Chapter 21

In later years, Soma Kisaki was given many epithets.

The most famous of these is "The Child of Destruction."

This, of course, was named because he himself was the child of the goddess of death and destruction. There was also a time when he himself spread the word that he was the child of the goddess of death and destruction to boost the morale of his own army and to lower the morale of the opposing army, which is why it became the most widely known epithet.

Other well-known ones include "The Son of Genovanda" and "The Destroyer of Scorched Earth," but among the many epithets, those that are thought to be related to "fire" make up a large proportion.

This is probably because he is said to have preferred to use fire attacks in many battles.

However, if one investigates his military record, it turns out that there are not many records of him using fire attacks.

Yet, the reason he was mistakenly believed to have preferred fire attacks was likely due to the strong image of his first battle, the "Battle of Hognairea Hills," and the later "Bolnitz Massacre."

In particular, the "Bolnitz Massacre," where he burned an entire city within his own territory along with tens of thousands of people, was an act that deviated from the norm even at the time, and it was widely reported with shock to the neighboring countries.

Such things are likely the cause of the mistaken belief that Soma preferred fire attacks.

However, in reality, it seems that Soma not only did not prefer fire attacks but rather avoided them.

At that time, when attacking a fortress or city, it was common to shoot a large number of flaming arrows to set fire to the houses inside the defensive walls, causing confusion among the defenders before attacking. However, it is recorded in several documents that Soma, who did not like sieges in the first place, refused to accept the suggestion of using fire attacks from his generals even in the few sieges he did participate in.

This suggests that, contrary to the public image, Soma himself did not like fire attacks.

The "Battle of Hognairea Hills" was the first battle officially recorded for Soma, and because of the remarkable feat of burning eight hundred enemy soldiers with just a few Zoans, he was often asked about it by various people. However, it is said that when the topic came up, Soma suddenly became tight-lipped.

This is a fact, as the Earl of Birgritt, who conducted peace negotiations with Soma as a special envoy of the Hogna Kingdom, wrote in his diary, "During the banquet, when the topic turned to the 'Battle of Hognairea Hills,' Soma Kisaki appeared to be disturbed despite trying to maintain a calm demeanor. When I praised that battle, he looked uncomfortable despite his smile."

Moreover, this was also the case with the Zoans of the "Clan of Fangs" who followed him at the time. Many of them did not want to talk much about the events of that time.

It is a rather strange story, but the "Battle of Hognairea Hills" not only gave a devastating blow to the Hormea army but also had a significant impact on Soma, who planned the fire attack, and the Zoans who carried it out.

However, many historians point out that without such a shock, the Zoans, who were stubbornly sticking to their old ways of fighting, would not have followed Soma's innovative tactics afterward.

◆◇◆◇◆

The morning after the rain stopped, Garam stood on a mountain path accompanied by only Gulkaka.

Looking around, the area was a wasteland.

The mountain, which had been filled with various colors of weeds, fallen leaves, and trees, was now unrecognizable. The world had been transformed into one composed of only two colors: the black of soot and charred remains, and the white of ashes. The air was acrid, and here and there, smoldering trees still burned.

"Amazing..."

Garam was speechless at the scene before him.

Beside him, Gulkaka agreed.

"I can't even guess how many people died, Chief. The people who were too slow to escape are being held in several places as per that boy Soma's orders. We are treating them to save as many as possible, but many of the soldiers have severe burns and are beyond help."

"At this rate, I wonder how many of the soldiers who fled will make it back to the fort..."

There are no detailed records of the human side's losses from the Zoan side.

The only reference is the diary left by the deputy squadron leader, Marclonis, who remained at the fort.

According to it, from three days after the fire was confirmed to have started in the mountains and for several days after, about two squadrons of soldiers, mainly from the rear supply unit, made it back to the fort. However, the appearance of these soldiers was terrible; they were covered in soot and ash, and many had severe injuries from being hit by stones or severe burns. Many of these people died despite desperate efforts to treat them, and it is said that the number of deaths reached one-quarter of the soldiers who made it back to the fort.

At that time, a squadron consisted of about a hundred people, so it is estimated that there were about 150 survivors.

Furthermore, it is said that two squadrons of soldiers who were captured by the Zoans and gradually released back to the fort were the final count.

There were probably also soldiers who fled and did not return to the fort, but since even the nearest village was a two-day walk from the fort, it is unlikely that there were many. It is also not hard to imagine that most of them died from hunger or injuries.

Considering all this, the number of surviving soldiers is estimated to be around four hundred at most.

Eight hundred soldiers losing half their number without even a proper fight was an unprecedented event.

At that time, the soldiers were often gathered from idle farmers during the agricultural off-season or desperate refugees and given weapons, and their loyalty to the country or commanders was low. For such an army to lose half its strength in a single battle was nothing short of a total defeat. Even if the units were reorganized, the fear of defeat that was burned into their hearts would make them unusable for a long time.

"What about our losses?"

In response to Garam's question, Gulkaka, looking at his own blistered palms from using unfamiliar bows and arrows, answered.

"Those who were burned by accident when setting the fire, those who had sore throats from inhaling smoke, and those who injured their hands with unfamiliar bows and arrows. That's about it."

Compared to the human army that was annihilated, the Zoan side's losses were minimal.

This was also an astonishing result, indicating that the Zoans had attacked unilaterally.

Garam muttered in amazement at the reported result.

"What can I say about this..."

"It's a victory, isn't it?"

"Stop joking, Gulkaka."

Garam sighed deeply.

"Is this just a victory? At least call it a great victory."

Garam had a point. With such a significant difference in strength, and with no real damage on their side, it couldn't just be called a victory.

A cold north wind blew through, carrying white ash like snow.

Gulkaka, who had hesitated to speak, finally decided to open his mouth.

"But, Chief, to be honest, I'm scared."

Garam did not answer, but he understood what Gulkaka meant.

"Is this even a battle? At least, it's not the kind of battle we Zoans know."

Gulkaka shouted, pointing to the desolate scene around them.

"Is this the power of the goddess of death and destruction, Aura? Is this the power of that boy? I'm so terrified. I'm afraid that one day we will be lying in this scene ourselves!"

In Gulkaka's eyes, the bodies of human soldiers lying on the mountain, now reduced to dust, seemed to overlap with the future of the Zoans.

Garam understood Gulkaka's fear.

This was too alien for the Zoans. There was a fear that if they got involved in this, the Zoans would cease to be Zoans.

However, as the chief responsible for the future of the clan, Garam had another thought.

"Gulkaka, we may have to change."

"Change...?"

"Yes. In the past, we Zoans fought each other. There was honor, pride, and etiquette in those battles."

Garam thought back to the proud battles of the Zoans that his ancestors had spoken of, which took place on the plains.

However, the excellent warrior Garam felt that they could not win against humans with such methods.

Humans, who were individually weaker, had learned to defeat the Zoans by gathering in numbers and forming units. In contrast, the Zoans had not learned anything and had only repeated their old ways of fighting.

When there were still many Zoan warriors, it was fine. However, the long war had cost the Zoans many young lives. In contrast, the humans, who had expanded their territories by clearing forests and mountains, had rapidly increased in number and sent soldiers to the plains without end.

The Zoans, who were already outnumbered, were caught in a vicious cycle where the more they fought, the greater the gap in strength with the humans became.

If things continued this way, not only the "Clan of Fangs" but the Zoans themselves would be doomed.

"If we continue like this, we Zoans will be destroyed. To avoid that, we must change."

For this, Garam strongly felt that the power of that human child, Soma, was necessary, though he did not say it out loud.

However, Garam did not know at that time.

At that moment, a significant change was coming to Soma.

◆◇◆◇◆

At that moment, Soma was visiting the campsite with Shemul.

The campsite, which had just stopped raining, was still smoldering with the remains of burned buildings, and white smoke was rising everywhere. Several Zoans were seen clearing the debris.

Soma, on his way to the campsite, had been in high spirits and had not stopped smiling. His plan had worked perfectly, and he had driven away the enemy army. It was only natural that he was happy. Moreover, Shemul, who was beside him, was happily talking about how they had won without any significant damage thanks to Soma.

When thinking about how to drive away the human army in this battle, Soma had recalled a famous scene from the manga "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," the Battle of Bowangpo.

In the manga, when the 100,000-strong Cao Cao army led by Xiahou Dun attacked Liu Bei in Xinye, the newly welcomed Zhuge Liang devised a plan to lure Xiahou Dun to Bowangpo.

Despite knowing it was a trap, Xiahou Dun, underestimating the enemy, pursued them. His deputy, Li Dian, warned him, "The basics of military strategy state, 'When the path is difficult and narrow, and the mountains and rivers are close and the vegetation is thick, be prepared for the enemy's fire attack.'" By the time Xiahou Dun realized the terrain was exactly as described, it was too late. The Liu Bei army's fire attack threw the Cao Cao army into chaos, and they suffered a great defeat, losing their deputy Xiahou Lan.

This scene, where Zhuge Liang, a popular character, not only defeated a large army for the first time but also gained the trust and recognition of initially skeptical figures like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, is a highly popular one.

Zhuge Liang, known as a deep-thinking strategist, is very popular in Japan.

If asked who his favorite character in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was, Soma would probably name Zhuge Liang.

Like Zhuge Liang, Soma had successfully repelled a large enemy army with a fire attack, and it was no wonder he was on top of the world.

However, Soma had been too naive about reality.

The battles he knew were from games, manga, and novels, which did not depict the true horror of the battlefield. Even if they did, they were only virtual, and they paled in comparison to the overwhelming reality.

Soma was about to experience this firsthand.

The overwhelming intensity of the battlefield, the strange odor that permeated the area, the groans of suffering people, the heat from the still smoldering burned buildings, and the taste of soot in his mouth with every breath.

All of Soma's five senses told him that this was real.

The high spirits he had been feeling suddenly cooled like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.

Shemul noticed Soma's abnormality.

"What's wrong, Soma? Do you feel sick?"

But Soma, seemingly unaware of Shemul's voice, remained motionless, staring ahead.

Following his gaze, there was a corpse of a soldier whose lower body had been crushed by a collapsed building and burned to death.

Shemul winced slightly at the corpse, which looked as if it was about to let out a final scream, burned to a crisp with a terrifying expression.

"Is something wrong with that corpse?"

As Shemul turned to ask, he was startled.

All the blood had drained from Soma's face, leaving it pale. His eyes were wide open to their limits, and his breathing was as heavy as if he had just run a sprint. At first, he was trembling slightly, but it gradually grew larger, and finally, his body was convulsing violently.

"Aaa... aaaah!"

Muffled groans escaped his mouth in broken gasps.

"Soma?! What's wrong?"

Soma's throat made a sound, and he vomited violently.

Even after vomiting everything in his stomach, it didn't stop. He continued to convulse, vomiting a mixture of gastric fluid and saliva.

"Soma! Soma?! Someone, get the old lady! Soma is in trouble!"

As Shemul shouted, Soma collapsed, his face buried in his own vomit, and lost consciousness.

1/30, 3/20, 4/30 Typo corrections

2014/6/15 Typo corrections