"!"
Lirinel, who was sitting on the wall of the third city and looking at the monsters pounding on the barrier with pitiful eyes, suddenly jumped up as if on fire.
Her eyes were wide open and shaking mercilessly.
"Lirinel? What's going on? If there's any problem in the fourth city..."
"It's broken."
"Yes?! Are you saying the barrier has been broken?!"
"The necklace I gave to Demon is broken!"
"...Yes?"
For a moment, the deputy's thoughts stopped.
Demon? If it's that Demon... Yes, Demon Arut. Commander of the 0th Corps of the Demon King's Army.
It was late for them to think about it for a moment because it was like the sky that was too much for me to even think about.
So what did she give him? No, when? Also, it was broken? Why?
"What does it do?"
"It really only reacts to attacks that are capable of causing 'instant death'!"
"Ah... that's really..."
...Is he in danger?
The adjutant's expression turned awkward.
Even if they wanted to sympathize, it was difficult to fully sympathize.
The 0th Corps Commander is in danger? In danger of dying? No matter how much they thought about it, they couldn't imagine it.
Moreover, if what she said was true, this was a serious matter.
The fact that someone was capable of driving him to the brink of death meant that they were also a threat to the Demon King!
"I guess I have to go!"
"Yes? No, just calm down for a moment... Oh, please."
Lirinel waved her hand towards somewhere.
Even so, you're sending a signal to the army that is working hard to eliminate the monsters to hurry up!
As if that wasn't enough, the adjutant quickly caught her as she was about to move somewhere and let out a deep, heartfelt sigh.
'Really...'
Since the Demon King's order has not been given and the frontlines had not been annihilated, they must complete their mission and go back according to the established procedures. That was common sense.
Did she not know that or was she pretending not to know? The adjutant didn't know which one it was, but one thing they could be sure of was that either way was nonsense.
'I want to quit being an adjutant...'
Someone's sigh filled with agony was scattered silently in the air.
***
"I was planning on killing you in one blow."
A cold voice came from inside the helmet.
Despite the obvious provocation, the 0th Corps Commander just stood still and focused his eyes on the debris flying around the.
This is a scene that even he didn't expect.
He was calm and quite intelligent when it came to matters related to survival. Therefore, instead of running into what the other person said, he focused on understanding what was happening to him.
So, let's think back to what happened a little while ago. Suddenly, a transparent barrier appeared around his body and broke at the same time, and the magic stone necklace that Lirinel gave him crumbled and was now flying around like this.
This meant one thing.
'It activated.'
This meant that the magic contained in the magic stone was used.
In other words, the transparent barrier that had been created a moment ago was a kind of defensive magic that repelled a strong attack, and the magic stone that had fulfilled its role was completely destroyed.
...Didn't she say this would allow him to avoid instant death at least once?
'It means I almost died with one hit.'
The eyes that were looking down at the necklace rose to capture the main culprit of the attack.
He couldn't see Cruel's face because it's covered by a helmet, but he was probably the 'new hero' the soldiers were talking about excitedly.
As he thought about that, the corners of his mouth hidden by the black cloth turned up.
"You are the new hero."
"I am undeservedly called that."
"...Hmm."
The dagger in his hand spun round and round.
Unlike before, the 0th Corps Commander frowned slightly and pointed the dagger at him. It was an attitude that clearly revealed his discomfort.
"Your voice sounds strangely familiar. It's annoying. I really find it annoying."
"I have never met a demon before."
"Take off your helmet."
"Are you telling me to take off my helmet in front of the enemy?"
A clear refusal.
Kwang! Sparks flew before their eyes.
The dagger and long sword were intertwined, making an annoying sound.
In that state, Demon brought his face close to Cruel's and spoke in a voice filled with laughter containing deep and vivid madness.
"You said the title 'hero' was undeserved, right?"
"..."
"I'll check to see if it's really undeserved or not."
Storm-like attacks began pouring down on the hero.
Kwang, kwang! Kwaaaang!!
A quick attack and defense went back and forth.
In the midst of the barrage of attacks with no time to catch their breath, the hero was calmly blocking all the attacks one by one.
He was just attacking him.
He did not give him any chance to counterattack.
However, Cruel was not blindly disadvantaged.
'The attacks are light.'
He didn't know if it was because the demon only focused on speed or if that's the original attack level, but it was a very light attack.
Even the attacks of ordinary soldiers were heavier, so even though the speed was difficult, blocking them was not a big problem.
Kwaaaang!
When he hit the flying dagger hard at the right time, the dagger helplessly escaped the 0th Corps Commander's grasp and flew far away.
However, despite losing his weapon, the Commander of Corps 0 was not embarrassed at all. Instead, he swung the dagger in his other hand to widen the distance, hid his free hand inside his robe, and then took out another dagger that looked the same.It was a familiar and natural behavior, as if he knew his own weaknesses.
'I think I know what will happen if I push with my strength and stamina.'
While Cruel made that decision, Demon did not stay still either.
'We have to retreat slowly.'
That voice was so annoyingly familiar that he took longer than expected to react. But anyone with a sharp mind would have already noticed his weakness.
He had no intention of winning anyway.
Demon knew his body very well. As weak as it was, he had to know it well. Only then would he be able to use this body efficiently.
As far as he was concerned, his current physical condition was not that good.
Breathing wad starting to become increasingly difficult. His hands were trembling due to loss of strength due to having already collided with the opponent several times.
He could have done so if he wanted to fight a little longer, but since there was no reason to take chances on something useless like this, he kicked Cruel's stomach without any hesitation, widened the distance, and retreated.
"Unfortunately, that's it for today."
"...As you say."
"If you want, I can see you tomorrow. Or is that not it?"
"..."
The loss was too great to do that.
No matter what the actual skills of the 0th Corps Commander were, it was actually the value of his name that ultimately determined the morale on the battlefield.
Even though he was badly injured this time, if he fought again, the Imperial forces' morale would probably fall even lower than it was now.
However, Cruel did not have the confidence to finish the battle by chasing after the commander of the 0th Corps, who had already opened up such a distance.
Cruel had already experienced his speed through one battle.
He knew he would be faster running away than for him to reach him.
Demon seemed to have read Cruel's hesitation and smiled cheerfully.
He hid the dagger inside his robe and muttered as if he was talking to himself in a voice just loud enough to reach Cruel.
"Well, actually, I came here because we were pushed back so much that I plan to return once we get the land of the demon realm back. Why would I want to stay in a place like this for a long time? I don't like the sun that much."
Wow.
Cruel's brows narrowed.
"Didn't your side raise the dispute first in the first place? This fight would not have occurred if the demon who was said to be the leader of the 9th Corps had not crossed the border. I would never have come here."
"Ah..."
Demon had heard the 9th Corps Commander was making a fuss about being bored, but he never thought he would have crossed the border.
At the very least, she probably provoked the hero by entering and exiting the human world with a boundary line in sight.
Even so, the Empire, which was sensitive to the movements of the demon realm, could not have stayed quiet after hearing the news.
Demon hesitated for a moment and then spoke as he predicted what had happened before the hero in front of him arrived.
"If you return the land of the demo realm, I will specially prevent the others from going after yours."
"...An apology is enough. It is beneficial to me anyway. Instead, I'll accept that favor gladly."
"Okay then."
The conversation was over.
Cruel looked at the black-robed man who disappeared out of sight in an instant, then turned around and spoke.
"We are retreating."
To the border.
***
The imperial army retreated. It was truly a refreshing scene.
How much hardship had Jaykar had since coming here?
Considering the hardships he'd gone through so far, he wasn't satisfied with this.
The same seemed to apply to the soldiers as well, as they chased after the Imperial army, shouting with joy on their faces.
Instead of trying to stop them, 1st Corps Commander Jaykar, who was trying to chase the Imperial army with this momentum, soon confirmed something and quickly changed his orders.
"All troops, please come back."
There was one reason.
0th Corps Commander Demon Arut. Because he was sending hand signals from afar.
The person who made this situation, which was a series of crises, easier to breathe was that person. It was natural to respect his opinions.
In addition, the fact that he, who had been pushing the hero so hard, quit midway and came back must have had a good reason.
Above all, there was no need to go against his wishes and cause trouble.
Jaykar turned his head and caught sight of the Commander of the 0th Corps approaching quickly.
"Good work."
"..."
There was no reply.
The moment Jaykar, who had raised his eyebrows in puzzlement, opened his mouth again, the 0th Corps Commander's lips slowly parted.
"Ah..."
...Ah?
Before he could express his doubts, Commander 0's legs bent and he fell forward.
When Jaykar, who was flustered, tried to hurriedly catch him, there was a hand that helped him one step faster.
A hand that naturally accepted him, as if he had been prepared in advance.
It was Ed, the adjutant of the 0th Corps Commander. As if this had happened more than once, he skillfully accepted the Commander of Corps 0, who was collapsing like a sand castle, and spoke carefully.
"Are you okay?"
"...Damn... this body..."
A shallow vibration was transmitted from the bodies touching each other. Proof that almost all of his strength had been exhausted.
Ed looked at him blankly, then adjusted his posture to become more comfortable and whispered sweetly.
"You're not feeling well, but it looks like you overdid it. Please rest."
Only then did the tension seem to ease. The body of the 0th Corps Commander went limp.
Ed, who was almost carrying him, nodded his head at someone. Naturally, the attending physician Ben came over and began the examination.
This entire series of processes was so natural that Jaykar could only watch in a daze, forgetting to clean up the mess of his troops.
"It appears that fatigue has accumulated due to overexertion with a weakened body. It's just a simple fainting spell."
It was only after about three seconds that he realized that Ben's report was directed at him.
Jaykar let out a short sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. That action contained a sense of shame that he had been distracted for a moment.
"Make sure you serve the Commander of Corps 0 properly."
"Yes."
There was a question he originally wanted to ask, but not only was it not worth holding onto the fallen person and asking, but he had already found the answer himself, so he didn't bother to wake up the Commander of Corps 0.
The reason he sent a hand signal telling him not to chase.
He probably did it because he knew that his physical condition was not good. If he fought too hard and collapsed in front of the enemy, the situation would change again as if it had never happened before.
That's all. How would the thoughts of the Imperial army change after seeing that?
The thought that the Commander of the 0th Corps may not be as big of a deal as they thought would slowly arise.
In that case, Commander 0's participation in the war would no longer shake them.
The order not to pursue was indeed an understandable one, and following his words was also an excellent choice.
What would have happened if he had followed?
Jaykar shook his head at the situation he didn't want to even think about and looked at Demon Arut, who was falling limply into Ed's arms.
'I think it was an excellent choice to respect him.'
The Commander of Corps 0 suddenly came in and took his place above the rest of the Corps Commander.
Many Corps Commanders were concerned about this.
'Should we acknowledge and respect him, or push him away?'
Although he didn't show it, Jaykar was the same way.
In particular, he had no choice but to think more deeply because he was the Commander of the 1st Corps, the highest-ranking Corps Commander.
Thus the conclusion had been reached.
'Let's admit it.'
There was no choice from the beginning.
Even leaving aside the fact that he prevented the hero's self-destruction or killed the former Commander of the 7th Corps, he was brought in by the Demon King himself. What would it matter if they didn't respect him?
And the choice was indeed right.
The 0th Corps Commander was not a general who blindly chased the enemy. He was a commander who judged the situation appropriately and knew how to suppress his own desires.
'He would have wanted to fight more.'
Perhaps, if he hadn't overexerted himself a little, he could have fought a little more.
Nevertheless, the reason it stopped was probably because the risk increased.
Because the defeat of Commander of the 0th Corps was not just a single defeat, it was directly related to the morale of the entire Demon King's army.
Jaykar, who was looking at Demon with new eyes, soon smiled slightly and turned his head.
There was still work to be done.