***Arc 5 The One Who Obstructed, Chapter 108 Battlefield Maiden***
The main camp of the Christand army was in chaos.
Breaking through the Third Corps on the left wings were 1,500 led by Gildanstein and Salva.
On the other hand, Selene had a battalion of 1,000, cavalry of 100, and the Black Century.
Selene immediately deployed a battalion against Gildanstein, who had broken through from the left wing.
She had them form up, but Gildanstein quickly succeeded in breaking through the main camp’s defense.
However, since only breaking through was given priority, at most 100 people succeeded in breaking into the main camp.
Blocked by Gallen they couldn’t chase after Selene, and the Black Century guarded Selene again.
The 100 soldiers brought by Gildanstein were all excellent soldiers, but as expected, they were at disadvantage against the Black Hundreds, and they had trouble capturing the important Selene, and the Selene side managed to get the situation under control, albeit in a delicate situation.
However, 300 new soldiers led by Nakirus Felizar appeared there.
Using almost all of his 5,000 troops as a bargaining chip, he ignored the Fourth Corps commander, Eluga Faren, and made a forceful breakthrough.
Against the forces that appeared through the gap between the center and left wing, Selene dispatched the 100 cavalry.
Cavalrymen with a longer training period than the rest.
Among them, the quality of the cavalry escorting the General was high, and they were strong enough to easily crush ordinary soldiers, but they were up against a strong-armed Nakirus Felizar.
They were not enough to stop his advance.
Thus, the situation tilted heavily toward Gildanstein's side.
"――So stubborn. Why don't you give up, Selene?"
"That's quite a tantalizing offer."
In response to his words, Selene tried hard to smile while breathing heavily.
Gildanstein's breathing was only slightly disturbed. He was still calm.
There were countless wounds on his body――but they were all shallow.
In fact, the wear and tear on their side was more severe than Gildanstein.
Although they avoided fatal wounds, the fourteen members of the three squads guarding Selene exhaustion was at their limit
Mia, who was a little further away and commanding the other members of the Century, was also doing well, but thanks to dealing with elites including Salva, there were many dead over there.
On top of that, Nakirus Felizar broke through Eluga.
They were busy dealing with that and couldn’t spare any more hands.
Neither Mia nor Gallen could bear any more burden.
"......We've come this far, and we're being cornered one sidedly. It will be a while before Corps Commander Agrand arrives. I guess you could call it a dead end."
Selene laughed. For herself and for those around her.
Her body had a dull ache from the bruise from being hit by Kalua's body.
Her left arm was in a bit of bad shape. It might have been cracked.
It was a fortune that Kalua next to her was not hurt.
The previous concussion was brief.
She might be pushing herself too hard, but her eyes were not dead yet.
The others were the same.
That was exactly why this would be the time to call it quit.
"Therefore, I would like to follow the example of His Highness, whom I respect and admire."
"Nn...?"
Selene smiled broadly,
"Running away from strong enemies."
――At the same time as she spoke, she turned her back.
"Mia! Selene has gone!"
Gallen voice.
"Yes! Everyone, don't let His Highness follow him!"
Mia looked at Selene for a moment.
They were headed to the frontline――to Eluga who was in the center.
"Corps Commander Felizar, this place is fine! Go protect His Highness!!"
"I know, but――tch!"
Mia commanded the Century in front of Felizar who was about to run.
"We’re going to buy some time until Corps Commander Agrandarrives. Okay?"
"I understand, Commander Mia."
"Roger~, leave it to us commander."
There were 53 men. About twenty of them were either too badly wounded to move or dead.
She didn't know how long they could hold out from here.
This was the critical moment.
‘――If this attack is their real aim, if they came all the way here for me, I think their only goal is to take me alive. If things take a turn for the worse, I'll buy myself some time by running away. If they are coming after me, they will do everything in their power to finish the job in a short time. There is a high possibility that it will be a big, uncontrolled battle.’
Shortly before the start of the war, Selene gathered the corps commanders and some of the battalion commanders.
‘At that time, I will abandon the main camp and escape to the corps that still maintains control. I’ll leave the main camp to Gallen. For the corps commander who I will run away to, please protect the miserable general with all your might. Well... if you can do it, of course, it's fine if you manage to kill His Highness here. Then I can later say that it was not an escape, but a plan.’
In front of the brave commanders who had passed through countless battlefields, she spoke these words.
Bravely, proudly without shame——similar to the pompous gestures that Krische often makes.
Naturally, the words she spoke should have seemed pathetic, but Mia thinks she looked cool.
She admits her own weakness and immaturity, and yet she did so in an unabashedly joking manner.
Selene Christand was truly a general to be admired.
No one spoke ill of her.
Everyone spoke of her as a Lord who should be protected.
Christand was famous even in neighboring countries. She didn’t have much of a track record compared to the commanders there, and she was 15 years old, much younger than Mia.
Yet everyone recognised and accepted her as her general.
She thought that she was amazing. Mia honestly respected her.
She almost compared herself, but shook her head and told everyone.
“I remember when the corps commander said, 'Your order is for you to protect Selene without dying. Corps Commander is strict, and violations of orders are sure to be severely punished——so, umm… I'd be happy if you guys could make sure the Corps Commander doesn’t get mad at me.”
As she was saying this, she received a questioning look, and Mia couldn't bear it, so her tone weakened.
Those who saw this burst into laughter, which spread throughout the room.
One person shouted.
"That's right! In exchange, if sheplay an active role and survive, Captain Mia, who has escaped punishment, will be given a kiss as a reward she said!’
"Wait, she didn’t——"
The surrounding soldiers whistled and cheered.
‘Uuu’, Mia groaned, then her face still red she shouted "Don’t talk nonsense."
"... I'll leave General Caldera to Adjutant Gallen! You guys will take care of the reinforcements! Got it!?"
After replying ‘roger’ while laughing, they charged.
They too were fatigued. Many will die, that's for sure.
After giving the order, she closed her eyes for a moment and switched.
"The instructions are the same as before, everyone charges——!!"
——Nakirus Felizar's eyes narrowed.
This enemy was no mere elite.
At the very least, they could be counted among the best Nakirus had ever dealt with.
The individual abilities of the magic possessors were of a medium level.
None of them were that outstanding.
However, because they are all composed of only magic possessors, and because they are a unit based on such a premise——they were able to form a well-coordinated combat cooperation.
For the enemy, there is nothing more frightening than this.
Even though he might have an advantage over small army soldiers who cannot use magic, he lost the advantage of his physical abilities when he was fighting against other magic possessors.
The basic principle of combat was to send a magic possessor against another magic possessor in order to keep them from wreaking havoc, and those magic possessors who are out of step with their surroundings inevitably find themselves repeatedly engaged in pseudo one-on-one combat.
Which of the two will outperform the other in terms of cultivated combat skills?
Usually the battle was won or lost on the basis of differences in individual skills, creating the flow of the battle.
However, this unit was made up of only magic possessors.
By completely eliminating impurities that do not match, the purity was enhanced, and what became possible was a unique, high-speed coordination.
The soldiers who cannot handle magic power were no match for them, and the isolated magic possessors on their side lost the advantage of physical ability, and were forced to fight two against one or three against one.
The skillful people he brought him in were targeted intensively, and in that way they were defeated one by one.
This unit was specialized only for hunting magic possessors.
A unit under the direct control of Krische Christand, composed only of magical magic possessor.
He had heard about the Black Century. He had a vague idea that they were strong.
But only when he saw them in front of him could he truly understand how terrifying they really were.
"Salva-dono, I can't go to His Highness' place unless I clean this up. I'll crush this first."
"……Understood"
Paralyze it temporarily. Then get out.
The obnoxious little girl who seemed to be the commander——there was no other way out in this place other than to crush her and move forward.
Otherwise, the damage would only increase.
"Belal, brace yourself. Don't let my ass be taken."
"Yes sir!"
He told his adjutant, and then, clutching both axes, he charged in.
It was not impossible to pull it off. At least if they fight head-on, there was no opponent here who can stand against Nakirus.
The only problem was focusing only on that and being attacked from the side.
Allowing the enemy to do so would be fatal even for Nakirus.
"Get out of my way!"
Swinging the axe in his right hand, he cuts the enemy soldier from his shoulder to the torso.
Skill, ability, experience.
From the front, there was no way Nakirus could lose.
The feeling of the flesh, bone, and armor being cut.
The feeling of a life to be honored being shredded like a piece of paper.
Nakirus lifted his cheek.
He held an axe in each hand because he fought on the assumption that he would be surrounded.
He was always at the front of the line.
Enemies in the range of sight——from there he could deal with any attack coming to him.
Slash his left hand great axe horizontally, widening the distance between him and his foe, and use the recoil.
With the momentum, he struck the axe in his right hand, and then his left again.
Its centrifugal force lifted his gigantic body and eliminated the gaps unique to heavy weapons.
Taking full advantage of his seven shaku frame, he did not allow his opponent to step into the area of the blade as if to widen it.
Nakirus's unique great-axe technique was designed to be used against a large number of opponents.
Snapping swords and breaking bones.
Once he had his sights set on a target, he would not stop.
He would advance as if sinking his foot into the earth.
The soldiers would cover his flanks so as not to be targeted, while desperately chasing after him.
"!"
The shadow of the enemy looms from the edge of his field of vision as he cuts his torso in two from right to left.
He uses his left axe for checking and shifting his weight, and his right axe for attacking.
He must have been watching Nakirus move.
The opponent seemed to be one of the best even in the squad.
――But of course, it was a bait.
In front of the approaching man who raised his sword, he let go of the ax in his right hand.
A momentary gap appeared ――He cut his torso up with his left axe.
Nakirus' dominant arm was his left arm.
It was faster, sharper, and more powerful than the axe swung by his right arm.
He used his right arm mainly as bait to strike back at the enemy's skilled fighters when he saw an opportunity.
Experience and skill in the battlefield.
In all of these, his own skill surpassed his opponent's. There was no element of defeat.
There was no way he could lose.
"Get out of here, you small fry! Don't get in my way!"
If one was to describe him, he would either be a huge boar or a raging bull.
Advance forward. A mass of armed forces specialized for that purpose.
I looked into the eyes of the chestnut-haired commander――Mia, who looked far away.
And Mia, too, looked into Nakirus' eyes.
"!"
Nakiruls' choice was a head-on breakthrough. The speed of the attack was extraordinary.
The timing of the pincer attacks of the teams divided into two wings slipped, allowing a complete breakthrough without even breaking through the enemy soldiers who had strengthened Nakirus' flanks.
‘Okay, Mia. Double flank siege is a great tactic, but looking at the records, there are a lot of idiots who stick to it and pass the center. Mia is also pretty stupid, so make sure you understand your strength and your opponent's strength so that it doesn't happen like that.’
――A misjudgment, Mia thought.
She was truly an idiot as Krische said.
She had misjudged Nakills' ability to break through.
This was the moment she should have hardened the troops.
Her legs trembled and she took a step back.
But she didn't take a further step back and gripped her sword.
‘Well, whatever the case. I'll leave the squad to you. I thought I could trust you because you're you. Will you do it?’
Here was an army entrusted to her, a battlefield entrusted to her.
When she came to the army, she had no intention of fighting on the battlefield. She never imagined it.
There were many things and time she wondered why this happened, but she was entrusted with it.
‘...Yes, Commander.’
Whatever the case, Mia agreed and here she was.
She must not run away from it.
She thought about Kalua just a little bit.
She wondered if she was okay, if she managed to escape.
Her only regret was that she couldn’t confirm that.
But――
‘――Then I will wield my sword for the corps commander and for you.’
――She won’t forget her promise.
It's not too late yet.
The enemy was in an arrowhead formation. A centralized type, with the powerful corps commander at the tip.
Was there a force that could oppose it――there was none in the current unit.
It cannot be countered in melee combat and can only be responded to by siege or ranged attacks.
There are four groups on each of the two wings. These eight groups will continue to attack.
Seven squads were at hand, three of which were about to be breached.
"2nd, 9th, 11th squad retreat, pick up the fallen weapons! 8th Squad, to the front. Take position just before contact!"
"Roger!"
Encirclement was impossible, and the enemy's breakthrough power was high.
She will assemble with the basis that the enemy's breakthrough couldn’t be prevented.
What should she do if the enemy's central breakthrough cannot be prevented
‘Krische would leave some archers behind from the beginning. The effort of a frontal breakthrough is always great. Unless you do a very poor job, the enemy will be fatigued and distracted.……Put the pikeman in front of the point where they will break through, attract the attention of the opponent, and strike with archers from the side.’
Breaking through the enemy――although the Black Century’s abilities stood out from the rest, breaking through the enemy's walls was still hard work.
If you cut your way into a crowd of enemies, your mind would only think going forward and forward.
Being surrounded by enemies was terrifying.
So they moved forward to get out of it.
The slight sense of relief they get when they break through.
Everyone wanted it.
‘It's always important to put yourself in the other person's shoes, Mia. Bery also said to stand in the other person's shoes and think about what you would hate the most if it were you...hmm, no, in this case it's like the opposite. ...hmm, it's kind of different...well, whatever. Anyway, that's how it is.’
She recalled that, and chuckled.
Mia didn't think she could understand that giant man's feelings, but she could imagine it.
The giant man――Nakirus’s side and behind was firmly guarded by soldiers.
Even that ferocious man was afraid to be surrounded by this unit.
The reason the enemy was making breakthrough a top priority was not because it was easy.
It was because they are that much threatened by this Century.
He thought they must force a breakthrough, finish them off himself, and destroy this Century squad.
One squad was placed in front of the enemy, who had broken through, to make them pay attention to that squad.
The remaining three squad were to throw weapons in their hands from the side.
If they stop moving for a moment, then
"――Nikela! Even a little bit is fine, become an archer!"
"Yes sir!"
Gallen's voice made her look in that direction.
Several archers nearby were responding to Mia's movement.
He must have been looking at their situation while taking command of the entire main camp.
The breadth of his vision was completely unmatched. Mia had her hands full just with this Century.
She had nothing but gratitude.
Four more people were killed by the great axe in front of her.
Everyone in the Century knew each other.
Some people even knew their faces, their names, their hobbies, their lovers, even their daughter's name.
But they were dead.
A noble sacrifice――or maybe, if it was Dagra, it might have been a little less.
How many times has she failed today and how many times has she been helped?
Seeing the figure of the large man who came out, She ordered.
"8th squad disperse."
"Spread out!"
The 8th squad leapt backward just before contact.
As if on cue, swords and spears were thrown from the side.
The speed and power of the projectiles were on a different level from those thrown by ordinary soldiers.
"Tch!?"
He swung both axes and swatted them away.
――The strong-armed Nakirus Felizar.
The nickname given was not false.
He swings his huge axes as if he was wielding a small sword, repelling and smashing the flying weapons.
But――after all, he only had two arms.
It's impossible to knock down all the flying objects that can reach twenty combined with the arrows.
The shoulder, arm, and leg are gouged, shaved, and thrust forward.
Even with armor, it is impossible to defend against all the arrows and projectiles thrown by a magic possessor at close range.
――He stopped moving.
Mia was convinced of this,
"Tch, …don’t underestimate me!!"
But Nakirus roared and still went on.
He was spewing blood and magic power from all over his body, but he was still moving forward, toward Mia.
One of the people who came to stop him was cut in two.
Even in this state, his will to fight did not wane.
He was still willing to fight.
Status, honor, or will――something Mia did not understand.
That's what drove him forward.
Her legs trembled at the prospect of death.
She would probably die from this.
"E-everyone, aim for this man's back! Don't let him go to Kalua's place!"
She raised her voice.
Put strength into her leg
"Mia"
"――That's an order! If I die, the acting commander will be the second team's 2nd squad leader, Koza!"
*‘The target is the commander herself.’*
*‘No matter what happens, I won't let him go.’*
*‘Even if I die, I can't let him go.’*
*‘Otherwise, I won't be able to face anyone.’*
It was not the position she wanted to be in, nor was it what she wanted to do.
But, only the responsibility she accepted was hers.
A man like a giant.
She had never imagined in her ordinary life that she would ever have to deal with such a man.
But she had to do it
――At least, even if it’s just a little bit of time.
"...!!"
With that thought, she charged in with trembling feet.
The giant raised his axe.
Overhead.
The distance was still too far. Why?
"Ah……"
Immediately after, he swung his arm with a roaring sound, the great axe was in front of Mia's eyes.
It cannot be avoided. Mia stepped forward with all her might.
She immediately puts her sword in front of her――’Ahh, it’s no good’.
The whole sword would be cut in half. It's like a twig in front of a big axe like that.
*'I'm used to the pain. But will this literally hurt like death.’*
*‘At the very least, a beautiful way to die, no, if possible, a painless one――’*
For a moment, she thought about that.
"Stupid."
――The great ax that was approaching her eyes disappeared with a metallic sound.
"…Huh?"
Instead, in front of her face, was a pair of brown boots reinforced with steel.
She could see the skirt that you didn't often see on the battlefield, and the black cloak fluttered.
Two silver strands swayed from side to side——long hair, like a tail.
"Really, this is why Mia... Krische will give you a sermon later."
Everyone there looked at the little girl.
Suddenly, a cheer resounded.
Mia's vision also blurred.
"Uu, corps commander..."
In front of Mia was the commander of the First Corps of the Christand Army.
The Black Century’s Sword Princess.
"......Please don't give Krische too much trouble. Krische is busy."
――It was Krische Christand.
