Chapter 379 – Ambush at the Rocky Outcrop

From within the dragon carriage, I performed a Five Senses Link with Caduceus, probing the situation of the ambushers. At the same time, I used the communication device to coordinate with everyone on the Sirius.

“…They’re coming. Once the dragon carriage passes, crush the troops stationed at the rear and swiftly launch the attack.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the group of dragon carriages climbed the mountain path into view, the ambush leader, Dahl, spoke. Holding his breath in anticipation, he was likely waiting for the right moment… but that wouldn’t be allowed.

“—Do it.”

As the dragon carriage unit came into view of the ambush point, I issued the command. Caduceus leaped out from behind the piled rocks and instantly severed the rope that held the trap in place. In an instant, the trap collapsed. The stacked stones tumbled down in a rush.

Princess Elham peeked out of the dragon carriage window at the thunderous noise and vibrations.

“This is madness! Too soon! Why did you cut it!?”

Dahl’s furious voice was drowned out as the rocks cascaded down the steep slope. There was no way to rectify the situation now.

The man responsible for the rope wore a dazed expression, unable to comprehend what had just happened. After all, he was still in the process of measuring the distance to the dragon carriage with his hand on the hilt of his curved sword. He had confirmed that the rope was neither slack nor tight. It was only natural that he couldn’t understand why the rope had been cut.

“Stop the entire unit!”

The soldier at the front shouted to the troops behind him—though it was unnecessary, as everyone had already halted in response to the sudden landslide that had occurred a short distance away.

“Damn it! Charge! Charge! It will take time for the dragon carriage to turn in that narrow path, and the soldiers can’t all engage at once! If we capture Elham, the others will have no choice but to surrender!”

Thus, the ambushers had reached this point. They likely intended to compensate for their numerical disadvantage with traps. It seemed they had prepared a magic tool that incorporated Levitation, using it to slide down the cliff. The effect was crude. Some nearly fell, and others struggled as the magic tool malfunctioned, causing them to slip.

“We will intercept the approaching enemies. Stay here and prepare to fight.”

“Yes, understood.”

I stepped outside the dragon carriage and took position in front of the door. Behind me, Princess Elham issued commands, but I ignored her as I saw some of the soldiers at the front rushing toward us.

From Dahl’s words, it was clear that the soldiers at the rear were expected to be caught in the trap. If that were the case, I could trust the soldiers stationed behind. However, the soldiers at the front were—

“Can’t you hear Her Highness Elham’s orders?”

“Get back! We need to evacuate Her Highness to a safe location!”

They shouted while running toward us with their spears aimed. I hadn’t expected there to be a traitor among them.

“Given the emergency, may I treat them as traitors and eliminate them?”

“Please do. The truth will become clear later.”

“Then, let’s do it without killing them—”

“Don’t underestimate me!”

I deflected the thrust of the spear aimed at me with my Shield, redirecting it diagonally, and as my body flowed past, I calmly gripped my spear.

Channeling all the circulating magical power into the spear, I used Levitation to lift the soldier’s body, swinging it around and throwing it toward the mountainside.

The body caught by the lightning strike crashed back-first against the mountainside, rolling to the ground without being able to break fall. I had poured a massive amount of magical power into the spear, so it had cracked. Even if he managed to stand up, his weapon would be useless… no, he likely wouldn’t stand again.

Two more traitors charged toward me in response, and from further back, the ambushers were also rushing in.

But before they could reach me—Caduceus slid across the ground and reached the dragon carriage.

“Let’s go—”

That was the signal for me to charge forward to meet the enemy.

Ouroboros and Balor also swooped in at the same time. I caught Ouroboros with my right hand while my other hand reached back to receive Balor.

I charged forward, radiating excess magical power. One of the soldiers who had stepped into range completely misjudged the distance and was swept away by Ouroboros’s strike, sent flying with his body. For those who had halted, I unleashed Balor with just enough power to avoid killing them, sending two soldiers who had rushed in toward me soaring through the air.

Balor traced a sharp angle, leaving a trail of light as it circled around the dragon carriage.

“W-What is that kid!?”

“Do they have the luxury to be distracted by us?”

The feet of the last ambushers exploded, sending several men into the air. The attack had come from Corulis. As the men were lifted into the sky, Saphir and Lindwurm swooped down from above, snatching them up and tossing the screaming men toward the rocky surface. Following that, Grace and Sheila burst forth from the tunnel, cutting into the men from behind.

“Ugh, these guys!”

“Get out of the way!”

Grace, who had kicked off the ground and charged in, struck with a knife-hand in a seemingly light motion. The power of that strike—the man completely misjudged it.

In an incomplete stance, he attempted to block with his bare arm instead of a weapon. His arm was shattered and he was sent flying almost sideways. I could see the men gasp at the sight. It was more than enough to create confusion.

“Ugh, ugh!?”

From the ambushers’ perspective, they had intended to launch a surprise attack, but now they found themselves being ambushed instead. Moreover, they couldn’t read the enemy’s strength at all.

From the summit, the Demon-Slaying Knights, mounted on wyverns, descended rapidly, completing the encirclement without letting a single one escape.

After all, they had blocked their own escape route. Even with Levitation, they couldn’t flee. Trying to slip away amidst the chaos would be futile. Even if they managed to cross the pile of rubble, the path leading to the highlands was completely sealed off by Ashley’s ice, and above all, they were visible from the sky no matter where they tried to escape.

At the moment they slid down the cliff in a panic, they had already lost any chance of escape… but if they didn’t know that, they wouldn’t be able to brace themselves and hold their ground.

“The people of Verdgar are our allies! If you are brave warriors who have sworn loyalty to the Baharzard royal family, then join them in annihilating the enemy!”

Princess Elham raised her voice, waving her arms to issue commands, and the soldiers guarding the dragon carriage, who had been taken aback, seemed to realize the favorable turn of events, letting out a battle cry as they charged toward the enemy.

“Why are we surrounded!? Where did they come from!?”

“D-Dahl! At this rate, we’ll be annihilated! Gah!?”

The moment the deputy turned his gaze to Dahl, Sheila, who had slipped in silently, sliced through his tendons as they passed each other, causing him to bleed and sink to the ground.

Behind them, Grace wore a smile as she swung two enemy soldiers around like pieces of wood by their legs.

“W-What!?”

As someone tried to escape, they ran into the magic thread set by Rosemary, blood gushing from their body as they were pinned in mid-air. Above, Rosemary laughed, covering her mouth with a feather fan.

Some tried to escape by using a magic tool to jump away in the chaos—but they were all unceremoniously knocked down, either kicked away by the horse ridden by Dullahan, grabbed by Ignis and slammed to the ground, or torn apart by the wolves summoned by Seraphina.

Those who tried to escape the melee and reached for the pile of rubble they had created found their hands pierced by the ice bullets shot by Ashley and Lavigne, or the Light Arrows fired by Irmhild, or the lightning strikes unleashed by Eclair, tumbling down the slope. It was quite the scene of hellish chaos.

“Ugh, ugh!?”

Dahl witnessed the horrific scene that had crept up right behind him. What’s more, the soldiers who had been right behind him were being mowed down by multiple saucers without being able to defend themselves.

A dry laugh escaped Dahl’s lips at the incomprehensible sight.

With bloodshot eyes, he turned to glare at the dragon carriage. He glanced only at Princess Elham, plastering a broken smile on his face as he charged straight ahead.

I see. If I could take Princess Elham hostage, perhaps I could survive—maybe. It would be difficult to break through the defenses of Caduceus and Balor, but the possibility wasn’t zero.

It seemed she had some knowledge of magic. She could use Levitation on her own. She displayed a stance to deploy a Magic Circle and prepared to leap toward us.

So, I kicked off the ground and charged straight at Dahl. We both kicked off the ground and charged head-on.

“Get out of my way!”

Dahl roared. He must have been compensating for the lack of weight in the air with his fighting spirit. The fighting spirit gathered in the katana he had pulled back. I kicked off my Shield to evade the horizontal sweep that was unleashed, flying vertically to avoid it. The katana swept through the air beneath me in vain.

Immediately, I performed a Form Shift, reflecting the fastest kicks from Nemea and Capella.

“Fall!”

I dove down from directly above Dahl, aiming for his back with bullet-like speed. My toes pierced into the area around his shoulder blades, and I fell vertically with tremendous force.

“Ugh, ugh!?”

Though the height wasn’t particularly great, the acceleration added considerable impact. Dahl crossed his arms in a hasty defense, but that wouldn’t be enough to block it. I heard and felt the sounds of bones in his arms, shoulders, and ribs shattering.

“Gii—!?”

It would have been easier if he had lost consciousness. He screamed and tried to roll away, but even that sent waves of pain through him. His cries of agony dwindled, and he threw his body to the ground, gritting his teeth.

“Sleep Cloud.”

The Sleep Cloud enveloped Dahl’s face. With no resistance, I was able to easily steal his consciousness. It seemed the others had mostly been dealt with as well. Now, I would wrap up the defeated ones with Earth Magic.

It appeared that Lionel from the Demon-Slaying Knights had secured the cultists bound at the top of the cliff. Next… I mustn’t forget to remove the rocks blocking the path.