***Arc 8 One Who Spread Death, Chapter 178 Sure Fire Way to Win***

The daily routine of sunbathing on the tower.

As dusk approached, a man appeared――Nagal, craftsmen team leader, now jaragasha squad leader.

“Krische, the Jarea Gashea are ready.”

Saying that, Nagal turns his attention to the west side of the tower.

The Alberinea army and the Garhka army were already forming a formal formation just west of the Fortified City Nakria.

Gulshan was to arrive before the end of the day.

It's not like a war would start today, but it was necessary to make some preparations to be ready for battle at any time, and that's what Alberan's army was doing.

However, this Alberinea left these preparations to the corps commanders and slept soundly on top of the tower saying it’s in preparation for the night meetings.

Nagal scratched his head with his glove-wrapped left prosthetic hand, wondering how to describe her brazenness before this decisive battle.

Krische was already awake, but still sleepy.

She looked up at Nagal pouting as she sat up while holding back a yawn.

"...Jaragasha"

"Y-yes...my apologies. I'm trying, but it just rolled off..."

"It's no good for Jaragasha's team leader to act like that."

Nagal puts his heels together and saluted Krische who is pouting her cheek.

The pronunciation of Jaragasha was difficult for we who come from the countryside and have strong accents, so we end up pronouncing it Jaleia-Gashea――that was the excuse that Nagal and the Jaragasha team gave to Krische after thinking hard about it.

As the war was about to begin, information was released to the veteran soldiers of the Black Flag Special Force, and this excuse inevitably came to be used by the Black Flag Special Force as well, and somehow "I’m born in the city but my parents are countrymen" or “I’m born in a family of merchants that has been staying in the royal capital for three generations but my mother is a countrywoman," people with similar background gathered together at the Black Flag Special Force.

Only Kalua and a few others were calling it "Jaragasha" with calm.

Since the official name given by Selene was Jarea Gashea, Krische could not say much about it, but she was still very dissatisfied with it.

She becomes visibly displeased when it’s called Jarea Gashea repeatedly, and often got angry like this.

It seems that she was very particular about the name, and the members of the Black Flag Special Force also refrained from calling it Jarea Gashea unless necessary, opting to instead calling it ‘that’ or ‘this’.

"I-it's been assembled, and the exterior has also been installed. Operation has been confirmed to be normal. Please check it once again later..."

"Understood. Krische will check it. Once that's done, prepare for transport. We'll move it overnight as planned."

“Yes ma’am.”

During the transportation, the parts were disassembled due to their weight and secrecy, so it was a time-consuming process of assembling them and checking their operation.

Along the way, due to improved efficiency and increase in number of personnel, now there was 12 Jarea Gashea.

However, the time required for assembly and operation check took a day and a half this time.

Krische believes that there is room for improvement in this area in the future, as the work inevitably need to done in a confined and narrow space, which takes time and effort.

“Vinthril and the others went inside during the night. Krische’s feel sorry that they had to wait in the forest even though there is a town.”

"Well, I guess it can't be helped. Besides, Vinthril-dono and the others said that they've been too extravagant lately."

"Hmm...Krische think delicious food is delicious, and a comfortable bed is a comfortable bed. Kreisharana’s way of thinking sire is difficult."

Krische tilted her head and crossed her arms.

"...?"

"...It's noisy."

――The voices of the guards making noise.

‘They’re heading here’, Krische said, standing up.

They thrust their hands against the breastworks, as if lured by the soldiers' voices, and turned their eyes to the south.

The dark clouds of broken shadows, the sky beginning to burn red――the horizon as far as the eye can see.

When she listened carefully and concentrate on the sensation, she heard vibrations quietly echoing.

And then the sound of flutes and drums――countless shadows appeared from the other side.

One, two, ten, twenty.

No one would believe that the first one they saw was a person.

It was more than a dozen ri away from where they were.

The shadows were clearly large and intimidating even from a distance.

"Nagal, there's something big here."

"……That is"

And what appeared was something much bigger than that shadow.

"...Ah, they said there was an elephant monster, so maybe that's what it is."

Standing on the horizon, the giant beast was still clearly visible.

She understood that those were elephants, but one of them clearly had a different size from the others.

Compared to other elephants, it was more than twice as big.

The frightened voices of the guards grew stronger when they saw the shadow of the elephant.

The elephant's physique was 20 shaku tall at the shoulders, which is the same height as the walls of this castle.

And the elephant's body was far more massive than that.

It was so large that it could even straddle the castle walls, to think that such a monster existed in this world. The guards were understandably frightened.

Following that monster was shadows that almost filled the horizon.

――Gulshan's large army, totaling over several hundred thousand people.

The closer they got, the stronger the rumbling of the earth became, and the rhythm of the flute played by the accompanying orchestra filled the sky.

The reason why they crossed the horizon at dusk was probably for demonstration purposes.

Krische narrowed her eyes as she counted the elephants she could see.

“Nagal, are you scared?”

"Haha, the only ones who aren't scared in the face of battle are probably the most heroic Krische-sama. When one see that huge army like this, there's nothing more frightening than that."

Nagal answered honestly.

"...double the number of troops. And a giant beast that we haven't seen. However, at least from the perspective of the people who fought alongside us in the Black Flag Special Force, it's not scary enough to turn Krische-sama an enemy."

However, contrary to his words, there was a smile on his face.

"To those who don't know, we may look foolish, but to me, Gulshan is the foolish one. When the war begins, they, and our frightened soldiers, will understand that. The feelings I feel now will soon be reversed."

The young man's eyes held a half-worshipping fanaticism.

Or perhaps his eyes were looking up to God.

The look in his eyes was one of madness, of death-defying reverence for his one and only master.

"It’s my pleasure to spread it. ...Kalua's proposal is not bad, but whether or not we do it will make a big difference in morale."

“Hmm, is that how it is? ...Well, it's not a bad idea to show an example. There's also a large target that's easy for the soldiers to see."

The Gulshan army stopped there.

They would probably camp there today.

Krische turned her gaze away from the huge one and sat down on the Suiko.

“Let's go, Nagal. We have a meeting to attend, so let's finish the final checks as soon as possible.”

"Yes ma’am. Jarea---"

"...Jaragasha"

"N-now, it's time to unveil the Jaragasha. I can't help but look forward to tomorrow too."

The civil war in Gulshan twenty years ago.

What threatened the rebel army led by Orugan more than anything else was the betrayal of their own relatives, not the Gulshan Kingdom's army.

The comrades who stood up together to take down the corrupt royal family were cajoled by the royal family behind the scenes and bared their fangs――as a result, the rebel army that initially had a large number of people and was superior in military strength, was forced to lose ground against the Gulshan Kingdom's army.

Based on that experience, extremely strict rules were now in place regarding military secrets, and only a very small number of people were allowed to participate in the meetings.

In particular, not even a single squire was allowed into the discussion called “Commander Meeting”, creating an extremely insular environment compared to that in the kingdom.

The higher-ups think everything through, and the lower-ranking people simply carry out orders, regardless of their own will.

Many opinions arise from countless brains. Flexible ideas that lead to the best will not emerge from this, however, if the general is excellent, there will be no major problems.

The subordinates simply believe in the general and willingly to risk their lives. Although the political system has shifted to a republic that values discussion and the exchange of opinions, the military is still blindly strict. A hierarchical structure was maintained.

Just south of the Fortified city of Nakria.

There were only four people at the Commander Meeting held in the great tent of Gulshan.

The civil war in Gulshan 20 years ago.

Orugan, a hero who was born into a royal family but became the banner of the rebel army, defeating the corrupt royal family and established the republic.

And as his right-hand man, twin sword Zalvaag, a genius with countless titles at a young age.

To Orugan's right hand was a bald man with a face like a rock.

A fierce man with a superhuman physique of seven shaku――the giant Elkar, Gulshan East General.

And facing him, to the left, is a lean man who looks like a scholar.

Long, gray hair tied back, sharp eyes on a chiseled face――Kilrea, the swordsman and Gulshan West General.

Looking at the two's faces with satisfaction, Orugan played with his beard and opened his mouth.

"It's been a long journey. The reports?"

"There is no loss to the Eastern Army. Only skirmishes, Your Excellency."

“Same with Western Army, and also each city is surprisingly non-resisting.”

Elkar and Kilrea answered in an uninterested tone.

One could say it's too disappointing.

Initially, they expected it to take a month to arrive at Milhirrea Plain.

This was because they believed that there would definitely be a move by the enemy general, Dougleen Garhka.

The invasion was to be made in three separate armies, center, east and west of Gulshan.

It would be natural to think that the enemy general, Garhka, would aim to destroy each of them before merging with them.

The kingdom would probably deploy reinforcements from the center and use them as a shield, and then aim to defeat the armies of either the east or the west――if one think about the strategy from the kingdom's point of view with common sense, one'll end up with something around that.

Gulshan's strategic policy for this invasion was designed with such movements in mind.

However, as it turned out, the enemy general, Garhka evacuated the villages as soon as he sensed their preparations for invasion and retreated to Nakria.

Their opponent was Garhka, who had given Gulshan many blows.

They had been warned that there was a possibility that they might strike a blow to either the East or the West by a pre-emptive or counter-invasion, but it was anticlimactic.

The movements seemed so weak that it made them wonder if it really was Dougleen Garhka.

“I wonder what the other side is thinking, Vice-Chancellor. It’s hard to think it’s a move by Garhka. Did it wag he tail in response to the stupid instructions from the central...I heard you met hum but how was it? ”

Kilrea asked Orugan with grim face.

“I also want know, Your Excellency. Is their purpose to lose recklessly?”

The same went for Elkar.

All three generals, including Orugan, had exchanging spears with Dougleen Garhka.

They knew the opponent――that was why this move was incomprehensible.

They are well aware of the connection between Orugan and Dougleen.

Thet also thought that at the end the other side would want a dignified head-on confrontation, but that would only come after he had struggled as much as he could.

It was against the principles of military tactics to lure 100,000 people to Milhirrea Plains unharmed.

Even if that was what they wanted, he should have prepared a suitable army, but no matter how many they estimated, it would be at most 50,000.

"It seems like it's neither of those things. Garhka is sane and wants to kill me with less than 50,000."

“...Impossible”

The two look at Orugan as if searching for his true intentions.

But it didn't seem like Orugan was lying or joking.

“The princess from the center――He seems to like Alberinea quite a lot. He boasted that if the two of them combined their powers, they would be our equals.''

Hearing Orugan’s cheerful words, Kilrea folded his arms and thought.

“So, it’s not a trap?”

"At least if it's strategically that’s true. Garhka has no intention of doing so. Honestly, I have some concerns about the other one... but it doesn't seem like that princess is deceiving Garhka. However, Kilrea... As a precaution, when the battle begins, we'll send out lookouts in the sea of trees.''

"...I don't mind that but"

If there is a strategic detour from the center, it must be through the sea of trees to the west.

It was a question of number of days.

If they did not go through there, they would not make it to this battle.

In some cases, they had assumed that they had hid their troops in the mountains further west since the beginning, but in that case, the 10,000 troops stationed in the occupied city would deal with this and hinder their movement.

In order for Alberan to move its army and participate in this battle, it would inevitably have to pass through the Sea of Trees, and even if the other side did so, it could easily be dealt with as long as it could be detected in advance.

The military forces of both side were different in the first place.

“Is there a possibility that the people of Nakria will be armed?”

Elkar asked that.

Fortified City――Surrounded by walls all around, Nakria was a large city with a population of 100,000.

There was enough ground for ten thousand people to become soldiers.

"I'm not saying it's completely impossible, but... at least from the information I received from the spies I sneaked in, I can't imagine that happening. Even if they manage to get a nice amount, it'll just increase the number of deaths unnecessarily."

Orugan flatly denied it.

There appears to be no training taking place at Nakria.

Training is what turns a timid person into a soldier.

Even if they were trained to use blade and forced to fight as a militia, they would just collapse in a short time and lowering the morale of other units.

Militia could be at best be used in siege battles.

Even in field battles, putting aside small skirmished in large-scale field battles militia is useless.

"It's quite possible that they would use militia to defend Nakria. However, the possibility of them using it as a field force is extremely low no, I'd say――it's impossible."

After saying that, Orugan lifted his cheeks.

"This is a clear invitation. I believe that they have a very secret plan to close this gap in military strength and defeat us head-on. It’s certainly not some small trick."

"...Secret plan"

“You can say that I’m hoping for that, but…”

Orugan stroked his beard and squinted.

"I heard an interesting story. During the civil war, Krische Christand found magic possessors among ordinary people and created a century made up only of magic possessors."

"...Are you sure?"

“What good, is there for me lie?”

Orugan laughed, and Kilrea and the others furrowed their eyebrows.

It was extremely difficult to determine magic possessors.

Even if one have a very good eye and are a skilled magic possessors, it would be impossible to see through someone with talent unless you carefully observe them.

Most of them would be able to be guessed from their physical abilities, and at best it’s only distinguishing between those who have been trained as magic possessors from an early age and those who have not, it was a different level of difficulty to select potential magic possessors who did not know how to handle magic power.

“There are not many people who have magic power that you can recognize at a glance when recruiting. If you are lucky, there will only be a few... However, if a century was created all of a sudden during the civil war, it would be natural to think that people with latent magical power were picked up from there. I don't know what methods they used, but this is a threat and this information that should be taken into account."

"So we should assume that some sort of selection method or intensive training regime has been established?"

Orugan nodded at Kilrea's words,

"Probably. I can't imagine doing anything other than slow, steady work. If I wanted to do it, it would take a lot of money and time. We'll have to find out eventually... But, well, that's not the important point.”

Then he tapped his own the head with his finger.

"The main point is this shows that the enemy's princess, Krische Christand, has the ideas and brains to overturn conventional wisdom. I don't think we should take this lightly."

Even though he was smiling, his eyes are serious.

Both Kilrea and Elkar's faces became even more severe.

"What do you think? Did anyone expect the princess to win the civil war in Alberan? At least I betted on Gildanstein. In fact, Gildanstein had the upper hand in the beginning――However, at that time, an army leader with a force of at most 5,000 defeated that Hilkintos and killed Gildanstein.''

He met Krische in the royal capital and did some research on the war history.

It would be fair to say that she appeared out of nowhere.

A girl not even twenty――that’s only natural.

“In the latter half of the civil war, the feats that Krische Christand was said to have accomplished in just a month or so were extraordinary. At the young age of 14, she participated in the war against the Holy Empire as a special attack force, and killed the Empire's vice-general and apparently she had taken the general's assistant prisoner.''

“…You sure that’s not an exaggeration?”

"No. Kilrea, you probably could tell by just looking at it. At least I feel that there is no lie in that incredible war record. That, that is truly Alberinea."

The two of them looked skeptical, and Orugan laughed and sipped the fruit wine.

"Well, I'm not going to force you to believe everything... but she's definitely not someone you should take lightly. She’s not some decoration who came about because of silly political reasons, but an outstanding genius who was sent to help them win. Don't be fooled by her appearances."

“…Fumu, just like Zalvaag-dono?”

"It's more than that. Do you have any objections, Zalvaag?"

"I don't think so. At least, I feel that even in this situation, if I let my guard down, I'll be in danger."

Zalvaag, who had been listening to the story in silence, spread his hands while astounded.

Neatly cut black hair. Neither handsome nor ugly.

His only characteristic was that he was tall.

Born to a shoemaker's son, he was supposed to lead an ordinary life, but his talent blossomed on the battlefield, and he rose to become the right-hand man of Orugan.

The young man, who could truly be called a genius, was never arrogant and had a calmness in his eyes.

"This is an opponent that should be eliminated above all else. As a general, I don't know how good she is, but as a warrior, I honestly don't think I can beat her either."

“...Houu."

Kilrea and Elkar look at Zalvaag in surprise.

Zalvaag was probably the best warrior in Gulshan when it came to sword skills.

“Rather than a competition of skill, it would be better to crush her by a large number of elite. For that reason, Vice-Chancellor, you seemed to be pleased with her but please give up on taking her as a bride.”

"You're a terrible person. Don't you have any intention of making any effort?"

"Look at yourself in the mirror. You don’t match either way."

Orugan laughed happily and looked at the two of them.

“Well, Zalvaag is also like this. I don't think it's a good idea to spend a lot of time on this kind of opponent. If we use the advantage of numbers in an endurance battle, we will only give her time to think and move.”

Even with the advantage of numbers, it seemed like a simple push would be a bad move.

Fight safely and win safely――with this overwhelming difference in military strength, there was plenty of room for choice, but he was so confident. There's must be something.

“If the opponent adopts a formation like today, with Garhka on the right wing and Nakria on the left wing, then place Alcazaris in the center. We will not hold back, place the elephants and magical beast soldiers in the front from the beginning, and destroy the enemy's center line with one move.”

However, all plans and tactics are based on the conflict between the battle lines.

It would be meaningless unless some degree of stalemate developed between the two sides.

"Unlike Garhka's army, our opponents is from the center. They're probably not used to beasts. Elkar, your job is simple and clear."

"――Break through head-on. My arms is itching."

Elkarl laughed, distorting his rock-like face.

"Kilrea, I entrust you with another 20,000 from my army. Elephants and beast soldiers won't do much but force them in numbers and force Garka to use their reserves. Make sure they can't send reinforcements to the center. Of course, I don’t mind if you kill Garka on the side.”

"With certainty"

Kilrea also nodded with a deep smile etched on his tanned, chiseled face.

"Go with the intention of deciding everything with the first move. Don't allow the opponent to make any moves and use your superiority in numbers to overwhelm them. It goes against my aesthetics, but that's the situation and the battle they want."

Orugan crossed his arms and continued.

“Also, if you feel something is wrong, report it right away. No matter how you look at this situation, it seems like the only way for the enemy to defeat us is to desperately break through the battle lines... but that confidence... No matter how much of an advantage we have, they will always have a way to successfully break through somewhere huh, remember that.''

What comes to his mind was the girl's eyes.

Its jewel-like purple color.

Its jewel-like purple color.

Alcazaris and 60 elephants――and a simultaneous assault by a large army following behind.

If there were ten enemy generals, they can defeat all ten of them, even if it’s Garhka. At the very least, they can push the opponent into an inferior position.

However, he had a feeling that even if he forced them into such a situation, that girl would definitely break through.

Hus instincts blocked out his logic, he even thought he was being too cautious.

The girl's appearance made Orugan though that, depending on the situation, she would not only break through, but would even defeat Elkar.

“I may be overly cautious, but I have a feeling that's just the kind of opponent we're dealing with. Be careful, Elkar.”

"Yes sir. If His Excellency says so, I'll believe it. ...However you know what's going to happen if it’s too anticlimactic right?"

"At that time, I will give you as much sake as you want from my brewery. Do whatever you like."

“Then I have nothing more to say.”

Elkarl laughed, but his eyes remained serious.

Orugan nodded with satisfaction.

"...The enemy is taking advantage of our overpowering forces and hoping we let our guard down because we think we are winning the battle. First of all, get rid of it completely from your."

Then he continued.

"If we don't miss the slightest movement and read the opponent's intentions early on――crushing them with all our might, our victory will be certain. No matter how much of an advantage you have...don't let up that vigilance. That is what will ensure our victory.”

"――Well, if you think about it normally, they'll probably make their first move with the intention of destroying us."

While the Gulshan army was holding a meeting, the Alberan army was also holding a meeting in a large tent built at the rear of the army in preparation for tomorrow's battle.

"100,000 troops vs. 46,000 troops. A flanking detour is impossible, and the only way for us to inflict fatal damage on the enemy is to break through the enemy's lines, and of course they will think so too."

A silver-haired girl sits on the upper seat and spoke in a calm voice.

“Krische, didn't mean to do it, but Krische ended up feeling like I was provoking them...based on that, Krische sure they are confident that we have the means to break through their thick lines."

It's not like she intended to provoke him, but Krische's remark to Organ was in fact provoking.

The corps leaders under Garhka's command were twitching and blue streaks appeared on their temples as Krische didn't seem to understand how important this was.

To unnecessarily make the other person wary――everyone knows the significance of that.

When dealing with a large army, the only chance you have is when your opponent lets their guard down.

Krische had made them lose that.

However, despite this, she didn't even seem to feel any responsibility for what she had done.

The reason they tolerate her was because her attitude makes them think that she might have some kind of secret plan.

“Therefore, there is no doubt that they will not give us a chance and will crush us all at once in the first move. However, Krische has a secret plan to outwit Gulshan――”

Her beautiful face had a very serious expression on it.

Seeing this, they felt relieved, wondering if her previous behavior was just a pretense.

"――not, what we need to do is to break through head-on. First of all, the commanders of each corps should consider this to be the policy of the Alberan army as a whole."

However, she said that without much motivation.

Seeing her like this, the commanders of the Garka army couldn't bear her anger, but Dougleen reprimanded them with a look.

Krische didn't seem to notice this and continues to smile.

“50,000 against 100,000, it may seem difficult, but in the end, battle will depend on the flow. Which side will win the first move, and which will be pushed――a flat push, a siege, a single point breakthrough, or a clash between battle lines is like a stone fist?”

She moves her hand rapidly, showing rock-paper-scissors, and held up her clenched right fist.

“The enemy is trying to crush us. Normally, we would do a mobile defense or block them and form a siege, but... Unfortunately, there are a lot of big beasts at the front over there, and Krische’s sure whether it’s scissors to paper, they will forcefully obtain victory.''

Then she slammed her right fist into her left palm.

Showing a paper being beaten down and fluttering her left hand under the desk.

Her body language was childish, as if she were teaching a child.

Her subordinates who knew her very well――the former members of the Christand Army were also looking at her with some exasperation.

"How troubling. We can't win if we continue like this. ...But the solution is simple."

But suddenly, Krische placed her right fist on her desk.

“They are ‘we will certainly win’ rock. It would be foolish to challenge such an opponent head-on with a stone fist. So before we fight with a stone fist..."

Everyone was captivated by the next moment and took their breath away.

"...We just need to cut off their wrist first so they can't use stone fist again."

Before they knew it, a curved sword was pulled out and swung down.

“The opponent's objective is to not give us any chance to use our tactics. That's why they seriously set out to crush us. They believe that if they are at full strength, at least they won't be defeated, so we will first overturn the basic premise. The very knowledge that they are not letting their guard down is what make them let down their guard.”

Slightly above the fist――Alberinea that was engraved on the blade that stopped tight atop it.

"――It's the initiative that makes them lose the basis of their confidence, losing the initiative, and have the hegemony stolen. ... In a battle, it's not the one with the stronger stone fist that wins, or the one with the bigger body that wins, it's always simple and clear."

As if it’s only natural, the girl continued, pressing her sharp blade against her own neck.

The purple of the smiling girl as if glowing madly.

There was no fear, no anxiety, no hesitation.

There was only one thing there,

“The winner is the one who can get the opponent’s head like this.”

――It was an absolute pride that could be called insanity.