383 – Eastern Front Offensive -1

*Charrk, charrrk.*

“Heh heh, eheh heh.”

Upon the desolate earth stands a single girl. Her dark hair shimmers with violet highlights, and jet-black scales sprout from her arms and legs.

*Thump. Thump.* She hums a little tune as she walks barefoot across the land. A delicate smile graces her face, a mischievous smile that suggests beauty mixed with a bad temper.

The demons, detecting movement, initiate their attack. The malignant informational lifeforms, disguised as natural elements, begin to reveal their true forms, one by one.

Skeletal trees extend sharp tendrils, and molehills split open with a *crack*, revealing dozens of glinting eyes. The fragile girl’s life seems as precarious as a lamp flickering in the wind.

Yet, the girl speaks with an unhurried air.

“You know, I learned something good. Sharing good things doubles the joy, they say. So I’m going to share it all with you, equally.”

*Charrk, charrk.*

The scales scraping against each other create an eerie sound. And within that sound lies a terribly sinister and lethal piece of information…

*Shiver.*

The demons receiving the information begin to tremble. And their forms slowly contort, twisting into grotesque shapes.

“I bet there’s a commander type among you. Those so-called High Demons probably have some level of awareness… I imagine you’re watching through these peons. So, I’ll give you a spoiler in advance.”

*Crack, crunch.*

“Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh.”

“Hu, hu, mans, like, good.”

The demons affected by the sounds…generate frill-like appendages, and don countless eye patches over their myriad eyes. They awkwardly twist their bodies, striking poses as if showing off their newly transformed selves.

Some create mirrors and begin applying blush to their faces, while others leak trails of black fluid. The most severely infected demons warp their bodies into roughly human forms, and then, experiencing the sensation of shame, attempt to cover themselves.

“This is what’s coming for you.”

Indeed.

＞Setting Input: Because she loves humans too much, she prepared multiple human looks of her own avatar and holds her own fashion show in front of a mirror. When dressed in middle-schooler-esque fashion, she performs the character of a girl who has another ego as 『The Guide of Abyss and Darkness』…

Aisha was broadcasting, in every direction, all the humiliation and pain, the shame and malignant information that she’d been injected with by that crazy mage!

“Ha, haha, ahahahahahaha──!”

Watching the demons writhe in chaos, Aisha laughed loudly. It’s too fun. The act of giving to others what I’ve had to eat is truly exhilarating.

Due to the merciless informational attack that occurred in the early stages of her personality formation, Aisha still secretly holds fashion shows in front of the mirror. And now, she had the perfect opportunity to release all of that humiliation.

*Taat.*

Aisha charged through the wasteland in a straight line, broadcasting malignant data in all directions. Then, she declared, with gusto.

“You are all, every last one of you, lemonade dispensers──!!”

I’ll melt your algorithms into a chaotic mess, so you won’t even dream of resistance.

—

If a being exists on the border between matter and information, is it possible for them to die simply from the illusion of being cut?

Yes.

“Sublimation,『Emperor Sword Style』… Haaap!”

Kuwung. Unleashing the sword path within to the very heavens. This Emperor Sword Style contains only one thing: beheading. I layer hundreds of images of severing necks and presenting them. And then.

*Puhak-!*

The heads of all the demonic beings standing within the circular area centered on Envers flew off simultaneously. Black blood splattered down in showers.

He slowly sheathed his longsword, eyes still closed…

“D-Did you see that?! Did you see it, brother?! The Mind Sword! This Namgung Cheonghwi has finally mastered the Mind Sword! Just like that, in one go, *paaah!*”

He jumped up and down, ecstatic, bragging about this grand achievement to his brother, who was diligently vanquishing demons one by one, deemed a wider attack not suitable.

The realm of *Mind-Killing*, inflicting harm with a sword forged in the heart! A tremendous technique passed down amongst martial artists only in theory!

It was only possible because they were demonic beings, so it would be a lie to say he had reached the complete Mind Sword state. But, the exhilarating feeling of mowing down hundreds of enemies with a single gesture was something else.

Magical Girl Oh Daesu, who was cracking demon skulls with her wand-shaped rapier, got irritated.

“…Instead of bragging, use it one more time, Envers! Can’t you see your brother is taking them down one by one?!”

“Ah, understood, brother! This Namgung Cheonghwi will vanquish the enemies at once with the Azure Cloud Mind Sword! Worry not! 『Emperor Sword Style』!”

Envers, his shoulders nearly rising like Mount Tai, unleashed another Emperor Sword Style. Once again, countless demonic heads were neatly severed.

“Hoo…”

Loderus wiped the demon blood splattered on his cheek with the back of his hand and breathed a sigh of relief.

The crazy mage’s plan was working well. Each time the divine power flashed, the demons became malleable, and the path traversed by the crazy mage’s daughter was filled with demons twisted into grotesque shapes.

The demons fighting against Magical Girl Oh Daesu were the same. They kept imitating the slender figure of the girl, only to have their heads smashed.

The debuffs had been sufficiently applied, so was it the main force’s turn now? He knew at least vaguely about the others who were part of the main force, but he had never witnessed First Princess Elaine’s exploits.

Would she put on a performance as powerful as the rumors suggested? He was beginning to look forward to the skills of the woman who had defended the Eastern Front.

Envers came trotting up to Loderus, who was resting and gathering his mana, and boasted.

“How was it! How was it?! The second Emperor Mind Sword Style seemed to land even cleaner!”

Communication between men is simple, after all. To praise someone out loud like this was a little embarrassing and awkward.

But praise should rightfully follow accomplishment, to spark motivation. Furthermore, Envers had a past where he was never recognized by anyone, and Loderus understood that feeling. So, he overcame his awkwardness and put words of praise into his mouth.

“Yes, well done, Envers. Excellent.”

“Hmph. Brother. Perhaps you could offer your praise after you’ve dispelled the transformation? Hearing it while I’m still in ‘Sister’ mode is, shall we say, rather unsettling.”

“You ungrateful little…!”

Just as the Wand of Justice was about to descend upon her brother’s head, a current of wind swept across the battlefield. A chilling breeze, as if to herald some danger.

The Redburn siblings leaped aside. And then, in an instant.

────!!

A mass of figures flashed past, leaving streaks of azure afterglow. The speed was almost impossible to track with the naked eye, and the aftershock kicked up a whirlwind of dust.

The siblings blinked.

What… was that?

—

Knights in full plate armor lined up, Elaine at their vanguard. Their warhorses, too, were clad in thick barding, so thick it bordered on the absurd.

Arrayed in formation, they looked less like cavalry and more like living, breathing masses of metal.

The Eastern Front’s deadliest spear, born from Elaine’s changed Uwha. These were the Azure Wind Knights.

“Are they even able to *run*?!”

Sister-Captain Kim Ruru, encased in her power armor, watched with astonished eyes. Even the Knights of the Order relied on engine-assisted movement, yet these warriors had none.

It wasn’t that they were un-enchanted. But the enchantments were focused on damage reduction, defensive magic layered upon defensive magic. There wasn’t even a single spell to lighten the weight.

Elaine lowered her helmet’s visor and replied casually, “Of course. They run exceedingly well.”

After the alteration of her Uwha, Elaine had delved deeply into its capabilities. Her wind manipulation power was more suited to empowering others than direct assault.

It allowed her to bestow flight and accelerate speed. A downgrade in sheer damage compared to the former ‘Bloodwind,’ perhaps. So how to achieve sufficient destructive power?

Elaine found her answer in a simple equation. Momentum equals mass times velocity.

Therefore, she reasoned, let us assemble the heaviest knightly order my Uwha can possibly sustain. We shall become living cannonballs.

“I *expect* our victory. Azure Wind Knights, prepare.”

Whoosh.

The wind began to envelop the Azure Wind Knights. The currents swirled in intricate patterns, minimizing resistance and pushing them forward, initiating acceleration.

At first, their movement was as sluggish as snails. But as the momentum built, their speed increased exponentially. The masses of metal began to stir.

Clop, clop. Crack, thump-thump-thump-thump-thump──!!

The sound of hooves thundered across the land, a deafening cacophony that was soon swallowed by the wind. There was no need to carry weapons. In this state, the Knights were akin to meteors.

And so, the Azure Wind Knights, cloaked in a torrent of blue, were launched.

Thwack.

Demons simply exploded upon being grazed. They tried to weave nets, to morph their bodies into rubbery forms, to sprout sharp protrusions, attempting to somehow defend themselves.

In vain.

In a state where performance was severely degraded by the advance team’s corrupted data, it was simply impossible to withstand that raw, unadulterated physical force.

The reason the Azure Gale Knights had never attempted a direct charge into the heart of the demonic territories was the potential for catastrophic mental magic influence.

Even a single knight at the vanguard, accelerating like this, making a sudden stop or sharp turn could become a suicide attack. But now, weren’t all those concerns addressed?

The Church of the Goddess’s blessing, the Amethyst Tower’s protection, and the ‘Antidote’ synthesized through research.

“Heh heh, then our destination is clear, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, Princess──!!”

To the very end.

To the very end of this battlefield.

Shwooosh──!!

A flash of azure light cuts across the battlefield. Fired in a straight line, crushing every demon in its path──they had ‘cleared’ a path.

—

With All Power.

—

Screeeee──!

With a sound like tearing vinyl, a section of space warped, and countless dimensional gates opened. The observer at the rear immediately activated the communications network.

“Additional dimensional gates detected, massive number! I’m eyeballing over a hundred gates opening! The type is…”

Type.

Classified by how many demons they spewed out, and in what form. They sometimes manifested in a gelatinous state, other times appearing already in a partially matured form.

And what was appearing now.

Grrr, grr grr. Chh-lak.

Flap, thrash.

Moving wings made of thin membranes, their entire bodies covered in black scales, possessing clearly defined forms──fully realized demons.

“…Unidentified type. A pattern I’ve never seen before! Wyvern-like demons are pouring out!”

They didn’t seem cobbled together. The observer could feel it. These were a reserve force of the demons, prepared long ago.

Even more than this, something beyond? Humanity, the Empire, had only just barely managed to hold them back until now. The observer’s eyes trembled.

At that moment.

“This is not a cause for anxiety, but for joy, soldier. They felt threatened by us, so they hastily dragged out something they were keeping hidden, wouldn’t you say?”

“Indeed, Selvier. Who would cheer if a turtle slowly pulled a scroll out of its shell? Rather, you would have to regret it. Ah, that the rabbit should have used it before reaching the finish line.”

Crimson and azure, two mages with opposing colors stood side-by-side.

“It’s time to fulfill our roles as mages. I hope, at the very least, that my magic doesn’t shame me.”

“Slowpoke, or walk straight, or I’ll burn you to cinders! Uwha, *Flame Angel*!”

*FWHoooSH*—!!

Celvier’s body transformed into living flame. An all-out offensive Uwha, trading her own stability for extreme firepower. The Flame Angel descended onto the battlefield.

And preceding even the heat, there was—

*SWHoooSH*—

“Uwha, *Tortoise Beats Hare*.”

A chill.

White Snow’s right eye glowed, and the movements of the winged demons caught in her sight began to slow to a crawl. Celvier comfortably gathered her mana to the brim.

Those things were still pouring out from beyond the dimensional gate, so, then…

She’d blast it so spectacularly that it would thoroughly cook the inside of that gate. That way, no more winged demons would dare crawl out.

Starting from stage 1, *Radiant Flare*.

Moving through stage 2, *Crimson Neighboring Star*.

*WHoooSH*—

Immediately, she arrived at stage 3, *Nova*.

But it wasn’t enough. The firepower was lacking. Just one step more. What she desired lay beyond that line called limitation, drawn before her very eyes.

Uwha was a power based on emotion.

Celvier began to slowly draw up the rage she had been holding down.

That damned dragon. If not for him, so much would be different. The brother in her memories would have remained her brother, and this love rivalry would be so much easier. She even had the childhood friend advantage!

But the memories of that insane mage were erased because of that black dragon. She held a deep resentment. She poured all that fury into the small sun in her grasp.

Responding to this, it was born. A silently smoldering pinpoint.

A star condensed into a sphere the size of a finger joint.

────.

She released it. And in the center of the sky where the dimensional gate had opened, the star quietly flickered, as if hiding itself. Now, she would flick her finger to detonate it. Here.

Flame Angel, final stage—

“*Supernova*.”

And then, there was light.

*KRAKoooM*—!!

—

Yuna Blackraven Violetiris, aghast at the second sun rising in the sky, swung her staff.

“Gather the light and close your eyes, *Blackout*!”

With illusion magic, she hastily stole the light.

Gooo──!!

The dimensional gate, and everything else, was being consumed. Standing beside her, Baekseol frantically cast ice magic to quench the blaze.

Selvier had forewarned them. Overextending the power of Eternal Blaze could harm allies, so she was to offer cover if things went awry. And indeed, it had come to that.

Had it not been for the colossal sunglasses Yuna had crafted, some of their comrades might have lost their sight. Whew.

Yuri Lancaster whistled beside her.

“Looking quite vibrant. Is this the power of love?”

“Perhaps it’s rage fueled by love… that’s made it happen?”

“The vanguard seems to have cleared quite a path, so it’s nearly our turn. Yuna. Shall we demonstrate the power of love as well? As proper consorts.”

“Um… please don’t say that in front of Selvier.”

Now that everyone had played their part, it was time for the last unit. To locate the Dragon Body, drag it out, and prepare the foundation for the final battle.

But this probably wouldn’t be the end of it. Just as they had deployed the flying demon kin unit, the Black Dragon likely had a few tricks stashed away. Although, they did too.

“Shall we erase them?”

“Yes.”

Pororong. Tadat.

A violet butterfly and a pink succubus initiated their movements.