Chapter 283 - Chapter 282: Co-operation with Ozendorwa
Hearing that Hibujiza had appeared at the front line, Mika stood up without thinking.
Cranzard looked up at Mika with a grim expression.
"I don't know how you moved from Wyedges to the front line in three days, but I assume it is the same person."
"Yes... if it is Hibujiza, I think it is possible."
I thought it was a coincidence, but the information about Wyedges arriving three days ago and the information about the front line arriving at the same time.
Now, we have to deal with both ends of the kingdom, the east and the west, simultaneously.
"Please give me paper and a pen!"
When Mika said that, Cranzard called out to a knight and had him bring it from the next conference room.
"What are you going to do?"
"I want to deliver supplies to Wyedges as soon as possible, so I am asking someone who can do it."
And so, Mika wrote a letter addressed to Yaroibarov.
Mika cannot deliver it because he is going to the front line, so he asks him to deliver it instead.
If it is Yaroibarov, it should be delivered in no more than two days.
It takes more time than if Mika flew there, but it is faster than the fast horse relay.
Mika can deliver it once the front line is cleared, but since we don't know when that will be, this is the second-best plan.
When Mika finished writing the letter, he looked at Tsudazen with a serious expression.
"Also, I am borrowing the commander of the Fifth Knights Order. Is that okay?"
While asking the question, Mika quickly wrote a note on another piece of paper.
"Oh, ah..."
It was just because he was pushed by Mika's aura, but the Minister of Military Affairs gave his permission.
He doesn't care about what happens after.
We are in an emergency situation too.
If Ozendorwa is there, it is like adding iron to a demon's sword.
Or rather, could Ozendorwa defeat Hibujiza all by himself?
Mika's role would be only dispelling the curse.
If that really happens, it would be ideal.
"Please deliver this letter to the innkeeper named Yaroibarov in District Three. I think it can be delivered faster than the fast horse relay."
"...Huh?"
Not understanding the meaning of Mika's words, Cranzard made a blank face.
But there is no time to explain in detail.
Mika ran to the window.
"I will immediately link up with the Fifth Knights Order commander, Ozendorwa-san, and head to the front line. Tell them 'The Apostle is coming soon.' Encourage them."
"O-okay."
Hearing Tsudazen's reply, Mika leaped out of the conference room window.
I must pick up Ozendorwa immediately and go to the front line.
Flying up to a height overlooking the Royal Castle, he headed for the Fifth Knights Order's office.
Please, please be at the office!
Suppressing his excited feelings, he approached near the Fifth Knights Order's office.
Just as he was about to land near the center of the ground as usual, he found Ozendorwa.
He was mounted on a horse, about to go out on patrol.
"Ozendorwa-san!"
Mika manifested "Absorb Wing" and boosted his physical enhancement to land in one go.
While calling out to Ozendorwa like that, Mika dashed and rushed at him.
Of course, he slowed down at the moment of the body check to suppress the impact, but he got close to Ozendorwa in an instant and snatched him up.
"Mika-kun!?"
"Nice timing, Ozendorwa-san!"
He was about to leave the office on horseback when Mika came rushing in with terrible momentum and took him away into the sky.
From the perspective of Ozendorwa and the knights accompanying him, that was the only situation it could be seen as.
However, Mika had taken every precaution.
I am borrowing the commander. Details with the Minister of Military Affairs. Mika
He had left a note like that.
"Mika-kun, what is this!?"
"Hibujiza!"
Ozendorwa, held by Mika, asked, but he conveyed it briefly.
With that one word, Ozendorwa realized the reason for Mika's emergency measures, and his expression turned cold.
"...Where?"
"At the front line! He just appeared on the protective wall!"
Mika swung "Blast" wildly, increasing his speed rapidly.
While flying, he explained the situation.
"Wyedges is completely destroyed!?"
"Yes, the number of casualties is said to be unimaginable, but it is said to be no less than a million..."
There is a time lag in the information, so he conveyed that this happened three days ago.
And then...
"The front line has a direct line I set up. I just received a communication that Hibujiza has appeared."
"Communication?... I don't quite understand."
Ozendorwa frowned like that, but soon tightened his expression.
"Just now, you say?"
"Yes, just now."
As if confirming that much was enough, the corner of Ozendorwa's mouth rose.
"He is prey that I failed to capture. I must settle my own negligence myself."
And so, he looked at Mika with a serious expression.
"But, unfortunately, I cannot deliver the final blow. I am sorry, but could you lend me a hand, Mika-kun?"
"...Am I the one lending a hand?"
When Mika tried to borrow Ozendorwa's hand, it was the opposite of what he expected.
Mika was genuinely impressed by Ozendorwa's resolve.
Saying "impressed" makes it sound arrogant, but still, things like this about Ozendorwa and Yaroibarov are simply enviable.
How can one become such an amazing person?
As Mika headed toward the protective wall, he plotted a strategy with Ozendorwa.
■■■■■■
【Perspective of "Fire"】
A large explosion occurred at the protective wall.
At that moment, cheers rose, and "Voluntas" gushed out.
However, the quality was not enough for "Fire" to desire.
"Come on, push them in hard."
The crowd surged into the hole newly opened in the protective wall.
"Fire" mixed with the crowd and headed for the next location.
"Really, does it get used to it?"
On the first day, every time a hole was made in the protective wall, a completely different amount of "Voluntas" gushed out.
However, now it is as if it is running dry.
It is a disappointing result.
"That town before was amazing."
Every time an explosion occurred, the people of the town ran around in a panic, laughing loudly.
It had been since the attack on the capital that they were so happy.
He had punched the cheek of those who were completely relieved that they were far from the front line.
He could take in a considerable amount of "Voluntas" with that, so he can endure the running dry here...
"Really, I want to use this crowd to attack a big town."
It is time to switch to saving energy.
Since the long-term goal is right in front of us, we want to save even a little bit of "Voluntas" and achieve it quickly.
A new stage.
The final stage.
"I might be the first one."
Ru-chan seems to be taking some time.
The people of the kingdom have not made any big moves.
Well, by now, even without any cooperation, each one will reach it.
Since Fu-chan was defeated, there are only two "Sons of God" left.
There is no need to share the collected "Voluntas" anymore.
Each one will devour everything and eat it all as they please.
They can jump out of such a tiny continent and squeeze "Voluntas" from every corner of this world.
Wantonly torturing the people to death and making them struggle forever.
A world where the absolute existence rules.
"Hehehehe..."
"Fire" tried to hold back the rising laughter and shook his shoulders.
And so, he parted the crowd and headed for the next place.
■■■■■■
Mika passed over Sarbengeal, lowered his altitude, and approached the protective wall, taking out a communicator from the Magic Bag.
"Communication Command Room! Where was the last hole made!"
"...Apostle-sama!? It is terrible! Currently, the protective wall is————!"
"I hear you! I will be above the protective wall soon!"
Just looking from the sky, there were about five holes in the protective wall.
Already, over a hundred thousand people had passed through the protective wall, and the Kingdom Army was holding them back.
"Sorry, but repair later! Hit the ones making the holes first! Where was the last hole made?"
"It, it's Three of Three!"
"Understood! I will contact you once I finish here! Until then, I can't come out even if you call!"
"Understood————!"
Before hearing the reply, Mika put the communicator away in the Magic Bag.
"Mika-kun. Where is Hibujiza?"
Ozendorwa, who had grabbed onto Mika's back, asked.
"It is about five kilometers from here."
Mika pointed to one of the holes made in the protective wall.
"If they are destroying them in order, they must be further inside now."
"In that case, put me down here."
"Is that okay? There is still a bit of distance."
Mika confirmed, but Ozendorwa nodded.
"I will manage. I am counting on you as bait."
"Am I the bait?... Okay, I guess."
If they get too close and he is seen carrying Ozendorwa, a surprise attack will not be possible.
Mika put Ozendorwa down on the stone wall and flew off to search for Hibujiza.
While Mika was flying searching for Hibujiza, a large explosion occurred at the protective wall.
It was about one kilometer away.
When Mika hurried there, he suddenly felt a buzzing sensation all over his body.
"Kuh!?"
In a flash, he changed the direction of "Blast" and slammed himself onto the ground.
Dogaan!
A large explosion occurred in the air, at the place where Mika had been until just now.
With the propulsion of "Blast", gravity, and the blast wave, Mika fell heavily onto the ground.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
"Gwaaaaah!?"
While rolling, Mika swept up the crowd filling the ground.
(This explosion! Hibujiza!)
Curling his body and rolling, he jumped up violently.
He felt a buzzing sensation all over his body again.
"Tch!"
Mika clicked his tongue and kicked the ground.
Dogaan!
Another explosion occurred, and the area about twenty meters around where Mika was standing was blown away.
"You bastard!"
Even though there was no time to catch Hibujiza's figure, somehow Hibujiza knew Mika's position.
Mika's destinations were exploding one after another.
It seems that the crowd didn't matter to Hibujiza at all, and every time an explosion occurred, hundreds of people were caught up in it.
While desperately dodging the explosions, Mika thought.
(Why can he know where I am!?)
Speaking of which, when Mika was hiding in a tree, Hibujiza noticed it immediately.
It is not [Detect Presence].
With [Detect Presence], it should be difficult to identify an individual among such a crowd.
He is identifying Mika's location with something else.
(Was it a good idea to part ways with Ozendorwa-san early?)
If his location is grasped so accurately, it will be difficult for Mika to launch a surprise attack.
However, how exactly is he grasping the location?
(...Speaking of which, Nerisfeene said she could see it with the power of her [Blessing] too.)
A power that can see things that are not clear.
It seems that Nerisfeene could see not only Mika but also things coming out of Hibujiza.
And now, although not as bad as that terrible state for a moment, something is still coming out.
Can Hibujiza see that too?
(That damn bastard has a [Blessing]? Make me laugh!)
While dodging the explosions, Mika desperately searched for Hibujiza.
Maybe because it is a strange power, he counts it as one of the [Blessings], but maybe it wasn't a [Blessing] after all?
If he has a power to see "something" similar to Nerisfeene, it is understandable that his location would be revealed no matter how much he hides or mixes with the crowd.
(If I make Fee visualize the curse, I can grasp Hibujiza's location...)
But in that case, his figure will disappear due to the black mist.
Mika moved away from the protective wall, dodging the magical range of the explosions, and searched for Hibujiza.
"There it is! 'Laser Cannon'!"
When Mika fired the "Laser Cannon", Hibujiza quickly jumped out from the crowd.
Mika was dodging the explosions and moving away from the protective wall.
The crowd heading toward the protective wall.
If they chase Mika, they inevitably go against the flow, and only one person is facing the opposite direction among the crowd turning their backs to Mika.
"I finally found you!"
While firing the "Laser Cannon", he chased Hibujiza, who was dodging by stepping on the heads of the crowd.
From Hibujiza, a counter-attack explosion came immediately.
While catching Hibujiza's figure, Mika's heart was strangely calm.
Until now, just thinking of Hibujiza's figure made him feel like he was dominated by anger.
But now that he is right in front of him, even if there is some anger, what fills his heart is not anger.
Joy.
And a little relief.
Until now, people feared the shadow just because they feared the darkness, and were only tossed around.
All he could do was feel anger at his own inadequacy and wretchedness.
But by having him right in front of him like this, Mika felt relieved.
(...Finally, I can kill this with my own hands! This plague god!)
Of course, he is not an opponent to be careless about.
However, this situation was quite ideal.
What if he mixes with the crowd again?
Kill the whole crowd.
What if he tries to escape?
Just let Fee chase him.
Even if Mika loses sight of him, Fee is there, and Ozendorwa is there.
In the middle of the town, you cannot help but consider the influence on the surroundings.
But here, how is it?
Enemies, enemies, enemies, filling the ground.
All this crowd is the enemy.
Then, there is no need to hold back.
After that, just think about killing Hibujiza.
Mika fired the "Laser Cannon" while not being caught by hatred or joy, and chased Hibujiza.
The "Imprecator" I defeated before was the same, but why can these guys dodge the "Laser Cannon" so easily?
Mika took a deep breath.
"You destroyed the Empire and messed around with the Kingdom, you had a lot of fun, didn't you! Hey, 'Imprecator'!"
While firing the "Laser Cannon", Mika spoke to Hibujiza.
"Did you collect plenty of Voluntas? Eh? You crossed the kingdom just to collect such a thing? That is tough, being an 'Imprecator'!"
Mika said it mockingly.
While dodging Mika's "Laser Cannon", he saw Hibujiza's face twisted in anger.
Bingo.
It was a bluff out of the blue, but it seemed to hit the spot.
Suddenly, a buzzing sensation occurred all over Mika's body, and he instinctively gathered strength in his legs and jumped back.
Dogaaaaaaaaaan!!!
An explosion occurred that was significantly larger than the previous ones.
Seeing that, the corner of Mika's mouth rose.
"Don't get so angry? Was it really true? Sorry, sorry!"
Mika was enveloped in the buzzing sensation again.
Dogan-dogan-dogan-dogan-dogaaaaaan!
Explosions occurred one after another, and Mika desperately dodged them all.
And so, he moved further away from the protective wall, but Hibujiza easily caught up to Mika.
He no longer tried to hide his body and chased him openly.
"I am a 'Son of God'! I am not some 'Imprecator'! I will kill you!"
While cursing, he chased Mika and caused explosions one after another.
"What a damn brat! You are not Te-chan! I went to all that trouble to prepare for you, what is this state of yours!? You half-baked bastard!"
He started denying the nickname he had given himself.
He was extremely angry.
Not only did it hit the spot, but maybe he touched a sore spot?
"Ahahaha! Maybe you guys were worried about being called 'Imprecator' and started saying 'Son of God'? How much inferiority complex do you have! Don't make me laugh so much!"
Mika moved in a zigzag, kicking the heads of the crowd to create distance from Hibujiza.
The end of the crowd was approaching.
"You are trying too hard! Did you work so hard to rewrite the scriptures for that!? It is really funny! Ahahaha!"
"Shut up! I will kill you! I will rip your head off!"
"Ahahaha! I will apologize, so don't get so angry! Ahahahaha!"
Mika jumped out of the crowd and kicked the ground to get away.
Hibujiza also chased Mika and jumped out of the crowd.
In that instant————.
Hyu!
The sword of Orichalcum, a rare copper-type metal, of Ozendorwa, who had been hiding at the very end of the crowd, flashed.
However, Hibujiza quickly took distance and dodged Ozendorwa's sword.
"You idiot! I see through you d————!"
At the moment Hibujiza was about to blow off Ozendorwa's head.
——————.
Mika, who had shown his true colors, passed behind Hibujiza silently in an instant.
Drawing the short sword of Orichalcum, a rare copper-type metal, worn at his waist, while cutting off its head.
Mika, with cold eyes, whispered.
"You are the idiot."
Mika shouted with a thousand emotions.
"Absorb Wing - Double! Auto-Dispel!!!"
Pika!
At the same time as Mika manifested four wings, Fee visualized the curse.
In the blink of an eye, the field of vision was covered in black mist.
Defeat Hibujiza.
Between heading from the capital to the front line, Mika and Ozendorwa had thought of various methods.
When Mika and Ozendorwa chased Hibujiza, Ozendorwa would be at a disadvantage.
Only Mika and the "Imprecator" can maintain inhuman movements while casually trampling the crowd.
If it is just chasing, Ozendorwa might manage, but it is difficult to show 100% swordsmanship skills.
The "Imprecator" they fought earlier also dodged the "Laser Cannon".
Therefore, it must be assumed that Hibujiza has physical abilities equal to or greater than that.
Also, only Mika's ability to sense magic can predict Hibujiza's explosions beforehand.
Therefore, it is desirable for Ozendorwa to mix with the crowd and wait in a fully prepared state with his feet on the ground.
Fee was asked to stay with Ozendorwa, and he was asked to tell Ozendorwa where Hibujiza was.
If Fee can know Mika's location, when Mika finds Hibujiza, Mika's location = Hibujiza's location.
And, of course, just defeating him is not enough.
One must move to dispel the curse quickly.
To ensure Mika's safety during the dispelling, when defeating him, Mika, Ozendorwa, and Hibujiza must gather in one place.
To meet those conditions, no matter where Hibujiza was, he had to be led to the very end of the crowd and brought into a battle on flat ground.
Using Mika as bait to lure him, guiding him to the very end.
If Hibujiza was successfully lured, he would be defeated in one strike with Ozendorwa's sword.
However, there was naturally a possibility that he would dodge even that.
Therefore, at the same time as Ozendorwa's sword, Mika was also going to attack with a short sword.
If he dodges even that, well, there is no choice.
They would just defeat him together.
It might not lead to an ideal state, but anyway, defeat him, and dispel the curse.
They discussed with a bitter smile that since the opponent was a monster, in the end, it was just brute force.
When Mika started "Auto-Dispel" in the black mist, Ozendorwa stood guard right next to Mika.
He held a sword in his hand and assumed the worst-case scenario where the crowd would attack.
However, the crowd did not attack.
They did not even notice that a huge black mist had appeared behind them.
Everyone was just heading for the protective wall.
Ozendorwa confirmed that there was no presence approaching, and slowly moved away from Mika's side.
He could sense the presence, but he wanted to grasp the surroundings with his eyes.
When he stepped out of the black mist, he could not hide his surprise at its size.
A huge mist with a radius of five meters.
He was depressed that curses could be such a sinister thing.
The crowd, even though such a creepy thing was right behind them, showed no sign of noticing.
Isn't this too unnatural?
"...Hmm?"
Looking closely at the crowd, he could see a faint black steam rising.
"What is that...?"
He had been waiting right next to the crowd until just now, but he couldn't see such steam.
Ozendorwa turned around and stared at the huge black mist moving in a zigzag.
"...Could it be the same thing?"
He is not an expert like Mika, so he has no certainty, but the impression from the appearance is the same thing.
Once Hibujiza's dispelling is finished, I will ask him about it.
And so, while being alert to the surroundings, he waited for a while.
Then, the black mist spread out and dissipated in the blink of an eye.
At the place where the black mist had been, there was Hibujiza's corpse.
And there was Mika, taking a deep breath.
"Did it go well?"
When Ozendorwa asked that, Mika turned around.
Mika had an expression that seemed a little tired, but it quickly changed to a smile.
"Yes!"
And so, he replied cheerfully.