945: Old Soldiers of Hagane

We thought the towns defense was complete after Adol annihilated the antidemon hordes, but it wasnt over just yet.

Now we received a report that the antidemons were gathering near the gate on the other side of town.

The new horde had not yet begun moving, but were expected to do so within the next few hours.

I wondered how they were able to predict the movements of antidemons in such detail, but apparently, you can get a feel for it after working as a scout on this continent for a couple years.

There seemed to be fewer antidemons than before, but no less than 10,000.

We thought it might be Izarios turn, but then Hagane said they would handle it. Dont tell me they plan on using Berserk?

Fran and I went to check the situation and found Haganes spearmen lined up in formation and about to deploy. Their carriage was following right behind them.

Theyre not intercepting them here?

They must want to handle everything themselves.

The usual strategy for defeating superior numbers was to stay close to the walls, so you could rely on the town for backup.

However, Haganes soldiers were rus.h.i.+ng away from the city walls. With this much distance, our support wouldnt be able to reach them.

Silard did the same thing, as if to say our support was unnecessary. Did they plan on using their divine sword too? If so, I could understand the decision.

After all, Berserk always goes out of control. If they unleash their divine sword near the gate, theyd end up destroying the town they came to protect.

In fact, Ive heard of a similar incident that happened a long time ago.

But what about those old soldiers? Once Berserk is activated, the user will be unable to tell friend from foe. Wouldnt the soldiers be caught in the middle of their rampage?

While we were busy wondering, Haganes army kept getting further and further away.

Master, Im going after them.

Sure. Urus.h.i.+, you stay here. Let us know if the situation changes.

Woof!

With Urus.h.i.+s speed and teleportation, he could reach us in an instant. If more antidemons appear from another direction, he will be able to call us immediately.

Okay, lets go.

Yeah!

We left Urus.h.i.+ to guard the town while we watched Haganes battle from the sky.

They were about 200 meters away from the horde when they ceased their advance and prepared for battle.

Four women disembarked from the wagon: s.h.i.+kimi, Ajisai, Matsuyuki, and one more.

This new woman looked almost exactly like s.h.i.+kimi, so she might be s.h.i.+kimis sister. Judging from s.h.i.+kimi and the womans att.i.tude towards Ajisai and Matsuyuki, it seems that Ajisai and Matsuyuki were higher in rank.

Since s.h.i.+kimi was the commander, Ajisai and Matsuyuki must really be the divine sword wielders.

The carriage they rode had a special structure, in which they could climb onto the roof from the unfolding stairs in the back.

Chairs were set up there as if making simple spectator seats.

Ajisai and Matsuyuki sat down side by side. The other woman stood behind them, so shes probably their guard.

s.h.i.+kimi approached the soldiers and began shouting. It appears she will lead them in the battle against the antidemons.

Doesnt look like theyll be using Berserk.

Nn.

They probably werent willing to waste their divine sword against an enemy of this size. If activating the blade kills the wielder, then they probably have to weigh their options very carefully before using it.

Three minutes later.

At last, Hagane and the antidemons broke into battle.

The 1000 of Haganes old soldiers, dressed in black, formed a beautiful circle formation to intercept the waves of antidemons.

Spectating Haganes soldiers gave me a bit of anxiety, completely different from when we watched the dwarves. I knew how skilled they were to some extent, but their ranks consisted of lightly armored old men.

Still, they proved to be stronger than we expected. Their coordination was amazing, and their movements were so smooth and precise that they looked like drones controlled by A.I.

And yet, they were full of fighting spirit.

Lets show them our might!

We will defeat our enemies even if it kills us!

Nuorrrgh!

Everyone fought desperately, pumping themselves up with war cries. Something that really surprised me was their complete lack of fear for death.

Despite their determination to survive, they did not seem to care for their lives. It was as if they only considered themselves as a p.a.w.n on the chessboard.

And if they considered themselves p.a.w.ns, they naturally considered their friends to be p.a.w.ns as well. Yet, they would grit their teeth in frustration every time one of their companions fell.

Even so, it did not slow them down, nor did it cause them any distraction. They may be regretting the loss of lives, but they still felt no fear for death.

It all seemed strange to me. How can you get so many people with this kind of mentality?

They all retained a sense of humanity, despite acting as perfectly controlled puppets. I could sense no sign of them being manipulated. Clearly, they were offering their lives out of their own volition.

Some of them fell in the battle against the 20,000 or so antidemons. Still, those old soldiers just kept pus.h.i.+ng forward before finally taking down the commander.

To be honest, this completely shattered my expectations.

Though the commander wasnt that powerful, each of the old soldiers was equivalent to a Rank D or low Rank C individually. I thought they stood no chance.

I expected s.h.i.+kimi to handle the commander, but the old soldiers fought on their own until the very end. Their final blow really gave us a shock.

For whatever reason, the old soldiers used a suicide bomb. They activated a tiny-range explosive spell powered by the lives of a few of their companions. This was precisely aimed at the commanders core, so they managed to shatter it.

They were up against an opponent who should have decimated a good portion of their forces, yet they won by sacrificing a few of their own men. I guess you could call that an impressive victory

Thats amazing.

Yeah, but you better not try copying them, okay? Thats not something we can do, and I dont want to see you trying.

Nn.

Until the very end, they treated their own lives as stepping stones to their victory. Meanwhile, Ajisai watched all of this impa.s.sively, her face unchanged.