Chapter 224

Chapter 224

Magical Forces Commander Reina.

And four direct-subordinate squad members. Codenames Fox, Rabbit, Kitty, and Piggy.

Among them, Fox and Rabbit were elites who had assisted Reina for a long time, but Kitty and Piggy were new recruits assigned to Reinas party for this deployment to Crossroad.

Of course, even as newcomers, they were part of the Magical Forces.

Like a magic wand swayed by the needs of the Imperial Family, they had been involved in large-scale slaughter without batting an eye.

Because it was their duty.

Because it was an order from their country.

Thats why they could set up a sacrificial magic circle capable of annihilating tens of thousands of city residents in an instant without any emotional wavering.

"...Huh?"

"...Gasp!"

However, at that moment, Kitty and Piggy spat out strange noises in bewilderment.

They had been caught in the act by civilians.

A sniper from the front lines named Damien and a red-headed young man with a limp in one leg.

Upon recognizing them, Kitty and Piggy quickly exchanged glances.

Werent evacuations complete?! There shouldnt be anyone left in the city, right?

How should I know? This sort of thing always happens during operations anyway!

Unexpected situations always occurred.

And for those who witnessed such activities, there was only one way to respond.

Silence them by killing them!

Without hesitation, Kitty and Piggy simultaneously unleashed their magic spells.

Naturally, their target was Damien.

They were aware of Damiens prowess as an exceptional sniper.

Leaving the red-headed man with an apparent limp alone, it was logical to first deal with the more dangerous Damien.

"Im sorry, Sniper!"

"No personal feelings!"

The magic spells shot by the two mages rushed towards Damien.

Damien just stood there, his round eyes wide open, mumbling something like Huh?

***

"If Your Highness cannot make an accurate judgment... then I have no choice but to decide on my own."

Standing in front of me, Reina said so while lifting a finger towards the switch she held.

"..."

My mouth had gone dry.

An accurate judgment? They want me to make an accurate judgment?

Is that accurate judgment to annihilate Crossroad to save the world?

"It will take approximately one hour from the preparation of the magic to its activation. To press this switch, it must be done now."

"..."

"Do you find it difficult to make an accurate judgment, Your Highness? In that case."

Reinas finger began to apply pressure.

I couldnt help but yell.

"Reina, wait"

But Reina didnt press the switch. Instead,

Whoosh.

She threw it at me.

"...?"

Confused, I caught the switch and looked at Reina with a bewildered expression. Whats going on?

Reina gave a bitter smile.

"Then force the issue, Your Highness."

"What?"

"What a soldier like me needs is a cool judgment. But what a leader like you need is the willpower to force an issue."

"..."

"Even if the path before you is a narrow and steep cliff, and everyone advises against crossing it, it is your job to stubbornly lay down a bridge and lead the people across."

I didnt fully understand this crazy mage, but,

"Your Highness, what would you like to do?"

I knew what he was trying to say.

With a snap, I tossed the switch away from Jormungandrs body.

The switch flew far and shattered upon hitting the ground.

"This is my decision, Commander Reina."

"..."

"Im carrying out the operation. I wont give up on Crossroad or the world. Ill protect them both."

I spat the words out.

"This was my path from the beginning."

From the moment I entered this world, my path had been a lone one.

No other options existed.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Youve cleared up the doubts in my mind," Reina said, her empty hands clasping and then opening again as she smiled and nodded at me.

Once the dust had settled, all that was left was a shriveled right arm, not unlike his twisted left leg.

"...Ah. Dont worry about it. No need to be concerned."

Noticing Damiens gaze, Kureha calmly pulled down his sleeve to cover his right arm.

"Im cursed, you see."

"Cursed...?"

"Whenever I use my strength, a part of my body turns into a mummy. Its just a silly curse."

It was far from silly, but Kureha lifted his index finger to his lips and smiled.

"Lets keep todays incident a secret from others. My brother would scold me."

"..."

"Anyway, what were you two mages doing here?"

As Kureha turned back with a sharp look in his eyes, the two mages jumped in surprise.

"W-We were just preparing for a worst-case scenario!"

"We were only acting for the benefit of the Empire and the Imperial Family!"

Damien furrowed his brows.

"A worst-case scenario?"

"In case the attack force that just left fails to stop Jormungandr...!"

"Thats why we were preparing to return through the teleport gate for Plan B, but you two stopped us! Now theres no Plan B!"

Just then,

Rumble, rumble...

The ground began to tremor faintly.

Both Damien and Kureha flinched, while Kitty and Piggy started hopping around.

"Whoa, Jormungandr is here!"

"The ground is rumbling! He must be really close by now!"

"What happens if the operation fails?! What do we do if it fails?"

"Were all dead meat!"

Ignoring the noisy chattering of Kitty and Piggy, Damien turned to Kureha.

"Lets go up to the ramparts. We need to assess the situation."

***

As the four reached the top of the fortifications, they saw soldiers who had formed the last line of defense.

Cannons and ballistae, along with various artifacts, were loaded and ready to fire.

But the expressions on the soldiers faces were grim.

They already knew that the colossal monster approaching from afar wouldnt be significantly harmed by any of it.

Roarrrr...!

From the southern plains, a gigantic serpent was advancing, raising clouds of dust and reverberating roars as it moved.

"Its... its getting closer."

Unconsciously, Damien mumbled. Kitty and Piggy clung to each other, screaming.

"See! The giant snake is still not stopping! I told you we needed our magic!"

"Its the end, the end for us all! Were going to die!"

At their noisy complaints, Kureha clenched her fist. The two mages immediately shut up.

"Damien!"

Just then, Lilly hurried over from the artifact firing station, pulling a wheelchair behind her.

"Do you have any idea how long the Saintess has been looking for you? What are you doing here?"

"Lilly."

Damien looked at Lilly with a stern face.

"...Bring me my gun."

"What?"

"If I have [Black Queen], I can stop that snake!"

Lilly hesitated, stuttering.

"The Crown Prince and the assault team are still in the middle of the operation. We can stop it when it comes into firing range. We have cannons, too..."

"You know that wont be enough, Lilly!"

"..."

"If I hold the gun, itll be a sufficient safeguard. You know my skills!"

"..."

"Lilly!"

If Lilly gave the [Black Queen] to Damien, there was a risk he could shoot at their own troops. In the worst case, he could even annihilate everyone on the ramparts.

Despite receiving orders not to give it back to him

Roarrrrrrrr!

The intimidating presence of the enormous Jormungandr, which was now dangerously close, seemed a greater threat than any friendly fire.

Lilly shouted to the alchemist team.

"Get Damiens magic gun, now!"

And then

The magic gun, enveloped in a dark aura, was handed over to Damien.

"..."

Slowly, Damien reached out both his hands towards the [Black Queen].