Axel Under Siege
Axel had never been good at handling emergencies, and the afternoon was no exception. The town gates were shut, the walls crowded with adventurers who looked confident only because panic was louder when spoken quietly.
The demon was unevenly along the ramparts, their rusted equipement shaking as if even the fire was nervous. Below, guards shouted orders that contradicted each other every few seconds, while guild staff ran back and forth pretending this was all part of a drill.
Ruko stood near the front line with Kazuma's party, arms relaxed but eyes sharp. The pressure in the air was unmistakable now. Beldia's presence pressed against the town like a weight, not crushing yet, just enough to remind everyone that he could. This wasn't an ambush. This was a siege announced in advance, and somehow that made it worse.
"So," Kazuma muttered, adjusting his armor for the third time in a minute, "any last words before we get wiped out?"
Aqua puffed out her chest. "Relax! As long as I'm here, nothing bad will—"
A gust of cursed wind slammed into the wall, rattling stone and sending several adventurers yelping as they stumbled backward. Aqua screamed. "WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN RIGHT AFTER I SAY SUCH THINGS?!"
Megumin clutched her staff, eyes shining with excitement rather than fear. "This is it. A real Demon General battle, right in front of the town. Try not to block my line of fire."
"You mean like last time?" Kazuma snapped. "When you blew up the wrong side?" "That was a tactical explosion."
Darkness stepped forward, shield raised, her breathing heavy with anticipation. "I can feel it. That overwhelming killing intent. He's focusing on me."
"No, he's not," Ruko said calmly. "He's focusing on the town." That was when Beldia made his move. The ground outside the gates cracked open as undead soldiers rose from the earth, skeletal hands clawing free one after another. Rusted armor scraped against bone, and hollow eye sockets glowed faintly as they assembled into loose ranks. Behind them, cursed spirits drifted forward like torn banners in the wind, their presence chilling the air. A horn sounded from the wall.
"Enemy advance!" someone shouted, far too late. Kazuma swallowed hard and start shaking. "Okay. This is happening." The first wave hit fast. Skeletons rushed the gates, weapons raised, while spirits slipped through gaps in the wall's defenses, forcing adventurers into frantic close combat. Aqua raised her staff and began chanting purification spells, blasting apart clusters of undead—only to immediately draw their attention.
"WHY ARE THEY ALL COMING FOR ME?!" "Because your using glow bless magic!" Kazuma yelled back. "Stop glowing!" Megumin waited, teeth clenched, counting under her breath as she tracked the densest concentration of enemies. Darkness charged ahead, shield raised, intercepting a group of skeletal knights with a loud crash, laughing as blows rained down on her armor.
"Yes! More! Harder!" Ruko moved where the line thinned, stepping in only when necessary. His basic reinforcement skill kept his movements steady as he redirected enemies away from weaker adventurers, striking joints, breaking formation, never lingering longer than needed. This wasn't his fight to finish yet. It was his job to make sure the town didn't collapse before it reached that point.
"Left flank!" someone shouted.
Ruko was already there, grabbing a panicking adventurer by the collar and shoving him back behind the wall. "Get your footing or get out of the way." The man nodded frantically and ran. Kazuma slid in beside Ruko, panting. "You're way too calm about this." "Panic wasted time in this disaster," Ruko replied. "Time gets people killed if we dont do something." Another cursed wave slammed into the barrier, this one stronger. Aqua stumbled as a curse brushed past her defenses, dark energy latching onto her arm.
"NOPE NOPE NOPE GET IT OFF!" Megumin blasted a cluster of spirits with Explosion, the massive blast lighting up the battlefield and obliterating everything in its radius. The shockwave knocked half the front line flat—including Kazuma.
Kazuma groaned from the ground. "I knew this would happen…"
As the smoke cleared, the battlefield shifted. Fewer minions remained, but the pressure increased. The undead stopped advancing recklessly and began coordinating, pulling back slightly as a cold silence spread.
Ruko felt it immediately. "Beldia's just watching from the back lines," he said. A voice echoed across the field, deep and mocking. "How entertaining. So this is the town that defied me ehh, well no matter." The air split as Beldia rode forward, mounted on his undead steed, headless form towering over the battlefield. The cursed aura intensified instantly, causing several adventurers to drop to their knees.
Aqua whimpered. "He's right there. He's RIGHT THERE." Kazuma forced himself upright, gripping his sword. "Everyone stick to the plan!" Beldia raised his cursed blade slightly, and the ground responded. Dark magic rippled outward, knocking adventurers back and sending Darkness skidding across the dirt—laughing the entire time.
"This is bad," Megumin said quietly. "Really bad, since i use my explosion magic, i have no more mana." Ruko didn't move. He watched Beldia carefully, tracking the way his curse fluctuated, the timing between waves, the moments when he held back. This wasn't full force. Not yet or even close.
"He's testing us," Ruko said. "Seeing how much resistance Axel has and somehow his 5× stronger than he was when i watch Konosuba and this timeline everyone his 5× as well and to me. His 10× and everyone 5× but it's seems Kazuma is not stronger than his last timeline that i can't get over it."
Beldia's laughter echoed again. "Kneel, and I may yet spare this town." Aqua screamed back, "LIKE HELL I WILL!"
The curse snapped forward. Everything went wrong at once. The blast knocked Aqua unconscious mid-spell, sent Kazuma crashing into the wall, and buried Megumin under falling debris. Darkness was still standing—but barely—her armor cracked and smoking as she laughed weakly.
Ruko was thrown back, skidding across the ground before catching himself.
When the dust settled, the battlefield had gone quiet. Too quiet.
Ruko pushed himself to his feet, heart pounding as he took in the scene. His party was down. The defense line and also the walls was broken. And Beldia was stepping forward, unopposed. This was no longer a town defense. This was the point of no return.