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“Confirmed march of a monster army in the Serende Nether. The Taizu Nether is route 3, Gahne Nether is route 4, Mejis Nether is route 1. There’s no signs of them spreading out. It looks like they plan on breaking through from the front.”

“It is going as predicted. Report their route to their respective bases. Deploy our forces as discussed.”

“Yes!”

A messenger relays the information from one of the large number of communication crystals lined up.

I move the pieces of the army that were placed on the map in the center, and prepare to deal with the next development.

The Ruling of the Gold Demon Lord is working.

We can deploy our forces in a way that’s close to clairvoyance, and can continue fighting in advantageous conditions.

But the mistake of before was peeking through my mind, making it so that I am always tense.

“Taizu King, the battle has just begun. Ya will get tired immediately if you are that on edge from the very beginning, ya know?” (Gold)

“This is fine. The Scarlet Demon Lord attacked us alone after the war had settled. But this time is different. There’s several demons that are said to be equal or stronger than him and are going to be appearing in the battlefields to change the state of the war.” (Marito)

The power of Ruling cannot get a grasp of the Demon Lords and the Uniques that have gained the mana of the Demon Lords densely.

The subordinates of the Scarlet Demon Lord were the strongest of their respective species, so it wasn’t that difficult to know their locations by taking into account where the monsters were.

But we can’t pinpoint the location of the demons in the enemy army this time around.

They should be commanding their respective armies, and yet, there’s no such apparent spot.

“She has most likely made it possible for the demons to give orders through wavelengths.” (Gold)

“If the Demon Lord herself has lost her powers, she would most likely make at least that much countermeasures. For now, let’s face them while utilizing several strategies elsewhere. We might be able to pinpoint their location by seeing how fast they respond to our actions.” (Marito)

We have prepared moats and fences to lower the momentum of the enemy soldiers even if simple.

We have countless ways to deal with the enemies if they are going to be rushing forward without a plan.

The enemy would need to act in some fashion to get through the situation. We will wait for that while lowering their numbers.

“Your Majesty, we have received contact from the Mejis Nether side: a giant unrecorded monster has been sighted!”

“Demon…? No, it is most likely a Unique. Tell Ekdoik and the others the location. Take into account the possibility that this is bait, and have them get rid of it depending on the level of the threat.” (Marito)

“Looks like there’s already one that this one can’t see.” (Gold)

“But we did consider the possibility. We did see an unnatural empty space within the enemy formations with Ruling after all.” (Marito)

There are times when open spaces are created in armies depending on their formations, but there’s no concept of formations when they are mindlessly marching on.

In that case, unnatural empty spaces are places that are being filled up by something.

It should be possible to see them with Ruling if it were simply gigantic.

The fact that we couldn’t see it means there’s a high chance it is a Unique that has densely inherited the mana of the Black Demon Lord.

It may not be on the level of a demon, but it is still a high threat for us.

We need to deal with it as soon as possible.

“We can’t see giant ones within the Taizu Nether and Gahne Nether.” (Gold)

“Right. I don’t see any unnatural spots in the form of the enemy army either. I would like to gather as much information as possible in the real world that could be considered special points. There’s a high chance there might be a demon near in the case they are like Daruagestia of the Blue Demon Lord.”

Armies have will and intentions.

I may not be able to comprehend each demon like my friend, there’s still a point in analyzing this.

What I should do in this battle is to understand the enemy army as quickly as possible.

If I can grasp the whole picture of the enemy army, I should be able to predict the strategies of the demons.

“—Contact the Gahne raid team: move to the center of the frontlines and wait for movement.” (Marito)

◇◇

“Leano Division, stop the advance of the enemy soldiers first and foremost!”

The Black Demon Lord army has a lot of humanoids just like the Scarlet Demon Lord.

But they are creepier compared to the army of the Scarlet Demon Lord that was overflowing with energy.

Some that are all armor and no flesh, burly soldiers with no heads, an abnormal being that’s holding a weapon not for fighting but mowing down; I heard monsters are affected by the personality of Demon Lords, but I can tell vividly just how much the Black Demon Lord wants to kill people.

They have no fighting spirit and not even killing intent.

They are just monsters who single-mindedly eliminate the person right in front of them.

My subordinates are showing unrest at this peculiar atmosphere.

“Don’t falter! They may have the numbers, but our strength is above them!” (Leano)

They may be difficult to fight, but they are not enemies we can’t win against.

Their momentum is weaker compared to the beastkin-like monsters that were given the power of the Scarlet Demon Lord.

Small fry with no coordination won’t get the better of my division.

The spells, arrows, and boulders shot from the backlines were having an effect.

If we can maintain this state of the battle, the numbers in their army should decrease.

My attention was directed at my one other sword hanging at my waist, most likely because I am beginning to get some leeway.

I am glad I managed to retrieve this sword that was entrusted to Mejis, but the battle began faster than I thought, so I couldn’t send it to her.

It would be nice if I could give her this in the midst of this war, but will there ever be a moment for that?

“Break the limbs of the living armor monsters! You should be able to defeat them for sure if you pour mana into them, but you definitely won’t last long if you do that!” (Leano)

“Yes sir!”

I grasp the special traits of the monsters and confirm the method that would consume the least amount of energy.

I share this to my division and raise the efficiency.

What I saw ahead was darkness without end. An army of monsters that covered the whole ground.

It is true that their numbers are decreasing, but I don’t know how long of a battle this will be.

“Lord Leano, the enemies are spreading to the sides!”

“Looks like they aren’t just braindead dolls that wait for their turn. We are getting accustomed to dealing with them, so let’s expand our formation. But don’t try to stop them all by yourself. Believe in the soldiers of foreign nations that are behind us!” (Leano)

I didn’t think we would be able to stop them with just our knight division to begin with.

What was needed was to create enough breathing room for the following soldiers.

As long as we can stop the momentum at the front, the remaining are simply remnants that got through by force.

They won’t be able to get any further if our soldiers face them in perfect condition.

Even if their objective is to surround us, that simply means it would be time to show the endurance of us, the Leano Division. It is exactly what we—

“Are you the strongest one here?”

My thoughts were stopped for an instant.

But that time felt extremely long.

It was as if I was called in the middle of the city and it almost made me forget I am standing in a battlefield.

A single woman was standing there.

She is wearing avant-garde attire and no armor, so I thought she might be an adventurer, but no adventurers would show up here.

This woman is not holding a weapon to begin with.

She is not showing one bit of care about the horde of monsters running rampant around.

And most of all, there wasn’t anyone who found her strange until she showed up right by my side.

The action I took without hesitation towards someone who wasn’t showing hostility or killing intent was…to take distance with sword and shield ready, take a breath, and warn my subordinates.

“Everyone, move away fro—” (Leano)

The deafening noise of the surroundings disappeared.

My subordinates and the monsters around were caught in the attack of the woman that suddenly showed up.

I am still on active duty and was thinking about continuing to devote myself. I was living in a way so that I would continue shining even when I get old and would continue advancing.

But I felt it.

This very moment is my summit. My high tide.

“Oh, you are alive.”

I am most likely far more surprised than the woman in front of my eyes.

I couldn’t see the attack she unleashed just now.

Not only couldn’t I follow it with my eyes, I couldn’t even perceive it as an attack.

Despite all that, I unconsciously blocked that attack with my experience…my life I have led as a knight.

In the time the pain of having blocked that attack was going through my whole body, I realized that I managed to block what should have been unavoidable death twice.

“Guagh…”

The woman’s posture has not changed one bit, but she definitely unleashed an attack.

The sword I used to repel it was bent, and the shield I used to block was gouged along with my arm.

I couldn’t get a grasp of what was the attack, but my body that received those attacks are telling me the story of a sharp spear.

I couldn’t perceive the speed, so I can only tell this is as fast or faster than a serious Lord Ragudo.

I realized I have received an even more serious wound than I imagined after I heard the sound of the shield that fell on the ground because it lost the hand that was holding it.

“Lord Leano!”

“Don’t get closer! This woman is a demon! Fix the formation and prioritize stopping the monsters!” (Leano)

I heard the voice of my subordinates in the distance.

I don’t hear my subordinates that should have been nearby.

I can’t feel the life that should have been around me.

The moment I realized what this meant, I readied my sword again.

The sword that remained at my waist… is far better than my bent sword, but it is clear that I will just be meeting the same fate even if I were to use it.

I take off the sword and leave it on the ground.

The people far away must have noticed something is off from the attack just now.

Then, it shouldn’t be long before they arrive. I should entrust this sword to her.

“…? You can draw that sword there, you know?”

“This is unfortunately the only sword I am familiar with.” (Leano)

So this is a demon from the Black Demon Lord.

I see, they are at this level, huh.

I remember the strength of the demon that attacked Taizu before.

I continued training myself in order to once again face the threat that my friends and loved ones fought off with their lives.

That’s why I had my pride.

I thought I would be able to buy time until they rushed here even if a demon were to appear.

I even thought I would be able to defeat them with my own hands without a chance for them to take the limelight.

“You are standing proudly. I am jealous.”

But my plans were crushed in an instant.

I can’t survive against this woman.

But I don’t feel bad for some mysterious reason.

On the contrary, a lot of things were cleared off and I even feel refreshed.

I face my last moments without needing to think about winning.

That person that faced the Scarlet Demon Lord might have felt the same as I am doing now.

In that case, I can still fight.

As long as my limbs can move and my will burns.

“Jealous? To think I would bring about envy from someone of your caliber.” (Leano)

“I would dislike it after all. Being reminded of how powerless you are when faced against unreachable strength, and still having to fight it despite that. Being able to stand proudly in the face of such a despairing situation is just unfair.”

This is the first time I felt the presence and mana of this woman.

An unpleasant sensation as if spider threads were wrapping around my whole body.

This is not clear killing intent directed at me, but a wave of emotions that are being leaked out to everyone aside from her.

A shell of a human who envies many, hates them, and shuns them. It even makes me feel pity, wondering if a human can get this distorted.

“That’s the pride of a knight. An appearance I must show to my subordinates as the captain of the Leano Division. You who will be taking away my life, I encourage you to introduce yourself before I die.” (Leano)

“Haha, what’s with that? That’s a fun way of asking my name!”

“This is out of experience, you see. I sometimes remember the people who I have cut down after telling them I have no name to tell them. I don’t really delve in sentimentalism, but I feel like I could have at least told them my name.” (Leano)

I buy time with conversation and stop my bleeding with magic.

That man would have been able to buy more time at times like this -is the kind of memory that flashed in my mind, but I shake it away.

“Hmm, not like I am losing anything here, so you might have a point! I am Zahava. I am a single spider that will exterminate the pest that are humans for the sake of the Demon Lord-sama!” (Zahava)

“Then, allow me to struggle. It would be great if I can remain in your mind even if for a tiny bit.” (Leano)

The right arm I was using to hold my shield is practically useless, but it is impossible to take on the attacks of Zahava to begin with.

In that case, I should just accept it as me being lighter with a shield less.

What I should be thinking is how I managed to deal with the first attack of Zahava.

Me being alive means that I felt some sort of premonition.

If I could leave that information to the ones that follow…

“I don’t want you to remain. I hate bearded men after all!” (Zahava)

“—!”

My arms jumped up and my body buckled.

My sword was warped even more and it is not keeping its original shape anymore.

But this means that I succeeded in fending the attack of Zahava.

Even my sword imbued with mana strengthening ended up like this, but I managed to get two pieces of information with that exchange just now.

First, Zahava’s attacks are being unleashed from her body 4 times every instance at a slight angle.

Second, that attack speed may be abnormal, but its aim has been centered with precision through the will of Zahava.

I succeeded in repelling it with conviction in contrast to the first time.

I can avoid being hit in vital spots if I follow her gaze even if I can’t perceive them.

“Still alive!” (Zahava)

“I can’t just let the same attack land on me after all.” (Leano)

But it is not like I perfectly repelled the fourth attack. The meat on my shoulder, side, and calf have been gouged out.

It had enough power to murder all of my subordinates nearby with two attacks. Even if I managed to avoid the vital points, it is not like I could deflect them completely.

“I see, so it wasn’t a fluke. But this is enough, so you can die!” (Zahava)

My sword screamed again and I was on the verge of being sent flying.

Several spots in my body had meat gouged out, but it didn’t reach my vital points.

It seems like she came at me with the serious intent to kill me, but there wasn’t a change in the speed and power.

With this—

“Guh?!”

Another attack was unleashed before I could fix my posture.

I barely managed to slip my sword, but I couldn’t deflect it properly with my crumbled posture, and I was sent flying back.

“You really are annoying!” (Zahava)

“…I thought you were unleashing precise attacks as if they were your limbs, but…I see, to think they were literally your limbs.” (Leano)

I get up and look at Zahava.

I managed to see afterimages even with my eyes due to her unleashing a consecutive attack.

I couldn’t see the first attack, but the following attack was barely left in my vision.

“…Aah, so you really couldn’t see it. It is not like I was hiding it though.” (Zahava)

Four spears…no, legs slowly came out from near the exposed shoulders of Zahava.

Those are spider legs.

She was bringing out and retracting those four legs at high speed.

A woman with spider legs despite being a humanoid demon. So that’s the identity of Zahava.

“I thought it was a metaphor of some sort when you introduced yourself as a spider, but it looks like that wasn’t the case.” (Leano)

“You seem to be having fun analyzing, but I am simply waving my limbs. You are happy with just that?” (Zahava)

“You went out of your way to return those limbs of yours inside you. You finished the acceleration of the stab from inside your body to dull my reaction. That’s the reason why I managed to see those legs when you did a consecutive attack.” (Leano)

It reminds me of the swordsmanship in the world of His Majesty’s friend.

It is a drawing technique where you draw your sword at high speed to slash your enemy, or something like that…

Zahava’s technique is most likely similar to that.

I can’t imagine what it is made of, but she unleashes 4 attacks after accumulating the power inside her body and bringing it out of her at its fastest speed.

But the power and speed drops sharply when doing consecutive attacks.

Me being alive despite having taken it on with a broken posture is proof of this.

“…”

“If you were simply swinging it around, there would be no need to return it at high speed. A technique you created in case a strong opponent showed up -you must have returned them so they wouldn’t be discovered. Are you internally pissed that it was seen through by a weakling?” (Leano)

“Who knows. It was a technique I thought of for fun, so it probably makes me a bit happy that it has been analyzed so stupidly much to this degree! Ah, but it annoyed me that you said it in a smug manner!” (Zahava)

Zahava returned her spider legs inside her body again.

She must be planning on unleashing high speed thrusts.

I bought as much time as possible, and succeeded in discovering a technique of hers.

But I can’t block the next attack.

I can hold my sword, but I can’t move my elbow and shoulder satisfactorily.

Moreover, I don’t have both of my legs to stand up anymore.

“…This is as far as I go, huh.” (Leano)

My subordinates have already relayed the conversation between me and Zahava as well as my fight to His Majesty.

I let go of my sword and signal my subordinates using my fingers with the remaining strength I have.

I don’t know if it is possible, but it might serve as a hint to defeating Zahava.

“Hm? What was your name again? Oh well, who cares!” (Zahava)

My body reacted to the attack that was about to be unleashed.

My body worked far better than I imagined until the very end.

I still have gripes about the results, but I can praise myself when it comes to the execution.

Did I manage to line up with the knights I admire?

Did I manage to become the knight I aimed for together with my now gone friends?

My beloved wife, leaving you behind is my biggest regret.

My lips warped unconsciously.

Looks like I have more regrets than I imagined.

“—!”

My body shook with a thunderous sound and wind…but my body remained.

Someone came in between and repelled the spider legs.

Flowing long blonde hair and waving blue cloak.

This is a back I have seen countless times, and yet, that presence makes me feel as if this is my first time seeing it.

“My apologies for being late, Lord Leano. Ilias Ratzel of the Ragudo Division shall be taking over.”

“Lady Ratzel…!” (Leano)

She may look different, but her appearance overlapped with my past friend.

Aah, are you watching, my friend?

That will of yours that had fallen in the middle of the road has certainly been inherited by your daughter.

There’s no need to worry anymore. You can be prouder than anyone else.

This is the appearance of a proud knight that can’t be contained to just Taizu and will save the world.

—–

Author: I think there are people who have forgotten about Lord Leano, so I will add some info here.

Lord Leano worked together with the father of Ilias, Lord Ratzel. Also, he was being wrung out by Cara-jii in his young days.

He loves his wife so much he can enjoy extra flavor in his alcohol with no snacks when with her.

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