Chapter 223
“Looks like your condition has improved a lot compared to before.”
Camila mumbled.
“Did your wound really heal?”
“Well, that’s anyone’s guess.”
“Umm…”
Camila’s gaze turned towards the spider.
Its appearance was still nothing to write home about, but upon closer inspection, one could discern something odd. The exoskeleton that had once come apart was now reattached, and the flesh that had leaked pus was regaining its original form.
The creature that had lost its legs glared at us, standing behind many knights and combat magicians. It looked as if it were seeking revenge on its mortal enemies.
The clash of blue eyes and red sclera lasted only a moment.
“…Huh?”
Fire erupted from the fingertips of Camila, who was leisurely twitching her lips.
“I suppose we can check now.”
And then,
a ferocious roar crossed the gloomy sky.
—
Episode 11 – No Issues on the Northern Front
—
The abomination’s jaw unhinged, revealing a bizarre oral structure lined with green threads stretching like cheese.
Fangs filled with deadly venom approached to bite at the neck.
“Ugh…!”
A knight swiftly ducked and rolled on the ground.
The light-absorbing silver armor was quickly sullied by mud and filth, with the corpse spider’s ichor soaking the knight’s head, yet he showed no sign of faltering.
Instead, he swung his sword.
From the mud, the pure white sword rose.
With a trailing white light like a comet, the sword traced a bold mark across the giant spider’s torso.
“Get back!”
A booming voice shook the surroundings.
The knight, who had been targeting the monster’s body, suddenly turned his head.
“Commander!”
“Get out! Go stop the corpse spider!”
At the superior’s command, the knight fell back.
Pereyti, who had been bitten by a subordinate, took up the sword himself to face the beast.
Beyond the dazzling silver swordplay, a fierce battlefield unfolded before them.
A sea of corpse spiders, writhing like a tumultuous wave, surged toward them.
The knight, who had joined the rear upon the commander’s orders, swung his sword at the corpse spider.
-Swoosh!
The body of the spider attacking from behind the fellow knight was precisely sliced in half and dropped to the ground.
A fellow knight, confirming the spider carcass rolling at his feet, gestured towards the knight.
Pereyti, seeing his subordinates devouring the corpse spiders, drove his sword into the ground and spoke with a gruff tone.
“Did they say Martinez? I heard he’s an adventurer, but it seems he lacks talent in fighting.”
“While it’s not an achievement to boast about, I can’t say I haven’t accomplished anything to earn such a modest evaluation.”
Juan Pablo Martinez, preparing magic with his lips twitching, spread his arms wide.
The magic power flowing from him collected in the air, and intricate magical sigils were inscribed.
In an instant, before him, a green barrier unfolded.
Slowly revolving complex equations and the rippling green magic hints at something swiftly approaching.
At last,
the massive leg collided with the barrier.
“…Hmm.”
The monster swung its legs, encased in a black exoskeleton.
-Thud!
As if to crush Pereyti, who had taken one of its legs, and Martinez, who blocked the path, the giant leg struck the barrier.
Swinging. Slapping. Pressing down.
The previously smooth barrier, like a tranquil pond, began to tremble. Waves appeared in it like a turbulent sea, as ripples spread throughout the green barrier.
However, there was no sign of dismay on the face of Martinez maintaining the barrier.
It was as if he was waiting for something, silently enduring the assault without even attempting to counterattack.
-Boom!
Martinez raised his head at the explosive sound from the front. It was distinctly different from the sounds of the barrier being struck.
A lightning strike fell from the sky.
A sword attack made of blue magic fiercely clawed at the spider’s back. The heavy body was violently slashed, leaving deep wounds in the black exoskeleton.
-Kieeeeeeek!!
The monster screamed in agony, roused by the unexpected attack from the air.
The red retinas were filled with one person’s figure.
Under the gloomy sky, where even a ray of sunlight could not penetrate through the thick clouds,
a woman held a sword engraved with strange patterns, her hair fluttering like violets.
—
One common misconception about the long-standing legacy of magicians is that “magicians are disadvantaged in close combat.”
Swordsmanship is advantageous in close combat.
Magic, which requires incantations and materials, is disadvantaged in close combat.
Therefore, it is impossible for magicians to win against swordsmen in close combat.
That’s the completion of a syllogism.
This kind of misunderstanding largely arose during the Independent Wars between the cult and the magic tower.
In the early stages of the war, magicians from the magic tower who faced off against the Inquisition Officers, combat priests, and knights under the Inquisition all perished, leading to today’s distorted tales.
Half of it is true, and half is false.
To be precise, it’s an error derived from a retrospective approach that doesn’t take the circumstances of the time into account.
For thousands of years, the Inquisition has persecuted magicians. The Inquisition is a group more skilled in grand magical warfare than any intelligence agency, and the cult is a state that is truly dedicated to crushing magicians who dare oppose the authority of religion.
On the other hand, before the war broke out, magicians didn’t even know how to deal with priests.
It’s odd to think that a group of nobles, who had been living in hiding, would suddenly start winning against a cult that had survived under a religious banner for millennia. Thus, it was natural for them to initially suffer losses.
Magicians studied how to effectively face priests to survive.
What was born from that process was the combat magician.
And contrary to popular perception, the combat magicians fighting the cult and the magic tower at that time were not the sort to falter in close combat against knights.
-Swoosh!
A blue blade of magic sliced through the air.
The struck magic attack grazed the monster’s legs and landed explosively on the ground, mud mixed with blood and flesh splattered everywhere.
“Whoo…”
Francesca, collecting her magic, shook her sword and readied herself.
And,
-Swoosh!
As the blade turned blue, a second magic attack was unleashed. This one seemed to find its mark, as the monster’s scream echoed loudly.
Francesca shook off the remaining magical residue from her sword.
“It’s my first time using a rune sword in battle, and it’s better than I expected.”
A luxurious sword with a peculiar shape.
The sword in Francesca’s hand glowed a brilliant blue. To be precise, the strange characters engraved on the blade emitted light.
The script, reminiscent of antique calligraphy, became more vibrant and blue as she infused it with magic.
“Did you make that yourself?”
“I didn’t create it; I took it from my family’s vault, Colonel.”
I knew of the Ranieri family’s vault.
It was a storage for all the items touched by their progenitor and ancestral figures. It was said to be filled with precious alchemical gems scattered like pebbles and all kinds of treasures stacked richly.
Of course, that was all in the past.
The previous head of the family, Francesca’s grandfather, was marked as a public security criminal, and thus it was seized by the state.
Gripping the rune sword left by her ancestors, Francesca continued.
“I brought it secretly, but what can I say? I doubt my ancestors would have wanted it collecting dust in that musty place.”
“Wait a second. You stole it?!”
As I gazed at Francesca, astonished, Camila, who had been yelling while holding off the encroaching corpse spiders alongside the others, howled.
She threw a fireball towards the clustered spiders like a game of catch and turned back to us.
“Spiders are coming from all directions!”
The flames blooming like flowers engulfed several corpse spiders at once.
“Is it ready yet?!”
“Not yet.”
Francesca raised the rune sword high into the air.
“Soon.”
Whoosh! A new magic attack cut through the air as it advanced forward.
No matter how sturdy the exoskeleton was, it surely knew it shouldn’t confront a blue blade; the beast expertly evaded the magic attack aimed at it, swinging its remaining legs wildly.
Despite its massive size, it deftly dodged, retreating as it kicked up debris of corpses, remains, and concrete.
Yet, one figure remained in pursuit.
“Where do you think you’re running off to, you lousy monster?!”
Pereyti dashed forward, sword drawn, braving the gust of wind.
With a graceful swing, he sent his white sword cutting through the air.
In a blink, Pereyti’s attack severed three of the monster’s legs at once.
Though it didn’t completely sever them, that was still an impressive display of power. No one else had managed such a feat.
Francesca, wielding her rune sword, joined Pereyti in their assault.
When she ducked to evade the cascading blue magic slashes from the sky, Pereyti’s white blade slid in like a viper targeting its prey, while leaping clear of the white blade brought Francesca’s blue magic strike flying in like an arrow.
Adding to that,
-Clang!
A potion bottle flew into the air unexpectedly.
The liquid exploded in the air, showering glass shards all around.
The distracted monster, preoccupied with dodging the magic slashes, was hit by the liquid, paying the price for its oversight as its exoskeleton and skin began to corrode.
-Kieeeek!!
The enraged spider twitched and retreated as if trying to escape the rain of fire.
With the chaos of attacks surrounding it, the monster desperately flailed its legs in retreat.
“Haha!”
Pereyti’s hearty laughter pierced through the fierce wind.
“I thought alchemists were just bookworms, but this lady can actually fight better than expected! Do you have more of those mysterious potion bottles?!”
Francesca, with her hand in her pouch, calculated what she had left.
“…Not much. I don’t have enough to just toss them around recklessly.”
“Such a shame! Then…”
Pereyti grinned.
The knight, who had been crouched down, launched himself off the ground.
“Keep your eyes peeled for any openings!”
The white magic slashes flew toward the cursed monster. Pereyti swung his sword, while Francesca infused magic into her rune sword.
The magic strikes collided chaotically.
The ground shook under the monster’s movements as it tried to evade the strikes, while branches scorched by the creature’s cries trembled intermittently. Pereyti unleashed a flurry of attacks to create openings, and Francesca seized the chance to toss a potion.
Compared to Pereyti, who had honed his skills for decades, Francesca’s swordsmanship did naturally lag behind.
However, the rune sword made by the ancestors of the Ranieri family was no mere toy for practice.
-Swoosh!
The blue magic strike soared forth.
Francesca’s attack, suffused with blue magic, cut through the gloomy, ashen sky.
The strike found its target on the monster’s lower abdomen.
The beast, soaring through the air to evade the knight’s low attack, unwittingly allowed the alchemist’s assault.
-Kiyeeeek!
The spider did not dodge the incoming blue magic strike.
To be more accurate, it couldn’t dodge it; it was based on the judgment that even if it did get hit, it wouldn’t suffer serious injuries.
The blue slash, leaving only minor wounds on the shell, made it clear what I needed to hit if I had to choose between the two; even a monster’s head could figure that out.
However, there was a problem.
Francesca’s slash was significantly larger and more massive than before.
And by the time the creature noticed that, the blue slash had already cut through its shell and was tearing into its soft flesh.
– KyaAAAAaaah—!!!
A pain like no other surged through my body.
The agony of losing a leg couldn’t even begin to compare to this excruciating torment as the giant spider hovered in the air, unable to think about landing, writhing in pain.
Kuwuung! When the spider, as large as a three-story building, fell, the ground shook.
Its previously stiff posture crumpled in an instant, and its two feet, precariously standing in a puddle of melted snow and someone’s blood, sank into the muck.
I slammed the butt of my rifle down on the pile of concrete that had been dusted with ash, forcing my body, which was about to collapse, to stay upright.
“…Damn it!”
When I looked up, the entire world was filled with spiders.
A mass of corpse spiders surged from all directions, a human sea of horror. Insect or overwhelming swarm, whichever it may be.
“Camila, are spiders insects or animals?”
“Why are you asking that now! Fight quickly!”
Camila swung her arms like whips. Flames flickered in her hands as if she were striking the face of a black slave.
The flames surged forward in a curve, like a tidal wave, and the delayed scream of the corpse spiders erupted.
– Kieeeeeek!
– KyaAAAAaah!
– Grururururrr!
As Camila twisted her body to regain her stance, magic erupted beside her. The earth, which had been retreating from the engulfing flames, surged up to cover the retreating spiders.
It wasn’t just literary flourish; the ground genuinely erupted.
“Anton! Help me!”
“Dig through the earth, hurry!”
The mages who had come to support the unit defending the rift were turning over the ground.
Thock! When my military boots sank into the muck, the earth rose up, and when I swung my raised hands down, the ground sank in.
Although they specialized in elemental magic, which was deemed less useful for combat compared to other elemental studies, the engineers were showcasing their skills, burying the corpse spider horde in the dirt.
Next to them was the knight from the cult, cutting the corpse spiders in half, and beside him was the combat magician from the Magic Tower, frying them with electricity.
“Prevent the spiders from reaching the commander!”
“Watch out for magic depletion! If your condition isn’t good, take a potion!”
Shouts erupted from all directions.
Around a dozen people were trying to block an overwhelming horde of corpse spiders approaching like an avalanche, while only three of us were dealing with a giant monster that had torn through the armored division.
As I pondered how to report this to the higher-ups, I aimed my rifle at the incoming spider.
Reports can only be written if you’re still alive.
– Bang!
Splat! The head of the corpse spider exploded. The trigger recoiled as the chamber opened, and a brass shell bounced on the snowy ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang! I pulled the trigger, shooting incoming spiders. Occasionally, I heard strange gunfire that wasn’t my own, but my focus remained on the swarm before me.
“Camila! Stop using fire and shoot! Did you barter away the rifle I gave you earlier?”
“I gave it to the unit people earlier!”
“Hey, you idiot! Why did you leave it there!”
I could hear Camila’s voice apologizing.
As much as I wanted to scold her right then and there, unfortunately, I had to postpone punching her in the face.
– KyaAAAaaah!
A sharp, venomous fang glistened menacingly in front of me.
The suddenly lunging corpse spider had its mouth wide open. I instinctively shoved my rifle barrel into its mouth.
– Kieeeeeek!
The spider lunging to bite me had taken the barrel into its mouth. A baby sucking a pacifier is cute, but this damned spider was gnawing on the gun while scratching at me with its sharp legs.
“Dammit!”
I switched the selector on my rifle to full-auto. Then, without hesitation, I pulled the trigger and blasted bullets into the gross maw of the monster.
Ratatatatatata! Each time flames erupted from the dark maw, its head exploded.
As the corpse spider spilled its thick brain matter on the ground, it shuddered and died with each bullet.
Kicking the thing off the barrel to extract my gun, I unloaded my weapon into the swarm of approaching spiders. When my ammo ran out, I pulled out my pistol, dealing with them swiftly, reloading when I got the chance.
Knights, magicians, sort-of civilians, soldiers. Everyone was doing their best to kill the monsters pouring into the rift.
It felt like every spider that had attacked the rift was converging here. But that was merely an illusion. It had already been over an hour since the transmission that the unit defending the rift was under attack.
With screams echoing as the white slashes and blue slashes flared, I did my utmost to kill the spiders.
Just as I was precariously walking the tightrope of life and death, I heard Francesca’s voice.
“Colonel!”
Grabbing Camila, who was spewing flames, I shouted.
“Camila, now!”
“Got it!”
– Whoosh—!
Camila’s hands, drawing closer to each other, were filled with roaring flames.
The flames grew larger and larger. The heat warped the air, and as both people and monsters were distracted by the light, it was time.
“Dieeeeee!”
The swirling mass of flames crossed over the northern mountain range.
Towards the monsters being cut apart by the slashes.
As the sun set over the horizon, the fallen flames engulfed the monsters.
*
In the northern mountain range of the Kien Empire, a massive pillar of flames surged skyward in the basin surrounding the rift.
Like a meteorite falling, a ball of fire crashed down upon the creature’s head.
It wasn’t the queen leading the horde or the general commanding the army; it was the very head of the corpse spider acting as their leader.
It was truly a majestic sight.
Humans and monsters alike—
Those wielding swords and those casting spells.
Those working hard to kill the monsters and those rushing forth to kill the people.
Everyone froze in the towering flames.
Even the one who had created that flame.
We stood quietly, watching the enormous shadow slowly crumbling in the center of the roaring flames. It seemed the corpse spiders, witnessing their leader trapped in the fire, felt something, as they suddenly halted their attacks and retreated.
A horde of corpse spiders surrounded by humans holding their ground, and a colossal pyre rising on the mountain, looking down upon us.
It was an incredibly bizarre scene that left everyone unable to act.
– Groooorrrrrr…
Stepping over the billowing flames, it rose.
The monster that survived Camila’s flames awoke once more, just as it had when surviving cannon fire.
Of course, it wasn’t in a perfect condition at all.
– Grururururrrr…!!
Its shell was mangled and hacked, stained with melted chemicals, grotesquely warped flesh. Its body was burnt to a crisp like charcoal, devoid of moisture.
The creature, crawling back from the brink of death, stood precariously as if it would topple any moment.
“Shit….”
Someone’s curse pierced my ear.
– ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶ ̶!!!
An indescribable roar shook the area.
Even the gnarled old tree. The muddy ground. All living creatures. Everything around was trembling.
The saying went that animals sense disasters before they happen, and it proved true, as the horde of corpse spiders surrounding us suddenly turned tail and fled, turning their backs in a panic.
As if they were trying to escape from an impending calamity.
And that calamity soon revealed itself before us.
“…It’s coming!”
“Stop it!”
Thick, viscous liquid spewed from the giant spider’s mouth. The ominous fluid, a mix of green and red, was spilling forth.
It was the dying thrash of a creature about to breathe its last. The one spewing the liquid collapsed without even properly setting foot on solid ground.
Yet the fluid it spewed still approached us through the air.
Most people didn’t know what it was, but instinctively knew they shouldn’t touch it. It was primal.
“…Tear it apart!”
Pereyti pulled out a hefty tome, sounding a battle cry. With a whoosh! The sound of tearing paper pierced the air, and a white light erupted from all around, forming barriers.
“Martinez!”
Francesca’s scream echoed, and magic was deployed a beat slower.
Complex calculations were drawn in the air as a green barrier stretched out to block the advance.
Similarly, the mages of the Magic Tower were deploying barriers like Martinez did. Some mages dove in like people evading a rain shower to enter their colleague’s barrier.
The Empire’s mages raised the earth to create shields.
The cult and the Tower were doing their best to fend off the oncoming liquid.
The issue was Camila and me.
Although she was a mage, Camila didn’t know many spells well. And the spell for forming barriers was one of the visions passed down within the Protection School.
So, Camila didn’t even know how to form a barrier. Not to mention I couldn’t use magic at all.
“…Ah!”
As I finally came to my senses, the sky was already shrouded in a green liquid.
The nearest barrier was close, but it wasn’t big enough for both of us to fit in. To leap toward the next one was simply too far away.
And separated from the others, in this ambiguous position, Camila and I were still exposed.
“Colonel…!”
I heard Francesca’s voice. In the distance, her golem was charging toward us.
“……”
I fell into brief contemplation.
Fortunately, the pondering didn’t last long.
I forcibly grabbed Camila and turned her towards the barrier, then kicked her in, shoving her inside.
The shocked faces of people and Camila’s wide-open eyes.
With the charging golem and the ejected Camila.
The voice piercing my eardrums, the crimson aura fleeing, and the darkness filling the space of the western sky.
The shadow loomed, steadily approaching, draping over us with the green liquid.
Just as the green liquid was about to engulf my vision.
I quietly closed my eyes.
*
– Whoosh…!
In that moment, the sound of tearing paper came clearly through the scream.
I had imagined the surging green liquid rushing towards me, but at that sound, I opened my eyes.
What filled my sight was a mass of white light.
And,
“I thought I was late….”
“Uh…?”
Blonde hair fluttered in the wind.
Clutching a thick book under her arm, standing behind a shimmering barrier was Lucia, who smiled down at me.
“I’m glad I made it just in time.”
“Are you unharmed?”
