Side: Eris
『Attention all forces!! Begin the advance toward the enemy main body!! Upon contact, "annihilate" the enemy at your own discretion!!』
The order to march comes from Seraria-sama.
Now, the time has finally come.
"From this point on, the right wing will maintain pace with the main force and crush the enemy's left wing from the front!!"
As I declare this, the total force of 140 on the right wing begins to advance. Our unit is a mix of monsters and volunteers. Though it has only been a short two-week period, there were those among the immigrants from the Kingdom of Roshure who stepped forward to help us with the will to protect this dungeon.
There are only 30 of them—about 10% of the total—but they are very encouraging. While it's a bit regrettable that men make up the majority of these 30, taking away valuable labor, there are definitely women among the volunteers as well. After this battle, these volunteers will be integrated into the dungeon's military sector.
Normally, the representative members—all of us who leveled up—would be sufficient. But we collectively decided to allow the volunteers to participate. For the sake of the dungeon's future.
"Now then, volunteers. Your role is strictly to support the monsters. They are still stronger than you at this stage," Ratz says, calling out to the volunteers as she makes her rounds.
"Everyone, we forcibly raised your levels through dungeon training, but your skills are still lacking. Your stats are higher than the soldiers over there, but you absolutely must not overdo it. Leave the heavy lifting to us," Riel adds, offering words of caution.
That's right; we representatives aren't the only ones who used the dungeon's functions to level up. While we prioritized pulling ourselves up to the Level 100 range, the volunteers have reached the Level 40s. In terms of raw levels, they are on par with veteran soldiers. However, as Riel said, their skills haven't caught up at all. A properly trained soldier could likely toy with these volunteers even at half their level.
We must firmly protect these people who stood up to defend the dungeon. Their lives are not something to be lost in such a ridiculous conflict. They are the people who will carry the future on their shoulders.
"...Eris. Enemy left wing is right in front of us," Kaya informs me.
"Announcement to all units!! From this point, the right wing led by Eris will annihilate the enemy left wing!! Centers on the representatives—do not overextend. Grind down the enemy from the front!!"
"""OOOOHHHH!!!"""
A roar of battle cries rises.
"Ratz, Milly, Tori, Riel, Kaya—no overdoing it. In the worst-case scenario, we have that, so there is no such thing as defeat. Please remain calm."
"""Roger!"""
Each representative begins the engagement with the enemy.
"Derieu-san, could you wait here just in case?"
"I don't mind. I was told to stay out of it as much as possible anyway. I'll follow your lead, Eris."
And so, Derieu-san and I hold the center of the right wing.
It is an almost ironclad formation. However, the anxiety in my heart won't vanish. No matter how high their levels, Ratz and the others weren't that strong before. I've confirmed that 'Designated Protection' can nullify attacks in this dungeon, but the worry persists.
What if they're captured? What if there's an enemy whom the protection doesn't work against?
Such thoughts surface only to be pushed away. We've deliberated and planned for such contingencies with Yuki-san at the center, but the nerves remain.
...Has he always felt this way, greeting the enemies who come to the dungeon?
Honestly, a part of me thinks we should just wipe them all out with Yuki-san's traps. But as Seraria-sama and Rurua-sama said, if we don't make our true strength known, it will only lead to more trouble later.
Furthermore, this battle is being broadcast to the dungeon immigrants to make them realize they are protecting the dungeon themselves. It also showcases the power of us representatives to build our leadership and influence. In many ways, this fight is necessary.
"Hey, Eris. It's about time for the signal for the archers in the rear."
"Ah, yes! Archer squad, ready!! Aim for the rear so as not to hit our allies!! There are plenty of targets; just aim generally and you'll hit. Fire!!"
At my signal, our allies release their arrows.
"""GYAAAAAAHHHH!!?"""
The screams of the enemy reach us.
"What!? Monsters are firing organized volleys!? This is bad—get some distance from the vanguard! You're too close...!"
The shout of the commander who brought up the rear is cut short.
"Too naive!! Enemy general taken! By me, Riel!!"
Riel, having picked up the enemy's location, dashes through the battlefield at the unbelievable speed gained from her level-up and takes his head with a short sword.
But because of that, Riel is overextended. She'll be surrounded at this rate!
"Can anyone support Riel!? She's too far forward on her own...!"
I contact the representatives via radio.
『Leave it to me!! I, Milly, am on my way!! Milly squad, merge with the Riel squad! We're catching up to her!!』
Milly, who was near Riel's unit, merges the groups and slices through the enemy formation like a hot knife through butter.
"Riel, can you hear me!? Milly is coming to support you, so regroup with her!!"
『Whoa, oof—got it. Wait, I think I can handle this?』
"Don't be stupid! I told you over and over that solo actions are forbidden!!"
『Sorry, sorry!』
Riel seems to be surrounded, but she still sounds like she has room to breathe.
『This is Tori. The enemies I'm engaging are retreating. I'm pushing in!!』
『This is Kaya. Merged with Tori. The unit I was fighting is nearly annihilated. Pushing in with Tori.』
"Understood. I'm leaving that side to you. Ratz?"
『This is Ratz. There are many enemy units left behind by Milly and Riel. Strength-wise, we're tied. Since we're outnumbered, we'll be at a disadvantage in the long run. Whoops—watch it!』
Currently, on the enemy left wing, Milly and Riel have broken through the vanguard and are biting into the center. Half of the left vanguard is being mopped up by Tori and Kaya. Ratz is holding down the other half of the vanguard.
"Ho ho, they're doing quite well. Pushing back a thousand with a hundred. Ratz isn't doing much as a stopper, but Milly and Riel have quite the demonic aura about them."
Well, they are currently engaging roughly double their own numbers. We distributed 20 people—or monsters—to each representative, hitting the enemy in a horizontal line. Even if there are a thousand enemies, they're likely split into 300 vanguard, 500 center, and 200 rear. As I think this over, Derieu-san narrows her eyes, looking toward Milly and Riel.
"Can you see them?"
"Yeah. There are a lot of enemy soldiers so it's hard to see, but they're falling so fast it makes it easy to track."
I can't tell what's happening even when I strain my eyes. But over the radio...
『Everyone, use the circular formation to keep them at bay!! I'll whittle down the perimeter!! Get out of the way—!!!!』
『Honestly, he never learns even after getting scolded. Think about me, the one protecting your back. Well, I'm not going to hold back against anyone attacking this dungeon!!』
The units are focusing on defense in the center while those two are launching raids on nearby enemies. The center is already close to a chaotic melee. Archer support is too dangerous now. We have to break the enemy vanguard as soon as possible...
"Darn it!! Why are you struggling against a Rabbit-kin female!? She only has twenty Goblins with her!! And yet, our formation is being eaten through and the rear is taking damage... What incompetence!!"
At the spot Ratz is holding, a pompous-looking man with a beard is barking orders.
"At least capture that female!! It won't be worth it unless we make her a toy!! Looking closely, she isn't half bad—eh?"
The man looks at his own chest in confusion. A spear is buried deep inside it. Then, something lunges at the man on the horse.
『Hahahaha. Having someone like you take a fancy to me is just gross.』
A voice that sounds chillingly cold echoes over the radio.
『Honestly. Back when I was an adventurer and merchant, I considered selling my body, but now it's out of the question. Every part of this body, from my hair to my heart, belongs to Onii-san.』
As Ratz says this definitively, the man's head and torso part ways, collapsing to the ground.
『Whoops, I got a bit heated there. Enemy general taken by Ratz!!』
"""OOOOHHHH!!!"""
Good, that basically settles the vanguard match.
"Ratz, can you hear me? If the enemy vanguard won't listen to a call for surrender, let those who flee go."
『Eh? Aren't we annihilating them?』
"Yes, the ones who continue to fight. Those with no will to oppose us aren't even enemies anymore."
『I see. You want living witnesses?』
"Exactly. Even if our victory is overwhelming, it doesn't matter if there's no one to tell Rithea about it."
『Understood. So, do I watch over the ones who surrendered?』
"Please."
Following Ratz' call for surrender, more than half of the surviving enemy vanguard dropped their weapons on the spot. The rest are retreating to try and merge with the center units. Well, there aren't even 30 of them left.
"Tori!! Kaya!!"
『Roger, annihilating!!』
『Doing it.』
The two of them literally cut down every retreating enemy on their way to regrouping with Riel and Milly.
"Riel, Milly, what are your casualties? Are you okay?"
『On my side, three Goblins were taken out. Seven are unable to fight.』
『No deaths here, but about five are unable to continue.』
"Riel, you lost nearly half your unit!?"
『Ah, Eris, don't worry. Those two went on such a rampage that the enemy has stopped even trying to attack us. That's why we can report like this.』
"I see. Then maintain the current situation. Tori and Kaya will be there soon. Cooperate and annihilate the enemy center. We want to avoid exhaustion, so announce that you won't attack those who drop their weapons. Ratz will be coming from the rear to handle the disarming."
Now, all that's left is to take down the center of the left wing. The rear units are basically support and healing, so they shouldn't be much of a fight. Our current casualties are lighter than expected. We were lucky the enemy underestimated us and didn't provide fire support with their own archers.
Wait. A cloud of dust is rising in a different spot from where Riel and the others are fighting. It seems to be heading this way.
"Um, Derieu-san. Do you know what that is?"
"Hmm? Hoh, so they're sending a detached force to hit us from behind even though we're such a small group?"
"On this open plain with clear visibility...?"
"Don't be too hard on them. Normally, we'd either be wiped out or so pinned down we wouldn't have the luxury of noticing. To them, if they can take Seraria prisoner, they can have the dungeon for themselves. Look, we talked about this, right?"
"Ah, the plan to capture Seraria-sama and enslave the dungeon?"
"That's the one. Well, the real one isn't Seraria, though."
Derieu-san looks at the enemy's detached force with a delighted face. Judging by the direction, they seem to be aiming for the center led by Seraria-sama, but...
"...I feel sorry for them. Even in the unlikely event the center collapsed, there's no way they could ever capture Seraria-sama."
Between 'Designated Protection' and 'Rings of Return,' among other things. Still, we can't just stand by and watch.
"Deriu-san. Could you handle that?"
"Sure. Is this spot okay?"
"I'll join the push as well. I'll mainly focus on my bow, though."
"That's for the best. You shouldn't let volunteers die so easily. Well then, I'll go play with those guys."
"Yes."
With that, Derieu-san flies off, plunging into the cavalry unit and sending people flying into the air. Yeah, she really is a Demon King.
"Now, we'll follow after them!!"
The moment I give the order to advance...
『This is Riel. Left wing center crushed!!』
『"Crushed" is an overstatement. Tori took the center general prisoner. Milly squad will annihilate any enemies who still won't surrender.』
『...This is Kaya. The enemy rear has already merged with the center camp.』
『Their judgment was accurate, at least. They must have realized it was a losing battle the moment we cut into the center. Ah, this is Ratz. I've already regrouped with them.』
『Umm, what should I do with this person?』
『Just cut his head off.』
『B-But, he surrendered...』
...The battle seems to be almost over.
"Please be lenient with those who surrender. Even Seraria-sama doesn't cut down those who yield, even if she strikes down those who flee. Don't make a mistake. we came to defeat the enemy; those who surrender are no longer enemies."
Now, let's regroup and finish off the remaining enemies. Though, at this speed, I wonder if the fight on Yuki-san's area is already finished?
