The mercenaries didn’t realize this, but it was at this time that Arilai’s Sorcerers had left the battlefield. Magic users capable of using concealment magic were valuable, and the group couldn’t afford to lose them in the first battle. Mercenaries were entirely replaceable. There was no question what would happen to those the monsters devoured and no longer considered useful with what had happened earlier.
As the sun began to rise higher, the leader noticed a shift within the main forces. Two figures were being accompanied by two others as if they were important. Both figures being escorted carried an extraordinarily long sword that made a high-pitched schwing sound. A smaller person beside the figures carefully inspected the new armament known as Demon Arms.
“There’s Arilai’s new weapon. Record anything you learn about it,” ordered the leader.
The man beside him breathed heavily, unable to respond. He took a worn-out parchment out of his bag and looked up at him with tired eyes.
“Why now?” he asked. “If only they showed up sooner, we wouldn’t have lost so many men.”
“They probably would have left already if they thought we couldn’t win,” the leader spat.
The ground had turned into red-black mud, starkly contrasting the clear blue sky. But the horrid stench of the bloodstained sands no longer fazed them. They had become numb to the joys and pains of life itself.
In order to stop the aggressively rushing monsters, the mercenaries had to attack their flanks repeatedly. The leader was likely the only one who knew many men had been devoured in the process. It enraged him to think the Arilai government only cared about test-driving their new toy despite so many lost lives.
However, the new weapon’s effects were immediate and dramatic.
The Demon Arms soldiers stepped forward, then sped up in the next instant. Their surrounding space had become distorted, and the heads of monsters were left in their wake. Demon Arms were based on ancient technology known as gilding and allowed humans to achieve speeds far beyond what was normally possible by reinforcing their muscles with thinly processed Magic Stones.
But these were a far cry from the real thing. Demon Arms like the one Kartina had equipped harbored emotions such as malice toward humankind. This copy was simply a tool for enhancing its owner and only thought of killing monsters. And so, the Demon Arms soldiers laughed as they cut down their enemies one after another. They carved a tunnel through the enemy army, leaving their allies flabbergasted.
“Amazing...” said a mercenary, breathing heavily.
The leader nodded. “It seems Arilai has significantly bolstered their military. If we don’t do something about these Magic Stones, they may threaten far more than just the three neighboring countries.”
Indeed, the other countries would need to put their utmost efforts into diplomacy with Arilai from now on. They would now have to grovel in hopes of getting scraps of Arilai’s superior Magic Stone technology. It was probably the very reason Arilai had deployed their new weapon. Not only had they turned the tide of battle, but the other countries had no choice but to bow down to the display of overwhelming power. The leader spat disdainfully onto the sand.
One by one, the monsters fell, effectively ending the battle. It was now only a matter of how much recognition the soldiers could get for their efforts, increasing the price of their rewards and raising their levels. They each moved forward enthusiastically.
The allied army that the mercenaries fought fervently alongside was determined to demonstrate their bravery and worth of being accepted into Eden. Just as they thought victory was assured, they heard a strange sound. It clung to their ears, viscous and grating, making their hair stand on end.
The leader scanned the battlefield for the source of the noise, then wished he hadn’t done so. Everyone there realized that the sound had come from their fellow soldiers’ blood flying skyward as they were suspended in the air.
Black blood spilled on the sand, coagulated like tar under the scorching sun. The blood gathered at the center of the battlefield, and an ominous feeling came over all who watched, making their skin crawl. All the color in the sky had faded, and a chill uncharacteristic for a desert country spread in the air. As everyone had reached their limit and felt like running away, the blood mass formed a giant tree shape, standing tall in the battlefield.
The monster’s name, “Bloodpool,” appeared over the red tree, and the soldiers’ expressions stiffened. Not only was its appearance terrifying, but thorns of blood jutted out from it, piercing through unfortunate soldiers who were standing too close.
A cacophony of bloodcurdling screams ensured the horror continued. The thorns impaled men at a steady pace, the sound of their death throes forming a morbid rhythm. Unnerving music washed over those present like a tidal wave, making their chests tighten with terror.
Regardless, the mercenaries fighting at the front line were also affected by the dreadful manifestation. The man who had been their leader for many years stiffened and shouted, “Th-This battle music... Don’t tell me it’s over level 100!”
A bloody thorn pierced his body. He struggled to break free as the monstrous tree drained his blood and looked down at him with shadowy eyes. His heart beating like an alarm bell, he yelled his final order.
“Run!!!”
Shortly after he called for his men to retreat, another order for all armies to flee came through. Soldiers scattered all at once, and the front line completely collapsed. Retreating in the desert proved to be disastrous, though. There were no obstacles to hide behind, their feet got caught in the sand, and no reinforcements were coming. The slow-witted ones and unfortunate ones perished first. They continued to flee as their fellow men were trampled and devoured. Only the victors would escape with their lives.
Luckily, the leader found and caught a riderless horse. As his final task, he put one of his comrades on the horse and told him to record every detail of the battlefield and what they’d learned about Arilai. He turned toward the chaos again after he entrusted the man he had saved to report back to their home country.
The sight filled him with an emptiness beyond despair. Dark red shrouded the sky, with countless soldiers suspended in the air, a scene from a nightmare. Oddly, the leader’s expression was peaceful, as if something beyond fear. He lifted his sword, which had been modified to be around one hundred kilograms in weight, as the Bloodpool condensed and transformed into a humanoid shape before his eyes.
He hadn’t wished to prove his bravery and be accepted into Eden. It was that when his time came, he had always wanted to die falling forward. To his surprise, the horrifying monster had turned out to be female. Dark red armor covered the figure, but its outline was that of a woman and unexpected yet strangely fitting.
In an instant, the two Demon Arms rushed toward the monster from both flanks. But they perished in vain, as their legs were immediately severed and spears were impaled into their heads. The bloody woman’s spear thrust wasn’t visible with the naked eye, and only the results of the two soldiers’ deaths were left. The leader wondered if he could swing the sword he had raised, but he was only allowed time to have that one final thought.
§
The screen that stood outdoors displayed the words “To be continued.” We had been watching with bated breath all this time and took that as our cue to sit at the table.
Marie was directly in front of me and looked as if she wasn’t sure what to do, looking drained and without the energy to speak. Her expression seemed to say, “This is your fault for showing her so many movies.” Movies had influenced the editing techniques for changing up the tempo of the battle, and Marie was guilty of showing Wridra movies too.
We were so overwhelmed because the footage we had seen was far more intense than any movie. I had some things to say to Wridra, but she was sitting away from us next to Hakam and Aja. Marie and I stared at the Arkdragon for some time, and she gave us a smug smile from afar.
“Hah, hah, I take it my editing skills thoroughly impressed you,” she told us via Mind Link Chat. “No one else could have cut out all of the grotesque imagery while maintaining the action-packed thrills like I have.”
I had forgotten she could communicate with us even without the special bracelet the rest of us needed to access Mind Link Chat. As always, the Arkdragon far exceeded what was normally considered possible. Her cheeks turned rosy as she watched us with satisfaction, but I vowed I wouldn’t give her the compliment she wanted.
“The scary part is, it didn’t even use any CGI! It would be a hit if we released it in Japan,” said Marie through Mind Link Chat.
She was right. I could see that boom in popularity if it had included a caption that it was real footage. Wridra’s image projection magic had become even more advanced from all of the movies she had been watching. Again, I wouldn’t compliment her because she would definitely let it go to her head.
The Ichijos, who were also seated with us, assumed the footage had been created with CGI. They clapped as if they had just finished watching a short movie. It was probably for the best that they didn’t know.
Eve, who had been working as the receptionist earlier, was lying on the table face down like us. She groaned, then slowly raised her face and said, “That looked terrible. Is it just me, or did that Bloodpool thing seem as strong as the floor master? Don’t tell me there are monsters like that all over Gedovar!”
She hadn’t said that to me but to the blue-haired woman named Isuka beside her. She wore a maid outfit like Eve and gently stroked the dark elf’s back as if tending to a sick person.