Chapter 150
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 150
They needed money.
In the end, it always came down to money. Everyone had their own circumstances, but if you traced them back to their roots, they all boiled down to the same thing.
Every soldier on the front lines was the same. This place offered enough combat pay on top of their regular salary to make the risk worthwhile. In short, it was a gamble with their lives as the stakes.
And they had won that gamble.
—I have two kids to raise. The older one wants to go to a swordsmanship school. I might not be a good father, but I can’t be the kind of father who can’t even give his child a chance because of money.
—My daughter fell ill… When I got a consultation, they said she needs long-term treatment, over a dozen sessions. You all know how much it costs to hire a healer…
—My wife is pregnant. She’s five months along, but her health isn’t good. I want to move us to a better place.
The front lines were filled with people who desperately needed money, so everyone had a heartbreaking story. That was why they were all so desperate.
They fought with everything they had.
Under the relentless rain of magic—and with the Hero's blessing at their backs—they struggled desperately to survive.
Though some comrades died, most made it. It was a miracle.
They thought they had won.
“…What… is happening?”
Stopping in his tracks as he chased the retreating Orcs, Jacob stared ahead with hollow eyes.
Just moments ago, they were definitely…
Winning.
They had mistaken it for victory.
The allies at the front were being swept away.
Swept away. There was no better way to describe it.
Every time one of the Phantom Beasts charged into the Imperial Army and swung its forepaws, several of his comrades were launched into the air. They would fly several meters before crashing back to the ground, flopping on the dirt like fish out of water. Even the way they slowly died was exactly like fish.
The only difference was that these men screamed in agony throughout their slow deaths.
“Fight! Kill those monsters!”
Some still tried to fight back.
But swords and arrows couldn’t pierce the hides of the massive Phantom Beasts. Even magic only managed to inflict minor scratches. Since they couldn't even get close and their attacks did nothing, those who tried to fight were slaughtered without leaving so much as a mark.
And above all, in the center of the pack, was that creature—the one with the face of an old man, the body of a lion, the venomous sting of a scorpion, and the wings of a wyvern.
“A Manticore.”
That thing ate humans. It killed them as painfully as possible. It toyed with them.
“Why is a Phantom Beast like that with the Orc forces…?”
They had seen flying beasts before, but those hadn't posed much of a threat. Flying creatures usually had fragile wings, so they never dared to enter the range of the Imperial mages. The soldiers had snickered, calling them useless.
But that thing…
“Let’s run, Jacob,” Albrecht, a fellow Imperial soldier, shouted.
“But the Imperial Prince gave an order! If we desert, we’ll face a court-martial…”
“Look behind you, you idiot!”
At Albrecht’s harsh shout, Jacob looked back. The Imperial Prince’s adjutants were gathering around him, their agitation mirrored by the restless movements of their warhorses.
They were trying to persuade the Prince to retreat.
“Everyone is going to retreat anyway.”
Even as Albrecht spoke, the tremors in the earth grew stronger. The approaching Phantom Beasts were picking up speed.
“I know what you're worried about. If you’re branded a deserter, your mother and wife will be punished!”
“…”
“But we have to survive first!”
“…”
Albrecht was right. There was no need to hesitate.
Jacob rummaged through the pouch on his leather belt and pulled out a mana stone. Albrecht forced a tense smile and pulled out the exact same thing.
It was a small teleportation mana stone. A top-grade artifact that could transport the user to a designated location, no matter the distance. It was an incredibly expensive item, worth nearly forty ounces of gold.
Of course, ordinary men like Jacob and Albrecht could never afford such a thing. They had rented them on credit from a merchant guild, putting up all their assets as collateral. Since they could return them for a small fee if they survived without using them, both Jacob and Albrecht carried one.
“We brought this along so we could live,” Albrecht said.
Thud. Thud. Thud. The ground shook. Hundreds of soldiers at the front were slaughtered in an instant.
Then, as if the pack of Phantom Beasts led by the Manticore had sensed the stones, their heads snapped in their direction.
To escape the monsters, Jacob rubbed his hand over the mana stone.
Nothing happened.
“Uh, what… Why isn’t it working…?”
He rubbed it again. Still no reaction. Panicking, he took a deep breath and rubbed it slowly. Nothing. Losing his mind, he began to rub it frantically, so hard that his hand grew hot from the friction.
“It’s… broken…”
No, it wasn’t broken.
“We were tricked.”
The merchant guild had rented them fakes.
Realizing Jacob’s situation, Albrecht’s eyes widened. Jacob slumped to the ground, all the strength draining from his body in an instant.
“Why? Why? Whyyyyyy?!” he screamed in despair.
“C-Calm down, Jacob.”
As Albrecht reached out in panic, Jacob slowly turned his head. His hollow eyes stared into Albrecht’s face.
“J-Jacob, w-what are you thinking?”
Jacob’s gaze lowered slightly, shifting to the mana stone in Albrecht’s hand.
Two people. Only one working mana stone left.
“…”
“I asked what you’re thinking!”
Drawing his sword, Albrecht pointed the blade at Jacob. Staring back with a lifeless expression, Jacob slowly stood up.
“I-If you come any closer, I’ll cut you down! I can’t give it to you. I don’t care if you’re my comrade…”
“Albrecht.”
“I can’t give it to you!”
“That’s not it.”
Thud, thud. The heavy footsteps grew louder.
Jacob reached into his pocket once more. With a weak hand, he pulled something out.
He held out a pendant to Albrecht.
“…”
It was something every soldier and mercenary carried into battle: a “trace of the place to return to.” While wealthy mercenaries carried magic tools that recorded video, poorer soldiers carried pendants like this. Inside was a slip of paper with the address of the home he had to return to and the names of the family he had to protect.
“Jacob…”
“Please, look after my precious ones.”
This time, it was Albrecht whose legs buckled, strength failing him.
Jacob stood tall. Retrieving the spear he had dropped, he suddenly bolted to the side. He intended to draw the attention of the charging Phantom Beasts, buying Albrecht even a slight chance of survival.
His final act was not in vain. Sighting him, the Phantom Beasts veered in his direction. Gripping his spear, Jacob charged straight at them. It was a warrior's final charge.
“Please, I’m counting on you,” Jacob muttered.
There was no miracle in the end.
The Annun Plains, along the Orc army's pursuit route.
Imperial Defense Force Volunteer, Albrecht.
In the distance, his comrade was trampled to death.
About ten more seconds passed.
Albrecht stood frozen, a storm of emotions swirling within him. It felt as though every feeling he had ever experienced was exploding all at once.
Now that it had come to this, he would admit the truth.
He didn't want to die.
In fact, he wanted to live so desperately it was driving him mad. Especially now, after his comrade had sacrificed himself, his desire to survive was stronger than anyone’s.
But.
Clink!
The strength left his grip, and the mana stone slipped from his hand. The teleportation mana stone shattered noisily on the ground.
Ah, it was fine.
Jacob wasn't the only one the merchant guild had swindled.
I'm sorry for doubting you, even for a moment.
He wouldn't be able to fulfill that promise after all.
The relentless thud, thud echoing across the plains stopped. At the same time, a shadow fell over him. The massive silhouette of a Phantom Beast loomed overhead.
He swallowed hard. He couldn't show fear. His skin trembled, and a shiver ran down his spine.
“…”
Without a word, he drew his sword.
Taking a deep breath.
“Hyaaaaaaaah!”
He swung his sword at the massive leg before him.
Thwack!
In that instant, his consciousness flickered. Agony exploded throughout his body. Albrecht was no different from the other Imperial soldiers. After being sent flying several meters and crashing to the ground, he coughed up blood, gasping violently for air.
“Cough!”
He was dying. His consciousness was slipping away. It felt as if time had stopped. His vision blurred.
Yet, amid the fading senses, his hearing remained sharp.
Thud! Thud! The sound echoed again. The Phantom Beast was approaching him, intent on finishing him off.
Damn it.
Unable to make a sound, he cursed inwardly.
The rhinoceros-like Phantom Beast raised its forepaw, preparing to trample him to death. Albrecht pulled two pendants from his pocket. His own, and Jacob's. Clutching them tightly, he stretched his arm as far away as possible. Even if he was crushed, he didn’t want the pendants to be destroyed.
I'm going to die.
He closed his eyes, but the darkness was already closing in. The heavy foot was descending.
Squeezing out the last of his strength, he let out a sigh of resignation.
Splat!
A cold liquid splashed violently across his face.
It was the monster's blood.
“Skreeeech!”
The monster shrieked, and his vision cleared. Albrecht squinted. With what little strength he had left, he struggled to make sense of the situation.
There shouldn't have been anyone nearby.
Yet, a man had suddenly leaped toward the monster and plunged a sword deep into its leg. The beast thrashed violently, an attack that would have flung any ordinary Imperial soldier far away.
But the man calmly held onto his sword.
Pulling the blade from its leg, he immediately began hacking away at it. Albrecht tried to follow the trajectory of the sword with his barely open eyes, but he couldn't keep up at all.
Soon, one of the Phantom Beast's legs was severed. The beast shrieked and rolled its massive body wildly across the ground, every movement lethal to a human.
Yet, it didn't seem to hinder the man in the slightest.
The man leaped. With a light jump, he stepped onto the beast's back and reached its head in an instant. When he plunged his sword into its skull, the blade pierced through without resistance, like slicing through butter.
Only after recognizing the man's attire did Albrecht manage to squeeze out a few words.
“Ah. Ah…”
“Edelbreas…”
“Rest easy now.”
The Annun Plains, the front lines.
Barisik.
Retrieving the two pendants from the dead soldier's hand, he scanned his surroundings.
Phantom Beasts were everywhere. And it was practically impossible for an ordinary army to kill these things.
Which meant this was a job for the professionals.
The members of Riaze's Yusu Subjugation Squad.
“Whew.”
The members of the defense unit who followed behind Barisik took up their battle stances.
In the distance, the Manticore, which had been slaughtering other Imperial soldiers, locked eyes with Barisik.
“Come on, you bastard,” Barisik smirked.
* * *
They were late.
Although the subjugation squad’s defense unit had set out to reinforce the front lines immediately after forming, the soldiers had already rushed off to pursue the fleeing Orcs.
Had there been thousands of soldiers holding the line?
Fortunately, the soldiers at the rear seemed to have spotted the approaching Phantom Beasts from afar and fled, but those at the very front had been run down and killed. Their numbers exceeded several hundred.
“What are we going to do?” a defense unit member asked.
“Do you really need to ask?” Barisik replied in his characteristically casual tone.
The loss of hundreds of lives was devastating, but the bigger issue was that those hundreds had died without achieving a single thing. Moreover, the Imperial Prince, the generals, and tens of thousands of soldiers had witnessed the one-sided slaughter. It had engraved a realization into everyone's minds: ordinary soldiers stood no chance against Phantom Beasts.
If something similar happened again, they would undoubtedly freeze in fear. Hesitation would cripple their every action, preventing them from executing bold tactics and leaving them at the enemy’s mercy. This would affect the entire battlefield.
“We wipe them all out.”
That was why they had to finish it here and now. It was something ordinary soldiers couldn’t do, but the subjugation squad had done it countless times.
“A-rank Squads take two each, B-rank Squads take one! Actually, if you think you can split one of those bastards' heads open, don't wait for permission—just do it. Use your own judgment. Spread out! Ah, you guys have fought enough to know the drill. Just move so you don't get in each other's way!”
Countless Phantom Beasts charged toward Barisik and the defense unit. Having quickly estimated their numbers and finished his calculations, Barisik roared.