By unleashing a profound spiritual art that surrounded the encroaching invading army, I buried all of our enemies beneath the shifting sands. I had faith that Mika would be safe as I fashioned a protective shell out of sand to shield his body. Employing such powerful spiritual arts while maintaining precise control proved to be an arduous task. Consequently, I ended up fainting from the excessive use of spiritual power.
However, I was unconscious for only a short time. While mitigating the intense headache and overwhelming fatigue that weighed upon my entire body with my fighting spirit, I focused on recovering my spiritual power.
With a slight resurgence of strength, I directed my consciousness towards the concealed entities beneath the sand. Countless fire-breathing war chariots and metal horses had been obliterated under the weight of the sand, and it appeared that the soldiers inside had met a similar fate. It was a clean sweep, so to speak.
And there was Mika… still alive. It seemed that he had surfaced unharmed. If that was the case, he should be alright. I released the sand shell that protected him, and now that he had regained consciousness, he should be able to move freely.
Immediately after releasing the shell, Mika seemed to wake up and quickly stood up. He mentioned something about lamenting his survival. I see, so he really wished to die.
His wish was something I never thought of entertaining, but I could somewhat understand the sentiment behind Mika's misfortune of having everything taken away from him. I could comprehend his feelings, but… why exactly? Those emotions left me feeling somewhat unsettled. I couldn't grasp the essence of that emotion.
Around the same time, there was movement beneath the sand. Well, well, so there were still survivors down there? If anyone could protect themselves in such a situation, it could only be that mysterious white armored soldier. Tenacious indeed.
Though I wasn't yet in optimal condition, I attempted to manipulate the surrounding sand to crush that entity. However, before I could do so, he swam through the sand, effortlessly rising to the surface. As a result, my spiritual arts failed to take effect.
I contemplated finishing him off once he emerged on the surface, but it seemed that the white armored soldier had lost consciousness again just as he reached the point where he would break through. Since Mika was nearby, I figured he would take care of the enemy promptly.
However, my expectations were soon proven wrong. Mika pulled the white armored soldier out from the ground. Judging by the sound, it seemed he was carefully beginning to remove the enemy's armor. What is he thinking?
After a short while, the white armored soldier woke up once again and launched an attack on Mika. In such a situation, it was best for me to intervene as well. Gripping weapons in both hands and wrapping my tail around the handle of the battle axe, I swiftly ascended through the sand. As I neared the surface, I released my grip on the weapons and seized the enemy by his ankles, dragging him back into the sand.
The reason I didn't finish him off with an underground attack was that I still wasn't in prime condition. If I couldn't defeat the enemy with a single blow, he might have a chance to escape. The wise approach was to eliminate formidable enemies when the opportunity presented itself—a truth I had learned on the battlefield.
By restraining the soldier in this manner, I ensured not only his certain demise but also the elimination of any chance of escape. I retrieved the weapons I had let go of and emerged onto the surface. Mika greeted me with a wry smile.
"You're still as skilled at concealing your presence as ever. I'm glad you're alive. And thank you for saving me."
"…"
"■■■! ■■■■!"
As Mika flew through the air, he bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to me. There was no need for thanks; I was simply repaying a debt. I shook my head slightly. More importantly, I focused on the white armored soldier twisting and trying to move at my feet.
Oh, surprise! It was a female. Given her fierce fighting style, I had assumed she was a rugged male like Alexander. While I solidified the sand around her body with my spiritual arts, if left unchecked, she might find a way to escape. Raising the great sword in my left hand high above my head, I prepared to bring it down to crush her skull.
"Please wait!"
"■■…!"
"…?"
Startled by Mika's uncharacteristically loud voice, I instinctively halted my left arm. The weight of the massive sword pressed heavily on my arm, but with my current strength, I could stop it. The white armored soldier, her bangs swaying in the wind from the force of the sword, had her face completely contorted in fright.
Why did you stop me? Although I had a full view of all directions thanks to my compound eyes, I still turned my gaze towards Mika. And there, for some reason, he was chuckling mischievously, as if finding something amusing.
"…?"
"I apologize. I was thinking that perhaps we should capture her alive if possible. With both of us, we should be able to bring her back as a prisoner of war, I believe."
"…"
Capture her alive. Indeed, with our abilities in concealing our presence, it would be feasible. If we travel a little south from here, there should be a wheat field where we can blend in. If we proceed stealthily at night, it is highly unlikely that we will be discovered. After all, there was no one here, like Marcellus, who hadn't undergone training in concealing their presence,
The issue was that the white armored soldier in front of us, who looked relieved, was unlikely to cooperate obediently. In that case… let's do it this way. I discarded the battle axe wrapped around my tail and swiftly drove the poisonous stinger into the white armored soldier's neck.
The seemingly relieved white armored soldier was caught off guard, twitching involuntarily before growing immobile. Mika, thinking that I had killed her, rushed over to the female soldier in a panic. He then heaved a sigh of relief upon confirming that she was still breathing.
"A paralysis poison, I see. Quite skillful… but I would have appreciated a word beforehand."
Mika shot me a resentful gaze. Still, even if I wanted to respond, I could only make strange noises… Ah, I've got an idea. Maybe I could do this.
I let the tip of my tail run on the sand, forming the words "I'm sorry" on the ground. Seeing this, Mika, who was pulling the white armored soldier again, was taken aback and involuntarily let go of her. The soldier fell face-first to the ground. Ouch, that must have hurt a bit.
"Y-you… can write words? Master Orvo mentioned it, but you're a scorpion… right?" Mika asked in disbelief, murmuring quietly as if it were unbelievable or a lie. Though, is it really that hard to believe?
In response to Mika's question, I nodded. Indeed, I am someone who was once a scorpion and still carries its spirit within as a demon. However, Mika seemed unable to believe it, mumbling things like "it can't be true" or "it must be a lie." Is it really that hard to fathom?
"But it hasn't even been a year since you became a demon, and you already know how to write? You weren't in an environment where you could receive education," Mika remarked, trying to make sense of it.
Ah, I see what he's getting at. Mika doesn't seem to consider that I, as a scorpion, already knew how to write even before being synthesized. Perhaps I should clarify this misunderstanding first.
I engraved the words on the sand using my tail. For now, I wrote, "I learned to write during my days as a combat beast." Upon seeing this, Mika seemed not only bewildered but also exasperated.
"Rather than learning to write within a year, it's much more surprising that you claim to have learned it during your scorpion days… But for now, could you please help me? We need to restrain this woman so she can't escape," Mika said.
I nodded once and tossed aside the weapons held in both hands before starting to remove the female's armor. It seemed like Mika had cautiously taken it off earlier to avoid waking up the unconscious female soldier, but since I had injected her with the paralyzing poison, there was no need to worry about her waking up. I exerted my strength and broke the armor before dragging the female soldier out.
The white armored female soldier had an unusual attire. She was wearing tight black undergarments that clung to her body. It seemed smooth and had a pleasant texture. I wondered if all the invading forces wore such attire.
While I pondered this, Mika tore off the sleeves of his own clothing and proceeded to bind the hands and feet of the white armored soldier. His movements were strangely adept, as if he were accustomed to such tasks.
I retrieved the weapons I had taken from the enemy using both hands and my tail, and together with Mika, we began our journey towards the south. Mika held the white armored soldier close to his side, with a round shield strapped to his back. He changed from his human form to his demon form, since he found it less conspicuous that way.
"With our speed, we should reach the wheat field before nightfall. Although I have confidence in my own speed as well… I can't keep up with you," Mika said as he ran alongside me. I prided myself on my sturdy exoskeleton and agility, which were the pillars of my strength. So, if it came down to a straight race, I couldn't lose.
As we continued heading south, Mika suddenly came to a halt. Following suit, I stopped as well, and he motioned for me to crouch down.
"Something's coming! It would be troublesome if we were spotted!"
"…"
With Mika's warning, I manipulated the earth, causing the ground to shift and open up a hole. Mika and I jumped into it together. I swiftly closed the entrance to the hole, erasing any trace of our presence. Shortly after, we heard the sound of something passing over us.
Though I was not blessed with exceptional hearing like Mika's, I could still a sense that something was overhead. It was smaller than the round shield Mika carried and was emitting a distinct booming sound. It seemed to float in the air using an unknown method, flitting about our surroundings at a low altitude.
"Could it be a weapon from the invading army? They possess countless technologies that surpass our imagination. If Mater Orvo were alive, he would surely find a way to utilize it for his research,"
While saying that, Mika seemed to be gazing into the distance absentmindedly. Perhaps Orvo, his deceased master, held great significance for Mika. It seemed that memories of him resurfaced frequently, triggered by various circumstances. I could empathize with that pain to an agonizing extent.
When I lost that female slave, I was consumed by a furious rage that rendered me unable to control my spiritual power. For Mika, who had spent much more time with Orvo than I did with the slave, his sense of loss must have been even greater than mine. Understanding a fraction of that anger and suffering, I found myself at a loss for words to comfort Mika.
While we lingered in solemn silence, the airborne presence continued to flit around the vicinity of our hiding spot. I agreed to wait it out for a while, heeding Mika's whispered suggestion. However, there was no sign of it departing. So, we took a brief respite in the confined underground space until that thing finally moved away.