The adventurers’ triumphant cries rode the wind across the battlefield.
The lightning assault launched by the wolfbones—Fenrir and Hati alike—had been repelled by the youth holding the horn. The battle cries that had begun atop the city walls echoed over the crimson-stained hills.
—Drive them back!
—Come on, drive them back!
The raven tilted its wings.
A bird that served as a messenger of the Chief God, it circled high overhead, its keen eyes taking in the state of the battle below. Even the hard-pressed front lines had begun to change. The humans were starting to push the monsters back.
Word had spread that the rear guard had repelled the surprise attack, and the resulting surge in morale was undoubtedly playing a part. More than that, the battle lines themselves were being reorganized.
—Anyone’s weapon broken?!
—Wounded over here!
The exhausted soldiers at the forefront withdrew to the rear, while those who still had strength stepped forward to replace them.
When the Fenrir had been threatening the rear, confusion had disrupted communications, and the sheer danger posed by the beasts had made it impossible to rotate the front line with the reserves. The attacks on the city walls where the archers and mages were stationed had only increased the burden on those fighting in front.
But now, the threat behind them was gone. The preparations made beforehand—the cooperation between the various formations—were finally beginning to function as intended.
—Someone get over there and reinforce the eastern commander—the Jormungandr side!
—Stay away from the giant serpent! Leave that one to the gods!
—If the rear lines managed to push them back, then so can we!
—Push them back.
—Come on—push them back.
Against the monsters’ overwhelming pressure, humanity resisted first with its voices. The formation that had been steadily driven backward slowly began to breathe again. Though the battle seemed endless, the monsters were undeniably dwindling in number. That small glimmer of hope filled the adventurers with renewed courage.
The adventurers and knights carried to the rear were healed at once by the God of Medicine, Sigris. Those too gravely wounded to continue fighting were borne back inside the city walls on stretchers by the white dwarves who could take to the skies.
Even so, from high above, the sight remained unchanged: a black tide of monsters still surrounded the temple. More creatures continued to pour from the rift in the sky, while the Four Great Dungeones of the royal capital likewise spewed forth an unending horde.
The raven flew overhead, gazing down upon the battlefield. In the eyes of the Chief God, the contest had not yet been decided.
Having just completed what must have been his dozens of wide-ranging healing miracles, the God of Medicine, Sigris, left a trail of blue light behind him as he once again returned to the front lines to rally the defenders.
◆◆◆
The God of Medicine, Sigris, raised her spear high. Twilight gathered at its tip, its radiance deepening into a hue akin to gold. With a sweeping stroke, he slashed sideways, cleaving apart a blue, bat-winged siren soaring through the sky.
“Warriors!”
A torrent of blue mana descended upon the northern front.
The divine blessing spread through the ranks, and the wounds of the adventurers healed in an instant. Hundreds were restored at once.
Though the power of the awakening horn, Gjallarhorn, had amplified her strength, such a feat of healing was not something even Sigris could perform again and again. Even so, this opportunity was too precious to waste.
Raising her voice, Sigris called out:
“Forward! Drive the horde of monsters even farther away from the temple!”
A thunderous roar of assent rolled across the battlefield like a wave. Together with the knights clad in steel, the adventurers held the line. They had to slay as many monsters as possible, and as quickly as possible. If they failed, even for a moment, they would be pushed back and swallowed by the tide.
It was like trying to catch a waterfall in a cup.
The knights, who would ordinarily have charged on horseback, now fought on foot. The enemy outnumbered the cavalry by more than two to one; any charge they made would only end with them being engulfed by the sea of monsters.
—Let’s go!
—Push them back! Drive them into the ground!
The cries echoed from one warrior to the next, and even Sigris found her own spirit lifted by them.
Swords, spears, and great shields surged forward, forcing the monsters back step by step. Sigris herself descended to the ground and swung her spear. Its blade flashed through the neck of a towering humanoid monster—a giant soldier standing well over two meters tall.
The fierce valor of the Valkyrie only further inflamed the army’s morale.
“…At this rate…”
A smile touched Sigris’s lips.
Then a voice rang out within her mind.
It was from Loki, fighting on the western battlefield.
『Do you have a moment?』
The battle lines lay far apart, so distant that those on the ground could no longer see one another. Yet the gods could communicate through their divine power.
『Rion and Solana—and Felix and Mia as well—have driven back the wolves.』
“Yes. This is our chance.”
『Indeed. Mia and Felix performed splendidly. It was worth entrusting that task to them.』
A faint furrow appeared on Sigris’s brow.
She skewered several flame hounds, Garmr, with her spear and leapt into the sky before their blood could spatter her. From above, she looked toward the western battlefield where Loki was fighting.
“…You chose not to go and help them?”
『Nothing of the sort. We were barely holding on here ourselves. It simply turned out that we had no choice but to leave it in their hands.』
Sigris let out a sigh.
In other words, if Loki had truly pushed himself, he could have gone to their aid.
『But if humans defeat the monsters by their own strength, their morale rises immeasurably. They become heroes in truth, after all.』
Even as close to a gamble as it might have been, Loki had a habit of never failing when it mattered most. By now, he was probably wearing a satisfied smile, the corners of his drooping eyes curved even lower than usual.
Sigris pressed him.
“And?”
『Right, to the main point. Thor is currently fighting the World Serpent, Jormungandr. Heimdall is engaged with Ymir in the east, and Uru is keeping Freyr occupied.』
A thunderous boom erupted from the southern front. Even with the temple’s walls between them, Sigris could see the clouds of earth blasted into the air and the flashes of Thor’s lightning.
『Sigris, I want you to keep a close watch on Ymir. I’m stationed on the western side, so I can’t.』
“…I had no intention of lowering my guard in the first place.”
『I need more than that. Fenrir has withdrawn, and Hati is dead. But my instincts are telling me… things are going too well.』
Sigris turned her gaze toward the eastern battlefield.
The air itself continued to tremble, the result of Heimdall and Ymir exchanging blow after blow, their fierce clash showing no sign of ending. The god Heimdall was holding Ymir in check, waiting for reinforcements from his allies.
Now that Rion and the others had defeated Fenrir, this should have been their chance.
“…But…”
『I know. If we’re too cautious, we’ll let our opportunity slip away. Just keep the battle line intact with your healing and be prepared for any sudden change.』
With that, Loki’s message came to an end.
The meticulous God of Mischief would no doubt pass the same warning on to Uru and Solana as well, altering his wording ever so slightly for each of them.
Sigris returned to the front lines and, fighting shoulder to shoulder with adventurers and knights, swept aside the monsters that hurled themselves toward them.
Then thunder rolled across the heavens.
“That’s…”
In the southern sky, Thor soared upward, wreathed in storm clouds. His wild red hair was illuminated by the lightning dancing around his hammer.
But—
The God of Thunder was badly wounded.
Sigris’s instincts as the God of Medicine immediately sensed that something was wrong with the divine power emanating from Thor.
“…He’s been poisoned?”
His opponent was a serpent. Such a trick would hardly be beyond it.
Focusing her thoughts, Sigris reached out to Thor.
“Thor, what is your situation? If you’ve been poisoned, then I can—”
High in the sky, Thor glanced back at her for a brief instant.
『Ha! No need!』
The next moment, Thor vanished beyond the city walls with the force of a falling meteor. A deafening crash, like a bolt of lightning striking the earth.
Even on this side of the battlefield, the ground trembled. Then came the agonized scream of the World Serpent, Jormungandr.
“Even so…”
『The adventurers around me are doing a damn fine job clearing away the pests. Meaning, I can focus on the big one.』
Thor laughed, his voice rumbling like distant thunder.
Entrusting the smaller monsters to the humans while he concentrated solely on the World Serpent, Jormungandr, seemed to be paying off.
『I’m grateful—to them, and to all of you!』
“…Grateful, is it? To think that the fearsome God of Thunder would say such a thing.”
People could change.
So, too, could gods.
A faint smile touched Sigris’s lips as she swung her spear.
“Then let us give one final push!”
The instant the words left her mouth, Sigris shuddered.
She sensed something. A presence from the east—from the battlefield where Ymir and Heimdall were fighting.
Then, in the next moment, a mighty roar shook the air, drowning out every other sound as it rolled across the hills.It had come from Ymir.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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