8 Chapter 8: Final siege

With the presence of the heroes, we succeeded in laying waste to the enemy. The demons stood no chance and fell before the might of Kobayashi and the others. As the heroes forged a bloody path through the retreating demons, the human knights regrouped and tended to their wounded.

I was one of those who stayed behind to help. Staying silent, I kept my visage concealed under my helm as I went about my work, ferrying the injured to wagons where medics applied whatever first aid they could in order to keep their patients alive until they could return to the proper medical facilities. Several of them casted basic healing spells, but these weren't enough to restore the most heavily wounded.

The heroes, who possessed much higher levels of healing spells, left the injured soldiers behind to hunt for glory. While their actions might seem cold, it was impractical for the healing heroes to save each and every soldier. There were hundreds of wounded and dying – the heroes would run out of magical energy before they could rescue everyone. That said, the least they could do was stay behind and help as many as they could instead of riding off to the sunset in search for glory.

However, I had no complaints. If even one hero stayed behind, they might discover that I was hiding among the soldiers. I wanted to keep a low profile and stay hidden from them for as long as possible.

"Huff…"

"Good work."

An officer praised me as I help to heave an injured soldier onto a cart. He nodded at me in approval. I was too tired to respond, so I turned to trudge wearily toward the others when he suddenly called out to me.

"Hey, which platoon are you from?"

"Um…fourth platoon…?"

I randomly picked a number, but the knight seemed satisfied. He lifted his helm up and stared at me in pity.

"Oh, Fourth Platoon. I heard you guys got decimated. I didn't know there were survivors. Seems like you'll be assigned to another platoon."

"We fight wherever the Emperor wills us to."

"Amen to that," the knight officer agreed, making the sign of the Aquila. I gaped at him, glad that my helm was covering my shock. That was some random line I stole from my favorite science fiction series. I didn't expect it to work. "But the war will end soon. With the heroes on our side, we'll destroy the demon race!"

"The demon race, huh…"

I glanced at the dead enemies, who were clad in dreadful, black armor. In contrast, the humans wore polished, silver armor that gleamed under the sun. Once again, I noticed extra features such as horns, elongated ears and fangs, and even third eyes, which set the demons apart from the humans. The terrifying aura was gone now, having dissipated along with the demons' deaths, but I shuddered at the memory of the chilling sensation.

"Praise the Goddess Evelyn, for she sent heroes to rescue us from our hour of need!"

The knight was devolving into religious fervor now. Not exactly enthusiastic about being dragged into the sermon, I excused myself and turned to leave, but the knight commander clamped a gauntleted hand on my armored shoulder.

"Just a little more, boy. And we'll be free of the demon filth. The higher-ups are planning one final push on the Demon Lord's castle." He gestured toward the distance with his hand. "We're so close. Just five miles away from his stronghold. With the heroes' help, we'll finally break through the Demon Lord's fortress and slay him!"

I forced a smile even though he probably couldn't see it. "I'm sure we will."

"Yeah." The knight commander squeezed my shoulder. "Don't lose hope, boy. Keep fighting. I know it's hard on you, having lost your entire platoon, but believe in the Goddess Evelyn. Believe in the heroes she summoned for us. We will prevail!"

"For the Emperor."

"For the Emperor," the commander agreed, and finally let go. Softly exhaling in relief, I went back to my work.

It took a while, but we were finally done with our duties. After tending to the wounded, we had to bury the dead. Without much time on our hands, we resorted to a mass burial, stacking the bodies and cremating them.

I didn't question the ruthless method of disposal. It was to prevent diseases from spreading, after all. Leaving the corpses lying around was asking for trouble. Speaking of which, I was suddenly reminded of the necromancer.

Yeah, another reason why they don't want to leave the dead lying around is probably because someone would turn them into zombies.

It was unfortunate, but this was the twisted logic of the world we currently lived in.

"Good job, everybody!"

The knight who seemed to be the overall commander clapped his hands and drew our attention toward him. Even though he was wearing the same silver armor as everyone else, his white crusader cape, gigantic red plume atop his helm, and fancy heraldry marked him as different from the simple uniform the rest of us wore. I was beginning to see a pattern here. The fancier the fabric clinging to the armor, the higher the knight's rank.

And that guy was the most extravagantly dressed of us all.

"We've achieved yet another victory over the accursed demons today! Thanks to the heroes, we're one step closer to ending the menace once and for all!"

"YAAAAAY!"

The soldiers all cheered in unison, raising their swords high into the air. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on, and I clumsily fumbled for my sword and raised it too. The knight commander surveyed us in satisfaction, probably heartened by our high spirits and improved morale. Slashing his sword in an exaggerated display, he issued another declaration.

"Tomorrow afternoon, we march upon the Demon Lord's castle! It's time to end this war once and for all!"

"Yeah!"

As one, the soldiers chorused their approval. Buoyed by their victory, they seemed excited for what appeared to be the final battle.

"Now, we rest. You have all fought well and worked hard. But we'll need your strength again for tomorrow. Get some sleep. I'll let you know once the heroes return, and we'll begin the last stretch of our journey." His expression turned grim and he held his sword in a salute. "Men, I am honored to fight alongside every last one of you."

This time, there was no rowdy cheering. The knights all stood sharply and straightened solemnly. I hastily made to follow.

"For all our dead comrades, who gave their lives so that we could achieve this victory…and this opportunity. To protect our kingdom, our homes, our families and loved ones. For the Goddess, Evelyn, who watches over us. And for the Emperor!"

"FOR THE EMPEROR!"

The knights hollered, and this time I fell into line without missing a beat.

The commander swept his gaze over us one last time before nodding. Raising his hand, he swung it down sharply.

"Dismissed!"

And so we all dispersed to grab whatever spot we could for rest.

*

The heroes returned at dawn. I heard the horses before I saw them, and quickly pulled my helmet back on. I didn't want any of my classmates spotting and recognizing me, not after the debacle with Minamoto Kureha and Tsukishima Tomoyo.

If the two girls reacted that way when they saw me, I could only imagine how Kobayashi and his cronies would respond.

The heroes' horses galloped past the drowsy soldiers, rousing them from their sleep. They stopped at nothing, proceeding straight to the command tent that the officers had set up the previous night. I cringed when Tsukishima rode past me, but she didn't even spare me a single glance. I sighed in relief as she disappeared into the distance.

That meant her Absolute Appraisal wasn't a passive ability. It had to be activated.

I watched the heroes dismount from their horses and entered the huge tent. No doubt the knight commanders would have to defer to them and request approval for their strategy. My former classmates strode in a somewhat arrogant manner, pushing the flap of the tent open and barging in without so much as a knock or warning.

Some things never change, huh?

Shaking my head, I settled back down to go back to sleep, but jolted upright when I heard footsteps approaching me.

"Always quite the sight, eh?"

It was a grizzled knight in his forties. He tore his gaze away from the giant tent and grinned at me, only to frown in confusion.

"Why do you have your helmet on?"

"Uh…in case of any surprise attacks from the enemy."

"Heh…" the older knight chuckled. "Once you reached my age, you'll find that all this extra caution is pointless. You either live or you die. Might as well make the most of it."

I nodded, glanced at the tent, and then pulled my helmet off.

"Here. Eat up. You'll need some food to recover your strength."

The older knight tossed a chunk of bread at me. I caught it out of reflex and stared at the hard, dry stuff.

"Thank you…" I began, but I saw that the older knight had already turned away to distribute his basket of rations.

Oh well. He's right. Might as well eat.

That was what I thought, but the moment I put the bread in my mouth, I gagged.

"Ugh…u…"

Retching, I coughed and spat out the piece of bread I had bitten off. For some reason, the bread tasted absolutely repulsive. My body violently rejected the food, my stomach going into convulsions. A wave of nausea hit me and I slumped on the ground.

What the hell?!

Wiping my mouth, I forced myself to calm down. Glancing down at the rest of the bread, I swallowed, only to gag again.

Closing my eyes, I felt icy horror clamp down on my heart when I realized what was happening to me.

I can't eat normal food. I can only eat…meat.

Side effects of being a zombie, no doubt. At least I could eat any kind of meat. It would suck if I could only eat human meat.

"What's the matter with you?"

I turned my head when I heard someone snap at me. A big guy was glaring at me, chewing on the last of his bread. His hand was now empty, and he was gazing hungrily at mine. He narrowed his eyes when he saw that I had trouble consuming the bread, as if offended that I was going to waste such precious food.

"I don't feel well…" I glanced at the bread, and then tossed it at him. The big knight caught it, stunned by my action. I shrugged. "I don't think I'll be able to keep anything down today. You can have that."

"S…sure."

Not one to waste food, the knight wolfed my bread down. I put my helmet back on before lying down on my reserved spot. It was a good thing that I had devoured an entire anaconda just the day before, so I probably had a lot of energy stockpiled inside my body. That meal should last me for quite some time.

Still, I wasn't sure I liked the implication of this. My body was undergoing some drastic change, and I didn't know if it was necessarily for the better.

*

The heroes finally emerged from the tent, along with the knight commander and his officers. Rousing the men from their sleep, the commanders quickly organized us in neat, orderly ranks in front of the triumphant heroes.

"Men! Today, we fight our last battle!"

"OOOOH!"

We roared our approval at our commander's words. Kobayashi smiled indulgently, and then stepped forward.

"General Harold, shall I?"

"S…sure."

The knight commander looked taken aback by Kobayashi's bold intervention, but he didn't protest. As usual, Kobayashi couldn't stand it if he wasn't the one in the spotlight. Taking up center stage, he gazed upon the gleaming rows of armored knights.

"Brave soldiers of Legnica!" he boomed, sweeping his eyes across us. "I know how much courage you must have mustered in order to fight alongside us heroes, to battle against horrifying monsters and superhuman demons with powerful magical abilities. Even though you're not as blessed as us, to have been bestowed by the Goddess Evelyn heroic attributes, you still take up your sword and fight. Fight for your homeland, for your families and loved ones…against these cruel, inhuman demons who seek only your destruction!"

Yeah, we heard that speech before. General Harold just delivered it last night.

"The hour of reckoning is finally at end! We will make the Demon Lord pay for all the atrocities he committed against us! Against you! Believe in us heroes, and we shall lead you to victory! With the blessings of the Goddess Evelyn, there is no demon who can stand against us! As long as you follow us and fight together, we will all win!"

"Yeah!"

The soldiers cheered. I forced myself to give a half-hearted cheer, but I couldn't stop glowering at the bastard from behind my helm.

"Do not shirk from your duties, brave knights. This is the final battle, the one battle to decide the outcome of the war. You all have your role to play. We need you to hold off the legions of demons guarding the Demon Lord's fortress long enough for us to confront and defeat the Demon Lord." Kobayashi turned solemn. "Make no mistake…it is a huge sacrifice I am asking of you. Many of you will die in the final clash. But your deaths…no, your lives! Your lives will be imperative for humankind's victory! Only if we stand together and pay the price of victory in blood will we be able to prevail over these accursed enemies!"

"Yeah!"

While the soldiers cheered Kobayashi's speech, I suppressed a sigh. The guy was obviously asking us to be his meatshields, his sacrificial pawns. In other words, Kobayashi was telling us to die so that he could achieve glory as the hero who defeated the Demon Lord. I bet he didn't care if the entire human army was wiped out, so long as he got all the credit for the eventual (pyrrhic) victory.

Unfortunately, the knights all believed him. Behind Kobayashi, the rest of our classmates were smiling, as if they were amused at how the residents of Restia were so easily suckered into sacrificing themselves for the heroes.

Bastards…

"We move out immediately! Stay close, and smash through the demons' defenses! We heroes will break through and end this pointless war once and for all!"

Raising his sword, Kobayashi shouted. The knights cheered and stamped their feet in a coordinated salute. Stepping back in satisfaction, Kobayashi returned the (non-existent) microphone to General Harold.

"All right, men. Pack up your stuff and get into gear. We leave immediately."

*

We set off at noon. The sun was blazing overhead, reaching its zenith as it scornfully watched us march across the fields.

I marched on foot alongside the foot soldiers. There weren't enough horses for all the soldiers, so they were reserved for the cavalry, who rode ahead of us. The bulk of the infantry moved on foot, our metallic boots sinking deeply into the soft earth.

The heroes formed the vanguard, but from what I heard, they weren't going to lead the charge. No, the ones in charge of the suicidal charge were us, the foot soldiers. Once we arrived, we were to charge en masse toward the enemy gates and overrun the enemy demons.

There was no holding back now. The commanders were playing all their hand.

We would drown the enemies in our blood if we had to.

I glanced around. Even though our faces were concealed by our helmets and visors, I could tell that my comrades were nervous. Several of them were quivering, their silver armor trembling as they somberly marched forward. I didn't blame them, could even understand why.

We were being asked to march to our deaths.

I gulped, gripping the hilt of my sword tightly. Unlike the knights around me, I should be fine with my Regeneration. However, I didn't know if my special ability had a limit. If I sustained too much damage, it was possible I would die, my regeneration unable to keep up with the fatal injuries. And there was also the problem of having my cover blown…

"Halt!"

We pulled to a stop in reflex when the command sailed through the air. I blinked, confused. At some point I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize that we had already reached the enemy's fortress.

It didn't resemble how I thought it would be. The Demon Lord's castle looked like a normal castle, just painted black. There were demons lined up along the gates, raising their staffs or various weapons and chanting some spells.

Boom!

An explosion sent several knights flying into the air. Several of the demons had launched a volley of fireballs and drawn first blood.

"Whoa!"

"No way!"

"We can't do this!"

"Hold your position!"

The commander barked, glaring at us when the soldiers started to panic. He drew his sword and pointed it at us.

"Any of you think of deserting, I'll kill you myself."

There was no need to go that far. There was nowhere we could run to.

More explosions rang through the tightly packed ranks of the foot soldiers. Morale was crumbling, and the knights were cursing.

And then…

"Oh divine light, deliver the wrath of the goddess of justice and righteousness, and smite all evil in your path!"

Kishimoto Hikaru's voice rang through the air, as clear as a bell and as melodic as a song. Dressed in long, flowing white robes, she stepped forward and aimed her crackling staff at the heavily fortified gates of the castle.

"Divine Lance!"

A golden beam of light blasted out of her staff and seared through the fortified gates. The defensive runes glowed red-hot, a shimmering barrier holding the light at bay for a few moments. And then the runes blew up, losing their color. The transparent barrier collapsed almost immediately and the golden beam obliterated the gates, detonating and disintegrating the demon sentries who were stationed there.

"The castle has been breached! Charge! For the Emperor!"

"For the Emperor!"

Raising our swords, the knights hollered a fearsome war cry and sprinted toward the newly made hole. The demons were attempting to rally, gathering to plug the gape in their defenses, but the mass of humans stampeded past them. The few demons who began casting spells were picked off by the heroes, their magical projectiles streaking through the air and hurtling toward key enemy positions.

I noticed that a few of the heroes' spells deviated off course and accidentally crashed into the human lines, inadvertently killing a few of our men by friendly fire. Of course my classmates didn't care about us. To them, we were nothing more than non-playable characters, AI grunts who existed only to die for them.

That pissed me off somehow.

"Forward! Forward, for the Emperor!"

The knight commander shouted, waving his sword and gesturing at us wildly. We followed, pouring through the hole in the gate and flooding the insides of the fortress. The demons were already waiting for us and we crashed into their defensive lines.

More knights died, blown apart by spells or torn apart by brute strength. The demons growled and roared, several shapeshifting into terrifying creatures. Werewolves. Winged monstrosities. Hybrid creatures. Claw, fang, blade or spell, they ripped the massed ranks of knights apart as if we were nothing more than paper.

They weren't the only ones who could use magic, however. The knights began casting their own passive buffs, protective auras or strength enhancement spells. Several launched fireballs, icicles, lightning or other spells of their own. The magical projectiles collided and detonated, scorching both men and demons alike.

The demons were clearly superior to us, both in terms of physical strength and magical capability. However, we vastly outnumbered them. For every men they killed, three more poured in, reinforced by the never-ending tide of knights outside the fortress.

"Keep fighting! Don't let the heroes hog all the glory!"

Yelling himself hoarse, the knight commander blasted a nearby demon with a holy spell before slashing at another target with his sword, the blade glowing golden from a divine enchantment. Spurred on by his example, the knights rallied around him, using both bade and spell to drill a hole in the demons' defenses.

I followed suit, clutching my sword and tackling another demon, a long-eared guy in a weird suit. His white gloves glowed with sparks, but I hacked at his limbs, forcing him to cancel whatever spell he planned on unleashing.

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Behind me, more of my comrades rushed in, trying to overpower the demon I was fighting through sheer numbers.

The siege had begun.