minimal casualties before the final battle.
I sensed the presence of a great many people from behind us. At least several hundred.
“But there weren’t any enemies on the way here.”
“Everyone, prepare for battle—!”
Gleb must have sensed the presence as well, as he quickly organized the Holy Kingdom's forces, but I raised my hand.
I didn't sense any hostility from the approaching figures. They were simply drawing near. At a considerable speed.
“Brother Kratos?”
“They're not enemies.”
However, the Holy Kingdom's forces did not lower their guard, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances as they waited for the group to approach.
“Kratos—!”
And there, at the head of the approaching group, was Luther, who should have been in Rzhev, waving at Kratos with a bright expression.
“Luther—!”
Behind him were hundreds of mercenaries. All familiar faces. I'd seen every one of them at least once at the Mercenary Corps headquarters.
And they were a mix of members from various divisions.
“Hey—Reinhardt! You’re looking good!”
“Dex—!”
“Seamus—! You’re alive!”
Perhaps because they were seeing their comrades in such an unexpected place, both Reinhardt and Seamus ran toward them, overjoyed.
There was surely a lot they wanted to hear.
“What brings you all the way out here? Where's Pendley? Are the other mercenaries all right?”
Of course, I felt the same. I never imagined they would suddenly appear at the edge of the Demonic Realm.
“It was Pendley’s order. He said the Mercenary Corps needed to have a firm stake in the reclamation of the Demonic Realm. That it was the only way to ensure you achieve what you want. So I brought everyone who could fight.”
“That's Pendley for you.”
It seemed he was proceeding well with what I had told him. So much so that he even sent reinforcements like this. This was a huge help.
“I came instead of Pendley because of that summons you mentioned. It seems that bastard Iscario had the same idea. Pendley sent his message first, but I heard Iscario sent one with the same content.”
“Hmm. Iscario, too? So it's a choice. Whether to side with the Empire or with the opposition. He moved faster than I expected, though.”
Luther looked at me with wide, slightly surprised eyes.
“He must have a backer. Obviously the Empire. He’s become the Empire’s puppet. No, even if it’s just a superficial arrangement, it means the entire Mercenary Corps has fallen under the Empire's command.”
“Damn it! Under the Empire’s command! After all these years we’ve spent fighting them! But you… you sound just like Pendley. He said the mercenaries would be forced to choose, and that surprisingly few might come our way.”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s save the details for when we return to Rzhev. For now, our priority is to clean this place up quickly.”
I had already anticipated this much. As a commander himself, Iscario couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
Besides, the situation on his end seems to have been resolved quite quickly, which suggests the Empire is providing him with significant manpower.
And unlike what Pendley feared, it doesn't matter if not many people come to our side.
“Anyway. Is that it over there?”
“Yes. That’s their stronghold.”
“Crazy bastards. A giant castle in the middle of the Demonic Realm.”
“They didn’t build it. It was already here.”
“Oh? So you have a way to bring it down, right?”
Of course, I had a method even before they arrived, but now it was a certainty.
A method that killed two birds with one stone, so to speak.
“Does everyone need a rest?”
“Rest? What for? We need to deal with those bastards and get back to Rzhev. As soon as possible.”
As if in response, the mercenaries raised their weapons, their fighting spirit blazing.
“Then there’s nothing holding us back.”
“Gleb—”
I called to Gleb, who raised his hand, and the Holy Kingdom's forces all assumed combat stances.
“Now then, what kind of strategy will you surprise us with?”
Luther calmed his pounding heart and met Kratos's gaze. He seemed to be expecting something brilliant.
Sorry, but there's nothing like that this time.
“Stand by—!”
I charged toward their base.
A gray aura emanated from my body, purifying and absorbing the demonic energy that saturated the area around their base.
The first principle of battle is to turn the terrain to your advantage. I would purify the demonic energy that favored them and absorb it into my stats.
And on top of that.
A flood of holy power poured in from behind, adding sacred energy to the barren land where the demonic energy had receded, applying a debuff to our enemies.
And then.
Kuuuu-gung—
A full swing of my hammer, powered by a Strength stat of 102 plus spiritual power, violently struck their castle wall.
A crack appeared on the wall I thought was impregnable. It spread like shattered glass.
“One more time—!”
With the second strike, the cracked wall crumbled like a sandcastle.
“That—crazy—!”
“All units, attack—! Charge—!”
From behind, I heard someone's incredulous curse and Gleb's voice signaling the start of the battle.
If there's a more certain method than this, I'd like to see it!
As I crossed the crumbling wall amid rising dust, the panicked faces of the soldiers came into view.
“Now. It’s time for vengeance. Sweetly accept the punishment I deliver.”