Vs Dagruel Part 3
Dagruel's forces continued marching forward.
Although the lines crumbled for a short period, by the time they made contact with the Immortal Legion the lines had already reformed.
Accepting the deaths of their comrades as though nothing has happened, they overcame the hurdle and continued moving onward.
Within their eyes, was their absolute faith and fealty to Dagruel.
The giants marched onwards, embodying the statement "There is nothing to fear!".
2 hours after the battle started.
The battlefield had fallen into a stalemate.
The majority of the giants were roughly 3~5m in height, among them were also super big individuals towering at 10m in height.
At first the giants pushed against the Immortal Legion making use of their size, crushing the skeletons as though twigs, but as time passed the situation changed like the flip of a coin.
Because of Adalman's usage of his Undead magic's ultimate arts.
Using the scattered bodies of the Skeletons, Giant Skeletons were summoned. And what these huge bodies equipped, were Magic Weapons that are made from fusing together heaps of magic steel weapons.
As the vessel was composed from the unity of many Grudges of the Dead, the weapons that they previously wielded adapted and changed to suit their present form.
With that, multiple Skeleton Giants at 7m in height were created.
While the giants were making up for their handicap in numbers with their combat prowess and size, they started to lose that advantage with the emergence of the Giant Skeletons.
The Immortal Legion was clad in a holy aura, with Heal Rain (Light of Recovery), which would normally burn them to cinders, being cast over them by Adalman; this gave a new meaning to the word "undying".
They would recover on the spot, no matter how much they get battered and broken.
But, the giants weren't losing out either.
Whatever injuries that are inflicted upon their bodies, as long as it isn't fatal damage, they will steadily regenerate and recover.
As neither side has been losing numbers, the situation was just a back and forth of them trading blows.
‘So, what's the plan now.’
On the outer walls, which have been enchanted with a barrier which prevents intrusion from monsters, was Shion, standing atop the highest point and viewing the battlefield with a bird's eye view.
Due to Adalman and Gadra's great magic attack, their forces now outnumber the enemy 3 to 1.
At first they thought they might be able to achieve an overwhelming victory, but according to Adalman's report, the giants showed no fear.
Then he reported something even more troublesome, their Super Regeneration.
Though the Immortal Legion has stopped getting knocked around, the number of casualties for the giants was lower than expected.
While the Big Giants are busy fighting the Giant Skeletons, the Death Knights would move in to finish a foe.
That was the plan of action they decided upon, but it was still easier said than done.
Though Shion's elite guard, the Terror Knights, were kept in reserve, Shion came to the conclusion that even if they were to be mobilized, they wouldn't be able to make much of an impact on the battlefield with their fear inducing abilities.
The reason was obviously because there won't be much of an effect, on enemies that don't feel fear. Chances are the effects would be easily Resisted.
This is troublesome.... Shion thought, as she bit her lip.
Shortly after the battle started, they had a brief strategic meet with Adalman who just returned.
As they can't count on their advantage in numbers, they decided to probe the enemy for information by making use of the Immortal Legion's undead property.
It was a conservative move, but for the sake of discerning the enemy's capabilities, they reached the consensus of avoiding a full scale clash at the very beginning.
In addition, there was a point of concern that Gadra spoke of.
「I found it to be a little perplexing, how did they disperse the “Nihilistic Hazard”....?
To me, it looked as though they were nullifying the magic――」
That was what he said.
As he has spent all his Energy and was unable to cast another volley of Great Magic, it was his intuition as a Great Magic User that gave him the feeling that something was amiss.
The meteor attacks also didn't cause as much damage as was expected, but it was how unnaturally his “Nihilistic Hazard” was dispersed that really gave rise to his suspicions.
It might just be him imagining things, but it's better to take note of this.
It's not like Shion could use magic, but attacks that made use of energy could be affected too. It was expected to at least be wary in case it really happens.
Shion was observing the battlefield, as she thought of such details.
Standing by behind her, were Dagura, Ryuura and Debura.
What they were looking at, was an individual who looks like a commanding officer of Dagruel's forces, who was locked in a duel with Albert.
The officer wielded a great sword like it was part of his body, he showed great pride in his strength, setting him apart from his peers. It looks like Albert is the only one able to stand up against him.
The man moved nimbly and skillfully, uncharacteristic of his bulky build at 3m in height.
Seeing as he is up against the ultra first class swordsmanship from Albert, him being able to battle toe to toe with Albert was abnormal as it is.
「What a strength. To think there would be a warrior who lives by the sword among the giants.」
「Right. That's our old man's adjutant, uncle Grasword.」
Dagura answered, from hearing what Shion muttered.
Grasword. An ultra first rate two handed sword user. And, the second-in-command of the giant forces.
Though his total Energy levels are lower than Dagruel, it is said that his swordsmanship is at a higher level instead.
If you look at it from another perspective, it might be Albert who is the abnormal one, being able to cross swords with such an individual.
He was parrying heavy attacks that would normally crush opponents as though a flowing willow, he's even adding in counterattacks.
It was a feat possible only due to the full set of Gods class equipment he was bestowed with. That was because if it was equipment of Legend class or below, it would have shattered from receiving the first attack.
Due to Grasword's abilities『Magic Immunity』and『Weapon Destruction』.
Normal equipment would be destroyed the moment they made contact. Armor would also be destroyed, and his opponent would then have to receive his killer attacks "naked".
That, was knowledge that was known to only Dagura and his brothers at that moment, and Albert being the only one able to put up a proper fight against him was a coincidence that was nothing short of a miracle.
But, it was ironic that nobody knew, the fact that this coincidence has been narrowly preventing the collapse of the front lines, if you can call it irony that is.
Though the threat was there, as there was someone who was able to stand against and hold back the threat, the danger the threat posed was not noticed by the others.
However, all that was irrelevant to the 2 persons in question. Such things were the least of their worries, as they duked it out ever more intensely.
「Hmm, our old man ain't making his move. Should we move in the face him, if he actually shows movement?」
「Don't be getting excited just yet. It's obvious, but I'll be the one to face him. You boys lead the Terror Knights and prevent any potential interruptions.」
「Roger that. But, it's better to not underestimate our old man.
Though Nee-san might be pretty powerful, our old man's a real monster.」
Shion and co. had such exchanges, while they turned their attention to the main enemy encampment.
There were no signs of movement. But, that instead gave off an extremely ominous atmosphere.
It felt dangerous to make the first move, as there is no movement from the main enemy encampment.
It still didn't feel like the proper opportunity to move her elite forces yet, but the present situation isn't going to change from them just staring at it.
The frustration was starting to set in on Shion.
(Should I just go with an all out attack?)
Right as Shion was contemplating such thoughts.
Suddenly, a change to the situation occurred.
The change was as intense as it was sudden.
「That's....」
Hearing Ryura's muttering, Shion, who was looking at Albert and Grasword's battle, diverted her attention.
A certain individual, was walking out from Dagruel's main encampment.
Wrapped in layer upon layer of chains, was a man who looks like he lost too much weight.
At a height of 2.5m, he was of a smaller frame than what you would expect of the giants.
But, despite being chained all over, the intense presence coming from him drew more attention than any other giant could.
Their natural instincts were appealing desperately, at how dangerous that man is.
「T-that's.... Is that, our uncle that has been sealed for the longest time? 」
「So that's.... Feared and known as the War God, the Rampaging Kishin[1].... Uncle Fenn!?」
「Fueーfue fue fue. I'm gettin' hungry!」
Without saying anything, another corkscrew punch made its way to Debura's gut.
And,
「You had your fill with that? Next time you say something as irrelevant as that, don't think you're gonna survive!」
Shion angrily sad her piece.
But, the tension was broken thanks to Debura's dumb interjection.
They began observing that individual, now that they have calmed down.
The chains were writhing and pulsing. There was a smile on the man's face, even though he looked like he was heavily restricted by the weird chains.
The kind of smile, that show just how elated a person is.
A simple probe, showed that his predicted Energy levels surpassed Dagruel.
Shion was surprised.
Though there were many beings that had high Energy levels among her comrades, this made them look like children in comparison.
This, to Shion's knowledge, was at the highest level――it was at the class of the True Dragons, he was comparable to Veldora or Velgrind.
「No shit.... That guy is one heck of a beast! Isn't it pretty much impossible for you boys to face "That"!?」
Shion exclaimed.
It was unexpected that there would be another monster of this level besides Dagruel.
She thought it was excessive, to have 2 members of the 12 Guardians here.
As Demon Lord Ruminas was also here.
No matter how "big" Demon Lord Dagruel was, it shouldn't be too difficult to handle as there was 3 awakened demon lord class beings here, were her thoughts.
But having reached this point, she recognizes how naive that thought was.
She has also noticed, that it was just really good luck, that Albert is able to keep the second-in-command in check all by himself.
「This, is way nastier than what was expected. So that, is our other uncle――Fenn, huh.」
「You don't say, a monster of that level was unexpected, even for me....
Uncle Grasword was bad enough already, uncle Fenn is on a whole other level――」
「Fueーfue fue. That skinny bones, Imma bet I can beat him easily if it's weight we're talking about!」
‘Maybe I should really kill this fatso.’
As Shion was thinking that, something happened to the chained man.
The chains, were being released.
「Those chains, is that Gleipnir!? If that's the case, this would be pretty dangerous yes?」
Gadra-roushi who has been standing by behind them, spoke up to Shion.
As he has used all his Energy earlier, Gadra-roushi has been resting after the end of their meeting, but has woken up from noticing the changes in the battlefield's atmosphere.
「Oh, it's Gadra huh. So, what's that Gleipnir?」
「Right. This is something that has only been passed down in ancient texts....
It is said, that during the age of gods, the dragon emperor sealed an evil god[2].
2 of the 3 brothers turned over a new leaf, but as the remaining sibling chose to retain his brutal nature, he was sealed with the Chains of God.
Gleipnir, are the names of the Chains of God.」
Gleipnir.
Chains that sealed an evil god who emitted immense amounts of Energy.
If the legends are true, the chains will have been absorbing the Energy emitted from the evil god, and have "evolved".
During that time period, these chains were said to be the possession of the dragon emperor, and was able to seal both divine and demonic beings. In the current era, it wouldn't be surprising if it had properties on par with God class artifacts.
But, what was truly terrifying, was not the chains.
The evil god which was sealed by those very chains, was what they needed to be wary of.
「Do you think the stories are true?」
「I'm afraid so.... My advice for the best course of action, would be to retreat.」
Shion frowned, at Gadra's submissive view.
But, it wasn't out of anger.
For someone as aged and knowledgeable as Gadra, there was a certain "weight" for him to give such advice to Shion, whom he is fully aware of her aggressive nature.
That, was a warning, coming from someone who knows how capable the 12 guardians are.
「We will not retreat.
We, have been given orders from Rimuru-sama to defend these lands.
To retreat, would be to go against Rimuru-sama's will.
As of now, as Rimuru-sama is concealing himself, that means we have been given the reins on how we intend to end this great war.
But! That will only happen after we manage the problem that we have here at this location.
We have our orders, and we shall not fail to execute them.
This represents our faith in Rimuru-sama, and also serves to prove that Rimuru-sama's strategies are the proper answer.
Any objections?」
「――There are none.」
「Alright.」
That's right, retreat was out of the question.
To them, retreating would be the same as saying Rimuru's strategy was mistaken, as he was the one who judged that Shion and co. would be able to successfully defend this land.
Such thoughts will never be acknowledged
On the off chance that defeat actually occurs.... That defeat too, would have been accepted as Orders from Rimuru.
Having received Shion's intense will, the disposition of Shion's elite guard changed.
The elite guard standing by at the outer peripheral walls overheard the conversation between Gadra and Shion.
If a conversation isn't conducted privately, the contents are usually transmitted to the vicinity. The elite guard made their preparations, having received Shion's will.
Meanwhile――
Fenn makes his move.
He traverses the battlefield at incredible speeds, moving as though he was the wind itself.
And finishes his sprint by launching an offensive against Adalman, who was at the rear lines supporting his allies with magic.
Adalman, who was supposed to be protected by many layers of magic barriers, was knocked onto the ground in a single blow.
Fenn grasps the initiative of their battle in an instant.
The battlefield was visited by a terrifying silence
「Im, impossible-!! What speed, no, power!?
Adalman constantly protects himself with a myriad of magic barriers, how did he―!?」
Shion shouted.
Such bewildering power. Adalman was brought to the ground, from an attack that was simply a punch brimming with fighting spirit, without the use of any abilities.
Though Death Dragon Wenti immediately went to Adalman's aid, she too was sent flying from a simple Aura Bullet released from Fenn's palm.
After seeing this unreal combat power, Shion wasn't even trying to hide her surprise.
Adalman looks like a rear support type, so it is assumed that he isn't suited to close quarters battles.
Even if that was the case, he still is one of the 12 guardians, evasion via teleporting should have been possible after using high speed cognition.
As he wasn't able to do that, the chances of the opponent having some kind of cognition obstruction effect or ability are now very high.
What an enemy, I need to head to his aid soon――
Just as Shion was thinking about that,
「Fumu. To still spectating, in front of me.... That's some composure you got there, hmm?」
Shion hears a voice behind her.
This is Shion's main camp, so having multiple defensive barriers in place is a no brainer.
It is possible, to ignore all of those barriers, and in addition, to be able to stand behind Shion without her even realizing it?
There's no way that's possible! As Shion thought, and she turns around.
There stood a towering giant.
Standing right on the peripheral wall, right behind Shion.
With his sturdy 3m tall build, it was Demon Lord Dagruel.
She had met him once during Walpurgis, but the King's Haki he is exuding now was incomparable to when she met him in the past.
「You, when did you!?」
「Fumu. I have arrived here, just moments earlier. Could it be, that you didn't see me arrive?
If that's the case, this won't even be a fight. It's starting to feel like a joke trying to take this seriously.」
「This can’t be! I'm not believing this!!」
Shion drew her sword as she shouted.
“Impossible”. Shion was trying to calm herself down by telling herself "He must be bluffing.".
There was no way she was going to accept the fact that a giant just moved to such close proximity of herself without her even managing to see it happen.
Accepting this fact, was almost equal to accepting her defeat.
Shion activates her Unique Skill『Chef』, and using it's matter altering properties, she boosts her own stats.
With her body which has high immortal properties, Shion manages to contain the power which surpasses the limits of what normal beings can handle.
Having reached the output range of an ultimate skill, Shion unleashes a single attack with everything she had.
Shion was planning to defeat Dagruel with this very attack.
「This is bad! The anti-monster barrier on this peripheral wall is going to get blown away with that attack!」
Gadra shouted, as he gets the elite guard to retreat.
Even as she was confirming what was happening at the corner of her vision, Shion went ahead with her slash unto Dagruel.
Dagruel didn't even move.
And, at the very moment Shion's blade was about to make contact with his head――
「HOW NAIVE!!」
He roared.
With enough fighting spirit to shake his surroundings, that pressure alone stopped Shion's swing.
Because of his incredibly dense fighting spirit, Shion's attack didn't even manage to so much as touch Dagruel's skin.
He was every bit of the monster the rumors made him out to be.
「Wha-!?」
Shion's eyes were wide open due to how surprised she was, and she stopped moving for a brief moment.
And, Dagruel wasn't so kind as to miss out on such a critical opening.
「It looks like it's still too early, for someone of your caliber to stand before me.」
With that as his final words for her, he moved towards Shion at speeds she could not perceive and swung his fist down on her.
The peripheral wall crumbles, to the might of his violence.
What happened to Shion, who took a direct hit, was obvious....
This was not something that could be called a "fight".
This was what could be seen as, an absolute being making use of his strength to sweep away an annoyance.
But, at that moment――
「Looks like you're the one who is naive!」
With the sweet scent of roses, a red streak of light flashes and makes contact with Dagruel's head.
From there, descended a silver haired girl.
Wearing a jet black dress, with gold and silver heterochromic eyes which show her shining resolve.
Demon Lord Ruminas.
This was the very moment the ruler of these lands joined the battle.
「Hmph. People like you, usually show openings at the moment of triumph.
As it was a problem for me to break through your defenses, I was observing the situation and letting it pan out waiting for my opportunity.
Looks like you were careless, Dagruel.
Don't think too badly of me, and take a little nap there for the moment.」
As she has said herself, Ruminas has been observing the situation from the very beginning.
She understood that her chances of victory were low, if she were to face Dagruel head on.
Ruminas properly understood the limit of her own abilities, so she didn't think her actions were underhanded.
To fight the battle which she knew she could win. That was her way of life.
She unleashed her most devastating attack, on the careless Dagruel.
As Ruminas was someone who had access to an ability which controlled life and death, it was an attack that had the full intention of slaying her foe.
Which was also why――
「Fumu. So it's Ruminas, huh. And you are right, that I had been careless.
But, could you really say that has been a problem? Did that attack actually damage me?」
Those words caused her to freeze up.
Ruminas was a knowledgeable being, she properly understood what those preposterous words meant.
Which was that Dagruel was unharmed. This event, manages to prove a single fact. That――
「Are you all done now? Now then, it's my turn next.
Brace yourselves! Or it will be over in an instant!!」
As they have not been able to defeat him even with Ruminas' attack, it was a fact that Ruminas' forces would be unable to attain the victory.
A period of despair was beginning.
On these lands, the absolute tyranny of Demon Lord Dagruel was about to sweep across the battlefield.
[1] Kishin means Fierce God/Oni God, a term for wrathful deities
[2] Akujin (悪神) with Kanji of Evil and God/Deity.