BXBX NOVEL Chapter 159
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It has now been replaced by wails of despair and they covered all of the tragic city .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 Former Captain of the White Wolf Knights’ POV>
[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 .