Sinyal flare pasukan kekaisaran, tentu saja, terlihat juga oleh elf. Meski mereka tak mengerti makna pastinya, mereka menyadarinya sebagai tibanya pasukan pengganti untuk musuh. Itu berarti keputusasaan. "Belum, belum selesai!" Obaba-sama memarahi para bawahannya yang hendak menurunkan kepala dan menyerah. "Ke utara, rekan-rekan kami dari Daerah Otonom yang kembali dari ibu kota kerajaan masih berjuang! Jika kita bertahan, mereka pasti akan mengalahkan musuh dan menyingkirkan yang ada di depan kita! Jadi jangan menyerah!" Kadang-kadang, seorang komandan harus berteriak demi meningkatkan semangat, bahkan ketika dirinya tak percaya apa yang sedang dia katakan. Bagi Obaba-sama, saat itulah sekarang. Pasukan Daerah Otonom akan berjuang keras melawan lawan mereka. Musuh, setelah melihat sihir flare tadi…pasti beralih taktiksi ke 'tak perlu mati sampai pasukan pengganti tiba'. Tak akan mudah. Tak ada keraguan, para pembela akan mencapai batas kesehatan jauh sebelum pasukan Daerah Otonom tiba. Ia menyadari semua itu, namun tetap harus mengatakannya. Namun, hati para elf yang hampir hancur, tampaknya tetap dipegang oleh dorongan keras Obaba-sama. Kami belum kalah! Mereka yang menyegel gerakan musuh dengan Downburst, mereka yang menembak panah ke arah musuh…mereka mulai berusaha keras, lebihPutusnya dari sebelumnya. Dua puluh menit setelah sihir flare ditembakkan. Di sebelah utara benteng tengah, pertempuran antara empat ratus pasukan kekaisaran bernama 'Pasukan Bayangan' yang menyerang flank dipimpin oleh Jenderal Rancias dan lima puluh kembali dari ibu kota kerajaan dipimpin oleh Chief Carson, sedang berlangsung. "Berapa banyak yang telah kami kehilangan?" "Yuri dan # # lima orang lainnya…" "Sial betapa…" Di antara elf, sebagian khususkan untuk sihir pemulihan. Ini secara mendasar berbeda dari sistem sihir Central Nations; mereka memulihkan luka dengan meminjam kekuatan roh untuk mempercepat proses pemulihan. Oleh karena itu, mereka tidak dapat memperbaiki bagian tubuh yang hilang seperti para imam keramat. Meskipun demikian, mereka tetap berharga di kalangan elf, dan sejumlah kecil dari mereka selalu dimasukkan dalam pasukan tempur. Yuri, yang tewas kali ini, adalah salah satu elf paling mahir di Daerah Otonom dari segi kemampuan pemulihan, dan sebagai pasukan tempur, itu adalah kerugian yang jauh melebihi penurunan jumlah. Chief Carson, sebagai komandan, tentu saja memahami hal ini. Kedua belah pihak saling berusaha mendapatkan keuntungan. Dalam kondisi normal, mustahil bagi elf untuk kesulitan dalam pertempuran di hutan…tapi itulah yang sedang terjadi di hadapannya. Saat jumlah mereka menyusut, situasinya semakin memburuk… Chief Carson terasa terdesak secara mental. Mereka perlu mengalahkan lawan saat ini, lalu menyerang seribu musuh yang ditahan benteng tengah segera setelah selesai…semua untuk menang. Namun… "Sudah membutuhkan segala kemampuan kami hanya untuk bertarung secara setara dengan lawan saat ini..." Frustrasinya mencair. "Berapa banyak kerusakan kami?" "Sekitar empat puluh." "Apa-apaan itu..." Jenderal Rancias, di sisi lain, mengerutkan kening melihat kerusakan pada angkatannya. Sejak melihat sihir flare, ia memberikan perintah, 'Jangan melakukan apa pun yang ceroboh sampai pasukan pengganti tiba', namun hasilnya tetap seperti ini. Jika bertarung secara langsung, ada kemungkinan besar akan kalah dari kembalinya dari ibu kota kerajaan…ia merasa begitu. "Jangan terlalu teruja. Kita hanya perlu menarik waktu sampai pasukan pengganti tiba." Saat itulah Rancias memanggil orang di sekitarnya. "Kuh!" Serangan langsung dari belakang. Tapi Rancias menghindar dengan mudah. "Kamu adalah komandannya." Meskipun ia menghindar, lawannya tetap tenang. "Dan kalau aku memang begitu?" "Aku akan mengambil kepalamu." Jenderal Rancias bertanya, dan lawannya…Chief Carson membuat pernyataan. Tentu saja. "Kamu pikir kamu mampu?" "Aku akan membuktikan!" Rancias melempar kata-kata provokatif, dan Carson menjawab dengan setinggi-setingginya. Rancias mungkin lebih seorang pejuang daripada jenderal, sekaligus memerintahkan pasukannya untuk terus menggulingkan pertempuran sementara ia terlibat dalam seni mematikan yang langsung. Pedangnya tak ada sedikit pun untuk menunggu waktu,…ia hanya tujuannya untuk mengalahkan musuh di hadapannya. Namun, Chief Carson juga bukan elf sembarangan. Ia adalah elf yang rela mengambil pelatihan khusus dari Sera, yang lebih muda darinya, untuk melatih keterampilan. Bahkan setelah Sera kembali ke Rune, ia tak pernah melewatkan satu pun hari pelatihan. Pedang takkan pernah mengkhianati usaha. Pertarungan mereka berlanjut tanpa henti. Akhirnya, penguatan kekaisaran muncul di depan benteng. Saat penguatan keluar dari hutan, Obaba-sama hampir jatuh berlutut. Karena kekalahan mereka sudah hampir dipastikan… Namun, meskipun demikian, ia tetap berdiri tegas, menggunakan segala kekuatan mental yang bisa dikumpulkan. Namun, banyak yang menurunkan kepala dengan sangat kecewa. Hanya mereka yang melepaskan Downburst yang terus menerus melakukan sihir…karena kekuatan sihir mereka sudah habis hingga tak dapat merasakan sekelilingnya lagi. Lalu, Obaba-sama mendengar beberapa suara. "Bantuan…" "Tidak, tolonglah…" "Aku menyerah…" "Tolong, jangan lagi…" Suara-suara dari penguatan kekaisaran itu menghilang begitu saja begitu keluar dari hutan. Dan semua orang yang sebut suara itu jatuh satu per satu. Tidak lama kemudian…sebuah sinar platinum melintasi vanguard Pasukan Bayangan kekaisaran yang tak bisa bergerak bebas karena Downburst. Sinar itu tak pernah berhenti. Di mana saja sinar itu lewat, awan darah menari di udara. Darah menyembronol dari pasukan kekaisaran yang tewas. Panah api yang tertancam di tanah. Dan sinar platinum yang melewati. Seperti adegan dari sebuah dongeng. Mimpi yang singkat, menukar kehidupan sebuah ribu pasukan kekaisaran… "Tepat waktu…" Obaba-sama berseru lembut dan jatuh berlutut, lelah dan lega. Pada saat itu, mimpi itu berakhir. Saat bangun, ada sekitar seribu pasukan kekaisaran yang terluka parah dan tak bisa bergerak, namun sepertinya masih hidup, dan seorang elf yang berdiri sendirian dengan rambut pirang platinum yang berkibar-kibar. "Maaf, Sera, bisakah kamu menolong orang-orang di utara?" Suara Obaba-sama sangat pelan. Tapi Sera mengangguk dan menghilang. Hanya beberapa detik kemudian, semua orang hadirin menyadari bahwa ia telah pindah. "Dia benar-benar menjadi seorang elf yang luar biasa." Obaba-sama tertawa sambil berkata itu. Pertempuran pedang antara Jenderal Rancias dan Chief Carson masih berlangsung. Kedua belah pihak tidak menahan sedikit pun dalam pertempuran pedang. Jika tidak, mereka akan kalah dengan cepat…inilah seberapa dekatnya perbedaan antara keduanya. Oleh karena itu, mereka lambat untuk menyadari perubahan di sekitar mereka. Untuk ketamaminya, keduanya mengambil jarak untuk bertarik napas…tapi mereka menyadari sesuatu yang tidak wajar hampir pada sa yang sama. "Suara..." "Terlalu sunyi." Kedua Rancias dan Carson bersembunyi lembut. Pada saat itu, sebuah sinar platinum muncul di depal Rancias. "Tak mungkin..." Rancias menerima pukulan di perut dan pingsan. Hampir sebelum kehilangan kesadaran, ia mendengar suara teman bertarungnya. "Sera..."
Vol 1. Bab 223: Pertahanan Hutan Barat Bagian 3
Silakan terjemahkan menggunakan fitur browser bawaan kamu.
The Imperial troops’ flare signal was, of course, visible to the elves.
Although they did not understand the exact meaning, they understood that reinforcements had arrived for the enemy.
It was synonymous with despair.
“No, not yet, it’s not over yet! ”
Obaba-sama scolded her subordinates who were about to drop their heads and lose their will to fight.
“To the north, our brethren from the Autonomous Region who returned from the royal capital are still fighting! If we persevere, they will definitely defeat the enemy and put an end to the ones in front of us! So don’t give up fighting!”
There are times when a commander must speak out loud to raise morale, even when they did not believe in what they were saying.
For Obaba-sama, that time was now.
The Autonomous Region forces will for sure have a hard time defeating their opponents.
The enemy, having seen the flare magic just now ... would no doubt switch tactics to ‘I just need to not get killed until our reinforcements arrive’.
It won’t be easy.
There’s no mistaking, the defenders would reach their limits way before the Autonomous Region forces arrive.
She knew all that, yet she still had to say it.
However, it was also true that the hearts of the elves, which were on the verge of breaking, was somehow held together by Obaba-sama’s fierce encouragement.
We have not lost yet!
Those who sealed the enemy’s movement with Downburst, those firing arrows at the enemy... they began to give it their all, more desperately than ever before.
Twenty minutes after the flare magic was shot.
On the north side of the central fortress, the battle between the four hundred men of the Imperial ‘Shadow Army’ flanking assault force led by General Rancias and the fifty returnees from the royal capital led by Carson, the Chief of the Autonomous Region, raged on.
“How many have we lost?”
“Yuri and # # five others...”
“Goddamn it.”
Among the elves, a few specialize in recovery magic.
It is fundamentally different from the magic system of the Central Nations; they heal injuries by borrowing the power of spirits to speed up the recovery process.
Thus, they are not able to repair missing body parts like the high priests.
Even so, they are valuable resources among the elves, and a few of them are always included in combat squads.
Yuri, who died this time, was one of the most skilled elves in the Autonomous Region in terms of recovery ability, and as a combat squad, that was a loss that far surpassed the drop in numbers.
Carson, as the commander, naturally understood this.
Both sides vyed for the upper hand.
In normal conditions, it’s unheard of for elves to be struggling in a battle in the forest...but it was happening right in front of him.
As their numbers dwindled, the situation gradually worsened ...
Chief Carson was pretty much cornered mentally.
Not only do they need to defeat their current opponent, but they also have to attack the thousand enemies that the central fortress is holding back as soon as they’re done here...in order to win.
However....
“It’s already taking all we have just to fight evenly with our current opponents...”
His frustration got to him.
“What’s our loss count?”
“About forty.”
“What in the world...”
General Rancias, on the other hand, frowned at the amount of damage to his army.
Since seeing the flare magic, he had given the order, ‘Don’t do anything reckless until reinforcements arrive’, and yet it still turned out thus.
If they fought head-on, there was a very big possibility that they would lose to the returnees from the royal capital...frankly, he felt so.
“Don’t get too worked up. We just need to drag things out until reinforcements arrive.”
It was the moment when Rancias called out to his men nearby.
“Gotcha!”
A slash directly from behind.
But Rancias dodged the slash with ease.
“You’re the commander.”
Despite the fact that he dodged the slash, his opponent remained calm.
“And what if I am?”
“I’ll be taking your head.”
General Rancias asked, and his opponent...Chief Carson made the declaration.
Naturally.
“You think you’re up to it?”
“Watch me!”
Rancias threw some provocative words at him, and Carson responded equally.
Rancias was perhaps more of a warrior than a general, as he ordered his men to continue dragging the battle while he engage in a direct swordfight.
His sword was one devoted to defeating the enemy in front of him, with not even hint of stalling for time.
However, Chief Carson is no simple elf either.
He’s an elf who voluntarily took special training from Sera, who is younger than him, to hone his skills.
Even after Sera returned to Rune, he never once missed a day of training.
The sword never betrays effort.
Their sword fights continued endlessly.
Finally, Imperial reinforcements appeared in front of the fortress.
The moment the reinforcements came out of the forest, even Obaba-sama almost fell to her knees.
Since their defeat was pretty much set in stone....
But even so, she continued to stand her ground, mustering all the mental strength she could muster.
But many of them hung their heads dejectedly.
Only those who were unleashing Downburst carried on with the magic...because their magic power had been expended to the point where they could no longer perceive their surroundings.
Then, Obaba-sama heard some voices.
“Help...”
“No, please...”
“I surrender...”
“Please, no more...”
Those voices, coming from the Imperial reinforcements, disappeared as soon as they exited the forest.
And those the voices belonged to all fell one after the other.
Soon...the voices stopped altogether.
The next moment, a streak of platinum light flashed through the vanguard of the Imperial ‘Shadow Army’, who were unable to move freely due to the Downburst.
The light moved without pause.
Wherever the light passed, a cloud of blood danced in the air.
The blood spurted from slain Imperial soldiers.
The fire arrows stuck in the ground.
And the platinum light running through.
It was like a scene out of some fairytale.
A fleeting dream, claiming the lives of a thousand imperial troops in exchange....
“Just in time...”
Obaba-sama muttered and fell to her knees, exhausted and relieved.
At that moment, the dream came to an end.
Upon waking, there were a thousand Imperial soldiers, bleeding profusely and unable to move, but apparently barely alive, and a standing lone elf with fluttering platinum blonde hair.
“Sorry, Sera, but could you please help out the ones up north.”
Obaba-sama’s voice was very faint.
But Sera nodded and vanished.
It was only after a few seconds that those present realized that she had moved.
“She’s really become an outrageous elf.”
Obaba-sama chuckled as she said that.
The sword fight between General Rancias and Chief Carson was still ongoing.
Both sides were holding nothing back in the sword fight.
Otherwise, they would have lost instantly...that’s how little the difference between the two was.
Thus, they were slow in noticing the changes in their surroundings.
For the umpteenth time, the two of them took some distance to catch their breaths...but then, they noticed something unusual at almost the same time.
“The sounds...”
“It’s too quiet.”
Both Rancias and Carson muttered quietly.
At that moment, a streak of platinum light emerged in front of Rancias.
“Impossi...ble...”
Rancias received a blow to the gut and went out cold.
Just before he passed out, he thought he heard the voice of his sword-fighting opponent.
“Sera...”
Komentar Chapter (0)
Login buat ikut berkomentar.
Belum ada komentar di chapter ini. Jadi yang pertama!