The five nations—Rephan Kingdom, Gardio Empire, Fire Nation Dauburn, Regulus Empire, and Demon King’s Kingdom Xenoah—are being attacked by the Apostles of the Evil God, and the forces of Brunhild are being divided among them.
Out of the five nations, the largest number of soldiers is from the Gardio Empire, followed by Regulus, Rephan, Xenoah, and Dauburn.
In the Gardio Empire, there are Elze, Linze, and Lean.
In the Regulus Empire, there are Lu and Yae.
In the Rephan Kingdom, there are Sue and Yumina.
In the Demon King’s Kingdom Xenoah, there are Sakura and Hilda.
In the Fire Nation Dauburn, I will go.
The children will stay with their mothers. …Elna and Linne are, as usual, switching places.
Just in case, I leave Norn's Leo Noir and Nia's Tiger Rouge with half of the knight order to stay behind in Brunhild.
Ende, due to Alice’s objections, will go with Yumina … and Kuon, back to the Rephan Kingdom.
The people from Babylon will go to each battlefield to report live updates. We will use relay drones, and if things seem bad, we will send reinforcements from other areas.
After deciding on such rough plans, the real difficulty began.
First, I went around the five nations, gathering the locations of the cities under attack from the kings' memories.
Then, I opened the [Gate] and sent the local knight order, the Frame Gears I had lent, and my wives and children to the designated areas.
If Yakumo could use [Recall] to peek into memories, I would’ve had his help, but…
Even so, Yakumo alone would be with me, traveling between the five battlefields and ready to come through the [Gate] whenever needed. You never know what could happen.
Finally, we arrived at the desert hill overlooking Ishgil, an oasis town in the Fire Nation Dauburn.
The town, once a peaceful oasis in the desert, now presented a scene of hellish screams and chaos.
Everywhere you looked, there were fires and smoke rising, with the residents running in panic.
The main attackers were the fusion machines. Dozens of Cyclopes could be seen, but there were no goat-headed creatures. Perhaps they don’t have enough? That’s a relief for us.
"Warriors of Dauburn! Protect the town of Ishgil from the invaders! Charge!"
The command of the young King of Dauburn echoed through everyone, amplified by the [Speaker] attached to mass-produced smartphones.
Riding magical beasts that resembled ostriches, the Dauburn Warrior Corps unsheathed their curved swords and galloped through the desert, advancing toward the town of Ishgil.
Following behind them was a mixed force of heavy knights from Dauburn and Brunhild, the chevalier unit.
Me? Well, as for what I’m doing... Oh, have I finally locked on everyone? As expected, it takes time since I’m not using any divine energy. When it's just one town, it takes a while...
"[Gate]!"
I expanded a large [Gate] beneath the feet of all the townspeople and transported them to the rear of the desert.
It wouldn’t have been impossible to transfer the enemies attacking, but there might be people caught in the fire or collapsed structures.
The King of Dauburn also prioritized human lives, as he said.
At first, I planned to envelop the entire town in a [Gate] magic circle and drop only the humans, but there was a risk that people who had taken refuge on the second floor or rooftops might be left behind, so I abandoned that idea. Locking each person one by one took time, but human lives couldn’t be exchanged for anything else.
For now, I only transferred the survivors. I’m sorry, but if I tried to transfer the bodies of those already deceased, it would take even longer, and it might prevent me from saving the lives that I could still save.
"Light, come forth, equal healing, Area Heal!"
I cast a wide-area healing spell on the residents who had been transferred. Due to the large number, not everyone could be fully healed, but the seriously wounded should have recovered to the same extent as the lightly wounded. After repeating it a few times, they should be fine.
I’ll leave things to the King of Dauburn and join the battle myself.
"Kohaku!"
‘Understood.’
I mounted Kohaku, who appeared in her Great Tiger form, and we charged across the desert.
Upon entering the town of Ishgil, I saw a Dauburn warrior battling a fusion machine soldier.
As we passed by, I swung Brunhild to decapitate the fusion soldier. I heard the sound of metal hitting the ground behind me, and I continued to ride through the town on Kohaku.
"If direct magic worked, I’d settle it all at once..."
‘Why not drop rocks or ice chunks?’
"That would destroy the town."
It's not going as expected.
The enemies appearing in Dauburn aren't that many, and with a bit of effort, they should be wiped out. That is, unless reinforcements arrive...
‘Hmm. Master, look over there.’
"...What’s that?"
Kohaku stopped and looked up into the sky. Following her gaze, I also looked up, and there was something strange—a small, swirling vortex.
When I used [Divine Eyes] to confirm, I saw vague masses of light being sucked into the vortex, disappearing from the town. It felt like water draining down a sink, that kind of sensation.
"That...?"
‘It seems like it’s sucking the souls of the deceased humans.’
Is that also Goldo’s [Spatial Distortion]? The evil god grows by devouring human souls. Could this town have been attacked as food for the resurrection of the evil god?
When humans die, their souls leave the body and head toward the heavens. Unless the soul is too tainted, it is purified there and reincarnates. That’s the cycle of reincarnation.
But souls devoured by the evil god are completely destroyed. They cannot even be reborn. It’s a true annihilation. That’s something I can never forgive. This is ridiculous...!
Just before I tried to isolate the vortex with [Prison], the vortex disappeared with a soft puff. It was clear that there were no more souls to be sucked in.
"Damn it, this could be happening in the other four nations too...!"
The resurrection of the evil god using the souls of the dead. Is that the goal of the apostles of the evil god? Or is it the Corrupt God, the Fallen God, who’s behind this?
The Corrupt God, the Fallen God, is absorbed into Goldo. That’s certain. So, is the goal to power up Goldo...?
This isn’t good. My thoughts aren’t coming together. For now, I’ll solve the problem in front of me.
"Target lock. [Earthbind] on the target's feet."
‘...Lock complete. Activating [Earthbind].’
After a brief pause, [Earthbind] was activated. This should have fixed the feet of the fusion soldiers in the town. They could break free by crushing the stone, but this will help the Daubarn warriors.
The real problem is with the Cyclopes. We can't afford to let the town be destroyed any further. We’re pushing them back, so I don't think any more destruction will happen, but...
I raced through the town, taking care of the fusion soldiers. These guys, fused with machines, don’t fall from just a little damage. Even after taking a few hits from Brunhild’s crystal bullets, they kept charging at me without a second thought. It’s like fighting zombies.
Unless I deal a fatal blow, like cutting off their head or piercing their gut, they won’t stop moving.
They are apparently living beings, so if I crush their head or heart, they should fall. Zombies keep moving even after their heart is crushed, so they’re probably worse off, but zombies are slower... and weaker to light-based magic. So, fighting them might actually be easier.
"Search. Moving fusion soldiers."
‘Search complete. Displaying results.’
The number of fusion soldiers displayed on my smartphone has significantly decreased. With that, I can safely leave it to the Dauburn warriors now.
We also have the upper hand in the battle with the Cyclopes. They might send reinforcements, but I can always return if that happens.
I called the King of Dauburn to inform him that I would be moving to another battlefield. I also asked him to contact me if enemy reinforcements arrived.
"Cesca. Where should I go next among the four other nations under attack?"
‘It’s the Rephan Kingdom. There are many fusion soldiers, and the damage to the civilians is quite severe.’
I asked Cesca, the operator in Babylon, for a status update, and that was the reply I received.
Rephan Kingdom, huh? Yumina and Kuon, Sue and Steph, and Ende and Alice should already be heading there, but it seems they still need more help...
I hurriedly opened a [Gate] and transported to the commercial city of Mio Parade in the Rephan Kingdom.
The city, much larger than the town of Ishgil, was surrounded by high castle walls, but there were fires raging everywhere, and some of the walls had been destroyed.
Near the broken walls, several Cyclopes lay defeated. Further beyond, Sue’s Ortlinde Overlord was delivering megaton punches to a crowd of Cyclopes, defending the city with its back to the castle walls.
I could also see Ende’s Dragoon, the Dragon Knight, and Yumina’s Brunhilde. The two seemed to be fighting the goat-headed creatures. The heavy knights, the Chevalier of the Rephan Kingdom, were also fighting valiantly.
And above the city, that eerie vortex was still sucking in souls.
"[Prison]!"
I formed a [Prison] barrier around the vortex. Unable to pass through the impenetrable barrier, the vortex, having apparently exhausted all its soul-sucking ability, simply vanished.
"Yumina, I’ve arrived at Mio Parade, but what’s the situation?"
‘Touya-san! We’re managing to hold back the Cyclopes, but there are just too many fusion soldiers...! Kuon and the others are on their way, but I’m worried...!’
Searching with my smartphone, it looked like Kuon, Alice, and Steph were fighting somewhere in the central square.
"Kohaku! To the central square!"
‘Understood.’
Kohaku, whom I was riding, took off, leaping onto the rooftops. She dashed across the roofs, jumping from one to another, covering the shortest distance to reach the central square.
Eventually, I could see the square with a tall pedestal and a statue holding a musical instrument. That must be it.
Amid the swarm of fusion soldiers, I spotted Kuon and the others fighting.
"Blow them away, Kohaku!"
‘Understood!’
A massive shockwave erupted from Kohaku's mouth, sending part of the fusion soldiers surrounding Kuon and the others flying.
"Daddy!"
"Father!"
"Is everyone okay?"
From what I could see, none of the three seemed injured. Steph was protecting herself with [Prison], while Kuon and Alice were the main ones taking down the enemies. Steph’s [Gold] crown was following her, wielding a golden sword to defeat the fusion soldiers.
‘These weaklings aren’t much of an enemy for the young master and me. But there are so many of them, we just can’t get to the rescue in time.’
A voice leaked from Kuon’s [Silver] crown, Silver, who was ready for battle.
Glancing around, I could see the knights of the Rephan Kingdom, dressed in armored golems, fighting against the fusion soldiers. However, at their feet, there were fallen bodies. Judging from their clothes, these were likely the citizens who had fallen victim.
I was worried the kids might be shocked by the sight of death, but noticing this, Kuon spoke with a wry smile.
"Don't worry. We've had experience with things like dealing with thieves, and we’re not that soft. As for Steph, she's even fought in wars here in the Rephan Kingdom."
"Now that you mention it, that’s true..."
Steph had fought as a guest general for the queen of Rephan, leading the rebellion forces.
A bit of worry crossed my mind—have I been too lenient with raising them? They’re so unfazed, not acting like kids at all... Future me, did I make a mistake in how I raised them?
I briefly felt uneasy but quickly reconsidered. Growing up in a royal family, half-god, surrounded by gods in the family... there's no way they'd grow up like normal kids. Whether they act like children or not, they’re good kids. It’s fine. Yes.
That aside, I needed to evacuate the townspeople to prevent further damage.
Just like in the town of Ishgil, I’d like to use [Gate] to transport them, but it would take some time. By the way, I’m still locking onto the targets.
"Ha!"
With a dull thud, a fusion soldier with a crocodile head was sent flying and crashed into a wall. Alice spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick that hit another fusion soldier with a crash.
"Ahaha! Come at me, one by one!"
Watching Alice mercilessly beat down the fusion soldiers, I gave Kuon a look that seemed to say, 'Is it alright to leave her like that...?'
"Well, she hasn't been doing much training or guild requests lately, so she’s just a little hyped up. I think she’ll calm down after a good thrashing."
Kuon spoke with a wry smile.
Hmm...? It’s true that the queen's education might have been stressing her out... but if this helps her vent, then I suppose it’s okay... right?
I couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy about how much more carefree Alice was acting than usual.
In the meantime, the locking of the townspeople was completed.
"[Gate]!"
For now, I transferred the townspeople outside the city walls, to the opposite side where Yumina and the others were fighting. It consumed quite a bit of magical energy, but since I recover quickly, it wasn’t a problem.
With that, I could now enter the sweep operation without hesitation.
"[Iron, come forth, black iron defense, Iron Wall]!"
With a sharp sound, a thirty-meter tall, ten-meter wide iron wall appeared in front of the square. I fired a bullet from Brunhild at the top of the wall.
The unanchored iron wall wobbled and began to tilt forward. With a dull thud, the fusion soldiers that had been gathered were crushed beneath it.
Hmm, I tried imitating Leen and Quun’s method... It’s effective, but it leaves a bad aftertaste.
I don’t know why, but it feels less like 'battle' and more like 'work.' Well, I don’t think these guys would care about any sentimental feelings like that.
If I don’t treat this like pest extermination, I won’t be able to keep going. If we hesitate, someone might become a sacrifice.
Switching my mindset, I continued to activate [Iron Wall] in rapid succession, crushing the fusion soldiers.
Even as I did this, the fusion soldiers showed no fear or hesitation. Though they wore animal masks, I thought there might be some hint of emotion in their movements, but it seemed they didn’t possess such things.
Half-living fusion soldiers with no emotions versus golems with simulated emotions. Which one is closer to being human... I found myself thinking about such pointless things as I cleared out the fusion soldiers from my sight.
Since the townspeople had been evacuated from the city, I could leave the rest to the Rephan Kingdom's knight order.
"Yumina, I’ve taken care of most of it here. How’s it going on your side?"
‘We’ve managed to handle the Cyclopes, but we’re having a bit of trouble with the new goat-headed model...’
When I contacted Yumina through my smartphone, I could hear a slightly flustered voice. It seemed she was having a bit of trouble.
"Kohaku, take care of the kids."
‘Understood.’
"[Teleport]"
I left Kohaku at the central square and used [Teleport] to transfer to the battlefield outside the city walls.
I could see Yumina’s Brunhilde nearby. A crystal bullet was fired from Brunhilde’s rifle, now in sniper mode, aimed at the goat-headed creature.
I thought the bullet would be unavoidable, but the goat-headed creature blocked it with its large gauntlets, its claws extending to deflect the shot. Wait a minute, that bullet is made of crystal material! Is it even harder than that?!
No, it’s not exactly deflecting... more like it’s redirecting the shot?
Even so, the arm that blocked the shot wasn’t unharmed. It looked like it had cracked.
A second shot was fired from Brunhilde, but the goat-headed creature swiftly dodged it.
The true essence of sniping lies in the element of surprise. It’s the long-range shots fired from unexpected angles that make them impossible to avoid. Once the position is revealed, it can be countered.
Knowing this, Yumina used the mirror-coated stealth mode to change her position and attempted another shot.
That goat-headed creature’s speed is troublesome... I don’t think Sue’s Ortlinde Overlord, the slowest machine, could catch it, nor could the heavy knights in their Chevalier units.
The ones who could manage are Ende’s Dragoon or the Black Knight Baron in the command unit.
Damn it, if only I had my Reginleif!
"Hmm?"
When I enhanced my vision with [Long Sense], I saw Ende, riding the Dragoon Dragon Knight, fighting the goat-headed creature.
However, this goat-headed creature was not like the others. It was fighting with a machine that had a different design.
First, both of its arms were shaped like spears or stakes. It was even launching them like Overlord's Spiral Knuckle, shooting them out.
The stakes were connected to chains, and even if they detached, they were designed to be pulled back.
And then, the recoiling stakes were shot back toward Ende's Dragoon.
Wait a second, isn’t that a copy of Gerhilde’s pile bunker? Or perhaps Overlord’s Spiral Knuckle!?
‘"Creation starts from imitation," huh? Straight-up copying, once again...’
I heard the professor’s voice leak from my smartphone, which had the communication channel open.
‘"Maestro the gollemancers" excels at improving existing things.’
‘Hmph, he just can’t create anything new on his own. Even the Cyclopes are copying various Frame Gear techniques.’
The voices of Professor and Engineer Elka came through as well. Frame Gears also borrow quite a bit from the robots in Earth’s anime. Not that we can talk.
It’s not a bad thing to absorb usable technology, though. If we can make progress from that, it’s a win.
Well, it’s useless if all you do is copy everything and get satisfied with it.
Ende's Dragoon swiftly dodged the chain-linked stake and used its crystal-material short sword to cut the chain.
Accelerating and closing the distance, Ende slashed horizontally, splitting the goat-headed machine cleanly in half.
That machine was fast, but its armor seemed thin. The same could be said for Ende's Dragoon, but my Dragoon has been lightened with [Gravity], and it's coated with crystal material, so it’s a different level of comparison.
‘Confirming dimensional distortion. Something is emerging.’
"Eh?"
Suddenly, I heard Cesca’s transmission, and the space in front of Ende distorted. From there, a strange machine slithered out, bending like a serpent.
If I had to describe it, it was like a spider. But not just any spider—this one had a humanoid upper body, resembling an Arachne-like machine.
The humanoid upper body had four arms, and its head was filled with multiple camera eyes, resembling a real spider.
And in its metallic red arms, it was holding a matching-colored fine rapier.
Of all the times for the apostles of the evil god to show up...!"
With a click of my tongue, I glared at the metallic red machine facing Ende's Dragoon Dragon Knight.
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