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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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I was observing the overall situation from the sky, riding the Wyvern I had brought from the Demon Lord’s castle.
It was a new moon, so the lack of moonlight provided excellent cover of darkness.
It seems the kingdom’s army is opting for a defensive strategy.
While archers and mages were stationed on the walls, the overall lack of movement within the fortress suggested they weren’t planning to sally forth. They would likely focus on defending the walls.
Well, I would have made the same decision if I were in their commander’s position.
Not only were human soldiers physically weaker than demons, but demons also had superior night vision.
Fighting demons in near-total darkness, where even allies were difficult to distinguish, would only lead to a disastrous defeat.
They were better off lighting torches on the watchtowers and raining down arrows.
However, the enemy commander had made a critical mistake.
Their flank is completely exposed.
The southern wall, partially destroyed by the avalanche earlier that day, had not been fully repaired.
They had hastily filled the gap with sand and soil, but it was a temporary fix at best.
To me, it looked like a flimsy sandcastle, ready to crumble at the slightest touch.
While stationing a large force on the southern side of the fortress hadn’t been necessary before, as the cliffs on either side of the wall provided no easy access, today was different.
Thanks to my experience as a mage in the kingdom’s army, I knew about the secret supply passage beneath the fortress. I had already prepared a special unit of about a hundred elite beastkin and trolls.
We had waited until nightfall to attack for this very reason.
To ensure everything went perfectly.
I shifted my gaze from the southern wall back to the main gate.
A group broke off from the main force of the Demon Lord’s army, slowly advancing through the canyon.
It was the cavalry, led by Dorothea’s adjutant, Eva.
They’re about to charge.
Cavalry wasn’t typically used in siege warfare. It was common sense.
But the terrain around the Hamburg fortress was exceptionally unfavorable.
The fortress itself blocked the main road to the capital of Oz and occupied the high ground, forcing attackers uphill into a killing field.
Furthermore, the narrow and steep path would slow down the infantry, making it impossible to coordinate the timing of the diversionary attack.
To overcome this obstacle, we had deployed the Demon Lord’s army cavalry, a force guaranteed to draw the enemy’s attention.
With their superior mobility, they could quickly traverse the steep slopes, and their heavy armor protected them from arrows.
Furthermore, the numerous rhinoceros beastkin in the front lines, whose thick hides were like armor, could easily overcome any obstacles or traps along the way.
…Of course, magic was still dangerous, but they would fare better than the lightly armored infantry.
“Charge!”
Taking Eva’s booming voice, echoing through the canyon, as my cue, I conjured a large flame with magic from atop my Wyvern.
It was the signal we had agreed upon during the military meeting.
Timing was crucial for this operation. I would act as an observer from the sky, and upon seeing my signal, the special unit would immediately infiltrate the southern wall.
As the bright light flashed three times in the dark night sky, the beasts lurking in the shadows began to move.
I watched the battle unfold from my prime viewing spot in the sky, with the stars and clouds as my blanket.
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“Captain, it’s the signal.”
“I see it.”
While the kingdom’s army was distracted by the sudden appearance of the Demon Lord’s army main force, the trolls, hidden in the coniferous forest south of the Hamburg fortress, began to emerge.
There was a wide variety of them.
Eagle beastkin, owl beastkin, peacock beastkin, crane beastkin—as diverse as the bird species they resembled.
But tonight, they all shared one thing in common:
Their normally vibrant feathers were coated in black ash.
A peacock beastkin, normally proud of its colorful plumage, glared at its now-dull tail feathers with displeasure.
“Tch, I could infiltrate without this.”
“Shut up, Pavo. Even the captain did it, so you have to as well.”
A beastkin, whose feathers were naturally black, and thus didn’t require the ash coating, chided the peacock. The peacock retorted,
“You shut up, you filthy crow.”
“I’m a magpie!”
An eagle beastkin, tired of their childish bickering, shook its head and spread its brown wings.
“I’m going! Follow me!”
“Wait! Captain!”
“Let’s go together!”
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At the base of the southern wall cliffs, dozens of beastkin hidden near the kingdom army’s secret supply route looked up.
Dark figures were rising into the air from the coniferous forest below.
“Captain, the bird-brains are moving. Let’s go.”
“Alright. We can’t let those arrogant trolls show us up.”
“Everyone! Stay sharp and follow me!”
Emerging from the shadows were powerful beasts, their bodies rippling with muscle.
Lion beastkin, cheetah beastkin, jaguar beastkin, tiger beastkin, wolf beastkin, hyena beastkin.
All seasoned warriors, veterans of countless battles.
Using their sharp claws and teeth, they began scaling the sheer cliff face.
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“It’s about time.”
At the main gate, the cavalry, armed with spears and shields, had arrived and were drawing the enemy’s attention. On the southern wall, the special unit of trolls and beastkin, taking advantage of the darkness, were silently eliminating the human soldiers.
The soldiers stationed inside the fortress would soon notice the commotion and rush to the southern wall.
No matter how stealthy they were, with so many infiltrators, it was impossible to remain completely undetected.
As expected, the soldiers inside sensed something amiss and began rushing towards the southern wall.
A two-pronged attack—cavalry at the front, the special unit on the flank.
The enemy commander couldn’t afford to overlook either threat.
Then, I saw the main force of the Demon Lord’s army arrive before the fortress.
The infantry and archers followed the path cleared by the cavalry.
The battle was heating up.
I pulled hard on the reins of my Wyvern, initiating the final phase of the plan.
The Wyvern, understanding my intent, folded its wings and began a rapid descent.
A diving Wyvern could reach speeds of up to 155 miles per hour.
The sound of the wind tearing past my ears intensified as we accelerated.
I quickly cast a wind barrier around myself and the Wyvern.
The archers on the walls, finally noticing my presence, fired their arrows.
But their arrows couldn’t reach a Wyvern diving straight down.
Even if they did, they would simply bounce off my wind barrier.
As the ground rapidly approached, I activated my mana furnace.
“Suuh…”
Whirrrr
Pure mana surged through my veins, drawn in by my breath.
My target was the enemy gate.
Destroying the magically reinforced fortress gate in a single blow required a spell far more powerful than any conventional elemental magic.
But Little Boy was too much. Not only was it too powerful, but its wide area of effect could endanger our own troops.
So, I would use a slightly weaker spell.
Quadra (x4) instead of Penta (x5).
“Ex—”
As I uttered the first syllable of the incantation, a white sphere materialized in front of the gate, rapidly expanding.
The mages on the walls tried to counter it with other spells, but it was a miscalculation.
Aether repelled other elements, and the more elements it interacted with, the stronger the repulsion.
“—plosion!”
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A blinding flash engulfed the fortress gate in a massive explosion.
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