The Weight of Battle
“At first, I created three summoning circles.”
Thanks to Anibolka’s flames, they hadn’t noticed, but even after Dede Samudi’s incantation ended, the starlight and moonlight had yet to return to the night sky. And high above, what blocked out the stars and moon was no ordinary cloud.
What filled the heavens was a countless horde of evil spirits, their pitch-black bodies and eyes silently gazing down upon the earth below.
Th-that’s impossible! No human could command that many evil spirits!
Oh, how I had hoped he would say exactly that.
“Of course not. No matter how skilled a necromancer, or how gifted a summoner, commanding that many evil spirits at will is impossible. If someone could, they would have already transcended the bounds of humanity.”
Just like Rowell or Lord Medrup. And I, of course, was not one of them.
“Why don’t you look a little higher?”
Following my finger, they raised their eyes. At the center of that vast swarm of evil spirits, amid the black shadows, floated a small cat dressed as a monk, holding a blue lantern.
“Bastles. Their lanterns call forth souls and allow them to control them.”
The Bastles, who serve the great gods of the underworld, are guides and watchers of souls. Their lanterns command lost souls and evil spirits alike. Of course, gathering and controlling this many evil spirits required a great deal of mana and time, but thanks to the Pope’s Ring and the opponent dragging things out, it had been possible.
“……!”
Geil hurriedly tried to recall his incantations and attempt another summoning, but as I had already said, the time for kind advice was over.
Following my will transmitted through the soul link, the Bastles let out a sharp cry. The evil spirits that had blanketed the sky poured down toward the earth all at once. Duran unleashed green light, while Anibolka’s flames and Hasipaben’s vines lashed out at the evil spirits, but even they could not hold back such numbers with so little resistance.
Most of the evil spirits ignored their efforts and landed on the ground. Duran quickly raised a green wall around Geil to protect him, but the evil spirits began pounding against it. Individually, their power was insufficient to break it, but at this scale, the story changed.
The green wall was torn apart without resistance. Before Duran or Anibolka could react, the evil spirits descended upon Geil.
“That’s enough.”
And indeed, it was. The evil spirits halted right in front of him. Their eyes burned with the promise of tearing his body apart, yet their claws never touched him. Since the evil spirits themselves were not summoned beasts, soul synchronization was impossible, so I couldn’t see his expression while surrounded by them. Still, I knew my goal had been achieved.
“You may take him away now.”
At my words to the Bastles above, a short cry rang out and the evil spirits rose back into the sky. The blue lantern held by the Bastles grew brighter, and soon a passage of blue flames appeared. It was the path souls walked, a purifying road that washed away the malice and obsession clinging to them.
The evil spirits threw themselves into the blue flames, and in the blink of an eye, the horde that had filled the sky vanished. Now they would stand before the great gods as pure souls, and eventually return to the great cycle.
“Thank you for your assistance.”
In response to my greeting, the Bastles gave a light nod before disappearing into the flames as well.
When I looked forward again, Geil was staring at me with a dazed expression. Shock and horror warred on his face, his mouth slightly open and frozen in place.
“Well? Do you understand your place now?”
But there was no answer. His eyes showed desperate attempts to regain his composure, yet he still couldn’t bring himself to speak.
It was only natural. He had just been surrounded by an unimaginable number of evil spirits and forced to feel their intense malice with his entire body.
Even if brief, that experience was not something easily overcome. He had stood at the threshold of death—the most horrific kind—and had only escaped because of my mercy, not his own power.
I could feel the walls around his ego crumbling. There was no longer any arrogance in his eyes, nor any hostility toward me.
…Thank you for the lesson, Lord Anak.
Duran offered his respects in Geil’s stead, who still hadn’t regained his senses. Even Duran seemed quite shaken, but as expected of an Incarnation of Greenery, his situational awareness and mental fortitude were on another level compared to Geil’s.
Come now, Geil. Quickly.
At Duran’s words, Geil’s eyes finally focused. He slowly bowed his head toward me. Duran had used their soul link to help him steady his mind.
“…Thank you for the lesson.”
He offered me a formal bow. Of course, it wasn’t because he was particularly moved. He still wasn’t in the right state of mind for that, and even if he regained his composure, it wouldn’t go that far. He had simply realized with his entire body that I stood above him, and so he was following Duran’s advice and will without question.
He dismissed Anibolka and Hasipaben. Their expressions as they turned away weren’t bright either. It was clear that neither they nor their contractor were pleased about being so thoroughly defeated.
“Battle is always a matter of staking lives. Whether it’s your own, your allies’, or your enemy’s, you won’t know until the end—but the fact remains that lives are on the line. Remember the weight of that through today’s experience. Also, remember that things will never go exactly as you wish.”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
Guilt flickered in his eyes. He had acknowledged his defeat and my lesson, and in doing so, realized he had brought shame upon his master’s name and honor.
“……”
Watching him, I tried to think of something to ease his heart, but nothing good came to mind. I wasn’t about to offer shallow comfort or empty platitudes.
What he needed wasn’t hypocritical kindness or pleasant-sounding words, but something that could truly soothe his heart and lessen his guilt toward his master. Yet no such words came to me.
Rowell, Aegina, and Lord Medrup’s faces naturally surfaced in my mind. They would have known exactly what to say in this situation. But my head was simply blank.
So I chose silence. Even without me trying to be kind and gentle, Duran was surely comforting him through their connected consciousness. There was no need to awkwardly imitate something I wasn’t.
“Then let’s rest for today. We can discuss the details tomorrow.”
Giving them time to think things through on their own would be more effective than me lecturing further. It would also stay with them longer.
Do you intend to sleep here?
“No. I’ll sleep elsewhere. Let’s meet here tomorrow morning.”
Whether they went to a nearby village or camped here didn’t matter to me. If they returned to the village and came back in the morning, or stayed here until I arrived, they might be somewhat inconvenienced—but that level of discomfort was something they could endure.
I reached into my robes and activated the crystal. I had rushed back with only the crystal orb, so I hadn’t explained anything. She was probably wondering what had happened.
* * *
Minasid. The former stronghold of the Beast Legion Commander Ryban still bore the scars of fierce battles alongside the now-wild monsters.
The wild monsters sometimes moved in packs of the same species, but the specially created single entities mostly lived leisurely in their own territories, feeding on intruders and challengers.
Yet something about the monsters’ atmosphere had changed. A massive bear covered in spikes trembled violently with its head pressed to the ground at the scent carried on the wind. Two-headed wolves pressed close together, tails tucked, and sat down uneasily.
As expected. They can feel it with their bodies.
Perched on a high tree branch, Hilde watched the monsters’ reactions with admiration. Unlike him, they had no magic stones embedded in their bodies, yet they could sense their master’s return.
Suddenly, the surrounding trees shook violently as the ground heaved upward. What emerged from beneath the earth was a massive lizard. Its short mouth was lined with sharp teeth protruding outward, giving it a fierce and repulsive appearance.
Unlike the other beasts, this lizard displayed clear displeasure, exhaling roughly. Its eyes and head darted left and right as if searching for something. When its tail swung once, several trees toppled. The other beasts quickly rose and fled.
Hmm.
It was a Ring Eater Lizard, once used by the Beast Legion to destroy sturdy walls or dig tunnels beneath them. Now wild, it had become the ruler of this region.
As expected, even a monster is still the lord of its territory.
No matter how insignificant, monsters possessed a basic territorial instinct. No—perhaps because they were insignificant, that instinct was stronger. Even though it could clearly sense the overwhelming difference in power, the lizard bared its hostility toward the intruder, making meaningless threats to protect its domain.
As it swung its tail and shook its head, more trees fell and dust rose. It continued its threats, searching for an intruder whose location it didn’t know. Hilde clicked his tongue briefly at the sight.
Poor thing.
The wind died down, and a black shadow descended before the lizard. Though its form was indistinct, wavering like a shadow, Hilde knew it was one of Ryban’s clones.
The Ring Eater Lizard opened its mouth wide and charged at the intruder, intending to swallow and crush it with its teeth. But the black shadow didn’t so much as twitch.
Hilde turned his head. It wasn’t to avoid an unpleasant sight. He had simply lost interest. He stuck out his tongue and began grooming the fur on his front paws. The outcome was already decided, after all.
Along with the Ring Eater Lizard’s scream as it tried to devour Ryban’s clone, the sound of blood soaking the ground like a river reached his ears.
Though the clones’ goal was to rebuild the Beast Legion, even incomplete clones required sustenance. Rebellious monsters made for the best prey.