Chapter 43: My Prince
"Sakura-taichō, there's a massive horde of monsters ahead, blocking the path."
According to the scout sent ahead, there are nearly ten thousand monsters blocking the way.
"It's no coincidence... Could it be they were waiting in ambush from the beginning?"
Suddenly, a man's laughter echoed.
"Hahaha, you're absolutely right! Congratulations, you've hit the jackpot. Running into our unit is truly fortunate for you. The others are probably being devoured by monsters right about now."
Who are these people? They look human, but they give off the same unpleasant feeling as the man from earlier. With their sickly pale skin, golden hair, and golden eyes... I've never seen a race like this before.
"You're the ones who were with the man fighting Celestina, aren't you?"
There are similarities between them and the man who was fighting Celestina. I have a bad feeling about this.
"Oh, so you've met Lord Valonos. Impressive, you managed to survive. Of course, he left some prey for us. Truly worthy of a baron."
"...I can't quite follow the conversation, but in essence, you're the mastermind behind this battle, right?"
Sakura glared at the mysterious men while reorganizing his formation.
"Once again, you're right on the money! Nice... I don't dislike clever girls. Besides, if I look closely, you're quite my type. Hey, can I have this one?"
"Hmph, sure, she may look good, but she's human, you know? What a weirdo. Well then, the rest are ours."
"Fine by me. I'm not interested in a human."
"Alright, got it. Don't kill the good-looking ones. They have some value."
These men discuss the division of their prey as if completely ignoring our presence. Are they just fools, or are they confident to the point of arrogance? I hope it's the former, but probably it's the latter.
"They seem so confident. They must be very sure of their strength. We need to maintain our formation and ensure numerical advantage."
Fortunately, there are only five enemies against our fifty. From the looks of it, they don't seem to intend to use monsters. Now is the perfect chance while they're off guard.
"We'll settle this in one go. Everyone, get ready! Let's do it!"
"Understood, taichō!"
"Wood Magic: Eternal Prison!"
Sakura's wood magic is activated, and countless vines emerge from the ground, restraining the enemies.
"Huh, what's this? You think you can restrain us with something like this? Gyaah!"
The true essence of the Eternal Prison lies in the restraint after it's activated. The vines absorb magic, grow stronger and thicker, and tighten their grip. The restraint won't end until it consumes all the magic.
The creeping ivy grew at an astonishing pace, tightly coiling around the enemy, crushing their bones. The higher the enemy's magical power, the greater the effectiveness of the magic, making it the perfect spell to seal formidable opponents.
The drawback of this magic was that the ivy itself lacked significant speed and power. However, this time, the enemy had become overconfident and careless, and that was cleverly exploited.
The enemy had been completely shattered, their magical energy depleted, and they were on the brink of death. They could no longer even utter a sound.
"Everyone, don't let your guard down. We'll finish them off all at once."
The knights launched a coordinated attack. Various attribute magics were fired from a distance, spears were thrown from mid-range, and finally, the approaching knights beheaded the enemy in just three seconds. It was a magnificent display of the knight squad's lethal combo.
After confirming that five of the enemies had been killed, they reorganized their formation.
"Alright, next, we'll break through the horde of monsters and join up with our allies. With their commander gone, their morale should have dropped, and they should be more vulnerable. Let's go, charge!"
At Sakura's signal, the knights rushed the horde of monsters from behind. Along with a deafening noise, a tremendously powerful magic hit the unprotected backs of the knights.
"Gah, w-what just happened... huh...?"
Though the elite knights suffered severe injuries, none of them died. However...
"Hey, who was it that said humans are weak? That hurt like hell, you know..."
"The wasted potential aside, killing them outright wouldn't be fun. Let's tear them apart, limb by limb."
(What the... why are they still alive? We definitely defeated them... This is bad... [Healing Sap]!)
Quickly using healing magic, Sakura and her allies recovered. They weren't fully restored, but at least they could move somewhat.
"This time, don't let your guard down... Attack! Don't let them escape!"
A massive horde of monsters attacked from behind, and five men charged in from the front.
Despite the desperate situation, Sakura didn't give up. She immediately gave out instructions.
"Split into two groups—one group handles the monsters from behind, the rest face the ones in front. Fight in groups of five!"
However, the damage they had sustained earlier still lingered, and the fatigue from continuous battles was taking its toll. No matter how elite they were, they couldn't hold on for long. Slowly, they were pushed back, and above all, the mysterious nature of the five men was wearing down the spirits of Sakura and her team.
"Haa, haa... Are these guys immortal or what?"
Seeing the enemies they thought they had defeated resurrect before their eyes, it was hard not to think that way.
"Why do you keep getting beaten up? Aren't you embarrassed to be defeated by mere humans again and again?"
"Grrr, stop messing around! This time, I'll kill you for real!"
...
Desperately defeating them, they would quickly revive and come attacking again. Sakura's feelings and heart were on the verge of breaking.
("...I wonder if Lady Celestina is safe? Facing such monsters all alone...")
"Don't give up! Immortality is impossible. I'm certain after seeing their reactions. There must be a limit to their revival. We'll keep defeating them until they can no longer come back!"
If Sakura were to give up here, everything would be over. She couldn't abandon her beloved master. So, she mustered her strength and desperately encouraged her allies.
"Damn, that woman is getting in the way... Hey, let's deal with her first."
All five of them simultaneously attacked Sakura.
(It's no use. I won't make it in time... Lady Celestina...)
However, Sakura was never hit by the five attackers' blows.
"...Attacking a girl with five guys? That's pretty pathetic, you know?"
"O-Our prince...?"
A black-eyed, black-haired young man riding a griffin, not a white horse, stood before Sakura.
Brandishing an enormous weapon she had never seen before, he swiftly cut down all five attackers. It seemed like he used various skills, but even with Sakura's keen eyes, she couldn't grasp what exactly he did.
"Prince! Be careful. Even if you kill them, they'll revive!"
"Prince? Ah, yeah, got it. It's okay. One more time, and it'll be over."
"Mizuha, can you handle this?"
"Leave it to me, big brother."
The resurrected bodies of the five were already within a sphere of water.
*(Gasp, I can't breathe!)*
The five continued to suffocate and died repeatedly. This time, they would never come back to life. Their souls were absorbed just like that.
*[Your level has increased]*
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*(Wow, my level went up a lot... but more importantly... where's Celestina?)*
"Sakura-san, where is the Knight Commander?"
"The Commander should be fighting the enemy's commander alone. Your Highness, please, save the Commander, save Lady Celestina."
"...Understood. Chloe, Sylphie, Sara, Eva, I leave the rest to you."
Kakeru mounted on Flugel and aimed for the frontline like an arrow released from a bow.
*(I'm going now... Don't die, Celestina!)*