70. Your War, My War (6)

“…should we keep the wires as they are?”

The next day, when the Behemoth hadn’t attached to the wires yet. The sun had not yet come out of the thick clouds. It was only letting the light out little by little through the cracks in the cracked clouds.

Wires are stuck. The battlefield, where the blood of monsters and people had been splashing until a few hours ago, was divided into camps of monsters and humans based on a huge rift. It was a trace of large-scale magic. The knights were able to take a very short break in the boundary line created by the wizards by collapsing the floor. In the miraculously greeted lull, the Marquis was resting, leaning on his sword.

Last night was so long. Theodora approached and sat down next to the Marquis. Paola was still in the forefront, looking at the monsters with sharp eyes.

“No, even if you think it’s impossible, it’s better to stay here now.”

said Paola.

“…is it.”

“The Behemoth has not joined the front line yet.”

Paola said, pointing at the water damage with her hand.

“As you know, if we had to fight the Behemoth. We must somehow allow the Behemoth to advance. We do not currently have a way to tie the feet of that monster who is determined and advances, unless reinforcements arrive.”

The Marquis nodded.

“That means you have to block it from the front as much as possible.”

“We have to stop them from entering the city somehow. If you set foot in it even once, those damn monsters accompanied by the Behemoth will start spreading throughout the kingdom.”

The Marquis’ hand squeezed the hilt of the sword.

“I must suffer a little more. Theodora, are you still okay?”

“Fine. I can still fight.”

Theodora’s armor, which had been wielding the sword all night, was already worn out. The eyes that could be seen under the shadow cast by the raised visor shone pale. Theodora’s breathing was calm. From that expression, there was neither confidence that he would be able to block the monster nor despair that he would not be able to block it.

“When will I be able to use large magic again?”

“I think we will have to wait at least an hour more.”

Paola glanced at the collapsed ground and said.

“I hope they don’t start attacking again in the meantime…”

Just as Paola was about to add, the clouds lifted and the sun shone brightly on the tops of the trees. And I felt the fearful vibrations that I should have gotten used to now.

“It’s coming again.”

Paola gripped the sword tightly to keep it from slipping out of her hand.

It was close. The Behemoth was closer than ever. The battlefield gets noisy. The bell did not ring, but soldiers lined up with weapons. There were soldiers who had just woken up, and like Theodora and Paola, there were also soldiers who had been piercing monsters into their spears all night long.

“F*ck, close.”

“Come, he’s coming!”

thud.

I didn’t cry this time. Covering the sights of the knights, the Behemoth stood there.

I was out of breath.

An aura rose from Theodora’s blade. It didn’t stop at simply covering the sword body with an aura. Like a mist, the aura began to stretch out from the senses and envelop Theodora’s armor.

It sounded like hundreds of bones breaking at the same time. It sounded like splitting rocks. The part that appears to be the Behemoth’s chin is gradually split into two. Theodora realized that it was opening its ‘mouth’.

“Oh… er…”

It was a solemn, very low, eerie sound. The soldiers’ shoulders twitched. Pale and tired, some soldiers even dropped their weapons or sat down on the floor. There was a clanking of metal and the sound of collapsing metal here and there.

It was both words and intimidation, and the sound itself created a magic. The air was dense and heavy.

As if a revelation was given to humans from the sky, Behemoth speaks.

“Knight…abominable…being…”

There was no fuss. All knights and soldiers on the front line were completely overwhelmed by the Behemoth.

“You know you can’t stop me, but you’re trying to do that to the end…”

Every word the Behemoth said made the armor vibrate. Theodora raised a stronger aura. A storm raged around her. The platinum storm spread with intense anticipation. An aura was also wrapped around the Marquis’ sword. Then to Paola and the swords of the knights lined up behind her.

Dozens of auras sharpened their blades. However, the sight should be seen as the resistance and struggle of the prey against the predator rather than the blade of a threat against an equal enemy.

“Wizards.”

The Marquis asked a nearby knight. The knight shook his head.

“Not yet.”

Were you waiting for this time? Marquis Baek bit his lip. The Behemoth appeared aiming for when humans were most tired and when their defenses were most relaxed. The Marquis raised his voice.

“Hold on! Hold on as if there is no land beyond this!”

After the soldiers came to their senses, they raised their shields and spears in unison. Even though that huge being and thousands of armies were facing each other, the canyon was as quiet as a lie. When the tension that tightened the breath reached its climax, a cry erupted from the Marquis’s mouth again.

“All troops! Formation-”

bang.

what happened?

oh

Theodora realized that her feet were floating in the air. Time seemed to have stopped. Or was it going very slowly? Theodora could see soldiers and knights rising alongside her.

Fragments of huge rocks are mixed with people and rise. It’s not a dark-colored shard, it’s a human arm. Theodora monologued as if thinking of others.

Time accelerates again, and Theodora’s consciousness returns to reality.

I couldn’t stop properly. what attack was it? A simple attack that was probably just trampled on with a foot. With that single attack, the ground was twisted and people flew into the sky. The descent has begun. Theodora intensified the storm of aura.

The battle line collapsed with a single blow. It seemed that the only people standing on the floor were Paola, the Marquis, and Theodora herself.

Theodora stumbled and straightened her legs.

“…her.”

It was a disaster. Soldiers were lying on the floor, wriggling, barely breathing. It seemed that the soldiers who lost their lives immediately in the first attack were not alone. Then, through the thick dust that rose high in the sky, the sounds of demonic spirits could be heard.

The wire must be supported.

Theodora gritted her teeth.

As the mission to protect was imprinted in my heart once again, the platinum-colored aura began to run amok with a more vivid light.

Demons are running. Theodora put the sword between her eyes and concentrated. should accelerate more. You should be able to block the front line with a single attack.

Theodora’s aura finally began to accelerate to the limit, drawing the shape of a spiral. The monster was getting closer. Behemoth was like that too. Theodora exploded the mana in her heart and drew her sword down.

dog

To the monsters from far away in the sky,

A platinum meteor fell.

The torrent made a grand explosion and literally annihilated the werewolf that was running at the forefront. The light does not stop there and swallows the monsters that follow one after another. Each time the monsters melt into the light and become one, the aura becomes intense as if oil has been poured.

Until it reached the Behemoth, the light continued to crush the monster.

Jjoong!

The Behemoth and the turbulent waves of Aura collided. The large body of the Behemoth swayed and shook for a moment. soft. The Aura, which had just squeezed out its strength to keep the line going, did not have much effect on the monster.

“dare…”

Theodora gripped her sword even tighter. The knights approached and joined Theodora’s side one by one.

The monsters, who hesitated for a while at Theodora’s attack, run. The knights raised their swords high.

“For the kingdom!”

“For His Majesty the King!”

“Revenge, for the no-man’s-land’s revenge!”

The monsters arrived right in front of the knights shouting their respective slogans. The Behemoth raised its front paw again.

“no…”

“Should I stop…?”

The knights’ astonishment soon turned into another astonishment.

“Theodora-!”

A cry resounds like the scream of the Marquis. Above the lifted Behemoth’s feet, a light was racing. A long shiny tail remained behind it. The light penetrating between the groups of monsters cuts through all the monsters on the way and arrives right in front of the Behemoth.

The Behemoth’s feet, which were climbing, stopped. The Behemoth, which was in a high place, bowed its head.

“Cheeky…”

Theodora twisted her wrist. This time, he collected mana with the intention of inflicting certain damage. If I can’t block that attack now, I won’t be able to stop the oncoming monsters.

The target is Behemoth.

The wizards had to buy time until they could fire large magic again.

It was disrespectful.

Behemoth was annoyed that the swords held by those insignificant beings emitted light of resistance. Especially, that platinum aura that was approaching him. Behemoth didn’t like that light.

Demonic spirits jumped around Theodora. Like a moth jumping into a fire, all the monsters that jumped in became flesh and scattered.

Theodora closed her eyes. What I remembered was the conversation I had with Maxim. The majority of her memories of the sword were intertwined with Maxim.

—

“Can I beat an opponent I thought I could never beat?”

One day, in the late evening after dusk, at the training ground, Theodora asked Maxim. It was a good day for evening training as there was not much wind. When Maxim heard the question, his eyes widened as if surprised. Theodora stared blankly at those golden eyes.

“Do you have someone who thinks that way too?”

Theodora narrowed her eyes, half-closed. Did I ask something useless? Maxim’s expression, as if he was sweating profusely, was very cute. As if to change the subject, Maxim said something else.

“I mean, we don’t fight with the certainty that we will always win. You shouldn’t be confident that you’ll win even if you fight someone who’s ever held a sword for the first time today.”

Theodora frowned at Maxim’s reasoning.

“Sure, but…you know what I’m talking about.”

When Theodora complained, Maxim gave a low laugh.

“yes. Because I have someone like that.”

Theodora looked at Maxim with interest.

“who?”

“My master.”

Maxim replied calmly. His words were calm, but his expression was slightly distorted, as if he was remembering something he didn’t want to recall.

“…By the way, how strong is your master if you think you can’t win?”

At Theodora’s question, Maxim smiled and shook his head.

“If you actually fight, you won’t think you’re that strong. but i can’t win No matter how much I improved, Master always beat me by a narrow margin.”

Maxim’s voice was like a storyteller telling an old story.

“As I continued to sparring with Master like that, my skills improved, but the results of sparring were always the same. After losing, his thoughts gradually changed from annoyance to fear and awe. That’s when I realized No matter what I do, this person will never win.”

“Is that still the case now that you can use auras?”

Maxim nodded.

“That human, I’m sure you can use it even with an Aura. certainly.”

Maxim changed his distorted expression to a smile and continued his story.

“So one day, I really seriously asked what I could do to beat Master. That’s what Master told me then.”

Maxim raised a finger.

“I just need to bring myself down and make them fight on equal terms. Don’t take care of your life – stare at your own neck. Then in the end, the odds of winning would be half and half.”

Maxim then shook his head.

“It just made me realize again that my master is insane.”

Theodora, however, sighed as if she had heard something impressive.

“In the end, it doesn’t mean that no matter how unfavorable the fight is, if it’s a fight where lives and lives are staked, chances arise.”

“Yes,” said Maxim, affirming that.

“Well, it sounds easy, but how many people can actually do it?”

Maxim smiled self-deprecatingly when he saw Theodora.

“By the way, I don’t think you’ll ever use that method in the end.”

Maxim said to Theodora. Theodora just stared at Maxim.

“…yes. I probably won’t.”

Theodora smiled and looked at Maxim. That’s also true, because the person she thought she couldn’t possibly defeat with a sword was the one smiling right in front of her.

—

Maxim.

Is it okay if I think of you a little more?

Theodora silently begged for forgiveness.

pull down

Theodora repeated. The Behemoth explodes in anger when it catches Theodora’s eyes. It was an expression of fear.

bang.

There was a roar that didn’t seem like the sound a knife would make when it cut something. Theodora’s first blow cut the Behemoth’s chest. Fragments of that skin bounced like shrapnel.

Behemoth’s reaction to him was astonishment. The Behemoth began to chip away at Theodora’s sword dance, which began to hack at its skin.

It was fast. It was fast, graceful, and so strong.

“That’s…”

“The continent’s best prospect…”

The knights, forgetting their fear of the Behemoth, watched Theodora’s overwhelming inaction.

Every time the Behemoth twisted its body, it crossed the line of fire. If the monster’s attack was hit incorrectly even once, it would be over, but Theodora was riding the rope without thinking that it was dangerous. It felt as if the platinum-colored Milky Way was circling around the giant monster.

Theodora sprinted after the Behemoth’s paws. Fragments of the monster flew away, brushing the reverberation of the aura that followed Theodora like wings.

wield a sword

It cuts down the Behemoth and downgrades it. Risking their lives, forcing them to risk their own lives.

“Paola.”

“Yes.”

“Help Theodora. Until the wizards’ magic is ready, it will take 30 minutes.”

The Marquis commanded Paola. Paola fixed the sword and spear. Sharp auras emanated from the blades and spears. Wrapped in jealousy, Paola jumped up without hesitation.

Theodora continued the sword attack, unaware of Paola. Paola skillfully found an opening and inserted her spear and sword so that her attack would not be entangled in Theodora’s sword attack.

The swords and spears of the two knights stopped the Behemoth.

“Captain.”

Theodora did not turn her head.

“Thirty minutes.”

He faintly nodded. The aura got stronger. Paola gazed admiringly at Theodora, who was still radiating a brilliant platinum aura.

I couldn’t feel the passage of time.

Theodora continued swinging her sword like that. He did not think about technique and only believed in habits and habits engraved on his body. The only thing he contained was the idea of bringing himself and the Behemoth down to the same place.

The existence gap has not collapsed. So, even more so.

Theodora broke the shell and raised mana.

The sword cuts off the monster’s skin. Little by little, Theodora could tell that she had started cutting away the life of that monster. The platinum aura shone more brilliantly the more she wielded it. As the aura and sword drew a long, clear line along the Behemoth’s shoulder, the Behemoth let out a furious roar. Theodora and Paola were knocked down by the sudden attack.

As if the monsters had been waiting, they rushed in and crushed them.

A knight stood in front of Theodora, who had fallen in haste. Fenrir’s claw fell on the knight’s armor and cut off his arm. Theodora stumbled and regained her balance before swinging her sword. The monster that attacks more ferociously than ever before doesn’t care about that sword attack.

—

When dawn breaks, reinforcements will arrive.

That was a far-off word.

Without any certainty or hope, Theodora was swinging her sword. Corpses and corpses piled and piled. The bodies of the dead are strewn about on the road between mountains and between mountains and long stretches of water.

squeak.

Theodora mechanically swung her arm. The corpse was added again to Theodora’s flash. There was no aura attached to that blade. It was because he did not know when he would have to fight the Behemoth again. It’s been over two days since I haven’t slept. Theodora had been swinging her sword like that for the past two days.

When I felt like I was at my limit, I forced myself to push myself harder. Theodora defended the line even when the soldiers in the line collapsed and were dragged by the claws and teeth of the monsters.

“Looks like this group is all down.”

Saying that, Paola shook her sword once. Drops of blood splattered along the blade of the sword. Saving energy to answer, Theodora nodded. I couldn’t be relieved. The group that could be called their main unit was getting too close.

While the Behemoth appeared, it stopped after inflicting unspeakable damage. It was all thanks to Theodora that they were able to retreat to the line where the trenches were originally located, rather than the front line they had advanced.

“…Are you okay.”

Theodora was visibly exhausted. He stopped the Behemoth’s advance almost alone for over 30 minutes. In the meantime, Theodora’s sword grew a step further. The advance of the Behemoth was halted by the large-scale magic and Theodora’s aura that followed.

“It’s worth holding on to.”

Theodora forced her mouth to clenched and answered.

While the power of Theodora was confronting the Behemoth, many soldiers were sacrificed to the monster. With the front in disarray, Murat’s forces retreated back to their original lines of deterrence.

“…Once we arrive, it will be over.”

Read at noblemtl. com

Now I know that there is a limit. The remaining soldiers barely passed half, and more than half of the knights were sacrificed.

It’s coming.

The number of monsters that had been literally blocked did not seem to have decreased significantly. Now, as if they knew that they were nearing the end, their advance slowed markedly. It was matching the pace with the Behemoth.

“Damn them…”

The king enters first.

It seemed to be some rule made between them. Black demons fill the canyon and pass through it.

“Even after killing them like that, are there still that many left?”

Paola touched the window. A faded aura rose to the tip of the spear. His one-handed sword had long since been broken in a fierce battle with Behemoth.

Low, the Behemoth wept as if celebrating their entrance. Demonic spirits sympathize with Behemoth’s cries with exalted cries. The screams of the monsters fill the mountains and forests with terrifying noise. The monster was looking at the front line from close by. Those who had completely collapsed were too easy prey in the eyes of the monsters.

The monster’s cries reached their limits and tormented their ears.

Theodora emitted an aura. A more aligned and intense aura wrapped around the sword and illuminated the darkness. The soldiers prepared for death, and the knights grabbed their swords to squeeze out every last drop of mana.

Whoops.

Then, another echo was heard.

The soldiers shook their heads. A low echo came from near, behind. In an instant, the sky brightens from deep blue, brightening the view.

Woo woo woo.

Dawn comes bright.

It was a horn that came through the fog.

thump, thump.

A regular vibration, different from the monster’s ground tremor, rose up through my feet. Theodora looked back. Soldiers made their way. What caught Theodora’s eyes was a familiar flag.

“Miss Theodora.”

The leading knight opened his mouth. He was the head of the family knights.

“You held up well.”

Theodora involuntarily grabbed the knife.

“Please leave it to me now.”

Starting with him, family flags across the kingdom began to flutter in the sky. At the sound of horns urging them to continue fighting, the soldiers who were guarding their positions raised their weapons.

“All troops prepare for battle!”

A magic circle was engraved in the sky. Crossbows were fleshed out, and auras rose from the knights’ swords. As if the monsters were trying to fight back, they roared and the Behemoth let out a cry filled with anger.

“Don’t leave even one alive!”

The sky opened. Fireworks poured out. And with that flame on their backs, the knights began their final charge.