Chapter 159: Intermission Chapter. Invasion

—Northwest City Argyle—

Argyle, the northwestern city of Magnar Kingdom.

This is also the fortress city which holds the front line with the western continent behind its back.

After the Knight Wall’s fall, the next city that’s about to fall was Argyle.

Argyle was now being engulfed in blazing flames and black smoke.

At first, you could feel the humans’ fighting spirit from their fervor-filled voice.

However, that fervor has now completely disappeared.

It has now been replaced by wails of despair and they covered all of the tragic city.

The citizens of Argyle who were late to escape were trampled down.

There are still indescribable scenes going on in the city……

[Guruguuaaagiiiiiieeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!]

[Oguruuoooeeeeehhh! Guruuuu! Gueeeaaaaahhhh!]

[Gugiiieeeehhhh! Geeeiiiieeeehhhh! Ahiigeeeeaaaahhhh!]

[Higegeggeeeehhh! Higeegeeeehhhh♪ Higiieeeehhhh♪ ]

The watchtower on the castle walls that overlooks this gruesome sight.

A lone Ogre Soldier had climbed onto its roof.

Dangling from its hand is the severed head of the garrison captain.

The Ogre Soldier looked at the cloud of dust rising from a distance.

That cloud of dust began drifting away from the city……

The Ogre Soldier squinted its eyes.

An emotion that slightly resembles irritation gushed forth from within the Ogre Soldier.

The prey escaped.

Let’s play some more.

As if it’s releasing its emotions, the Ogre Soldier let out a roar towards the sky.

[Kisshyyuuuoooeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh———-!]

[The evacuation of the citizens of Argyle is abandoned at this point! All units gather! Fall back! For the time being, we’ll retreat towards Sinbapa in the south!]

(T/N: シンバパ/Shinbapa… Tried googling it, and now I regret it.)

The Great Demon Emperor’s Western Invasion Force.

The first place to receive their attack was the fortress city Argyle.

The speed of the enemy’s advance was much faster than originally expected.

As a result, the evacuation of the citizens of Argyle was belatedly delayed.

Naturally, there are lots of people who were left behind.

More than half of Argyle’s garrison force, the cornerstone of this city’s defense, had also been killed in action.

▽

The horse’s hooves sound like an incoming avalanche as they struck past the sandy ground.

I, an old Knight named Marg Nogg turned my head behind me as I rode behind my horse.

Reflecting in my eyes is the black smoke rising above the fortress city.

[Kuh…… May the Goddess damn all of you, filthy ogreeeesssss……]

The enemy’s main force is their Ogre Soldiers.

It is also said that these Ogre Soldiers aren’t afraid of death.

Also, the amount of monsters assaulting them were unusual.

(I’ve already heard about it, but I never thought that it’s to this extent……)

[Marg-dono!]

The garrison force’s deputy captain lined his horse alongside me.

[Ohhh!? You managed to survive huh!? Good work surviving out of that hellhole!]

[No, it’s the soldiers’ nature to shield my body from harm!]

[What about Oviss!?]

It’s the name of the garrison force’s captain.

The deputy captain had a bitter expression on his face upon hearing my question.

[I don’t know…… However, we found the company he’s been with……]

I grinded his teeth.

[Guh…… If we weren’t weakened by these Tyrant’s Miasma……]

The assaulting monsters were releasing these Tyrant’s Miasma as they charged.

The specters endowed to them by their leader, the Great Demon Emperor.

Being in the range of where these specters drift to takes its toll on human beings.

First of all, the body’s movements become slightly sluggish.

Even refining magic energy just for a single spell exhausts us more than usual.

There were also other effects that made our bodies weaker.

Therefore, we can’t exhibit our full strength against them.

Even if we could win with our original combat strength, we’ll still lose due to the influence of the Tyrant’s Miasma.

With wishfulness in his voice, the deputy captain raised his voice.

[However, if it’s the White Wolf Knights…… If it’s the continent’s sole Divine Magic Swordsman Sigurd Sigmus, we won’t lose, don’t you think!? Marg-dono!?]

[That’s what I want to think too, but even that Sigurd won’t be able to escape from the burden of the Tyrant’s Miasma…… However……]

There’s hope.

[If only we can defeat the Great Demon Emperor, it would have been different.]

That’s right… If the Great Demon Emperor were to be defeated, the Tyrant’s Miasma he released towards the Golden-Eyed monster will disappear.

To be precise, their “connection” with the Great Demon Emperor will be broken.

The Tyrant’s Miasma seems to supplement that “connection”.

That’s why…

[That’s why…… If only a Hero from Another World, the ones that were unaffected by the Tyrant’s Miasma, could defeat the Great Demon Emperor……!]

We could just wipe out the remaining Golden-Eyed monsters with our original power.

The density of the Tyrant’s Miasma varies from individual to individual.

According to past information, the more powerful the monster is, the more dense the Tyrant’s Miasma tends to be.

When it comes to the amount of Tyrant’s Miasma that the Great Demon Emperor releases around himself, this amount was already unimaginable for us.

(It is said that even the Alion’s Goddess is unable to stand up against the Tyrant’s Miasma that emanates from the Root of All Evil….. Could it be that we could only rely on those Heroes from Another World……? Or perhaps……)

If it’s that Civit Gartland, could he perhaps defeat them?

(Now that I think about it…… I heard that there’s a group of sorcerers called Ashinto, who are said to have killed the “Humanity’s Strongest”…… If those people were to join our ranks in this war, I think they’ll become a tremendous asset for us……)

Then…

[Hmm?]

I could see a cloud of sand ahead our path.

It looks like something’s coming our way.

I let the troops slow down a bit.

He also instructed them to prepare for combat.

The deputy captain squinted his eyes.

[They look like a horse-pulled cart but……, ———-!?]

The deputy captain’s expression changed and he began throwing out his commands.

[Archers forward! It’s a pack of Ghoul Horses! Shooottt!]

The Ghoul Horses were dragging a cart behind them as they rushed towards us.

They had quite the frightening speed.

(I can’t see any enemy troops loaded in their carts……)

There’s only the carts and the Ghoul Horses pulling it that appeared.

My keen eyes sharpened, I gazed forward.

[However, that’s quite a large cart…… it would be difficult to stabilize those carts with that size especially with the speed those Ghoul Horses are running……]

The road it’s passing through isn’t that bad, but it’s not that good either.

In fact, the way those carts move looks quite suspicious.

I need to find out what the enemy’s intentions are.

[……They may have set some kind of trap on those carts. Be on the lookout.]

[Hah! Get the Anti-Armor Squadron ready to move forward! Also, get the cavalry ready to charge!]

(T/N: Originally Anti-Tank Squadron. I thought there wouldn’t be any tanks in that place so…)

At that time……

Thud!

The Ghoul Horse leading the group tumbled down.

And then, in the next moment—–

I found everyone stopped moving and gasped.

[No… way—-]

Its large cart flung out and what came out from it was—-

[T- That is…… the citizens of Argyle who evacuated before……!?]

It turned into a pile of corpses.

The deputy captain turned pale.

[D- Did they anticipate that they would evacuate……?]

[However, they did that before we even knew it……, ———-!?]

As if something snapped, I glared at the other carts following the leading cart.

[Don’t tell me….. Even the other carts were—-]

One of the Ghoul Horses was shot between its eyebrows and tumbled down on the ground.

The fallen Ghoul Horse slid on the ground and scattered the sand on its path.

And the cart it’s pulling tumbled down and turned sideways together with it.

[Guuuhhh!?]

As I thought, it’s another pile of corpses.

Among them were the faces of some members of the garrison force who had followed them as guards.

[Marg-dono, t- that is……]

Bringing something to my attention, I gazed further across the row of Ghoul Horses.

There’s a cloud of dust fluttering about in the distance.

I could hear something ringing from the shadow beyond the curtain of sand.

Along with the cloud of sand, the flock of shadows were approaching us.

They don’t look like they’re reinforcements from Sinbapa.

[……They’re enemies.]

They’re Ogre Soldiers riding behind Ghoul Horses.

They were approaching us in an ordered line.

Then, the deputy captain seems to have noticed something.

[Hmm? There’s something on the end of the Ogre Soldiers’ spears……, ———-!?]

The deputy captain became speechless.

Even I, myself became pale as he learned what that is.

The spears in the hands of the horse-riding Ogre Soldiers……

There’s a human head pierced on its tip.

There were a number of those spears with severed heads hoisted on them.

The leading Ogre Soldier lets out a war cry.

[Shhiiigigogiogooeeeaaahhhhhhh—————-!]

It’s a mixed chorus filled with joy and killing intent.

Clench……

The deputy captain tightly gripped on the reins in his hands.

[T- These bastards…… What do they see humans as……? What the heck do they think humans are——–!!!?]

At that moment, my ears picked up some kind of sound.

“Gaaooonnn!”

That’s how it sounds.

After that, I suddenly felt—- uncomfortable.

[……?]

(A shadow?)

Reflexively, I look up above my head.

In the next moment…

Thuuudddd!

The earth trembled.

Looking behind my back, my eyes opened wide.

[That’s impossible…… A G- Golden-Eyed monster… came from the sky……!?]

There didn’t exist any Golden-Eyed monster who had control over the skies.

It’s because Jonato’s prided “Sacred Eyes” had shot down all of them before.

Therefore, the Root of All Evil’s forces can only invade by walking through the ground.

Yes…

They’re not supposed to have existed anymore.

Moreover…

[——-Hearken, humans——-]

The 6-raetared (6 meters) monster who stood behind us spoke.

(T/N: ラータル / rātaru…… Almost sounded like retard.)

A monster who could use the human language.

(Is this guy a Demon……?)

[By my name, I pledge my allegiance to the Great Demon Emperor and the third oath for the Demon Emperor—– I’m Dreikuva.]

(T/N: ドライクーヴァ / Doraikuva)

A goat’s head.

Fur that looks like purple flames.

Intimidatingly unfurled bluish-purple wings.

Walking on its two legs.

And… Golden eyes.

Everyone became stupefied.

Forgetting about the Ogre Soldiers in front of them, everyone’s gaze were nailed at the wicked appearance of the monster that appeared behind our backs.

My body feels heavy.

This was probably due to the influence of the Tyrant’s Miasma that was released by this Black Goat Demon.

Just by the influence of the Tyrant’s Miasma, everyone became unable to move and lost their ability to fight.

(T- To be affected this much…… An enemy that releases such an amount of Tyrant’s Miasma that we couldn’t move……?)

In that case……

(How powerful…… could the Great Demon Emperor be……?)

[Humans, ye must not give up thy life this easily. Have a strong will and seize survival by thine own power. You need not worry. If you do so, thine lives……)

Saying so with its solemn hollow voice, the Black Goat Demon brandished a large bowl with its large claws.

[—-we will truly, mercilessly trample them down.]

□

The news of the fall of Argyle, followed by Sinbapa reached the White Wolf King’s ears.

It is said that the amount of survivors were only to fit in one carriage.

Just like Argyle, it is said that a massacre was conducted in Sinbapa until all of the remaining people in that place died.

Three days after the fall of Sinbapa.

After preparing for the war, the Heroes from Another World headed to the main battlefield Magnar, led by the Goddess, and departed from Alion’s Royal Castle.

================================================================================

With that, this ends the interlude chapter for the incoming Volume 5.

The Volume 5 will begin in the next chapter. Volume 5 could possibly have its pace speed up a bit.

It’s a process of trial and error, but I hope I can somehow make it through Volume 5 to completion.

Also, between Volume 4 and 5, I had over 150,000 points. At the beginning of the serialization, I didn’t expect it to grow this far…so I’m surprised. To all of my readers, thank you very much.

The next chapter, which will start Volume 5, will be updated tomorrow. The time is scheduled to be 17:00 or 21:00.