Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Night Raid on the Enemy Camp
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Boris Selmon.
The son of a poor farmer from the Kanan Kingdom, he gripped the jar in his hands with a resolute expression.
He hadn't intended it, but somehow Boris had ended up among the 300 warriors handpicked by Captain Eva.
At first, he had honestly wondered what they could possibly do against 60,000 enemies with just 300 men.
But then, the situation that unfolded right after.
The one he had only heard rumors about, descending before the 300 warriors.
The moment he laid eyes on Seraphim,
Boris's doubts instantly turned into faith.
[Will you serve me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?]
The divine question confirming their vows.
In response, Boris cried out with an exalted voice.
"Y-Yes... I will serve! I will serve Seraphim with all my strength!"
He was admittedly a bit frightened by the being's terrifying appearance,
but even more than that, Boris sincerely pledged his obedience to the god before his eyes.
Boris still remembered it vividly even now.
The tributes he had been forced to offer to the temple back when they served the Baal God.
His family, struggling just to put food on the table each day, had endured unimaginable suffering because of it,
and in the end, his youngest sibling—who was still just a child—had succumbed to starvation.
Though things had improved somewhat after the Kanan Kingdom officially cut ties with the Baal Church,
the church's former priests and bishops continued to collect tributes in the name of the new god, persecuting anyone who refused, merely changing their signboards.
However, their tyranny came to an end that day.
The moment the great god Seraphim abolished all material offerings, their reign of terror was utterly eradicated.
Those who had groaned under the priests' oppression let out cheers of joy,
and they smashed the statues of the Baal God that remained in various places, spontaneously erecting statues of Seraphim in their stead.
Seraphim had avenged his dead sibling and freed his suffering family from torment.
How could he refuse when that great being appeared in person and asked him to serve?
And so, Boris and the other 300 warriors accepted Seraphim's words,
and in return,
Seraphim bestowed his blessing upon them.
"Oh..."
"Th-this is...!"
Along with a brilliant light came the sensation of enhanced physical abilities.
Strength, stamina, hearing, even eyesight.
Feeling an overwhelming power they had never experienced before, a deep euphoria washed over them, filling their hearts with conviction.
The conviction that they would surely win this war.
And now,
Boris and the other 300 warriors, their morale sky-high, weapons at their waists
and jars in their hands, cautiously advanced into the enemy camp under Eva's command.
The enemy camp was shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
Yet even so, at this moment, their eyes...
Their uniformly red-tinged eyes pierced through the darkness without hindrance.
"They're all asleep."
"It's strange. Even at night, you'd expect at least a few on watch..."
"Seraphim must have arranged it beforehand. He truly delivered them into our hands!"
It was indeed bizarre to see them sleeping so obliviously in what was essentially the heart of enemy territory.
Something artificial must have been at work...
The hand of Seraphim, without a doubt.
Feeling their spirits lifted once more by the god's protective touch,
they carefully followed Eva's lead toward the deepest part of the enemy camp, just as Seraphim had instructed.
Even though the enemies were asleep thanks to his aid,
it was no easy feat for 300 men to sneak silently through the midst of tens of thousands.
No matter how much Seraphim's blessing had enhanced their bodies, without considerable courage, they couldn't have endured it,
and a single mistake could have ruined everything.
'As expected... There was a reason he selected just 300 out of 6,000...'
'To pick only those who can keep their wits and move steadily even in this situation...'
Simply increasing numbers haphazardly would only hinder them here.
Admiring Seraphim's foresight once again, they finally reached the center of the enemy camp.
They then dispersed according to the plan, taking their positions.
And...
"Alright. Let's begin."
Eva gave the command in a quiet voice.
Boris nodded and immediately lifted the jar in his hand.
And.
-Crash!!!
-Crackle!!!
-Smash!!
Starting with Boris shattering his jar, soldiers all around broke theirs.
The deafening clamor jolted the enemies awake in a panic.
The sound of shattering jars echoing in the darkness
registered to the enemies as the clash of weapons.
And.
"Enemies!!!"
"The enemy is attacking!!"
At the same time, the 300 warriors shouted at the top of their lungs.
The spark of chaos ignited suddenly in the pitch-black darkness spread rapidly throughout the enemy camp,
igniting tremendous pandemonium.
The enemies, disoriented in the clamor and darkness, couldn't get their bearings.
However, as the warriors watched them, a strange sense of dissonance began to creep in.
"The... the sky... the sky!!!"
"My... my head! My head's going to split!!!"
"...?"
Their reactions seemed excessive for mere enemy raid panic.
They began trembling as if they had spotted something truly horrifying, raising odd questions.
But regardless of the questions rising in their minds, the warriors had no time to dwell on the enemies' reactions.
"Good. Move to the next phase immediately. Hurry."
"Yes, Captain!"
They swiftly regrouped at Eva's order.
Right after, they calmly slipped past the flailing, confused enemies in the darkness and began moving.
They wanted to cut them all down, but now was not the time.
No matter how much their combat prowess had improved or how the darkness shielded them, 300 men going all-out could at best take down a few thousand.
What was needed here wasn't cutting off the snake's tail or body, but its head.
And at this very moment,
amid the panicked enemies, the hidden 'heads' finally began to reveal themselves.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Damn it! Get a grip, all of you! Don't panic—face the enemy calmly!"
Commander Lot's sharp voice cut through the chaos.
He had hurriedly lit fires and was desperately trying to control the troops by directing his subordinate officers.
However.
"S-s-spare me! St-stop... please... please stop!!!"
"D-don't come... don't come closer! Stay away from me!!!!!"
Despite his efforts and the officers' interventions, the soldiers weren't calming down—instead, their frenzied symptoms worsened.
It wasn't mere confusion.
It was as if they were witnessing something terrifying.
Feeling doubt
and fear at that fact,
Lot swallowed dryly without realizing it.
At that moment...
"Kaaack!"
"Gahhk!"
"!!"
"Wh-what?"
His officers and guards suddenly collapsing.
And the person standing before them, holding a bloodied sword, was unmistakably...
"! N-no... y-you... you're Eva!"
"Long time no see, Lord Lot. Or should I say Commander Lot now?"
"Kuh...!"
Eva, leading a group of soldiers, surrounded him.
As her eerie red eyes gleamed at them, Lot shouted in thick fury.
"You wench... This is all your doing? I heard you joined hands with that evil god, but to use such filthy, despicable tricks! And you call yourself a holy knight...?"
"Filthy and despicable, huh... Haha, I never imagined you'd praise me so highly."
Lot's words carried the meaning of fighting a dirty war.
Eva responded with a cold laugh and aimed her drawn sword at Lot's nape.
"Kuh!"
"It's over. The other lords are probably our prisoners by now too. Surrender quietly, and as a lord, we'll treat you with the dignity due a captive."
The unspoken alternative: resist with pointless stubbornness, and she'd sever his head.
At that chilling warning,
Lot bowed his head and dropped to his knees.
The classic sign of surrender.
As Eva and the warriors watched this from the man who commanded the largest force among Moabmon's lords—and this war's commander—a moment of intense euphoria...
the joy of victory, began to seize them.
At that moment...
"Heh heh..."
"!? Wha?"
The next instant, an eerie sensation prickled their instincts.
Feeling that ominous clawing at her gut, Eva hurriedly tried to swing her sword.
That was when.
"Kuhahahaahaha!"
-Thud!
"!!"
A surge of intense power erupted from Lot's body in an instant.
The unnatural, tingling sensation that numbed their bodies forced Eva and her men to retreat hastily.
And then.
Right before their eyes,
enveloped in ominous mana, Lot cried out sharply.
-"Fools! I knelt to gain momentum! For this power alone! To use the Baal God's divine relic!"
"! What... what did you say?"
"B-Baal God's...?"
Eva and the warriors reeled in shock at the unexpected turn.
In that instant, Lot's body, wrapped in golden mana, began transforming rapidly.
His originally obese frame was covered in grotesque red muscles, and a pair of massive horns like a bull's sprouted from his forehead.
His form twisted into something monstrously bizarre.
Eva's face hardened as she watched.
'Th-this is... Divine Possession magic?'
The magic that manifested a god—or part of one—within a human body.
Watching it unfold before her eyes, a magic only used among honor-bound orcs due to its side effects, Eva was momentarily speechless.
And then,
gazing at her, Lot bellowed confidently in a voice laced with madness.
-"Kwaaah! Excellent! Perfect! This is true power! The power bestowed upon me by the Baal God! Come! Now I'll crush you filthy heretics in one blow!"