"It's over."
The Hero Ludin's face was filled with thrill and exhilaration. The Orcs had finally come out from their turtle shell! They were fighting, slaughtering the soldiers while forcing their way through the Human's defensive lines.
No matter how one looked at it, the Hero's Alliance outnumbered the orcs to an overwhelming degree. Yet, despite the Orcs immense superiority, Ludin's expression was still full of confidence. Aris was shocked at how assured he looked.
"Lu-Ludin…?"
"Aris! I succeeded! My strategy worked! Haha! Right! I'm not stupid! Look at that, the magnificent sight of the Demons falling into my trap…!"
Aris's face grew pale, while the Holy Knights nearby who heard him were filled with uncertainty, their helmets hiding their stiff expressions.
Not only the slaves, their own soldiers were being slaughtered mercilessly. Yet, the Hero was celebrating the massacre before him, as if it was all part of his plan?!
"Look, there! That city of the Demons and that fortress are now empty! I'm sure they've already used up all their war potential! If I… If I eliminate all these Orcs…!"
Madness glinted in Ludin's eyes.
***
"Kuoooooooo-!"
The Orcs' large, sturdy axes split the soldiers in two, akin to chopping wood. They used their shields to block the spears pointed at them, allowing them to penetrate the wall of pike-men and ravage the Human soldiers. Heads burst and flesh filled the air as the Orcs swung their axes with precision and ferocity.
"Kill them all! Don't show any mercy to these bastards! This is the game they started! There's no need for honor or courtesy for those who underestimate the Demon Kingdom! Don't let any escape. If they run away, kill them!"
Karakul's command flew across the battlefield like a tornado, lifting the morale of the Orcs sky-high.
Ludin's face fell as he watched the battle drag on, and he stepped back unconsciously. He gulped at the Orcs' madness. "…There are a lot of them, as expected."
"A lot…?" Aris wondered aloud about his words.
Ludin spoke again in a trembling voice, as if asking for Aris's agreement.
"There are many Orcs! So many of them! We won't win if things keeps going like this! Even if the Holy Knights, the Priests, and I join the fight, it still is impossible! There's no way we can kill the Demon Lord while going against those things! We need to cut down their number!"
Ludin turned to the Holy Knight next to him. "Aim large-scale Magic Artillery at that Orc army right this instant!"
The Holy Knights and Aris flinched at his command.
"That… What does that mean?"
A Holy Knight asked again, hoping to clarify his command. The slaves were tools and livestock they could easily replace, so it wouldn't be a problem if they died. However, the soldiers currently engaging the Orcs were all hand-picked from each kingdom and, at the same time, were freemen. He wanted to fire Magic Artillery at those soldiers?
"Just do as I say! The Orcs are dangerous! We won't be able to kill the Demon Lord if something doesn't change! It's impossible to penetrate their lines, even for me!"
"But still, we can't do that! Our soldiers are there…!"
Ludin glared at the grumbling Holy Knight.
"These are the words of a Hero that was chosen by God. Should I make a report to the Holy Kingdom that there's a Holy Knight disobeying an order?"
The Holy Knight stared back wordlessly.
"Fire right now."
The Holy Knight stepped back while gritting his teeth. Aris, who understood Ludin's order, held his shoulder and shook it to snap him out of this madness.
"Ludin! You can't be serious, right? Right? Countermand that order right now! Our soldiers are going to die!"
The corner of Ludin's lips twitched and he forced a smile.
"They're all going to die anyway! So… it would be better for them to die with some honor by helping us!"
"Lu-Ludin… you… changed."
"Changed? What are you talking about? Aris! I didn't change! Haha! Everything is perfect. The Orcs are already using up their strength, and now their numbers will be reduced by the Magic Artillery! Stupid bastards…! This is our strategy!"
Aris shook her head at the Ludin before her. This wasn't the man she knew.
It had been a slow change leading up to this. There was a time when he had been a person with a strong sense of justice. He was considered dependable and courageous when he was first chosen as a Hero. But, his disposition turned darker somewhere along the way.
He may be superhuman physically, but mentally, he was nowhere near the mark. Their soldiers were dying because of his own faults and delusions. The fear of punishment by the Holy Kingdom had finally pushed him into a corner, so much so that he lost even the ability to make sound judgments.
"The Magic Artillery! Load it!"
After being loaded, the muzzle of the Magic Artillery was aimed toward the sky.
Some of the soldiers, who were gradually losing ground while trying to hold back the Orcs, sensed the Alliance's incoming barrage.
"What the…?"
"Wai—"
"Fire!" Ludin ordered.
Magic bullets were launched into the night sky like shooting stars.
The mana crystals within them burst in the sky, putting on a light show akin to fireworks. In any other case it would have been considered a beautiful sight, but this light only served as a premonition of death for those on the battlefield below..
"Oy… this is a joke, right?"
Not just the soldiers, even the Orcs were taken aback by this insane attack. Both sides stopped fighting and looked up at the magic bullets that were falling from the sky.
Although the magic bullets were deadly, they had one major flaw. Since the mana within them was condensed, the bullets were rather light, so the speed of their descent was quite slow due to air resistance. In a wide, open place, it was entirely possible to avoid them. However, with the Human and Orc lines crowded together, it was impossible to dodge the impending barrage.
Karakul froze. He never expected that Ludin would carry out such a reckless act, especially when his soldiers were also in the mix.
"…Fuck."
The magic bullets landed in the midst of the battlefield.
The miserable screams of Humans and Orcs mixed together without any distinction of friend or foe. Suffering a continuous bombardment, the combatants could only helplessly perish and be blown apart. Many were all unable to avoid their doom. At this moment, they cast their races and differences aside, scampering away to save their lives.
"Shie-shields…!"
"…They won't help! Maybe they could block a small magic gun, but those things are used for sieges. Shields would be shattered instantly!"
The battlefield was burning, the scorched earth a testament to the cruelty of the attack. Dense, black fog filled the entire area due to the explosions, so much so that it was hard to even tell who was who.
A moment later, the rain of annihilation finally came to an end.
The field was charred black, and still burning, with black smog rising up into the night sky. The Orcs that had survived stood up while wincing.
"…Fu-fuck!"
"As… as expected… humans are out of their minds."
The Orcs looked around with disbelief in their eyes.
"Euaaaaaak! My arms!"
"Sa-save me…"
"…Am, am I… dying? Me? Ha… what the? These… holes on my body…"
The surviving Human soldiers fell into panic and begged for someone to save them; many were injured or dying. The Orcs couldn't even think of killing them after seeing them in such a pitiful state. There were also many Orc corpses interspersed among the Human ones. Seeing so many of their brethren slaughtered, their rage-filled gazes turned to the Holy Knights that approaching from afar.
"…It's now. It's time to show our power!"
Ludin spurred his horse with a smile on his face. He looked at the Orcs from the top of a hill, his expression filled with the certainty of victory.
The Orcs couldn't recover their senses right away as a loud ringing resounded in their ears; they shook their heads and faltered. Dizzily standing up was the best they could do. Now out of their previously frenzied state, many felt exhaustion and pain come in torrents, overwhelming them.
The Holy Knights started to advance once more after the Hero's command. They, who rode horses, held long lances in their hands.
"Catch the Orcs with one fell swoop! Priests, assist them…!"
Karakul stood up and brushed off the soot and dirt caking his body. His green skin was charred, with fragments of spear-blades embedded in it, which he proceeded to pull out and toss aside.
"…Ridiculous."
It was clear that there were survivors among the Human soldiers, but the Holy Knights were still preparing to charge in on horseback. This meant that it didn't matter whether their soldiers got trampled and died. Seeing as they had fired on their own soldiers earlier, Karakul felt that perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised.
"Hero, because of you, I've learned various things about Humans!"
First, humans had no regard for their colleagues. Second, they never hesitated if they believed an action would bring them victory. Those two things were all hard for Kurakul to understand. But, the latter was also a moral lesson he needed to comprehend for dealing with Humans in the future.
"Right! Bring it on! Bring it on!" Karakul yelled jeeringly. "I will rip your throats out and slaughter you all!"
The Orcs that were able to fight gathered around Karakul, ready to launch a counterattack.
"Fight! Show those honorless beasts what it means to stop foot on the battlefield!"
"Kuooooooo-!"
The Orcs released a battle cry, emptying their lungs. They lifted their weapons and rushed forward to meet the charging cavalry.
***
"…Things are getting dangerous."
Tom, who was watching the situation from afar, frowned.
Karakul's counterattack was indeed fairly risky. Still, even he didn't know the Hero's Alliance would use such a stupid and irrational strategy. They had never stooped so low when he was Hero. What he had witnessed was a tactic that's sole purpose was winning, with any sacrifices being considered acceptable if they led to victory.
"I should help."
The ground, however, shook the moment Tom was about to move. He looked toward the area of the battlefield the Humans were advancing from, but black smoke blocked his view. Still, even without being able to see it, he knew what was coming.
***