#089. The Demon King Subjugation Party is Too Nice (3)

#089. The Demon King Subjugation Party is Too Nice (3)

The Hero Party’s First Squad members looked back at the Great Mage with pity as he volunteered to remain at the ＜Giant’s Ice Gorge＞.

“Does he really intend to stay behind?”

“He said he would focus on maintaining the barrier, replenishing mana on-site to keep it stable for as long as possible. He’ll have to guard the entrance until the very moment the Demon King is defeated.”

“It’s unfortunate. The very person who has inherited the Demon King subjugation wish, passed down through generations for over a hundred years, won’t actually be able to achieve it himself.”

“It’s a reality we have to accept. The weak sacrifice for the strong, and the Hero Party used to be the strongest of the strong, in a position to receive sacrifices, but no longer.”

“In front of a 300,000-strong army, it’s rather pathetic.”

The Hero Party’s Great Sage and Great Warrior silently gazed at the backs of the Hero and Saintess as they walked ahead.

“I wonder what those two are thinking?”

“I hope they don’t have any unnecessary thoughts, but I doubt it will go as smoothly as we’d like.”

The Great Warrior noticed.

At the end of the Hero and Saintess’s gazes were Theresa, Ian, Cecilia, and the key figures of this 300,000-strong army.

* * *

We had been noticing the Hero’s unusual reaction for a while now.

“The jealousy of a hero outdated by the times is pathetically ugly.”

“Don’t speak so leisurely, Nina. I’ve been sweating bullets since a while ago because of the bloodlust.”

“Just ignore that loser’s b*tch fit! If the beastkin go into heat and have a fit, we lock them in solitary confinement and let them deal with it themselves, nya!”

Theresa’s clan members also showed irritable reactions to the constant bloodlust.

It wouldn’t be strange if a fight broke out between allies in this atmosphere, but the secret to maintaining this precarious standoff was the appearance of the enemy.

“Second Gate of the Gorge is appearing.”

“If we get bogged down here, all the enemies from the other directions will gather and amass on the opposite side of the gorge. Everyone, pick up the pace!”

“Have you heard Great Lord Theresa’s command! No matter what, we must break through the gate with a blitzkrieg!”

Breaching the Gate.

This was the new trial the Northern Expedition faced.

The sooner, the fewer foes at the exit.

The later, the more foes at the exit.

Of the five gates, we chose the third gorge, smack in the center.

‘And waiting in this gorge, another five gates.’

Five gorges.

Twenty-five gates.

The reason the giants’ icy canyon served as both a wailing wall and a long-lasting barrier protecting the Demon King.

The gate’s own defenses weren’t particularly formidable.

With siege weaponry, they could be brought down.

But this was a blitzkrieg of mad speed.

There was no leisure to gather up such weaponry.

There were mages who could take the siege weaponry’s place.

But if we used the mages here…

The subjugation force would be wiped out before the Demon King.

“All adventurers with ＜Giant Strength＞, move to the vanguard!”

“Shield-bearers, protect the strength-bearers!”

“Archers, suppress fire from atop the gate! Pair up with the shield-bearers and form ranks!”

The regular territorial troops within the subjugation force took command, forming ranks, and the high-ranking adventurers replaced the siege weaponry with their gate-breaching force.

It was an absurdly reckless formation, but the 300,000 strong army charged without hesitation.

*Thump! Thump! Kwaaang!*

With a focused assault from the strength-bearers in perfect synchronicity, the second gate opened.

Breakthroughs and skirmishes followed.

The Theresa Clan and the Hero’s Party quickly intercepted troublesome high-tier monsters or mid-tier bosses in the enemy ranks.

It was a constant, breathless series of movements, as if they had to eliminate one more strong enemy than the opposing side.

“Slow. Is that all you’ve got?”

“Don’t flaunt a talent that isn’t yours. Imposter.”

“You…!”

The Hero showed such venomous hostility that his murderous intent formed a tangible aura, taking the shape of a serpent.

Before that intent could turn into action, the Saintess grabbed the Hero’s hand, pulling him back.

“Stop it. How much more pathetic will you become?”

“…We still can’t accept the power of the collective. A gathering of commoners is just that: a gathering of commoners. They’re in no way worthy of being called heroes. You’ll soon see.”

As the Hero and Saintess retreated, the subjugation force, having dealt with the stragglers and prepared themselves, began their advance toward the third gate.

The fight ended naturally, but their warnings weighed heavily on the Theresa Clan’s minds.

“Aren’t you worrying too much about trash who made Ronowe a 2nd Unit Commander and sacrificed test subjects to fight~?”

“The Northern Front may have endured thanks to the Hero’s Party’s efforts, but the people on this front aren’t among those they should be protecting. I, with the reputation of the Benevolent Saintess on the line, can absolutely not acknowledge them.”

The two Saintesses of the Revolutionary Order combined their hearts in condemnation.

But the Hero hadn’t spouted thoughtless criticism, either.

When they faced the third gate…

Everyone understood its significance.

“The gate…it hasn’t gotten bigger, has it?”

“Wider. We’re in the same formation as before, but there’s so much space left over.”

“This canyon, could it be…is it widening and growing larger?”

This implied a grave truth.

As the gate grew, so too would the doors to pass through it.

The doors, thicker and larger, would require an ever-increasing force to breach, proportional to their weight.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

Despite the repeated collisions, the door only shuddered. The number of arrows raining down on the troops below the gate increased exponentially.

Worse, medium-sized monsters beyond the gate hurled stones and shards of ice, which crashed upon the shields. The formations shattered under the weight, or soldiers were crushed instantly.

The days of breaking through gates without losses were over.

The limit of the masses.

That limit had been reached at the mere third gate.

“Don’t be absurd. If I put my back into it, I can save more of our soldiers.”

Teresa charged forward, eyes ablaze.

Adding her strength to the assault, Teresa struck the door in unison, finally forcing the heavy gate open and allowing entry into the third precinct.

However, after the monsters inside the gate had been cleared and preparations were being made, the commanders participating in the subjugation force voiced their pessimistic outlook.

“At this rate, breaching the fourth gate swiftly will be impossible.”

“From the next gate onward, we must target the ramparts, not the gates. We cannot pass unless we climb the ramparts directly and open the gate from within.”

The atmosphere grew somber.

Though unspoken, the commanders’ gazes turned towards the heroes.

Ultimately, there was a limit to what a great army could accomplish.

The strength of the hero party was needed.

Without their aid, the great army was no more than burdensome baggage, unable to break through.

“I prepared an insurance. If it succeeds, we will aim for the gate in the next section as well. If it fails, then we can change our operation by then.”

“Insurance, you say? After coming all this way, you still have measures prepared?”

The one who shook the heart of the Archmage and made him sacrifice himself.

The one involved in the creation of the Western Legion, the Holy Legion, the Beastman Legion, and all support legions.

Teresa pointed to where her son, Ian, was standing.

Ian’s opponent was a member of the first hero party.

A Great Warrior.

* * *

The Fourth Precinct of the Giant’s Ice Canyon.

The gatekeeper guarding the precinct gazed down at the swarming humans, stroking his beard with a leisurely air.

“Gatekeeper-nim. A large enemy force is approaching.”

“I see them.”

“The intervals between the reports of the previous gates being breached are unsettling. Are we next?”

“What are you implying?”

“Isn’t the fifth precinct even larger than the fourth? We could retreat and defend together there.”

Gatekeeper Narses scoffed at the panicked words of his adjutant.

“Look here. Behold the immensity of the gate we guard. Those humans, hurrying from afar, would never possess siege weaponry. Opening the gate must rely on strength alone. Does this gate appear to be of a size that mortal hands could shift?”

“That is…unless they are not ordinary humans that could lift it?”

“To move a gate requiring the combined strength of dozens of mid-tier monsters and even the assistance of a mechaniste device without any such aid by human strength alone. Do you truly claim this is possible?”

The adjutant drew strength from the gatekeeper’s words.

Frankly, the possibility was remote.

“Still, there is always the chance, however slim. What if the ‘Great Warrior’ of a hero party, whose strength rivals that of a large-tier monster, were to step forward… Then, perhaps the gate might yield.”

“A Great Warrior? Utter nonsense.”

Narses offered a sardonic grin.

“The human Great Warrior is the strongest of their kind, chosen for their raw power to withstand the demon lord. They possess significant, one-time doping effects and volatile powers with time limits. Are you suggesting that such power be squandered on a mere gate? How then would they defeat the demon lord?”

“That…upon reflection, you are correct.”

“Even if another way existed, the Great Warrior cannot act. The elected champion is given privileges and elixirs, but must also fulfill his duty. The human nobles would never forgive a Great Warrior they funded for a lackluster performance.”

“Is that truly so?!”

“This was covered in officer training. If a funded member of a hero party fails to achieve results, they can only expect retribution for the insult.”

Therefore, the Great Warrior could not act until the moment his value was at its peak—the encounter with the demon lord.

Spending countless lives to barely overcome a crisis, he will only be able to exert his power at the time when opportunity arrives.

“So, all we must do is watch the hero party idly stand by as the human soldiers are massacred in their rebellion…”

The gatekeeper, brimming with confident superiority, spun his head towards the gate.

“Gatekeeper! The gate, the gaaate!”

The gate had been breached.

Humans poured through like a tidal wave.

Upon the ruins of the shattered gate stood the Great Warrior of the hero party’s first unit, wielding a massive hammer.

“You there. Are you the gatekeeper?”

“Human Great Warrior, have you lost your mind to the cold?! Having expended your strength before even laying eyes on the demon lord, you will never prove your worth to the nobles. You have cast your life into the abyss!”

“That? I did ponder it. But the brainwashing-magic user kid gave me some sound advice.”

The hammerhead of the Great Warrior swung a couple of times through the air, then pointed directly at the gatekeeper.

“Between landing a single knife strike among 300,000 and single-handedly opening a gate, it seemed to me that ‘this’ option would be more profitable.”

“For such a trivial reason?!”

“It seems you are quite knowledgeable of human culture, but have failed to update on the latest trends. That oversight will be the reason for your head to roll.”

Following the example of the Great Magician, the Great Warrior, with nothing to lose, sacrificed himself, thus the 4th gate was instantly breached.

“Run! Before all the power within me vanishes. Three hundred thousand troops, lead me to the front of the gate so that the fifth can be opened!”

A warrior of the hero party.

A protagonist in the demon lord subjugation.

He had abandoned his given mission, but because of this, the Great Warrior was now able to use his power at the most radiant moment.