Oblivion Legion (1)
The army fell into chaos at the unexpected turn of events. No—this was actually the less chaotic version of what could have happened. At least the scouts had managed to report the enemy's advance instead of the legion simply charging out unannounced.
About… ten minutes. It might sound absurd, but even that much warning was barely scraped together.
The reason was simple: every single member of the reconnaissance team had been captured and slaughtered. Only two survivors made it back to headquarters with the news, so at least the fact that the legion was on the move could be confirmed.
But confirmation alone did not mean they were fully prepared.
“!”
The moment I followed Clara out of the tent, I saw them. Monsters beginning to pour across that faint stream of light marking the Fanatic's Pact.
Their numbers rivaled the monster wave I had witnessed in the Estire Kingdom. One difference stood out, though…
“What the hell…”
Dangerous monsters of the highest ranks were flooding in en masse. Wyverns, the pinnacle of flying types; Moon Assault Wolves, among the most powerful and lethal of ground-crawling beasts; Ogres, the strongest of the pack-forming monsters.
And most eye-catching of all were the massive figures towering even among them—creatures whose bodies looked like swamp water cascading downward. Swamp Giants.
Those things usually show up as dungeon bosses…
I had never seen anything like them among the Oblivion Legion I knew. Forces far beyond what I had encountered in the game Dungeon in Evil had appeared. Clara seemed to sense the same unease; tension showed clearly on her face as she spoke.
“…Albrecht.”
She called my name, then stretched out both arms and pulled me into a light embrace.
“Be careful. You have to stay by Freya's side at all times… understood?”
“…Yeah. I got it.”
My role didn't require me to close in on the enemy anyway, so sticking close to Freya as she said would work just fine.
Still…
There's no telling where the Legion Commander will show up.
Eris, Commander of the Oblivion Legion, was nowhere in sight. If she appeared somewhere far from Freya, I would have no choice but to move.
“Do not worry, Clara.”
Caesius spoke up then.
“This body is here. Ordinary monsters will pose no threat.”
It was an arrogant claim, but an undeniable truth.
Dragons were called the apex of all monsters. When other beasts bent the knee and swore loyalty to the Demon King, dragons alone refused—and thrived regardless. That alone spoke to how powerful they were; even the Demon King could not casually touch them. Caesius had only just left the Hatchling stage, yet she was still a true dragon, stronger than most monsters by far.
Clara knew that as well. Watching Caesius boast so confidently seemed to ease her a little.
“…Okay. Let's go. Everyone will be waiting.”
“Right.”
I let out a quiet breath under the weight of tension and followed after her. We passed soldiers frantically running to meet the oncoming monsters and headed for the commander's tent.
“You're late~♡ Were you sleeping~?”
“No. Just checking the situation for a moment.”
“…So they've already come into view. That makes the briefing faster.”
Commander Rosebach explained in a hurried voice.
“We've been forced into a defensive siege rather than an assault, but the core of the operation remains unchanged. As for directly facing the Oblivion Legion Commander…”
He looked at Erinn.
“That will fall to you and your companions, Erinn. Karna and Sharti have duties of their own in the defensive phase.”
“I can roughly guess what~♡”
I hadn't heard the details, but I had a fair idea myself. They intended to make use of the Holy Spear—the sacred relic that had chosen Karna.
In an offensive position its use was heavily restricted, but when forced onto the defensive there was nothing better. That massive spear itself could serve as an outstanding siege weapon.
Alongside the Holy Sword, it was ranked among the most powerful holy armaments, and the divinity it contained possessed an explosive nature. Used properly, it could function like a gigantic bomb—something akin to a tactical nuke from old strategy simulation games.
On the attack, the risk of friendly fire made full use of that power difficult. On the defense, however, nothing could match it.
That was why they were leaving the Legion Commander to Erinn alone…
…In terms of pure combat power, it's like losing one of our strongest pillars.
Two Heroes together could handle a Legion Commander with little trouble. With only one… I couldn't even begin to predict how things would go.
In the story of Dungeon in Evil, the Oblivion Legion Commander was always defeated by the player and an NPC Hero working together.
Unease was still gnawing at me when Erinn spoke.
“Fine, I'll do it. But you have to clear the surroundings and secure a proper fighting space for us.”
“You need not worry on that account.”
Commander Rosebach spoke with absolute confidence.
“I've brought the right person for the job.”
As he finished, someone entered the command tent.
“You called for me, Commander?”
“Perfect timing.”
Rosebach said,
“You've all heard the name, I expect. This is Yulla, the Barrier Mage currently active on the front lines.”
“Ah, the Heroes. It's an honor to meet you.”
The timing of her entrance was almost artistic, coincidence or not…
Still, I had never heard the name Barrier Mage Yulla before. Heroes active on the front lines were usually characters the player never chose, but between Leite and now this, there were a lot of unfamiliar names.
Was I really this ignorant of everything?
A little puzzled, I decided to check her status first.
Name: Yulla
Class: Mage
[Strength: 68] [Agility: 150]
[Stamina: 194] [Intelligence: 42]
[Mana: 490] [Divinity: 0]
[Barrier Arts Lv.8] [High-Speed Chanting Lv.4] [Circuit Crafting Lv.8]
[Sixth Sense Lv.4] [Mana Circulation Lv.5] [Mana Recovery Lv.4] [Mana Resistance Lv.4]
True to her moniker, she was a mage—and unlike ordinary mages, she possessed the trait [Barrier Arts]. It amplified the effects of barrier magic, and mages with that trait were always excellent for clearing defensive siege stages.
“She will lay the ground for your battle against the Oblivion Legion Commander.”
“I have a barrier that can contain monsters. A monster of Legion Commander level could smash through it in minutes if they focused, but they won't be able to concentrate on the barrier while fighting a Hero and her companions…”
“So if we start losing, the barrier won't be safe either~?”
“In other words, yes.”
Erinn gave a short laugh.
“Sounds fun~♡”
“Seeing you so composed, I can set the barrier with confidence. I'll be counting on you, Hero Erinn.”
“Anyone have questions about the operation?”
There were none. Nothing was too complicated to understand, and nothing was hard to accept. The only real concern had been Erinn's opinion on facing the Legion Commander alone—but she seemed to have no complaints.
“Looks like no one~?”
“Good.”
Commander Rosebach looked over the two Heroes, their companions, the other heroes, and even me and Caesius as he spoke.
“I ask that you all cooperate in driving out this evil.”
“Of course.”
“Well, that's why we came~ I'll try to keep Grandpa alive at least♡”
“Haha! That's kind of you to say.”
The commander's personality was really something… If it had been me, I would have wanted to give her a solid knuckle to the head.
“Then let us all fight together.”
Rosebach declared,
“For the peace of humanity.”
We followed Commander Rosebach to the front of the line, to the high ground where the defensive positions had been established. Karna and Sharti were with us for the moment as well.
The instant we arrived at the defensive zone, the stench of gunpowder and the twang of bowstrings being drawn and released filled the air from every direction. They were trying to keep the monsters from climbing the high ground.
Not every monster crawled on the ground, however. Flying types like wyverns, and massive creatures that had no need to climb—the Swamp Giants—were already striking the front lines directly.
“Aaaargh!!”
“Aim northwest—fire!!”
Screams mixed with the shouted orders of officers rang out on all sides. It felt exactly like what I had heard in the Behend Kingdom, and my body stiffened slightly.
Even so, the commander remained remarkably calm as he approached the adjutant in charge of this sector.
“Have you located the Oblivion Legion Commander?”
“Not yet, sir. We still have no word from Lady Leite.”
It wasn't that they couldn't identify her appearance. Which meant…
“…She's hiding?”
“That seems likely. Whether she has some scheme in mind…”
“If we start pounding them first, she'll come out on her own, won't she~? Better to do it before they get too close anyway~.”
Erinn said this while looking at Karna. He nodded in agreement.
“This distance is good.”
“Karna, I'm counting on you.”
“Understood.”
Karna stepped forward.
“Sharti, cover me.”
“Yes, Karna.”
The Hero of the Holy Spear, said to possess power equal to Erinn—who had been chosen by the Holy Sword, the greatest of the sacred relics.
This was my chance to witness that power with my own eyes. I watched with a flicker of anticipation.
“…Hmm?”
Beside me, Caesius—who had been staring blankly—spoke up.
“What is that?”
“What?”
“You cannot see it?”
She pointed far into the distance.
“Over there.”
“……We can't see anything.”
When I said that, the others looked in the same direction and nodded. Only one person besides the dragon Caesius—Ser-Aria, whose eyesight surpassed even hers—seemed to have spotted something.
“Huh? What is that.”
“What is it~?”
Erinn asked, apparently unable to see it either. Ser-Aria answered,
“Something like a worm is crawling around over there?”
“…?”
A worm, out of nowhere…
KUUUUUUUUUNG!!!
The ground heaved violently.
“…!?”
“What the hell was that…!?”
“……You said a worm~?”
At Erinn's question, Caesius and Ser-Aria both nodded.
“Yeah, a long body like a worm was sticking up a little from the ground.”
“I do not know what it is, but something long was burrowing beneath the earth.”
“Puhaha! So it is a worm! Caesius, you don't even know what a worm is?”
“Must this body know the names of such insignificant creatures?”
Hearing that, my eyes went wide with shock. Something resembling a worm. And the trembling earth. Those were the hallmarks of one particular monster.
“Karna, stop dawdling and throw it already~ Before that thing reaches us.”
“…Understood.”
Karna raised the Holy Spear. Erinn turned to the rest of us.
“Prepare for battle~.”
“….”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
Hero Karna activates [Explosive Holy Spear]
Mana gathered around Karna's Holy Spear. He drew his arm far back, planted his foot forward—
And then.
SHWAAAAAAAAAK!!!
The Holy Spear left his hand and shot high into the sky. After reaching a certain height, it plummeted straight down—as if to bombard the earth beneath it.
KUNG───!!
Like an airstrike.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
A massive explosion erupted, and the light of the Holy Spear swallowed every monster beneath it. Considering those had been high-ranking monsters, the sheer power was staggering.
The range was enormous as well. In a single instant, the front line of the monster army trying to climb the high ground was completely wiped clean.
…Incredible.
So this was the power of the Holy Spear's Hero. He truly was a match for Erinn.
“Looks like the timing worked out~.”
Erinn said this as she drew the Holy Sword. The moment she prepared for battle, Freya spoke up.
“Erinn? The Oblivion Legion Commander still hasn't appeared.”
“What are you talking about~? I already told you to prepare for battle.”
Erinn smirked.
“Looks like she's kindly come to play with us~♡”
At first Freya and the others didn't quite understand what she meant. But soon they realized why Erinn had urged Karna to throw the Holy Spear so quickly.
The explosion had been so intense that the earth itself was still sizzling from the heat—and something was trying to push its way up from underneath with a wet thud.
KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!!!
With a monstrous roar, the thing Caesius and Ser-Aria had seen earlier finally revealed itself.
It did resemble a worm as Ser-Aria had said, but in truth it was far closer to a serpent—it had simply been burrowing through the ground.
“Ah…!”
And someone was riding atop its head. Of course. That monstrous snake was Rage Python, the Oblivion Legion Commander's loyal subordinate and pet.
Which meant the figure astride its head could only be…
“Hello, little ones.”
A woman with ash-colored hair and copper-tanned skin that looked as if she had spent years under the sun. Yet her true nature was nothing more than a vile servant of the Demon King…
“What kind of insolent little scheme were you cooking up this time?”
Eris, Commander of the Oblivion Legion.