Chapter 57: The Counterattack Operation Part 1

On the day of the counterattack operation, we were traveling with the imperial soldiers while sitting at the back of the large carriage. Due to Orvo’s spiritual art, I was unable to flee, while the binding collars prevented the lugall squad from escaping as well. Moreover, as a precaution, we were prohibited from leaving the carriage under any circumstances.

It was concerning that no one seemed to consider the possibility of being ambushed by hidden enemies. If such a scenario were to occur, we would surely be late in escaping our constraints. Despite their perception of us as a formidable force, it was important to remain vigilant and prepared for any eventuality. I wonder why they’re like this….

Just as I inwardly let out a sigh, the carriage abruptly came to a halt. The door of the carriage creaked open, and a group of imperial soldiers on escort duty climbed aboard to unfasten the shackles on the Lugall unit’s hands and feet. Tigar and the others rubbed their wrists, seizing their weapons, which had been placed near the carriage exit before heading out.

“Um, Captain? Are we releasing this one too?”

“Of course. You should have received the key from the spiritualist. Hurry up and release it.”

“Yes, sir…”

The imperial soldiers approaching my cage were clearly trembling with fear. It was ridiculous how cowardly they were acting even though I wasn’t emitting any killing intent. I recognized one of them as the guy who frequently spewed vulgar language near the shabby carriage, but as expected, he was all bark and no bite.

As the shackles were removed from my limbs, I slowly rose to my feet with my eyes open. Despite my calm demeanor, the imperial soldier who unlocked the cage and my shackles let out a small cry and stumbled backwards. Whoa, what a coward. Even the small Leo and the other children were watching me with great interest.

As I stepped off the carriage, Orvo approached me with two swords. I wrapped the strings that passed through the scabbards around my waist and prepared myself for battle, checking my body’s condition. Orvo nodded approvingly several times as he watched me get ready.

For some reason, I felt a strong sense of irritation, yet I ignored it and pressed forward. I could feel Leo’s gaze on my back, but I wanted him to rest assured since I hadn’t forgotten the promise we made. I rotated my shoulders lightly and joined up with the demon squad.

On this occasion, Orvo was not leading us. Instead, it was the imperial soldiers on escort duty who were fulfilling that role. It seemed that their specific task, or more precisely, the task of the captain of that unit, was to direct us on when to charge towards the fortress.

“First, we’ll go, and then Zald’s team will…”

“Got it. Instead, when we are inside the fortress, then….”

Once we arrived at the position where we were to wait alongside the imperial soldiers, Tigar and Zald, who led the Lugall and Kadaha units, respectively, began discussing the final adjustments to their attack strategy. The other members focused on preparing for battle, checking their weapons, and loosening up their bodies. I stood at a spot slightly away from the two units, monitoring the fortress with my compound eyes.

The fortress we faced was about two sizes smaller than the one I fought in before, but its shape was almost identical. It was a square-shaped tower with one tier of squares and cylindrical weapons lined up on the outer walls and atop the tower. As someone who had endured the full force of those weapons before, I knew their power all too well.

Let alone those dangerous, high-powered flaming projectiles, it’s dangerous to take on the other metal fragments without reinforcing oneself with fighting spirit. So, I constantly enhanced my fighting spirit and spiritual power within my body to be ready to fight at any moment while controlling it to not leak out.

Orvo’s spiritual binding art restrained my freedom, but it also helped me hone my control over both my fighting spirit and spiritual power. No one around me noticed that I was gathering my strength to the fullest. I was proud of myself for achieving such a level of control.

While keeping my gaze fixed on the fortress, I also made sure to observe the movements of the imperial soldiers. The advantage of having compound eyes on the back of my head was that I could see in all directions without having to turn my head.

Unlike the central front, only imperial soldiers were present on this eastern front, and they were all equipped with identical gear. The group of soldiers were all wearing red cloth with gold fittings and large feather decorations on their helmets as they all stood tall and dignified. Just like in the central front, heavy infantry was the largest group, followed by spiritualists and light infantry in the rear. This was the Imperial Army’s main force.

However, in addition to the main force, there were two other units present. One was a group of soldiers equipped with armor taken from the invaders, and the other was cavalry mounted on large horses.

The shape of the armor worn by the first unit was identical in appearance to the armor worn by the invaders. It seemed that this unit had stripped the armor from the fallen enemy soldiers and replaced damaged parts with undamaged parts from other sets of armor.

These soldiers, wearing the stolen armor, stood in the front row alongside the heavy infantry. The surface of their armor was painted in the colors of the empire—red and gold—to differentiate them from the enemy. Their numbers exceeded a thousand.

In their hands, they held large rectangular shields, like those of the heavy infantry, as well as cylindrical-shaped weapons that could fire flaming projectiles, like those used by the invading army. Since they were at a disadvantage, they must have trained their less skilled soldiers in the rear to use the equipment they had captured from fallen enemies. Perhaps this was a testament to the strength of the empire’s resources and military might.

On the other hand, the other unit had about 500 cavalry troops, which were part of the elite unit that was half-destroyed due to that foolish general. Originally, there were twice as many troops, and the unit’s strongest commander was in critical condition and not present right here. It would be an understatement to say that their fighting force had been reduced by half. Now, it seems that the deputy commander is in charge of the troops.

At first glance, it might seem that cavalry troops are not suitable for attacking the fortress, but it turns out that this decision was based on the information gathered during the central front’s siege of the fortress, which I also participated in. The invading army uses fast-moving metal boxes like carriages, so to pursue them, cavalry troops with excellent maneuverability were necessary.

This shows that the goal of this counter-attack operation was not only to destroy or capture the fortress. Rather, the priority is to kill all the invading soldiers inside the fortress. I knew this because I eavesdropped on their conversation during the tent military conference.

That’s why the reduction of the cavalry troop by half was quite a blow. Orvo said his unit would take over their task, so if the capture goes well, our demon squad will have to join in the pursuit. Running after those carriages is going to be a real pain, so if possible, I should destroy the metal boxes while I’m inside the fortress.

Don! Don! Dodon!

As I was pondering such thoughts, the sound of battle drums thundered from the Imperial Army’s side. While on the central front it had been a horn, here the beating of drums was the signal to commence the attack. The Imperial Army slowly began their advance.

The imperial soldiers escorting us had not yet told us to attack. As the invading army turned their attention to the main force of the Imperial Army, a clash of spiritual arts and flaming projectiles ensued. Right then, the captain of the imperial guards nearby shouted out the order for us to charge. At that very moment, I bolted straight towards the fortress.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

The lingering summer heat gave way to the cool autumn breeze, tickling the surface of the Enzo continent. In the northeast, the Imperial Army launched a counterattack, mustering all their might. At the appointed time, they advanced towards the five fortresses of the invading army.

The invading army forces, on the other hand, began their attack to defend their fortresses without being intimidated by the Imperial Army’s military might. Metal fragments flew through the air as the heat waves from exploding flaming projectiles assaulted the heavy infantry. While the front rows endured these attacks, the rearguard’s spiritualists and archers fought back to weaken the enemy’s momentum.

Such battles were being fought in all five fortresses, including the one furthest west. Thirty warriors stood at a distance from the battlefield, their shabby appearance contrasting with the aura of seasoned warriors. 

These were the members of the demon squad, former Atonement soldiers of the Empire who were now under the authority of Orvo. They were waiting here to fulfill their given mission, armed with weapons showing signs of aging but wearing relatively new clothes.

“Demon squad, charge!”

As the imperial soldiers on escort duty gave the command, members of the Lugall and Kadaha squads rushed forward in unison. Thanks to their enhanced physical abilities due to their demon forms, they stormed towards the fortress at a considerable speed, even without fully transforming into their demon forms.

However, there was one figure who left the group behind and headed towards the fortress alone. It was none other than the hades Scorpion demon. Its thick, long tail swayed as it dashed straight towards the fortress like a gust of wind. The members of the two squads were amazed at its speed.

“Hey, hey, holy crap, it’s so fast…!?”

“Yeah, I’m surprised. But if we leave it alone, it’ll be isolated, and… Tsk! We’ve been spotted!”

The demon approached at an incredible speed, but the enemy soldiers on the outer wall spotted its figure immediately. Metal fragments rained down from above, and Tigar and Zald could almost picture the demon getting riddled with holes.

However, before that could happen, the Hades Scorpion’s demon, with its hardened exoskeleton, kept moving forward without flinching, deflecting the metal fragments with its body. Its advance was that of a strange creature covered in an external exoskeleton. When they saw this, the warriors were not surprised by the sight because they knew that, despite the difference in appearance, they were ultimately all demons; the only difference was that the scales growing out from their bodies were a different color.

The hades scorpion demon raced across the land at full speed before leaping onto the smooth outer wall of the fortress. It plunged its fingers and toes into the wall and quickly climbed up while maintaining its momentum. Once it reached the top, it engaged the soldiers in a melee battle.

“Hey, hey, are you serious?!” 

“But it survived, and that’s what matters! Hurry, while the soldiers on the outer wall are still in disarray, we can climb up too!” 

Tigar and the others were slightly behind the hades scorpion demon, but they quickly threw their grappling hooks at the outer wall. Once they confirmed that the hooks were securely fastened, they skillfully climbed up using their swift and agile movements.

However, there were those who sought to hinder their progress. While the soldiers on the outer wall were engaged in combat, the square tower remained untouched. One soldier stationed there aimed his cylindrical weapon at the warriors climbing the ropes. To defend themselves, Tigar and his companions shielded themselves with their weapons and shields, but before they could react, a mechanical looking spear flew from the outer wall and pierced through the soldier along with his cylindrical weapon.

“Oh that was close! Thanks for the help, man!”

“Thank you for your support”

The one who provided support for them was the Hades Scorpion demon. He had killed an enemy soldier with his bare hands, snatched the soldier’s weapon, and hurled it towards the enemy soldier on the tower. The spear flew faster than those metal fragments, piercing through both the weapon and the enemy soldier.

Tigar and Zald, who followed after climbing up their grappling hooks, expressed their gratitude towards the Hades Scorpion demon while fighting off the enemy soldiers on the outer wall. Without his help, someone, including themselves, might have died due to bad luck. They were not ungrateful enough to not show their gratitude towards the one who prevented that tragedy from happening.

The Hades Scorpion demon nodded once and turned his back to them, continuing his advance towards the tower while killing off the enemy soldiers on the outer wall. As he swiftly climbed the tower, the scattered remains of the invading army’s corpses fell from the tower.

“Is this the power of the strongest demon? Unbelievable.”

“Well, I’m just glad he’s on our side…Even though it’s different from the plan, let’s leave the outer wall to him. We’ll head down. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. In battle, you have to be flexible and able to adapt to every situation. Alright then…Grrrrrrrr!”

“Rooooaaaar!”

Tigar and Zald let out a simultaneous battle cry as they both transformed into their demon forms. The rest of the demon squad following them also transformed after they climbed up the outer wall. Subsequently they jumped down towards the inside of the outer wall, aiming to destroy the gate.