Flash!
Right after we breached the forward base through the teleport gate.
"Shh!"
"Eh?!"
"Keep quiet!"
Myself and the heroes' party, the 'Uncles,' immediately silenced ourselves and crouched low, taking cover against the wall.
"...Damn it."
Surveying our surroundings, I let out a curse under my breath.
Creak, creak, creak...
The forward base had already been overrun by a swarm of scarecrows.
On the walls, once staunchly defended by human soldiers, a group of scarecrows with bizarrely long limbs flailed about, each tying a human to their body.
As the scarecrows moved, the tied-up humans also flailed their limbs.
Drool dripped from their open mouths, and their eyes, dull and unfocused, showed they were unconscious.
Lucas broke out in a cold sweat at the sight of the soldiers dangling from the scarecrows' bodies.
"Have they been... captured?"
"Yes. This is the Scarecrow Legion."
By inflicting mental conditions like fear or confusion, they break the enemy's spirit. Then they kidnap the victims and use them as hosts by tying them to their bodies.
Scarecrows are mere straw when alone, capable only of spreading fear and confusion. However, once they have connected a victim to themselves, they can steal and use the victim's abilities.
"Is everyone taken?"
I quickly scanned the interior of the forward base. Has everyone fallen to these creatures?
"That can't be possible."
Just then, a feeble and exhausted voice was heard.
Looking in that direction, I saw an old man with a white beard, limping towards us, leaning on a staff.
"Dearmudin! You're safe!"
"Safe? My dignity's been completely shattered."
The grand sorcerer was covered in blood. Not only his robe, which was always neatly pressed, but even his cherished long beard was splattered with blood.
Dearmudin, having come to us, collapsed as if falling apart and let out a long breath.
"It happened in an instant. Prince Mikhail was the first to fall, and fear spread like a wave... In the end, everyone was captured one by one, leading to this situation."
"How could this happen..."
"All my subordinates have been captured as well. I tried to protect them, but once the number of those possessed outnumbered us, there was no hope."
Immediately after, Dearmudin looked at me with a reproachful gaze.
"Are you wondering why I couldn't stop it, even though I was here?"
I felt caught off guard. Well, it's not like he pointed it out directly...
"I'm reluctant to admit, but among my magic, there's hardly anything that aids allies. I've focused on annihilating enemies."
Dearmudin frowned as he looked at those who were being dragged around by the scarecrows, making creaking noises.
"I myself wouldn't fall for such shallow tricks, but I couldn't take care of others as well. In situations like this, I'm not much help."
In short, the old man had invested all his abilities into damage rather than utility.
But it doesn't look like that! Just by appearance, you'd think there's nothing his magic couldn't do!
'Well, in the game, he did have a variety of attack spells, but he didn't really have any abilities for buffing allies or debuffing enemies...'
Anyway, Dearmudin admitted that there wasn't much he could do in this situation.
Then, naturally, everyone looked at me.
So far, I had been the one to come up with strategies for all the monsters we encountered. It was only natural for them to believe I would have a plan to overcome this situation.
"..."
But with things having escalated to this point, even I found it difficult.
"...The best way to deal with the Scarecrow Legion is, of course, not to let them take over your body in the first place."
I sighed.
"But now that things have come to this, we need to think of a way to deal with it when their bodies have been taken."
"Do you have a plan, my lord?"
"When a victim is captured by the Scarecrow Monster, there are three methods."
I began to explain, albeit reluctantly.
"First, escape through one's own strength."
By mustering one's mental strength, one can escape from the scarecrow's fear.
Naturally, those with such mental fortitude wouldn't be captured in the first place. It's a low-probability, practically impossible scenario.
'If only we could help...'
Once captured, victims are considered part of the scarecrow, so our buffs and healing skills don't work. My [Unyielding Commander] skill also doesn't take effect. It's confirmed seeing all the victims still unconscious, hanging limply from the scarecrows.
"Second, precisely strike the scarecrow to rescue the victims."
Everyone looked dismayed at my words.
Currently, the scarecrows and victims are closely attached, and they're not stationary but moving. Although they haven't detected us yet, they will attack fiercely once they do.
A precision strike in such conditions?
'Even for Damien, it would be tough.'
Moreover, Damien hasn't joined us yet...!
Reinforcements are delayed due to the surprise attack. Only some of the forces, including the 'Uncles' and myself, have arrived swiftly.
"...What's the third method?"
Lucas cautiously asked when I didn't mention the last method.
I opened and closed my mouth several times before finally admitting.
"Abandon the victims."
"!"
"Kill them along with the scarecrows. It's the most realistic measure."
A chilling silence fell.
Everyone, with pale faces, looked around.
The heroes and soldiers guarding the forward base were all familiar faces. They were comrades who had faced life and death together numerous times.
But this is the reality. Once bodies are seized by the scarecrows, it might be the most humane method to end their lives before they suffer more horrendous pain.
"..."
Dearmudin looked at me intently. I looked back at the old magician.
- Sacrifice lives.
He had said so before. If necessary to maintain the front, even if it means increasing the number of allied graves.
Does he still feel the same, now that his subordinates are captured?
"...And the method we will choose is."
Looking back at the scarecrows, I declared.
"The second method."
"!"
Relief appeared on everyone's faces. I nodded.
"We'll wait for Damien. It might be a bit much to ask, but with Damien's skills, it's entirely possible."
Without harming the victims, only the scarecrows would be precisely targeted and eliminated.
Naturally, it's an impossible feat under normal circumstances.
But with Damien's eyes.
If it's Damien, possessing the finest eyes in this frontline, no, in this world, he can perform such miracles daily.
"We haven't been detected yet. When Damien arrives, he will use his [Far-sight] to snipe and blow the heads off all the scarecrows."
I looked around at the reinforcements arriving one by one and nodded.
"So until then, keep quiet and..."
At that moment.
Whish-
Thud-!
A scarecrow suddenly leaped from the opposite wall and landed heavily in front of us.
"...!"
In the dust cloud, a bright crimson magical power blazed.
I barely managed to say,
"...Mikhail."
As the dust settled, the figure was revealed.
Especially, in the center of the giant scarecrow's body, the young knight was hanging.
Tears streamed down from his closed eyes, and unintelligible mumblings continued to flow from his mouth.
"It's... my fault... everyone... proof... the highest..."
"Doesn't it seem like that guy gets tied up unusually often these days? He might develop trauma."
Grumbling, everyone around me drew their weapons, readying for battle as they sensed the menacing aura of Mikhail and the enemy monster that had captured him.
"It's my fault... I killed... killed..."
"Hey, Mikhail! Snap out of it-"
Before I could finish shouting,
Whoosh!
The scarecrow, using its long legs, kicked off the ground and charged at us, emitting a terrifying crimson magic light from its back.
"It has stolen Mikhail's abilities! Don't let your guard down!"
There was no need for me to shout. The 'Uncles,' the five heroes who charged forward, didn't hesitate and immediately formed a defensive stance with all their might.
And then,
Boom!
They were blown away.
The scarecrow's fingertips morphed into the shape of a sword, forming a sphere of crimson magic power and striking down like a bombardment.
With just one hit, everyone was sent flying backward. Even Lucas had to roll on the ground using a falling technique to mitigate the impact.
"Ugh...?!"
Only Torkel, who had positioned his large shield in front, managed to withstand it, yet he too had to take several steps back.
'What kind of power is that?'
I shuddered.
The enemy monster, having stolen the power of our ally hero, was terrifyingly strong.
Mikhail is considered one of the top SSR-grade heroes, with both his magical and swordsmanship aptitudes near MAX.
Moreover, the scarecrow, having stolen his power, isn't affected by the negative traits like 'Recklessness' or 'Error-Prone' that originally debilitated Mikhail.
In other words, the scarecrow could scrape the bottom of Mikhail's potential, something the real Mikhail couldn't do – making it disgustingly strong!
'But Mikhail's greatest strength, his ability as a flying cavalry, wouldn't be usable...'
As soon as I thought that,
Whiz! Whiz! Whizz!
Scarecrows, which had not yet captured any victims, started contorting and transforming, attaching themselves to the lower half of this scarecrow.
Soon, the scarecrow's lower half transformed into something resembling a giant beast with wings.
It was unmistakably a griffin.
As the heroes, barely recovering from the first attack, managed to get up, their mouths fell open in shock. I muttered in disbelief,
"This is insane."
The scarecrow, now with wings fully spread, wrapped magic light around its sword and darted towards us at a terrifying speed.
This hit would be lethal!
Lucas quickly grabbed me and rolled to the side, while the heroes and soldiers swiftly scattered, dodging the attack's range.
The problem was,
The direction of the scarecrow's sword aimed at the gate.
Boom!
It was annihilated.
The three gates connecting Crossroad and the forward base were completely destroyed. Barracks and buildings collapsed in succession, filling the interior of the forward base with dense dust.
In the dust cloud, I trembled with rage.
"It targeted the gates from the start, that bastard..."
Then,
Creak. Creak. Creak-creak-creak.
A bizarre sound, like wood scraping against wood, echoed from within the dust cloud.
Soon, I realized what this sound was.
Laughter.
The monstrous creature's laughter.
"The King of Kings told me, human commander."
Creak-creak. Creak-creak. Creak-creak.
A giant scarecrow emerged from the dust cloud, with Mikhail tied to its chest. The straw bag covering the scarecrow's face tore open, revealing a sinister voice.
"Your mind is stronger than anyone's. My fear won't work on you."
"..."
"But that's ignorance. Real fear doesn't come from manipulating the mind with illusions."
With the gates destroyed,
Reinforcements from Damien would be even further delayed.
As I strategized desperately in this situation, I played along with the enemy leader's pace to buy time.
"Really? Then where does this 'real fear' come from?"
"Reality."
The scarecrow laughed.
"When you realize there's nowhere to run. When you understand that no reinforcements are coming to help. When all your plans have run out."
"..."
"When someone you care about dies right before your eyes. When you realize you can't save anything, that you're utterly powerless... that you're less than a handful of straw."
For some reason, despite my passive skill [Unyielding Commander] being active,
"In such a cruel 'reality,' real fear begins."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Now, answer me, human. Do you feel fear?"
The commander of the Scarecrow Legion, 'The Oldest Scarecrow', flashed its eyes with the crimson magic power stolen from Mikhail, laughing ominously.
"It will happen."