CH 114

This is the Snow Sage’s side.

(Third person POV)

One hour before Otachi and his comrades commenced fighting.

In the innermost part of the “Silver Snow Forest”.

“As you have presumed, Snow Sage-sama, adversaries have arisen not only from the east but from the north as well. Judging from the enemy’s formation, it would appear that the monsters to the east are from the ‘Crawling Octopus King of Chaos’ and the monsters to the north are from the ‘Immovable North Pole Emperor’.”

Yuu kneels down on one knee and relays the scout’s report to the Snow Sage.

The “Immovable North Pole Emperor” is the name of the Demon King who rules the Arctic Ocean not only underwater but above the surface as well, and is regarded as one of the top-class Demon Kings, including the “King of the Devouring Black Fog” in terms of sheer strength alone.

“Oh. As expected, the northern side is aiming to play both ends against the middle. Well, I knew it would come to that.”

The Snow Sage responds to Yuu’s report with a smile spreading across his cheeks. His expression reveals no signs of fear or impatience.

“Now, the evacuation of the residents has already been completed on both sides, right?”

“Yes, everything is fine.”

At Yuu’s answer, the Snow Sage’s smile deepens.

“Then proceed as planned.”

“Copy that.”

And so, Yuu sets out from the “Silver Snow Forest” to the battlefield.

The Hanryojin, who is the commander of the Octopus King’s force invading the Snow Sage’s domain, is in a quandary.

“What exactly is happening on… Why aren’t there any humans around…?”

After all, he has been ordered to massacre all the humans on sight, and he has gone ashore in high spirits, only to be greeted by no human resistance. To be more accurate, no humans can be glimpsed at all.

[[Kishashasha!]]

Despite this, the rest of the monsters, with the exception of him, do not deem the situation peculiar and continue to ravage the city, assuming that the humans are hidden somewhere.

This area will be a vacant plot of land in the next several hours should things continue at this pace.

“Gyagyagya!”

One of the monsters who has been demolishing the city spots some figures in the distance.

[[Gyagagu!!]]

“W-wait, you guys!”

The group of monsters, who have been dissatisfied only with wrecking the buildings, react all in one accord, pursuing the figures before the commander can even afford to stop them.

Then, the commander inevitably chases after them.

After some time has passed since the monsters of the Octopus King have initiated the pursuit of their prey, before they know it, the group they have been hunting is on the verge of joining up with another group coming from ahead.

“Gubababa!!”

However, they interpret this as an incentive to prey on more targets, thus attempting to swoop down on the group. The moment one of the lead animals swings its claws at the group, the group they have been chasing vanishes.

“What’s going on?”

They eventually locate a group of roughly the same size as themselves as they shrug their shoulders and search for their missing prey.

“An ambush… They’re underestimating us!”

Even if they are equal in number, there is no chance that they, who are under the command of the Octopus King, will be brutalized by a bunch of humans. That is what the commander of the group reckons, and under his leadership, they assail the group as if they were vindicating their previous resentment.

(Yuu POV)

“Here they come.”

Looking through the telescope, I confirm the cloud of dust and the figure of the Yukijin fleeing with their horse ahead of the enemies, and after notifying my companions concealed around me with a motion of my hand, I myself hide once more.

The sound of horses neighing and galloping in place can eventually be heard from two directions.

In succession, shouts of rage, war cries, explosions, and the noise of something enormous moving fill the background.

From these sounds, I realize that the Snow Sage-sama’s strategy has worked and I raise myself up to assess the situation, taking caution not to be discovered by the foe.

“This is… terrific.”

Below me, two armies are engaged in combat.

On one side are the monsters of the “Crawling Octopus King of Chaos,” consisting of Hanryojin, flying fish, and giant octopuses. On the other side are the monsters of the “Immovable North Pole Emperor,” constituted of polar bears, narwhals, ice golems, etc.

Perhaps out of their previous frustration, the momentum of their endeavors is tremendous, leading both parties to exert deadly tension against each other.

Yes, the Snow Sage-sama’s plan is to induce monsters of different dungeon affiliations to exhaust each other.

To assure the plan’s success, the Snow Sage-sama sent all humans in the area of operation to evacuate in advance, and those who were assigned to actually guide the hostiles had to be well-trained and meticulously prepared.

“Well, I had this scenario in mind when we were being pursued, but I absolutely don’t want to go head-to-head with these contenders.”

“Mm-hmm.”

My companions who have been leading the enemies to this stage emerge from behind me.

Although all of them are exhausted, their faces are radiant, possibly reflecting the fact that they have done their part.

“You guys did a great job. It’s our task from here on out. Please stay here and watch.”

Saying this, I call my beloved horse by beckoning him to me.

Right. A clash between two armies is not the culmination of the Snow Sage’s strategy. Otherwise, we would only benefit from the large amount of material that would be left behind, which would not be worth it.

Therefore, this is the second phase of the plan.

“Everyone, ready for battle!”

As the combat beneath us begins to wane, I announce my instructions to my companions who have been hiding, and have them and myself clad in ≪Frozen Silver Armor≫.

After confirming that all of my companions have assumed combat readiness somewhat late, I issue a single command.

“Chargeeeeeee!”

Following my command, my companions strike from the side of the monsters struggling below us.

[[ーーーー！？]]

Startled by the unexpected intruders, both sides of the monsters briefly halt their actions. Needless to say, we do not overlook the opportunity and raid them.

The Snow Bears and Snow Horses, equipped with ≪Frozen Silver Armor≫ on various parts of their bodies, take advantage of the opportunity to lunge forward and sweep down their enemies, while the monsters who cannot use ≪Frozen Silver Armor≫ leverage their own strength and subdue their prey in rapid succession.

“Phew. Guess this is the last of it.”

“Ga… gii…”

The monster at my feet, a half-fisherman-like creature, is crushed by my horse’s hooves, and I sweep my gazes across the surroundings.

The only moving figures in the area are my companions, while the surroundings are enveloped in silence.

“Then, let’s collect what we can and depart.”

“Yes.”

After treating the wounded, we strip the corpses of the monsters lying nearby of their materials, and return to the “Silver Snow Forest” to report the results of the battle to the Snow Sage-sama.