Chapter 155 – First Battle Victory and Enemy Main Forces
First Battle Victory and Enemy Main Forces
'Let out all of your power!'
I remembered that I did say such words.
It's all right, I'm not yet on the age where I went senile. [1]
Because only three years had passed since I was reincarnated.
Such worry like that is unnecessary.
But, were those words that I had said was really mine?
Because I want to doubt the event happening on the large screen in front of me, so I only accidentally spilled out my thoughts.
On the large screen in front of me, Tempest army's overwhelming victory was projected.
That's good.
I didn't have any trouble of it, although the contents were too gruesome.
The one-sided infringement war was progressing to astonishing state.
Gobuta dashed through the battlefield with coolness unlike normal Gobuta and he smashed a tank with a dash.
Gabil being Gabil, he transformed himself into an appearance like a dragon devil[2] that look strong, and then he smashed one enemy ship by one strike with an abnormally high energy[3].
It was not only Gabil, every member of Hiryuu were not a laughing matter as they transformed too.
I immediately realized they used『Dragon Warrior Transformation』but I didn't think that they could handle it without going berserk.
And then the deciding factor was the explosion that occurred in the sky.
I didn't know whether the culprit being playful or not but a heat nuclear explosion occurred in the sky and it engulfed the Empire's airship force with its blaze.
At this point, the flying force of the Empire side fell into a state of unmaintainable.
With that as the start, Tempest's grand offense began.
Even in a modern war, a helicopter was tremendously advantageous against a tank.
Similar to that, the breath attacks that conducted by Blue Numbers' wyverns from the sky dealt a great damage to the Empire army's ground forces.
But there's a reason for why they were able to performed it smoothly.
It was because the action of the intelligence officers.
Maybe those guys has eyes that could discern strong people, not only sorting the enemy's captains and general soldiers, they made a bloodbath of any noticeable person.
Actually, even if the analysis was by Raphael, it was supported by those four, Veyron, Moss, Cien and Zonda that kept the enemy a company which were strong people boasting power beyond normal strength.
I feared, that "Otherworlder" may hid and lay hidden amongst those strong people.
I guess they would be spotted easily and would be taken care off before they could took any action.
How terrifying, the discerning eyes that could distinguished strong people.
Meanwhile, an abnormality occurred in the strategic mobilization headquarters located in the rear of the Empire army.
Projected on the large screen was Testarossa and Ultima standing there smiling.
I was not able to confirm other living people.
Several hundred tanks of the remaining force stop their movement, all soldiers of the supply maintenance in the rear fall down too.
Their number may be approximately on scale of ten thousand people.
Although I didn't understand what was happening, I was able to somewhat understood only that a dangerous thing had happened.
Raphael,
《Answer. The use of large-scale annihilation magic "Death Streak" was confirmed》
Answered so.
When I heard the explanation of that magic that annihilate living being with demonic death rays was a variety of nuclear strike magic,
"Don't use that such dangerous magic!" I think it can't be helped that I shouted so.
Anyway, victory was decided at that moment.
Therefore I was going to declare the end of the battle on that battlefield…… but!
At that time, the need to stop had already disappeared.
Tens of thousands of the Empire army's soldiers that still remains in the battlefield would be annihilated on the next moment.
Quartet Spell (Fourfold Compound Magic): Arc Sanctuary (Monsters' Sanctuary)[4] was invoked.
With Moss as the lead, 4 Arc Demons scattered to four cardinal direction of the battlefield.
And then, a Quartet Spell was invoked.
Their act of disposing strong people previously seems to be a precaution so this large-scale magic would not be disturbed.
Around here, it might be that guy[5] who had different status than Testarossa and her group that could easily invoked large-scale annihilation magic alone.
But, it didn't mean that they were weak, because that guy was a bad object to be compare with.
The Arc Sanctuary has no effect on the monsters as its name suggests.
However, it exhibited a lethal effect to the affected humans who were not used to magic essence.
Like this time, the magicians who set up magic barrier were dead, and the strengthened human that only been strengthened in fighting power only couldn't resist it.
The frightening thing was a person that couldn't resist it would have their body began disintegrating and would be transformed into magic essence immediately.
Only in several minutes, all remains of the survivor has became magic essence.
Thus, the first encounter with the Empire army ended.
Or rather, the Empire army was annihilated in the first encounter.
Literally, it's an annihilation. There's no military explanation for this.
It was absurd so I thought.
I only told them to let out all of their power, I didn't think the result would be like this.
Towards me,
「How should I put it. Isn't my plan have no completely no meaning now!?
What's with that women! Also, those intelligence officers!
It's said that they are under Rimuru-sama's direct control, you could give me an explanation right?」
Benimaru turned his face with smile on it.
That was, well I guess…. Right?
Wasn't there no plan at all?
However you see, Benimaru.
You're not the only one who wants an explanation.
Instead, I think I want to get an explanation!
Even such excuses cannot expressed the feelings I had in mind……
「They were picked by Diablo, our new comrades.
I thought it was bad if the enemy forces had someone with demon lord class ability, so I deployed them……
They seemed to do their best a little too much.
Oh well, Diablo would educate them from now on.」
I pushed it to Diablo and avoid it without any trouble.
I mean I didn't think that the demons acted unreasonably to that extent.
Those fellows were too cool.
Because they exterminated the enemy forces without any hesitation.
However,
「Kufufufufu. Rather than overdoing, they might be get a bit cocky.
I will educate (discipline) them later」
To Diablo who talking with smiling face, I didn't forget to say "Moderately okay!"
to him
With this and that, the explanation about the situation ended and the damage of the first battle was confirmed.
The battle ended without taking more than 2 hours since the battle began.
A lot of injured seem to have appeared but everyone have recovered now.
Because everyone was given 10 High Potion made in Tempest, so they seemed to be able to cure most of their wounds immediately.
Also, people who I thought died at the beginning, in fact they seems to have their life saved thanks to the quick utilization of Full Potion owned by the commanding officer class.
I can say that they carried out their role as bait splendidly under Benimaru's command.
So there were few reason for Benimaru to be shaken.
As a result, there was no casualties as the recovery potion was used greatly.
This was an unimaginable big victory.
However, it's not like there was no harm either.
Gabil and his Hiryuu subordinates.
They receive a great damage to their body because the special skill『Dragon Warrior Transformation』.
This skill forcefully turns the user's body to become strong that rivals the dragonoid. However, the effect didn't hold up more than 30 minutes, and can only be used once per 2 days.
The reason was they would receive a excessive recoil immediately after the use and they couldn't move for 24 hours in that terrible state.
Oh well, although it's good that we won by letting out all of our power, it's a skill that will self-destruct the user if used wrongly.
This time, the penalty that was the recoil of Gabil getting cocky not just him alone as everyone in Hiryuu squad received the recoil too.
They can feel glad it's only to that extent, so they can't help but think that.
And so, the damages of the Empire's side……
There was no prisoner of war. The reason why was because everyone had died.
Their numbers were 240.000 people.
Their souls were offered to me, so I can grasped the accurate number.
This feeling, might be like a guy who collect souls from his subordinates.
After a while since the battle started, I felt the souls accumulated in intense rate.
I evolved into a Demon Lord from the awakening of the Demon Lord Seed after collecting 10.000 souls, then what would happen in case of 240.000 souls?
The answer was, no change!
When I awakened as a True Demon Lord, it also meant that my evolution had reached its peak.
That's right.
Otherwise about this time Guy would killed and force the humanity to ruin to reap their souls.
Most likely he refraining from slaughtering since his awakening because he realized instinctively that he cannot evolve anymore.
However, it was possible to use it for things other than own evolution.
《Notice. The acquired soul had exceeded the regulated amount.
Currently, it can be used for two individuals that linked to soul genealogy.
The individuals that can be the targets are the following named monsters.
Ranga, Benimaru, Shion, Gabil, Gerudo,
Diablo, Testarossa, Ultima, Carrera,
Kumara, Zegion, Adalman.
Those were individuals who has the qualification for Demon Lord Awakening.
Regulated amount [Soul: 100.000] will be used, would you want to perform the evolution of the subordinates? YES/NO》
Raphael-san said such unthinkable things.
Apparently, it's possible to awaken someone with the qualification for Demon Lord Awakening by giving them a specific amount of souls.
Moreover, it came with ten times of amount for my awakening.
This is something no one ever knew about until now.
Even if someone know about this, it's more cheaper to befriend one than to make one artificially.[6]
Guy might know about this.
Therefore, he probably held the gathering of high ranking people like Walpurgis so he could sort person who is worth to be his comrade.
There might be another reason rather than just that.
Perhaps I've overestimate him, though there's no chance that he didn't know about it too.
Although I casually say 100.000 souls, I practically annihilated one large city.
Something like that isn't an act you can do so easily.
What on my mind next is the words "linked to soul genealogy".
This is, probably, about connection of the souls via "naming".
The monsters evolved when I named them. I misused it casually, but I now understand that this is a considerably dangerous act.
Because I consumed a large amount of magic essence, it leads to my own weakening.
So, I stored the surplus of the magic essence[7] and use it.
The reason such a thing is possible is because I had the convenient skill like the Stomach of Gluttonous King Beelzebub.
I could understand that, if there was no such a skill I cannot use the saved up magic essence and could not perform "naming" to anyone so easily.
Therefore, there are few people having subordinates with soul connection.[8]
I cannot deny the possibility that this is a privilege given only to me.
And so, I said NO.
It has a too dangerous feeling and because I'm troubled in choosing whom should I choose.
And there's also trouble about sorting the qualified person.
If it's only based on magic essence quantity, then even Souei have the qualification.
Anyway, it seems better for me to leave it aside for now because I don't understand it well.
However, more than 200.000 people died huh.
It's a massacre.
And yet, I don't feel anything.
At the time I already became a Demon Lord, I don't have any intent to make excuses as I murdered 10.000 people with my own hands.
I endlessly thinking such things as the person who I slain also had a family.
However, are the families that sent them innocent? If you think about this so, they have the responsibility of not stopping them.
When war happens, death will surely follows.
They will have to bear the responsibility of not objecting the public opinion of going to war.
Even if it's a constitutional state or imperialism state, that doesn't change.
Ignorance is a sin.
Because saying 'I don't know' can't be an excuse. Lack of imagination is also another sin.
I think it's nonsense, if you start a war without even resolution that your relatives[9] could die and would only say your complaint after it's over.
Turning your weapon to the civilian is also wrong as a person and as a country, but there's no right to complaint since the invading army was annihilated.
This is because we're also face it with readiness of being annihilated.
Though it's coming from me who get upset only by having my subordinates got hurt.
In other words, feeling and reason are different thing.
Also, the war has not over yet.
It appears the main force of the Empire army, the ground corps with total number of 700.000 people are going south from the border between Dwarf Kingdom and Great Jura Forest, invading towards Tempest.
There's no time to be immersed in sentiment.
−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−
One week had passed since the war started and finally the main forces of the Empire Army has invaded my territory.
I gave the order of retrieval of the unharmed tanks and the wreckages of the broken airships to Gobuta and his group.
I also make Gabil who recovered to work together with Gobuta.
There's no need to return in rush, as Benimaru had issued the instructions.
Certainly, it's a huge win with only this.[10]
Though we must never let our guard down, the second corps still here, also Diablo is in high spirit.
As for the intelligence officer, Carrera is assigned to Gerudo.
In addition to that, Testarossa and the others have returned to the control room too.
In case there's strong individuals in the main forces of the Empire Army, I will once again deploy them.
But, the other executives are in high spirits too.
Shion also want to head to the battlefield,
「Those demons, they're too showy!
I'll go and show what kind of true strength is like!」
So, she is going to leave while saying such regrettable words although,
「Weren't you are my guard?」
She seemed to take back her remark in hurry after I asked her.
Right now just obediently wait here, when the moment arrives I would give the sortie order.
Since this place is in the deepest part of the labyrinth, it'll takes some time till the enemy army attack this place.
Oh well, our remaining forces are few in comparison with the Empire Army of 700.000 people.
However, ours might be equal at the quality and not just the executives, even the soldiers at the tip[11] are highly motivated.
My order seems still effective and everyone is in high morale to let out their power.
What should I do? That's the problem.
Although it was ignored, the play with the warning had been done[12] and I also had already finished the declaration of the war.
Even if I suddenly make a surprise attack, they couldn't criticize and call it cowardice.
However, the effect of a surprise attack with few numbers is small, is it the turn of nuclear strike magic?
No, should I issue a warning for fair and square battle for the time being?
Everyone was filled with motivation, very enthusiastically offering even more souls to me.
They probably didn't know what possible to do by gathering souls, I wondered why they'd go that far.
The demons seems to make the remains of feelings imprinted within the soul as their favorite food though……
I don't particularly want such a thing.
However, it's 700.000 people huh.
Don't let me awaken seven people, I get scared of thinking about that.
First of all, victims must not come from our side, though if it could bring us victory in the war then that's fine.
The best action is to lure them into the labyrinth.
If it's inside the labyrinth, I can make our casualties to be 0.
Or rather because the monsters inside the labyrinth can be converted into war potentials for us and our forces would increases instantly.
If it's only their number, they would able to oppose the 700.000 people aside from the quality.[13]
In Benimaru's strategy, the second corps would be deployed as the front line of Tempest and strengthen the defense completely.
Meanwhile, we would confirm the enemy's intelligence and work out a strategy to estimate the existence of strong individuals.
Actually, the progress of a war in modern warfare were decided by the power of numbers, although in this world power of one strong individual could overturn the situation of a war as it was proven in the first battle[14].
I would say that it's a theory that prioritizing in estimating the individual who likely become a threat.
Hmm.
Certainly, it would be useless even if I sent a general nuclear strike because of the defense of Magic Barrier.
However, I think it cannot defend against "Death Streak".
Should I make the demons, the intelligence officers to do a suicide attack and annihilated the enemy army?
I thought that for a moment. But, the damage to the forest would be tremendous if I do that.
Above all, I would say that I could lose my precious and strongest war potentials easily if by any chance the enemy could defend against the attack.
It's common to make the defense of a big army completely sure, and individual who could use holy barrier seems to go to the front.
Among the first strong individuals that defeated by Moss's group, there seemed to be a person who could erect such barrier.
There's no meaning as it can't be used since they lost the means to defend against the large-scale annihilation magic.
Benimaru's way was more skilled than me who was an amateur in tactics. Since I entrust everything to him, I should pose dignified.
In the end, it progressed without any alarming event.
Although the Empire army's main forces went south after traveling near the former area of Farmas Kingdom, their aim was naturally: Tempest, after all.
In the unlikely event that they began to march to the former territory of Farmas Kingdom, I plan to immediately attack them from the rear, but such worry was just a needless anxiety.
Currently, Farmas is where Youmu would raise and establish a new kingdom.
We are secretly supporting them, but they still don't have the strength for a war. Even so, we have surveillance cooperation with Falmas.
Because I thought that if possible I didn't want any harm come to them, I felt relieved by this result.
By the way, there was even an proposal from the Dwarf King, asking if it was necessary to send a reinforcement, but I answered "there's no problem".
Leaving them alone and let them to pass through just like that.
"It will be alright if they arrived at us", everyone's opinions had settled on this conclusion.
The Dwarf King said, "Then a cooperation in surveillance", and he successively passed information to my side.
Well, actually there's no need for that, but we accepted as a form of goodwill.
As I can observe any action one by one with Surveillance Magic, it's really convenient for times like this.
Just in case, because Souei's subordinates were doing the surveillance in real time, there's no worry that the displayed images were incorrect due to illusion and the like.
While monitoring the situation with such feeling, we're standing by in preparation towards the second war.
Because it's the same road like the invasion route used by the Holy Knights, along the way exists the labyrinth's entrance.
If the Empire ignores the labyrinth and went full army to Tempest, the volunteers gathered inside the labyrinth could attack them from the rear.
In this case, we must prepare for a huge casualties but it could make up for the disadvantage because pincer attack is possible.
We will decide what to do when they arrive to here.
If possible, I want half of them be directed to the dungeon.
It was uncertain whether it would went according to my wish or not, but in the end it developed just as I wished for.
The forces of about 200.000 people passes the labyrinth and went toward Tempest City.
The enemy's main forces of 500.000 people were encamped in the dungeon's vicinity.
Probably, they might invading for capturing the dungeon while confirming the status of Tempest City's invasion sequentially.
They seemed to be surprised that the city surrounding the labyrinth disappears, but they seem to performing the capture of the dungeon without hesitating.
It was greed.
Being focused only on one of it would be inconvenient for us.
Rather, there's no problem if they bite at the bait that's the dungeon, but we couldn't avoid a hard fight if the entire army was allotted for capturing our capital.
Rather calling it as a skirmish, even allowing them to directly invade the decoy troops and leaking out some information, will make them meaninglessly lose their war potentials.
If there's no need to split, dispersing the war potentials is a stupid move.
It's a thought of an amateur, though I think there's no other choice but to crushes both of it.
「We won」
To my muttering,
「Ah…… It's our victory」
So Benimaru answers in good mood.
Substantially, victory was decided by the strategy.
Afterward, as long as we're not defeated by brute strength, our victory is certain.
「It was great that the fools went to the labyrinth.」
「That's right. But, it's thanks to the bait that Rimuru-sama scattered.
It's great that most of them bite it」
「I guess so.
I don't know what Yuuki's goal is, so the best thing I could do was scattering the bait to cause an internal discord.
Anyway, I only thought about it with aim for causing a disturbance inside the Empire.
Oh well, if you stimulate a person's desire, it will be impossible for them to ignore the dungeon.
The worst case is the decisive battle will be inside the labyrinth after the capital becomes ashes.」
「If it's not a big deal, we can win with the capital being safe too.
Depending on the situation, I would also head out.」
When Benimaru says so,
「There's might be no need for that.
Rimuru-sama, before Benimaru goes out, is it okay for me to head out too?」
Shion appeared.[15]
Oh well, it's important for her being my personal bodyguard but the control room is the safest place.
She may come back with transfer immediately, as in my side there are Testa and Ul who refraining themselves as they were punished because they went rampaging as the reason.
Not to mention, Veldora also watching the battle together with me, I thought there's no danger for guard to be stationed here.
I think there's no problem.
「It's might be hard for Gerudo's corps only, your corps might also need an actual combat experience.
Go as I permit it, However, don't overdo it!」
「Understood, thank you very much!」
Shion left the control room with face full of smile, face that says "How's that Benimaru!".
Diablo also bowed to me, he went with a whole face smile.
It will be difficult to stop Diablo.
After all, he's the most motivated here.
Benimaru shrugged his shoulders, he seemed to given up on going out.
And so, he joined me and the remaining spectators.
Because it's a ridiculous thing for the Supreme Commander to go out, of course I said that's natural.
Thus, the decisive battle with 700.000 people of the Empire army's main forces has begun.
[1] Rimuru…. You breaking the fourth wall…..
[2] Ryuu Majin…… I really didn't know what should I use here. XD
[3] Energy = Magic power.
[4] 四重複合魔法(カルテットスペル):魔物達の聖域(アークサンクチュアリ). Shijuu Fukugou Mahou (Karutteto Superu):Mamono-tachi no Seiki (Āku Sankuchuari).
[5] Diablo, it's obviously Diablo.
[6] Better befriend one than making one.
[7] Like MP regen.
[8] As other people didn't have the same skill as Rimuru.
[9] As in someone you know not just families.
[10] He got new toys (Tank and airship).
[11] The lowest rank.
[12] The one Testarossa do before.
[13] Quality = individual power.
[14] Which they just won before.
[15] Appeared as like she butting in the conversation.