Chapter 332: Are You Okay? Still Alive? (1)
Chapter 332: Are You Okay? Still Alive? (1)
November 5, 1531.
The defeat in the battle where the Sword Saint perished was fatal.
Over the following four months, the Allied Forces attempted five counterattacks against the Yuzef Kingdom’s army. It was a desperate struggle to somehow turn the tide.
However, the result was a catastrophic string of five consecutive losses.
The leadership of the Allied Forces, having mobilized the full strength of their respective nations only to be crushed repeatedly, was plunged into deep mourning and frustration.
"Dammit, does this even make sense?"
The man slamming his fist onto the round table in the conference hall was Duke Derek Nicola of the Atronia Kingdom. Though his fury was blatant, no one in the room rebuked him.
In truth, most of those present felt exactly the same way.
At the start, they had expected an easy victory. Instead, the war had been botched from the opening engagement, the Sword Saint had fallen, and they had done nothing but pile defeat upon defeat ever since. No one had imagined the war would sink into such a quagmire.
"What is the reason for these losses? Why can't we win even once?"
Duke Nicola glared at the First Sage as he spoke. Since the death of the Sword Saint, the First Sage had held command over the Allied Forces.
The First Sage, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, finally spoke.
"We lack the necessary power."
"What? You’re saying we lack power after gathering the strength of the entire continent?"
When Duke Nicola shot back with a sharp retort, the First Sage let out a heavy sigh.
"It is bitter, but it cannot be helped. It is the simple truth."
"Ugh..."
Duke Nicola had no choice but to swallow his resentment.
The primary strength of the Yuzef Kingdom consisted of numerous Dark Mages and the mysterious Red Knights who wielded Aura Blades. Then there was the Overlord, and the mysterious swordsman who fought constantly by his side.
Analyzing the Allied Forces' ability to counter this strength...
"The Tower of Truth can handle the Dark Mages if we exert ourselves," the First Sage continued.
"Mhm, that is true."
"And while the Red Knights are a grave problem, we can manage them somehow if we utilize every knight on the continent, the 7-Star knights, and the help of the otherworldly races who joined as reinforcements from the Schneider Duchy."
Tutan and Kilios, who were seated on one side of the hall, nodded at the First Sage's words.
The Red Knights were powerhouses capable of unleashing Aura Blades, but observations from past battles suggested they were slightly inferior to true 7-Star knights. Being undead raised from the corpses of the fallen, their level of mastery was somewhat lower than when they were alive.
However, those among them who had been modified from living beings into Red Knights—such as the Sword Queen or the Giant Killer—were stronger than an average 7-Star knight. To face them, the Allies had to mobilize every knightly order on the continent along with the full might of the otherworldly races. Only then did the scales of balance level out.
Now, that left only...
"The Overlord and that mysterious swordsman."
"Ugh..."
"That... is indeed the problem. In the end..."
Throughout the five previous battles, the Allied Forces had done their absolute best to take those two down even as they faced defeat. But the two monsters never separated on the battlefield; they always fought together. There was no way to deal with them other than a direct frontal assault.
Just two people.
There were only two individuals in the Allied Forces capable of matching them.
Kenoyer Grass, the Guardian of the Tower of Truth.
And Flash Queen April Schneider of the Schneider Duchy.
Only these two had proven to be a match for the enemy pair. Naturally, in the last five battles, they had challenged the Overlord and his mysterious companion.
But the result was total defeat.
While April and Kenoyer could hold their own to some extent, they lacked the slight edge needed to seize victory. In the most recent battle, Kenoyer Grass had barely escaped with his life after sustaining severe injuries.
Though the priests were doing everything in their power to treat him, there was a limit to what holy healing could do for wounds sustained from overexerting a Soul Weapon.
This meant that in the next battle, April would have to face both monsters alone.
"If only the Double Dragon were here..." said Tatius Owen, a Paladin of the Holy Kingdom.
At those words, everyone’s gaze shifted toward the Grand Duke of Schneider.
"My apologies. My son is currently in a place where he cannot be reached, so I cannot summon him."
"Hmph... What could possibly be so important that he is absent at a time like this? When the fate of the entire continent hangs in the balance?"
"I have nothing to say in my defense."
"Tsk..."
"This is why these upstart nations are..."
"It’s simply absurd. To think a father doesn't even know where his heir is..."
A few members of the leadership began to blame Patrick for his absence. Those speaking up now were mostly green staff officers from the Harbor Duchy and the Magellan Kingdom.
Having volunteered for the vanguard and recklessly charged in early on, they had wasted a force of nearly 70,000. They were now desperately playing politics to escape responsibility for that defeat. They were doing this even as the entire continent needed to unite against the Dark Mages.
Because the Grand Duke of Schneider was a good-natured man, he was simply taking the verbal abuse.
But was it really okay to treat him this way?
As if.
What are they going to do when he finds out?
They’ve got some nerve. Truly.
Our capital was destroyed just because the soup was too salty...
Anyone who had encountered Patrick Schneider even once knew exactly what it meant to make an enemy of the Schneider family. No, they didn't even need to wait for Patrick.
Right now...
Bang!
"My brother is currently performing an important task to save the fate of the continent! How dare you blame our father?!"
Tutan spoke as he unleashed a powerful, intimidating aura, making the foreign leaders flinch. And that wasn't all.
"If you intend to hold the Grand Duke responsible, then we Elves will withdraw from this war. We only joined this fight as allies of the Schneider family in the first place."
Kilios, the King of the Elves, stepped forward and spoke.
The staff officers who had been trying to shift the blame onto the Grand Duke were thrown into a panic. If the Elves and Orcs withdrew now, any chance of winning the war would vanish completely.
And above all...
"Why don't you all stop? If the Flash Queen were here right now, your heads would already be rolling on the floor."
At Tatius Owen's words, the officers reflexively clutched their necks.
It was true. Even excluding the otherworldly forces, the military might of the Schneider Duchy was the most vital core of the Allied Forces. April’s strength was required to stop the Overlord and the mysterious swordsman, and the Double Dragon Knights were as powerful as any Imperial knightly order.
The military strength the Schneider Duchy had revealed during this war already rivaled the Three Great Powers. No, it surpassed them.
Regardless of how the war ended, the continent's perception of the Schneider Duchy would be forever changed.
The First Sage looked around at the assembly.
"The war is not over yet. The enemy must be exhausted as well, so we still have a chance. Let us hold out until the end and aim for victory."
No one responded to the First Sage's speech. A speech that offered no actual strategy and merely urged them to try their best wasn't going to raise morale. However...
For now...
That’s the only way.
Dammit, this is driving me crazy.
This was no longer a war that could be overturned by discussing tactics or strategy. It was a war of such scale that it could only be won by clashing strength against strength.
*
"I'm coming in for a moment."
Isabella spoke as she entered the barracks. Inside, a beautiful blonde woman was wrapping bandages around her own body.
It was April Schneider, the woman who had carved her name into history as the continent's strongest female knight during this war.
Isabella looked at her and said, "I told you I’d do it. Why are you doing it yourself?"
"How could I possibly let you..."
"Stop with that. There’s hardly any difference in our status anymore anyway."
"..."
"Turn around. I’ll change the bandages for you."
"Thank you."
As Isabella re-wrapped the bandages around April’s body, a memory suddenly surfaced.
"It’s the opposite of before, isn't it?"
"...?"
"Remember at the hot spring, when you scrubbed my back? I was just thinking how much things have changed since then."
April hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I am sorry."
"For what?"
"Back then... I told you that you should know your place. That was..."
"Stop."
"..."
"From your perspective, Elione and I are the ones who intruded, aren't we?"
"..."
"If anyone should be sorry, it’s me. I haven't been much help..."
Isabella smiled self-deprecatingly. She had joined the Tower of Truth and trained as a Magic Swordsman to become a source of strength for Patrick, but she was still far from enough.
Of course, she had grown stronger. In a short time, her skills had improved enough for her to receive a Soul Weapon. She certainly wasn't without talent. Thanks to Patrick’s teaching, her Ki manipulation was excellent, allowing her to adapt quickly to wielding a Soul Weapon. Her current strength was above average even among Magic Swordsmen.
Because of that, she was participating in this war and fighting her hardest. But that was only "somewhat impressive." The realm in which April fought was on an entirely different dimension. Isabella was still far from stepping into that place. In fact, Elione, as an Elven Knight, was likely still stronger than Isabella.
"April. In the next battle, you might have to face both of them alone."
"I will win this time."
"Bluffing won't—"
Isabella cut herself off. She saw in April’s eyes not just a hollow promise or a bluff, but a fierce, unshakable resolve.
"I will win."
"..."
"Whatever it takes."
"You..."
"Princess. May I ask one favor of you?"
"I don't care what it is, don't ask."
"Please look after the Young Master."
"I told you not to!"
"He is strong, but he has a precarious side. He gets lonely easily. Please, you and Lady Elione, stay by his side."
"I... I can't make a promise like that. So stop talking nonsense and make sure you come back alive."
"Of course, I will do my absolute best to do so. But I am asking this just in case."
"..."
"Please, I entrust him to you."
"..."
Isabella did not answer until the very end. She felt that if she answered that request, April might truly never return.
*
Grid, Envy, and Ras.
The three individuals controlling the Yuzef Kingdom and conducting the war stood before an Image Sphere as the Jonsa appeared.
His first words were:
[You have all worked hard.]
The Jonsa’s face wore the expression he showed only when he was truly praising his disciples.
[Thanks to you, enough energy has been gathered for His resurrection. Once we begin the ritual, the Salvation’s Sunset we have been waiting for will commence.]
At the Jonsa’s words, the faces of the three disciples overflowed with anticipation. Finally, the time had come for their efforts and patience to be rewarded. Once the Salvation’s Sunset began and the Outer God restructured the order of the world, they would ascend to a new Divine Rank.
"Congratulations, Master."
"Congratulations."
"After such a long time of endurance, finally..."
The Jonsa gave a satisfied smile at his disciples' congratulations.
[Now that our objective is achieved, there is no need to continue this war. You may return, bringing only the Overlord and the Sword King with you.]
Grid then spoke up. "Master. Since it doesn't matter if the war ends now, may we finish it with a victory before we leave?"
[Hmm, you don't wish to return midway?]
"Even if it is just a game, it is better to end it with a win than a loss."
"I agree," Envy added.
"Since the Salvation’s Sunset is a predestined fate anyway, we will clear away as many bugs as possible before then."
The three disciples expressed their desire to see the war through to the end. Watching them, the Jonsa thought to himself:
They’re getting greedy.
Throughout the war, the disciples had gathered the souls and despair of the fallen and sent them to him to collect the energy needed for the Outer God’s resurrection. But now that there was no longer a need to send that energy, they could claim it for themselves.
The more powerful dark mana they possessed, the higher the position they could occupy once they ascended to divinity. The Jonsa could see right through his disciples' intentions. However...
[Heh, very well.]
He gave his permission readily.
"Really?"
[Yes. As you said, if it is a game that must end, it is better to end it as the victor.]
The Jonsa had no reason to refuse. No matter how much mana his disciples gathered, they would never be able to reach a higher Divine Rank than his own.
[Since you’re doing it, give it your all.]
With those final words, the Jonsa cut the communication. Left behind, the disciples...
"Hehehe. Now it’s for real."
"No more need to hold back."
"Let’s finish this for certain and then join the ritual of the Salvation’s Sunset."
"Good. Very good."
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
The leadership of the Allied Forces didn't know it... but the only reason they hadn't been completely annihilated despite their repeated defeats was that the disciples had been pacing themselves.
Simply having many casualties was inefficient. Fear, despair, resentment, rage... souls steeped in such negative emotions were the true sacrifices that fueled the power of Dark Mages. Thus, the Dark Mages had been focused on dragging the war out as long as possible to harvest these sacrifices.
But now, that was no longer necessary.
"We’ll end it in the next battle."
The end of the war was drawing near.