Final Battle ⑧

Sajin's Perspective

Ah...

Why did it come to this?

Honestly, I mean, the fate of the world and all that... kinda too heavy, you know? Like, go somewhere else and deal with it?

I mean, being a reincarnated soul basically guarantees you’ll get dragged into this mess anyway. There’s not much I can do about that, I guess.

Father being a high-ranking member of the Church of Divine Words, and me being a reincarnated soul—yeah, it’s only natural this would happen.

My father was a high-ranking figure in the Church’s hidden faction.

Because of that—thanks to that—I was exposed as a reincarnated soul as an infant and placed under early protection by the Pope.

That’s why I was forced into their secret training regimen. I’ve hated it more than once.

It’s exhausting. The training.

Yet, hearing about the circumstances of other reincarnated individuals—it’s not hard to understand why I’m grateful I was protected by the Church.

Without the Church’s protection, I’d have been imprisoned by the elves.

That’s true.

“So that’s why. I do owe the old man a debt. I don’t want to get involved with the fate of the world or anything like that, but… just running off without repaying him? That wouldn’t sit right.”

“Is that so.”

“Exactly. That’s why I can’t go to the old man’s place.”

“Then we’ll force our way through.”

Shiro, the girl in white robes, throws a round disc—called a chakram, right?

Ah… why did it come to this?

Well, no need to ponder. The old man started the fight with the young leaf group.

That’s why we’re now under attack by the young leaf group’s subordinates.

Dodge the incoming chakram.

Even with the covert training and the cheat skill of a reincarnated being.

Weaker than people like Sophia or Sasa-yan, but still confident I won’t lose to ordinary foes.

The issue is, they’re not ordinary foes.

I’m facing the Tenth Army of the Demon Army under Sophia’s command.

Elite demons trained by Sophia herself.

A dangerous group marked by matching white uniforms.

They’ve breached this location—the Grand Cathedral of the Divine Word, the Holy Aleyus Kingdom.

Sophia’s group is the defending side, right?

Then why are they launching an offensive?

I volunteered for the rear guard during the decisive battle at the Elro Great Labyrinth, just to avoid fighting.

Wait—maybe that old man anticipated this scenario all along?

No wonder I said I wanted to stay behind—of course he’d agree without hesitation.

Too easy. There’s something off about this.

The forces of Saint Aleyus have all moved into the Elro Great Labyrinth.

Only a small garrison remains.

And me—part of the leftover group.

Among the leftovers, there’s a portion of the shadow faction, including my father.

The combined strength of that shadow faction and the garrison is fighting the incoming White Garb faction.

The situation? No—this isn’t possible...

There’s no chance of victory.

Each White Garb individual is extremely powerful.

The Shadow Faction of the Divine Word Church is composed of elite operatives trained from childhood.

The White Garbs match them, or exceed them.

And they outnumber us.

Even if we can hold our own in one-on-one combat, their superior numbers make it hopeless.

The garrison consists of ordinary soldiers. Not particularly strong.

They are doing their best, but can only buy time.

Hah—so this is what a losing battle feels like?

...Not exactly laughable.

If I could turn the tide with cheat-level power, that'd be easy.

But even that is difficult.

The girl leading the white-clad unit—she's genuinely formidable.

Our chakram and kunai collide.

I close in, swinging my ninja blade, but she blocks with the chakram mounted on her arm.

I unleash a fire release jutsu from my mouth—she counters it, the flames neutralized by dark magic.

After this exchange, I understand we are evenly matched.

No room for hesitation.

I've endured the harsh training of the shadows, haven't I?

That’s right—since infancy, I’ve been a reincarnate, subjected to minor trials and training.

Compared to people like Yotsuba-san or Sasa-yan, who survived life-or-death struggles to grow stronger, I’m no match. Still, I had a little confidence.

The tengu’s nose breaks.

“You’re a reincarnate. Tell me the Pope’s location, and I won’t harm you.”

Still, my elder sister watches my movements closely.

My strength and hers are nearly equal.

If we fought seriously, neither could predict the outcome.

And if we fought seriously, survival was not guaranteed—win or lose, neither outcome ensured safety.

The enemy holds a clear advantage.

If I can buy time, my sister’s allies will arrive.

So she has no need to take reckless risks.

She knows this—she doesn’t overextend.

As long as this continues, my victory is certain.

From her perspective, this is a surrender ultimatum.

"I’d be happy to comply, really."

A brief glance away.

Ahead, my father was fighting three figures in white armor.

Before the battle began, my father had told me:

"Running is acceptable."

That’s right.

There’s no elder here.

I apologize to the gentlemen in white armor, but this is a wasted effort.

Still, by holding them here, we disperse the strength of the younger leaf group.

The longer they are detained, the later they can return to the main battlefield.

But even without forcing a prolonged delay, simply being present here is sufficient time gain.

Therefore, there’s no need for us to fight with our lives on the line.

...Not that we don’t have to.

"Still, I suppose we should at least fight a little, to repay the favor."

The father risking his life—his son turning his back and fleeing isn’t right.

"Please… be merciful."

"Is that so? Then I shall kill you without mercy."

"I said be merciful!?!"

Ah…

Why does it always end like this…

The older sister in white armor is Syrilis.

The strength of a properly trained reincarnated warrior = the strength of an elite elite trained under the Spider's method.