Chapter 208: Cleaning

***Arc 9 One Who Sent Off, Chapter 208 Cleaning***

Most of the streets were caught up in Baumje Ira's explosion, with 'minced meat' scattered about.

Nigel flickered the magic crystal in his hand and gave instructions to Jarea Gashea.

It was to kill the remaining survivors.

'――So just as planned. Let them open the gate and lure them inside after that kill them all at once. Taking care of as many as possible with Bonjara, and then quickly crushing them with Jarea Gashea. Krische did think for a moment that they might be trying to trick Krische, since they were chatting in plain but... judging by the movements of the enemy forces, I don't think that's the case.

The Empire Army attacked the city walls on the first night while preparing for the invasion for the next day onward.

The enemy army did not have much time to spare.

Anyway, they were already expecting a major attack on the night of the second or third day.

On top of that, Krische 'listened in' to the enemy corps leader's talk from a distance by the movement of their lips, and decided to carry out the lure and annihilation of the northern sector.

'After Krische destroyed the enemy, Krische will leave it to you guys, starting from the gate to the outside. Woof Woof will come to clean up the remaining enemies from the west, so you'll assist there.. Even if it gets dragged out, stop after 1 koku and let Jaragasha rest. You guys go back and clean and repair it. It's only about 10,000 outside, so just randomly is fine.'

From the top of the tower, Nigel looked at everything from a high vantage point.

His throat was dry.

Even the Baumje Ira, which was made from magic crystals that were small enough to be pinched, was able to collapse Gulshan's battle lines.

How much more a fist-sized magic crystals——it was beyond imagination.

It blew up several houses and obliterated dozens of people around it without a trace.

It had already surpassed the mere power of a weapon.

The large Baumje Ira installed in plazas and crossroads emitted countless blue flashes into the sky, leaving only blood and debris behind.

The battalion commander and centurion, who had been raising their voices and taking command, were now silent lumps of meat.

The surviving soldiers also looked around in shock.

When the eight shaku iron giant——Jareia Gashea approached those soldiers, it mercilessly swung down its blade.

Survivors turned into chunks of flesh as if their flesh burst. No reservation, no hesitation.

That's how Jarea Gashea was.

Simply killing the enemies that entered their field of vision. Never questioning their will to fight.

It was Nigel who gave the order.

While setting up Baumje-Ira, he recalled that he had been entrusted by Krische to give detailed instructions, saying that this position was good, that position was good, and so on.

Just thinking about much they could inflict on the enemy.

The outcome was inevitable. It was okay to praise himself for a great accomplishment or for a job well done.

However, without realizing it, his legs and hands were shaking.

He looked down for a moment and put a hand over his mouth, trying to hold back the nausea that rose from within his stomach.

"......You okay?"

Daz, the Selection Squad Leader who was accompanying him, tapped Nigel on the shoulder with his right hand.

"Yeah.....I'm okay."

Nigel nodded.

Daz said while looking down below.

"Don't blame yourself, Nigel. What you killed were the enemies who came to kill us, our comrades, and families. Be proud that you protected them."

"......yes"

"You're a squad leader——now you're not just a soldier, you're in a position to command your subordinates. Stay firm. You and your subordinates are doing the right thing, and in this place, you're more important than anyone else. You need to show that in your attitude."

Daz smiled with a manly, strong look on his face.

"When it's over, I'll take you out for a drink. You can hold off on your complaint until then. I, one who was made the leader of the Piririn team, have a lot more to complain about than you. Even if you say you don't want to, I'll make you go with me."

Nigel smiled wryly and nodded again.

"...Let's do that. There's no time for regrets on the battlefield."

"You're right. Thankfully, I'm your assistant now. If you start whining, I'll kick your ass."

"......,yes"

"In particular, our role is to be used by Krische-sama...up until now, and will continue to be. If you get lectured, I'm also going to get lectured, right? Do what you need to do in silence."

Laughing, Daz made a fist with his left prosthetic hand.

Nigel did the same with his left prosthetic hand.

And when the fists met, a hard sound echoed quietly.

Nigel looked ahead.

While Jarea Gashea was running over and killing the enemy, Alberinea was running in all directions on the battlefield, riding a Suiko.

The main road in the northern section of Wulfenite.

"——General! How's your body!?"

The General of the Holy Empire of Elsren, Aare Caincrus slowly gets up.

His ears were numb as he heard a voice calling out to him from somewhere far away.

"No problem, what happened...?"

Even his own voice sounded distant.

His whole body ached.

He just wanted to lose consciousness.

"I also don't understand, there was a sudden explosion..."

Aare looked around.

Most of his escorts were dead.

Their limbs were torn to pieces——it was hard to believe that they were human.

The horse he was riding also had no head, and it was probably thanks to his armor that he was safe.

Pieces of iron pierce the metal armor, distorting the elegant carvings here and there.

"Are you the only one who is safe?"

"...Apparently. Let's evacuate from here for now. To our allies."

"U-understood."

His left arm and shoulder hurt, probably from the impact of the fall.

The ankle was also twisted or cracked.

As soon as he swayed, his shoulder was immediately supported.

"What's your name?"

"Uh, I'm Bud Kitus, General."

"Kitas, expect your reward later. I will never forget your favor."

"...Thank you for your kind words. If you don't mind, on my back."

Bad bent forward, gave him a word of apology, and rested Aare on his back.

As soon as Bud carried Are's body on his back, he started running.

"......It was Alberinea's trap that lured us here, wasn't it? I feel like I've been knocked down to the bottom of the valley. ...I didn't know I was dancing in the hands of the Alberinea."

"No one can predict such ......"

At least it was a weapon that they had never seen before.

At this rate, an army of nearly 20,000 people would be destroyed.

"...!?"

A scream echoed from behind——from the east section.

A giant in black armor cut through the injured soldiers who were running away.

He quickly entered an alley and headed another way.

"...What was that?"

"I don't know, it's probably Alberan's new weapon...or perhaps Alberinea's"

Bud answered.

Up until now, there had been no abnormalities in the battle with Nozan Verreich.

He is an extremely talented general. But at least he was fighting a war.

However, ever since Alberinea——Krische Christand appeared, everything in this battle has gone awry.

"...Alberinea"

"Previously too, it's a mystery what method she used but she appeared with a small unit without any presence and easily destroyed the mountain command post where I was. She easily took the heads of the adjutant general and the adjutant general assistant. At that time, I barely escaped... This is the second time."

The battle between Christand and Sarchenka.

The victory or defeat of that battle was undoubtedly determined by that girl.

This time too, with just a spear, she effortlessly destroyed a catapult and disrupted the entire strategic plan.

"That thing is beyond common sense."

Alberinea defeated Gulshan.

When he heard the rumors that were being passed around, he thought it only natural.

——That thing was a foreign being.

"...was it the Sarchenka army before?"

"Yeah. There's a messenger there..."

"I, see......"

Aare laughed a little painfully.

"To be honest, I was jealous of that talented man. Even after that defeat, I was happy that Sarchenka had made a fool of himself. But... I never thought I'd end up in the same trap."

"......"

"I wanted to somehow outwit Christand, who had defeated Sarchenka. My opponents were Christand's best subordinates, Nozan Verreich and Alberinea...They weren't. I'm well aware that I'm incompetent with only family background as the sole virtue, but I'm blessed with good subordinates. The situation was also in our favor, so I thought we could do it...but the end result was this.''

Bud couldn't say anything, and Aare shakes his head.

"...I killed many excellent soldiers because of my incompetence. I don't want to increase them any more. I'm sorry, but please cooperate for a while. Not for me, but for the soldiers."

"...Yes sir. Of course, General."

Bud answered emphatically.

Decorative general——A young master.

He knew he was being looked down upon and made fun of, and they were right.

However, he was without a doubt a noble.

"I will do my best for the General's sake."

"......thank you"

He was a man wearing full body armor.

No matter how much magic he could handle, Bud's legs were still strained.

But regardless of that, he holds onto Aare's legs tightly and continues running.

At the very least, the person on his back was a worthy general who deserved to be saved.

"R-Rekarish Corps Commander!"

Ugh... Is the General okay?"

"......,Yeah"

When he ran a little further, he saw the army commander, Orkana Rekarish.

He had lost his left arm.

Judging by the lumps of flesh scattered around him, it must have been a miraculous survival.

"Rekarish, where is Mirkos?"

"...Probably around here."

Answering Aare's question with a distorted face, Orkana pointed to the surrounding flesh with his hands.

The surrounding walls and cobblestones were all stained red in spots.

"Even though you promised we'd have a drink...you idiot, damn you!!"

As if to drown out his pain and vent his anger, Orkana hit the wall causing it to cave in.

Aare said calmly while being carried on Bud's back.

"...Mourn him later. We'll retreat."

"Retreat? It's too early! I don't know how many people died, but I don't think all 20,000 died. We should bring in people from outside and completely secure the fortress walls!!"

"It's impossible. They're using mysterious giants... They read our breakthrough and took countermeasures based on that. They were fully prepared. Anything beyond this is just a dead end in the quagmire."

"but......!"

"It's an order, Rekarish!! The conclusion remains unchanged. If this judgment is wrong, I will give you this head! You can report it to the right place later!"

Orkana widened his eyes as if he was taken aback.

Then he took a deep breath.

"...Understood. Follow me——dodge!!"

Orkana screamed, and Bud immediately jumped.

Jumping onto the roof of a private house.

Similarly, Orkana was on the roof across from them, and what passed through was a giant Suiko's body.

"You take the general and run!! I'll buy you some time!!"

"Wait, Rekarish!!"

"A General shouldn't make that pitiful voice! Go!"

Orkana pulled out a sword from his waist, facing the Suiko and the one with silver hair riding on it.

The black cloak——the icy purple eyes on the beautiful face.

It was Krische Christand.

A short bow with a quiver on her back――His purple eyes looked at Bud for a moment.

A somewhat inorganic light, like that of a snake.

"Hg..."

A scream passed through his throat as the memory of that time came back to him.

Bud immediately started running.

A beat later, the sound of the roof collapsing echoed from behind, and Orkana's voice of agony――He immediately sensed that the Suiko had changed direction towards him.

He chose an alleyway that Midoriya's huge body could not pass through, and lowered his stance.

It was a true all-out effort.

It was fast, but with its body, he would surely be able to beat the Suiko in a tight turn.

A sudden brake, sharply turning the alley, and the Suiko passed overhead.

"Hg..."

"Please forgive me! I don't have time right now!"

The narrow road――he must have hit his body somewhere..

He heard a muffled voice, but he didn't put his mind to it.

He kicked through the wooden window of a house, jumped in, and ran from alley to alley.

Even though his leg bones were about to break from exhaustion, he ran to the side of the castle wall.

Kicking the wall as hard as he could, he climbed to the roof and climbed over the wall.

Ignoring the confused soldiers, he jumped out of the castle wall.

It was twenty-five shaku high――unable to withstand the impact, he fell and rolled.

"General! Are you safe..."

Still, Bud quickly stood up.

However, when he looked at Aare, he stiffened.

An arrow feathers were extending from Aare's helmet and his head.

"ah......"

He was already not breathing.

An arrowhead was peeking out from his open mouth.

An army that had lost command and control was no longer an army.

In a city that was divided by streets and had many obstacles, it was difficult to rebuild it once it had been disrupted.

"Don't run away! Those who have lost their commander should gather here now!!"

Among them, there were certainly those who grasped the situation and remained calm.

The noble man who was lucky enough to escape from the explosion used his physical abilities to climb onto the roof.

From there, he called out to the surrounding soldiers he could see.

"I am Gorn Almhast, centurion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Corps! As the battalion commander and adjutant have been killed in action, control has collapsed, and I will assume command here until the situation calms down!! Squad leader raises your hand and comes to her. Come! Centurion Lorcan, please cooperate!"

"Y-yes sir!"

The centurion who was called out instinctively saluted and recovered from the confusion.

This kind of situation could be said to be the moment when a new hero was born.

A centurion who normally commands a hundred men――but upon the death of his superior, he temporarily gathered and took control of several hundred soldiers.

If one succeeds in this position, they are often promoted to battalion commander.

In a sense, their predicament was also an opportunity for advancement.

No family background, no money.

It was a moment when such people who have talent but have no opportunity to take credit rose to prominence.

It was people like them who would change the military, which had become rigid due to politics and class society.

Like Bogan and Aleja, the young Gorn Almhast was awakened by this predicament.

He would probably become a well-known general in the Holy Empire some day.

Even in the darkness of the night, there was a radiance in his voice as he raised his voice from the roof.

The soldiers began to recover from their extreme confusion at the sight, and he commanded the attention of the whole place.

"Whatever squads remain, leave them as they are, and incorporate other soldiers into temporary squads. I will take all responsib――gh?"

Then, a log-like arm mercilessly snapped his neck.

The shining young man rolled under the roof.

Like a shadow puppet in the moonlight.

Instead, looking down at them from the roof was a huge body of a beast.

It was the magical beast Suiko, eight shaku tall and 2 jou long, along with a girl with silver hair.

While everyone stiffened, the sound of strings echoed like music, and they shot the centurion, shot the corporal, and easily killed the squad leaders.

Then she threw three small pot-like objects and leaves.

They glow for a moment, then explode.

It blew away the soldiers on the spot, killing them and wounding them.

Once again, control breaks down.

Next, the Suiko jumped on top of the wall.

The narrow, one jou length space was already filled with Empire soldiers.

After shooting and killing several confused enemy soldiers and stealing their spears, the girl jumped off the Suiko and threw a spear right next to them.

A spear that can crush even a large trebuchet from a ri away.

Its power――A single throw of the spear turns the soldiers into massive lumps of flesh.

"Gururun, go straight."

Then she jumps on Midoriya without any delay and slaps it on the back of the neck.

As if in response, the Suiko ran 'straight' over the castle wall.

It jumps into the hole made by the spear.

It was like wiping dust off a window frame with a rag.

It had a gigantic body measuring 8 shaku and 2 jou, and its weight and speed were incomparable to horses.

If it rushed straight forward on a space of at most one jou, there would be no resistance to them.

The soldier was either blown away by the body, or jumped down before it hit them, and disappeared from the top of the castle wall.

25 shaku high――even if they survived, it would have been impossible for them to continue fighting.

Jumping over the tower and repeating the same thing, it took only a short time to wipe out nearly 1,000 enemy soldiers from the top of the castle wall.

Finishing her task, she hopped onto the clock tower and narrowed her violet eyes as she took in her surroundings.

"Hmm...not bad."

The enemy army that entered was almost completely destroyed.

One general and two corps commanders were killed.

It would be fine to leave the rest to the other soldiers.

She put a candy in her mouth from the pouch on her chest and rolled it around, relaxing her cheeks.

Although they consumed a large amount of inventory, they should be able to kill 20,000 soldiers without losing any troops.

Jaragasha cornered the enemy soldiers at the gate――the gate was congested and completely crowded.

Soldiers of the craft squad threw a hand-thrown bomb from above, and there was the sound of an explosion.

Blood and flesh burst, screams echoed.

The more the enemy crowded in, the more powerful the Bonjara became.

Jaragasha swung its arms and giant sword, turning the crowded mass into a piece of flesh, and screams filled the night sky.

Lure them in and kill them all at once. The results were good.

While rolling the candy, she swung her legs and hit Gururun on the side.

'Gururu', it growled, seeming to be having fun, and Krische stroked the back of its head with her armored arm.

No pity, no mercy.

Those were things Krishe didn't possess from the beginning.

Letting out a small yawn, she lay down, leaning against Gururun's back.

The only problem was that she got a little dirty.

Gururun's body was covered in blood everywhere, and it sticks to the cliche.

Slightly pouting her lips, she yawned again.

"Krische would like to have a Bonjara that can fly and kill enemies on its own. And also a bonjara that can be set up and explode on its own..."

While thinking that the current situation was somehow inefficient after all, she played with Gururun's fur with her fingers.

What Krische thought about on the battlefield was not achievements or honors but only efficiency.

Their losses were zero, and on top of that, killing only the enemy.

What she sought was firepower and an overwhelming victory that would crush the opponent's will to fight.

Once the mass production system for weapons was established, this would likely happen eventually.

However, she had to consider the shortage of iron, think about training technicians, and also address the issue of counterespionage.

There was so much to do even after the war was over that she got a little tired when she thought about it.

While contemplating taking a one-month break after it was all over, she mumbled.

"Krische-sama"

It was Daz who climbed up the clock tower.

When Krische looked over at him, Daz looked puzzled.

"Are you okay? Is your health..."

"......Krische is sleepy"

"ah......"

Krische's figure, leaning on Gururun.

He probably sensed that she was fatigued.

Seeing her reaction, Daz showed relief and continued.

"It seems that the Corps Commander Varkas has just left from the west. Jare――"

"........."

"N-Nigel seems to be thinking about getting Jaragasha ready to go outside soon..."

Krische glared at Daz with a slightly displeased look on her face.

Satisfied with the correction, she nodded silently.

"Right. Let's finish this quickly."

As she spoke, she looked at the enemy's trebuchet, then at the corpses below.

"Krische would like to capture the enemy's stone trebuchet. It's night and there were no reinforcements from the enemy stuck in the center. Please tell them to act with that in mind."

"Trebuchet..."

"Yes. We'll probably get quite a few prisoners, so let's use them as labor. The trebuchet is also useful for cleaning."

Krische smiled when he saw Daz's doubtful expression.

"It's like throwing away trash to lower morale. You see, the city has gotten pretty dirty, too."