***Arc 8 One Who Spread Death, Chapter 182 Crushed Giant***

*One shaku = approximately 30cm. Jarea Gashea is eight shaku, approximately 2.4m. Suiko’s height is also the same.

24 koku a day (12 days, 12 nights, vague) One koku = about an hour, half a koku = about 30 minutes, small half koku = about 15 minutes.

――The situation and the opponent were bad.

He has been active on the battlefield for several decades and has cut one War Lion Commander’s head and two corps commanders’ heads.

Gal Bilkace was a fierce warrior that no average warrior could match, and that's why he was appointed the leader of the star, Earth Dragoons, despite being a nobleman.

The fall of the royal family and the rise of the commoner.

Even though the former ruling class in Gulshan, the nobility, were now drinking muddy water and having their heads trampled on, he was still called the noblest of the nobles and was respected by the soldiers.

Character, ability, and fame――with all of these qualities, it could be said that Gar Bilkace was a rare warrior.

He saw the war elephants lost in the blink of an eye, and at that moment he was ordering his men to charge with all his might.

Although inferior to horses, the earth dragon is quick.

The outer skin is strong, and he’s confident that it would be able to ward off attacks from the enemy's black-painted armor――the magic spear hunter, unless pierced head-on.

After all, the earth dragon is a giant lizard.

Compared to an elephant, its size――the projected area of its front and sides is small, and there are not many people who have the skill to shoot a spear accurately.

It was hard to believe, but all of them probably possessed magical powers.

However, there were only a few soldiers whose skill was remarkable――Other than that, they were superior in power and range to normal javelin throwers, and at least he saw that they didn't have the power to overwhelm these 30 Earth Dragoons.

He has the ability to understand the strength of both sides――a skill that should be valued above all else as a front-line commander and he is excellent in both decision-making and thinking speed.

Realizing that the morale of the vanguard would collapse if things continue as they were, and thinking that someone had to take the initiative to prevent this, he immediately began to act.

Not just losing one-sidedly but that in part there’s still an area where they were winning――in order to encourage the soldiers behind him.

If he had even the slightest difficulty, no one would follow him, and the Earth Dragoons he led would become isolated and die.

Even after understanding this, he still chose to attack.

He was a brave commander of the cavalry and a warrior equal to the role.

None of the decisions he made were wrong.

It was the best choice he could have made, and given the circumstances, he would have succeeded nine out of ten times.

That's why it was a tragedy.

――It's just that the situation and the opponent were bad.

"That's the enemy army commander!! Crush him!!"

Raising his voice as loud as the enemy's roar, Gal Bilkace issues orders to his comrades who have been fighting alongside him for many years.

In this situation, he was fearless as he rushed forward at the front because he knew that his courageous subordinates were following behind him.

And the reason they have no fear was because they were led by a respected and brave commander.

Despite their inferiority, their morale was high.

And what appeared before their eyes was a corps leader with an excellent physique.

The silver tiger's visor was lowered, and a sharp gaze shines through the gap.

The full plate he wore was not a thin iron plate, but it was heavy and thick.

His running feet cut through the undergrowth, carving deep claws into the earth with each step.

Right in front of their eyes――the bravery of the enemy corps commander running at the front.

Although they could tell at first glance how powerful the man was, they knew that if they didn't defeat him, they would only die in vain.

Ignoring the spears thrown from the enemy's front row, the Earth Dragoons rush forward.

"Hg!?"

There was only a short distance left――at that moment, the enemy corps commander took a big step and jumped to the side.

The place where he jumped was the head of a rolling war elephant.

Using that strong skull as a foothold, the next leap was like a giant stone being thrown from a trebuchet.

The steel mass flew in front of their eyes, exceeding their expectations.

――Twisting his whole body, he released a flash that seemed to crush even space.

The echoing sound of the wind made a roaring sound that one couldn't believe was coming from a spear.

He easily broke the earth dragon's neck, which was thicker than a human's body.

Gal could not believe his eyes and jumped back from the earth dragon.

Even the earth dragon's body, which was probably ten times the size of an average human, was completely lifted off the ground.

It was not a spear, but an iron club.

It was 8 shaku and 3 ken long, and its entire body was made of steel――the tip of its thick handle had a tip that resembled a thick stiletto.

While easily slashing through the monstrous prey, there was no sign of the slightest deviation in its center of gravity.

In front of them was Kolkis Argand.

He was an unmistakable monster who was under Alberinea's command and held the undisputed number one position.

If the reaction had been delayed even for a moment, the spear would have broken through not only the earth dragon but also Gal's body.

――But that was the end of it.

"――!?"

A black shadow appeared from the side and accurately cut Gal's head off of his body.

"Commander Bilkace!"

His handsome features distort into madness, what peek out his black mane, from under his helmet was a delight.

He was once a man who rose to the position of General of the Holy Empire simply through his talent.

Areha jumped to his back as if defying inertia, his whole body flexed,

"――!?"

He stabbed the young adjutant in the neck and immediately sent him after his superior.

Then, as the first earth dragon stopped moving, the second earth dragon lost its footing――

"fire!!"

――With the commander in black armor, Dagra’s command, came a storm of magical spears that killed the elephant.

The screams of lizards and humans fill the place.

There was no mistake in Gal Bilkace’s choice.

The only unfortunate thing was that one of the ten was there.

What was in front of him was Alberinea, twin swords and the best warrior in the kingdom.

"Commander Argand, please forgive me. I have stolen your prey."

"Hahaha, you're saying so much! If you're apologizing even if it's a lie, why don't you fix your face to match your words, Aleha?"

Seeing Aleha's cheeks lifted in delight, Kolkis laughed.

He should have understood that Kolkis could have finished him off with the next move even if he didn’t make a move.

Aleha charged even knowing that, and he was a split second faster.

Kolkis had no intention of calling him cowardly, and didn’t even feel like resenting him for stealing his prey.

A win was a win, a loss was a loss.

This madness――was nothing compared to the all-out military assault that would go down in history.

Kolkis thrusts his spear into the neck of a "lizard commander", swings it, and throws it into the enemy line.

For them, it's just a prey.

Something that can only serve as fodder for the next slaughter and fight.

The thrown head――Kolkis just laughs, raising his visor at the sound of the enemy's screams.

Even if it was Kolkis' army, fighting against the beasts for the first time, would cause damage.

Therefore, they were an elite few.

After the Black Flag Special Force kills the elephant, Aleha quickly joins up with Kolkis.

Hunt down the remaining beasts before the lines collide and completely demoralize the enemy's vanguard.

If they were dealing with a line of battle, it might be tough, but if they were dealing with only beasts, the number was limited.

For Kolkis and Aleha, who had been given the Black Flag Force, this was not a difficult task.

"The beast is now mostly taken care of. I'll take the general's head, Aleha."

"The problem would be if I got there first huh. I need to think about how to apologize now."

"Stop daydreaming. Kuku, well before that... let's go test the toy that Krische-sama made."

And the reason for killing the beast first was not just to demoralize the enemy.

Facing the frightened ranks of the enemy, Kolkis raised his spear and made a circle with its tip.

As if in response, after a beat, the sound of a trumpet with a unique rhythm resounded, and several gaps appeared in the advancing battle line.

Unlike the right wing, which rushed into the enemy lines with all its might, this center slowed down mid-charge.

The reason for this was that there was a vanguard that needed to be released before the battle line clashed.

"...It's the monumental first battle of Jarea Gashea."

The 8 shaku tall frame stood out among the soldiers.

Twelve black figures danced out of the gap that made a metallic sound.

Its entire body was covered in heavy armor that would be difficult to wear even for a magic possessor, and their hands were not arms, but gigantic blades.

The blade attached to the tip of the elbow was――no, it was more like a blunt weapon than a blade.

The thick, sturdy steel was dull in color, ignoring sharpness.

Although it was curved, it was a deadly weapon that crushed the human body rather than cutting it.

A visor in the shape of a giant pupil was lowered over its head, and a cold blue light was shining brightly from the iron lattice of the pupil.

It begins with Alberinea shooting Alcazaris to death from 1 ri away.

Then, in front of the black-painted soldier, they lose the beast.

The left wing was already pushed in, and what was in front of them were monster-like warriors who were mowing down the Earth Dragon head on.

How many abnormalities have they seen in the short time since the beginning of this day?

――However, in the eyes of Gulshan's soldiers, the appearance of the black giant that appeared above them appeared to be an abnormality that exceeded them.

‘How could there be a human being with such a huge physique.’

The seven shaku tall――their general’s physique, nicknamed the Giant, even then it was one head taller.

‘What on earth is that pale glow’

The glow peeking out from what appeared to be its head was infinitely inorganic――and the huge blades extending from the elbows of both hands clearly indicated that it was an inhuman monster.

It ran with an oddly correct posture, and its behavior was eerie.

It was something that even they, accustomed to beasts beyond man, did not know.

Some remembered the one-eyed giants of folklore, while others refused to understand, only to urinate at the face of death that they would not be able to escape from.

Extreme fear and confusion――its threshold had long since been exceeded.

All of the blue eyes flickered at the same time.

All simultaneously lowered their posture.

They closed the gap at the same time.

――That speed was like a beast.

Twelve roars echoed, and twelve blades were swung.

The giant swords swung all at once, forcefully tearing apart the flesh with their speed and power, scattering the pieces of the unfortunate soldiers.

The popped human bodies――blood and flesh rain down on the stiffened soldiers,

"Hi――!"

――And then all the rationality that was there collapsed.

At first, Elkar thought that the enemy's real aim was to break through the left flank, where Alcazaris was located.

This was because the enemy's right wing was the first to hit and push.

In this situation, the opponent would surely overtake them.

In fact, as expected, the enemy easily took out the commander of the left flank, Lacour, the War Lion Commander.

But no. The enemy's real aim was actually in the center.

Looking down from the top of the elephant, their huge body was clearly visible.

A huge black soldier who reaves the soldiers with ease.

The tips of both elbows――its slightly arched curved sword was swung carelessly to the left and right, scattering pieces of meat all over the place.

On the left flank, the commander of the earth dragon cavalry, Gal Bilkace, was killed before the War Lion Commander, Lacour, and without a moment's delay, the War Lion Commander in the center, Dalton, was also killed.

No wonder. The morale in the center had completely collapsed.

Even the back rows had collapsed and were beginning to turn their backs and run away.

Even Elkar, who had overrun numerous enemy armies with his war elephants and beasts, had never seen anything like it.

In less than half a koku after the assault, an army of 30,000 troops was so easily overrun.

In particular, the speed of the assault and breakthrough in the center of the enemy could no longer be a battle.

It was an imposing march through the enemy.

The enemy's objective was not a single point breakthrough, but a two-point breakthrough by the center and left flanks――no, that wasn’t it.

The one corps that the enemy had preserved moved from the enemy's center rear and began forming a battle line in front of their 5,000 right wing.

The enemy was thinking of an all-out breakthrough using 15,000 against Elkar's 30,000.

――It was a complete victory from the front.

It deviates from the common principles of military tactics. It was madness.

However, the enemy from inferiority in military strength, they were already halfway successful.

"――She is definitely not someone you should take lightly. She is not a mere figurehead who is there for political reasons, but an outstanding genius sent to help them win. Don't be fooled by her appearance."

An abnormal person who defeated Alcazaris from a ri away.

Alberinea――he had expected that the army under her command would also be elite.

Depending on the circumstances, there is a good chance that it would be breached.

However, this situation was beyond his imagination.

Neither an advantage nor a stalemate nor a disadvantage.

Right now, their initial move, which should have been a surefire victory, was completely ruined, and they were being directly overwhelmed by her small army.

"――Is this scene really real?"

It was difficult for Elkar to accept this because of his long experience on the battlefield.

If one looked at an individual soldier, Alberan was certainly superior to Gulshan in terms of equipment and training.

The loss of Alcazaris and the beast, the death of Lacour on the left wing, could still be accepted.

However, that just a small half koku after the start, they were already being pushed towards the main camp――

"――kar-sama! Elkar-sama! A flag indicating an immediate retreat and rendezvous from the main camp is!!"

His adjutant, Nakul, was calling out to him.

Elkar noticed it belatedly and turned his attention to Orugan’s main camp.

Orugan had already begun rearranging the main camp with the assumption that the enemy would break through.

No, it was not a breakthrough.

This was based on the assumption that the right wing commanded by Elkar would disappear.

What Orugan was trying to assemble was a complete battle line of 20,000 troops, ready for a head-on battle.

Not reinforcements.

When Elkar's left wing was pushed in, there were signs of doing so, but Orugan immediately withdrew it.

Probably because he realized that the enemy was going to overwhelm Elkar and try to break through the entire army.

Thinking that a small number of reinforcements would only die in vain, he was about to form a fully organized line of battle against the entire Alberinea army, which was expected to close in on Orugan’s main line.

Orugan used the flag to order Elkar to retreat immediately.

He was telling him to join forces, leading only the 3,000 directly commanded by Elkar.

――cutting off all the remaining forces.

It was cold-blooded.

Morale collapsed and he lost two of his commanders in an instant.

The right wing, the only one not in contact with the enemy, was still able to maintain control, but in this situation they were probably only barely holding out.

Orugan believed that they should no longer be treated as a fighting force, and was planning to completely discard them once and for all, and begin the battle between Orugan’s main army and Alberinea's army.

He knew what he meant.

He could understand it too.

If Elkar were in Orugan’s position, he would have taken the same action and ordered the same thing.

Ten thousand soldiers' morale collapsed as they were defeated by the initial attack.

He understood the seriousness of losing command and control.

It was no longer a military, and the people there were no longer soldiers.

It was a mob of over 10,000 people running around in fear.

And once it crosses the threshold, it wouldn’t not listen to the words of humans who try to stop it.

Just as when the levee breaks in a storm, there is nothing to do but wait for it to pass.

If he thought about it calmly, he knew what he should do.

However, he was not sure if he could withstand his own incompetence of allowing half of the enemies to make a full frontal breakthrough.

It was not that he had never been set up by the enemy and failed.

He had even been cursed as having a brain no better than that of an animal.

He did not consider himself to be particularly intelligent, even since before he became a soldier.

Still, even if he was called a foolish beast, he took it in stride.

Elkar knew it himself. He accepted those words.

――But never once in his life had he been called a coward.

What he lacked in intelligence, he compensated for with courage and martial arts――inspiring his soldiers and fighting through no matter the circumstances.

The fact that the Bloody Giant was known as fearless was proof of Elkar's existence.

What value was there in him abandoning that?

"――The soldiers are asking for help. If I abandon them, I can never stand on the battlefield again."

"Elkar-sama..."

"...What am I? Nakul"

The small Nakul looked up at the giant who had risen above the elephant and closed his eyes for a moment.

And he speaks with confidence.

"...Elkar, the Bloody Giant. The brave warrior that the soldiers...and I admire."

Elkar had a smile on his rock-like face and nodded.

"Messenger, tell His Excellency that I apologize for violating his orders. Elkar will not run away and will show you how to rebuild from here!"

"Ts...Yes sir!"

The messenger answered in a respectful voice, and Elkar looked down at the soldiers below him.

"This right-wing headquarters will annihilate the center of the enemy as it breaks through! The enemies are also desperate――even though they may be overwhelming us, they are probably exhausted as well! 　 My elites, you guys can compete more than enough with them!! Fight through to crush your opponent's movements and inspire your soldiers!!"

It was not completely reckless.

His opponent overturned his forces with morale effects.

However, if they could close that morale gap again, they could establish a slight stalemate, even though the situation was at a disadvantage.

‘――We can create enough time for Orugan to prepare his battle lines and direct his forces towards us.’

Even with such a huge difference in morale, breaking through the battle lines can be exhausting.

Even if he didn’t make it in time and in the worst case scenario he gets killed here, Orugan would be able to start attacking before the enemy forces that have broken through can recover their posture.

"If we buy even a little bit of time, His Excellency will turn his army towards us! In that case, the one in danger will be the enemies――just prioritize buying time!! First, we will deal with that fake giant that is an eyesore. Anyone who is not confident in your skills don’t interfere!!"

The black-painted giants were the first to break through the last row in the center.

It flails its arms, scattering the flesh of the soldiers――the strange form that overruns them didn’t even feel a single piece of fatigue.

"This is an unusual enemy, so be more conscious of your cooperation than usual! If you pierce it with countless spears, it will stop moving, so bring the spear throwers forward!! The emphasis is on reducing the number, and it doesn't matter if some remain! Concentrate and aim!!"

The archers who had been entrusted with them before were barely able to fire their arrows, and were caught up in the collapse of the battle line, scattering and running away.

He'd like to avoid a direct collision, but the only means of ranged attack was spear throwers, and there weren’t that many of them.

However, those twelve creatures――half of them could be crushed.

When Elkar brought his javelins forward, the soldiers in black armor jumped out from behind the enemy giants――Alberinea's hunters.

Waving the crescent-skull black flag, Elkar frowned.

They didn’t have any lee-way to defeat the enemy giant and stop those black soldiers.

He himself should come forward――However, he still had no idea where Alberinea was.

In the distance, behind the enemy, the Suiko was yawning at the main camp.

There was no sign of her there.

It was probably safe to assume that she was somewhere in the mix.

It would be difficult to find her from here if her petite body and hair were hidden, and it was dangerous for the GeneralElkar to come forward in such a situation.

The deviant who killed Alcazaris with a single throw from a single ri.

Her swordsmanship was probably equal to that.

However, there was no time to watch the battle situation on the elephant like this.

The twelve giants rushed toward them without fatigue, leaving behind even the soldiers of the Black Flag behind and rushing forward.

Naturally, they fired a volley of spears at them, but

"...!?"

――All of that was easily repelled by the giant's armor and rolled away.

No, there were definitely some that stuck out through the cracks in the armor.

However, the giant seemed to ignore everything, and did not even slow down as the spear remained stuck in it, and there was no sign of the pain.

There, finally his doubts grew stronger.

If that thing wasn't a person, it wouldn't even be a living thing.

The javelin throwers lost all their courage and retreated to the rear as if to flee from the monster's ability to attack even those who possessed powerful magical power.

The black giant moves in a strange manner with a correct posture, then lowered their posture and takes a big step.

Just like before, the blade they swung exploded the blood and flesh of the soldiers in the front row of the main camp.

There were also spears fired from soldiers in black armor.

He expected to be pushed if they collided, but it was out of his expectation.

The soldiers at the main camp maintain their morale under Elkar.

This 3000 was Elkar's elite.

Their abilities were much higher than that of normal soldiers.

However, even with these elites, they were not able to defeat that black giant.

Elkar saw an excellent warrior whose face he knew thrusts his blade through a gap in their armor.

It should have killed it――but the black giant didn't pay it any mind.

He flings the man's body away as if nothing happened, and slams his blade into the man's rolling body, severing his torso in two.

At this point, he was sure.

――That was definitely not a man.

No matter how many times they were pierced by a blade, they wouldn’t die.

What Alberinea brought onto the battlefield was an immortal monster.

The soldiers of the main camp――Seeing the hero who jumped out turn into a lump of flesh, a warm wind filled with fear drifted through the place.

"――I'm going! Get out of the way!!"

There was a danger in coming forward. He knew this was probably a lure.

However, he came forward with a steel war hammer in hand because that was the only choice he had.

Following the black giant――the opponents, including the soldiers in black armor, were leisurely forming an assault formation.

After completely overrunning this giant, he intended to deliver a fatal blow.

If they couldn’t defeat this giant somehow, they would have no choice but to be overwhelmed by the enemies either way.

The giant Elkar sprints forward, as if knocking away the frightened soldiers in front of him.

The armor he wore had an elephant drawn on it, and its appearance was that of a war elephant.

――It was the very gallant beast that broke through the battle lines head on.

Blood spray, Pieces of flesh――the black giant who wields the giant swords in their arms for slaughter.

He dances in front of it, twisting his whole body and delivering the strongest blow he could.

"Hg――!?

However, what exactly was the heaviness that was felt by the giant war hammer?

The thick armor torso distorted, but the weight he felt far exceeded that of a human.

It was as heavy as if it had been slammed into an elephant's foot.

At the same time, I sensed the flexibility inside the armor.

It's not meat. It was something softer.

――It was like layered cloth.

Still, the black giant was knocked back by the blow and fell down.

When the soldiers saw this, light returned to their eyes and they let out a roar of joy.

A mysterious black giant.

A mysterious black giant.

It's never been so reassuring.

――However, Elkar was not convinced, and there was no smile on his face.

Its eyes focused on the fallen giant――its head.

Just like the front, there was a visor on the back that resembled an eye.

Blue light leaked out from the lattice in the pupil area, and it was still flickering.

As if to take revenge, one of the soldiers stomped on the giant body――and the next moment, that soldier's neck was bent in an unexpected direction.

Despite its large size, it vividly turned over and raised itself――At the same time, the black-painted soldier's javelin came flying at them again.

Then, the black giant got up and stepped forward, ignoring the spear that came from behind him, and swung his right blade down on Elkar.

"Guh...hg!?"

Elkar was still a general and a warrior who ranked at the top of the ranks of soldiers.

He dodged it and knocked away most of the javelin.

A javelin tore his left arm, but the wound was not fatal.

The giant's attack continued――he slammed his war hammer head on against the left blade, bent the giant sword, and distanced himself from it.

The giant lost his balance, but swung down again with his right sword.

The roar of the blade sent chills down his spine, but he dodged it.

However, the attack that followed was strange.

――The giant wielded the broken left giant sword again.

There was no need to dodge, but the broken sword was out of reach.

Why did he do such a thing? No, this giant probably didn't even notice that his proud giant sword had been broken.

Understanding intuitively, Elkar lured its right sword.

He dodged the roaring blade, twisting his body and gathering strength without even dodging the next blow.

The broken left sword was swung again, but even if he didn’t dodged it, it wouldn't hit.

Seeing that it was about to be swung, Elkar stepped in and released his power.

He aims at its head, which looks like an eye.

The hammer that slammed into it easily crushed its helmet.

The sound of shattering glass echoes through the air, and blue shards and powder fly out from the gaps in the helmet.

And then, its huge body crumbled.

"――Magic crystal?"

Elkar looked at the splatter for a moment, then realized what it meant.

A magic weapon created using magic crystals――that was probably what Alberinea created.

Although he didn't know much about magic crystals, it was a well-known story among military personnel that research into reusing magic crystals as weapons had been actively conducted in the past.

"General, run away!!"

However, there was no time to bask in the joy of defeating it, or to wonder how something like this was created.

The enemy was already close at hand.

"――The enemy giant's weak point is the head, so aim only for the head!! Tell that to His Excellency too!!"

He raised his voice.

That was enough to tell the soldiers, Orugan and Zalvaag.

‘――Even if I were to die here.’

"Hahaha, it looks like the general's head is mine. I'll take your life, General Elkar."

"Ts..."

A battle line disrupted by giants.

And Elkar was too far forward.

The black-painted soldiers――Alberinea's hunters, who were said to be made up only of magic possessor, cut through the disorganized battle lines in one breath.

A man who appeared to be the commander was standing in front of Elkar.

Other than having his armor painted black, he looked just like an ordinary soldier.

The black mane of his helmet with cheek pads――his rank is probably centurion or something like that.

At the very least, he was not a corps commander or general.

However, the scent of a warrior emanates from the way he stands.

The young man with a beautiful face was instantly recognized as a warrior.

"Protect the general, aa!?"

A soldier tried to step forward――his body was pierced by a spear.

What appeared from his right was a man with a large physique, although not as large as Elkar, and wearing armor shaped like a tiger.

"The head of the enemy general is mine, Aleha. You should give in to someone older."

"To think that Corps Commander Argand is trying to steal the credit because of his age."

"Stop daydreaming. ... Things like this are first come, first served."

If there was only one opponent, it could have been a good fight.

Elkar was one of the warriors whose name is famous even in other countries.

There was nothing lacking in him to deal with either of them――However, the circumstances surrounding him did not allow for that.

"Originally, I would have liked to send you off in single combat, but unfortunately I'm also busy. I don't have time to play around with you... I hope you regret making Cliché-sama your enemy."

As he said that, he pulled down his tiger-faced visor.

The two men were talking in the western common language used in the Kingdom and the Holy Empire――Elkar, who only knew the Shan language, could not understand what they were saying.

But he could understand that the man was smiling.

"Ts...I won't die for nothing! I'll take one of you with――hg!?"

In the middle of a sentence, countless spears were thrown.

He immediately dodged it and repelled it.

――The last thing Elkar saw was two beasts approaching him with laughter.