Python seemed to be suppressing the urge to charge directly at Ahom.
The war had just begun, so it was necessary to observe the situation and wait.
Rushing out hastily would only lead to a disadvantageous scenario.
When the Undead army approached the castle, the view from the castle wall was truly astonishing.
Elves lined up, each holding rifles instead of bows.
Bang!
The bullets pouring down in unison were not ordinary lead pellets; they contained mana and flew with a bright glow.
“Are the elves using guns?”
“Most of them are elves raised in the city.”
I didn’t realize when Melorna had come to stand beside me to explain.
“They are a special unit that has been trained in the military.”
“I see. They also use bows, right?”
In response to my question, Melorna only smiled faintly without answering.
Thinking back, Melorna primarily used a sword instead of a bow.
It seemed elves did not necessarily have to use bows.
They could not keep firing indefinitely at the countless Undead armies.
With no separate unit to relieve them, the method of attack had to change.
Fighting alongside the castle wall gave a significant advantage to the defenders.
The Undead had not even reached the castle walls, yet their numbers were visibly decreasing.
Along with magical attacks, cannons were continuing to fire.
“It feels a bit boring.”
“Indeed.”
The Roran Empire had thoroughly prepared for war over the past week.
They repaired the castle walls and reinforced them even more.
Various defense strategies had been devised.
Cannons, magic, rifle units, and more were deployed, leaving no gaps in preparation.
The Empire’s preparations were so well done that I found it boring.
But the enemy was an army of Undead.
Ahom, the commander of this battle, maintained a steadfast demeanor while observing the situation.
“Awaken under the blessing of the Holy Sword, Hamiel!”
As Ahom raised the Holy Sword high into the sky, a white light shone down upon the Undead.
The light began to dissolve the skeleton Undead as if it were a liquid.
The liquefied skeletons gathered together and formed a pure white mass.
From the mass sprouted a pair of wings and eyes, and then arms and legs grew.
Boom!
It boasted a size that couldn’t even be compared to an ordinary human.
“Bam!”
A long hole appeared where its face was presumed to be, producing a sound like a horn.
“Go, Hamiel.”
The being called Hamiel slowly walked towards the castle wall.
All cannons and magic concentrated on the creature named Hamiel.
Bang! Bang!
“Bam~”
The cannons and spells that flew toward it were blocked by a transparent barrier.
“Emergency transmission!”
A soldier hurriedly conveyed the message to Python.
“The Knight Order commanders are to be summoned.”
Python ordered his aide and began to descend the castle wall.
“Hurry along yourself.”
I told Melorna to keep an eye on the situation and followed Python.
The summoned location was an alley not far from the southern castle wall behind a civilian building.
The leaders of each Knight Order were gathered in the alley.
“Who called for the summons?”
“Me.”
It was none other than Leon who summoned the Knight Order leaders.
“Let’s keep it brief, I’m busy.”
“Who is going to deal with that Hamiel?”
If left alone, it would surely reach the castle wall.
To stop its movement, someone had to go out and take care of it.
“I’ll do it.”
As I raised my hand and spoke, everyone showed expressions of understanding.
“Very well. If any others wish to go out, I would appreciate it if you could mention it beforehand, though.”
Leon politely requested, and the other commanders nodded.
The emergency summons were lifted, and I immediately prepared to step outside the castle.
To prepare for any situation, I released my transformation spell and changed into my dragon form.
I was much sturdier than in human form, so I feared no attack.
I flapped my wings vigorously and soared into the air.
“Last Ape!”
Gripping the spear shaped like Last Ape, I first observed Hamiel.
All artillery and magical attacks were blocked by the invisible barrier it had created.
The transparent barrier seemed to be a type of shield magic.
I compressed lightning at the spear’s tip, gradually increasing the purity of my mana.
To consume the opponent’s magic, I needed to strike it down with a higher purity.
The more I compressed the lightning, the more difficult it became to raise its purity, far beyond my imagination.
With my current skill, I could at most raise the purity of the lightning I compressed three times.
I needed to make a pre-emptive strike before the enemy noticed me.
Zing!
As the lightning collided with the shield it created, it turned to look at me.
Thud!
“Bam!”
To defend against my lightning, it seemed Hamiel was reinforcing the shield.
Clang!
With a sound like shattering glass, the lightning pierced right through the center of its chest.
A large hole formed in its chest, but nothing could be seen inside.
It felt as though it were an object, not even a drop of bl**d spilled.
Breaking the shield and piercing its chest, the creature’s movement did not stop.
To prevent it from getting closer to the castle wall, I flew downward.
While it seemed large from the sky, looking up from the ground, it felt like a building was moving.
Changing Last Ape into sword form, I charged at its legs.
I swung it to inflict a large wound with a single strike.
Clang!
With a sound like metal clashing, Ahom revealed himself in front of me.
“You! You’re that creature from last time!”
Seemingly in a rush, he only deflected my sword while mounted.
“Where did you get such a monster?”
“A monster? This one is an angel!”
“An angel?”
It looked nothing like any angel I knew.
“It seems it’s not an angel after all.”
“The angel Hamiel, under the blessing of the Holy Sword, is real!”
From the moment he had drawn that Holy Sword, I had my doubts.
“How can an Undead wield the Holy Sword?”
“That’s because I’m the hero destined to save this world from doom.”
If it had been just mere words, I would have dismissed it as nonsense.
But the sword Ahom held was real.
Seeing the Undead retreating as soon as the sword was unsheathed was sufficient proof.
“Hamiel, break through the castle gates!”
“I can’t let that happen!”
I swung at Hamiel, but Ahom stubbornly blocked me.
“Flame of doom.”
A black fire ignited on Ahom’s Holy Sword.
Whoosh!
The flaming sword of Ahom quickly brushed past my shoulder.
Though I had scales, it didn’t feel pleasant at all.
While it was fine when swords clashed, strangely, touching the Holy Sword gave me an odd sensation.
I opened my stance from one sword to three, blocking Ahom’s attacks as best I could.
With every moment, Hamiel drew closer to the castle wall.
Swoosh!
Boom!
As I received Ahom’s strike, one of Hamiel’s arms was severed.
“I leave that one to you.”
Python, with a large axe resting on his shoulder, was grinning brightly.
“Ahhhh!”
Ahom let out a roar toward Python.
Not missing that moment, I unleashed a rapid series of strikes.
Tap! Thud!
Cracks began to appear all over Ahom’s dry body.
The wound on his left shoulder was about to tear off entirely.
“Ugh!”
I mixed my single and double sword strikes targeting Ahom’s left shoulder!
Despite being injured, he managed to block my attacks well.
If I could swing just a bit faster than now, it would be great, but it’s still not possible.
Flash!
A bolt of lightning struck down above Ahom’s head.
If I mobilized everything I could use, I was at a far better advantage!
“Holy Shield!”
In a panic, he cast a protective spell and checked his wounds.
Ahom looked down at his dangling left arm and muttered to himself.
“Looks like I have to retreat for today.”
As before, black smoke began to swirl around Ahom’s body.
“Trying to run again!”
I struck down at the shield he spread with my sword, but it did not break.
As Ahom vanished, Hamiel’s body melted and collapsed.
The Undead soldiers hurriedly began to retreat as their commander, Ahom, disappeared.
It was the victory of the first siege battle.
However, I could not let my guard down. The Undead had not deployed all their forces, and the most crucial commanders had yet to show up.
Though the Undead retreated, there was no time to rest.
Since the battle, I had been busy being pulled into meetings here and there.
What kind of army holds so many meetings?
After the military assembly concluded, a separate council began, and once that ended, the internal meetings of the Knight Orders commenced.
The most impressive discussion in the meetings was the development of weapons or magic with great firepower.
The military announced that a significant spell was nearing completion.
When activated, it would turn several kilometers into a sea of flames.
At least twenty specialized mages would be required to activate it.
The mage unit was composed entirely of wizards who had dedicated themselves to researching magic—both humans and demons.
Among their developments was the rifle used by the elves today.
By the time I had processed all the meetings and returned to my quarters, it was already quite late.
Even amidst the busy meetings, I found time to secure a special wooden sword and climbed to the rooftop.
This wooden sword was much heavier than a normal wooden sword, reinforced with a steel core.
I held the wooden sword and unfolded my single sword stance.
Whoosh!
Demons could exert far greater strength than humans.
A wooden sword of ordinary weight wouldn’t help much in developing my physical strength.
Thus, this special wooden sword infused with a steel core was created.
I had heard that other Knight Order leaders also used it.
Frey even possessed two of these special wooden swords, using them both for training.
Reflecting on the battle against Ahom, I slowly swung the wooden sword.
I pondered how it would have been if I had swung like this during the fight, setting up imaginary opponents and swinging my sword.
