Ride. Ride towards the oncoming enemy.
It’s cold. Why? I do not fear anything, and yet...
✦ ✦ ✦
“Allow me to impress upon you one thing Marius, youngest son of House Willow: do not die.”
That’s what Commander Jashan son Peine said to me earlier this morning, before I set out. The first attack against the vampires is up to my discretion. With only one strike, I need to be able to seize their initiative without failure.
“Men, prepare your magics... and proceed forward,” I command.
Leading the left wing, I head out. The right wing follows in sync. Leaving a gap in the center, where the foot soldiers would be, two thousand cavalry sortie. The ground shakes and dust clouds rise from their horses’ hooves.
Heh heh, the vampires are watching. Good. The vampires and elves would do well to observe us carefully. That way, they can learn what happens when a species is locked into a corner of the world and left to die. Then they can rethink their ways. We are not to be looked down upon. We are not to be treated carelessly. Once they realize that, they’ll surely understand the necessity of diplomacy. War is subtraction, but it does not need to continue until one side reaches zero. A “final battle” is not something any living being should consider. We shall rip through their reckless declaration with our fierce fighting.
“Fire bombs at the ready.”
The goblin corpses scattered across the field are a slight nuisance to those of us on horseback. The foot soldiers will be joining the fight soon, too. This is certain to become a brawl—which is why our first strike is going to be with maximum firepower.
“Here we go!” I ride forward, leaving the cavalry to its own devices.
The enemy doesn’t need to think of us as one strong unit; I want them to see us as a horde of powerful individuals. See? The vampires charge at us straight-on. Recklessness invites recklessness. One after the other, they hurry to join the fray, glaring fiercely with no signs of fear.
“Line up! Prepare to release!”
My men slide quickly and effortlessly into formation, which startles the vampires.
“Fire!” I throw a fire bomb as hard as I can.
Our Infernos go off before the vampires can even start conjuring their thunder magics. We’re a little too far away to do any real damage, but that’s fine. My goal was to fill the battlefield with heat, explosive noises, and smoke.
Bear witness to our will—our fighting spirit and guts!
“Chip away at the right side!”
My men gather up, sharpening our front line. Our target is the tear in their forces to the far right. We gallop hard and break through, cutting off about two hundred vampires and running them through. No need to fuss about decapitating them; as we advance, we throw Inferno bombs behind us. Those who should die, die. My goal is not maximum subtraction.
Normally, I would retreat at this point, but this time we continue. We circle around and charge in again, deep into the enemy forces towards their backline.
There, found them—a single group that remained resolute despite repeated taunts and fire magic assaults. Their unvampire-like defensive formation tells me exactly who’s hiding within.
The enemy commander of this battle. The one whose grand strategy disturbed Commander Jashan son Peine is right there.
I will crush them.
Perhaps it is meaningless. Perhaps their plan can no longer be stopped. Even so, I will kill them. I do not know the details, and I cannot see the big picture, but they have committed the sin of making us feel even slightly threatened. I cannot forgive this insult. They shall pay with their life.
I kick my spurs into my horse’s sides. Faster!
Our right wing is closing in; a pincer strike two thousand strong. We will destroy their thousand soldiers. Just you wait and see.
Hm? That older-looking female vampire in the heavy armor... Why is she sticking her warhammer into the ground? There’s also a bunch of other vampires who all have their hands on the ground. I sense mana building up.
“No! Scatter!” But before I can get it out, the ground swells.
It’s earth magic. A dozen stone walls burst forth, blocking our path. They’re so tall our horses can’t even leap over them. The air is filled with the sounds of crashings and horses falling against the vampires’ absolute defense.
Then they attack; roaring savagely, the vampires charge. We’ve been stripped of our speed and escape route... there’s no running away.
“Don’t stop! Spiral formation!”
The spiral formation: an attack carried out by ten separate cavalry platoons. A brawl on horseback. This is our only option now.
I swing my spear head-on at a leaping vampire. It doesn’t hit, but it knocks him off balance. I follow up with a swing of my sword and take off in another direction. Another vampire presents himself before me. I stab him with my spear, shattering the shaft in the process. I keep riding. Once again, another vampire appears. I’m clearly being targeted. I whip out my sword, clashing its white steel against the black iron of the enemy’s warhammer. Sparks fly as shockwaves ripple up my arm. In a straight-up slugfest, a vampire’s brute strength shines.
“So you’re the leader!” A newer, more fearsome foe presents herself against me—the earth mage from earlier. She easily hefts her warhammer above her head. It must be a trap.
“And if I am?” I taunt her.
I issue a single hand signal and leap; horse and rider are as one. Below me, I can see the ground caving in. The ten riders behind me scatter to avoid the chasm.
“Dieee!” curses the vampire.
“I’d prefer not to.”
The warhammer comes racing to meet me as I land. It whistles through the air and slams into my sword. Blade on hammer, I push back, altering its course. I have to protect my horse. Somehow I manage it, but my shoulder and elbow are shot. What a fierce blow.
“You running away?!”
“Try and catch me if you can!”
I order ten of my men to follow me. We race through the maze of earthen walls, dodging or cutting down vampires depending on the situation as we make our way out of the battlefield. I swing my sword above my head, rallying the Bomber Knights as we retreat. Behind me, I can hear the sounds of sporadic explosions.
I screwed up, and many men paid for my mistake with their lives. I shouldn’t have gone straight for their leader. However, it wasn’t a total failure—I did manage to spot a lone female vampire with a scared expression and no weapon. That spell that she used to sink into the ground must have been a new one. It sure kicked up a lot of dirt, though.
In any case, that was certainly their leader. I’ll remember her face for the next time. There will be a next time. We have the initiative, after all. And there’s no way the vampires will be able to stay calm after being run over like that. Nor will their leader be able to stop pissing herself long enough to prevent them from attacking. The floodgates of violence have been busted wide open.
Now, for the fight that will decide it all.
A pack of black wolves is sweeping across the plains, like a dark gust of wind mowing through the grass. The vampires follow close behind, kicking up a dust cloud so large that they look like a landslide. Both enemy forces are akin to natural disasters—impossible to avoid or resist. They are death incarnate.
However, that is precisely why we were given fire and blades: to drive back all such threats. With valiant battle cries and reassuring footsteps, we face them head-on, creating a tight formation. Meanwhile, our fire-resistant foot soldiers march forward, their shields like scales, bristling with spears. Vials of oil sway under fluttering banners. The dawn burns red. Rabbits leap forwards from under our feet, front teeth bared and ears laid back. Their sword-like horns are positioned evenly with the ground.
Vampires are nothing to us—our spirit is beautiful. In the whole world, there are no species abandoned by God. Let them come; we shall crush them. And then, for the first time, we shall be the victors.
✦ ✦ ✦
They say that ignorance is bliss... but what do you do once you’re no longer ignorant?
Hey all, it’s PotatoStarch. Sorry, I’m on the verge of crying from worry and fear. I just realized that my parents don’t know my address. The process of moving out was so complicated with the housing application and the rent allowance that I told them I’d contact them once things had calmed down. However, I forgot that I forgot all that! My company would never tell them my address, either. After all, my boss told me I am essentially “working overseas.” After contacting him, he said their information security control is perfect and laughed it off. Technically, I’m keeping their secret for a paid vacation.
The thing is, I had some steak today... it was really good. But I’m lower middle class, so I felt guilty that I might have eaten someone else’s meat. Therefore, I double-checked the package, and it was addressed to me! Who? Who gave me meat as a present? I mean, it was an online order, so anyone who knows my address could have done it. But then, why did they put my mother’s family name under the sender? They even added a message: “Be sure to eat some meat every now and again!” Now I realize that I’ve never once been told that before. Well, my parents always were a bit inattentive... which makes using my mother’s name even more confusing. It must have been a mix-up.
Actually, hold on. Does this mean... I’m under observation? I-Is that my job now? Game addiction and infrastructure stuff? Ha ha ha... I felt stupid just by saying that. As if that could be true.
Oh, by the way, I just realized that the access dates on the video data I’m recording are off. Who’s been sneaking a peek in my stuff? What are they after? What do they want from me? Well, they probably want me to play more DDR, I’m guessing. That makes sense. It’s still weird, but at least it makes me a bit relieved... Ugh.
Perhaps the person behind this is the one who sent me that email in Romanian? If they were spying on my video data, then yeah, they’d totally send me that stupid message about hope and whatever. Yup, could be. This mystery about the steak, however, is incredibly strange.
I-I’m scared. Simply scared. I feel like a big hole has opened up beneath me.
Ugh... At least Kuroi has already reached the Hell Expanse... whoa! A battle event already? A pack of black wolves is clashing against militant rabbits! What a great fight! Wow! A revolution of the food chain! Go, Kuroi! It’s time for battle!