Chapter 945

945: Old Soldiers of Hagane

We thought the town’s defense was complete after Adol annihilated the antidemon hordes, but it wasn’t over just yet.
Now we received a report that the antidemons were gathering near the gate on the other side of town.
The new horde had not yet begun moving, but were expected to do so within the next few hours.
I wondered how they were able to predict the movements of antidemons in such detail, but apparently, you can get a feel for it after working as a scout on this continent for a couple years.
There seemed to be fewer antidemons than before, but no less than 10,000.
We thought it might be Izario’s turn, but then Hagane said they would handle it. Don’t tell me they plan on using Berserk?
Fran and I went to check the situation and found Hagane’s spearmen lined up in formation and about to deploy. Their carriage was following right behind them.
「They’re not intercepting them here?」
『They must want to handle everything themselves.』
The usual strategy for defeating superior numbers was to stay close to the walls, so you could rely on the town for backup.
However, Hagane’s soldiers were rushing away from the city walls. With this much distance, our support wouldn’t be able to reach them.
Silard did the same thing, as if to say our support was unnecessary. Did they plan on using their divine sword too? If so, I could understand the decision.
After all, Berserk always goes out of control. If they unleash their divine sword near the gate, they’d end up destroying the town they came to protect.
In fact, I’ve heard of a similar incident that happened a long time ago.
But what about those old soldiers? Once Berserk is activated, the user will be unable to tell friend from foe. Wouldn’t the soldiers be caught in the middle of their rampage?
While we were busy wondering, Hagane’s army kept getting further and further away.
「Master, I’m going after them.」
『Sure. Urushi, you stay here. Let us know if the situation changes.』
「Woof!」
With Urushi’s speed and teleportation, he could reach us in an instant. If more antidemons appear from another direction, he will be able to call us immediately.
「Okay, let’s go.」
『Yeah!』
We left Urushi to guard the town while we watched Hagane’s battle from the sky.
They were about 200 meters away from the horde when they ceased their advance and prepared for battle.
Four women disembarked from the wagon: Shikimi, Ajisai, Matsuyuki, and one more.
This new woman looked almost exactly like Shikimi, so she might be Shikimi’s sister. Judging from Shikimi and the woman’s attitude towards Ajisai and Matsuyuki, it seems that Ajisai and Matsuyuki were higher in rank.
Since Shikimi was the commander, Ajisai and Matsuyuki must really be the divine sword wielders.
The carriage they rode had a special structure, in which they could climb onto the roof from the unfolding stairs in the back.
Chairs were set up there as if making simple spectator seats.
Ajisai and Matsuyuki sat down side by side. The other woman stood behind them, so she’s probably their guard.
Shikimi approached the soldiers and began shouting. It appears she will lead them in the battle against the antidemons.
『Doesn’t look like they’ll be using Berserk.』
（Nn.）
They probably weren’t willing to waste their divine sword against an enemy of this size. If activating the blade kills the wielder, then they probably have to weigh their options very carefully before using it.
Three minutes later.
At last, Hagane and the antidemons broke into battle.
The 1000 of Hagane’s old soldiers, dressed in black, formed a beautiful circle formation to intercept the waves of antidemons.
Spectating Hagane’s soldiers gave me a bit of anxiety, completely different from when we watched the dwarves. I knew how skilled they were to some extent, but their ranks consisted of lightly armored old men.
Still, they proved to be stronger than we expected. Their coordination was amazing, and their movements were so smooth and precise that they looked like drones controlled by A.I.
And yet, they were full of fighting spirit.
「Let’s show them our might!」
「We will defeat our enemies even if it kills us!」
「Nuorrrgh!」
Everyone fought desperately, pumping themselves up with war cries. Something that really surprised me was their complete lack of fear for death.
Despite their determination to survive, they did not seem to care for their lives. It was as if they only considered themselves as a pawn on the chessboard.
And if they considered themselves pawns, they naturally considered their friends to be pawns as well. Yet, they would grit their teeth in frustration every time one of their companions fell.
Even so, it did not slow them down, nor did it cause them any distraction. They may be regretting the loss of lives, but they still felt no fear for death.
It all seemed strange to me. How can you get so many people with this kind of mentality?
They all retained a sense of humanity, despite acting as perfectly controlled puppets. I could sense no sign of them being manipulated. Clearly, they were offering their lives out of their own volition.
Some of them fell in the battle against the 20,000 or so antidemons. Still, those old soldiers just kept pushing forward before finally taking down the commander.
To be honest, this completely shattered my expectations.
Though the commander wasn’t that powerful, each of the old soldiers was equivalent to a Rank D or low Rank C individually. I thought they stood no chance.
I expected Shikimi to handle the commander, but the old soldiers fought on their own until the very end. Their final blow really gave us a shock.
For whatever reason, the old soldiers used a suicide bomb. They activated a tiny-range explosive spell powered by the lives of a few of their companions. This was precisely aimed at the commander’s core, so they managed to shatter it.
They were up against an opponent who should have decimated a good portion of their forces, yet they won by sacrificing a few of their own men. I guess you could call that an impressive victory……
「……That’s amazing.」
『Yeah, but you better not try copying them, okay? That’s not something we can do, and I don’t want to see you trying.』
「Nn.」
Until the very end, they treated their own lives as stepping stones to their victory. Meanwhile, Ajisai watched all of this impassively, her face unchanged.