Текст книги "Overlord - The Man in the Kingdom - Part 2"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

"Do you still remember what the adventurers said?"

"Are we talking about what to do if we encounter hellhounds, great hellhounds, gazer devils and demon swarms?"

"That's right. Does anyone know anything about fighting demons? Especially their weak points, what they're bad at, that sort of thing."

Nobody answered; they were too busy looking at each other.

Bona's expression conveyed how useless he thought they were without having to say a word. When he saw dissatisfaction on some of the others' faces, he looked away and slammed the butt of his spear into the ground.

"Damn it! Can't those adventurers explain better?"

The adventurers who had shared their knowledge with the guards had been heavily wounded and were falling back as fast as they could. Just telling them the name of the enemy was all they could do, let alone telling them how they looked like, or how to fight them.

However, it would be too harsh on the adventurers to solely blame them for this situation. There was no proper communication between the guards and the adventurers, and as a result the amount of information being shared was low. In fact, forming the defense line out of guards who didn't know anything could be blamed on the senior guards as well. Also, not all guards were uninformed about the demons. Under different circumstances, some of them might have learned something about the enemy.

One such platoon of guards had sent some of their members to help the adventurers retreating past them, and had learned a lot in the process.

This group, however, had not done so because their leader was frozen with fear and had not even turned to look at the retreating adventurers, and he certainly did not want to decrease the amount of troops guarding the barricade by assisting the adventurers.

"They're paid more than us to do the same job! They should fight harder! Until they die!"

Several men nodded as Bona shouted.

"Our lives are at risk too! Those guys shouldn't be running off and leaving it all to us!"

Bona called out to the nearby guards. Those further away stared coldly at him, while the ones closer to him yelled out their displeasure with the adventurers as well.

"They're here!"

At the sound of the lookouts' voices, Bona looked like he'd been choked.

Everyone's eyes filled with the shapes of the demons loping towards them from the shadowed street.

At their head was a demon that looked like a cross between a man and a frog. Its skin was a jaundiced yellow, gleaming with a sticky, shiny coating. It was covered in huge lumps all over, which looked like human faces pressed out against the skin from the inside.

A mouth that could swallow a man in one gulp gaped open, and an abnormally long tongue began tasting the air.

Around it, the hellhounds followed, as though waiting for their prey.

After that were demons which looked like a human being that had been skinned and its exposed musculature painted with some kind of black, tarry liquid.

There were fifty of the hounds, one swollen-bodied demon covered in faces, and six of the flayed demons.

"There's too many!" Bona cried like the tolling of a bell. "We can't hold them! Run!"

"Dammit!" came the angry retort. "Shut the hell up!"

Ignoring Bona's wails of despair, the guards looked to their comrades, tension knotting up their faces.

"Listen up! All you need to do is stick them with the pointy end! Our job isn't to kill them! It's to buy time! It's not hard! We're all going to make it!"

We're going to make it. Some people repeated it, and then it was taken up by others.

"Hell yeah! Let's go!"

Even the guards with terrified faces grabbed their spears and got into their ranks.

"You come join us too!"

Someone grabbed Bona and dragged him to his place. There was no time for playing around.

The demonic beasts howled, and began tearing down the barricade at an incredible speed. The guards' spears stabbed out at them from between the ever-widening gaps in the barricade.

The pained wails of the hellhounds rose up from all around them. Those demonic beasts that had not been stabbed hastily fled the barricade. They howled mournfully as they paced around the barricade, as though assessing the situation.

Some of the more collected guards thrust their spears through the gaps at the nearer hellhounds, which drove them away.

Slowly, the faces of the guards began to cheer up.

The grins of the demons in the back were disgusting, and the guards were still uneasy because they didn't know what the demons would do. However, letting time pass like this was still good. After all, their job was not to defeat the demons.

"Wh-what the?!" a lone guard cried out as he watched what was happening in front of him.

The enemy had formed into a neat line, beyond the reach of the thrusting spears.

This was completely different from the wild assault just now. The guards began growing uneasy. If they knew what the hellhounds were up to, maybe they could have changed their formation or done something about it. As it was, all they could do was thrust their spears between the gaps.

But just when they thought that was all they would have to do, the demonic beasts opened their maws, so widely that it looked as though they were dislocated. The red within their throats was not flesh, but fire.

Jets of crimson flame shot out in unison at the barricade, engulfing the entire thing in flames. The guards' eyes could see nothing but the fire.

Although the fire was intense, it still could not burn down the barricades within a few seconds. This didn't make much difference to the guards on the other side, though.

Screams broke out all around. Some had their eyes burned up, others had their lungs and gullets scorched because they inhaled the flames. In the end, all of them fell like flies. The only guards to survive were the ones at the sides, because the ones in the center were no longer breathing after being consumed by the flame.

"W-we're doomed!"

The words nobody wanted to say escaped from Bona's mouth. His movements thereafter were remarkably fast, as he threw down his spear and discarded his helmet, all to let him flee faster.

The remaining guards were stunned. They had considered retreating, of course, but none of them had embraced the idea as completely as him.

Bona ran away with a speed that was hard for human beings to describe. The surviving guards looked on slack-jawed as Bona's back faded into the distance.

However, his flight was abruptly halted by a demon falling out of the sky.

The swollen-bodied demon flew without wings, and landed squarely on Bona's back, making a croaking noise as it did. Bona cried out in pain. Though it could have killed him easily, the demon did not do so. However, in light of what it did afterward, it was definitely not out of mercy.

The demon opened its mouth and swallowed Bona whole. Its distended belly hardly changed even as it ingested him– no, there was a new swelling, with a human face on it.

Though it was hard to tell, it looked like it belonged to Bona.

Even though the sound of the barricade being torn down reached their ears, the guards did not move. So much for being an obstacle; against demons, it was little more than a pile of matchsticks.

The demons who broke through the barricade encircled the guards. A strangled cry came up from them, for they knew they would certainly die here.

It was answered by the laughter of the demons, mocking the guards' foolishness.

One of the guards looked to the sky, praying for his god to save him.

What answered him was something else entirely.

He saw a group of strange-looking people flying through the air. Two of them were supporting a third, who was wearing jet-black plate armor. He was wrapped in a crimson cape and carrying a gigantic sword in each hand.

"Throw me."

Though they seemed far away, the voice carried clearly over the distance.

The two flying supporters released their grip. The dark warrior picked up speed, as though he had been pushed forward by some force from behind, tracing a trajectory downward that ended in the middle of the road. He skidded across the ground as though there were no friction, only managing to brake after chopping off the head of a hellhound in passing.

Both sides paused to watch this outrageously dramatic entry. The silence was deafening.

"I am the adventurer Momon. Fall back. I'll take over."

At first, the soldiers were unable to comprehend what the warrior of darkness had just said to them. Then, the howls of several hellhounds brought them back to reality. He was the savior that they needed.

"Hellhounds... that's all of them? Even twice the number wouldn't be enough!"

The hellhounds sprang at the dark warrior Momon from all sides. In seconds they had enveloped him, forming a cordon from which there was no escape.

Even if one tried to parry them with a sword, he would be torn apart by the surrounding hellhounds. Even if one tried to kill the attackers directly, he would still be mauled to death by the rest of the beasts. Being hit by a leaping hound's charge would break one's balance and leave him unable to defend against the attacks that would follow.

This was a brutal strategy that leveraged on superior numbers to win.

The anguish on the face of the guards was only natural, but none of them knew what true power was.

The gigantic swords slashed and killed, displacing air in their wake.

Everyone present was speechless.

That was a single attack. A normal person would only have been able to bring one hound down at most. However, just as the sword-wielder was no mere human, that stroke was not something a mere human could do. That single blow cleaved through four of the seemingly invincible hellhounds that the guards had no hope of defeating. Momon turned with the momentum of his swing, though he had slightly lost his balance because he had used all his strength. There were still other hellhounds left, and now it seemed impossible for him to avoid their attacks.

Even though he wore a suit of sturdy plate armor, the hellhounds had sharp teeth, and claws that could rend steel. And there would be no way to survive unscathed after being attacked by that many hellhounds.

In the guards' eyes, they imagined their would-be savior taking countless wounds before them.

However, that was far too presumptuous.

Momon did not try to force himself back into balance, but turned with the momentum. The crimson cape fluttered, like a cyclone of fire. With graceful steps that almost looked like dancing, Momon stepped lightly upon the ground, while his swords spun in a horizontal sweep from left to right, roaring as they went.

The remaining hellhounds were cut apart, their bodies flung far into the distance by the power of his swings. Any hellhounds who could still move were long gone.

"Just... just two hits?"

The murmuring from one guard represented the words in their hearts. Or rather, after seeing the majesty of this display, they had nothing else to say.

"Next up... Devourers and Gazer Devils, huh. How boring."

After muttering to himself, Momon strode over to the demons. There was no caution or wariness in his footsteps, as though he were walking through a park. Normally, the guards would have called out to him to stop, but after seeing his prowess, nobody could even think of doing that.

The only thing mere mortals could do was watch the back of a great warrior as he went to work.

Unable to bear the encroaching pressure that came from the man approaching him so casually, the red-eyed demon roared and leapt at him.

One flash.

The dismembered parts of the corpse flew in all directions.

Momon had not broken his stride for even a single second. He continued walking, as though the red-eyed demon had never existed, with an ease like he was alone in the wilderness.

"...Incredible..."

As though reacting to the guards' words, the Devourer opened its maw. It was like the jaws of those snakes which could open up and swallow their prey whole. In its depths, one could see the flickers of fires within. The tormented expressions intensified on the faces pressed out from the inside of its body, and theirs were the screams of souls condemned to a fate worse than death.

The Devourer could consume the souls of its victims to produce a wail that would terrify and kill any living creature.

However, before that, Bona and the Devourer's head were both chopped off.

The thrown sword fell on their heads and lodged deeply into the earth.

"There's no problem if you kill it before it can wail."

With that, Momon walked over and wrenched his sword out of the corpse.

In just over ten seconds, he had exterminated the demons the guards thought were impossible to beat.

The guards cried out. It was the joyous sound of men who had been granted a miraculous reprieve from death.

Though bathed in praise, Momon took no notice of it and instead spoke calmly to the guards.

"...After this, I will be moving to lead the adventurers' counterattack. You fellows need to hold the line for just a little longer. Well, I guess since I've already taken these guys out, the next wave won’t be coming so soon. Nabe, Evileye, you can come get me now."

The two magic casters descended from the sky to pick Momon up. As he rose into the air, Momon turned to say one last thing to the guards.

"I'm going to take out the enemy leader. Until then, please protect the civilians behind you. I'm counting on you guys."

As they watched Momon fly from the area, the guards sighed.

If a hero like that put his trust in them, then there would be no complaints at all about defending this area with their lives.

"Oi! Get the roadblocks up! We need to get ready to stop the enemy's advance! Worry about what happens when it gets torn down later!"

Lower Fire Month (9th Month) , 5th Day, 03:44

Lakyus stood at the head of the assault team that was formed of mithril and orichalcum ranked adventurers. Tina was by her side too, and together they advanced.

Before she set out, Lakyus had heavily considered her position. Anyone who could use resurrection magic should not be on the frontlines. However, Lakyus' absence would lead to a huge drop in fighting power. Since the priority was to get Momon safely to Jaldabaoth, it stood to reason that Lakyus should not stay in the back.

They avoided the route Momon had taken, instead choosing to take one that led them to a location which had a barricade manned by guards. All they saw on the way there were streets painted in blood, with chunks of shredded meat scattered everywhere. Of course, the barricade had been destroyed so thoroughly that there was no sign it had ever existed to begin with.

In order not to make too much noise, the adventurers formed up into a group and crept ahead. However, after only about thirty meters of movement, they turned a corner and were beset by demons.

At the start of the battle, the adventurers, with their high fighting ability, enjoyed an overwhelming advantage in combat, but gradually, the balance of power began to shift. This was because their opponents had a numerical advantage that overwhelmed the adventurers' prowess in single combat. Their numbers were so great that it seemed as though every demon in the area had converged on them.

"Hold fast! Keep fighting!"

Lakyus called out while activating her group support magic. Of course, none of the adventurers would retreat. They knew how important this battle was.

In contrast with Evileye's task, which was to eliminate the trash that tried to get in Momon's way, their task was to put pressure on the demons and keep them from spreading out.

In that sense, fighting so many demons head-on was, in a way, Momon's greatest support. The longer they fought here, the higher Momon's chances of victory would be.

Warcries and the clashing of steel blended together, and the sound of spells being cast and special abilities being used – like flame breath burning up human bodies – blended together in a chaotic mix.

After Lakyus confirmed the situation, her face contorted. The words of a certain adventurer stuck in her mind.

"The demons have become stronger."

Could it be that they had opened the door to the demon world, and summoned even more powerful demons? Was the wall of fire the boundary between this world and the next? What would happen if they let things progress over time? Even if they defeated Jaldabaoth, could they restore the capital to peace? Would this all be for nothing?

"There’s no point thinking about this!"

As she shouted it out, Lakyus' countless worries dispersed.

If she did nothing, she would never understand. For that reason, Lakyus drew her sword.

"Shoot!"

One of the Floating Swords hovering at her shoulders rose up and shot out at her command. With a speed that split the air, it pierced a leaping hellhound right through the mouth, destroying it without leaving so much as a corpse behind.

Looking around, Lakyus realised they had been surrounded. The advance which had just begun had halted, and since they were encircled by multiple layers of the enemy, there was no chance of relief. There was nothing to do but fight.

The vanguard cast aside their broken weapons and drew their spares. The magic casters who had run out of mana used their scrolls or wands to cast their spells instead. They were running on fumes.

The outer ring of adventurers were orichalcum ranked, while the mithril ranked defended the wounded in the middle and the magic casters who had run out of mana.

This is bad... if this keeps up, we'll be worn down and defeated. Are we once again unable to defeat Jaldabaoth?

A cry rang out, and as Lakyus turned her head, she saw a warrior who had been knocked down by a demon.

"Slash!"

Before Lakyus could move, Tina was charging at the demon, filling the gap that had been formed.

The fallen warrior was carried off by other adventurers. It was good that he was still alive, but the situation was still very bad. The fact that nobody was casting healing spells was a clear sign that the mana of the priests who used divine magic was completely depleted.

We have to fall back.

If their lines were broken, they would be routed in an instant. Lakyus could not let them die like this. She considered what might happen if Momon were to be defeated, and realised that she would have to be very careful about it.

Retreating while completely worn out would be extremely difficult. It would be better to fall back while they still had the strength to do so.

"Fall—"

Just as Lakyus was about to give the command to retreat, she gasped as a new demon descended from the sky.

It was roughly three meters tall, and its muscular body was covered in scales that looked like crawling insects. It had a tail that resembled a snake.

Its head was a flaming skull, and its eyes were beacons of blazing white fire in empty black sockets.

In its mighty arms, it held a gigantic maul.

It spread the bat-like wings on its back. With a flap of its wings, it sent a wave of freezing air cascading forth, and a wave of soul-shattering terror accompanied it. Although they had fear-resistance magic cast and thus did not panic, this was a clear demonstration of the power of this demon, which was stronger than any they had encountered so far.

Sweat flowed like a river.

"―This is bad."

With ample mana and the adventuring parties at full strength, they would probably have been able to beat it. If they could just learn more about their opponent and fight it later, they would definitely have triumphed, but right now, none of these conditions were present. Evileye, who was very knowledgeable and could use powerful magic, was not here. Gagaran, who could defend against her opponents' blows and immediately press the advantage to counterattack, was not here. Tia, who could deftly evade her enemies' attacks and attack them with her ninjutsu, was not here either. The only ones here were two tired people.

She looked over to Tina, who nodded to show that she was ready to die here. Lakyus closed both her hands around the hilt of Kilineyram and began walking toward the demon. At this moment, a nearby orichalcum-ranked adventurer grabbed her shoulder and shouted.

"We'll hold him back! You should escape!"

Seeing the look of surprise on Lakyus' face, he continued speaking.

"If you're alive, you can use resurrection magic. Because of that, we can't let you fight it, if only because the rest of us are counting on you to revive us!"

A smile filled with masculine charm appeared on the adventurer’s face. It was a smile that suited an orichalcum-ranked adventurer like him. The adventurers around him nodded in unison.

When one thought calmly about it, they were right. Rather than prepare herself to die, she should prepare herself to live, so she could extend a lifeline to the ones who would fall in battle.

"The material components for a resurrection spell are very expensive. You'd best sell your lives dearly!"

"Hey, didn't you say you wanted to be the pride of the princess or something?"

"Let the damn nobles pay for it! They've certainly got the coin!"

And just like that, as though they were going for a picnic, several adventurers peeled off from the huddled group. There was no discussion, not even a glance in each others' eyes– they simply walked out in perfect synchronization to stand before the demon.

Seeing the carefree way in which they went to their deaths, Lakyus bit her lip and turned away.

"Break out with all your strength! As long as you can walk away in the end it'll be fine!"

With that, Lakyus charged the demonic hordes, raising Kilineyram in her hands. She trusted her defense entirely to her armor and her magic. Abandoning the nearly-broken defensive line, she prepared to carve a crimson road through the demons.

It felt like she was being ripped to shreds, her flesh pierced by daggers, forcing Lakyus to grit her teeth against the pain that assailed her. From a detached point of view, she knew that her body was nearing its limits, so she cast a silent healing spell. Although Lakyus absolutely had to survive this encounter, she could not do it without exerting herself to her utmost.

"Haaaaaaa!"

Lakyus channelled most of her remaining mana into Kilineyram. The stars in its body began to shine with an unearthly radiance, and the body of the blade swelled up as well.

“Super skill! 「Dark Blade Mega Impact」!”

With a horizontal sweep, black power flowed out in a vast, slashing wave. The lower ranking demons were reduced to sightless atoms by the explosive burst of non-elemental energy.

Strictly speaking, calling the attack was not necessary, but if it worked, it worked. However—

"Still... not... enough?!"

Lakyus' tired eyes could only see a veritable wall of low-tier demons. Although she had just blown away so many of them in one stroke, the breach she made had been immediately filled back up.

Could she break through? Lakyus' unease began growing again. Kilineyram had returned to its original dimensions.

At this moment, Lakyus saw behind the demons– a flash of metal, the roar of a man's voice.

“—「Sixfold Slash of Light」!”

The six simultaneous cuts cleaved the demon hordes apart.

"「Sixfold Slash of Light」! 「Pace of the Wind」! Hooooh!"

Once more, seven demons were slashed through like a hot knife through butter. That sharpness made her think of Razor's Edge, the sword that could cut through anything, and it scared the demons senseless.

"Kill them all!"

In time with his wrathful cry, a hedge of spears bristled out from behind Gazef.

There was no mistaking the glint of that metal. Countless spears stabbed out from behind Gazef. Those were the palace guard knights and troops. A force of hundreds of soldiers that looked like they were going to flood the alley.

Seeing that they were outnumbered more than two to one, the demon horde’s encirclement began to waver.

Shouts of joy rang out, and the ragged adventurers began to retreat, covered by the soldiers.

"Why– what is Stronoff-sama doing here?"

Wasn’t he supposed to stay behind to protect the palace and the royal family? As though in response to Lakyus' words, his face turned in another direction.

Lakyus' line of sight followed his, and her eyes widened. There were four priests and four arcane magic casters protecting an old man. Upon his head was the crown which only one person in the kingdom was permitted to bear. His body was clothed in sturdy armor.

King Ranpossa III.

This was a supremely dangerous move.

Although his body was protected by plate armor, some demons' attacks could easily pierce steel. Also, even if he were protected, area-effect spells that overwhelmed his protectors could still harm the king. And the king was still an ordinary person, so he would probably die if struck by some magic. Even if resurrection spells could be used on him, the king would surely be unable to bear the life force drain it would cause.

"His Majesty so declared– ‘are you to protect this lifeless city, or me?’ There can only be one answer to that. To guard the King's body is my duty. That being the case, this is a battlefield where we must fight! Charge!"

The soldiers let out an earthshaking cry, and thundered forward.

Force clashed against force, but just when everyone thought the tide had turned, the body of an orichalcum ranked adventurer flew through the air, hitting a nearby wall and leaving a bright red splatter mark.

"OOOOOOHHHHHHH!"

As though saying, "come get some", the giant demon’s body halted the soldiers in their tracks.

There were monsters which could not be beaten by mere numbers alone.

"Stronoff-sama! Give me a hand!"

"Of course."

The voice that followed Gazef's answer made Lakyus' eyes go wide.

"Hang on. Don't you need an awesome fighter backing you up?"

"And an excellent ninja-to-be as well."

There was no mistaking these voices. Still, Lakyus called out in surprise, still barely able to believe her ears.

"Gagaran! Tia!"

The two of them slowly stepped out in front of her. They were fully armed and ready for battle.

"Hey. I've gotten stiff from all this sleeping around, so I asked Stronoff-san to bring me along."

"Ready to fight."

It shouldn't be like this. She already told them they were forbidden to fight right after being resurrected. Normally, one would need to get complete bed rest and even then they would still feel drained. Even so, they knew how important this battle was, which was why they had joined the fight.

Getting everyone back together was the biggest boost she could receive.

Lakyus prayed with all her heart.

She prayed that Momon would defeat Jaldabaoth, and get rid of the demons in the capital.

Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 5th Day, 03:46

"I see him."

Looking ahead, one could see the masked demon standing in the center of the plaza, making no attempt to hide himself. Although she could not see the forms of other demons, Evileye was not foolish enough to think that they were not there.

Having noticed them approaching, Jaldabaoth turned and bowed elegantly. There could only be one meaning behind this.

"A trap... what now, Momon-sama?"

"It doesn't matter what awaits us. We just have to smash it all."

"Just so."

Momon's tone no longer had its original seriousness and formality, which was probably because their travel together had made them more familiar with each other. With this in mind, Evileye began switching to a more casual way of speaking as well. If she kept concealing her true self, when they started going out seriously, they would probably break up right away. So even though revealing her true self might have been too early, taking a more casual tone would probably be a good idea, Evileye thought.

"It seems it's starting right on schedule."

From behind, the sound of drums and battlecries rang out. In order to ensure Momon could fight Jaldabaoth one-on-one, the troops would begin their attack. This was the only chance they would have. As such, there was no other way to save the capital other than by defeating Jaldabaoth.

"Ahh, that seems to be the case. It would appear that it’s time for the final battle. Momon-sama... leave the other enemies to myself and Nabe. Momon-sama should focus all his attention on fighting Jaldabaoth."

"Understood. In that case, since you've come this far with me, when I defeat Jaldabaoth and return in triumph, can I hope that you will stand by my side? Please work with Nabe on this, for I hope the three of us can return together."

"Understood, Momon-san."

The three of them landed in front of Jaldabaoth. Evileye looked around, and from a house adjoining the plaza, a maid appeared.

She wore a mask like the last time she saw her, with a fixed expression. But Evileye could feel the hatred directed at her.

There's probably more than one of them.

Jaldabaoth already knew who was stronger between herself and the insect maid. Now that their side also had Nabe, a magic caster who might be able to rival him in power, there was no way he would join the battle alone. Was he planning to swamp them in demons, or was there another subordinate of a comparable level waiting in the wings? Both possibilities made Evileye break out in a cold sweat.

After that maid, more people in masks similar to his appeared.

They were all wearing different kinds of maid uniforms.

And they numbered...

"...Four of them?!"

There were a total of five people with fighting power comparable to herself. Two against five would be far too great a difference in power. The battle seemed unwinnable from the very start.

"Damn it! I underestimated Jaldabaoth's forces!"

If this kept up, they would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and then the maids would go on to interfere in Momon and Jaldabaoth's duel.

In an evenly-matched battle, even a little bit of support could make the difference between victory and defeat, just like that battle with the insect maid.

"Then I will leave the five of them to you."

Saying that, Momon grasped his swords in his hands, striding naturally toward Jaldabaoth. As his mighty back receded from her, Evileye's heart filled with sadness. If only she could lose herself in that flowing red cape of his, it would clear away all her unease and frustration.