Chapter 271: The Demon Beasts Landing
From the rear position, observing the battlefield, the elderly General Mainz stroked his white beard as he muttered to himself.
「Even with that powerful magic, we couldn’t hold back the demon beasts at the shoreline.」
「It seems that preventing their landing was indeed impossible. What are your orders, Your Majesty Chef d’Escadre Sarah?」
With Takeru absent from the artillery outpost, Sarah-chan had taken command as the overall leader. General Mainz, who served the young Empress Elizabeth, not yet ten years old, showed no hesitation in following the orders of the fifteen-year-old girl general.
「Of course, we launch a full-scale offensive!」
At her words, a cheer erupted from the soldiers, their spirits surging. The air was thick with anticipation as their battle cries filled the camp.
Reflecting the intensity of their morale, Eleonora, clad in blazing armor, stepped forward.
「Then, Chef d’Escadre, we knights shall be the first to engage the enemy.」
「I leave the vanguard to you, General Eleonora. I’ll bring the main force to support you.」
「Understood… Proud knights, now is the time to earn your glory! Slay the dragon demon beasts, and like the great Dame Louise, you shall be hailed as dragon-slayers for generations to come!」 Eleonora’s stirring speech kindled the knights’ desire for honor and renown. They were all fired up, eager for the fight ahead.
Sarah-chan watched, pleased, as the knights rallied to Eleonora’s call. Meanwhile, General Mainz, still stroking his beard, mused over the situation.
With morale this high, the knights would likely fight without hesitation, even against such terrifying demon beasts. He smiled, offering his advice.
「Hohoho, quite the passionate lot, aren’t they? Chef d’Escadre Sarah, I suggest we hold some reserve forces to defend our position. Once the offensive begins, we’ll use the defensive fortifications to mop up any monsters that break through. A two-pronged strategy—what do you think?」
「Yes, defending the artillery is crucial. General Mainz, I trust in your abilities as the ‘badger’. I leave the defense of the position entirely to you.」
「Haha,understood.」
Mainz replied with a respectful bow. As he watched Sarah and the younger officers depart for battle, he continued pondering.
The monsters had broken through the massive fleet and survived the Meteor Strike—this was no enemy the knights could easily stop.
But it was still worth sending them out. Their charge would buy valuable time.
The real concern was the follow-up. Gazing down at the strategic map laid on the table, Mainz was pleased to see that the fortifications protecting the artillery were well-built.
‘Someone with talent put this together.’ he noted, turning to inquire.
「Who was responsible for constructing these fortifications?」
「I was, General Mainz.」
Said Milk Rossa, stepping forward. He was Sarah-chan’s second in command, a skilled officer whom even Takeru had wanted as his own secretary.
Milk was not only a capable protector and assistant to Sarah-chan, but he also had a keen grasp of military strategy, especially defensive tactics, much like Mainz himself.
「May I ask your name?」
「My apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I am Milk, Chef d’Escadre Sarah’s adjutant.」
「This is a well-thought-out defense. You’ve designed it to sap the momentum of the larger demon beasts, haven’t you?」
「Exactly, General Mainz. Your assessment is spot on.」
Mainz was impressed by Milk’s adaptable thinking, especially for someone so young.
「I would appreciate your help with the defense.」
「Of course, General. It is an honor to assist you!」
「Please share any suggestions you might have for the defense.」
「I do have one idea in case of an emergency. If our forces in the field need to retreat, we should have a plan to draw them back into the safety of the fortifications.」
Milk had already anticipated the possibility that Sarah-chan’s rapid assault might not go as planned and had prepared a fallback position for their retreat.
There was nothing more to add.
「You truly have a sharp mind. Let’s proceed with your plan for the defense.」
「Yes, sir!」
This blond young man, with his innocent-looking face, was able to foresee things well in advance. Seeing the weariness in Milk’s expression, Mainz felt a sense of empathy.
Mainz himself was nearing the end of his career. He had always refrained from passing on his hard-earned knowledge, not wanting to saddle a young person with the burden of the thankless battles he had fought. But now, he wondered if it might be time to take on a disciple after all.
Milk, with his sharp mind, was a promising candidate. If Mainz were to teach him, the young man would absorb the knowledge like dry earth soaking up water.
And serving under such a fierce young general like Sarah-chan made him the perfect candidate. Mainz mused that it might be worthwhile to provide this youth with as much education as possible through the course of this war.
It would be a preparation for the future.
Mainz was still determined to defend this fort and defeat the Great Demon God, saving the world in the process. But, his small eyes also glimpsed a different future in this young blond man.
※※※
While the generals exchanged such thoughts, Revenant was making a commotion near the base of the Continent Cannon.
「Ahhh, the city! My dear City of Lisbon is burning!」
「Please calm down.」
Sherry tried to placate him.
But Revenant wasn’t listening. The gunner, Wake, chuckled at the sight.
「Why are you freaking out? The civilians have already been evacuated, right?」
Revenant ignored him, his face twisted in a nervous grin as he fidgeted.
「Ahhhhh! It was supposed to become the grand international port of our kingdom!」
The attack of the Great Demon God, though disastrous, had brought some fortune to the Kingdom of Castillia. With international sympathy and aid flooding in, Lisbon had grown into a large international port city in just half a month.
If the city survived intact, Revenant had been counting on it to secure Castillia’s economic future. But now, his dreams were being shattered as he watched the demon beasts ravage the city before his very eyes. If the Great Demon God landed, total destruction would be inevitable.
「Fire! Fire the cannon already!」 Revenant screamed.
「Please, Revenant-san! It’s too early! We have to wait until the Great Demon God gets closer. Someone, stop this man!」
If they missed, it would mean the end of the world. Revenant, seemingly more concerned about his nation’s future than the global crisis, was restrained by nearby mages.
「Good grief.」
Wake muttered, shrugging his shoulders with a laugh.
Despite Revenant’s frantic pleas, the Continent Cannon won’t fire unless all the mages were funneling their magic into it and Wake pulled the trigger.
「The real question is when exactly we should fire.」
Wake said thoughtfully.
The timing for charging the magic power was Sherry’s responsibility. But, there were limits to what calculations could predict.
Ideally, they wanted to wait until the last possible moment to fire, but the demon beasts were already destroying the city. The timing also had to balance with how long the army could hold the defensive positions.
Sherry looked to Wake for his input.
「I’d like to wait until the Great Demon God’s whole body is on land. If I can’t see the target clearly, it’ll be harder to hit.」
Although it was mostly intuition, Wake’s sharpshooting skills were legendary, and his instincts were rarely wrong.
Coincidentally, his suggested timing nearly matched the calculations Sherry had come up with.
「…Alright. We’ll time the magic power charge accordingly. Mages, please prepare.」
Sherry, growing more confident, decided to take command from Revenant and began directing the mages herself.
Now, everything hinged on whether the army could hold back the advancing demon beasts long enough for them to fire the cannon.
※※※
Despite Kaara’s all-out Meteor Strike, which failed to stop the monsters, the city of Lisbon was overrun, and Louise led a small cavalry unit in a strategic retreat.
「Louise-sama really is something else.」
Murmured Jill, the commander of the Silesien Kingdom’s royal guard.
Marina, the captain of the royal knights, nodded enthusiastically, her chestnut ponytail bouncing as she did. Both had joined the defense of Lisbon, eager to fight alongside Louise. While they skillfully maneuvered their warhorses to battle dragons, Louise no longer needed one.
Wielding two massive blades—one made of orichalcum, and the other the legendary dragon-slaying sword—Louise moved through the city with superhuman speed, leaping from building to building, cutting down the approaching demon beasts with ease. Her strength and speed were beyond anything human.
It was no wonder Louise was called the Heroine of the Abyss Continent. Having slain dragons and consumed their flesh, her body had long since surpassed human limits.
However, even Louise, who left behind a trail of monster corpses, couldn’t hold back the sheer number of demon beasts. Slowly, she was being pushed back, forced to retreat beyond the city walls.
「You two, we’ve done enough. Fall back!」
「Understood!」
Barricades placed around the city had been breached in many places, but whenever that happened, the hidden explosives set by Lyle-sensei triggered, crushing the advancing monsters.
Kaara and Lyle-sensei had bought enough time to withdraw, and their mission to thin the enemy’s numbers during the landing was complete.
Though the monsters had made landfall, the real defensive lines were far behind them, and now it was a race to escape. Louise, Jill, and Marina turned their horses and fled.
Panting from the effort of their retreat, they were pursued by the horde of demon beasts when, suddenly, a contingent of knights charged in from the defensive line to intercept.
「Louise-sama, reinforcements have arrived!」
「What’s this, Eleonora? You’ve come out to join us?」
The knights charged fearlessly into the swarm of monsters, even confronting dragons twice their size.
「Haaahhhh!」
「I’ve got one too!」
The two knights, Berenice and Clementine, veterans of battles against these monsters, fought with unmatched intensity. Their roars echoed as the defeated demon beasts collapsed to the ground.
Jill and Marina’s female knights, whom they had personally trained, also shone on the battlefield, displaying remarkable valor.
「Let’s join them!」
「Yes!」
The knights’ charge was not reckless; they had undergone extensive training, preparing specifically for battles against such demon beasts. They fought in small groups, never alone, coordinating their efforts to face the monsters head-on.
Behind them, Sarah-chan’s forces provided heavy suppressive fire, creating a barrage that split the once unstoppable horde of demon beasts.
Even Louise, who had intended to scold them for advancing so boldly, couldn’t help but be impressed.
No matter how tactics or weapons evolve, the knight remains the pride of the battlefield, she thought, feeling a sense of pride herself.
But then—
「What is that!?」
Before them, an even larger monstrosity loomed, a mass of flesh and writhing tentacles, towering above the battlefield like a colossal wave about to engulf everything. It swallowed even the swarm of demon beasts as it approached, its grotesque form blotting out the sky.