All-Out War (2)

Claire realized.

Why Lost had been so wary of the devil.

Facing it directly made everything clear.

The opponent was formidable.

By the time Claire arrived, Nina was already in tatters, and even now she was barely recovered enough to participate in battle.

Honestly, Claire was amazed that Nina had held out so well.

She truly deserved being called an asymmetrical force as Lost had described.

But even she couldn’t stand against Belial.

Unlike Belial who had nothing to lose and no need to consider retreat, she had too much to protect.

“Indeed, you’re quite impressive, worthy of wielding the sacred artifact of Vitege.”

“Phew……”

But strength wasn’t the issue. They had expected the devil to be strong from the beginning. Claire too had encountered numerous trials and knew how unreasonable such existences could be.

What was terrifying was the bleakness that followed defeat.

That chilling sense that defeat would lead directly to extinction.

Such clear, unmistakable malice.

Nothing but hatred toward humanity, with no room for negotiation or compromise.

“It’s frightening. Being a devil.”

“What’s frightening is your true nature.”

Red eyes glinting in the darkness.

Claire felt a shiver run down her spine, as if the darkness surrounding them was the devil itself.

“Lilia, stay alert and……”

“Yeah! Got it, I just charge in, right? Heeheeheehee!”

“……I suppose I shouldn’t expect rational judgment from you.”

Claire stared blankly at Lilia who had dashed forward without even listening, then picked up her shield and ran after her.

There was nowhere to retreat anyway. If they didn’t approach with the determination to defeat the enemy, they wouldn’t even be able to buy time, let alone survive.

That’s how great the gap was.

“I’ll cover you.”

Claire blocked the enemy’s attacks from the front, Lilia attacked with swift movements, and the Saintess of Earth, Nina, supported the two.

They had established an ideal formation, and the coordination among the three was perfect.

But even with all that, they were barely holding on.

“Kukukuk.”

The devil’s grating laughter.

Just from that, the darkness that had swallowed even the sky writhed unpleasantly.

If Nina and Claire hadn’t created light to illuminate their surroundings, every place touched by that darkness would have been no different from being in the devil’s stomach.

Though the matchup clearly favored their side, they unfortunately lacked a decisive blow.

“Kugh!”

Lilia, who had once again darted into the darkness, was thrown back, coughing blood.

She could transform her physical body into toxic mist.

Even with such ability, she couldn’t endure long in that darkness nor land attacks on the enemy.

Though it was just like her to smile even in pain…

“Did it have any effect?”

“No! None at all!”

“Then perhaps we should try a different approach?”

“Heeheeheehee!”

Lilia charged at Belial yet again. Claire, as if expecting this, illuminated a path through the darkness.

Though it seemed reckless, Lilia wasn’t charging in thoughtlessly. If she didn’t rush in immediately, Claire and even Nina would be in danger.

Lilia was the most instinctive of the three with the best intuition. That’s why she had no choice but to charge in, even knowing she’d be beaten one-sidedly.

Claire understood this much.

As Lilia’s sister figure, how could she not understand after spending so much time together?

‘This can’t be our best option.’

Without Lilia drawing attention right now, they couldn’t hold out.

No matter how well Claire constructed her defense, there were limits against darkness that engulfed all directions.

But if they continued like this, Lilia would be in danger.

In the midst of such anxiety.

“Well, if someone has to die,”

An unexpected change occurred.

Claire, seemingly familiar with the voice, glanced behind from the corner of her eye.

In Nina’s direction.

The powerless trial that Titan had left behind, saying he wouldn’t be of help.

<Wind’s Tomb>, Ratatoskr, was speaking with eyes filled with emptiness.

“It should be me. That was our agreement.”

With Ratatoskr’s declaration, Claire felt something tickling her cheek.

It was wind.

A gentle breeze had flowed into Belial’s domain, which had been surrounded by darkness where not even wind could blow.

“…Do you think this is worth it? Wind’s Tomb.”

“It’s not about worth. It’s about reclaiming value.”

Ratatoskr’s squirrel form gradually dissolved into the wind and began to scatter.

A trial that had lost its power.

The best he could do.

“Even if I’ve weakened, my rank hasn’t diminished!”

He dissolves his rank into power.

He dismantles the origin of the ignorant spiritual beast that became a trial by gnawing at the world tree.

Yes, returning to the origin itself, as elemental power. The price of returning to that miserable past where he belonged neither to ordinary animals nor to spiritual beasts.

“So begone, even if the day comes when you devour the world, it won’t be today.”

The storm that had swallowed Ratatoskr’s body gradually increased in size.

A storm that grew massive by blowing away and consuming everything around it.

Yet to people including Nina and Claire, it felt like nothing more than a warm, gentle breeze.

The trial symbolizing the final destination of all winds, <Wind’s Tomb>.

The storm Ratatoskr summoned pulled, consumed, diluted, and blew away even Belial’s darkness.

Ratatoskr’s authority that swept away even the devil’s worthlessness with the wind.

“…Well, I suppose that’s fine. Though I couldn’t kill Nina Heim, I’ve gained something of comparable value.”

Belial, whose domain had been dismantled, lazily opened his eyes from under his hat.

He could continue fighting if he wished.

Though Ratatoskr’s power was more than expected, Belial could have defeated him and everyone else.

Wouldn’t he have hidden cards as well?

From the start, he could have resisted when his darkness was swept away by the storm.

He hadn’t because it was clearly not worth exerting more power.

‘Besides, there’s someone who hasn’t shown himself yet.’

Right now, <Future Drawer>, Deus Ex Machina, was also present in Alfheim.

The sound of gears disturbing his ears. Though he had anticipated even that, facing two trials simultaneously would certainly be a poor strategy.

“Well then, the preliminary skirmish ends here.”

Belial left the battlefield with a strange smile.

Thus, the devil who had appeared suddenly like a nightmare disappeared as if waking from a dream.

“Heeheeheehee……”

“Good job, Lilia.”

Claire stared into the empty space for a while, then looked around while supporting Lilia who had collapsed from exhaustion.

Fortunately, there weren’t many injured. Most had been protected by the Saintess of Earth. But there was one.

“Rata……”

Ratatoskr had lost his power.

Nina sadly cradled the limp squirrel spiritual beast in her arms.

Without Ratatoskr’s sacrifice, everyone here would surely have perished.

Was it right to have sent Titan to join another front?

Having faced the devil and survived only by luck, Claire couldn’t help but think this.

Of course, she couldn’t deny that it had been the best choice at the time, but…

“It’s difficult.”

Ratatoskr, who had to lower even his rank to stop Belial.

Lilia, who had to move into danger just to hold out.

Nina, who was already in tatters, and Claire, who could only barely hold up her shield.

Though the opponent had retreated, they too had lost much.

“So this is war……”

She freshly realized that war couldn’t bring only gains.

*     *      *

When I returned, my companions were in tatters.

Though the situation at each front is still chaotic, we’ve regathered at the Forys duchy for now.

It would have been great if we could have stayed and helped at the front lines, but the issues at the places we were dispatched to have mostly been resolved.

At the first place reported to have a devil appearance, there was Another Hope, and both Titan and Claire who were dispatched to other incident locations managed to drive away their respective enemies.

Of course, the price was steep.

“Lost, Ratatoskr has really become powerless.”

“How is that different from before?”

“He says now he’s just a talking squirrel with no other abilities.”

“I see……”

That was the costliest price paid at Claire’s front.

Of course, for me who hadn’t placed much expectation on Ratatoskr, I couldn’t really feel the impact, but…

The weakening of our forces is certainly painful.

“Oh, and Nina also seems unable to move for a while. It seems she overdid it……”

“Just being alive is enough.”

She did her part.

Just by holding out that much against Belial, she had saved thousands of lives.

Her abilities were originally more focused on barriers, so her front probably suffered the least casualties.

And speaking of the front with the most severe casualties…

“Are you alright?”

“Hmm……”

It’s Titan’s side, who went to face the <One Who Holds the Sky>.

More than half the forces there were wiped out in that brief moment.

People were crushed just by Atlas moving, so there probably wasn’t even time to respond.

At least with Belial or Another Hope, there were warning signs and time to escape.

“This is painful.”

“……”

Claire, who had temporarily split our forces in two during my absence, lowered her head. It’s not particularly her fault.

I tousled her hair thoroughly, and as always, Claire glared at me with half-lidded eyes.

This one is just right like this.

From the beginning, it was my fault for not anticipating Atlas’s existence.

“To think we’d be entangled with all the trials. What a twisted fate.”

Of course, it’s not like I hadn’t considered the possibility.

Yes, I didn’t exclude the possibility of encountering Atlas, but…

“I didn’t think it would break out elsewhere, away from me.”

I never expected it to appear somewhere else and become a problem.

Titan, who faced Atlas this time, barely managed to drive it away, but at the cost of significant injuries.

“Since Atlas has been tampered with by Belial, this will take a long time to heal.”

“It’s fine. There have been few times when we were at full strength anyway. If it appears again, I will stop it.”

“You’ll die next time……”

“If I avoid death out of fear, how could I face others who are willing to sacrifice their lives?”

“…You’re right.”

Belial’s surprise attack inflicted significant damage. Of course, in return, we also eliminated a substantial number of demons and half-demons, but… aren’t the values we place on lives fundamentally different?

While we strive to save even one more life, Belial simply treats everyone like objects.

That difference in perspective alone makes our losses severe.

“As everyone is probably expecting, the next battle will likely be an all-out war.”

Belial has already revealed most of his hidden cards. Though he inflicted critical damage on our side as a result, he also doesn’t have enough forces left to drag out the war.

So this has to be an all-out war. It’s the only way for him to achieve victory against us.

“There are downsides, but there are definitely upsides too.”

“You mean the Sword King joining us?”

“Yes, I never expected him to appear before we even started looking for him… It’s like having another force equivalent to the Mystic King added to our side.”

The overall balance still favors Belial’s side, but in terms of asymmetrical forces, we have the advantage.

The next card he can deploy is probably just Atlas.

If anything more appears, I’d be speechless, but that’s unlikely.

If he had such a secret weapon, he would have used it in this surprise attack to completely crush us.

“And the next time he appears, he’s likely to be alone like this time. That would be best for dispersing our forces.”

If he gathers all his strength for a single breakthrough, it would actually be advantageous for us. We, too, can gather all our forces to respond.

Then victory is assured.

No matter how strong a devil might be, he can’t defeat our forces, which include the Mystic King and the Sword King.

“So the next battle will flow similarly to this one.”

Asymmetrical forces including Belial, along with demons and half-demons who don’t die even when killed, will spread in all directions.

That’s the only way to disperse our forces. It’s only natural.

He’ll scatter his discard cards and strike at our weakest point.

The current situation at the front.

And the place that would be perfect for the cunning Belial to use as a battlefield.

“The next place Belial will appear is probably right here.”

The most flourishing place of humanity.

Just destroying that symbol would engrave despair in humanity’s heart.

That’s why it has value in being destroyed.

“The imperial capital, Coinur.”

That’s Belial’s standard.