Chapter 79

The next morning in the city of Raytin.

The early morning city, usually filled with clean air and exuding a gentle vitality, would announce the start of the day to the people.

But today was different.

The smell of blood in the air, the sounds of beasts from outside the city, and most of all, the presence of an armed group lined up on the main street, clearly indicated that this morning was out of the ordinary.

Four hundred regular soldiers guarding the city walls, 1,500 militiamen called up, and over a hundred mercenaries who responded to the call for participation in the battle—this was the full composition of the armed group, the extermination army.

Naturally, Ted and the others from "Morning Star of the White Night" were also part of the extermination army.

Ted was assigned to the unit that would open the gates and charge into the monster horde, while Orphelia, Norris, and Aldis, who was identified as a mage by his attire, were placed in the unit that would provide support attacks from atop the walls with magic and bows.

Ideally, companions who form a party should act as a group.

There are strong mercenaries who can fight alone, but generally, mercenaries maximize their combat power by coordinating with their companions.

This coordination is not something that can be achieved overnight. It is only through parties that share life and death that seamless coordination can be achieved.

However, in a battlefield where a chaotic battle is expected, it would be problematic to expose mages, who are inexperienced in close combat, to danger.

The magic cast by mages can be considered an attack with a power that cannot be obtained by other means.

Moreover, the beasts swarming towards the city walls are unorganized and mindlessly gathered.

The effectiveness of attack magic against them is expected to be higher than against human opponents who might have countermeasures.

For example, if this were a field battle, it might be possible to deploy them in party units.

However, since they can attack from the safety of the city walls, it would be a waste not to take advantage of this advantage.

Attacking the center of the horde from atop the walls is far more efficient than fighting in the chaos and exposing oneself to danger. The military commander seemed to have made this judgment.

Norris, as an archer, can also handle close combat to some extent.

However, intercepting flying beasts from atop the walls was given priority, so he was stationed on the walls.

"Your role is to attack the beasts from atop the walls and intercept the beasts trying to enter the city from the air!"

Before the battle, a man who introduced himself as the deputy commander of the army raised his voice to explain.

"The first strike will be a magic attack by the mages! Focus on reducing the number of beasts as much as possible by targeting as wide an area as possible! For the first five minutes after the start of the battle, concentrate on magic attacks! During this time, archers should focus on intercepting flying beasts and protect the unguarded mages! After the signal, temporarily halt the magic attacks, and then open the east gate for the main force to charge out! Thereafter, each of you will be responsible for intercepting and supporting the main force based on your own judgment!"

"Excuse me, may I ask a question?"

As the deputy commander's explanation came to a pause, a slender mage raised his hand lightly.

"What is it? You are surely from the 'Free Cloud'..."

"I am Huel, a member of the 'Free Cloud.' I understand the strategy and have no major objections. However, after the main force charges out, instead of providing support from atop the walls, I would like to descend and provide support alongside the front-line troops. What do you think?"

"But that would be dangerous, wouldn't it? To put it bluntly, wouldn't the mages be easy prey for the beasts in the midst of the chaos? The front-line troops won't have the luxury to protect the mages."

"I understand that. However, while dealing with beasts might be manageable, it would be difficult for the front-line troops to handle monsters without mage support. Support from here is not sufficient. This time, we mercenaries are being asked to deal with the monsters, right?"

Voices of agreement rose from among the mercenaries.

"But..."

While he understood the argument, the deputy commander still hesitated to send the mages, who were almost defenseless, into the fray.

"To reduce the risk of the mages being drawn into the chaos, the initial magic attacks will be launched. As the number of beasts decreases, the danger to the mages providing support should also decrease. After that, it should be up to each individual to judge the situation, shouldn't it?"

Another mage offered his opinion to the deputy commander.

The idea that the judgment of danger and the risk to one's life are the responsibility of the individual is quintessentially mercenary-like.

"Hmm... If you insist, I have no choice. After the main force charges out, the decision will be left to each individual. However, the repulsion of flying beasts cannot be neglected. I would like some of you to remain."

The deputy commander presented a compromise to the mercenaries.

In the end, about ten mercenaries remained on the walls to intercept, while the rest were left to decide whether to stay or provide support on the front lines.

In "Morning Star of the White Night," Norris and Orphelia decided to remain on the walls.

Ted, who can handle Dispair-level monsters without support, is not reckless enough to challenge an unwinnable opponent. He has the judgment to retreat when it's dangerous.

As for Aldis, it goes without saying.

Preparations were complete, and everyone took their assigned positions.

It wasn't exactly a pre-battle silence.

The opponents were beasts. Even during the briefing—rather, they had been attacking the walls all night.

While the beasts were colliding, scratching, and growling against the walls, the humans were holding their breath, waiting for the command.

Finally, the deputy commander raised his command staff overhead and brought it down with the order.

"Fire!"

At the sound, the mages began their incantations, and shortly after, violent masses of magic power began to manifest in various places.

"The burning flames are the proof of my power and pride—Fireball!"

"The cutting wind is the melody played by the white lady—Wind Slash!"

"The piercing stones are the unwavering spears of the valiant knights—Rock!"

"The striking bullets are the vanguard of the noble winter fairies—Ice!"

"The pale white is the lightning of judgment nurtured by the vast void—Blade of Swift!"

One after another, the destructive power was unleashed from the mages' hands.

Flame magic burned the "Gray Wolves," and rock magic pierced the bodies of the "Snatches."

Upper-level attack magic tore through the area where the beasts were gathered, staining the ground with blood.

"The fierce red is the ancient dragon's breath born from the path of raging flames—Inferno!"

Orphelia, not to be outdone, unleashed her upper-level magic.

The inferno enveloped the group of beasts, creating black stains on the plain in front of the east gate.

"The number seems to have increased, there—there. And over there. ...It's definitely more than yesterday."

Aldis surveyed the surroundings and confirmed the numbers.

For some unknown reason, the number of beasts was increasing over time.

Where were they coming from? The number had already exceeded three thousand.

"The shining blue is the eternal time and silence of the colorless land of illusion—Arctic Storm!"

With a quick incantation, Aldis created a world of extreme cold.

The temperature in the designated area dropped instantly, and the moisture in the air froze into a white mist.

The cold air attacked the living beings within the range, first freezing their breath, then their fur, and finally their muscles and the water in their bodies.

As the mist was blown away by the wind, revealing the scene, a murmur arose on the walls.

"What... is that?"

"I know it's the Arctic Storm, but... it's too much."

"What a power and wide range..."

"Am I imagining it? It seems to have finished off the monsters within the range in one hit..."

Looking at the scene, about 20% of the three thousand beasts were frozen in an instant.

Circular areas where the beasts had been moving like a mad wave were now still, encased in a bluish-white ice.

The range of a single circle of the magic's effect was much larger and wider than a typical Arctic Storm.

"Who is that...?"

The mages, forgetting that they were in the middle of a battle, were curious about who the caster was.

Ignoring such gazes, Aldis began another incantation.

"O valkyrie, you are the weaver of noble death—blue life and red joy, like the fate that is woven in layers, I wish for it—touch, touch, sway, sway, shoot, shoot—show the path to the promised land to him according to the covenant—Rainbow Bow!"

A seven-colored sphere appeared above Aldis's head.

The sphere, which was quiet but had an overwhelming presence, continued to expand, captivating the surrounding gazes.

When it grew to a size larger than a human, its surface began to ripple silently.

As the waves became finer, resembling ripples, a sudden change occurred.

Each ripple suddenly protruded from the sphere and instantly transformed into long, glowing arrows that flew towards the beasts below.

The scene was like a volley of archers. The difference was that, unlike arrows, they flew in a straight line, their power was incomparably high, and they were executed by a single person.

Aldis's magic arrows pierced the beasts without any obstacles, taking their lives.

No one could accurately count the number, but it was certainly over a hundred.

The targeted beasts had no chance. Struck in vital points, they instantly became lifeless corpses.

"Amazing... I've never seen a user of the Rainbow Bow before."

"No, wait...! That's not normal! The Rainbow Bow usually only fires about ten arrows!"

"He's still a kid, isn't he!?"

"Who is that mage?"

The Rainbow Bow is known to be extremely difficult to control, and there are very few users.

It's natural for mages to be interested in such a user.

However, for Aldis, such things were of little concern.

The magic he used earlier was merely a mimicry of the Rainbow Bow, not the Rainbow Bow itself. He could use it without incantation if he wanted to.

"Hehe. As always, Aldis is good at confusing allies."

"Really. How does he not run out of magic power? It's totally unfair."

Norris and Orphelia's half-exasperated evaluations were typical.

"...A mage like that would be dangerous to have as an enemy on the battlefield. But now he's on our side, and it's very reassuring. I can't afford to fall behind!"

Huel, a mage from the "Free Cloud," was inspired by Aldis's magic.

He unleashed an inferno on the beast horde that was comparable to Orphelia's, significantly reducing their numbers.

Seeing this, the other mages remembered their roles and began to launch attack magic one after another.

Five minutes after the start of the attack, the number of beasts, which had been decimated by magic, was reduced to less than half of the original.

"Alright! Stop the attacks! From now on, focus on supporting the main force and repelling the beasts in the air!"

At the deputy commander's command, the attacks from atop the walls ceased.

"Open the gates!"

The sound of the east gate opening echoed at their feet.

"Charge!"

"Let's go, everyone! Don't fall behind!"

"Oooh!"

The main force, which had been holding its breath waiting for the signal, charged out of the walls with a roar.

Numerically, they had the upper hand. However, among the opponents were not only beasts but also monsters.

While dealing with beasts might be manageable, it would be reckless for regular soldiers and militiamen to handle monsters.

The deputy commander's expression was grim, given the dire situation.

"Deputy commander, we will go to support our companions."

"Aye. May you have good fortune."

Huel and the other mages began to descend the walls to join their party companions.

"Then I'll go too. Norris, Orphelia, I'm counting on you here."

After receiving their responses, Aldis began to walk in the opposite direction of the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going? That's the outside. If you want the stairs, you need to go the other way—"

Ignoring the soldier's puzzled and concerned voice, Aldis stood at the edge of the wall.

Below, the main force and the beast horde were already mixed in battle.

He glanced at the battlefield and instantly assessed the situation.

"Ted is... over there. He'll be fine on his own. The weak point is... over there."

He muttered to no one in particular.

"Hey, the beasts won't shoot arrows, but standing there is dangerous. Move to the back—what!?"

The soldier, who was concerned for Aldis's safety, was startled.

Standing at the edge of the wall, Aldis leaned out without hesitation and let his body fall into the air, pulled by gravity.

2017/06/18 Correction: executed by a person → executed

2017/06/18 Misuse correction: holding their breath → holding their breath

2019/08/11 Typo correction: raised his hand → raised his hand

2019/08/11 Typo correction: launch attack magic → launch attack magic

2019/08/11 Correction: left alone → left alone

*Thank you for reporting the typos.