***Arc 7 One Who Bare Their Fang on Reason, Chapter 172 One Who Bare Their Fang on Reason***
Clear skies as far as the eye could see and a warm breeze that felt like spring.
South of the kingdom――the Milhirrea Plains.
The invasion force formed by the Republic of Gulshan against Alberan exceeds 120,000 in total.
And in this great invasion, 100,000 troops were gathered for this decisive battle that would determine the course of the entire campaign.
Even looking at the history of Gulshan from the time when it was a kingdom, this was probably the largest number of soldiers to participate in a single battle.
The Alberan army, which was positioned one ri (~400m) away from the enemy line, could not possibly exceed 50,000 troops.
Of course, it was a large force, but the difference was obvious.
By laying out the battle line with fortified city of Nakria as the left wing, rather than the rear, Alberan was able to defend against Gulshan’s extended right wing who had superior number.
However, thanks to that there were 20,000 of Gulshan’s troops on the far left, facing no enemy, and were free.
If a detour or flanking attack were to take place, Alberan's right wing would be threatened not only from the front but also from the flanks once the battle began.
In the end, it was just a small trick.
Even if Alberan narrowed the detour to only one wing, with its inferior military strength, it would not be able to hold out for long.
Moreover, Nakria probably had only the minimum number of troops left to defend itself.
This arrangement was completely for defensive purposes――there was no way that an immobile city could mount a counterattack, and the enemy had completely cut off one wing against their superior forces.
The right wing being pushed and the left wing unable to move.
Alberan had no choice but to try to break through head-on, and that was impossible.
“The kingdom seems to be very determined, Commander Bilkace.”
When the young adjutant called out to him, Gal Bilkace, the commander of Gulshan's elite Earth Dragon Cavalary, nodded.
From inside the helmet that resembles a dragon's open-mouthed fangs lined up above and below, he turned his sharp gaze towards the Alberan soldiers directly in front of him.
“Ah, even like this they didn’t run away――the soldiers of the kingdom are all warriors worth respect Elke.”
The creature he straddled was a giant lizard.
The sand lizard, also known as the earth dragon, was a fierce beast wrapped in a hard skin that could be called natural armor of brown color, and had a huge tail, sharp fangs, and claws.
Although their legs were no match for horses or camels, they make up for it with their combat power, and at least this cavalry unit has never been defeated in a head-on battle.
No, Gulshan's army was like that to begin with.
By taming and employing beasts that transcend human beings, they supremely believe in a frontal attack to defeat the enemy head-on.
Against cavalry, they use camels, which horses fear.
Against skirmishers, they would set a swift and ferocious dog on them, and against the heavily-armed infantry, they use beast with hard horn or tusk.
The myriad of beasts, making full use of their power to overwhelm the enemy army.
"If you think about the number of beasts we'll use this time...that's right. If the number of soldiers had been reversed, it might have been a good battle as usual."
Ever since Gulshan began taming beasts, they had never fallen behind on the plains against an opponent of equal or lesser size.
Dougleen Nakuru Dogarinea Garhka.
The fierce generals of Alberan, who have repeatedly held the brunt of Gulshan, understood this and always had more forces than them in battle against Gulshan.
That was why he had continued to repel the invasion of Gulshan――but not this time..
"You could call it the fate of a country. No matter how good a general is, they can't reverse a diplomatic defeat."
Elsren, Elderant.
This time, a temporary alliance was formed between the two bordering powers and Gulshan.
What is most difficult in an invasion is not the destruction of the enemy, but national defense.
If you just want to win the battle, all you have to do is send enough troops to break through the opponent's defenses.
What is important is how to prepare for an invasion from another country so that the body that unleashed the spear is not targeted――and the alliance makes it possible to use the military force that would normally be allocated to the entire country without hesitation and to use it on the battlefield.
Even a child who has not studied the art of war could understand the strength of being able to use defensive forces as invasion forces.
If two people attack one person, who will win?
Such thing is more a law of nature than an art of war, and is a simple and clear truth on the battlefield.
Of course, battle was not that simple.
It is not uncommon for a single genius to defeat a superior force of incompetence, but the one who leads the Gulshan army is the god of war Orugan, who was born into the royal family but stood on the side of the people and defeated them.
Defeat was impossible, and what was about to begin was a predetermined and harmonious ending.
Gal then looked up to his left.
The line of battle on the right wing of Gulshan where Gal was, at the head of which was a man 20 shaku tall at the shoulder.
Huge beasts with long snouts and tusks――sixty brave war elephants were lined up, but only one on the left wing stood out.
Its normally gray skin was dyed blue, and its body was probably twice the height of an average elephant.
It was now a moving fortress, its gigantic legs trampling horses rather than kicking them away.
With just a flick of its long snouts from side to side, it mowed down armored warriors――fighting lines were meaningless in front of him.
Alcazaris was a magical beast that was accidentally born in Gulshan during the breeding process.
The monster named “One That Lays Waste to Everything” carried a huge turret and soldiers on its back, and its eyes glared at everything in front of it as if they were pebbles.
"...No matter what, this will be the last battle with Alberan."
"Yes...I consider it an honor to be able to participate in this battle by your side."
"Kuku, those words sound like someone about to die would say."
When Gal smiled bitterly.
There was a murmur from the soldiers, and Gal turned his attention to where they were looking..
Sitting on top of an elephant, heading towards the center were Orugan and his right arm, Salvag, who wields a twin sword.
And from the other side, astride a horse that looks like a puppy from an elephant's point of view, is Dougleen Garhka.
And――
“…Is that Suiko?”
"It looks like that to me..."
Green hair――Even for a tiger, it has a huge body.
Walking leisurely with its long tail swaying from side to side was a Suiko, and the person sitting on top of it was a girl.
Silver hair, black cloak.
Someone who could be seen from a distance to be a girl was sitting on top of a magical beast that is said to never get used to humans.
"...Alberinea of the kingdom. I heard that Krische Christand mount was a Suiko, but it seems like that wasn't just a joke."
Gal groaned and narrowed his eyes.
A reinforcement from the center who takes command of Alberan's army along with Dougleen Garhka.
The Royal Family’s Cursed Child who had had numerous rumors about her.
She was known far and wide, even in Gulshan, as an insane genius and a deviant.
She easily defeated the Undefeated General, Aurugorn Hilkintos, and even the Black Lion Gildanstein, bringing an end to the civil war――even as a beautiful girl, her swordsmanship was excellent, and had killed countless people.
The reason why the invasion of Alberan was hastened was also said to be because she had made a pact with the ancient dragon Yagernaus and invited Him to the royal capital.
All of these stories were ridiculous, but if she could show herself in such a dignified manner, they wouldn't be able to dismiss those rumors as completely false.
Gal wasn't young enough to underestimate others based on her appearance.
He's proud of his trained physique and skills――but he also knew that there are plenty of talented people out there who could surpass him at a young age.
It was instinct.
The girl's figure reflected in the distance made him feel a sense of fear of the unknown.
At the very least, his instincts told him that she was no ordinary opponent.
Alberan's army placed her in the center, replacing the famous general Dougleen, who had repeatedly repelled Gulshan's invasions.
Was it for political reasons, or was there some tactical significance to this?
Whatever the reason, there was a strong feeling in Gulshan's army that she would not be as much of a threat as Dougleen.
Therefore, everyone loudly shouted that putting pressure at the center, at Krische Christand was enough, and to defeat Alberan's right wing with their overwhelmingly superior left wing, defeating Dougleen as soon as possible.
Dougleen Garhka was a fateful opponent for Gulshan and its general, Orugan.
Even if it was a bad tactical move, there were more important things for a warrior to focus on.
Orugan told the soldiers that this battle will be the end of the long war with Alberan.
If tactical convenience were to be added to the equation, there was no choice but to choose this option――However, the commander-in-chief of Gulshan's army, Orugan, placed his emphasis on Alberinea, rather than on Dougleen, with whom he had crossed swords many times.
The atmosphere created by its foreignness, the inexplicable actions of their master――everything including these told Gal that he should not underestimate Krische Christand.
"...Elke, there's a change of plans. Breaking through the enemy will be our top priority."
“Breaking through?”
"It's a breakthrough. It's just a hunch, but it doesn't seem like it's a good idea to engage with that. Tell the flag bearer."
“Yes sir”
The earth dragon cavalry, who would run at the forefront with the elephants, were given a certain degree of discretion, and their role was basically to assist and replace the elephant soldiers.
They would slip into the enemy lines disrupted by the elephant who were advancing through the midst of the enemy, with the aim of disrupting or expanding the breakthrough.
This time, they were able to overwhelm the enemy with their military strength without overdoing it.
He had thought that it would be enough to disrupt the enemy's line of battle, but that seemed to be too passive against this opponent.
Something that only those who had spent many years on the battlefield possesses descended upon Gal and sent him instructions.
What was the reason for challenging a battle on the plains instead of a siege against a force twice as strong?
He had thought there must be some kind of strange plan, he thought it was nothing more than a desperate struggle of the cornered――but was it really true?
Warning bells were ringing in Gal's mind, fearing that if he did something wrong, he would suffer a huge blow that he had never expected.
In the center, the two generals finished talking and returned to their respective positions.
Gal was staring at the girl, not at the enemy general, Dougleen, who was raising his voice in the front row.
Without seeming to give any instructions, she passed in front of the troops while sitting on the Suiko――a flag with a crescent moon and a skull on it suddenly fluttered from the battle line.
Several soldiers wearing black armor appeared, approached her side, and handed her a spear.
When she received it, she stepped down from the Suiko in the center――right in front of Alcazaris, leading them, and swung her spear around.
"...How brave. The general herself intends to defeat Alcazaris?"
“It seems barbarous to me.”
There was no one who was not afraid of Alcazaris' gigantic size.
Its tough outer skin was difficult to wound not only with arrows but also with spears.
And it makes the earth tremble just by walking.
A human being was a mere insect in front of Alcazaris' huge body.
She wanted to encourage the soldiers behind her who were still frightened――they guessed that that's probably why she intend to take the lead.
"Even if it's barbaric bravery, it's bravery that should be praised. I hear she’s quite young, but she understand war very well."
War is about morale.
It is the will to fight that transforms men from cowardly individuals into members of an organization called soldiers.
All tactics and techniques were built on this, and morale is the foundation of everything in war.
Facing an enemy twice as many and a gigantic beast――no matter what words you say to them, it would be like throwing water on a scorched stone.
A soldier who was forced to prepare for an unwanted death was infinitely vulnerable.
Once the army falls into a disadvantageous position, it would easily collapse.
What is required of a leader in such a situation was not deep intelligence or tactical insight.
But the bravery to make the soldiers believe that they would do anything for this commander.
Regardless of whether or not that attempt goes well, there was no doubt that her actions should be praised as a general above all else.
And her appearance was good, too.
Without her helmet on, her long silver hair swaying――showing off her girlish appearance to the fullest this was probably to instill in all of her soldiers the recognition that she was someone they must protect.
He had wondered why would she wore a cloak even though she was on the battlefield, but he was convinced that it wasn’t a bad thing if her aim was to inspire the troops.
She used herself as a symbol, and in that way she was probably the person who controls the army.
“She must be proud of his sword and spear in his own way. The attempt itself is not bad. ...But then again, that’s only if she could get through the battle at the head of the line and move to the rear.”
"There's no way she will be safe, Commander Bilkace."
"Ah. If she’s seriously planning to charge at Alcazaris, she should have start at the side――"
The girl moved just as Gal was about to continue.
There was a distance of one ri separating the two armies――from there the girl stepped forward and accelerated.
She was holding a spear.
He could understand what she's doing, but he couldn’t read her intentions.
Not only Garu, but everyone who was watching her furrowed their brows, wondering what the meaning of throwing a spear from that distance was.
"Ts!?"
A beat later, the sound of crushing echoed across the battlefield.
What kind of sound should one compare it to?
Like a trebuchet crushing a castle wall, or the bursting of a strained fruit.
After a while, the dull sound of rain echoed around them.
Red rain mixed with solid matter, staining the earth.
For a moment, Gal saw something released from the girl's hand a ri away.
Although he half understood it, he couldn’t accept it.
Fearfully, he looks up to his left, Alcazaris.
――An obscene flower was blooming where her head should have been.
A flower of flesh, luscious, glossy, and stained with fresh blood.
The white reflection was probably the skull. Blood and flesh were spilling from the inside.
A thick spear handle sticks out from the center like a pistil.
The long, huge snout and fangs, and the huge body of the creature were barely a trace of its former self, but it was clear to everyone that it was no longer moving.
The fantastic beast that lays waste to everything without fighting, tilted and collapsed like a puppet with broken strings.
The earth shook, and with a rumbling sound, the dead soldiers who had been caught were heard.
Numerous screams echoed through the air.
Gal slowly, like a rusted machine, turned his gaze to the girl.
The girl who jumped on the Suiko again was neither happy nor proud.
She simply turned her back to them, as if she had just completed a simple task.
The accompanying flag bearers waved their flags even louder, and the soldiers on their side shouted in a loud voice.
After a moment of silence, a heaven-shattering cheer erupted from the enemy lines.
In contrast to the soldiers of Gulshan, who were at a loss for words, Alberan's soldiers roared so loud that even the beasts were frightened, and raised their spears overhead toward the girl as if performing an offering.
The girl then proceeds along the path made by her soldiers as if nothing had happened and disappears.
Everyone in Gulshan who didn't know her understood in that moment.
There was only one person in all of heaven and earth who twists and tramples upon reason (logic), and who was forgiven for doing so.
"...That's Krische Christand."
――She was the pride of the kingdom, Alberinea.
A monster who, in spite of her human body, bare its fang on reason (logic).
