Ciel organizes the healers, and they all cast [Detect Evil] on every single soldier in search of more heretics. Fortunately, the spell doesn't consume that much mana, so a single high-grade MP potion should be enough to recover their mana before the battle.
Meanwhile, we set up a tent and gather around a table, then we proceed with a grim meeting in which the girls and I explain my visions.
"Visions…" Jacques mumbles in thought, combing through his red beard with his claws. "I know that they're common among the Gifted, but only Léonne would know more about that sort of thing."
"But how did heretics get in the middle of your men?" Yunia questions Darcy accusingly.
"Are you sure they're heretics?" He immediately deflects without flinching.
I frown in distaste and affirm, "It was fast, but I don't doubt what I saw, nor the feeling I had when I looked into his eyes."
"At the least, they're spies, or working for someone suspicious since they deserted without a single word," Yunia confidently points out.
"There haven't been any reports from the scouts about enemy movement. The imperials haven't even reacted yet to what happened here," Nen stiffly retorts, a bit intimidated by the atmosphere.
"What about their camp?" Jacques stoically questions.
"Nothing," I answer, and they turn suspicious gazes on me, so I explain, "I'm a summoner, so I'm watching both the camp and the ambush site." And that seems to appease them.
"I don't want to call off this operation just because two of my men decided to disappear!" Darcy angrily exclaims, gritting his teeth like an angry rat.
"At least one of them is an unregistered Master Porter since I can hardly believe that they walked into a [Gate] coordinate just by coincidence," Alissa calmly points out.
Darcy grits his teeth in anger, but even he can't go against that argument.
Jacques hums in thought, his stern look so fearsome that it even makes Allura a bit meek. "I'll call the Sworn Hunters. I don't want to call this off either, but neither can I ignore the warning of danger from Lord Wolf's vision," he calmly decides.
Anton quickly discusses something with Klein, then he comes over to me, looking so grim that he could pass for having [Intimidate]. He stops right behind me and hurriedly whispers into my ear, "Wolf. Commander Sandoro would advise us to retreat, right now."
Ever since I saw that pair of eyes, my gut keeps telling me that something bad is coming, but I can't defeat the heretics by running forever. I need to know what they're going to do, and this time, I won't just watch as they cast [Meteor] above me, I… no, we, my wives and I, need to counter them.
"I'll apologize to him later, but I can't go back now, though I can afford to switch you and Klein with other knights or Oritiki," I coldly dismiss Anton's concern.
"She doesn't want to leave, so neither will I…" He grumbles back.
I sigh softly and apologize, "I'm sorry that you got involved in this."
"Apologize to us by not dying," he grumbles again, and I snort softly, then he returns to his post.
Sandoro crammed plenty of training into everyone's heads, including the knights', about how to protect us from assassination, and the father-daughter duo already has a lot of experience with keeping the men steady to face off against organized bandit attacks, so while they don't have the same levels as the knights, they're still reliable in this situation.
"I'd like to know what everyone thinks of this operation," I ask through [Bind].
"I'm wary. I'd like to follow Sandoro's advice, but I don't want to abandon my family's men," Alissa anxiously replies first.
"I don't know what to think. I'm scared, but I don't want to run," Roxanne hesitantly admits.
"Same," Lina quietly agrees.
"I want to fight," Hana brusquely adds, determination dripping from her voice.
"Same!" Aoi energetically agrees.
"The cons of running are just too great," Yunia points out.
"Elaborate," I quickly prompt.
"We're set to make the Misty Foxes into close allies, so retreating here and now could damage our relationship since the heretics are after us, not them. Not only that, but I also agree that we shouldn't run from them because I know that we'll definitely meet them again in the future, so we need to learn how to face these heretics."
"Ciel…?" I hesitantly ask. Her mood seems grim, and it's making me a bit worried about her.
"We need to stay and fight," she sternly states, then her heart suddenly burns with righteous fervor. "These heretics need to taste our steel!" She angrily exclaims, then goes silent as she feels embarrassed about her outburst.
She might be having some sort of premonition like I did, so it could be the Gods telling us to fight, but I'm not sure, none of us are.
"I'm still feeling a bit vulnerable though, so I think we need more men," I confess.
"Bringing an army would be inconvenient, so perhaps someone with more raw power, like Silvano," Yunia suggests.
Alright…
After the roll-call is complete and everyone has been checked, we discover that the two who disappeared were just veterans who had recently been reassigned to the 24th, by chance. The person who made that decision was Nemie, the Elder of War, someone who regularly gets checked for heresy through [Detect Evil], so unless there's some big conspiracy between him and the temple, it was just a coincidence that they were there, just like how I first saw those eyes in the middle of a crowd of people at the Turn of the Wheel.
Considering all that bullshit about the Threads of Fate, my destiny, and Shade, I don't believe in coincidences anymore.
Though, the next time I see those eyes, I need to react with [Discharge] and immediately [Equip] that [Gate] "Scrubber" tool I have to prevent their escape. I can't let them escape again without at least interrogating them.
Silvano saunters into the tent with his usual annoying smirk, then stops before our chairs and kneels. "Your Highness, I've answered your call," he greets politely, but his tone is still annoying.
"Rise," Yunia coldly orders.
He obeys and turns to me. "I'm happy that you've chosen me to aid you in this battle, but Sandoro asked me to relay the fact that he's opposed to your decision."
"Noted," I tersely reply.
Léonne joins us with the Sworn Hunters, so I get to see her ride elephant-Jacques, which is quite amusing.
She's taking my vision very seriously, which I find very reassuring. I don't like to base my decisions on gut feelings, but I can't ignore what I saw, and the fact that the two spies teleported away the very moment that I noticed them is very telling.
The bait caravan will be reaching the ambush site very soon, so we double our marching speed to get there in time. The Sworn Hunters will work together with our Lordsguard since it's extremely unlikely that they're heretics. They've sworn to serve the Chief only, so unless Jacques and Léonne betray us, they're as trustworthy as our own knights.
We leave the valley, and I notice how the rough terrain looks like modern Verdun with a few suspicious sword-shaped imprints in the ground and spikes of rock everywhere.
"I think this was the site of an ancient battle between the Symbol of Might and a God-Ruler," Alissa explains through [Bind].
Scary…
Fox-Nen slows down and shares a few words with Fox-Montague, his older brother.
"Things sure got serious, huh," Montague casually comments, barely having to raise his voice due to the almost entirely silent werefox army.
"I've never seen the Chieftess this serious," Nen quietly replies, though Alissa can still hear them.
"Try not to drool as you watch them fight," Montague teases and shows his fangs in a frightening grin.
"Try not to trip and get your hollow head caved in by a rock," Nen bites back and returns to his post.
"So he can exchange a bit of banter…" Roxanne curiously mumbles through [Bind].
"Only if Alissa isn't nearby," Hana wisely points out.
I sigh and give them both a light poke. "Put on your war faces, girls," I calmly urge them to focus.
"[Sir, yes, sir!]" Roxanne playfully replies in English, then we drop the levity and gradually enter into a trance as we focus on the battle to come.
Now that I can use any spell up to level 50, there's a specific one that interests me quite a bit, so I make some changes to my skill allocations to give me access to it. [Blessing Magic]'s [Haste] is a very powerful spell, but it doesn't last long, so Blessing mages rarely actually use it since they're typically non-combatants who stay far away from the front line.
I test [Haste] a few times, and it feels like it slows down time for everything around me, allowing me to do anything I want at double the normal speed without actually requiring me to spend twice as much energy. It's an odd spell, but it's really powerful.
Our skills are like this now:
Wolf Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 17+13 Spear Use 12+3 Polearm Use 12+4 Dodge 12+8 Parry 14+6 Block 7+8 Shield Bash 4+1 Battlefield Perception 8+2 Muscle Explosion 4+1 Acrobatics 13+2 Ekrano Style (creator) 4
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 0+6 Mana Control 3+17 Mana Recovery 0+0 Mana Efficiency 8+7 Reduced Mana Cost 8+7 Mana Overuse Resistance 5+4 Blackout Resistance 0+1 Fire Magic 1+4 Earth Magic 2+3 Water Magic 4+1 Wind Magic 1+4 Electric Magic 6+14 Light Magic 2+13 Space Magic 7+23 Summoning Magic 8+32 Blessing Magic 28+22 Nature Magic 2+18 Conjuring Magic 1+4 Spirit Magic 0+3 Illusion Magic 0+2 Golemancy 0+10 Redirect Mana (creator) 6 Sense Soul (creator) 6 Soul Manipulation (creator) 9 Godly Language 30+5 Dragon Transformation (innate) 7 Equipment System 5+5
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Dancing 0+1 Cooking 0+4 Andraste Language 4+6 Dismantling 0+4 Piloting 0+3 Massage 0+3 Oral Technique 0+1 Mana Body (innate) 4
Info
Name Wolf Ryder Age 20 Race Weredragon HP 100 MP 1825 Magic Power 780 Level 57
Stats
Strength 15 Endurance 17 Dexterity 12 Speed 15 Intelligence 22 Wisdom 18 Willpower 19 Charisma 17 Piety 17 Perception 17 Sanity 14+4
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'Nickname "Good Luck", Blessed by the Goddess of Knowledge, Golemancer, Scholar of Rabanara, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Shapeshifter, Protector of the Last Crown' Affiliations 'Helios (Fellowship), Alissa Ryder (Wife), Hanafuria Ryder (Wife), Roxanne Ryder (Wife), Lina Ryder (Wife), Ciel Ryder (Wife), Aoi Ryder (Wife), Yulania Ryder (Wife), Servant Blood Slaves' Companions 'Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder' Crimes 'NONE'
Alissa Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 9 Bow Use 41 Parry 6+4 Dodge 2+8 Sense Presence 12 Hide Presence 2+8 Enhanced Olfact 5 Enhanced Hearing 5 Hawk Eyes 6 Muscle Explosion 5 Quiet Steps 5 Quiet Action 4 Enhanced Stamina 2+3 Enhanced Reflexes 2+8 Tracking 3
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 1+7 Reduced Mana Cost 5+0 Mana Efficiency 7+0 Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 5+0 Water Magic 1 Wind Magic 1 Light Magic 1 Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1 Illusion Magic 1+14 Fox Transformation (innate) 7 Equipment System 6+4
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Housework 3 Cooking 4 Cleaning 2 Washing 5 Riding 2 Oral Technique 4 Pain Resistance 2 Hand Technique 2
Info
Name Alissa Ryder Age 20 Race Fox-type Wereanimal HP 100 MP 1120 Magic Power 550 Level 57
Stats
Strength 13 Endurance 19 Dexterity 24 Speed 20 Intelligence 14 Wisdom 16 Willpower 17 Charisma 16 Piety 17 Perception 19 Sanity 18
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'Blessed by the Goddess of Love, Blinding Arrows, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown' Affiliations 'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Helios (Fellowship)' Companions 'Wolf Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder' Crimes 'NONE'
Roxanne Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Dagger Use 2
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1+3 Mana Control 8+32 Reduced Mana Cost 20+5 Mana Efficiency 10+10 Mana Overuse Resistance 4+1 Fire Magic 30 Earth Magic 1+0 Water Magic 7+33 Light Magic 1 Space Magic 3+12 Conjuring Magic 5 Alchemy 1+9 Potion Brewing 12 Poison Brewing 2 Redirect Mana 1 Equipment System 4+6
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Housework 1 Cooking 1 Cleaning 1 Washing 1 Riding 1
Info
Name Roxanne Ryder Age 22 Race Succubus-Type Demon Race HP 100 MP 2960 Magic Power 1280 Level 57
Stats
Strength 10 Endurance 12 Dexterity 12 Speed 9 Intelligence 18 Wisdom 20 Willpower 17 Charisma 17 Piety 11 Perception 12 Sanity 14
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown' Affiliations 'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Hanafuria Ryder (Wife), Helios (Fellowship)' Companions 'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder' Crimes 'NONE'
Hanafuria Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 31 Spear Use 18 Bow Use 10 Two-Handed Sword Use 10 Polearm Use 6 Dagger Use 4 Shield Bash 2+7 Block 1+14 Parry 10 Dodge 12 Tatesomu Style 2+8 Muscle Explosion 8 Battlefield Perception 10 Taunt 3 Intimidate 3
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 7 Reduced Mana Cost 7+0 Mana Efficiency 2 Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 1 Water Magic 1+0 Wind Magic 1+0 Light Magic 1 Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1 Illusion Magic 5 Equipment System 6+4
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Housework 2 Cooking 1 Cleaning 1 Washing 1 Riding 3 Massage 1 Pain Conversion 1 Dismantling 4 Oral Technique 1 Fire Breath (innate) 5 Summon Wings (innate) 8 Draconic Body (creator) 6
Info
Name Hanafuria Ryder Age 24 Race Fire-Type Dragonkin HP 100 MP 940 Magic Power 455 Level 58
Stats
Strength 19 Endurance 25 Dexterity 11 Speed 15 Intelligence 12 Wisdom 16 Willpower 21 Charisma 18 Piety 12 Perception 10 Sanity 17
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'One Thousand Strikes, True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown' Affiliations 'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Roxanne Ryder (Wife), 'Helios (Fellowship)' Companions 'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder' Crimes 'NONE'
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Ciel Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Glaive Use 1+29 Sword Use 4+5 Parry 6+9 Dodge 4+11 Block 9+6 Imperial Hasterrum Style 2+3 Muscle Explosion 2 Battlefield Perception 1
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 2 Mana Control 6 Reduced Mana Cost 3+2 Mana Efficiency 3+4 Wind Magic 14+26 Fire Magic 1 Light Magic 10+30 Space Magic 3 Conjuring Magic 1 Diagnosis 7 Redirect Mana 2 Equipment System 5+5
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level First-Aid 3 Housework 3 Cooking 2 Cleaning 2 Washing 1 Riding 1
Info
Name Ciel Ryder Age 22 Race Human HP 100 MP 1310 Magic Power 800 Level 57
Stats
Strength 14 Endurance 15 Dexterity 17 Speed 18 Intelligence 16 Wisdom 22 Willpower 16 Charisma 19 Piety 25 Perception 13 Sanity 21
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown' Affiliations 'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Lina Ryder (Wife), Helios (Fellowship), Templar Knights (Honorary Member), Temple Priestess (Former Member)' Companions 'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Lina Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder' Crimes 'NONE'
Lina Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Hammer Use 5+25 Axe Use 10+15 Throw 2+7 Parry 1+9 Dodge 4+6 Block 2+13 Muscle Explosion 2 Shield Bash 1+1 Battlefield Perception 2 Dwarven Pride Style 4 Enhanced Speed 4+1
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 1 Mana Control 7 Mana Efficiency 4+1 Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 1+9 Water Magic 1 Wind Magic 1+0 Light Magic 1 Cursing Magic 13+7 Space Magic 1 Conjuring Magic 1 General Enchanting 7+13 Magic Tool Carving 2+8 Equipment System 6+4
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level General Blacksmithing 4 Sewing 4 Housework 1 Cleaning 2 Washing 1 Math 4 Riding 1 Stonebody (innate) 8
Info
Name Lina Ryder Age 19 Race Dwarf HP 100 MP 1225 Magic Power 540 Level 57
Stats
Strength 8 Endurance 8 Dexterity 13 Speed 12 Intelligence 16 Wisdom 15 Willpower 18 Charisma 13 Piety 13 Perception 14 Sanity 16
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown' Affiliations 'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Ciel Ryder (Wife), 'Helios (Fellowship)' Companions 'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Aoi Ryder, Yulania Ryder' Crimes 'NONE'
Info
Name Aoi Ryder Age 2 Race Azurite Dragon HP 200 MP 1370 Magic Power 340 Level 39
Stats
Strength 18 Endurance 22 Dexterity 7 Speed 14 Intelligence 9 Wisdom 9 Willpower 18 Charisma 13 Piety 7 Perception 11 Sanity 19
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protector of the Last Crown' Affiliations 'Wolf Ryder (Husband), Helios (Fellowship)' Companions 'Wolf Ryder, Alissa Ryder, Roxanne Ryder, Hanafuria Ryder, Ciel Ryder, Lina Ryder, Yulania Ryder' Crimes 'NONE'
Yulania Ryder Skill Report
Physical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sword Use 3+12 Two-Handed Sword Use 2+18 Parry 4+11 Dodge 5+10 Silent Shadow Style 4+6 Battlefield Perception 3+7 Enhanced Reflexes 6 Sense Presence 2 Hide Presence 4 Muscle Explosion 5 Quiet Steps 2 Quiet Action 6 Enhanced Stamina 2+3
Magical
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Sense Mana 3+7 Mana Control 6+4 Mana Recovery 3+2 Mana Efficiency 2+8 Reduced Mana Cost 1+4 Fire Magic 1 Earth Magic 4+1 Electric Magic 1+0 Light Magic 5 Spirit Magic 21+19 Illusion Magic 10 Space Magic 6 Nature Magic 5+10 Conjuring Magic 1 Weaverism 2+28 Redirect Mana 1+0 Equipment System 5+5
Miscellaneous
Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Skill Name Level Riding 5 Acting 3 Dancing 2
Info
Name Yulania Ryder Age 20 Race Golden Elf HP 100 MP 1090 Magic Power 540 Level 60
Stats
Strength 13 Endurance 16 Dexterity 19 Speed 17 Intelligence 16 Wisdom 18 Willpower 16 Charisma 22 Piety 14 Perception 21 Sanity 17
Other
Status Effects 'NONE' Titles 'True Noble, Lord of Escanso, Crown Lord of the Western High Forest, Protect of the Last Crown' Affiliations 'Wolf Ryder (Husband), 'Helios (Fellowship)' Companions 'Wolf Ryder, Alissa, Hanafuria, Roxanne Succubus, Ciel, Lina, Aoi' Crimes 'NONE'
As we approach the ambush site, the soldiers all grow increasingly quiet, so much so that the clopping of our horses and the footsteps of the Chimeras start to seem surprisingly loud. The enemy doesn't appear to have werefox scouts, so even this amount of noise isn't enough to alert them to our presence.
Hana mounts Aoi, and the two of them join the mounted warriors, who detach from our column to go around the enemies and begin a pincer maneuver. The terrain is thick with rock spikes here, so the footmen split up into multiple groups to use all the available paths to the ambush site.
Nen, Darcy, and Montague stay with us, and we proceed up a narrow path that leads to a small group of imperial raiders, then we stop just out of sight and wait as the mounted warriors maneuver around.
Both the enemy ambushers and those in the camp still haven't shown any sign that they know about our imminent attack, so we have to wonder if the two werefox spies were even related to them.
After a few minutes of waiting in absolute silence, Darcy unfurls a small Misty Fox flag, a cute orange fox in a gray, misty field with a small square tower in the upper-left corner, the symbol of the Town Hunters. He sticks it into a slot on the back of his armor that keeps it firmly secured and ensures that it doesn't get in the way of combat.
Our flag is much larger, so we need someone to be dedicated to holding it up, and Hukarere gets the honor of that role.
I watch as the mounted warriors finish getting into position, then Léonne activates her Emergency Ring, giving the signal for Darcy to begin the attack.
Six mages and I pull out our [Gate] "Scrubbers", and we all activate them at the same time.
"SCRUBBEEEEER…!" An imperial mage screams at the top of his lungs.
"ATTACK!" Darcy gives the order, and we rush up the path.
I sigh tiredly, but I barely have to force myself at all to flood my mind with visions of dragons fucking, then I start to picture the scene when my draconic cock pierced a woman's pussy, when my blades split skin open and drew blood, when I fucked an entire army's worth of women all by myself, when I was face-to-face with death, drenched in my own blood as I fought to live another day.
I get a boner as my heart is flooded with draconic energy, and the dragon inside of me assumes control of my body.
It's time to kill, once again.
The mounted warriors reach the enemy first, and they trample through the imperials, either slaughtering them or forcing them off the cliff they were poised above.
Hana barely even has to do anything since Aoi's mass is simply too great for the small numbers of men to even slightly slow her down.
A group of imperials appears further up the path ahead of the other girls and I, and the enemy immediately forms a shield wall to halt our advance.
"Golems!" I call for their attention, and they raise their huge boulders. "LAUNCH!"
I'm not sure if the imperials are frozen in fear or just bravely stupid, but they attempt to block the boulders with their shields, and the huge force of the impact blows them off the cliff, breaking their formation.
We trample through the rest of them like a Border Collie smashing through a sandcastle, and we burst out the other side, right in front of over twenty archers.
The Lordsguard all have enchanted shields, so the hastily-fired arrows are diverted up into the sky or down towards the ground by our [Wind Shield]s, and now, we're behind enemy lines, so all hell breaks loose.
On the other side of this shallow valley, the rest of the enemy soldiers are getting trampled by the beast foxes and their riders.
Silvano doesn't even bother to cast [Earth Armor] or [Amplified Reflexes], he just [Rush]es through the archers and continues down the wide path towards the other enemy shield walls, which are currently blocking the rest of our footmen from advancing up.
I throw a [Discharge] at a group of mages who were trying to use [Ritualism] to cast a big spell at us, then Nen tackles the archers, forcing a few of them off the cliff and disrupting their attack.
Anton's poleaxe cleaves heads from shoulders, and I'm certain that he could win against the archers all by himself.
I notice that a large number of the imperials are actually weredogs, and they aren't a race known to resort to banditry so easily since they're highly valued as soldiers everywhere. They must be working for a mercenary company.
Silvano opens the way for the rest of our footmen to advance, and the enemies start to surrender, but a few of them try to run by rappelling down the cliff, though they'll quickly meet the caravan's horsemen, who are charging along the road, coming in to capture them all.
The enemy camp finally begins to stir as they receive word about our attack, but it's too late now for them to send help.
With this battle wrapping up after just a few chaotic minutes, it's now time for us to end this once and for all. The girls and I join up with the mounted warriors, and we ride towards the camp ahead of the footmen.
Klein and Anton stay with the Lordsguard, but Silvano rides with me because I'm actually small enough that this huge beast can carry both of us at once without a problem, though it's also because I'll never let him ride with my women, not even Lina.
The enemy camp is close by since they wanted to be able to quickly secure the caravan goods they intended to steal, so we reach it after just three minutes of sprinting. It's set at the top of a hill, and the gates are already shut, so we encircle it and make sure that the Scrubbers are properly overlapping to prevent them from using [Gate] to escape.
Since they already know that we're here, there's no point in hiding anymore, though we don't reveal the full extent of our numbers.
We see a few heads peek out to look at us from behind the palisade on the hill, but none of the imperials move to attack. They're all holding standard-issue bows, just waiting for us to come closer. They scrambled to prepare to defend, not to escape, so we're all on edge, waiting for their counterattack.
Behind their walls is a small shanty town, which is evidence that they've been waiting here for quite a while, and the men are primarily positioned on the walls and behind the three gates, though I can't say whether or not there's anyone inside the huts and shacks.
"Grr… I don't like this," Silvano growls like a goblin as he dismounts.
"Agreed," I coldly reply.
Jacques takes a few steps forward, his towering figure almost allowing Léonne's head to peek up above the rather low treetops. We're on the opposite side of the hill from them, so we can only see them through my Holly.
Léonne presses a magic tool against her throat, and her enhanced voice echoes through the forest, "YOU'RE SURROUNDED! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND OPEN THE GATES! I SWEAR IN THE NAME OF THE VERNER FAMILY, THE CHIEFS OF THE MISTY FOREST, THAT YOU'LL BE SPARED IF YOU SURRENDER NOW!"
But their only reply is more silence.
"Lord Wolf, can you make out their movements?" Darcy quietly asks.
"Yes, but they aren't doing anything," I warily reply.
Léonne is not the kind of person that repeats herself, so Jacques takes a few steps back, and she shouts one last time, "THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!"
Alissa hears a few whispers, but they're too quiet, even for her, so all we know is that they're shaken.
A long, tense minute passes, and Jacques retreats back into the trees so that none of our enemies can see us. I want to scout deeper into their camp, but I'm scared of what the heretics could do to my summons. Their souls are still part of me, after all.
"I smell [Gate], it was cast a while ago," a werefox mana sniffer reports.
"Reinforcements…" Darcy grimly comments, then he turns to his men. "Archers, aim to assassinate."
With Alissa's [Sense Presence] and my aerial reconnaissance, she knows the position of every soldier on the wall, so she freely lobs arrows that fall back down right on top of their heads, but after the fourth kill, the imperials realize what's happening and pull up their shields to block the arrows.
"How long…?!" One of the imperials shouts in desperation.
"A little longer!" Comes the reply.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Another voice drowns them both out.
The terrible gut feeling I've had since I saw that pair of eyes doubles in intensity.
"Darcy, I don't think it's a good idea for us to wait," I advise him.
He turns to his sniffer, who reports, "I sense no spell being cast in there."
"If they're backed by imperials, then they could have someone or something with nearly perfect [Mana Efficiency]," I insist.
"We don't have the power to safely breach through that palisade yet," Darcy calmly retorts.
"My wives could sneak in and open the gate. The imperials are all spread out, so it's possible for us to overwhelm one side, especially if you provide a diversion."
Just to make a point, I have Alissa use the power of the Camalo armor right in front of him. The armor has two modes: one provides the option of applying a specific camo pattern based on the user's imagination, while the other tries to blend the armor in with the background. Alissa uses the latter, and Darcy raises his thin eyebrows high in surprise.
I could move around enough points to allow me to use [Invisibility], but that would waste too much of my mana, and [Ignorance] should be enough to allow them to infiltrate the camp.
Then Darcy grumbles and makes a deep frown, which turns his forehead into a washboard, but he eventually relents, "Fine, but I'm not sacrificing anyone for this diversion."
I nod in appreciation. "We have our own way to retreat in case things go wrong." Then I turn to Alissa and Yunia. "Go."
Yunia switches into her Camalo armor, then Alissa casts [Ignorance] on the both of them, and Yunia casts [Silence].
Darcy grabs one of the summoned birds on his shoulders and gives the order, "Jacques, we don't think it's a good idea to wait them out, so we'll need a diversion for the Ryders."
After a few seconds, one of his men announces, "Jacques reports: 'understood.'"
"Silvano, once we're in, find what they're doing inside the main building," I sternly order him.
"As you wish, your Highness," he happily replies and draws both of his bastard swords.
Then the huge, elephant-sized fox charges forward at the same time that the mounted warriors unleash a barrage.
[Fire Arrow]s and explosive [Fireballs] reach the palisade, forcing the men to cower from the barrage, allowing Jacques to run up the path unmolested before slamming against the gate.
He runs back a short distance, turns around and slams into it once more before retreating back to the cover of the trees.
The imperials shoot arrows in a counterattack at the mounted warriors, but they aren't enchanted, so the werefoxes easily avoid them by hiding behind the trees.
Then they unleash another barrage, but this time, a few brave imperial men shoot arrows at Jacques, and Léonne easily diverts them with her own [Wind Shield].
Alissa and Yunia activate [Fly] and pass over the palisade, then they switch to Bastión armor and launch their surprise attack on the men on the walkways.
Yunia immediately drops down to the gate, right in the center of ten spearmen, while Alissa keeps the archers above occupied with [Illusion Magic].
The rest of the girls and I activate [Fly], and we dart forward ahead of everyone else.
"Become stronger," I quietly use [Godly Language] to boost our power.
Yunia dodges every single spear thrust while her [Soul Blade] disables them one by one, then she activates [Searing Blade] and slices through the logs keeping the gate shut.
"They don't amount to much," she snobbishly remarks through [Bind].
"DIVERSION, ATTACK ON THE WEST SIDE!" One of the imperials bellows, and half the camp turns their heads towards the girls.
With the heat now partially off of him, Jacques freely rakes against the palisade gate, leaving deep grooves in the logs.
"HOLD THE GATE!" An imperial on our side commands, but Aoi crashes into it, and the spearmen on the other side are simply blown away as the gate bursts inwards.
We're right behind her, so we quickly spread out and start slaughtering every enemy we can see.
I stay at the gate with golems, diverting all the arrows flying down at us. I can't go too deep on the offensive in case the girls need to be summoned back.
A flash of silver lightning passes by us, and I summon a Shad and a Nalusa to support Silvano. The Nalusa is my favorite monster, not because of its horrifying, charred visage, but because it can control all of the blood it draws from the enemies it wounds, quickly stirring up a red storm of slaughter in its wake.
Now that she doesn't have to protect her husband from the archers, Léonne uses a shortsword with [Searing Blade] to open up the gate on her end, and the mounted warriors now pour in from both sides.
Silvano enters the main building, and four halberds immediately chase after him, but he's fast enough to dodge them all with ease.
Inside the main shack, dozens of burly men sporting the exact same set of pristine steel armor and halberds are standing in a grid-like formation. The four of them that were the closest to Silvano are the ones that tried to strike him the moment he walked in.
In the center of their formation, a dozen corpses litter the floor, and a tall man in gray robes grips an unknown man's face, whose limbs are shaking uncontrollably.
"Fuck…" Silvano and I whisper at the same time. That scene does not look good.
The Shad following him shoots tendrils at the closest enemy, but there's absolutely zero response from them. It's like they can't even sense the Shad at all.
Silvano unleashes a [Lighting Bolt] at the robed man, who screams in pain, then all of the armored men turn their heads towards the source of the spell.
"ON IT!" Hana, Ciel, and Alissa reply before I even begin to ask them to help him.
The armored Clones all immediately try to swarm Silvano, so he retreats out of the building while the Shad continues to strike, but since it's accomplishing nothing, I unsummon it.
The moment Silvano attempts to parry a halberd, it erupts with flame as the Clone Soldier activates [Searing Blade], causing it to slice clean through Silvano's bastard sword. Not even his metallic silver skin can protect him against that enchantment, so he dodges backwards before he can lose his arm to it, then he lunges with his other bastard sword, and the blade cleanly pierces the Clone's visor, but he doesn't even flinch back from it in response.
"DARCY! THE ENEMY HAS DANGEROUS HALBERD-USERS WHO CAN USE [SEARING BLADE], SO KEEP YOUR MEN AWAY FROM THEM!" I scream at him, trying to be heard over the sounds of battle, and he reports my warning to the communication birds on his shoulders.
The Nalusa shapes the blood it's controlling into spikes to attack the Clones, but the wounds it inflicts seem to draw very little blood, greatly slowing it down from snowballing like it normally could've in a massive battle.
Fox-Alissa circles around the building while Hana and Ciel land beside Silvano to help him fend off the swarm.
An uncountable number of men are pouring out of the shacks, and the narrow alleys prevent the mounted warriors from easily trampling over them, so the attack starts to lose some steam.
Alissa bursts into the main shack from the other side while transforming back into her humanoid form, then she unleashes an [Arrow of Annihilation] the very first moment she can.
One of the Clones partially blocks her spell with his halberd, but it still pierces through the weapon, hitting the robed mage in the shoulder and severing his arm.
"ARGH…!" He groans through gritted teeth, then grips the seared stump with his other hand.
The last few Clones immediately chase after her, so she can't finish him off.
"I'll keep them busy until Silvano returns!" She declares through [Bind].
Hana blocks a [Searing Blade] with her shield and activates [Heat Reversal], which absorbs the heat of the Clone's enchantment, then returns it in an explosion, forcing the Clones back momentarily.
Ciel swoops in and sinks her glaive into the neck of one of the Clones, cleaving through mail and padding in one clean strike, but she fails to actually kill him, then the wounded Clone simply gets back up again and continues to fight as if he was entirely uninjured.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY?!" Silvano shouts in disbelief.
"KILL THE MAGE INSIDE!" Hana barks back, then Silvano disengages and circles around the shack.
Alissa's arrow hits a Clone in the face, and it instantly crumples to the floor, but then it starts to move again just a second later and removes the arrow that was sticking out of its face.
For them to survive these sorts of attacks can only mean one thing…
"UNDEEAD!” Ciel angrily howls and casts [Judgment] on her glaive. Her next strike actually decapitates one of the Clones, the spell allowing her to slice through the heretic's neck as if it were made of paper.
Lina, Yunia, and Aoi arrive to help Hana and Ciel, and the mounted warriors finally gain complete control of the palisade and the walkways, but the imperials in the alleys are still holding on, so the girls are about to be completely surrounded.
"So many…" Lina grumbles through [Bind].
I decide to advance with Roxanne and the golems, easily overwhelming the few defenders we encounter with our firepower. We need a clear path for Silvano to retreat.
The footmen are now approaching the hill, so we only need to hold on for a bit longer.
Silvano bursts into the main shack, and the robed mage points his finger at him. I instantly get a bad feeling about it, so I get Alissa to instant-cast [Ghost Lights], [Pacify], and [Daydreaming] on him, all at the same time.
The heretic mage grunts and lurches forward, then half of the shack simply crumbles away into dust without a single trace of a spell, leaving only a huge crater in the floor, which barely missed Silvano.
"KILL HIM!" Alissa shouts as she runs from five Clones.
Silvano turns into silver lightning, and in the next instant, the mage's head tumbles from his shoulders, but that's not the end of him. Silvano casts [Earth Bullet] on the head, then he stomps on it until it splits open and his foot smashes through the man's brain.
"UUGH!" Silvano groans in disgust, his warped face now looking somewhat similar to a Hobgoblin's.
Alissa immediately smells the scent of corruption wafting from the crushed head, but the mage really should be dead from that kind of damage. "RETREAT!" She orders him and flees from the shack.
Silvano follows her, and they easily lose the Clones that were chasing after them, then we meet up in the alleys just as I finish carving out a path for him.
"RETREAT! DON'T ENGAGE THE UNDEAD SOLDIERS!" I order Silvano, and he grimly nods, then Alissa, Roxanne, and I [Fly] back towards Ciel and the others.
I summon four fire elemental-wives, then I order them to set fire to everything and ensure that the heretic mage's corpse is turned entirely into ash.
Our foot soldiers finally pour in, and the enemy's resistance crumbles.
The girls can't hold back a swarm of nearly thirty Clone Soldiers by themselves, and only Ciel seems to be leaving any lasting damage on them, so I think it's time for me to use Patrono.
A stray Clone Soldier reaches the footmen and immediately uses [Searing Blade] to slice through two werefoxes. The Clone is simply too fast for them to retreat in time.
FUCK!
I [Fly] back to them and cast repeated [Lightning Bolts] at the Clone, but he doesn't seem to feel a thing and simply continues barreling towards our Lordsguard.
"CAUTION!" Anton bellows as he points at the Clone Soldier.
Klein shoots an [Arrow of Annihilation] at it, and the spell penetrates his shoulder, but even though the armor seems to have absorbed most of the attack, his right arm is now almost entirely useless.
"IT'S WOUNDED! KEEP IT DOWN!" A female Lordsguard shouts, and four of them quickly drive their spears into the joints of the Clone's armor, locking his arms in place and immobilizing him, though he's so heavy that they can't actually push him down.
Anton rushes over to them to finish the Clone off since it can't swing its halberd anymore, but the monstrous undead still manages to flick its wrist and use [Searing Blade] to decapitate one of my guard girls.
NOOOOO!
"UNDEAD! STAY BACK! THEY DON'T GET WOUNDED!" I bellow at the top of my lungs, and I crash against the back of Clone. It feels like I just hit a solid wall, though the Clone does get tipped over.
I cast [Haste], and the world slows down around me, allowing me to quickly cast successive [Spirit Lights] as I use my tentacles to shove the shining balls of light into the Clone's armor.
Just as I begin to feel the stress of overusing my body taking its toll, the Armor starts to be affected by the spells and convulses, giving me enough time to use my own [Searing Blade] to decapitate it, then I dispel [Haste].
"DESTROY THE HEAD!" Anton howls and sinks his poleaxe into it, then someone casts [Earth Bullet] at the back of the blade, forcing the poleaxe deep enough to split the head open, and the smell of undead corruption quickly invades our nostrils.
"We're in a bit of a pinch, here!" Hana angrily complains through [Bind].
The girls can't hold on any longer, so they use [Fly] to escape the swarm of Clone Soldiers, and I unsummon the Nalusa before it can die under the Soldiers' assault.
I look over the battlefield and feel a horrible ache in my chest. Flames roar throughout the whole of the shantytown, and the imperials are all but defeated, but our footmen are now encountering the Clone Soldiers, and they're getting sliced open immediately upon meeting the monstrous Soldiers.
Jacques can stomp them down with his hulking mass, but he can't go against more than twenty of them on his own. Ciel can also deal with them, but again, not by herself. Roxanne can kite them, but that would take too long, and I want to minimize casualties. Even Yunia has trouble with the Clones since it's definitely not a good idea to use [Soul Blade] against [Searing Blade].
Darcy starts to bark out orders, and the footmen hastily retreat, but the Clone Soldiers are giving chase.
I move the "cursor" in my soul space to [Equip] Patrono, but something stops me.
And in the very next second, a divine light suddenly blinds everyone and makes the Clone Soldiers recoil in agony.
"AAAAAAH!" Ciel shrieks as energy gushes out of her like a waterfall. After a brief second of panic, she immediately understands the divine Blessing that has been bestowed upon her and grasps the unending well of power. "A BOON FOR THE WORTHY!" Her triumphant voice echoes through the battlefield.
She channels the borrowed power into [Judgment] as she raises her glaive, and the clouds are pierced by a blade of pure, divine energy, then she slams her blade down, and everything turns into dust.
Intermission 27
"Report."
"The Oracle's Premonition was correct, but the assassins were spotted before they could activate the bomb."
"[Monster Summoning]?"
"Unconfirmed, but likely."
"A third failure is unacceptable. Stop the assassination attempts until we know more."
"Understood. Also, the Automaton Soldiers failed their duty, and though the Gods interfered, it was likely that they'd have failed anyway."
"Allocate more resources to the Oracle. Her Premonitions are still our best tool."