Elven Village Defense Battle ⑩
[Sophia]
What should I do?
Kyoya-kun has run out.
"Milady, what shall we do?"
I’m the one who wants to know.
But I have to say something here, don’t I?
He went off on his own, after all. In rank, I’m the highest.
Ugh…
Pressure in my stomach…
I’ll stick to the usual strategy.
"Melazofis, I leave the rest to you."
Total delegation.
I was supposed to delegate to Kyoya-kun, but he’s disappeared.
Ugh.
Just because I found a friend, he can’t just abandon me like this?
I can’t possibly command an army alone.
"Milady, what shall you do?"
I answer Melazofis’s question with a slow pause.
In truth, I’m thinking of a good excuse in that moment.
"The hero is there, after all. Wouldn't it be impolite not to greet them as a servant of the Demon Lord?"
Why on earth.
I hesitate, mentally noting this is a bit too much.
Going to greet the enemy on purpose—what kind of villainous Four Heavenly Kings are we?
"Indeed, as you say."
"Oh? Are you displeased?"
"Not at all. Whatever the young mistress desires is perfectly acceptable."
Melazofis bows deeply.
Managed to dodge that one.
Shall we follow after Kyoya then?
I begin walking slowly.
Strolling gracefully through a battlefield where humans and elves clash.
No one notices me.
As I walk, I confirm the current battle status.
Through the万里眼, the central region is locked in stalemate.
The hero is located somewhere nearby.
The right wing and left wing—ah, nearly annihilated by the elven robots.
No choice, really.
Against that robot, ordinary humans cannot prevail.
Ah?
That old man—remarkable, isn't he?
He’s downing the robots.
Ah?
What is my lord doing?
Does he know that old man?
Well, my lord would handle it, no problem.
Ah?
Kusama is retreating—taken down by a robot.
Still, Kusama isn’t strong to begin with. Surviving against a robot is already a gain.
Or perhaps, as a reincarnated one, he deliberately let the elves go?
His ninja skills allow for fast escapes—high chance he fled on his own.
Can’t say for sure.
Ah?
Melazofis is advancing.
Timing seems right.
Human forces outside the center are nearly useless.
I wished he’d fought a little harder, but it’s unavoidable when facing machines.
That means the next phase will be a three-way conflict between the Demon Army, human forces, and the Elven Army.
In practice, the human forces caught between them will exit the battlefield quickly. So it will be Demon Army versus Elven Army.
Is Melazofis all right?
He holds the title of Fourth Division Commander in the Demon Army, but his actual strength is significantly weaker than ours.
Stronger than the other ceremonial division commanders, yes—but still, facing multiple machines will be difficult.
I’ll provide some support.
Skill: Undead King activated.
Bodies are plentiful—just in time. They’re not useful as combat units, but they’ll serve as harassment.
Under the influence of my skill, corpses scattered across the battlefield slowly rise.
Zombies.
Movement is sluggish. No abilities from their prior lives remain.
Lowest tier in terms of capability.
However, lacking souls, they cannot be stopped unless their bodies are completely destroyed.
Even if stopped, no experience points are gained due to the absence of a soul.
Truly, an unpleasant ability.
Smells foul.
Disgusting.
Zombies are set to target elves, humans, and robots.
From this point forward, any death on the battlefield will automatically result in zombie transformation.
Sufficient.
They should serve as a meat wall.
Ah?
Kyoya-kun, you killed Natsume-kun.
Well, no matter.
The human faction should be in chaos by now, their brainwashing broken.
Regardless, Dustin-ji-sama is likely manipulating events behind the scenes to prevent disorder.
Now that I’ve reached near the hero, should I suppress my presence and observe events unfold?
“Kyouya… is it really you?”
“That’s right. Genuine Sasa-jima Kyouya. Long time no see, Shun, Kadamu.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Huh? What do you mean? I’m here to destroy the elves.”
“W-what!?”
“Frankly, I’m baffled as to why you two are defending the elves. You’re clearly being misled by their lies.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s no ambiguity. Elves are malevolent. Protecting them is irrational. You still have time. Will you step back?”
“I can’t… just….”
“Kyouya, explain in detail.”
“Sure. But you’ve grown quite lovely, Kadamu. Hardly recognizable.”
“Ah, well… thank you.”
“Heh. It’s like talking to a completely different person.”
"You can't possibly be the same. The world you live in now, the circumstances you're in—they're different from before. It'd be unnatural if you hadn't changed."
"True. Ah, let's return to the topic."
"!! Wait! Who are you!?"
Ah?
Caught my presence, were you?
Even after all this time, the hero still has a flair for the dramatic.
Then, I'll make my entrance with elegant precision.
"Good day."
"Who are you?"
"Ah? Isn't it customary to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name?"
"Schrein."
"Directness is admirable. I am Sophia Kelen. Please remember me."
"Kanei Akiko."
"Wait—!?"
What the hell? Just casually revealing his past name like that!?
I’ll crush you!?