Chapter 10: Final Load Test
I let go of Rythin and stood up from the hug. I had to be professional now, after all. With my mind clear, I made my way to the floating array of familiar feeds and looked over them all. Deusolbert's feed, from the front right, Fanatio and Kirito in the center, Eugeo and Eldrie on the front left. Behind them, Renly and Sheyta on the left and right, and in the center, standing firm and unbowed, Bercouli. I knew that our supply tents were tucked away to the side, just behind Renly's unit.
It was time.
As if on cue, all eyes were on the Eastern Gate as cracks shot down the surface of the massive gate. They spiderwebbed outwards from the center beam that I'd noticed before, and as more cracks appeared the gaps between the metal started to glow bright purple. The light grew brighter and brighter, and the army raised their banners. Alice, flying high on Amayori's back with Miss Cardinal floating in the air beside her, took a deep breath and readied herself.
«FINAL LOAD TEST».
Those words appeared in front of the gate in bright yellow, capital English letters. Fire burned behind it, and the soldiers gasped and murmured. Then, the glow of the gate brightened and -
It erupted into a gigantic column of purple light that blanked out every feed at once. The light was so bright it shone inside our tent in the main camp, and Ronie and Tiese clasped their hands together.
With that light, the war began.
The huge gate that had blocked the way was turned into nothing but massive chunks of glowing purple metal that hung in the air for a second. They even kept the shape of a gate for a few heartbeats before gravity pulled them out of alignment towards the ground. A massive cloud of smoke replaced the bright light that had blinded everyone momentarily. Some of the lower parts of the gate stayed in place, standing between us and the Dark Territory, but their Durability ran out and they vanished into particles of light.
With the gate blocking them gone, a few of the familiars Miss Cardinal had helped me create had made their way into the purple and barren lands of the Dark Territory. The tiny butterflies were barely across the invisible line that separated the two, but even through the heavy smoke they could see the enemy's forces. Goblins on the left and the right, and giants immediately in the center... There were so many of them!
"Soldiers of the Dark Empire!" The smooth male voice echoed through the viewing orbs. I couldn't see who was speaking, but... It had to be the army's commander! "At long last our time has come! Ravage the humans and their land! Kill everything that stands in your way! Show no mercy!"
The force of the roar that answered his words made my poor butterflies flutter in the air. Beyond the first rank of enemies, I could see more and more units.
All at once, the roaring ended. It was too synchronized to be anything other than a command, and I shivered. Someone had that much command over the Dark Territory? "First battalion! Begin your assault!"
As they charged, I spoke up. "They're coming!"
My words were transmitted perfectly by my familiars on each Knight. The simple creatures couldn't act on their own like Charlotte could - I just wasn't powerful enough to keep them acting autonomously. But, they were perfect to act as communication units instead.
"Thank you, Lady Ritsu." Deusolbert was the one to reply.
Fanatio simply nodded once and drew her sword. "First unit, ready! Draw your swords!" she ordered. I could hear the ring of steel that answered her through the familiar's ear despite the distance. "Priests, prepare your healing incantations!"
""""System Call. Generate luminous element.""""
"Whoa..." Tiese and Ronie looked over my shoulder and gasped. The butterfly familiar next to Bercouli could see the glow of the luminous elements from here.
"Come then," Deusolbert said, and raised his bow.
Eldrie snapped his whip. "These vile creatures. We will show them what we're made of!" It's hard to take his irritation with Rythin seriously when he acted like a total dork at all other times. 'These vile creatures'... Pfft. Oh! He reminded me of a little puppy that was mad its favorite person wasn't paying attention to it!
Sheyta, Linel, and Fizel faced the roar and the charging enemies stoically, but Renly wasn't as calm about it. He flinched when I announced their approach and whimpered quietly.
Bercouli, standing in the center of the rear guard, watched everything without a word. He just had his hands folded over the hilt of his sword while he watched. Seeing him take everything in without flinching... He was a good commander.
"Here we go..." Kirito muttered as he drew his sword.
Eugeo shook his head. "There's so many of them. But... I've grown from who I was back in Rulid!"
"It's begun," whispered Alice from her position above the army. The familiars with Alice and Miss Cardinal gave me a dragon's-eye view of the battlefield. From there, I could see the individual dots of every soldier from the Dark Territory charging in a huge mass. "I shall do... what I must," she said. As she started chanting quietly, a golden glow surrounded her.
There's no going back now, is there...? But that's something I'd found the resolve for long ago. I couldn't allow myself to be distracted from doing my job. I took a deep breath and held it. The phantom memory of a slithering laugh floated through my mind and I smiled, before releasing the breath. Yes, Korosensei would be proud of my growth, and the decisions that I'd made.
Now, to focus on the battle...
As the goblins charged him, Deusolbert seemed to have come to terms with his own decision. He drew a handful of arrows from his quiver and declared, "Enhance Armament!"
His action made sense. Fanatio, Kirito, Eldrie, and Eugeo could use their Armament Full Control Arts even in the middle of a melee; but his Divine Instrument was a bow, for ranged attacks. So, he activated its Enhance Armament and expended half of his bow's Life.
Crimson circles of Sacred Art execution surrounded the bow for an instant before they burned away in humongous flames. They were so strong that the Dark Territory invaders were dyed in the brilliant red of the flames' light. He knocked the arrows on the burning bowstring and those four arrows burned with flames, too.
"I am Deusolbert Synthesis Seven! Whosoever stands before me, shall be burned to ashes!" Without his helmet, his voice rang out across the land for everyone to hear.
He pulled back the bowstring and released. The arrows rocketed forward with flames so hot they were white at their core with blue trails, and roared so loudly it reminded me of the rocket launch we'd watched as a class. They split up in a fanning pattern aimed to maximize coverage of the enemy, and left a trail of burning rock behind them. The goblins that ran forward in a messy charge had no idea what hit them.
Arrows killed several in a powerful blast, punching through their bodies and continuing through towards the tightly-packed goblins behind them. More attackers die to the flames that followed in the carnage's wake, being incinerated by the white-hot flames so quickly that their screams were cut short.
The goblins had plenty of numbers though, and they trampled over the bodies of their allies and shoved any hesitating goblins to the side. Deusolbert drew another four arrows and nocked them, but this time when he pulled the string back and released them with another roar, they didn't spread out.
Instead, he aimed upwards and the arrows arced forward in a burning spear. They traced a path through the sky, and landed in the center of the clustered enemies before exploding outward in a crimson glory. I estimated the casualties to be greater than his initial assault, but not by much. With both attacks and possible friendly fire from trampling each other, the goblins had probably been reduced in number by about a hundred.
"I suggest storing your flames after one or two more shots," I said. "I expect the numbers of goblins will have thinned out at that point, making each shot proportionally more expensive in terms of your bow's Durability. Good luck, Sir Deusolbert."
Deusolbert merely nodded and nocked another four arrows. I gently pushed the feed of his familiar to the side and switched to another.
Behind me, Ronie and Tiese shifted. "She was so nice, but..."
"It's like she's a different person," Ronie whispered. "Those goblins are a little frightening, but she's watching them without flinching!"
"So cool..." both girls mumbled together. I totally didn't feel my cheeks heating up from their praise, because I was a calm and collected assassin! Definitely!
"Lady Fanatio, can you hear me?" I asked instead of dealing with the traitorous blush that definitely didn't exist.
"Ah, Ritsu," Fanatio said. "Yes, I can hear you perfectly. The Pontifex's Sacred Arts are truly remarkable, aren't they?"
I didn't say that this was my Sacred Art doing the communication, since Miss Cardinal had helped me with the commands. My pride could take a backseat to completing the mission, after all.
Ahead of Fanatio, the dark-skinned and tattooed giants charged forward. They were topless but wore boots, and every single step crushed the dirt and stone underneath. My familiar flew over Fanatio's shoulder, but I could see the ground shake.
Fanatio didn't flinch, but waited for the enemy in a stance I'd never seen any of the soldiers or Knights in Underworld take before. Her feet were spread far apart, with her left shoulder faced to the enemy. She held her Divine Instrument with her right hand raised up to her shoulder; instead of holding the sword normally, though, her Heaven Piercing Sword was held in a reverse grip with the hilt supported by her shoulder's armor. Her left hand was out forward, her palm supporting the blade without wavering.
While I had never seen anyone in the Underworld using this particular stance, that didn't mean it was the first time I'd seen this. In fact, it was quite the opposite! I had studied Chiba and Rinka while they were aiming their sniper rifles greatly, in case their technique aided my own aiming algorithms. Fanatio was simply holding her sword like a sniper rifle.
It made sense, too! I'd seen her Enhance Armament art, and with the exception of the Recollection Release - which was uncontrolled and posed a danger to everyone in the area, including herself - Fanatio's strongest attack was the beam of light Kirito had blocked with his sword. That single blast was powerful but narrow, so exactly like a sniper she was waiting patiently for the perfect moment.
My butterfly, guided by my will, fluttered down to land on the tip of the blade and faced the advancing giant army. "Like this, I can help you aim, Lady Fanatio!" I chirped.
"Thank you," she said. "We're looking for the perfect target."
"Understood! Leave it to me." The perfect target, in a force that led through power and fear? That could only mean their leadership! All we'd have to do is cut the head off of the centipede, and the other soldiers would lose their will to fight.
(I did my best to ignore the uncharitable thought that the Integrity Knights, including Fanatio, had been like that until just recently. It wasn't their fault that they were being led and controlled by Quinella, and besides! Bercouli had been able to rally the rest of the Integrity Knights after Quinella and that weird fat clown, thing, had been killed.)
So, that was my job - to find that perfect weak point, and strike decisively at it. I studied the approaching enemies and had my butterfly drone fly a little bit higher to look over the ranks of the first giants.
Hmm... Was that... It was! "Target sighted, Lady Fanatio," I said as my eyes fell on a giant that was even taller than the rest of them, by a full head! His massive body was wrapped in chains, and he was distinguishable by both his blond hair and a sunburst-shaped scar on his right arm that stretched all the way across his chest to his left shoulder. "Hmm... adjust five degrees to the left and one degree down," I said as my drone landed back on her sword. "There, you're aimed right at the leader's heart!"
"Perfect," Fanatio said as my butterfly flew back to be with her. "That must be Sigrosig, the lord of the giants. If we take him down... it'll definitely be effective. So..." She took a deep breath, held it, and then whispered, "Enhance Armament."
The white circles of data and code appeared around her sword's blade, but I only had an instant to see them before Fanatio shouted, "Pierce him... Divine light!" The circles slid forward and a blindingly bright laser beam blasted from the tip of her sword with an air-shattering shriek.
It lanced through the front ranks and left a trail of shattered bodies behind; the ray was so hot that it melted through the bodies of the giants it touched. In some cases, it cored through their muscular chests. In others, it took off their head entirely and left only a sizzling stump, the flesh around the hole cherry red and burning. But...
"Hey!" I protested. "That's not fair." My calculations had been perfect, but the stupid giant we'd been targeting had slipped at the last second! I'm not sure why, but his posture had crumpled and he'd toppled to the side right before the beam of light pierced through his heart! We'd still managed to injure him, however. The beam of light had gone straight through his right shoulder, blowing off his arm entirely.
The other dead giants fell to the ground like logs, but Sigrosig could only stare, his eyes twitching in what could only be fear.
"Check on the others, Ritsu," Fanatio said. "I can handle it from here."
"Understood, ma'am!" I pulled up my second feed from the front center unit. "Make sure you watch her back, Kirito! No slacking off."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful," he said. "I don't want to get scolded by Rythin when he wakes up."
I nodded. "Good boy."
"Do your best, Kirito!" Ronie called out from over my shoulder. I sighed but smiled at the look on Tiese's face.
"I'll show you my cool side, Ronie," Kirito promised. What a charmer...
I had to check on all the others, though. From the right flank in the second unit, I had a great shot of the explosions Deusolbert was causing. He must have fired a third shot while I was helping Fanatio.
"Oooh, the fighting started!" Fizel said, strangely excited about seeing everything happen.
"Yup yup," Linel replied. Both of them were weirdly unmoved by what they were seeing. Then again, Sheyta hadn't moved from her spot, so maybe all the Integrity Knights were like that?
The short-haired girl looked to the front. "Uncle Deusolbert's already killed a bunch with his arrows," Fizel said.
"The vice commander's killed bunches, too."
"...What's with him?" Fizel looked over to the left.
"Yeah, the left flank seems a bit weak, doesn't it?" Linel said.
Fizel nodded. "Sure, Eldrie has amazing skills, but as a knight, he's never been in a battle like this before. And the supporting Knight is Eugeo, who became an Integrity Knight trainee only six months ago." Tiese frowned at the slight to her beloved.
"I wouldn't look down on Eugeo if I were you," I said from the butterfly. "After all, he defeated both of you in the Central Cathedral."
"Hello, Miss Ritsu," Linel said. Fizel puffed her cheeks out in irritation at the reminder of their loss. "Obviously his strength isn't in question! But, he doesn't have any experience." She smiled. "He might freeze up. Heh."
...That smirk on her face was the identical image to Rythin's little expression when he was pleased with himself. How he grinned and poked his tongue out a little bit, especially when he'd just made a bad pun and knew it was bad. These two kids really did learn a lot from him.
"And then there's Renlicchi, behind him. Not the most reliable," Linel continued after a second.
"Poor thing. He'd be better off all the way in back with the Supply Corps," Fizel mused.
"Speaking of, I heard Big Bro Rythin is sitting back there."
The two girls looked at each other without a word. Then, they both smirked with identical grins. The two of them turned and passed through the ranks of the soldiers. "We're coming to say hi to Big Bro, Miss Ritsu," Fizel chirped.
I just sighed. These two troublemakers... My butterfly flapped over to land on Sheyta's shoulder. "Lady Sheyta, Fizel and Linel are coming to support the Supply Corps," I told her. "Will you be fine leading the right flank without them?"
Sheyta simply nodded. She really did live up to her name of 'The Silent'.
Since I had her permission, I sent the butterfly back over to follow Fizel and Linel. Linel noticed the colorful drone first and smiled, lifting a finger for it to land on; I let it sit there for a second to enjoy her happy giggle before setting it to cling safely to her hair.
The two girls' words did remind me, though. I wanted to check up on Eugeo and Eldrie, to make sure things were going well for them. On the left flank, they were facing the green-skinned goblins that we'd fended off from Rulid only a week or so ago. I was honestly a little worried. These were the goblins that had stealthily carved out the caves in the mountain range north of Rulid. They were clearly crafty enough to cover for their weakness... To charge in like this?
The goblins almost definitely had a plan.
"Don't let a single one past us!" Eldrie said as he pulled his whip taut. "Cut them all down!"
"Yes sir!" his soldiers barked.
Eugeo gripped the handle of his sword. His hands were shaking a little bit, and I flew my butterfly over to land on his head. "Stay cool, Eugeo," I said with a big smile.
Of course Kirito had told me about that little joke of theirs when I'd asked! Eugeo jumped, and then relaxed with a chuckle. "I'll do my best," he promised.
I was going to reply, but something about the charging goblins caught my eye. There was something wrong... "Ah!" I gasped. "Eugeo, Eldrie, the goblins pulled something out!"
"What is that?" Eldrie exclaimed.
Each of the goblins had pulled out a small, grey orb. My knowledge of explosives was extensive thanks to the information that I had downloaded, but naturally there wasn't anything like gunpowder or C4 for me to properly utilize. Still, when the goblins squeezed the orbs and the end of a fuze ignited, I knew they were about to throw something.
"Watch out! Explosives!" I exclaimed. The soldiers and Eldrie shielded themselves as the bombs soared through the air.
"No you don't!" Eugeo shouted, and spun his sword until the point was facing downwards. He plunged it towards the ground, but instead of cracking the earth the tip created a circle of frost-blue code. "Enhance Armament!" he shouted, and the Blue Rose Sword responded. Jagged spines of ice surged from the ground and rose into the air as they responded to his will. His cloak rippled from the surge of force, and mist swirled from the spires of ice.
The bombs that arced low enough for Eugeo's ice to meet them were flash-frozen in an instant, enveloped in the tiny ice age before they had a chance to do more than land on the ground. Eugeo didn't lift his sword though, and the ice continued to race forward. Looking over the ice, I could see the goblins closest to the front stumbling and falling on the frozen ground. Eugeo's Incarnate Art took full effect on the goblins that were trapped, with thorned vines made from ice wrapping around their body. The ones that were trapped like that had frost covering their body already as the ice leeched away their body warmth.
"Whoa, he's so cool," Tiese exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
Eugeo's Art hadn't stopped all of the bombs; some of them were flying too high for the Blue Rose Sword's ice to reach. Those bombs landed in the midst of the unit. The soldiers near them flinched back as the fuses burned down, but when the sparks reached the bomb -
"Eh?" I blinked when the bombs didn't explode. Suddenly, I realized what was about to happen. "They're making a smokescreen!"
Even as I shouted for Eugeo and Eldrie, the bombs exploded outwards in plumes of thick grey smoke. It was incredibly thick smoke that spread out like a blanket over the soldiers and set them to wheezing and choking. Only a few bombs actually went off but it was still incredibly thick; I don't know how they created it but the smokescreen was definitely effective. "What in blazes-" Eldrie gasped.
"Get down! Keep running!" My bug drones heard the guttural, roared command and I frowned for an instant before realizing what was going on. The butterfly that had been on Eldrie's shoulder flew down, beneath the smoke, and I saw what I expected.
Many goblins had been frozen in Eugeo's attack, but his power wasn't great enough to destroy the entirety of the charging unit. The survivors of his Full Control art had dropped to all fours, bounding forward low to the ground. If the bombs hadn't gone off, it would have been obvious, but as it was we would have been surprised without my drone.
"Eugeo! Slash downwards, to your right!" I snapped. Eugeo blinked in surprise but did what I'd commanded, and a spray of blood rewarded his strike - one of the goblins was about to pass by him in the smoke, but he'd cut off its head in a single blow.
"They're running through the smoke!" Eugeo exclaimed.
Eldrie frowned. "I won't let them!" Because the smoke at the front was thin, he stepped forward and brandished his whip. "For the honor of the Integrity Knights!" He swung his whip, and the tip of the whip stretched out towards the goblins. It tore through the green-skinned monsters as though they were paper, the sharp thorns on its length shredding their thin animal skins they were using as armor.
He was only one person, though, and despite my guidance Eugeo just wasn't able to kill every goblin that passed Eldrie. The soldiers behind them could just barely make out the dark shapes plunging through the smoke pouring from the bombs, though, and started swinging wildly. "Stop!" Eugeo cried out. "You're just going to hit each other!" Fortunately, his command stopped them from fighting back before any friendly fire incidents occurred.
I could tell it burned at them to let goblins slip through their ranks, and even as Eldrie took out his frustrations on whatever goblins his whip could reach I said, "I'm switching to Renly's feed to let him know what's going on." Clear communication is key, after all.
"Thank you, Lady Ritsu," Eldrie said. "And thank you for your guidance in this scenario. Though it burns me... I must admit that I would have failed had I been alone."
I giggled. "Stop being so dramatic," I told him. "You and Eugeo would have been fine." He's like a big puppy, honestly! Now, to switch to Renly and let him know to expect a group of goblins plunging through the front unit...
"Renly, there's been a development in the..." I trailed off and stopped speaking.
"Huh? Why did you stop, Ritsu?" Ronie asked.
I blinked and turned in my seat to see both of the trainee girls looking at me. "Oh, uh, it's nothing," I said. "Just went to the wrong familiar, that's all."
Both girls nodded in understanding. Of course they'd believe me. The feed in plain view definitely didn't have Renly's short green hair anywhere.
But... This was the familiar drone I'd assigned to the second unit's left flank. So where did the Integrity Knight go? Even after commanding the drone to fly up higher, I couldn't see his distinctive hair color or his shining armor anywhere in the unit. Had... Had Renly run away?
I couldn't let them find out. If the two girls knew, their fragile confidence might be broken... "This is Ritsu, reporting in, Sir Renly," I said formally - to the group of soldiers at the front, talking to each other. "The front line has been breached, with no casualties. The goblins will be approaching shortly under the cover of smoke by running on all four limbs. Don't panic and stay calm. If you strike wildly, the chance of injuring someone standing next to you is higher. Instead, only attack if you know you will strike the target."
"Ah... L-Lady Ritsu!" the soldier stammered once I finally let him get an word in. "Sir Renly... The Integrity Knight has..."
"I know," I said. I couldn't worry anyone with the knowledge. "Just do as I said, alright? Consider this an order from Sir Bercouli."
"...Yes! As you command!"
I sighed in relief. My butterfly flew up higher as the smoke rolled in, and I watched the chaos unfold. This might have been a quick strategy I developed in a few seconds, but the Tentacle-Fishing idea worked out. Most of the goblins that had broken through Eldrie and Eugeo passed through - without causing casualties to the second line at all. As I'd expected! They were aiming for something beyond us the entire time! It was just like we'd learned; ignore the forces in the front, and strike from the angle they least expected.
These goblins were worryingly smart... but that was a strength that they relied on, and I'd been able to use our weakness against them!
Sure, the second unit got a few kills, but by my count the goblins that passed through them came to about... fifteen to thirty goblins. It wasn't many, but still enough to threaten us in the Supply Corps. But I wasn't worried. Instead, I switched feeds back over to Deusolbert after sending one of my bird familiars to track down Renly.
The flames of his bow were still enveloping him in a crimson aura, and my poor butterfly drone couldn't stand within the flames; it would burn up in a crisp in an instant. I could still command it to fly around him, though, and I looked carefully. He pulled his bowstring back again, and released his third volley of arrows. The explosion was just as clustered as his first shot, and the blooming flower of heat and sound charred approximately another 50 goblins.
The goblins were still charging madly, though. They didn't have a plan, unlike the goblins facing the left flank. "That one! That archer there!" The loud order came from a goblin much larger than the others; it could only be one of the chieftains, the ten lords. "Surround him, and stomp his bones!"
The goblins he commanded answered his order, and did what I'd been expecting for a while; they split into two arms and started circling around to catch him in a pincer maneuver. Not a very inspired move, but it prevented Deusolbert's attacks from having the same effectiveness as before. With a guess, his fighting ability was probably reduced by at least 50 percent, since every volley of explosive arrows would strike fewer goblins.
As the arms reached for him, Deusolbert didn't hesitate. Instead, he drew another four arrows and put them to his bowstring. "Protect Sir Deusolbert!" Golgorosso shouted. "Don't let any of the wretches through!"
"Thank you," Deusolbert said. "I'll hurry!"
"We won't fail you!"
The small squad of soldiers ran forward and Deusolbert unleashed another blast from his bow. The arrows rocketed forward with a loud roar past the men, and then the soldiers finally reached the front of the goblin army. The machetes clashed with the longswords of our soldiers with shrill shrieks of steel. For the first time, our forces were clashing directly with the opponent...
"Rythin," I whispered. "...How much of this did you suffer through? In your world..."
Then I shook my head and smacked my cheeks (and ignored Ronie and Tiese's confused looks). Nope! I have to keep my head in the game. If I let myself get distracted by thinking about what Rythin had gone through, I'd be shaming myself and my teachers. I had calculated every probability of Korosensei's dodging patterns by focusing as hard as possible and not letting a shred of doubt enter my thoughts.
With my goals reaffirmed, I switched to Fanatio's feed again. It felt like a long time had passed, but it could only have been ten or twenty seconds. Just long enough for me to check on the other feeds and talk with Eugeo and Eldrie.
It sucked! I missed being able to hold five or more different conversations at once! My processing power was too limited.
Fanatio stood calmly with her sword out. After firing off that massive beam of light like a sniper shot, she hadn't moved. Neither had her target, the lord of the giant race, Sigrosig. The massive giant sat on the ground, smoke rising from the cauterized stump that used to be his right arm; the severed limb, massive hammer still clutched in it, fell to the ground beside him.
Her incredible attack had forced the giant's charge to a stop as they all turned to stare at their leader. Sigrosig looked behind him at the pair of headless corpses that the remnants of her laser had produced, and then back at the channel in front of him that her attack had carved. More bodies, this time with the holes pierced through their heart, littered the ground between us.
Fanatio looked really cool standing without flinching, even as Sigrosig's eyes dilated even more, to the point that they looked like orange pinpricks. Or... no... Something was wrong. One eye had turned crimson. Wait, that was -
"How could a human do this? I've never felt such fear before." Artifacting surrounded him as his body glitched out. What was...? "It can't be. It can't be. It can't be. It can't be It can't be It can't be."
The glitching was getting worse and worse as whatever was happening with his Fluctlight affected the real world. "Kill. Kill. Kill kill kill del del del de-dellll-ll-ll-del-ll!"
"What is happening?" I gasped.
"I don't know," Fanatio said. "But..."
She trailed off suddenly and I saw Sigrosig burst into action. He grabbed his hammer with his other hand and leapt into the air in a frenzy of motion, jumping with a kick so hard it shattered the stone underneath him. With an insane roar that lacked any restraint he swung his hammer as he plunged back down, landing in the middle of his own troops. A cloud of smoke exploded outwards and limp bodies of giants flew outwards as Sigrosig killed indiscriminately. "Is he... killing his own troops?!" I gasped.
It was like his only thoughts were to kill - it didn't matter who was on the other end of his hammer. It didn't even need to be his hammer, as I realized in horror when he dashed out of the cloud of smoke to grab a giant by the throat. He slammed his victim against the ground, but then his body glitched and in an instant Sigrosig was holding him in the air again.
He threw the limp body to the side and rocketed forward. "Kil-ll! Ki-ill!" His voice glitched, as if he was using a microphone with awful audio drivers.
But, despite his shouting, Sigrosig was running forward without any plan at all. He had size and brute strength on his side, but with the destruction of his right arm, there was no way Fanatio would lose.
Suddenly, Fanatio crumpled to the ground. I spun my drone around in horror and saw that she'd fallen to one knee. "Fanatio! What's wrong?!" She didn't answer me, and I saw the sudden fear and confusion in her eyes. Was it some sort of interference? Maybe... Maybe the glitch in Sigrosig's Fluctlight had propagated outwards somehow like a twisted version of Incarnation!
"Ki*l th* huma*!" Sigrosig roared. The corruption was getting worse, and his voice was nearly drowned out by static. "K**l! K***! ***l!"
"Someone!" I exclaimed. "Do something!"
Sigrosig roared as he plunged his hammer down towards Fanatio's still body. Could I save her? I didn't have any Sacred Arts prepared. I could use my drones as location markers to summon guns but they weren't going to be able to appear and fire in time to save her. Even with the clumsy swing, there was no way -
"Lady Fanatio!" a muffled voice exclaimed.
The hammer swung down and an incredibly loud crash echoed out. The force of the impact blew my drone back to the waiting line of soldiers, and I saw an impossible sight. One of the Oscillation Blades stood in front of the kneeled Fanatio, and somehow their simple longsword had stopped Sigrosig's attack in its tracks.
"Dakira?" Fanatio gasped.
Even as I watched, though, the difference in strength was apparent. A single Integrity Knight could match an army; that was the simple truth that our battle plans had kept in mind. But not every Integrity Knight was equal in strength. Alice, by everything I'd heard, had a rare and monstrous talent with the sword, so maybe she could have held off the incredibly strong blow from Sigrosig after rushing forward and not having more than an instant to block.
Dakira Synthesis Twenty-Two, though, wasn't nearly as powerful as Alice. He'd been forced to brace his blade against his forearms, and the metal sword shattered in heartbeats. He'd only bought a few precious seconds - but Fanatio still hadn't been cured from whatever caused her paralysis.
Shards of his sword sprayed everywhere but instead of falling back, Dakira thrust his hands forward. He slammed his palms against the descending hammer that, compared to Dakira, was closer to a gigantic hunk of stone that had been placed on top of a stick. It forced him backwards, so quickly that rocks sprayed up even as his armored feet dug into the ground.
The intense pressure was enough to damage his gauntlets - and his arms themselves, to the point that blood sprayed from the cracks in his gauntlets and the armor joints. It stained his helmet bright red. "Stop it!" I exclaimed. "You're causing too much damage to yourself!"
"I won't... let Lady Fanatio get hurt!" Dakira, out of options, slammed his head forward. The steel-crossed helmet cracked and shattered within seconds, its Life draining instantly - to reveal a young girl with straw-colored hair. Blood trickled down her face from the cut on her forehead as awful sounds came from Dakira's neck and back, but slowly, slowly, she came to a halt. Sigrosig's off-balance swing with his left hand had weakened his strike enough that Dakira could block it.
I gasped out a breath of shock and relief - she was alive! But then Sigrosig howled in fury and pulled his massive hammer back to swing again. If it connected, then Dakira would -!
"Switch!"
The shout was an unfamiliar word, and none of the Knights would have heard it before. They would have no idea about what to do, or what it signified. But there was nothing that could be mistaken by the sight of Kirito dashing forward and swinging his glowing sword. It collided with the massive hammer, and a loud ringing sound echoed out through the air like a bell had just been struck.
"Dakira!" Fanatio lunged forward, then her eyes widened. She could talk again, and move! Even as Kirito pushed forward with a shout and knocked Sigrosig away, Fanatio lunged forward and caught Dakira in her arms as the younger girl toppled backwards. The other Oscillation Blades ran to stand in front of the vulnerable two, and Kirito shared a nod with them. "Dakira," Fanatio gasped as she cradled Dakira's head in her hands. "What were you thinking! That was suicide!"
"I'm... sorry, Lady Fanatio..." Dakira said. She slowly raised her trembling hand and wiped at Fanatio's eyes, brushing away the tears that spilled down her cheeks. "But... I moved, before I could think. I couldn't... let him hurt... you."
"Stay still. I shall tend to your wounds right away," Fanatio promised. "But your arms..."
Dakira's arms were heavily damaged, with blood pouring from the torn flesh and broken bones. If she didn't receive immediate attention, her arms would likely be scarred for the rest of her life - and even so, there was a high probability that she would never be able to properly hold a sword again. The most powerful Sacred Arts would save her, but -
"Miss Cardinal," I said to one of the familiar feeds. "We need you in the front. Dakira's arms are badly injured."
"Umu. I'm on my way."
I bit my lip. With her intervention, there was a good chance that Dakira could be saved. "Lady Fanatio..." Dakira said, her voice a little distant from the pain, "I've always... adored you... and shall... forev... er..."
The girl's eyes closed as her body went limp. "D-Dakira?!" Fanatio gasped as she stared at the girl with the long, straw-colored pigtails. "Ritsu, she -"
"She's alive," I said. "She just passed out from blood loss and pain. Miss Cardinal will heal her, don't worry."
"Indeed." Fanatio looked up and gasped as Miss Cardinal floated down. The small librarian lowered her staff until it tapped Dakira's body; the girl's body glowed green as the blood and cuts sealed themselves up, leaving her freckled face pristine. "Be careful, please. I would hate to lose any of my subjects."
"Of course, Lady Pontifex," Fanatio promised.
As Miss Cardinal floated away again, Dakira's eyelids fluttered. "Ah... It doesn't hurt," she murmured sleepily. "I must be dreaming... Mmm, Lady Fanatio is holding me, eheheh... What a wonderful dream."
Fanatio smiled. "Dakira! You're okay..."
Dakira blinked a few times, and then blushed brightly as she realized exactly where she was, and what was happening. "L-L-L-Lady Fanatio! I-I'm sorry if I've worried you! O-Or said anything strange just now! Or before!" She closed her eyes and moaned something incomprehensible.
...Ohhhhh, I see. Good for you, Dakira!
"The Lady Pontifex healed your wounds," Fanatio said, "but your sword is still broken. Please, retreat from the front lines for now."
"Y-Yes," Dakira squeaked. Without the voice-muffling helmet, she had a very nice voice, I think. And her face was very cute too! "Thank you, Lady Fanatio!"
Dakira scrambled to her feet and moved back through the ranks. Her ear tips were a hot red as she ducked her head. Fanatio, however, didn't seem to notice, because she'd already gripped the handle of her sword and turned towards Sigrosig. "I won't forgive you for harming my precious subordinate!" she shouted.
Sigrosig had been pushed back by Kirito's skillful sword techniques and the flawless skill of the three remaining Oscillation Blades, but as Fanatio's shout echoed over the battlefield he swung his hammer and knocked the Oscillation Blades away. They crashed to the ground, and Kirito blocked the blow; but when the dust cleared, the glitching giant was standing alone with nothing between him and Fanatio.
The giant howled so loudly that the shockwaves made Fanatio's cloak ripple. "Wah!" I gasped, and Ronie and Tiese squeaked in surprise when the noise from my poor butterfly's feed filled our little supply tent.
Fanatio didn't blink, though. Without so much as a twitch, she glared at the giant that had dared touch one of her subordinates, and raised her hand high in the air. Her sword, lying on the ground, floated noiselessly into her grasp. "Kill killl killll keeeeeell!" Sigrosig roared again, the crimson in his eyes so vibrant it looked like a flame in the eye socket, but Fanatio didn't hesitate.
The Heaven Piercing Sword responded to her will, and gained a coating of pure white light. It dazzled the eyes of anyone looking, and the shine stretched out more than five mels from the tip of her sword. It truly pierced the heavens. The goblins and giants stopped and stared, clearly afraid. Sigrosig, however, was too far gone; the glitched monster launched himself in the air with a howl. "Kill... the... humaaaa**!"
"Your grave awaits you."
With that simple declaration, Fanatio swung her sword down almost carelessly. But light doesn't weigh anything at all, and with that simple slash the blade of light drew a white streak through the air and slammed down on Sigrosig's hammer. The light hesitated for just an instant as a loud clear sound echoed out -
And then the hammer split in two, the cross section where Fanatio had cut it in half melted and glowing a cherry red. Sigrosig, having been holding the hammer, was directly in the path of her blade of light, and the light cut through him without so much as slowing down until it crashed into the ground.
Every goblin and giant stared in bone-deep fear. The soldiers of the Human Empire watched in total silence, as well; it seemed like everything on the battlefield had suddenly just held its breath at the same time. "Lady Fanatio is amazing," Tiese said from behind me, and I almost jumped from the sudden noise.
The halves of what used to be Sigrosig fell to the ground on either side of the beam of light. Fanatio swung her sword out to the side with a flourish and the dazzling blade of light finally left her sword. Then, Fanatio raised her sword again. "First unit, center!" she ordered. "Advance! Push the enemy back!"
Her soldiers roared with new vigor and leapt into battle.
I can trust Kirito and Lady Fanatio to handle things there without me, so I don't need to keep an eye on them. Well, a direct eye. I still had all my video feeds up and running and was glancing through them all from time to time.
But right now, the one I need to focus on is the right flank with Sir Deusolbert, because that was the flank where the soldiers were actively engaged with the enemy. The forces had devolved from neat lines and strategies to an all-out melee, with corpses littering the field.
And they weren't only the enemy lying on the ground, either. As I watched, one of our soldiers - an older man - ran a goblin through, only for his sword to get stuck at a crucial moment that prevented him from blocking another goblin's attack from behind. The man's blood sprayed everywhere and two goblins stabbed at him until he fell to the ground.
Then, both goblins were blown backwards by a steel arrow that blasted through one goblin and pierced through the next one's throat. The gout of flame that followed burned both of them to a crisp and added two more to the mountain of burned corpses that Deusolbert had already created.
Ugh... This was awful... War was so ugly. I hated it. It wasn't the same as assassination in anyway. It was just a war of attrition that increased the deaths in every heartbeat.
Explosion after explosion, Deusolbert slaughtered tens of goblins with every volley of arrows he loosed from his bow. Like expected, he pierced through the line - but his arrows couldn't handle the wide spread of the goblins charging. They didn't have any sort of tactics I recognized, beyond swarming us all with the incredible number of goblins!
Through the flames surrounding him, I realized that Deusolbert's quiver of arrows was starting to get a little low. "Excuse me," I said to one of the feeds I hadn't paid any attention to yet. "Sir Deusolbert is running low on arrows. Please gather a new quiver and bring it to him."
"Yes ma'am!" one of the supply troops replied. The sergeant then turned and barked orders, and a few of the soldiers started running around to gather anything I'd missed.
"Lady Ritsu... Has there been no order to retreat yet?" Deusolbert's flames receded as he asked his question. My drone dipped a little low as I approached him, and I realized his fingers had grasped for arrows in his quiver and come back empty. He was totally out.
"Sorry, Sir Deusolbert," I said. "Sir Bercouli hasn't ordered anything like that. And runners from the supply corps will be along shortly with more arrows, so hang in there!"
He sighed. "To hear those words in that tone... You are strange indeed, Lady Ritsu."
"Hey!" I puffed my cheeks out. "I'm not that strange."
"Look what we got here. An archer with no more arrows!"
A group of enemies emerged from the smoke that Deusolbert had created. Some of them were carrying the charred corpses of their fallen comrades as improvised shields, and their equipment was way better than the other goblins I'd seen so far. They had proper plate armor and riveted leather belts.
Behind the barricade of goblins was the speaker; a goblin whose only selling point seemed to be that he was bigger and stronger than all the others. His iron armor shone with a black luster, he carried a large hatchet in each hand, and he wore colorful and decorative feathers on his head.
Deusolbert and the large goblin locked eyes. As they glared at each other, the tension in the air rose and the fighting around them gradually slowed to a halt.
Deusolbert slung his bow over his shoulder. "Tch," he clicked his tongue quietly. "I messed up." Then he raised his voice. "You are chief of the goblin tribe, I take it. One of the Council of Ten."
"That's right. Chief of the flatland goblins, Lord Shibori!" the large goblin boasted, his yellow teeth showing.
Deusolbert drew his longsword. "I am an Integrity Knight. Deusolbert Synthesis-"
"So what!" Shibori barked. "I don't care what your name is, Ium! You're just meat to me! And once I chop off your head, you'll make a fine meal! All right, enough talk. Rush him and hold him!"
The seven goblins that accompanied Shibori jumped forward and brandished their hatchets and howled. "How absurd!" Deusolbert replied. He raised his sword over his head and brought it down in a single fluid motion. The slash drew a bright gleam of light in the gloom, and the leading attacker's hatchet split with a high-pitched *crack* - right before the goblin himself split in half.
Nobody else saw Deusolbert's movement, but before the blood spray even reached the ground the Integrity Knight was right in front of the next guard. His next swing removed the goblin's head before it knew it was about to die.
This wasn't a combo attack like Kirito's sword skills, or even the consecutive attacks that Fanatio and her Oscillation Blades used. I could see Deusolbert returning to a standard stance after each attack. But, his skill was flawless; honed after years and years of practice.
The next two goblins didn't even hesitate, despite how swiftly Deusolbert had dispatched two of their comrades. They circled around to attack him from each side, covered in the blackish blood of their dead allies - but Deusolbert cut through the left goblin's stomach and turned the follow-through into a slash that cut through the right goblin. Its heart was destroyed by that cut, and both enemies died instantly.
"Amazing," I gasped. They only just charged him, and there were only three left! Four, counting the enemy's commander!
The fifth goblin charged him from the front, and Deusolbert cut it with a horizontal slice that dug through its right side.
"Nrahh!"
I gasped. "Watch out!"
The silver tip of a hatchet burst through the dying goblin's chest. It had been a sacrifice to approach from Deusolbert's only blind spot - the one place he couldn't see in this battlefield. From right behind another goblin! I hadn't noticed until it was almost too late.
Deusolbert flinched back to avoid the tip, but the hatchet was too close. He brought his arm up to guard it, and the crimson armguard shattered under the pressure. "Ku...ooohh!" With a loud shout, Deusolbert shoved and forced his arm to the right. The blade glanced off of his arm and he thrust forward with his longsword. It pierced the fifth goblin's body and dug into the stomach of the sixth.
He pulled his sword back and backed up at once - but as the fifth goblin slumped to the ground, dead three times over, I saw the other two goblins throwing their hatchets to the side. They lunged for Deusolbert, low to the ground, and Deusolbert froze for an instant instead of swinging his sword. Oh no... His style doesn't have that sort of flexibility!
They latched onto his legs and since he was off-balance, Deusolbert toppled backwards and slammed to the ground heavily. With a nasty leer, Shibori charged forward and raised his hatchets.
Footsteps slammed towards Deusolbert. "Die, monster!" It was Golgorosso screaming the hoarse cry as he charged towards the downed Knight and the enemy's general. I felt a pit in my stomach as Shibori smirked and lazily swung his hatchet to the side like he didn't even have to try.
*Shiiiing!*
Golgorosso was a really big guy, and he was wearing heavy plate armor. Even with all that, the single smack from Shibori betrayed massive gap between his strength and that of the goblin chief's, and sent Golgorosso flying backwards. He rolled two, three times across the ground and then came to a halt with his sword shattered.
Shibori's red eyes gleamed with predatory glee and he stomped over to Golgorosso. He raised his hatchet high over his head, and deliberately held it there. He's... He's just toying with us! Then, he brought it down -
"Uraaaaah!" Deusolbert lunged to his feet and screamed to the sky, summoning his flames again. He pulled his bow out, but his lack of arrows didn't stop him. Instead, he nocked his whole sword to the bow and pulled it back. "Come, oh flames!" he shouted. The flames answered his call and enveloped his sword with a bright crimson aura.
The goblins that had been pinning his legs in place didn't let go, even as the flames burning around Deusolbert bloomed even more than before. For their loyalty to their chief, the flames enveloped them and burned them until not even ashes remained.
Shibori turned, then, to see what was casting the light - and his eyes widened in shock at the sight. He drew back to throw the hatchet in his right hand.
But he was too slow -
"Burn to ashes!" With that shout, Deusolbert released the string of his bow and his longsword shot forward with a roar. Shibori slammed his hatchets together in a desperate last-second cross block.
The block only lasted for a second after the tip of the sword slammed into the center of the crossed blades. The bits of molten iron that didn't immediately vaporize from the heat splashed outwards, and the sword burst through the hatchets.
Like his two subordinates, Shibori didn't even have a chance to scream as he was turned to ash and destroyed.
The other flatland goblins had seen this, but even as they turned to run the massive column of fire streaked past them. Like the others, they burst into flame from just the heat of the sword. The fire wrapping the sword spread wings, and for a second it looked just like a massive, crimson phoenix had screamed to the sky.
Amazing...
But, it did make a little bit more work for me.
"Excuse me," I said politely to the sergeant in the supply tent. "Could you also bring Sir Deusolbert a new longsword as well as a quiver of arrows? He turned his old one into a bird."
It really did say something about the respect that they had for the Integrity Knights that the sergeant just nodded and shouted more orders to his troops.
"Commander," one of the soldiers said to Bercouli. "Lady Fanatio killed the giant's chief. Sir Deusolbert killed the flatland goblin chief. They're holding the line now."
Bercouli nodded. "What else?"
"Allow me," I chimed in. "The other goblin chief has managed to slip through the left flank with a small amount of his forces. No casualties, and they should be taken care of shortly."
"Thank you," he said.
"Well, my lord," the soldier said, "as you can see, the enemy forces outnumber us. We're holding them off, but it's only a matter of time before they punch through."
Bercouli looked at him. "Got any word about their airborne support?"
"So far, they're not using dragons or minions. Just ground troops."
With Quinella's death, the only one left in this world that knew the secret of flight was Miss Cardinal. While she'd taught me a little bit from the list of commands, I only knew enough to summon my guns in the different configurations. I didn't actually know how to fly.
That meant, naturally, that having our dragons was a huge advantage we had over the Dark Territory. All the Integrity Knights could get on their dragons and fly around, destroying the enemy infantry with their dragon's heat rays. Of course, we weren't using that sort of strategy - because according to Bercouli, the enemy's Order of the Dark Knights had dragons too, and if any of ours had been shot down by a lucky Sacred Art or arrow, we'd be at a huge disadvantage.
Right now, the only dragon on the field is Alice, high in the sky. The Dark Territory will probably not release their dragons either, so that's not what Bercouli is worrying about.
The Dark Territory had something else - 'minions'.
Alice and Kirito had apparently run into some of them on the outer walls of the Central Cathedral; they were ugly stone gargoyles created from Sacred Arts. Miss Cardinal said that Quinella had been researching the disgusting things, but it wasn't like our side could field a bunch of them.
Plus, they were... really, really ugly.
"Bercouli, do we need to worry about the minions attacking?" I asked him.
He just stared up at the sky. "Don't worry your head about that, kid," he said. "I've got it handled.
"Understood."
Well, if he had it handled, then I'm sure I don't need to worry. Bercouli was really powerful, after all. He was the leader of the army for a reason!
In that case... I flicked through a few of the different feeds and frowned. My familiar still hadn't found Renly? Where was he hiding? "Tiese," I said, "did Eugeo ever talk about Sir Renly?"
"Huh?" The red-haired girl tapped her cheek. "No, I don't think he ever did. I would have remembered, probably."
"Why are you asking?" Ronie asked.
"Oh, no reason," I said. "Just, Alice hadn't mentioned much about the other Knights, so I was a little curious!"
Hmm... Where would he be? There was really only one direction he could go, since he probably wasn't running towards the enemy - none of my other feeds had seen a hint of his mint-green hair. But my butterfly had been searching backwards towards the supply group to no avail. Ugh, I wish I had GPS positions~!
At least I know where Alice is. She was still flying nice and high in the air on her dragon's back. "Hi Alice," I said through my familiar. "Are you doing okay? ...Alice?"
The blonde girl didn't reply at first, but when I called her name a second time she shook her head. "Sorry," she said. "I'll be fine. Now..."
She closed her eyes and cupped her hands in front of her chest. It was about that time that I noticed the golden, glittering particles that had started to fill the air. Those were... all the resources generated by a Fluctlight's death... I glanced back over at the other feeds and watched. Soldiers from our sides slaughtering goblins, and toppling giants. Giants and goblins cutting down soldiers.
Every time anyone died, whether they were from the Human Empire or the Dark Territory, as their body disappeared the same golden particles drifted skyward. And Alice gathered every one of those particles into the ball in her hands. It glowed brightly as she lifted it up over her head.
It expanded and shined brightly, like a second, golden sun. Even as an outer shell of silver metal covered it, the radiance of the massive Sacred Art didn't diminish; more and more of the sacred power spiraled up from the battlefield below her and was absorbed by the mirror-surfaced sphere.
"Good luck, Alice," I said. "Please, look after her, Miss Cardinal."
The little librarian nodded once. "If she needs my assistance, I shall grant it. However... This girl has a rare talent with the Sacred Arts." She smiled awkwardly, like her face wasn't used to making the expression (and that was a really sad thought that we needed to fix, as soon as we dealt with the invading army!). "There is every possibility I won't need to lift a finger in her aid."
"Well, I think -" One of my feeds chirped quietly to get my attention and I looked over. "Oh! Sorry, Miss Cardinal. I have to go now."
My little bird familiar had landed on a torch in the center of the Supply camp, and I frowned. Hmm... That was one of the storage tents it was staring at, wasn't it? Why would it have tracked Renly there?
The tent itself was made from thick cloth, and the familiar struggled a little bit to shove its way through the flaps. But, with a few awkward-looking hops and ungainly flapping of its wings, the bird slipped inside. It looked pretty normal, at first glance. The important supplies that we'd need first were stacked in the center of the tent, and the bags and boxes we had a lower chance of needing were stacked up on either side. The heavier wooden boxes were on the bottom, and...
...Wait, these were supposed to be food tents. They're storing grains and dried fruits, so why would there be boxes sitting out in the open? That was only for the weapons and armor!
The bird fluttered over to the stacks of grain and flour, and I saw pretty much exactly what I expected.
An Integrity Knight, with shining armor and green hair, curled up in a ball between two boxes and shivering.
"Sir Renly," I said. "Um... What are you doing?"
And now, the war has been joined. Things are happening!
One thing I was really worried about, with regards to writing this? The nature of the War of Underworld is very disjointed, with many different viewpoints to follow. And, Ritsu is (by definition) better suited for mission control. So, my worry was that I'd be unable to properly make the sequences interesting, or I'd be forced to break with my own style in this story (that is, sticking to first person).
Hopefully the current compromise is acceptable – Ritsu is using a bunch of little drone familiars to keep eyes on what's going on. I figure that it's acceptable because of how close it is to her actions in the end of Assassination Classroom (piloting the drones) and that this way I get to have all parts of the war. Each scene break is switching to a different feed. I know it's less than ideal, but... Well, that's why I keep telling everyone to watch the show and read the books!
…Oh well, not like anyone actually reads this story, so who cares, right?
Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or left a review.
