Chapter 220 : The Ribenia Anti-Demon War (1)
Chapter 220: The Ribenia Anti-Demon War (1)
“I, Eugene Carter, who inherited the filthy blood of Vladia—the blood loathed more than anything else by the glorious citizens of the Ribenia Empire—dare to make this declaration before you all.
Perhaps some of you think I find this sight deeply satisfying.
Perhaps you believe this reality, where the world is being stained by demons, is something I have long wished for.
But unfortunately, I don't think I can meet those expectations.
I don't care how you define me.
Whether I am a cursed existence or not, I will fight those monsters.
Never for your sake.
There are people I want to protect.
There is a conviction I must see through.
There is still a dream I have yet to reach.
There is a future I wish to witness.
To achieve all of those goals, I must survive.
And those bastards will surely try to kill me, leaving not even a trace of my existence behind in this world.
That is why I will fight.
And if...
If you are the same as me.
If you too possess precious things you wish to protect.
Then I ask you to fight here until the very end.
Right now, you don't need to help anyone.
Nor do you need to fight for anyone else.
Simply protect yourselves and survive.
If you do...
Then we will surely be victorious.
Take up your weapons. Face your enemies. The moment of the decisive battle has come.
Now is the time to cry out not for the brilliant glory of the Ribenia Empire, but for the one sacred name that has existed among us since long before the Empire itself.
For the honor of mankind!”
.
.
.
No one cheered.
No one voiced their agreement.
Even so, the man proudly raised his sword.
His equal, the SS-Rank Monster Beast, answered that blade with its full power.
There were those who followed behind him.
Among them, the youngest swordsman carved through the enemies' thick hides as effortlessly as slicing tofu with his crimson Formless Sword.
The two mages each wiped out the swarms of Beasts pouring across the battlefield in their own ways, while the holy Executor swung his halberd against three S-Rank Monster Beasts.
The great commander of the Empire blocked the enemy's advance while simultaneously issuing orders to every soldier on the battlefield.
Responding to those perfectly coordinated movements, the Gate Beasts also began surging toward the main gate all at once.
“Do not fall back! The moment our formation collapses, it's over!”
“They're only Beasts! They're no match for our Imperial Special Operations Force! We launch a preemptive strike on my signal! Understood?!”
“Yes, sir!”
Of course, there were those who thought to themselves,
'Eugene Carter, who are you to speak as though you represent us?'
'You're just one war hero of the Empire. And someone carrying the blood of Vladia has the nerve to speak about the glory of the Empire or fighting for humanity?'
'Don't make me laugh.'
'Leave the Empire immediately.'
'You have no right to represent anyone.'
There were still many who harbored such thoughts in their hearts.
But they couldn't say them.
As long as he continued his desperate battle against the enemy commander, no one could bring those thoughts to their lips.
The very man they had despised and distrusted more than anyone else was now protecting them...
Who could possibly jeer at him now?
Because of that, even those who still had doubts no longer hesitated to take up their weapons.
Just as he had said, they began protecting themselves.
Members of the Special Operations Force.
Members of the Defense Force.
Believers of Dellowell.
Teachers and students of Karbenna.
Mages of Maret.
The remnants of the Platinum Dawn Society.
Even the civilian volunteer army that had joined late.
It was like a single enormous wave.
Those who witnessed that unwavering resolve to resist also picked up their swords and shields one after another.
The Bernhardt Mercenary Corps and even the outsiders of the Platinum Dawn Society did the same.
Against more than sixty thousand Beasts pouring endlessly from eleven Gates, every human gathered there began a bloody battle for the future.
It was an Anti-Demon War (抗魔戰).
At the same time, it was also a Demon-Subjugation War (降魔戰).
KWAAANG!
Everywhere my eyes could see was filled with Beasts.
The thunder of artillery, monstrous roars, and battle cries blended together into an incomprehensible cacophony.
I could roughly make out the battles of those relatively close to me, but once they were over a hundred meters away, I couldn't distinguish anything at all.
That was just how chaotic the battlefield had become, with every kind of force mixed together as they fought the Beasts.
I'd already spotted more than thirty A-Rank or higher Beasts.
There were also nine S-Rank Monster Beasts.
The only saving grace was that there was only one SS-Rank Monster Beast—Mastema.
But it was still far too early to relax.
Claaang—!
Focusing mana into both my arms and legs, I barely held back his assault while relentlessly exploiting his weaknesses.
Compared to Beasts of the same rank, his stamina was relatively lacking, and his combat style specialized in mental attacks.
In other words...
The only strategy I could think of was to cling to him desperately so he couldn't concentrate on using mental attacks, forcing him to wear me down by making me expend enormous amounts of stamina.
“Huff... Huff...!”
Watching me barely hold the front line while gasping for breath, Mastema tilted his head.
“How desperate you are, Eugene Carter.”
“Thanks... to you...!”
I couldn't allow him even the slightest opportunity to use a mental attack.
I rushed in once more, this time even utilizing Phantom Swordsmanship to exploit an opening.
After evading the razor-sharp blades on both his arms with the smallest possible movement, I thrust a sword strike infused with concentrated mana through the gap.
Tiiing—!
Even so, it still wasn't enough to pierce his Blood Armor.
As he slammed the ground, three massive spikes shot toward me.
Kiiiiiik!
“Ghk!”
I barely avoided being impaled by deploying Mana Armor at the last possible moment, but the tremendous force still hurled me over twenty meters away.
The instant I regained my footing, I retaliated with a slash before charging right back in front of him.
Kiiiiing...!
Casually blocking my sword, Mastema asked,
“Do you think stopping me alone will somehow be enough? Hmm?”
“It's... the minimum requirement...!”
“Even that will never be easy for you.”
KWAAANG!
An explosion erupted in midair, sending me flying once again.
This time, I couldn't absorb the impact at all and rolled helplessly across the ground.
Even then, I didn't let out so much as a groan.
Instead, I merely clenched my teeth.
Seeing that, Mastema spread both arms and declared once more,
“Even if you somehow succeed in stopping this body, nothing will change. This wave is but a gentle ripple. What comes next will be a colossal tsunami. You will all be trampled... mercilessly!”
“……”
“All of this is His will and my divine mission. I, Mastema, need only watch the deaths of those I despise, just as I always have. What a beautiful victory this shall be!”
“...Then we'll resist that will and struggle with everything we've got. That's one thing we're more than confident about!”
Just as I was about to charge again—
Two S-Rank Monster Beasts stepped in front of me.
SKREEEE!
KEHEHEHEH!
“...Seeing how tirelessly you keep throwing yourself at us, I suppose your confidence isn't entirely unfounded, Eugene Carter.”
But I had no intention of dancing to the tune of the likes of you.
“I must now prepare to face the Empire's greatest military force.”
“As if I'd let you!”
I leaped forward with all my strength to block his escape.
But the S-Rank Monster Beasts weren't careless enough to simply watch.
One jumped to exactly the same height as me and intercepted my sword strike.
The other waited for the moment I landed before spewing a torrent of deadly poison from its body.
I managed to disperse most of it with my slash and Mana Armor, but I couldn't stop every drop from splashing onto my clothes and skin.
“Lord Eugene!”
“...Rubia.”
Rubia arrived at the perfect moment and quickly neutralized the poison with Cure Magic, leaving me with nothing worse than minor burns.
But during that brief interval, Mastema had already escaped and passed through the entrance of the Imperial Palace.
“I have... to chase... him...”
“We'll handle things somehow. Lord Eugene, please have your wounds treated first. I'll take care of the two in front of us!”
Ignoring my insistence that I was fine, Rubia forcibly sent me toward the field medics behind the front lines.
“Ah, you're...”
“...Poison burns. The poison has already been neutralized, so please just treat the burns.”
“……”
The soldiers flinched when they saw me, then exchanged glances before hurriedly pulling out their medical supplies.
With Mastema's resurrection and the large-scale assault by the Gate Beasts, the war entered a new phase.
After the operation to destroy the Erosion Pillars and the clash with the Platinum Dawn Society, everyone who had taken part in the battle had already expended a considerable amount of stamina.
Only Natalie Siegmund's directly commanded Defense Force and the believers of Dellowell had managed to preserve their strength relatively well, but that alone was far from enough to reverse the tide of battle.
As Edel surveyed the front lines, Captain of the Imperial Guards Rugier and Chief Steward of the Imperial Household Georg approached her.
“Your Highness.”
“Report.”
“Y-Yes. There are currently signs of collapse, primarily in Sections Four and Eight of the southern wall...”
She had already received a general overview from each commander.
Overall, they were undoubtedly holding their ground well.
But no one knew how much longer they could endure.
Even now, everyone was squeezing every last ounce of strength just to barely maintain the battle lines.
At this rate, another hour would be enough for the defenses to begin collapsing one after another.
The fact that only two sectors were showing signs of collapse at this point could already be considered the best possible performance.
Nevertheless, it was equally clear that they were rapidly running out of time.
If they were already struggling this much against the first wave of sixty thousand Beasts...
Then if a second wave emerged from the Gates...
The Empire would be finished.
Even if it meant leaving the borders somewhat vulnerable, the bulk of the regular army had to reinforce them.
Within two hours.
“I can only hope they've managed to contain the chaos inside... but who knows.”
She briefly recalled the conversation she had with Imperial Regular Army Headquarters the previous evening.
“Please prepare to mobilize twenty to thirty thousand troops. If possible, even forty thousand.”
“...As you know, Your Highness, even in a crisis comparable to a national emergency, mobilizing that many troops all at once is impossible for us.”
“That's why I'm asking now. The enemy's offensive will begin before long. They'll try to launch the decisive battle before we've even finished selecting the new Emperor.”
“...Even mobilizing twenty thousand troops will create uncontrollable gaps in our defenses. It won't take long before other nations discover what's happening.”
“Don't worry too much about that. I've already prepared measures to minimize foreign intervention.”
“I... see.”
“So please, Commander.”
“……”
“We're out of time. It's time to make your decision.”
“...Now that the Crown Prince has also passed away, you are the only one we can place our trust in, Princess Edel. We will follow your command.”
Fortunately, Headquarters had yet to send any emergency reports.
The internal unrest caused by the Beastification Drug Flicker had undoubtedly delayed the arrival of the main army to some extent, but apparently not enough to become a fatal problem.
If the regular army could join them safely, they could finally begin their full-scale counteroffensive.
The enemies had boasted that humanity's destruction was inevitable.
They had mocked them, telling them to give up and accept their fate.
Now it was finally time to crush those smug faces into the dirt.
'Until then... I have to hold this position no matter what.'
After ordering every commander to fight to the death, Edel herself charged back into the front lines.
The fierce battle against the enemy commander, Mastema of Hatred, and the two Executors was still in full swing.