As Elisabeth gets up, enduring the pain, she sees that another huge hole has opened up.
At the bottom of the hole, Garios was swinging down his club. Around the hole, Princess Lu, Albion, and Otto lie blown away and fallen. Elisabeth and Ekaterina avoided major damage as they were at a distance, but all three who acted as shields have fallen.
Garios, his eyes dyed red, crawls out from the bottom of the hole and looks at the fallen three.
Elisabeth lacks the strength to fight and help, and Ekaterina, having just used a large spell, cannot immediately cast another.
“I won’t let you!”
At that moment, a shadow leaps out with a shout. It was Kyle, moving with the agility of a leopard.
Kyle, who was only lightly injured as he had been far from Garios, runs towards Garios to prevent him from attacking the three, leaping left and right to confuse him. But Garios’s eyes firmly capture Kyle’s movements.
“I’ve already seen through you, boy!”
Through the previous exchanges, Garios has adapted to Kyle’s movements.
“If you think you can see through it, just try!”
Kyle roars as he increases his speed even further. Dust flies and the wind is sliced as he moves so fast he seems to leave even his shadow behind. For a moment, Kyle’s figure appears to blur into two in Elisabeth’s eyes.
“Oh?”
It wasn’t just Elisabeth who saw the double image; Garios also lets out a surprised voice. The next instant, Kyle’s seemingly double figure suddenly vanishes, having dashed past to Garios’s back.
“So fast!”
As Garios exclaims in amazement, a sword is planted in his right arm. Kyle had stabbed it in the moment he dashed past.
Kyle drops to his knees behind Garios. Having moved beyond his limits, his stamina is exhausted. But just as Kyle falls, Otto stands up.
Bleeding from all over his body, Otto charges like a bull, brandishing his war hammer.
“Now it’s your turn!”
Garios grips his club with both hands, ready to meet Otto’s attack.
The war hammer and club collide, producing a thunderous sound as if the earth itself is splitting, and huge sparks fly.
Otto and Garios put their strength into it. Both of their muscles swell, and their armor creaks and screams.
In their first confrontation, Otto had the upper hand, but at that time Garios was using only one hand. Now he grips the club with both hands.
In this pure contest of strength, the undefeated Garios shows a king’s smile. On the other hand, Otto grits his teeth, drawing out all the power in his body.
Otto’s muscles swell even further, and the clasps of his armor fly off. Half-naked, Otto’s war hammer tries to push back Garios’s club.
Garios tries to put more strength into it, but Kyle’s sword stuck in his right arm hinders the concentration of his power.
With an enormous metallic sound, the war hammer swings through, and Garios’s club flies into the air.
“What?!”
Garios, unable to believe he has lost his weapon, stares blankly at his empty hand.
It was just a moment’s opening. But in that instant when Garios showed his greatest vulnerability, Albion and Princess Lu stand up.
Albion sprints forward and thrusts his spear into Garios’s abdomen. Garios, coming to his senses from the pain, reaches out with his giant hand to strangle Albion even as the spear pierces his stomach.
“I won’t let you.”
Garios’s outstretched hand is blocked by a wall of light created by Elisabeth.
As Albion grips the spear tightly, the entire spear turns red-hot and spouts flames.
“Guaaaaaaah!”
With his pierced innards being scorched by flames, Garios lets out a scream for the first time.
Struggling in agony, Garios swings his arm and breaks the shaft of the spear. As Garios retreats with smoke rising from his stomach, a shadow falls across his face.
As Garios raises his crocodile-like face, Princess Lu is in mid-air, about to swing down her sword.
Garios instinctively raises both arms to block the blade.
Princess Lu’s single stroke, delivered with a spirit-rending battle cry, cuts off both of Garios’s arms.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Ray leads the reserve forces to attack the wyvern units waiting in the rear of the Demon King’s army, adding dragon blood to the wilderness already dyed red by the setting sun. Seeing this sight, I became certain of our victory.
“Vice Commander Burns. Look!”
I called out to Vice Commander Burns standing beside me, holding the Imperial Guard flag in one hand.
The Demon King’s army is currently isolated in enemy territory. They can still fight because they can always mount the wyverns and return to Lowburn. But if the wyverns are gone, their fate hangs by a thread.
Indeed, the Demon Lord’s army fighting on the battlefield was visibly shaken and losing their will to fight after seeing their rearguard wyvern unit attacked.
“We’ve won! It’s our victory!”
I called out to Vice Captain Burns once more. But there was no response.
“Vice Captain Burns?”
I took my eyes off the battlefield and peered at Burns’ face. Then I quietly closed my eyes.
“…Knight Burns. You fought exceptionally well. Rest now.”
Vice Captain Burns had died standing.
He had lost his left arm protecting me and was riddled with fragments from explosive magic stones.
Despite this, he fought bravely until the end, dying while facing the enemy.
He was a brave, incredibly brave man.
My only regret was whether he had seen this sight. Did Burns see our victory, the result of his efforts, before he died? But that was something no one could confirm.
“Shloh! Come here!”
I called back Shloh and the other two who were fighting on the defense line.
“Shloh, bring two more soldiers and have them hold flags. Meryl, find a horse. Lett, please lay Vice Captain Burns down.”
As soon as I gave the orders, the three moved immediately, calling two soldiers, procuring a riderless horse, and carefully laying Vice Captain Burns down.
We had won. But it wasn’t certain yet. To ensure Burns’ death wasn’t in vain, we had to make this victory absolute.
I turned my gaze from the battlefield to Garios and Elisabeth, who were locked in a fierce battle.
The fight with Garios had already changed the terrain, with huge holes gouged in the earth.
Al, Otto, and Princess Lu had fallen, and we were on the brink of total defeat, but Kyle moved so fast he seemed to have multiplied, plunging his sword into Garios’ arm. Otto struck Garios from the front, knocking away his club.
Seizing the opportunity, Al pierced Garios’ stomach with his spear, searing his innards with flame. Then Princess Lu leaped in, cutting off both of Garios’ arms.
This scene was witnessed not only by me but by many demons on the battlefield, sealing the defeat of the Demon Lord’s army.
Sensing the opportunity, I mounted the horse Meryl had prepared and headed towards Elisabeth with the three.
Garios, with both arms cut off, was bleeding profusely and falling forward. But just before he hit the ground, his legs prevented the fall.
“It’s not over yet! You think you’ve won just because you took both my arms?!”
Even with both arms lost, Garios roared.
“No, we have won!”
I rode my horse towards Garios and his group, declaring victory.
“Garios, look over there!”
I pointed to where Lei and the others were annihilating the wyvern unit.
“You can no longer escape from here. You have been defeated!”
I confronted Garios with his defeat. To secure victory, they must accept their defeat. Break Garios’ spirit by confronting him with defeat after losing both arms. Then we can route them and hunt them down when they’re weak. With the effect of [Divine Grace], it should be possible.
“Queen Elisabeth, declare our victory!”
At my urging, Elisabeth nodded in agreement and raised her right hand.
“Soldiers of the kingdom, raise your victory cries! We are victorious!”
At Elisabeth’s words, the royal guard and Romelia knights raised their weapons and shouted in triumph.
The demon army was further shaken by the victory cries, and their will to fight visibly diminished.
“Silence!”
Garios’ roar silenced the victory cries echoing across the battlefield.
“It’s not over yet! If you’re going to boast about winning, kill me first!”
Garios, who didn’t know when to quit, shouted, but it was a meaningless cry.
“Accept your defeat, Garios! Even you can no longer fight.”
Elisabeth said, looking at Garios’ arms.
His severed arms had stopped bleeding but weren’t regenerating, exposing pink flesh.
After the fierce battle, even Garios was at his physical limit.
“Without weapons or even arms, unable to escape. You have been defeated. As the leader of a defeated army, be dignified.”
“So what?!”
Elisabeth further pressed Garios with his defeat, but Garios’ spirit didn’t break.
“No weapons? No arms? No way to return? So what?! The leader of a defeated army should be dignified? What good does dignity do?! Oi! You good-for-nothings who only know how to fight! What are you standing around for? The enemy is right in front of you! Fight! It’s all you can do anyway!”
Garios turned to the battlefield and roared at all the demoralized soldiers of the Demon Lord’s army.
“No weapons? Then use your fists! No arms? Then bite! No place to return? Then kill! You’re all going to die someday anyway! So kill until you’re killed! Fight until your dying breath! That’s the perfect death for a warrior!”
I was speechless at Garios’ voice, which sounded like a wail.
“You intend to drag all the soldiers into your own desire?”
“What’s wrong with that?! Don’t follow if you don’t want to! I’ll fight until I die! That’s all!”
I flinched at Garios’ roar.
But Garios’ voice shook the battlefield, igniting the hesitant Demon Lord’s army. War cries rose from all over the battlefield, and the demoralized Demon Lord’s army regained their momentum.
“That’s it! That’s my subordinates! Come on, let’s go. Don’t get cocky just because you took both my arms! Come at me, I’ll take you on!”
Garios, armless, roared and ran towards Elisabeth and the others. At the same time, the reinvigorated Demon Lord’s army resumed their attack. At this rate, even [Divine Grace] won’t be fully effective.
“Lady Romelia, we should retreat.”
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