113 Chapter 113: Poison

"Tomoyuki…!"

In the distance, Donorea called out to me, even as my ancient dragon loomed over my vicinity and cast everything in shadow. I glanced up at Ryuu, who was still tightly bound to my will despite his ever persistent defiance, and then turned toward her.

"With this, I've almost accomplished your request…" I muttered as I slowly pushed my glasses up my nose. "At least that's what I want to say, but it seems the enemy still has one last trick up their filthy sleeves."

Unfortunately, the dwarves were not heeding my words.

"Amazing. So that's the power of the Hero Slayer. I can't believe he even managed to tame an ancient dragon…"

Hedol was staring at me, astonished and overawed. He gulped, feeling a chill run down his spine. He had vastly underestimated me, and now he was surely racking his brains to remember if he had offended me. He realized that if I felt like it, I could easily crush the hive cities in Moria, or at least unleash devastating damage on his kingdom.

This is why you should never be arrogant and condescending, especially to someone you hardly knew.

"The enemy has been annihilated!" one of the dwarves shouted triumphantly as he raised his gauntlet into the air. "It's a complete rout!"

"We've won!" Rhodes shouted, leading his men to an uplifting cheer. The dwarves whooped and bumped fists, their morale soaring for the first time since the grueling siege had begun. "It's our total victory!"

"Don't speak too soon, men!" Hedol warned. "It's far from over!"

The king had spotted Umezu Shigeo lunging straight at me. Fiery magical circles burst into life around him, enchanting his already magical blades. His intimidating figure seemed to emanate a blazing, demonic aura as he soared toward me. Behind, the wounded Kido Mayumi was stopping her bleeding with one hand and casting spells with the other to boost her husband's combat capabilities. I could see a frightful, murderous flame dragon emerging from his twin blades.

"Your ancient dragon might be impressive," Umezu growled defiantly as he closed in on me. "But no matter how powerful your familiar is, it won't matter as long as I kill you, the summoner! I'll make sure you die by my blade!"

So before you start complaining in the comments about me choosing to fight in close combat instead of using my summoning spells or magic, I'm explaining to you the reason why I was forced into melee with such a skillful swordsman.

Besides, for some reason readers mistook me to be a mage. I was a necromancer, not a mage. I couldn't fire fireballs or whatever. The only ranged spells I had was Doombolt and Shadow Lunar Fang. I didn't have any other spells. I was trying to use blood magic, summoning a blood appendage or a blood spear, but Kido waved her hand and vaporized the blood I had just summoned. Cursing, I parried a strike from Umezu and staggered backward.

"Hmph. You might have fancy summons and powerful familiars, but you're a mere mortal yourself. If I kill the summoner, then we'll win!"

"You've to kill me first," I snapped. Black mana flowed into my sword and I unleashed a gigantic arc of Shadow Lunar Fang at near pointblank range. Sensing the danger, Umezu quickly retreated. Flames crackled and wreathed his blades before he determinedly slashed my black, crescent-shaped attack into two, causing it to harmlessly dissipate.

Barely a second after that, he sprang right at me, forcing me on the defensive as he slashed both his swords. I barely managed to block his deadly attacks, but the flames surrounding him flared up and scorched my flesh.

"…kuh!"

I winced and retreated, gingerly blowing over my burns. I wasn't given any time to regenerate or heal them, for Umezu was instantly upon me again. Gritting my teeth, I took his attacks head-on and we exchanged several dozen blows that gouged huge chunks of rock and soil out of the earth. Explosions of dirt and fire sprouted out in our surrondings, peppering any unfortunate soldier close by and sending them hurtling backward.

"Incredible! So this is a battle between the Chosen of the gods…"

Hedol was amazed. Beside him, Donorea's jaw dropped as she struggled to comprehend the current situation, perspiration dripping down her brow.

"Impossible…his movements are different from before? Did that Evelyn's Chosen become even more powerful? How…?"

"There!"

Hedol pointed at Kido, noticing how the wounded Priestess of Fire was maintaining her spells and buffing her husband.

"That female Evelyn's Chosen! She's the source of that warrior's power! That's why the male Evelyn's Chosen seems so much more powerful! She's buffing him with strength enhancements and increasing his attack power!"

While Kido was focused on casting her spells, a group of dwarves were creeping up from behind her, raising their storm bolters to focus on her.

"Take aim! Fire! Take her out!"

"?!"

Kido turned around as the Terminators unleashed a volley of mass reactive shells on her position. However…

A wall of flame leaped up and incinerated the bolts. A group of human soldiers rushed forward to defend Kido, holding their muskets tightly. Among them was a mage who was conjuring new spells and unleashing fireballs at the Terminator soldiers, but the flames had little effect on the revered, ancient armor.

"Protect Hero-sama! She's our only hope!"

"Get behind us, our lady!"

"We'll protect you!"

There were only a few hundred soldiers left, the tattered remnants of what used to be a brigade that was tens of thousands strong. The beleaguered survivors were forming thick ranks between themselves and the dwarves, while the majority were distracting and holding off the tanks. In the distance, Daniel's tank company fired bolts of superheated plasma but the human infantry either cast barrier spells or scattered.

"Please continue casting your magic, Hero-sama!" one of the human soldiers shouted to the stunned Kido. "And keep your lord husband fighting!"

"I…I will…"

Breathing heavily, Kido nodded her thanks, and then inhaled deeply before she continued maintaining the enchantment on Umezu.

"Hah!" the Terminator-clad dwarves marched forward, pelting the human soldiers with bolts from their gauntlet-mounted storm bolters. "Filthy humans…I thought you were just trash, but it seems you do have the pride of warriors in your belly, after all!"

Rhodes grinned as he took the head of his terminator guard to club a screaming human soldier, who was defiant to the last.

"Now…I'll admit that it'll be an honor to fight the likes of you humans!"

The tiny number of Terminators were then mobbed by a few dozen yelling human soldiers who were armed with nothing more than flashlights…cough, I mean lasguns…no, I mean muskets and bayonets.

While the battle descended into its final stages as the remaining human survivors made their desperate last stand, a more sinister hand was at work in the distance.

"Hmm, so we're finally ready? Then let's proceed."

The ogryn bodyguard who was manning the multi-barrel launcher nodded, his blank and dull expression masked behind a rebreather and goggles. Cillantro grinned and rubbed his hands gleefully, in anticipation of what was to come.

"I understand!"

Seeing that he was done, the Genevean general snapped up sharply.

"I'll sound the retreat and we'll…"

"Don't be stupid, general. There's no point wasting time over such a meaningless activity."

"Huh?"

The general stared at Cillantro blankly, but the scientist continued with a grin.

"We'll be firing right now. Immediately. Yes, my dear general, I mean this very moment."

"What?!" the general barked, outraged. "But my men?! The gas…!"

"Are you a fool? I thought you were supposed to be more well-versed in military manners than me." Cillantro was scoffing. "If we retreat now, the dwarves will realize that something is amiss, and we'll miss our chance. Besides…"

The bespectacled scientist turned around and lowered his voice to a whisper as he placed a hand on the trembling general's shoulder.

"Think of the logistics! We don't have enough vehicles or machinery or carriages to transport all of your men back to Legnica. They'll end up being prisoners of the enemy. We'll be forced to leave them behind, to the mercy of demons. It's a fate worse than death, wouldn't you agree? And besides, even if they do manage to escape from these demons, the majority of them are heavily injured or dying. Almost none of the remaining soldiers will be able to survive the journey back home. No, let's be merciful, kind, benevolent general. Allow me to put an end to their pain and suffering, right here and right now!"

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"…!!"

The general gritted his teeth, wanting to argue, but he couldn't muster up a response. He was reaching for his revolver now, ready to end this traitor's life before he meted out the cruelest fate upon his men.

"You…"

Before he could even raise his weapon, one of Cillantro's ogryn bodyguards stepped in between him and Cillantro, shielding his master. The brute glared at the shivering general silently, intimidating the despairing commander.

Ignoring the pathetic display of the general, Cillantro pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked sinisterly.

"You may fire."

The multi-barreled launcher roared and several missiles burst out, arcing over the skies and smashing right into the grounds outside the broken fortress-wall of Mount Alveron. The dwarves all scattered and dispersed.

"They're shelling the battlefield! Take cover!"

Under Rhodes's instructions, the power armored figures of the dwarves leaped away, the servos of their mechanical suits whining under the strain.

"They're firing a supporting barrage?" Umezu growled, turning away momentarily when he was distracted by the explosion. "With our men all over the battlefield?! What the hell are they thinking?!"

Gas erupted from the crater and billowed over the battlefield, shrouding it in a yellow, toxic fog.

"What's this?"

"Some kind of…smoke?"

"Certainly doesn't look like any smoke I know of."

"You would know, since you're quite the chain smoker!"

The dwarves stared at them dumbly, but the filters and environmental conditioners of their power armor prevented the gas from poisoning them. Only those with breaches in their armor were affected. Catching a slight whiff of the gas, they began coughing, their suits' recyclers struggling to cope with the contaminants and purge their systems of the toxic gas.

The human soldiers, however, weren't as lucky.

"Khhkk…! I can't breathe…!"

"What…?!"

Paralyzed, they began falling all over the ground, their bodies locking up and their nervous system breaking down in the gas. One by one, the few surviving human infantry caught up in the gas collapsed, their hearts stopping and their mouths foaming.

"What devilry is this now!?"

Enraged, Hedol hollered at the catastrophic scene. However, the great king immediately recognized the danger for what it was.

"All of you! Stay away from the smoke! Do not breathe it in! It's poison!"

The power armored forms of the dwarves lumbered out of the smoke, those protected carrying their fallen comrades out.

"Well, our armor protected us from the worst of it," Rhodes reported, raising his cumbersome gauntlet to wipe at his Terminator armor. "But the humans weren't so lucky. What was their commander thinking, unleashing such a weapon over his own men?"

"I have no idea," Hedol growled bitterly. "I have no idea at all. I would like to say that I'll be glad to let the enemy kill their own men, but even…even this evil is too much for me. Those human soldiers don't deserve to be discarded like trash by their own commanders."

That commander in question was currently peering through his binoculars and staring at the scene in dreaded amazement.

"The effect is almost immediate…what a terrifying weapon!"

"Of course!"

Cillantro was laughing, his voice getting higher in pitch as he threw his arms up and crowed triumphantly.

"Of course! This is…this is quite the amazing breakthrough! Ah…my masterpiece! I've perfected it at last! After countless failed experiments, I've finally created the perfect weapon! Deadly poison gas that kills upon inhalation!"

I swallowed as I watched the gas billow out toward us, but it was still quite the safe distance away from us. My Absolute Appraisal flashed at the bottom of my lenses, signaling that it had some information for me.

"…a gas similar to sarin?"

After tapping the icon, my jaw dropped when I read the description.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"That's sarin gas?" Umezu demanded, no longer interested in fighting me. He was staring at the scene of death and poison in horror.

"Retreat!"

Even as more of those toxic missiles bombarded the Alveron fortress, soldiers on both sides either succumbed from the deadly fog, or they staggered out of it, protected by their armor. I suddenly realized that this was quite the stupid move to make…this poison weapon of the enemy was killing more of their own men than the armored dwarves of Moria.

"They're killing everyone, even their own men…!" Umezu was spluttering in disbelief. "Have they gone insane?!"

"Well, that's the kind of man you're following," I told him plainly. "It's not as if you don't know how Kobayashi is."

Actually, this move probably had nothing to do with Kobayashi, but I wasn't surprised that his devout followers would follow the same type of principles as their demented and delusional megalomaniac master.

"!!"

"Mayumi-san!"

Perspiration dripping down his face, Umezu quickly proceeded toward Kido, who had fallen to the ground and gagged as her position was hit by the poison gas.

"Shigeo…kun…please…don't come…near…!"

Gasping and coughing, Kido begged Umezu to stay away, even as she slowly succumbed to the gas. Despite her flames and her defensive enchantments, it seemed that even a hero was not immune to poison. In fact, her heroic constitution and fiery defenses were probably the only reason why she was still alive.

Gritting his teeth, Umezu turned away from me. Ignoring me, he lunged toward Kido's position, his blades swept aside.

"We're done!"

He had clearly lost all intention to battle. His only desire at present was to save Kido. Nothing else mattered to him, not even killing me.

"I don't care if you want to strike me from behind! Do whatever you want!"

I merely stood and watched as he ran off. Behind me, more of those missiles slammed into the ground and detonated, unelashing their deadly payload of almost sarin gas. And then I turned toward Ryuu and issued him a mental order.

Ryuu glowered at me, but as always, the undead dragon was forced to obey me.

Meanwhile, the dwarves were retreating back into Alveron.

"Open the gates!" Rhodes shouted. "Retreat! Fall back into the city!"

"No, wait!" Hedol howled when he realized something. "Don't open the gates! That's exactly what the enemy wants!"

"Close the gates!" Donorea shouted, but it was too late. The gates were already in the process of opening and the dwarves were flooding inside, trying to seek refuge from the lethal bombardments being unleashed upon them.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Upon seeing the opened gates, Cillantro couldn't help but guffaw.

"Fortune must be smiling on me! Thank you, Evelyn! I'll get to study the effects of the poison gas in an enclosed space! Scorched earth tactics indeed…see, general? I told you that I'll be able to render their hive city uninhabitable. If we can't have it, we certainly are not going to let the dwarves have their city either!"

Turning to his ogryn bodyguards, he barked an order gleefully.

"Fire! Right into the city itself!"

"NOOO!"

Donorea screamed when she saw the projectiles sailing toward the gates. Rhodes, realizing his mistake, immediately turned around and raised his storm bolter.

"Man! Shoot down the projectiles! We can't let any of them reach the city!"

"Fire! Fire at will!"

A stream of bolts blasted out of the Terminators and dwarves' boltguns, but they missed the rapidly streaking missiles, which crashed toward the interior of Alveron City mercilessly.

"Tomoyuki! Please! Help us!"

Donorea begged. Beside her, Hedol watched helplessly as one of his hive cities was about to get razed to the ground and permeated with poison gas. Further away, Umezu was diving toward the coughing Kido, heedless of the poison gas that swirled around them. All around us, both dwarves and humans fought to escape the toxic fog that now spread over the battlefield.

"I'm working on it!" I shouted back, and then glanced up at Ryuu. "Are you still not done yet, Ryuu?!"

He was. A gigantic magic circle had materialized above the ancient dragon, a visual indication of his spell. A gigantic wall of black fire washed down between the city and the misssiles, obliterating the deadly projectiles before they could sail into the interior of the hive city.

"That's…" Hedol gasped in shock. "That…spell destroyed all the missiles!"

"…"

Her mouth open, Donorea gaped in surprise and amazement.

That wasn't all.

While Umezu reached Kido, he helped her up and wrapped his hand around her protectively.

"Hold on to me, Mayumi-san!"

Around them, the gas thickened, threatening to engulf them…

…only for all the yellow fog to be sucked away. Surprised, Umezu spun around and watched as the toxic gas was all swallowed into a raging vortex…a dark tornado that greedily devoured all of the poison gas that permeated the battlefield.

"Shigeo-kun…the smoke…it's being sucked away!"

Kido gasped as she stared at the dissipating yellow fog and the enormous tornado that now stalked the battlefield. Unable to believe his eyes, Umezu turned and watched me as I stood calmly in the middle of it all, directing my ancient dragon to clean up the mess.

"Tch!"

He clicked his tongue in frustration.

"It sickens me…but I have no choice but to use the opening Tanaka gave us!"

Kicking off the ground, Umezu swept Kido into his arms and leaped away. Not bothering with the fight any longer, he fled to relatively safety, priotizing the safety of his wife over everything else. I didn't bother to pursue.

Despite his displeasure, Umezu owed me. He knew that as well as I did. Unlike Kobayashi, Umezu was not an unreasonable, homicidal maniac. He was someone who would repay his debts. It would more useful for me to leave him and Kido indebted to me.

Someday, I would definitely collect on that debt. This probably served as a form of revenge.

"H…how is this possible?!"

The general cowered before the raging tornado that split the battlefield in half and reached all the way to the heavens.

"Hmm…I see. So he used wind magic to suck away all the gas in the battlefield and blow it away. By diffusing it into the atmosphere, he's rendering the gas harmless…no, more than that. He's breaking down the toxic gas at the molecular level in that crazy tornado of his."

Adjusting his glasses, Cillantro sighed exaggeratedly.

"It pains me to admit it, but victory today goes to the Hero Slayer after all."

"Oh, not yet. Not until I've gotten you."

"…huh?"

Cillantro turned to stare at me, and felt a chill when he saw my grin. He narrowed his eyes, and it was clear that he was wondering, how is he able to see me from this distance?

I tapped my glasses, but said nothing more. There was no point explaining too much for someone who was about to die.

Before Cillantro could call upon his ogryn bodyguards to grab him and ferry him to safety, I had Ryuu unleashed the tornado on him.

"W…what?!"

"A…ah! No!"

It wasn't just him. The general too was caught in the raging whirlwind and torn apart. Cillantro tried to escape, but both him and his retinue of ogryn bodyguards were captured by the vortex and helplessly flung into the air.

"This…what manner of magic is this!?"

"One that will kill you."

The last thing the screaming Cillantro saw was my smug expression before he was completely obliterated by the tornado. Along with him, the poor general and his command staff were ripped apart by the ferocious winds, the tremendous pressures turning their bodies into bloody shreds.

And then…nothing. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the tornado disappeared.

"Tomoyuki!"

"Is everyone all right?" I asked tiredly. With my mana all spent on that last spell, I was unable to maintain my summons. Ryuu disappeared quietly, the gigantic ancient dragon vanishing from reality and allowing the sun to shine upon the outskirts of Alveron once more.

"Thank you…it's all thanks to you…!"

"Not yet."

As exhausted as I was, there was still one task left to do.

"Daniel." I voxed my tank commander. "Get the tanks ready. Help those who are still inside the upside down tanks, and have the rest of me follow me. We're moving out immediately."

"Roger that, sir."

I turned toward the Hellblade, which had just coughed and spluttered back to life. Despite being overheated earlier, it had finally cooled down enough to be restarted. It appeared that Jurgen and the crew had hastily repaired the super-heavy tank.

Excellent.

"Jurgen, let me into the Hellblade. You've fixed the engine and restarted it, haven't you? Then let's get going."

"Where are we going, boss?"

Jurgen's voice crackled over the vox-bead. I smiled wearily as I strode toward the Hellblade.

"To Verunhive and Mordia. We're going to kick the rest of the human armies out of Moria…for good this time."