CH 169

I threw an iron ball.

In the distance, an explosion was heard and a cloud of dust spread all over the area.

"I feel pathetic having to fight like this..."

An object like this thrown by someone who is over level 3000 allows it to reach unimaginable speed with even the slightest toss, causing it to pierce the ground and send the surrounding troops flying.

Is this a cowardly tactic on my part?

Well, maybe so... But there are only three of us against 3,000 of them. I think that's fair enough. I'd like to fight them one on one, but it's impossible even for me.

"The enemy is on the move."

"They seem to have realized that we're at a disadvantage in numbers."

"Whoaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Rudra's army began to run furiously. So much so that they didn't even bother to hold their formation, and came at us wildly.

"Magic fairy ball! Hyaaaaaa!"

One of the iron balls thrown by Frau hits the enemy troops.

Huh... So there's a higher chance of hitting my target if I use techniques?

"Toru's super special straight shot!"

The moment I threw the ball with all my might, it disintegrated in the air as soon as I let it loose.

Uh, really?

This material is so poor that it couldn't withstand something as strong as that. So I threw another one again with limited effort.

"Haaaaaaaaa!"

There was a man shouting as he ran in our direction while dodging the balls, at the same time he had tears in his eyes.

It was a truly interesting sight.

"Who is he?"

"He seems to be the general named Chiba."

Chiba is a dark-haired man of medium height.

Moreover, he's a human.

His weapon is a curved sword. A katana, I think.

I remember it because it's a type of weapon used back home, on the other side of the island. It's sharp, but it is difficult to use, so there were few people who could use it. But if you do know how to use it, then it can be a very powerful weapon.

I'm about to run out of ammunition....

I think it's enough with long range attacks.

"Kaede."

"Yes! Twin Tornado! Ice Age!"

The two iron fans unfurled and Kaede unleashed wind and ice magic. The extremely cold tornado that was generated froze the enemies as they soared through the air.

Chiba, who was still running towards us, gnashed his teeth.

That guy is quite persistent.

Kaede was continuously unleashing 'Twin Tornado' and 'Ice Age' attacks. The battlefield turned into a hellish landscape.

Countless tornadoes mercilessly attacked the demon army. Even so, hundreds of soldiers being led by Chiba pass through the middle. To be honest, I'm impressed. Despite being the enemy, I'm sure he's a great guy.

"Fairy Flash!"

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaa, my eyes! What is this!"

Frau's violent flash of light hits the enemy. Chiba and the others, whose vision has been impaired, run in the opposite direction and run into each other.

But only Chiba was heading straight toward us. Although his eyes were closed since he couldn't see anything.

Well done, my enemy! As a warrior, you thrill me!

"At last we're face to face! Now let's have a proper fight!"

When Chiba reached me, he raised his katana with a tearful face. Maybe it's because he's blind, but he's not looking at me, but at Kaede.

"I..."

"No, I'll handle this, you guys continue to get rid of the rest. Chupi, keep giving Rosuke instructions and get rid of the Wyvern troops."

"I understand."

"Sha!"

"Chupi!"

I unsheathed the large sword on my back.

"I am Toru, leader of the Manyu Brigade."

"My name is Chiba, one of the three demon generals. I have heard of your brave deeds. I am truly impressed with your spirit of defiance towards my Lord despite being only three people, but I'm afraid the fun stops here."

He glared at me and said, "I shall be your opponent. Please tell the other two to stand back."

Um...Should I tell him that Kaede and Frau are already busy beating the crap out of his comrades behind him?

"Don't you think it would be better for you to wait until you regain your vision?"

"Fuhahaha, I don't need to worry about that. I can read your moves even if I can't see them. I commend your desire for this fight to be on equal footing ."

"The truth is..."

"Come on, let's start the battle!"

Chiba raises his Katana at me. If he's as good at reading moves as he says he is, he must have had special training. Or maybe he possesses a rare ability.

Even in that state, he seems to be aware of my presence.

"Dah!"

"Fu!"

Giin

Our swords clash. I could feel the force of our blows connecting. His is a long, thin weapon, but it still possesses enough power to break anything that gets in its way. Chiba quickly unleashes his next attack. There are no unnecessary movements, and he chains every attack with his next one, flowing naturally, with no delay in between.

He's incredibly fast. In fact, I think I'm pretty slow myself. I can barely perceive when the blade approaches me.

Who the hell is this guy?

"You'll never beat me if you're too slow to perceive my movements! And that's just a small test!"

Chiba's attacks started to get faster. I can't perceive his attacks.

This guy is definitely the strongest of the three demon generals.

"I never thought I'd have to kill you without seeing your face first. Perhaps this is fate. You will die in the name of Rudra-sama."

I've been learning his moves with mimics while receiving them.

This guy has more skills than me. He has a different strength than Pionne's grandfather, Mugen. I'm not sure if the skills to handle a katana can be used with a greatsword.

"Oh, my vision is starting to come back. Now you..."

"Master!"

Right after hearing Kaede's voice, there's an explosion nearby. Chiba and I are stunned by the impact.

"What the hell...?"

Chiba and I fell to the ground the moment the explosion came toward us. I stood up and checked the situation from afar, and saw countless explosions on the battlefield. It seems to be some kind of magical attack.

The magic that was released from the royal capital was pouring down like rain. Why are they using a large scale attack even though they have allies mixed in with the enemy?

I fixed my gaze towards Chiba to see his reaction, and he was still on the ground. He might have fainted, or he might have died. Either way, it's pretty obvious this Lord of his is a real bastard.

"Chupii!"

"Kura～"

Chupi brought back Rosuke and ordered Kuratan to assume the role of umbrella in the face of the attack.

Kaede and Frau, who had returned, took cover with me underneath Kuratan.

"This is crazy, how could he possibly be willing to kill his own forces?"

"Maybe their role was to stall us, just like we were supposed to stall them."

"Look over there, is that the main army!?"

I directed my gaze at the entrance to the royal capital using the binoculars. The main army was forming up in a line one after another, the number being about 10,000 soldiers.

I don't think they are strong enough to stop the three of us.

But the situation didn't stop there.

Something else was being brought out from behind the gates.

Slaves...?

A bunch of dwarves with chains around their necks were lined up in front of the soldiers. A voice could be heard in the distance.

"Surrender immediately. Resistance will lead to the death of innocent people."

So they plan to use the hostages?

"We already know that you are the heroes known as the Manyu Brigade."

The soldier continued speaking.

"I don't know who sent you, but you should forget about defeating Rudra-sama. You are no match for someone like him. Look at my soldiers and tremble at our presence."

Toph toph toph toph

Five evil dragons emerged from the ground. Their sizes were much smaller than the one we had fought before, but, even so, they were still big enough.

"Drop your weapons and step forward. If you lay down your life, your friends will be spared."

I see, so that's their intention? They'll have to kill Kaede and Frau first if they want to see me on my knees and dead, but as long as they live, I'll stand my ground and keep fighting.

Although if I make one wrong move, they'll kill all the hostages. I have to think of something...

There's no choice but to obey for now.

"Master!"

"My Lord?!"

"You two, don't move. I'll take care of this."

"But...!"

I dropped my greatsword and headed towards the enemy forces unarmed. Now... What should I do?

I'm between a rock and a hard place.