For a moment, I was on alert, wondering what was happening—but as soon as I realized it was a Messenger Knight, he called out to Atire.

“Report from the scout! They’ve spotted what appears to be the enemy Commander!”

“—Understood.”

He kicked away the attacking Kobolds with his spear and gave orders.

“Advance half of the remaining troops held in reserve. We’ll end this quickly while they suppress the incoming Monsters.”

“Yes, sir!”

Bowing, the Knight returned. Meanwhile, Atire, still pointing his spear, spoke to me.

“Lord Ruon, retreat once and charge with the cavalry.”

“…Understood.”

Atire and I began to retreat. Since it was a chaotic battle, there were enemies behind us, but we defeated all enemies in our path. We broke through the melee.

At the same time, I saw the troops held in reserve charging. Their morale was high, and they were defeating Monsters at a visible pace. I don’t know how long they can suppress the incoming Monsters, but it should be fine at least while the cavalry charges.

Using my Familiar to check the situation at the other gates, the east side was employing a similar strategy. On the other hand, the north side showed a scene where the Monster Army, damaged by cavalry, was somewhat more cautious. Given that the Commander at the North Gate possesses enough skill to fight a General to a standstill, it’s safe to assume their command ability is also higher compared to the east and west. Therefore, they seem to be not just attacking directly, but judging how to act based on the battle situation.

Also, no Monsters are attacking the south side. This is definitely as it was in the game.

We retreated to where the cavalry unit was. Horses for Atire and me were prepared, and I mounted without hesitation.

Atire received some reports from a Knight, then mounted his horse—the next moment, the incoming Monsters clashed with the Soldiers.

A war cry was heard, and the Soldiers’ fierce fight was clearly visible. Their morale was undoubtedly high, but as expected, the addition of new Monsters caused our side, which had been pushing back, to halt.

At the same time—Atire raised his spear and shouted.

“Let’s end this battle!”

After his words, the Knights shouted in response. Simultaneously, with Atire leading, they spurred their horses forward.

I took up a position behind him… bypassing the chaotic battle from the right, heading towards the presumed location of the Commander.

Currently, the Monsters are heading straight for the gate, engaging our Soldiers. We are circling around to approach the Commander’s location from the right flank. The Monsters must have noticed this movement, but their movements seemed to be pinned down by our allies’ fierce fight, allowing us to bypass them without obstruction.

Eventually, we reached the flank of the enemy unit. From horseback, I spotted a particularly large Kobold. In addition to being more than a full size larger than the other Kobolds, the sword it wielded was a Greatsword, not a Longsword. Seeing this, I understood it was a ‘Kobold General.’

The Monster’s strength is typical for those appearing in the mid-game scenario. In a one-on-one fight, Sylvie or Sofia could easily defeat it, but engaging it while charging on horseback might be troublesome.

I sought information from the Familiar on the east side, where Sylvie and Kuuza were. They were also employing a similar strategy to ours. Sylvie and Kuuza also seemed to be able to ride horses and had already mounted and started moving.

They’ll be fine… I muttered to myself, then, with Atire, I charged into the Monster unit where the Commander was located.

“Our objective is to reach the Commander! Minimize Monster kills and prioritize breaking through!”

Atire shouted, striking down Monsters with his spear. I followed his command—and activated Magic.

Intercepting with a sword might not be a problem, but I should probably use attacks suited for horseback. I could create a spear as a martial weapon, but what I activated here was ‘Durandal,’ a light-attribute Intermediate Magic. Its output is somewhat weaker, but it’s a decisive blow against the Kobolds.

The light sword had a longer reach than a normal sword—I immediately swung it, scattering the approaching Kobolds.

I couldn’t use it in a chaotic battle because allies were around, but now that the goal is to break through, I can wield it fully. The other Knights also responded by crushing the Monsters—and with astonishing speed, we reached the Commander’s location.

“Let’s finish this in one go!”

Atire shouted. He meant to defeat the Commander with the momentum of the cavalry charge. I silently nodded at his instruction while blowing away the surrounding Monsters.

At that moment, the ‘Kobold General’ moved. It held its Greatsword, aiming it at Atire. I prepared to provide support at any time—

“—Ooooh!”

With a shout, Atire’s spear was aimed at the Commander. It was a sharp, refined thrust that he had kept hidden until now. A spear filled with the spirit to decide this battle with a single strike.

Any ‘Kobold Soldier’ nearby would have been blown away with one hit, no matter what they did. But the ‘Kobold General’ was different. It parried Atire’s full-force strike with the flat of its sword, deflecting it.

At that instant, I realized the Commander was different from a regular ‘Kobold General.’ Among the same Monsters, it was particularly skilled in swordsmanship—

Immediately after realizing this, the surrounding Monsters attacked. The Monsters around the Commander were the same ‘Kobold Soldiers’ we had fought so far and could be easily defeated, but we were currently in the enemy’s formation. If Kobolds rushed us all at once, I might be fine, but the Knights would not escape unharmed.

In the game, either Atire or Shelk would die in battle, but they charged like this and were defeated by the Commander. However, there must have been a sequence where the Knights defeated him with a desperate attack. At least, looking at the current scene, it seems that way.

“Ugh!”

Atire and the Commander’s Monster pass each other. He immediately turns his horse around and gets into position to charge again. Meanwhile, the other Knights attack the surrounding Monsters, clearing the way for Atire.

Leaving him alone like this would be bad… As that thought crossed my mind, I first raised the light sword I was still holding towards the surrounding Monsters.

I increased my Magic Power output slightly. This further extended the reach of “Durandal”—and I unleashed a magnificent slash at the Monsters that were closing in to surround me.

The Monsters were blown away. A Shockwave was also generated, and for a moment, there were no Monsters around me. I quickly maneuvered the reins and looked at Atire and the others.

I saw Atire make another charge, and the Commander’s Monster raise its Greatsword to meet it. With the Knights’ support, the two were engaged in a full-blown one-on-one battle. With the Monsters gone from around me, I could focus on them and spurred my horse to provide support.

The Commander’s Monster seemed to notice my movement—but when Atire raised his spear, imbued with Wind, it focused on that. Here, I began to ponder in a short time how to move.

Should I slash from the side with “Durandal” as I am, or use another Magic—if it were a light sword, I could just bisect it from the side, but there was one concern.

If I increased the output, I could certainly defeat it in one blow, but what about now, when I’m suppressing the output so that my abilities aren’t revealed to the Demon Race? This one seems to be technically superior to its own kind. If so, it might be stronger than its own kind in terms of ability.

There’s a high probability that even a toned-down “Durandal” could handle it, but a failed support would mean Atire’s death. If I swung the light sword and it didn’t work—

I deactivated “Durandal” and immediately began Incantation. Since it was Magic I had trained with, just like “Durandal,” Magic Power rapidly converged into my left hand in a short time.

During that time, Atire and the “Kobold General” approached. The surrounding Knights held back the Monsters, preventing them from getting close to the two. In that, Atire readied his spear. And the Monster readied its Greatsword, beginning to move to deliver an attack—