Like Rolonia, Fremy was attacking the circle of fiends in an attempt to rescue Mora. But she didn’t actually mean to succeed; this was only for show. With Fremy were Adlet and Dozzu, who were also pretending to wage a desperate fight against the fiends.
“Adlet! Fremy! While the enemy’s forces are occupied with us, go for Tgurneu! It’s not what we planned, but we’re left with no choice!”
They heard Mora’s mountain echo. Fremy exchanged looks with Adlet.
It seemed everything was proceeding smoothly. Just according to plan, the three left the area.
The wolf-fiend’s fake command center was in battle formation about a mile to the southeast from Mora’s location, at the central road of the ancient ruins. It was a flat area a little ways off from the mountains, so Mora couldn’t study their position with her clairvoyance. About a hundred fiends stood in defensive formation, protecting the wolf-fiend at their center. The leopard-fiend the Braves were after was also in the center, beside the wolf-fiend.
“Hey, Dozzu. Yes, if it isn’t Dozzu! You were close by until just a little while ago, but you ran off so quickly. I was so lonely.” The enemy didn’t attack immediately, and the wolf-fiend spoke to them, imitating Tgurneu. “Why are you with the Braves? Weren’t we friends? Remember? Didn’t we both pray for fiendkind’s happiness together? Abandon those stupid ideas of yours and come fight with me.” The wolf-fiend never let its impersonation falter.
“I’m ashamed I ever called you a friend, Tgurneu.” Dozzu pretended to believe the wolf-fiend’s ruse.
“You misunderstand me. I am concerned with the happiness of fiendkind, in my own way.”
“There’s no use in discussing this with you. And there’s no place for you in the world of coexistence I dream of!” Dozzu charged toward the wolf.
Adlet yelled, “Me and Dozzu will go for Tgurneu! Fremy, you take down the fiends in the air!”
Fremy nodded. Mora and Goldof were undertaking a dangerous task, while Rolonia and Nashetania also played a difficult role. I can’t afford to screw this up , she thought as she focused her sights on the aerial fiends beyond the gaps in the canopy.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hmm…what do we do about this?” Tgurneu muttered as it received reports from number twenty-four. It was south of the ruins, waiting about three miles away from Mora.
The area was quiet. The great tumult of the Braves’ and fiends’ battle didn’t reach this far. Examining the map, Tgurneu leisurely continued its attempts to determine what the Braves’ objective might be.
Fremy loved Adlet. Now that Tgurneu had confirmed this most important fact, it could focus fully on the fight with the Braves.
Though Tgurneu knew that the Braves had hardly any hope of turning the tables, it still couldn’t let its guard down. If it died, it would never get to see Fremy’s expression of love-inspired suffering.
“Adlet, Fremy, and Dozzu are charging the fake command enter. And Rolonia and Nashetania are trying to save Mora…apparently.” With a pen, Tgurneu recorded the Braves’ locations on a map. Every single one of them was far from Tgurneu. From what the wolf-fiend had reported of their situation, it seemed they had not even considered the possibility that Tgurneu was off in hiding.
The Braves believed Tgurneu was in the fake command center and were trying to isolate that formation and use the opportunity to kill the wolf-fiend. But Mora had been separated from the group and was subsequently discovered, and now their plan was falling apart. This was what Tgurneu was forced to assume, based on the wolf-fiend’s report.
But, pen in hand, Tgurneu fell silent.
“…Cómmander Tgurneu.” Tgurneu realized number twenty-four was speaking. “The wölf-fiend seeks your örders.”
Its thoughts interrupted, Tgurneu sighed. Left with no choice, it relayed instructions to the wolf-fiend through number twenty-four. “<Continue using those three hundred and fifty fiends to surround Mora. All you have to do is keep her from escaping. You remain on standby where you are to fight Adlet’s group of three. Of the remaining troops, use a hundred to keep Rolonia and Nashetania in check. With the final hundred, restrain Adlet, Fremy, and Dozzu.>”
“<Very well, Cómmander,>” the wolf-fiend said through number twenty-four.
“<You don’t have to fight them seriously. There’s no need to push yourself to kill them.>”
“<Is that äll we must do?>” the wolf-fiend inquired.
Tgurneu was a little irritated. It’s all you’re capable of, isn’t it? You can’t possibly believe you’re strong enough to defeat the Braves?
“<Of course, I will be making my move, as well,>” Tgurneu said, surveying the area. “Number thirteen.” One fiend from among the fifty or so nearby slithered to Tgurneu’s feet in the form of a short, fat snake. “Can you use your ability here?”
The snake-fiend—specialist number thirteen—spent some time turning its head right and left as if sounding something out. “…Ït is…pössi…ble,” number thirteen replied in an extremely faltering manner.
“How long will it take for your ability to activate?”
“Ä…bout…two hour…änd…hälf.”
Like the other specialists, number thirteen had, under Tgurneu’s orders, evolved itself over the course of centuries in order to acquire a new ability. It had exhausted all its strength in order to achieve this. As a result, even its intelligence and ability to speak had degenerated. But that had made its power immense.
“About two and a half hours, hmm? Good, get prepared. Cover the whole area of the ruins. Turn these six square miles into hell.”
“Ünd…ér…stood…Cóm…mänder.” Before even finishing its reply, number thirteen left Tgurneu’s side.
Number thirteen’s ability enabled it to execute a large-scale attack over a wide area. No other fiend under Tgurneu’s command could do so much damage, and the Braves of previous generations wouldn’t have ever experienced an attack on this scale, either.
Tgurneu told the wolf-fiend, “<I’ve sent out number thirteen. The Braves should all be dead in two and a half hours. You understand, don’t you, wolf? Do not allow Adlet or Fremy to die, under any circumstances. Be sure to prepare a means to ensure their safety.>”
“<Undérstood. We’ve mäde every preparation to keep them säfe. We can manage number thirteen’s ábility just fine.>”
“<Of course you have.>”
Contact with the wolf-fiend cut off there. Adlet, Fremy, or Dozzu must have been attacking the fake command center. Tgurneu wasn’t concerned for the wolf-fiend but rather relieved. Now it could be spared having its thoughts interrupted.
“Now then, what to do? Can I defeat the Braves now? Or…?” Tgurneu muttered quietly.