Chapter 107: The Lady Returns and the Strongest Adventurer
Narrator POV
Around the city of Vestir.
Alicia flew out to see the state of her mansion.
As she was flying in the air, she saw many battles happening throughout the city.
She flew over them and as she did, she also took her time dealing with the monsters and invaders as she went on her way to the mansion.
With her lance, she easily defeated monsters, assassins, and Inquisitors as if it were nothing.
No one stood a chance against her lance.
She easily took out the monsters and the intruders with one hit using her large weapon.
"Thats! The Blue Rose Duchess!"
"That is Miss Alicia Cliffe Azurearozi!"
Adventurer cheered her title.
Guards called out her name.
They announced her presence as they saw Alicia eliminate the enemies.
They were in awe of her powers as she swept through the adversaries.
No monster or intruder stood a chance.
They all fell with a single hit from her lance.
She flew over the sky and eliminated every enemy in sight.
Like a valkyries reigning over the sky while defeating the enemies.
The chaos was widespread.
At the moment Alicia could not attend all of them by herself.
That gave her more reason to rush over to the Mansion and mobilize all of the guards of the mansion to help her eliminate the enemies in the city.
Still, she took her time helping the adventurers, soldiers, and civilians on her way.
They cheered her name as she eliminated the intruders on her way.
Some time passed.
Her mansion was on sight.
From the looks of it, there was a battle that happened there.
It was not a surprise for her.
It seemed that the mansion was attacked as she expected.
After all the Saint of Riles is hiding within their mansion.
She expected that the enemies would find a way to locate the saint in one way or another.
In fact, she would be disappointed in them if they failed to do so.
There was no way that her mansion would keep its peace at times like this.
She had expected the worst.
That is why all of the servants in the mansion were prepared for the attack.
After all, Alicia knew that eliminating Calm Eastertale was one of the major objectives of the people behind this mess.
They were ready.
Smoke was rising from all over the vicinity of the mansion.
A sign that a huge battle had occurred there.
As Alicia came closer as she flew, it became clear that the battle seemed to have ended.
She was expecting nothing but good news.
She has trust in the people of the mansion.
Alicia flew over to the estate and observed the situation while expecting nothing but good news.
"Oh look it's the young miss!"
One of the guards noticed Alicia flying in the air.
He points at her and more guards notice her approaching.
They immediately recognize their Lady even from a distance.
They cheered at her and happily welcomed her back.
The guards waved at their Lady who was flying over the mansion's vicinity.
They welcomed Alicia with a victorious look on their faces.
No one noticed this but a small smile appeared on Alicia's face.
Alicia descended slowly to the ground.
She landed and walked as the guards welcomed her arrival.
The guards welcomed their Lady with a respectful bow.
Alicia landed on the front lawn of the mansion.
There she saw that a masked man was patiently waiting for her arrival.
He was leaning on one of the pillars of the mansion near the front door.
She knew the man.
She made a complicated face seeing the man there.
Annoyed, happy, oblivious, hesitant... in the end no one knew what she was thinking.
Emotion mixed on her face and she made a complicated reaction.
It was the A-rank adventurer Argent.
A man whom she had met with some time ago.
As Alicia walked slowly to him, Argent also lifted his body from leaning on his back.
He also walked slowly toward Alicia.
He raised his arm as if waving Alicia's welcome.
"Ah... you're back." <Argent>
He said to Alicia.
"..." <Alicia>
"???" <Argent>
Argent tilted his head as he waited for Alicia's reply
There was a moment of delay before Alicia opened her mouth.
It was as if she was trying to think of a word to say to Argent.
-sigh-
She sighed and only called his name.
"Argent." <Alicia>
In an instant, Alicia returned to her "Noble Lady" mode and spoke with a dignified voice.
"So? How are things here?" <Alicia>
Alicia asked the masked man.
"Well..." <Argent>
Argent looked around as if asking Alicia to do the same.
Alicia only glanced at the surroundings without saying a word.
"As you can see, I've already dealt with the problem here. At the moment, the saint and the others used the underground passage to escape." <Argent>
Alicia did not say a word, instead, she only nodded.
As if urging Argent to say what was on his mind, Alicia stayed silent.
"It seemed that the enemies realized that the saint had already left the mansion so they also stopped coming here." <Argent>
"I see..." <Alicia>
Argent scratched his white hair as he thought.
[As expected she already expected this...]
"... so? Is there something you need?" <Alicia>
"Ahahaha~ well, I promised that I would head over to Kazue-chan and her friends after I deal with the problems here." <Argent>
"..." <Alicia>
Alicia listens to Argent without saying a word.
"I wanted to chase after them but no one here knows where the underground tunnels lead to. So, I decided to stay here and wait for you to arrive. You probably know where I could find them right?" <Argent>
"I see, I understand. But... I did not tell you that I would return soon, I am surprised you stayed here and waited for me." <Alicia>
"Hmnn... I just felt like you would come soon." <Argent>
Alicia's eyes opened wide.
After a slight pause, she answered.
"Is that so..." <Alicia>
Alicia turned around.
Without saying another word, Alicia raised her hands.
She was pointing in a certain direction.
"Go straight in this direction. They should be around that general direction once you reach the forest. It's up to you to track them after that." <Alicia>
"I see. That would be enough, I will be off then, Miss Alicia." <Argent>
"Go, I still have matters to do here." <Alicia>
"Thank you." <Argent>
"..." <Alicia>
Argent thought Alicia had said something, but he missed it.
"Hmnn? What did you say?" <Argent>
"Nothing... just go." <Alicia>
Argent shrugged it off as if it was nothing.
He was going to say goodbye to Alicia but she did not spare him a gaze.
As if not wanting to hear him saying goodbye.
"..." <Argent>
"..." <Alicia>
Argent chose not to say another word.
He just felt that it was the right thing to do.
And so, Argent leaped over one of the buildings and quickly jumped over one after the other.
He was heading toward the direction where Alicia pointed for him a while ago.
Argent moved quick, soon, he was no longer in sight.
Alicia did not even look at him leaving.
She walked forward and toward the guards of the mansion.
-sigh-
Alicia sighs as she shakes her head for some reason.
Alicia stood tall and spoke in a clear voice.
"Gather everyone who can still fight. We will be helping with dealing with the monsters and intruders in the city." <Alicia>
Alicia commanded the guards near her with a commanding voice.
A voice belonging to a capable Noble lady.
She ordered them with that distinguished voice.
All of the guards came rushing to her call.
"I shall go first, tell everyone to follow after me. Is that clear?" <Alicia>
"Yes, Maam!" <Guard>
The guards replied firmly.
"I don't accept failure! Now, show the people the power of the Azurearozi Dukedom!" <Alicia>
Alicia yelled to inspire the guards.
With the Lady leading them, no one faltered.
The guards followed Alicia with the honor of the Azurearozi's name on their back.
They stood straight placing their right arms with a closed fist over their chest, bowed down, and said in a determined voice.
They salute as they accept the orders of the Lady.
""" As you wish our Lady."" <<Guards>>
The guards exclaimed in unison and started to move as the lady commanded.
Alicia and the people of the mansion moved to deal with the problems in the city.
.
.
.
Outside the city.
Vestir Soldiers versus the army of Ecclesia Inquisitors.
Vestir Army vs the combined army of the Ecclesia Empire and Rebel nobles who are trying to invade Vestir
Both sides are maintaining their formation.
Offensive bombardments are being fired from both sides.
Projectiles from Magic skills, Arrows, and all kinds of projectiles rained back and forth between the two forces across the battlefield.
At the same time, each side has raised its own defensive wall that blocks all of their opponent's offensive bombardments.
As if a simultaneous light show was being fired from both sides.
Both sides also cast protective barriers to nullify the opposing side's offensive.
A giant wall is projected to protect the soldiers on the other side.
The wall blocks all bombardment of Magic and projectiles fired by the opposing army.
In the middle of the warzone, the most powerful individuals from both armies are fighting.
These overwhelmingly powerful individuals.
Each of them is equivalent to hundreds and even thousands of soldiers all by themselves.
These individuals are fighting between the two armies.
They are the leaders and aces of both armies.
7 individuals are engaging in that all-out battle.
Behind them are the wills of the soldiers awaiting their victorious return.
These 7 individuals who are leading the war are engaged in battle at the moment.
All of them are carrying the hope of their entire armies.
4 of them are from the Vestir's armies side while the other 3 are from Ecclesia Inquisitor's side.
The winner of this initial battle would most likely affect the outcome of the war.
On Vestir's side.
General Kokkur.
The highest-ranking general of the combined armies of the Great Nation Alliance in Riles.
Kokkur is one of the most powerful individuals within the ranks of the Great Nation Alliance.
His great mastery of using a giant sword is well-known in the continent.
Also, He is the father of Coco.
Cyraenan
The second in command of the combined armies of the Great Nation Alliance she is also General Kokkur's right-hand man.
Cyraenan is a member of the "Fishmen" race of the country of Phoeno.
She is one of the most powerful magic users within the Great Nation Alliance.
She is a master of the water-attribute magic.
Hasear.
Unlike Cyraenan and Kokkur, Hasear is not affiliated with the Great Nation Alliance.
Hesear is a member of the dwarf race.
He is also known by the name "Mountain Breaker" a name he named himself.
Rightfully so as Hasear had once "broken" a mountain with the large axe he carries on his back.
Hesear is an S-ranked adventurer, making him one of the most powerful people on the continent.
Lastly
Irkarus, a member of the "Imp" demon race.
Despite not being an S-rank adventurer like Hesear, Irkarus is still one of the strongest A-ranked adventurers in the world.
His skill with the spear is one of the best in the continent.
He is also the guild master in charge of all Adventurer Guilds in Riles.
To all the people fighting with him in the frontline, he is arguably the weakest among the four.
Yet, his ability and his pride deem him worthy to stand and fight in the front line of this war.
On the opposite side of the battlefield stand three Inquisitors.
They are leading the combined army of both Ecclesia and the noble's forces who committed treason to invade Riles.
These three are "Apostles".
Within the ranks of Ecclesia Inquisitors, Apostles stand above the top of Ecclesia's fighting forces.
The highest rank amongst Ecclesia Inquisitors.
"Apostles" are known to be at the very least as strong as the Elite A-rank adventurers in the continent.
Apostles may even rival the power of some S-ranked adventurers.
These three Apostles may rival the combined power of Kokkur, Cyraenan, Irkarus, and Hesear.
Thus, assessing who would win between these two sides is quite impossible to predict.
These 7 individuals are putting their own bodies in the line of fire.
If one of them is defeated, it might swing the flow of battle right away.
As such their armies would support their leaders with spells and buffs.
They would periodically launch an attack on the opposing leaders.
At the same time, they would also do their jobs to protect their leaders with spells and all kinds of skills.
When Armies fight, they are usually arranged in an easy-to-understand formation.
The people in front of the army, the "Tanks" and "Defenders".
These people are individuals who can use "protective" type of skills to protect the army behind them.
They are also in charge of raising the army's defensive wall that protects their formation from all of the enemy's Offensive attacks.
The "Tanks" and "Defenders" are tasked to make sure that none of the enemy's attacks would reach the people behind them.
Behind the Tanks and Defenders...
In the Middle of the formation are the "Healers", the "Couriers", the "Buffers", and the "Standby army" waiting for the leader's battle to finish.
"Healers", are the men power who can use any kind of recovery skill.
"Couriers" are the people in charge of distributing goods such as Potions, Information, and battle tools throughout the army.
"Buffers" are the ones who support using buff skills, enhancing the defensive and offensive power of the army.
Behind the formation are the "Attackers" and the "Standby Arm."
These individuals are the ones shooting ranged attacks using skills and spells at the opposing army from a distance.
They are bombarding them with magic and projectiles from a distance.
The "Standby army" mostly consists of the Melee combatants.
They are deployed to finish the war between both sides of the army.
Once they are deployed, it also means that the war between the two armies is about to reach its end.
There are 3 ways this war can end.
The first is for the leaders to win over the enemy leaders.
The leaders are the most powerful individuals in the army.
No one in the opposing army can stop them.
If Koccur, Cyraenan, Irkarus, and Haesear defeat the enemy's leaders they will proceed to lead the army forward.
With no leader on the other side, their formation will easily fall.
With them leading the charge, no one in the opposing army can stop them from breaking the opposing defenses.
Their ranks will fall easily.
They will lead their army to finish off the enemy forces.
With the leader of the army leading the charge, they could easily create an opening on the other side making it easier for them to overwhelm the opposing side.
This is also true if the three Apostles were to defeat Koccur, Cyraenan, Irkarus, and Haesear, they would lead Ecclesia's forces and wipe them out.
The second way is by overpowering the defense of the opposing army.
If by chance one of the army can pierce through the defense of the opposing army they can create an opening.
If their defenses fail, their formation will fall.
If the formation falls, they will probably lose the battle.
If they lose, there will be a slaughter.
Once their formation falls, it will just be a matter of time for the opposing army to finish them off.
The opposing army can easily kill off the "Healers", "Buffers", and "Couriers" who are considered the heart of any army.
Once that happens then the winner of the war is decided.
This usually happens if one side has an overwhelming advantage in firepower over the other army.
This can be determined by the pure number or even competency of the members of the army.
But as things are right now, there is no sign that neither army "defenses" will fall any time soon.
Third is by having more resources over the other army.
In simple words, a battle of attrition.
To win a war by wearing down the enemy to the point of collapse.
Having more and better resources such as potions, armor, weapons, and special equipment will be the determining factor in this situation.
If one side has more potions to replenish the army's Health and Mana resources, their army will last longer.
Having more potion over the opposing army means an advantage in both resilience and sustaining constant bombardment over the other army.
The quality of these resources also matters.
For example, the more sturdy the armor the harder the wearer will be defeated.
The stronger the weapon they wield the more powerful their attacks can get.
This is how having a "better resource" can be a determining factor in the war.
This will determine the outcome of the war if it ever lasts longer than expected.
Having more and better resources in wars means that they will have an advantage as the war goes on.
The longer and the harder the war is fought, the side who has more resources will win.
Once one of these three methods is met.
It is not an exaggeration to say that it will also determine the result of the war.
When that happens, the war will end swiftly.
And it will be a slaughter.
At the moment.
The Standby forces of both armies are still waiting for the "signal" to charge at the enemy force.
They are staying still behind the barriers protecting their forces as ranged attacks rain from both sides.
Neither side still has an idea of who will eventually crack an opening on the opposing army.
In the meantime, both sides could only wait for an opportunity to capitalize on an advantage.
Will the leaders of the army defeat their enemies first?
Will one of the armies penetrate the other's defenses and create an opening?
Will the other army run out of "resources"?
Will something unexpected happen and cause the other side to fall?
It has yet to be seen.
It has been several hours since the war between the two armies started.
As things are right now, both sides are at a stalemate.
Neither side is showing weakness in the opposing army.
If one side shows weakness, the opposing side will instantly take advantage of it and might instantly end the war.
Both sides have the power to wipe out the other side if they get a chance.
At any moment, this war might turn into a one-way slaughter.
But, neither side is giving in.
And from how things are, neither side would fall any time soon.
"At this rate, the war will last longer than we expect."
A lead information gathering team of Ecclesia's Army side mutters as he watches the battle of the leaders from afar.
Seeing the situation, the commanding officer within the Ecclesia and nobles side deduced the flow of the war.
The leaders were a match to each other, there was no advantage on either side.
There is no sign that their wall of defense would crumble at any moment.
It was the same as the wall of defense that the Vestir army had put up, they could not breach it with their bombardments.
Thus, it was obvious that this war would last longer than they expected.
Ecclesia's army has been waiting for this day to come.
They have gathered enough resources and manpower for this very day.
Their supply is enough for the army to last for a month or two.
They plan to defeat Vestir's Army with the help of the Nobles who are collaborating with the Ecclesia Empire.
Once they manage to invade the city, they will slaughter all of the people living in Vestir.
They will search every inch of the city.
They will cleanse the city by killing all of the cursed Demi-humans living within Vestir.
In the name of their god "Luminos".
Like a crazy lunatic, that person prayed zealously to their god.
He was wishing for his blessing to guide them in this war.
He felt blessed as he now had the chance to kill those disgusting demi-humans that the scriptures tell them about.
Then all of a sudden.
A heavy pressure struck the battlefield.
The intense pressure knocked out many of the soldiers on their side.
"What happened?!"
He said as he too was pushed to the ground.
Just a moment ago, their army was doing just fine.
Their leader is a match against the leader of the enemy army.
Their defenses were as sturdy as a fortress.
But...
All of a sudden many of their soldiers fell to the ground.
What is the reason why all of a sudden, many of their soldier was knocked down all of a sudden?
This should not be happening.
At this rate, their Army will get trampled by the enemy army.
The answer to his question was simple.
It was because of one man.
He was floating high up in the sky, looking down at the Ecclesia's army.
"Who is that?"
He said as he saw a man flying over the entire battlefield.
It all happened so suddenly.
At that moment, everything became dark.
Then he felt that he was now floating into the air.
A gust of wind carried him into the air with many soldiers on the ground.
"Huh-"
"arghh!-"
"Wahkk-"
"Aaaaa-"
"Ga-"
[What the hell is happening?]
He thought.
Then he was unable to think.
He was caught in a devastating tornado that suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
It tore his entire being apart, unable to know what just happened to him as his life ended so suddenly.
It was caused by a powerful skill unleashed by the man floating in the sky.
When he appeared, he welcomed the army of Ecclesia with a sudden surge of energy to fall over them.
All of a sudden the leaders of Ecclesia's army stopped moving due to that surge of energy.
That man also did the same to many soldiers on Ecclesia's side.
They all fall to the ground.
It was as if gravity was pulling them down forcefully on the floor.
No, to be more precise they are being pushed down by a massive force coming from above.
A tenth of their army is now immobilized weakening their defenses.
Because of this, Vestir's offensive bombardment started to penetrate Ecclesia army's wall of defense
"W-w-what the hell is this? What is happening?!"
Many soldiers from Ecclesia's side were confused.
One of Ecclesia's leaders said as he was unable to get up from the heavy force exerted onto his body.
They were confused as to how their wall of defense weakened.
They also saw that the three Apostles who were leading their army had fallen face-first to the ground.
They were all pinned on the ground by an invisible force coming from above.
Despair loomed on their faces as they knew something had gone terribly wrong.
Meanwhile, a face of delight appeared on Cyraenan's face.
"This presence..." <Cyraenan>
Feeling an overwhelming presence Cyraenan and the others also stopped moving due to a very different reason.
With a big smile on her face, Cyraenan followed the origin of this oppressive presence with her senses.
She knew this presence.
She saw a figure floating in the air looking down at the enemy army.
The person floating in the air was the person she was expecting to see.
Cyraenan eyes sparkled as she saw the figure floating in the air.
"Hohh~ so he's finally here..." <Hesear>
Hesear said as he let out a tired breath.
As soon as he appeared on the battlefield, he was able to suppress the enemies.
"Impressive as always..." <Hesear>
Hesear mutters to himself.
"What took you so long..." <Irkarus>
Irkarus the Guildmaster in charge of Riles looked at the figure above.
He felt relieved upon seeing him and breathed out a sigh of relief.
He knew that it was smart of him to ask for that fellow guild master's help during the Guild Master meeting back then.
He can now feel relief seeing him on the battlefield having him on their side.
"Aa~ As expected... no wonder he is called as the strongest..." <Kokkur>
General Kokkur said as he was the last to look at the figure Cyraenan, Irkarus, and Hesear were looking at.
The man...
Completely different from his usual atmosphere, he now exerts seriousness through his body language.
He was in battle mode.
He was wearing all of his gear for battle.
The usually sloppy, tired-looking guild master of the Artesia Empire Capital.
The most powerful adventurer whose power is second only to the Demon lord.
It was guild master Svencity.
The army of Vestir was in awe.
It was the first time they witnessed such a powerful individual present himself on the battlefield.
It was even impressive as most of the soldier working in Vestir have experienced war many times in their life.
Yet, only a few of them have witnessed such power on display.
Aside from the soldiers who joined the battle with the demon lord's army 10 years ago, it was the first time they had experienced the raw power of the so-called "Strongest Adventurer".
It was mind-boggling.
They could not understand the overpowering yet compelling amount of energy emanating from this man.
He alone was able to suppress hundreds of soldiers all at once.
They were grateful that he was on their side.
Svencity pulled out a weapon out of thin air.
A thin black sword with black chains dangling on its handle.
He swung the sword and created a large tornado at the center of Ecclesia's army.
He shot this aiming at the supply depot of Ecclesia's army.
It swallowed a huge area and swept through the back line of the Ecclesia army ranks.
The tornado grinds through all things it touched like a blender.
With that one attack, hundreds of soldiers died in an instant, and their supply depot was gone.
At that moment, One of the leaders of Ecclesia was able to escape from the heavy force pinning him down.
He did not waste time and used this opportunity and attack Svencity.
He transformed into a winged being resembling an angel.
He flew toward Svencity at an incredible speed.
Roaring toward Svencity he charged without stopping.
"LUMINOS GUIDE ME!!!"
He yelled as he charged.
The angel who seemed to have created some hope in the eyes of the Ecclesia soldiers flew toward the overpowering being who just appeared before them.
They exclaimed as they watched the angel push to defeat Svencity.
To them, Svencity was like the demon lord and must be eliminated at all costs.
The angel-like figure who charged toward Svencity acted as their last hope.
[This angel will defeat the enemy.]
[That angel will show the power of our God Luminos.]
The soldiers roared watching the angel attack Svencity.
The angel shot rays of light toward Svencity but none of them was able to graze his skin.
It even appeared as if an invisible force was repelling all the beams away from him.
Svencity sees the Angel's figure approaching him at incredible speed and holds out his arm towards it.
All of a sudden, it stopped mid-air.
The angel, like a fly caught in a spider's web, struggled to move.
It was as if he was being grabbed by something invisible to the eyes.
He was unable to move.
He struggled with all his might, yet he failed to resist the invisible force.
Svencity stretched out with his arm held in a way as if he was holding something invisible in his palm.
In the same manner, he tightened that grip.
As a result, the angel-like being was being squished by an invisible force.
At one point, Svencity exerts force into his palm and closes it forcefully.
It causes the angel to literally explode.
His blood and flesh rained down on the soldiers of Ecclesia who watched the angel perish before their very eyes.
Their last hope is gone.
The Ecclesia's forces did not know what to do.
They were stunned.
No one dared to resist or even fight back.
Those who did not lose their consciousness fell on their feet in despair.
"It's over..."
They slumped down in resignation.
"Oh god Luminos, please help us."
Some of them prayed to their god.
"What the hell is this."
"No... our years of effort... Don't tell me that it would end just like this?"
Many fell into confusion.
All of a sudden, their morale fell into the abyss of despair.
The barrage of projectiles continued to rain down from the "Attackers" of Vestir's army.
The "Standby Army" moved forward and slaughtered the Ecclesia Army who had lost their will to fight.
"Charge!"
They roared as they charged to the enemy camp.
From here on, it will be a one-sided slaughter.
Some of Ecclesia's forces resisted but their effort was in vain.
The nobles who watched everything unfold now realized how stupid they were to even try to rebel.
The soldiers fell to their knees knowing what would happen next.
Some accepted their fate and faced death by praying to their gods.
Some cried and begged.
Many turned back trying to run.
And many resisted to the end.
Svencity descended as the Army of Vestir slaughtered all of the remaining soldiers of Ecclesia to the ground.
"Am I late?" <Svencity>
He said to the four leaders of the Vestir Army gathered near him as he descended to the ground.
The four leaders of Vestir's army made a face not knowing how to respond to his question.
Author Note:
Happy New Year!
That's all hahah~