The False Hero, Volume 12, Chapter 11 pt. 3

----- Lutz -----

The only ones who stay are the people in my party, those being Julius, Cyl, and Frei, plus the three adventurers, Boron, Hunter, and Adrian. Lumina’s still here too, along with Elise, Edgar, Rhys, and Lyle.

The twelve of us make up the core of Orakio’s fighting force, but there are a lot of others scattered about that I’ve powered up through level grinding and providing powerful equipment. That will come in handy, because the royal family is responsible for overseeing the battle more than fighting in it. Rhys in particular will only join in combat if the situation becomes extremely dire, as he’s the main general.

King Edgar is staying with his eldest son for now, so I leave him with a quick wave and begin walking toward my own place on the battlefield. From the speed and distance of the fiends, there’s no rush for me to arrive immediately.

“We’ll be heading to our destination to begin supporting the men there.” Lumina matches my steps, speaking to me while waving to her father.

I pointedly look away from the king, who’s clearly reluctant to let his daughter wade into this dangerous battle. “Thanks, Lumina. And try to keep a leash on him for now.”

“I don’t need a leash.” Lyle frowns. Or rather, he frowns harder than he already was.

“Just remember, no [Meteo].”

“I know already.”

“Don’t worry,” Lumina says. “I’m sure it will all go as we planned!”

I nod. “Yeah.”

Lumina, Elise, and Lyle break off from the rest of us, heading toward their own battles.

The fiends are slowly growing larger in the distance. We’re walking toward them, but they’re also walking toward us. They’re still just shadowed shapes, but their details are becoming clearer with every step we take.

There are now six people walking with me. But like with the flanks, we can’t concentrate all of our power into a single area. That’s precisely why Lumina is taking her party elsewhere.

Julius will be doing the same, leading the three adventurers, Boron, Hunter, and Adrian. All of them are stronger than even an Archfiend, with Julius himself being near the very peak of what humanity is capable of, outside of special cases like me and the girls.

On top of that, Julius has his own men here, the very same ones who accompanied him back when we first met near the hotspring. I powerleveled them, of course. Not to the same strength as the rest of us, but enough that they’ve become some of the strongest regular soldiers here. Add in the hand-crafted equipment I made for them, and they rise even further.

“This is where we part,” Julius says. “For the time being.”

“Good luck with your battles, Julius.” I extend my hand, and he takes it.

“I will ensure that any fiend who appears receives an explosive welcome.” Boron pats his overcoat, which hides some truly strange and original alchemy potions.

Adrian holds up her hand. “I’ll take a bottle or two.”

“Most certainly!” Boron reaches into his coat, two small bottles in his grasp when it reappears. “No refunds, I’m afraid.”

Hunter sighs. “This is the battle to save humanity from destruction. Try to take it a little more seriously.”

Unsurprisingly, the eccentric Boron and go-with-the-flow Adrian ignore him.

The four of them break away, heading in the opposite direction from Lumina. With Julius at their head, I can confidently leave it to them.

To my left and right are two regiments of troops in full battle formation, with only a sliver of a path between them for us to use. Through the small opening, I can see the approaching army of fiends. Their forms are becoming more distinct, making it possible to pick out some of the easily identifiable varieties, like the Abyss Knights.

I finally reach the front line of troops, the grassy plains opening up before me. No man dares step forward from their position, knowing that they would only be swarmed by fiends when they arrive.

But in this world, it’s possible to become so powerful that even the hellish fiends feared by the entirety of the world are reduced to a minor threat. Even the highest class of fiends, Incinerators and Abyss Knights, stand no chance against us now.

The problem is that there are dozens of them for each one of my overpowered companions, and not even we can take them down in an instant. Even if we could, there are bigger threats for us to worry about.

Frei and Cyl join me, stopping several steps in front of the first row of troops.

“It seems they’re gathering the Archfiends here just for us.” Frei doesn’t sound the least bit worried, despite his near-death experience when fighting Archfiend Vrazruk several months ago.

“Good.” Cyl crosses her arms. “I won’t have to run around hunting them.”

“I thought you liked it when they ran.”

“Only after I beat them up a bit first! If I have to chase them around just to start the battle, it’ll just make me mad!”

“Well,” I say. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about running out of people to fight today. And this time, you two can truly go all out.”

“It’s about time!” Cyl uncrosses her arms, fists clenched with excitement as she separates even further from us and the army.

“I will admit that I have felt some excitement to test my new abilities.” Frei matches Cyl’s steps, just in the opposite direction.

The two true dragons are now much further forward than even me, making them completely isolated from the rest of the army. Ignoring that, I turn from the approaching fiends and run my gaze over the Orakian soldiers stationed here.

We once had a plan to give a grand speech before the battle. Words to encourage them, ending with a spectacle to impress them and boost their morale.

Those plans are gone. We just barely had enough time to form ranks, much less gather for a speech.

But even though only a fraction of the large army can hear my words, I still have to say something.

“Many of you may think this is a terrible day, where a single battle will decide the future of our very world.” I motion to the approaching army of fiends behind me. “But that’s not how I see it. For me, today is the day where the people of this world finally free themselves from the years of conflict and destruction caused by the forces of Chaos.”

I spread my arms, one pointing to Frei, the other to Cyl. “We’re not alone in this fight. Belfast and Vastela stand with us, elves and vampires fight for our cause, and we have more unique and powerful hidden warriors among us than any of you know. I’ve brought two such people with me here, their fearsome strength already well-known throughout the world.”

The clanking of metal helmets and breastplates can be heard as some of the soldiers turn toward Frei or Cyl. The two of them certainly look a bit strange compared to most humans, but the same could be said for many of my companions, so I’m not surprised when none of them have any idea why their strength would be feared by anyone, much less the world.

They’re about to find out, though.

Two explosions erupt from just in front of their eyes, the plumes of smoke seemingly too large for the soft sound they make. Frei and Cyl are at the center of those blasts, their shadowed forms clearly visible within the dissipating smoke.

“Grrrr…” A deep growl comes from one of the plumes, the figure within so massive that even the dreaded Abyss Knight seems small by comparison.

From the second plume, a clawed foot appears, breaking through the smoke at a height I can barely reach if I raise my arm as high as it will go. Larger than a salamander, larger even than a drake. The red-scaled foot reaches a size that could only belong to a True Dragon.

“GRROOAAARRR!!!!” Cyl bellows, clearing the remaining smoke with her fierce roar.

Even Orakio’s finest, chosen to meet the enemy’s charge here in the very center of the battle, shrink back at the sudden appearance of humanity’s former adversaries, the True Dragons.

“This battle isn’t ours alone. Even the dragons stand with us today!” I pause while Frei and Cyl release a twin column of silver and red fire into the sky. “The time has come, men! Whether you’re fighting to protect family, safeguard your lands, or simply out of a sense of duty, now is the time to carve your legacy as Orakio’s greatest generations of soldiers! Those who fought alongside kings, heroes, and even the legendary dragons–and saved the world from destruction!”

Although they flinched at the sudden appearance of two True Dragons, the men here are made of tougher steel than their equipment. Their battle lines have long since reformed, shields steady and spears straight.

If anything, they look even more organized than before, despite the towering creatures looking down on them.

A loud, coordinated clattering of metal rings out as hundreds of nearby soldiers bang their shields with the shaft of their spears. Shouts follow, the men seemingly bellowing a reply to Cyl’s draconic roar.

When their display finishes, I raise my arm, and my own spear appears. “Good answer.”

With that, I turn back to the approaching fiends. They’re closer now. Much closer. Without trying, I can pick out each variety from their mass of troops, even the small Imps.

Looks like it’s time.

A cascade of magical barriers begins appearing above our army, signaling that the enemy army has entered into attack spell range. Less than a heartbeat later, the fiends launch their first volley of magic.

The final battle has officially begun.