Chapter 26

“Monster, it’s our captain!”

“Ahhh! Everyone, run!”

The Vanguard, drunk on the thrill of victory after once again repelling the wave, was suddenly plunged into terror by the appearance of a massive three-headed demon hound. The atmosphere shifted instantly from triumph to sheer horror.

“That’s… No way. How is that thing already here?!”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The massive three-headed hound, known as “Cerberus.”

I had faced Cerberus in my past life, but back then, it started with just one. Later, they appeared in countless numbers.

But now, it’s only the 63rd wave.

Originally, a three-headed hound shouldn’t appear until at least ten more waves had passed.

“Run, run faster!”

“Eek, they’re chasing us…!”

And to make matters worse, there were still quite a few smaller demon hounds left.

“Kwaang!”

“Ahhh…!”

“Save me!”

The exposed backs of the fleeing Vanguard members were perfect, delightful prey for the demon hounds.

Fortunately, not all of the Vanguard was in chaos.

The captains, realizing the severity of the situation, rallied the archers.

“Don’t panic! It’s just a bigger, more savage beast!”

“Aim, fire!”

Arrows rained down on Cerberus, filling the sky.

But Cerberus didn’t even flinch. It didn’t crouch or turn its head, not even blinking as the arrows poured down.

The arrows fell uselessly on its body, none piercing its hide.

Even the arrows that hit its seemingly vulnerable eyes fell harmlessly to the ground.

“The arrows… they’re not working?”

“If arrows don’t work, then we’ll just have to push through with spears! Shield bearers!”

Following the captains’ orders, the shield bearers formed a defensive formation.

But I stepped in front of them.

“No, stop right now!”

“Captain Kairon? Why are you stopping us? That thing is a demon. We have to destroy it!”

“I know! But think about it. If the arrows bounced off like that, do you really think spears will do any better?”

“But we won’t know until we try! We’re the Vanguard! Shield bearers, advance!”

“Hey, I said stop!”

I kept shouting for them to stop, but this life’s Vanguard didn’t know.

Cerberus is a high-level demon that only appears a few at a time with each wave.

And high-level demons…

“Shield bearers, stab!”

“Yahhh!!”

The shield bearers slowly approached Cerberus, spears at the ready, and thrust them into its body.

Thunk—

“Huh? What’s that sound?”

“I-its hide is tougher than steel…!”

The first trait of a high-level demon.

Ordinary weapons like spears and swords don’t work.

Only attacks imbued with mana can harm them.

And Cerberus realized it.

That these puny humans’ spears and arrows posed no threat.

“Kwaaaah!!”

With a confident roar, Cerberus sent the surrounding shield bearers flying with just the sound waves.

“What, what is this?!”

“Ugh, ugh… I can’t hear. I can’t hear…!”

Thud—

A member, bleeding from the ears, couldn’t finish his sentence.

Cerberus had crushed him flat with a single stomp.

“Run!”

“We can’t fight that! How are we supposed to kill something like that?!”

One of the Vanguard’s absolute rules.

When encountering a new, unknown entity, proceed with caution.

This tragedy happened because that rule was ignored.

“Awooo~”

Cerberus’s long howl shook the surroundings.

Hearing this, the demon hounds quickly gathered around Cerberus.

“Damn it…!”

Anyone could see this was a dire situation, but I was the only one who truly understood its gravity.

The second trait of high-level demons.

They possess the intelligence to command and control lower-level demons.

If before we were just hunting bloodthirsty wild dogs, now we were facing a small army.

“What, what do we do? We’ve never faced an enemy like this before!”

“Captain!!”

The despairing members cried out to their superiors for orders, but the captains were just as stunned, their minds blank.

The captains, who were quite skilled and experienced, had already noticed.

From the start, one captain had been taken down without even putting up a fight.

Cerberus was strong enough to make even a captain seem insignificant.

“Kwaaaah!!”

Finally, Cerberus roared again and charged at the members.

It swung its massive paws, sending members flying high into the air, biting and tearing apart anyone it could reach.

The members, consumed by fear, ran aimlessly, meeting their deaths in vain.

“This, this is just…!”

Even Abelin was panicked.

Though she was the most powerful among the captains, this level of carnage was a first in this life.

Honestly, it would’ve been more impressive if she had kept her composure.

And she made a decision.

Even if this situation was hard to accept…

‘I can’t just stand by.’

“Black Iron Vanguard.”

“Y-yes?”

“Answer louder, Black Iron Vanguard!”

“Gasp… Yes!”

As I barked, the cowering Black Iron Vanguard answered loudly.

“Who are we?”

“W-we’re the Vanguard!”

“Who in the Vanguard?!”

“T-the Black Iron Vanguard, known for our ironclad defense!”

“That’s right. So we advance.”

“But Captain, that demon is truly terrifying…”

“Hey.”

The low, calm voice that came from my throat silenced the member who had spoken back.

“You’re the Black Iron Vanguard. So who am I?”

“Y-you’re Captain Kairon.”

“Exactly. And yet, you don’t trust me, your captain?”

“W-well…”

“Damn it.”

It was utterly disappointing.

I thought the Black Iron Vanguard I had trained was the strongest unit in the Vanguard, but in the face of a real crisis, they had become such cowardly weaklings.

But.

“Captain?”

“Captain! Where are you going?”

“Don’t call me captain, you cowards! I never raised you to be like this!”

If my subordinates were scared, it was my duty as a leader to lead them through and beyond their fear.

Members running toward me with terror in their eyes, demon hounds freely hunting them down.

“I’m going. So…”

I gripped my sword tightly.

“Follow if you want, or don’t!”

While everyone retreated, I alone charged forward.

“Grrr…”

“N-no! Stay back! Ahhh…!”

Swoosh—

“Huh?”

“Get up! If you’re not going to fight, at least get up and run!”

“Y-yes! Thank you!!”

I sliced the demon hound trying to bite a member’s neck in half.

Another one lunging from the side, I kicked with all my might, crushing its body.

“Grr…?”

As expected, Cerberus, who had been casually directing its underlings, seemed startled by the unexpected turn of events.

“Grrr… Kwaaaah!!”

But being a high-level demon with decent intelligence, it quickly rallied the scattered demon hounds to attack me all at once.

As expected of a swift hound species.

I was surrounded in an instant.

“These bastards…”

Honestly, I could handle this many.

But what I was wary of was something else.

Fighting this many at once would require a lot of mana.

And if I did that, I’d be too drained to face Cerberus, the real threat.

“Not bad. I’ll be resting for a month anyway, so I might as well push myself. Come at me…”

“Waaaah!!”

“Huh?”

A loud battle cry echoed.

“Let’s save the captain!”

“We’re not cowards!!”

My frightened subordinates, the Black Iron Vanguard, were charging in with shields and spears to help me.

The demon hounds, startled by their momentum, hesitated, and in that moment, the sharp spears of the Black Iron Vanguard pierced their necks and bodies.

The Black Iron Vanguard successfully joined me in a fierce charge.

“Captain, are you okay? We’re here!”

“Took you long enough. You brats, but you’re finally acting like my subordinates!”

“Um, sir…”

“What? Why do you sound so timid again?”

“We’re surrounded again.”

“…”

The soldier was right.

It was good that the Black Iron Vanguard had joined me,

But the demon hounds had surrounded us again with their numbers.

“Grrr…!!”

They were glaring at us, looking even angrier than before.

“Are you scared of them?”

“No, we’re not!”

“Be honest. Are you scared?”

“Well, actually, we’re a little scared…”

“Are you scared?!”

“No, we’re not!!”

As the Black Iron Vanguard shouted in unison, the demon hounds flinched again.

Even under the command of the high-level demon Cerberus, they were still just big, strong wild dogs.

“Stop overreacting. We’ve prepared for situations like this, haven’t we? Right, Plymus?”

“Yes, sir. You trained us for this exact scenario. We have a formation for this.”

“That’s right. It’s finally time to test it. Let’s deploy the circular formation!”

“Yes, sir!!”

The Black Iron Vanguard, their morale restored, moved in perfect unison, forming a circular defensive formation around me.

“The shape looks good. The most important thing in this formation is trusting your comrades. Focus solely on the enemy in front of you. Got it?”

“Got it!”

“They think we’re trapped like rats in a cage. But they’re wrong. We’re going to lure them in.”

As the Black Iron Vanguard and I steeled our resolve, Cerberus, seeing the encirclement complete, let out a howl.

“Kwaaaah!”

At this signal, the demon hounds charged at us.

“Spears!”

“Stab!!”

The demon hounds, throwing themselves at us, were met with an impenetrable wall of spears.

The demon hounds, relying on their strength and size, only drove the spears deeper into their bodies before burning away.

The other demon hounds hesitated, not daring to charge recklessly.

“Now, my turn?”

I leaped high into the air.

And with a powerful sword strike, I shattered the gathered demon hounds into pieces.

The demon hounds, seeing their kin obliterated, were left in confusion, unsure whether to attack or flee.

This formation, assuming it wouldn’t collapse, was the perfect balance of offense and defense.

A formation only the elite Black Iron Vanguard could use.

“Kuhaha, this is the power of our Vanguard, you mindless beasts!”

“Come at us if you dare! Or die by our captain’s hand!”

The emboldened Black Iron Vanguard laughed heartily and shouted.

“You guys. Should’ve been like this from the start…”

Yes, this is what I wanted.

Facing the demons without fear, united as one.

That is the true strength of us, of humanity.