Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: The Day the World Turned Upside Down
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"But if I just slaughter the elves indiscriminately, that opportunity will fly away...."
Just as the rock spirit Rockar was like the guardian deity of the ogres, the tree spirit dryad was the guardian deity of the elves.
That was the reason he couldn't unleash Tempest on those elves charging madly toward them.
The Life Link spell itself was a holy magic that could only be obtained after contracting with a dryad.
Right at that moment, Kyle's booming voice echoed from far below.
"All troops! Wedge formation!"
Ooh, as expected of Kyle.
Even from this high in the sky, his overwhelming vocal power rang out crystal clear.
At the same time, the Protector Knight Order, which had been haphazardly assembled, spread out to the left and right, forming a long lateral wedge.
Even after gathering the entire Protector Knight Order, only about thirty were proper knights, including Dabi at the protruding tip of the central wedge.
The rest were worthless warriors who couldn't even withstand low-grade magic armor.
A knight order like this.... Maybe it would be best to disband it entirely this time?
"Everyone, brace for impact! Don't counterattack—deflect and endure! Defense first!"
Right then, the elven vanguard slammed into the Protector Knight Order's protruding wedge.
Thud!
And it shattered.
The elves' frenzied formation split open at the center, cracks forming one after another.
Dabi, of course, was at the heart of the cracks.
From high above, it looked like two ant swarms colliding. What was clear was that their side's lead ant was exuding an overwhelming presence, like a monster from another species.
Good. You're doing well.
But while the protruding wedge held firm, the surrounding defensive lines were visibly retreating at a rapid pace.
"Hey! You fake knights! What are you doing?! At this rate, Dabi will be trapped alone in the enemy lines!"
Of course, this feeble voice wouldn't reach below. Instead, Kyle, grasping the situation, issued swift commands.
"Halt! Everyone, hold your positions! Endure with your bodies!"
"It's not about not retreating! Hold as long as you can and fall back slowly!"
"Right flank! You're retreating too fast! Don't panic—raise your shields!"
"Left flank! The gap is too wide! Close in from both sides! Don't let the enemy slip behind!"
"Knight Duron! The right flank is collapsing fast! Take the reserves and reinforce them now!"
"Knight Dabi! Fall back! You're too far from the main body!"
Good. You're doing great.
Of course, I wasn't planning to just watch from here. This was probably the right timing, wasn't it?
"Hoo...."
Calming my breath, I prepared another of my ultimate holy magics.
Wide Area.
A so-called area-of-effect spell.
On its own, it had no effect. It simply expanded the range of any mixed-in spell.
Humm!
As I clasped my hands together, fragments of light like transparent star candies gathered thickly around them.
At the same moment I activated Strength, the holy magic that boosted the target's muscle power.
Ziiiiiing!
The countless star candies coated in Strength poured down over the Protector Knight Order, who were struggling hard.
The effect was immediate.
"Wrong! I can't hold any longer.... Huh?"
"M-My body's filling with power!"
"Uwaa! Power's surging through me! Fight! Hold on somehow!"
"What's happening?! My body's acting weird!"
"It's holy magic from His Highness the Prince! Everyone, stay calm and focus on the battle!"
Kyle, who had been briefed in advance, shouted at the perfect timing. The cowed knights began to rally their spirits in response.
"It's a miracle from Prince Claude!"
"We're stronger now! Fight! We can win!"
"My power's grown this much! Incredible strength!"
I couldn't hear them clearly, but I got the gist of their shouts....
Sorry. You guys haven't actually gotten much stronger. It's just a placebo feeling.
When holy magic was spread via Wide Area, the effect on each individual dropped exponentially.
In numerical terms, the muscle power boost from the area Strength was... about 5%?
Of course, even a simultaneous 5% boost across hundreds of knights produced an enormous effect.
But more importantly, the very fact that they felt stronger gave them confidence. A kind of placebo effect, I suppose.
"Uwaaaah! I'm stronger! Twice—no, three times stronger!"
"Long live Prince Claude! Kill the elves!"
"Kill them! Kill more! No, kill them all!"
"Don't run! Stand and fight!"
"I! I! Am fighting!"
Hmm.
The placebo seemed even stronger than expected.
The kids suddenly started fighting like madmen. What if the Protector Knight Order ends up wiping out all the elves like this?
Would I be held responsible for buffing them?
Of course, that worry was fleeting.
"Kyaaaaack!"
"How dare a mere human!"
"Kill! Kiiiill! Kill them all!"
The elves, who had momentarily been pushed back, foamed at the mouth and counterattacked with even fiercer ferocity, as if it had never happened.
How was that possible?
It didn't make sense physically. It wasn't like they were drugged junkies on stimulants.
...
Wait.
Drugged?
Right. Drugged.
Among otherworld monsters, there was one that emitted a poison creating exactly this effect around itself.
The Corruption Lord.
One of the culprits from the 5th wave that appeared last, annihilating the imperial army and forcing me to flee to Roa's sanctuary.
"...Is that really a Corruption Lord?"
A monster boasting insane power on its own.
But it also released a gas that drove everything inhaling it into a berserk frenzy.
Once in frenzy, strength surged dramatically, and they felt no fatigue no matter how long they fought.
And now.
The elves looked just like they had been poisoned by the Corruption Lord's toxin back then.
Why hadn't I realized this? Or was it good that I figured it out now?
Just as the flanking knights moved to hit the elves' rear, I shifted position above the elves' heads and cast a new area-of-effect spell.
This time, Anti Poison, the detoxification magic.
"His Highness is casting magic again!"
"Look at the sky! His Highness is casting holy magic for us once more!"
"Wait, but the position..."
"The light's falling on the elves?"
"P-Prince?"
"His Highness has gone mad! Why cast holy magic on the elves.... Huh?"
The Protector Knights' confused expressions twisted into even greater bewilderment.
In the eyes of the elves, who had been rampaging in frenzy even as their heads split and arms were severed.
"No...."
"What am I...."
"Why are we even here...."
Reason's light began to return.
Good. The effect was obvious at a glance.
Though the detoxification would be weakened by the area spread.
But even a slight easing of the poison allowed the elves to regain their senses, their faces turning blank with confusion.
Where am I?
Who am I?
Why am I swinging a sword like a club in this wasteland? And that guy next to me is literally holding a real wooden club?
The elves couldn't comprehend their current situation at all. Amid that, I wheeled around and flew to the rear of Kyle, who was shouting himself hoarse with commands.
"The enemy's momentum is weakening! Hold positions! Left flank! Don't advance rashly! The flanking knights will soon encircle their rear! So focus on holding for now.... Ugh?"
"Kyle! It's me!"
I hooked my arms under his armpits and yanked him into the air. He flailed for a moment before twisting his head and yelling.
"Your Highness!"
"Ugh! My ears! Don't yell right in my face!"
"Urk, sorry. But suddenly.... What's going on? Did I make a mistake?"
Kyle desperately lowered his raised voice tone. Ugh, I thought my eardrums would burst. He'd gotten way too into commanding.
"You didn't make a single mistake. I'm going to fly over the elves' heads from now on, so repeat exactly what I say. As loud as you can. Got it?"
"Y-Yes? Yes?"
"Elves of the Eternal Forest, hear me! You've been poisoned by frenzy toxin, lost your reason, and gone berserk! Surrender! Drop your weapons, and if you don't resist, I'll spare your lives! No time! Hurry!"
"Ah.... Elves of the Eternal Forest, hear me! You've been poisoned by frenzy toxin, lost your reason, and gone berserk! Surrender! Drop your weapons, and if you don't resist, I'll spare your lives! No time! Hurry!"
Hmm, no need to repeat the last two sentences.
Anyway, Kyle's committed shout was explosive.
He already had insane lung power, but today it rang out even more intensely. Was it thanks to eating the Ancient Seal core boosting his lung capacity?
"Uh.... What?"
"Frenzy toxin? What's that?"
"Wait, don't you remember? We all gathered in the plaza...."
"Right! On the Lord's orders, we all drank a sip of that water?"
"No way, the Lord?"
"That's not the issue now. I'm so exhausted I can't even move...."
As the poison lifted, the forgotten fatigue crashed in all at once. The elves began dropping their weapons one by one and kneeling in place.
"Your Highness! The elves are dropping their weapons! They're surrendering!"
Kyle shouted in surprise. Ugh, but you're so heavy with that magic armor!
"...If I let go here, it'll be a disaster, huh?"
"Yes? What was that?"
"No, shout it one more time. This one's for our side."
Enduring the arm-wrenching pain, I kept using him as a megaphone.
"All imperial knight orders, hear me! The battle is won! Do not attack surrendering enemies!"
"Yes, Your Highness. All knight orders, hear me! The battle is our victory! Do not kill surrendering enemies! I repeat! The battle is our victory!"
Yes. Our victory.
It might feel anticlimactic for the Blue Knight Order and Iron Mace Knight Order, who had just encircled the enemy's rear.
But ending the battle with no losses was the best outcome possible, right?
If things went well, those elves could become comrades fighting the otherworld invasion together.
Even so, hundreds of elves had already died.
From the aerial view.... Roughly 300, I'd say. Half of them near Dabi.
"Your Highness! A great victory! The enemies have surrendered!"
Dabi, covered head to toe in blood, waved up at the sky. I landed nearby with Kyle and let out a sigh.
"Ugh, my arms...."
"Your Highness?"
"No, good work, Dabi. Without you, the Protector Knight Order would've been wiped out in seconds."
"I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Frenzy toxin? So the elves were drugged by something?"
"That's why they reacted to the detox magic, right? For now, we need to meet their representatives and hear what happened...."
Stepping over the mangled elven corpses, I headed toward the kneeling prisoners.
But right then.
Darkness.
Even in broad daylight, darkness surged in, blanketing the world in pitch black.
And light.
Around the eclipsed moon in the blackened sky, a searing light blazed like the sun's corona.
But that light was merely a foil, highlighting the all-engulfing darkness.
A solar eclipse?
Come to think of it, there was an eclipse around this time.
But it was just an eclipse. Nothing special happened, so it hadn't stuck in my memory.
"Hoo...."
I couldn't help but sigh.
What if the eclipse had started in the middle of the battle?
Just imagining it was horrifying. Casualties on both sides would've at least doubled.
But.
The eclipse wouldn't end.
By the time I noticed, an even vaster darkness than the moon's shadow had blanketed the sky.
From that very darkness, a man in white mummy-like garb appeared.
"...Oh dear. We've run into each other right away."
The man landed in front of me and bowed in greeting.