Side: Seraria
"Now then, let's show these fools our true strength!!"
"""OOOHHH!!"""
A roar rises in response to my call.
Before us approaches the faction opposing trade with the Dungeon—the opposition from the Holy Kingdom of Rithea. Five thousand fools who decided they should conquer the dungeon and seize everything for themselves.
"Attention, Seraria Squad! Show them the pride of the direct command forces!! We are but 30, with 150 monsters—yet this is our main force!! Show those Rithea brats our true power!!"
Qual further encourages the unit.
Yes, in this 4km-square relay dungeon, the battle between our Dungeon Defense Force and the Rithean opposition is about to begin. On this battlefield, there is no support from Yuki's traps.
That is because we determined that if we didn't crush them head-on, they would just make excuses later.
They would say: If we fought in a fair match, we would have won.
They would say: If the dungeon hadn't been there, we would have won.
To prevent such idiots from making excuses and refusing to face reality—and also...
"There she is! That's Seraria! Take her head!! She's just a woman; the rumors are nothing but exaggerations!!"
The fool leading the vanguard of 500 barks the order.
He's got some nerve.
"Now then, Seraria. What shall I do? Shall I clear out the riffraff while you handle that idiot?"
"Derieu, that won't be necessary. Aslin, Filia—I need you to support the other teams. Even with 'Designated Protection' active, if you're captured, it's game over."
"Aslin and Filia have Yuki watching over them, so they'll be fine. Perhaps I'll go see how Eris and her group are doing."
Currently one of the dungeon's strongest combatants, Derieu casually strolls across the enemy's front. Mobu and the others are technically adventurers, but they've joined this battlefield as mercenaries. They lost family to these fools, too. With the protection active, those three should be fine on their own.
But why did Derieu bother walking right in front of the enemy?
"Capture that woman! The order is that everything in this dungeon is free for the taking!! I promise three platinum coins to whoever presents her to me!!"
Ah, damn it.
The moment the enemy commander says that, the enemy swarms toward Derieu.
"Hmph, scum!! If you want me to play with you, you should be a bit more gentle!!"
Derieu flips her pristine white dress and clenches her fist.
Then, with a beautiful leap, she vanishes into the center of the enemy formation.
"This is bad...!? Follow Derieu! Hurry, or else..."
I urge my own unit forward, but...
"""GYAAAAAAAHHH!!!"""
From the spot where Derieu landed, enemy soldiers are launched into the air. Honestly, unless a massive monster is involved, a human body shouldn't fly like that.
"W-What is happening!?"
The foolish commander is stunned. Even the soldiers he leads seem lost, standing frozen in place.
"Fools!! To stop on a battlefield... you must be begging for your heads to be taken!!"
I finally close the distance to the enemy soldiers, decapitating them as I run through their ranks.
"Follow Seraria-sama!! As you can see, the enemy is nothing but a rabble!! Don't forget those days of training in the dungeon!!"
Qual leads the unit forward, annihilating the disorganized crowd.
I accelerate my favorite blade even further as I dash through.
As expected, this is on a different level than the swords I used to use. While that sword was a masterpiece, the Japanese katana technology Yuki brought, combined with the Fairy enchantments, has resulted in a blade with otherworldly sharpness and durability.
"Hey now!! Where did that bravado from earlier go!?"
A man who looks like a squad leader gives orders to his subordinates, pushing a shield reinforced with iron toward me.
"That judgment isn't bad... but!!"
I reach for the other sword still tucked at my waist. I let go of the blade I was holding, leaving it stuck in the ground for a moment.
It's the high-speed swordsmanship unique to the katana that Yuki taught me.
And this blade was forged specifically for that style, with the best sharpness and enchantment. By channeling mana, utilizing the magnetic repulsion of lightning for the draw, and combining that with the enchantment... there is almost nothing it cannot cut!!
"She missed!! Shield squad, surround Seraria! Skewer her with—"
I return the drawn blade to its sheath and go to pick up my other sword from the ground.
"You guys, what are...!!?"
Behind me, several heavy thuds echo.
When I look back, five or six corpses are rolling on the ground—sliced clean in half, shields, armor, and all.
"She missed!! Shield squad, surround Seraria! Skewer her with—"
I return the drawn blade to its sheath and go to pick up my other sword from the ground.
"You guys, what are...!!?"
Behind me, several heavy thuds echo.
When I look back, five or six corpses are rolling on the ground—sliced clean in half, shields, armor, and all.
"Sorry. I don't have time to explain. If I don't hurry, Derieu will take all the best parts."
I cut down the opponent, who still hasn't grasped the situation, with a single stroke.
Seeing this, the surrounding soldiers all keep their distance from me.
"Normally, I wouldn't kill enemies who have lost their will to fight. But today, I don't want any survivors."
With that, I plunge back into the enemy ranks. I show no mercy, even to those who flee.
...Because this is for my people, who were harmed and made to grieve!!
We've confirmed that the Rithean idiots who joined this battle are working with the Loire family... There is no reason to let them escape!!
"Oh, Seraria—you've caught up."
"Honestly... I didn't expect you to go about it like that."
"What are you talking about? I was just moving elsewhere when they attacked me, so I had no choice but to retaliate."
As I slice my way forward, I finally regroup with Derieu. There was no one left standing around her.
"Y-You... who are you!? First Seraria, and now you—how is this possible!?"
The commander who was insulting us earlier barks at us.
If he has time for that, he should be retreating, but even a quick glance around shows that most of his men are already on the ground. The vanguard that had 500 men only has about 50 left.
"Impossible, you say? Well, I suppose you couldn't measure it. After all, I am a Demon King."
"Don't speak such nonsense!! Why would a Demon King side with the likes of Roshure!? A Demon King is a being that only brings destruction!!"
"My, my. Then I suppose I must answer your request."
Uh oh, Derieu has a vein popping on her forehead. I've heard about her background, but she's really just a normal girl.
"""UWAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"""
In an instant, Derieu uses her raw stats to annihilate every remaining soldier—save for the commander.
"There, your opponent is Princess Seraria over there. I'll stick to guerrilla tactics. If I take the head, it doesn't do much for morale."
She punches the stunned commander toward me.
"Guh..."
The enemy commander rolls pathetically across the ground, falling at my feet.
"Stand up. I'm going to cut you down properly."
"You're arrogant!! No matter your level, you think you can defeat me!? I'm level 49—"
He didn't get to finish the sentence.
Because his head was already gone.
I reply lazily while sheathing my sword.
"Ara? Is that so? I'm level 122."
I wonder if those words reached his fallen head; his eyes are wide open in an expression of shock.
While you all were loitering around, we were casually leveling up. Technical skill aside, we aren't about to fall behind. I really have to thank Yuki.
Well, my stats went up so much that it took me a while to get a handle on them at first.
"The enemy general has been taken by Seraria!!"
"""OOOHHHH!!!!"""
A roar rises from the unit.
"Damage report?"
"Ma'am! Three seriously injured, five lightly injured."
"Pull the seriously injured back from the battlefield. Hurry with the healing. Lightly injured are to recover with potions."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The messenger vanishes toward the rear. Now then, how should we move?
"Hey, Seraria. The enemy has finally moved their main force."
"I suppose so. Normally, you wouldn't imagine your vanguard being wiped out in such a short time."
"I'm going over to Eris's side. I'm most worried about them."
"Oh? You aren't worried about my husband?"
"What is there to worry about? Even I was no match for him."
With that, Derieu literally flies toward the right wing, which Eris is holding.
"Seraria-sama, what are your orders? Shall we stay on standby to meet them?"
Qual asks for the plan.
"Normally, the ironclad rule of defense is to stay put and meet them. But Qual, what do you think? Looking at the results just now, what about the five thousand enemies before us?"
"Pardon my boldness, ma'am, but... they are no match for us."
"And your reason?"
"With Seraria-sama and Derieu-sama at the front, Eris-sama on the right, and Yuki-sama on the left... what reason is there to fear defeat?"
"Fine. All units!! ...Err, how do I use this again?"
I pick up the radio I borrowed from Yuki and try to remember how to use it.
"...You press this part here..."
"Uhh, like this?"
"Yes, and then you speak into it..."
"Announcement! Our forces will now advance toward the enemy main body!! We will crush them head-on!!"
As I announce it over the radio, responses come back immediately.
『This is Eris on the right wing. Understood. We are ready to march at any time.』
『Seraria-sama, that's all well and good, but what about the casualties? I can see you won, but...』
Ratz sends a question.
Ah, right, right. I have to report properly to keep morale up.
"I forgot to mention. No casualties in the center main force!! Some injuries, but no deaths!! It is a complete victory for our side!!"
『『『OOOHHHHH!!!』』』
A cheer comes through the radio. Good, the right wing is fine.
"So, how's the left wing?"
『No problems here either. My heart nearly stopped when I saw Seraria and Derieu charge in first. Are you okay?』
"Oh? Were you worried?"
『Of course I was. There's no such thing as "perfectly safe" in this world. Don't get overconfident. If you think it's dangerous, pull back immediately. Normally, I could have handled this alone, but...』
"We talked about that already, didn't we?"
『Well, I understand the reasoning, which is why I okayed this fight. Like Seraria said, we're ready to advance and crush the enemy main force.』
『Seraria-oneechan!! You were amazing!! You looked so cool!!』
『Seraria-neesama!! You were really cool!!』
『...You're amazing, Seraria.』
Following Yuki, I hear the voices of my cute little sisters.
"Thank you. You two, don't overdo it, okay? Listen to what Yuki and Labyris tell you."
『『Okaaaay!!』』
"Yuki, you'd better stay sharp and make sure those two don't get hurt."
『I know.』
『Leave it to me.』
The radio cuts out. All that's left is to wait for the signal to advance.
"Seraria-sama. Give the order."
Kual says as he steps back. Now, the real show begins.
"Attention all forces!! Begin the advance toward the enemy main body!! Upon contact, 'annihilate' the enemy at your own discretion!!"
"""OOOHHH!!!"""
Prepare yourselves, fools.
I'm going to crush every bit of your arrogance into the ground!!
