[Jean's POV]
… Looks like "Randall" is finally in condition to go out. At least according to the healers. And with that, the Monarch also summoned us… Mostly to talk.
Firstly, he made it pretty clear that we wouldn't go out to do stuff for a while. At least nothing too intensive.
And right after, we learned that… In spite of everything, the war continued.
My fingernails dug into my hands' flesh, but I didn't care. In fact, what right did I have to care?
Had I done what I was asked to do better… We wouldn't be in this situation. Rather, maybe nothing would have happened to us.
… Hiyoshin also had a rather downcast reaction. But the weird thing? "Randall" seemed to be… glad. As in, enjoying the direction where this went.
"Are you sure I can't get involved? I'm feeling pretty darn good… Plus, my body wants to kick some ass."
They spoke calmly for a while, until "Randall" dropped a certain line.
"Come on old man, I can handle it."
A line that partially stunned the present individuals, even the Monarch himself. For different reasons, that is.
My hand moved almost reflexively to slap his head, yet… it stopped. And doubt again peeked its head. 'Do I really want to do that?'
I took it back… I wasn't so sure if I was about to slap him, after all.
'Would he have talked to the Monarch in such a way?'
Maybe in the first few days. But after the events from Danpold… I doubt it, quite a bit.
But he did. And it's strange.
… Then again, the situation we're currently in is stranger.
The next morning after Randall's meeting with the Monarch, we went out to buy some supplies to the lawn. Mostly healthy food for Hiyoshin, who was planning to go into hibernation mode soon.
Alas, a certain someone caught the attention of this guy…
"The fuck you think you're doing to my girlfriend?"
… Yes, he tried to flirt with a dragoness, who turned out to be an elf's girlfriend. The elf is reasonably pissed, as the dragon asked Randall to– and I quote her– "crawl back to his mother's dirty asshole, the same one he was kicked out of for being such a failure."
"Geez… That's quite crude."
"Not as crude as every one of your half assed attempts of using pick up lines."
Dear lord, he's getting verbally annihilated.
"Y'know, with how full of shit you dragons always are, I doubt you have any right to talk about being dirty," retorted Randall, looking pretty pissed.
The dragoness got pissed and counter attacked, but Randall wasn't going to stay behind. Soon enough, the risks of the conflict going into physical boundaries… became notorious.
While the dragon's elven boyfriend manifested his Ego, Hiyoshin took a few steps back.
Enough is enough.
"Wait, wait. We don't have to fight."
Getting between the two sides seemed to help a bit. Moreso considering Randall hadn't taken out any of his Egos yet.
Fortunately, my words served to convince him to leave. Particularly, the idea of the… upcoming battle.
With the flames of the war burning brighter than before, we had no choice but to get involved. Even the Monarch admitted to it, though it wasn't planned to let it happen this early.
As for the couple? I had to apologize on behalf of that… that guy.
"Please forgive him! He's far from mentally stable!"
"Don't let him ever come close to us again!" Declared the elf, who took his girlfriend's hands onto his and left.
'I think that worked… Haaaa.'
Damn it.
'What the hell is wrong with him?' I thought back then, when we were in the city.
… I only came to understand exactly that a few hours later. After arriving at the area that the Monarch asked us to go, in order to assist in a certain skirmish.
Unlike the army, who came in from the plains that led to Weildener, we had a superior position in the rough mountains. This allowed us to quickly locate the camp of the human forces, composed both by soldiers from Fegendale and Weildener.
"I assume this is the skirmish the old man was talking about."
I nodded. "It hasn't started yet, as we still need to make some plans, but yes…"
"What's the goal here?"
"To begin with, we rout the Teutonian army from this position. The generals must be trying to polish their strategies before-"
"I get it, I get it. A good old 'wipe out the enemies', not a big deal. I'm off."
… What? We still don't know where they-
While I found myself unable to finish processing what he said, he had already disappeared from our position, leaving a large crater where he stood earlier.
"Wait, where is he-"
Barely a few seconds later, explosions shook our ears and the ground.
And I… no, we felt it.
The might of the one above everything.
High up in the sky, a small figure flapped its wings. On its arms rested a large dwarven rifle that actively bombarded a gigantic patch of land not so far from our position.
… Down below, the army we were meant to face scrambled almost helplessly. Fiends attempted to rise to the sky, but the bullets from the rifle sent them crashing to the ground mercilessly.
The titans that used their legs' power to jump and reach the one above, and those who hardened the rock-like skin on their bodies to protect their comrades?
Both ended up in a similar manner: Gone. The impacts didn't just kill them… They didn't leave anything behind.
The bombing stopped after a minute. A flap of its wings sent him down to the floor, at the speed of a lightning bolt.
It descended down and smashed the ground with a massive brown gauntlet, sending tremors everywhere and sinking everything down.
The slaughter continued.
It changed its weapon fluidly. Using a scythe to cut down over twenty soldiers in one fell swoop, then changing to a pair of long claws to tear everything apart with its bare hands.
In the midst of this, two of the commanders from the human army appeared by our side.
"What in the absolute fuck is happening over there?!"
I… I suppose the time is up.
"That's the Prince," I answered. And their voices became silent.
… Is this what "shattering the sky" meant?
Three minutes later, the pandemonium came to an end. And the catastrophe returned.
"Back. That takes care of everything, right?"
Seeing him casually walk with his arms behind his head, I couldn't help but be… afraid. Truly afraid.
'Yes, they are our enemies and he wiped them out effortlessly, but… He can absolutely do the same to us.'
… Yet somehow, I never realized it.
His brown hair and black overcoat, stained by the demon blood of hundreds… Or thousands. I'm not even sure anymore.
'He... he was right...'
This isn't Randall.
This... is a monster.