Chapter 442 (2/2)

「Hiih!」

「I knew it was a person! They’re crazy!」

I stand up, draw my Dual Crater out from the sheath on my waist and slash diagonally at the spear-wielding soldier nearby, then proceed to use the momentum to ram him with my shoulder, knocking him into the city walls .

Three soldiers stared blankly behind me .

Before they could react, I slit the throat of one of them .

I block the blade of one enemy who finally mustered enough strength to move, then take a step toward him for a powerful thrust into his chest .

I briefly let go of my Dual Crater to pick up the sword of the enemy I just killed, then use his weapon to split the head of the final standing enemy soldier .

「Tch . 」

Just when I thought I eliminated everyone, I tilted my head to the side barely in time for a few crossbow bolts to graze my ear .

I should have expected as much . This is the enemy’s territory, of course I’m going to be attacked from all directions .

Four of them have crossbows, six are running in from the right with spears, eight soldiers holding swords and s.h.i.+elds are on the left, then ten archers are aiming from below…… argh, how troublesome .

I pick up a s.h.i.+eld lying on the ground to help protect myself for now, but I won’t be able to cover all my blindspots as long as I’m surrounded .

「d.a.m.n Aless and their fool of a king . I’ll ball them up and fire them out of a cannon . 」

My situation changes before I could finish cursing .

「My name is Gildress! Now, come and fight me!!」

Gildress charges into the four crossbowmen and instantly turns them into mince meat .

Oh right, this guy was also fired into the city with me .

「Wahaha! Weaklings, I’ll teach you what a real man is!」

Two Aless soldiers, who I believe were also launched into the city with us, runs into the enemy spearmen and begins fighting .

Another ball of cloth falls in the middle of the enemies holding swords and s.h.i.+elds, knocking over two soldiers in the process, and then a melee develops when the Aless soldiers burst out of the cloth .

「So they’re still shooting people . 」

I see b.a.l.l.s of cloth landing on top of the walls and other places within the city, followed by Aless soldiers being unleashed .

The ridiculous strategy resulted in a few broken arms and legs, however, the Aless soldiers laugh it off and continue to fight .

Some crash into the wall or fall to the ground, but they simply get back up and return to the catapult to be launched again .

「More and more of them are―― eei, so the earlier attack was to set this up!?」

A high-ranking man shouts

「How can this be called a strategy!? In what world do you launch soldiers with catapults!!?」

I share his sentiment .

「But this is convenient . 」

Because of such an outrageous display, they’re completely overlooking Leopolt’s plan .

This diversion can be considered a great success . At the very least, the place we were shot is very chaotic .

Obviously, when everything is over, I’m shooting those Aless idiots out of a cannon .

「Guooh…… my arms are dislocated and I can’t get up . 」

I pick up the Aless soldier who injured himself from the fall, forcibly s.h.i.+ft his arms back into place and shove a sword and s.h.i.+eld in front of him .

「What are you writhing around for? Hurry and fight . 」

「Thanks, friend! It was pretty pathetic that I dislodged my arms from something so trivial! I’ll have to retrain myself after going home!」

That soldier puffs out his chest, showing me he has recovered, and then runs off toward the enemy .

「……I guess I have to go too . 」

I look down at the city of Trisnia .

It’s a five-meter jump and there’s a chance I could break my leg if I land awkwardly .

I see a wooden shed nearby, probably built as a storage for the South Yuguria army .

「I’ll use that . 」

I hop off without hesitation .

It resembled a certain someone beside me .

「Hahaha!! Our true friend, we think the same way!!」

I actually did it reluctantly .

The roof of the shed collapsed when Gildress and I landed on top of the weak structure .

Unable to bear the weight, the walls of the shed were also crushed .

And our actions attracted enemies in no time .

Even in the rain, the falling debris of the shed created a small cloud of dust that shrouded our bodies .

I heard a collective gulp from the soldiers surrounding us, then I waited for the moment the smoke was cleared by the rain .

「「OOooooooh!!」」

I didn’t mean to time it with him or anything, but Gildress also roars simultaneously .

For some reason, we happen to yell at the same volume and tone, amplifying the shockwave and causing the enemy soldiers to take a step back .

Some of them even fall on their a.s.ses .

「If roaring works, then I can take care of this in one go . 」

I say as I survey the city .

Trisnia is a big city, but that’s only in terms of its population and functionality, not the actual area enclosed by the walls . If it’s sheer size, then Rafen is way bigger .

Other than that, the residential buildings are awfully close to the walls and will likely get damaged in this battle .

「Well, I guess n.o.body’s living in these anymore . 」

The former houses closest to the walls are all reinforced with iron plating, several alleys are sealed off with piles of rocks, and windows are hammered shut with thick planks of wood .

「So if we managed to get through the walls with the first attack, we would have to demolish each house individually?」

Even without the wall, it would be difficult for us to conquer the city then .

More soldiers come flooding out of the former houses .

As their allies increased, the soldiers who faltered from our roar also recovered .

「Shall we do it here?」

「No, run into the houses . For the two of us, fighting in a narrow s.p.a.ce is more advantageous . It’ll be hard to deal with them while getting poked at in such an open area . 」

I point to the town area of the city-turned-fortress with my Dual Crater .

「There are only two of them! We can bury them in one strike!!」

All fifty enemies coordinate a group attack .

We don’t wait for them to set up and run straight at the ones in front of us at a faster speed than they expected .

I didn’t particularly signal to Gildress, however our timings are synced up perfectly .

While I click my tongue, Gildress smiles contently――his body s.h.i.+vering in delight .

First I deal with the vanguard, slicing the first enemy soldier’s head with my Dual Crater from the skull down through his chin .

Beside me, Gildress uses his beloved blade that rivals my Dual Crater, the Light of Aless, and slices an enemy whose legs are in an L-stance .

An enemy aimed for the moment my sword was lowered, but I simply tilt my head to the side, letting his spear narrowly sc.r.a.pe a layer of skin off my ear .

I raise my leg at the same time to evade the slash aiming for my foot…… or so I make it seem, instead I stomp on the blade with my steel boots and shatter his weapon .

I don’t wait long to lift my leg again, immediately kneeing another enemy in the torso, rupturing his stomach and making him vomit .

Gildress bends his upper body backward to dodge a thrust from a sword, then counters with a punch to the face .

「These guys are as strong as they look!」

「No, it’s not only that! They’re unbelievably skilled―― kuhi!」

I sliced his trachea before he could finish speaking .

I deliberately allow my slash to be shallow so his neck bone doesn’t get cut and use minimal wasted movement to swing my sword back, slicing the windpipe of another enemy, then I instinctively dodge the sword aiming at me from behind and spin around to slash the right side of his abdomen .

Gildress parries two spears with his s.h.i.+eld, closes the distance in a single leap and finishes off the enemy soldiers with his s.h.i.+eld and sword respectively .

He lets the swinging war hammer from behind hit air, grabs the man’s arm and slams him into the ground with a shoulder throw, and confirms the kill with a stomp to the face .

Then Gildress turns in my direction and yells .

「Friend!! To the right!!」

「I know . 」

Gildress and I stop charging and point our swords to the right .

Soaring through the air are six arrows . They must be highly-capable archers as they are all on course to hit their target .

First, I swipe at three arrows aimed at my chest with my sword .

Two come at my thigh and one goes for my crotch . Taking damage in enemy territory isn’t good .

At that trajectory, they would still hit even if I jump backwards .

I picture Celia’s movements in my mind as I store power in my legs and spring up .

I wasn’t simply jumping backwards, I arched my upper body in midair and stuck out both my hands, completing a full flip by pus.h.i.+ng off the ground and landing back on my feet .

「D-doing that with such a large body…… you’re kidding . 」

Those arrows narrowly missed their mark and bounced off the ground with satisfying clinks .

One arrow comes straight for my face as soon as I land to confirm the kill .

I can’t swing my sword because I’m off balance, but I should be fine if it’s going for my face .

The palm of my hand catches the arrow, only hurting me a little bit .

I hate using my bare hands since the hooks on the arrowhead always cuts my skin .

「Mmun!」

Gildress dodges the arrow aimed at him with a fancy cartwheel .

Similarly, he grabs the final arrow out of the air with his bare hands .

The enemy soldiers are dumbfounded .

We’re not going to let this chance slip away though .

Gildress and I step firmly on the wet ground and dash off .

Afterwards, I lost my sense of time from being too engrossed in battle, and after inhaling and exhaling ten times, about 30 enemy bodies laid at our feet .

We finally arrived at the fortified row of houses and kicked down the iron plate sealing off the entrance before going inside .

We made it just in time for countless arrows to pelt the roof noisily .

「It would have been bad had we stayed outside . Hmp . 」

「Umu, if we had ten Aless soldiers, they could deflect all the arrows, but you don’t have a s.h.i.+eld . Hngh . 」

I joke lightly as I smash the head of the enemy soldier guarding the house against the wall .

Gildress also runs up to another enemy and bashes his head in too .

Of course we can’t rest at all .

The enemy should already have this house surrounded .

「Good thing it’s raining or else they could set this house on fire . 」

「Yeah . Now, will they come through the door, the window, or maybe the roof? Mu, this isn’t good . 」

As I prepared for them to come through the entrance, my vision started to shake .

I thought something must have hit my head, but the thing that was actually shaking was the house itself .

「Pull! Pull it down!!」

「If we don’t hurry, they’ll rush out! Demolish it before they can!」

I guess the enemy soldiers are trying to collapse the entire house by tugging on ropes attached to the supporting pillars .

Despite the reinforcements done to the building, it’s still a regular residence .

It shouldn’t be able to withstand the force of a few strong men .

Cracking noises can be heard all throughout the house as walls start to break and pillars split apart .

Ultimately the roof caves in and an abundance of wood and stone falls down toward us .

Gildress and I get pinned under the rubble .

「We did it! We killed the demon!」

「Wait, we still don’t know for sure . He might be alive under the debris . We have to deliver the finis.h.i.+ng blow . 」

I hear the sound of footsteps on top of the wrecked house closing in .

Judging by the soft thuds of rocks being pushed aside, I can a.s.sume they’re searching for us .

「They have to be crushed . Oh please be crushed…… ah . 」

My line of sight happened to meet the eyes of one of the enemy soldiers . Now is the time .

「「Nuuuun!!」」

As Gildress and I stood up, we opened up our arms that were crossed over our chests to protect ourselves .

Pillars, rocks and other debris were instantly flung off our bodies and we exposed ourselves to the rain again .

The scattered fragments fall toward the surrounding enemies, eliciting a few surprised shrieks .

「Hiiih!!」

The enemy soldier who I made eye contact with tries to lunge with his spear, but it’s too late .

My right hand grabs his neck and my fingers squeeze tightly .

My left hand picks up another enemy trying to save his buddy .

In a mere two seconds, I feel the sensation of bone cracking through my arms and the men hang limply .

「We’re running!」

I finished that in a cool manner, but now that we lost our shelter, arrows are going to pour in from all directions .

We can’t spare a second to catch our breaths .

Gildress and I run at full speed towards the walls .

Even we can’t fight when isolated and with n.o.body to support us .

「After them! No, I don’t want to chase! Shoot them to death!」

Fortunately, no enemies are in our path and we can run freely .

We have no time to stop and deal with the arrows fired at us from behind .

If we had that time, it would be better spent running even faster .

「How come we can’t hit them! They’re two big targets!」

「They’re abnormally fast! There’s no way to shoot them if they’re faster than scouts proud of their speed!」

The enemy’s helpless cries are quite pleasing to the ear .

I’m always thought to be sluggish because of my size, but that’s definitely not the case .

I think the only ones I know who are faster are Celia and Sekrit .

Leopolt’s speed is unknown, but I don’t want to imagine him sprinting, that’s gross .

We rest our hands on the wall after shaking off the enemy .

That’s when the type of noise around us changes .

「Uwah, now they’ve done it! Water is going to flow in!」

「Calm down…… we’re safe here . Rather, they’re the ones who have to withdraw . What a foolish plan . 」

The enemy soldiers who had been busy hurling oil and rocks at our allies finally stopped .

And the noise coming from those allies of ours being attacked by them disappeared .

Did they perhaps retreat?

「Hey, give me a break . 」

If our allies actually withdrew here, then we’re totally on our own .

「These are walls that don’t budge when hit with battering rams . They won’t collapse that easily!」

Something seems off though .

If our allies pulled back, then the enemy would either cheer with joy or come looking to eliminate us .

I scan for a place with less enemies and peek my head over the walls .

「Uoh . 」

I unconsciously let out a gasp .

The levee of the river was cut down by our allies and water started pooling in front of the wall .

The water level was about waist high, but our ally soldiers must have escaped to a safe place by now .

「Is this his plan? What is Leopolt doing?」

I admit I was surprised at first, but I have doubts now that I’m calm .

A water attack is certainly powerful, a.s.suming the enemy is standing on the ground .

Attacking an enemy protected by a wall with this much water won’t have any effect .

On the contrary, it makes things more difficult for our allies .

Is this the extent of Leopolt’s brain?

I guess it’s time for me to become a resourceful general .

「It doesn’t look like the end yet . 」

Gildress points further upstream to the burst part of the levee .

Ally soldiers were also gathered there…… using some kind of catapult device to pull out the iron plank .

「They blocked the river? I guess the amount of water was not as much compared to how long it rained . 」

So Leopolt didn’t simply destroy the levee, he cut off the water further upstream .

And now, he’s going to release it .

Water pours out of the hole in the levee and the quant.i.ty of water visibly increases, with waves easily taller than a person cras.h.i.+ng into the walls of the city .

Hmm, it’s the same result though .

「Calm down! Our walls won’t fall from that . The enemy is hoping for us to get fl.u.s.tered!」

「Both the inside and outside of the city have proper flood control . The water will drain away soon . 」

Sadly, the enemy is right .

From what I can see, not much of the city has submerged and the walls don’t appear to waver .

It might have been rigged so that the levee broke, but Trisnia is ultimately surrounded by only one river .

The quant.i.ty of water is known and it’s not strong enough to break through walls built to withstand many floods .

To begin with, if the floor was strong enough to demolish the walls, the city would also be wrecked .

This isn’t any different to burning down the place, which Erich probably won’t like .

Although the South Yugurian army initially showed signs of trepidation, they take heart after realizing they didn’t suffer much damage .

Our plan didn’t even shake the enemy a little .

「Hahaha!! Are we playing with water now!? What perfect timing, I was just getting bored of your monotonous attack . 」

「I’ll give you a boat, so why don’t you go fis.h.i.+ng or something? Wait, nevermind, this was your transport vessel that we captured!」

「Was the earlier screwed up charge to give us a present? It’s not really my taste, so I’ll take the head and give the body back . 」

As the talkative commander yells out jokingly, his soldiers join in and laugh .

Even though it’s not my plan, I’m annoyed . I’m going to run in and kick them into a muddy stream