Chapter 546: The Battle Outside the Royal Capital
"Is an ogre a powerful monster?"
Eiji stood still not far from the battlefield, stroking his chin.
Moreover, these monsters actually dared to call themselves "man-eaters"?
Eiji's gaze turned cold.
How many people had they devoured?
"The main force of the ogre race generally requires adventurers of at least level 30 to deal with. However, ogres are communal creatures and usually appear in groups of at least four or five. Without a team of high-level adventurers, you'd only meet your doom."
Airi looked approvingly at the battlefield.
"I never expected they'd actually found an ogre tribe—well done!"
"These ogres aren't part of the Demon Lord Army?"
Eiji was rather surprised by her words.
They found the ogres?
The way she said it made it sound like child trafficking—that was a crime! They deserved death!
"They used to be, but they were disbanded later."
Airi sighed, her face full of regret.
"Ogres primarily feed on humans, and they've committed too many atrocities. In the past, they were indeed a formidable force, extremely effective in sieges and assaults. But after Father and Wiz reached an agreement, the Demon Lord Army was forbidden from harming civilians. The ogres became more of a liability, so Father disbanded the ogre unit."
I see.
The old Demon King knew what was important. Offending Wiz was no joke.
From the looks of it, ten years ago, when Wiz was still active as an adventurer, the Demon Lord Army must have been far bloodier than it is now. No wonder Wiz back then slaughtered monsters left and right, earning her fearsome reputation.
Thinking about it, Wiz's contributions to humanity were immeasurable. Without her, tens of thousands of civilians might have died at the hands of the Demon Lord Army!
The fact that humans today could still farm and trade with smiles on their faces was all thanks to Wiz's sacrifices.
On the battlefield.
Dozens of massive ogres let out deafening roars, raising their spiked clubs as they charged toward the knight order.
"For the glory of the Belzerg Kingdom! Kill them!"
The knight captain shouted sharply, riding his wyvern into battle.
Behind him, the knights—some mounted on lizards, others on land dragons—roared as they charged into the ogre horde. In an instant, the battlefield erupted with the clamor of battle.
"Whoa, dragon knights! That's pretty cool!"
Eiji's eyes sparkled as he watched the knight captain.
"Are there adventurers with that class too?"
"They're rare, but they do exist. Though their strength is generally mediocre."
Airi dismissed it with a wave. "That wyvern is only about three meters long. Even with the advantage of flight, its combat ability is pretty lackluster. I could wipe them all out with a single Hellfire!"
The might of the strongest high-tier fire spell was no joke.
Airi's magical prowess was probably close to Wiz's, and her strength ranked among the top of the Demon Lord Army's executives.
"I could slash your Hellfire apart with one strike."
"...If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
In the distance.
As the battle against the ogres raged on, the knight order steadily gained the upper hand.
Individually, their strength was no less than the ogres', and fighting together, they overwhelmed them completely.
"Raaargh!"
But before long—
With a howl echoing through the air, dozens of White Wolves as tall as half a man charged in from outside, baring their razor-sharp fangs as they lunged at the knights.
"It's a White Wolf pack!"
"Damn it, why now of all times?!"
"Adventurers, join the fight! What are the mages doing?!"
"Ah—!"
Amid the screams, a knight's lizard mount was torn to shreds by the wolves. The knight, pale-faced, tumbled into the midst of the pack, surrounded by the snarling beasts, terror written across his face.
"Not so fast!"
At that moment, a crimson blade wind howled through the air, effortlessly decapitating every White Wolf in its path and rescuing the knight from the encircling monsters.
"It's the black-haired adventurers!"
The knight captain's spirits lifted.
With reinforcements arriving, the knights' morale surged instantly.
"Divine Artifact!"
Eiji's treasure-sensing skill immediately reacted.
Following the sensation, several black-haired, black-eyed adventurers arrived on the battlefield.
Among them, a young swordsman dressed in a wandering warrior's garb drew a blood-red katana, unleashing a series of crimson blade winds that cleanly beheaded multiple White Wolves.
Beside him, two other black-haired youths displayed extraordinary abilities, cutting down swathes of monsters in an instant.
"Only three of them?"
"Yes, Captain. They're the only ones who came!"
The knight captain sighed in disappointment.
"The other black-haired adventurers were all drawn to Axel by the Demon King. Even His Highness the Prince took most of the knights' main force to subjugate the Demon King. The capital is at its weakest right now…"
Kekekeke.
The mastermind behind this is me!
Through lip-reading, Eiji caught the knight captain's words and understood the capital's current predicament.
His original plan had been to lure Divine Artifact wielders from across the world to Axel, then challenge and seize their artifacts one by one.
But unfortunately, the one Divine Artifact he wanted most hadn't come. Naturally, he had no choice but to come and take it himself.
"Alright, what's next?"
Eiji muttered under his breath.
His goal was the Divine Artifact, and it was in the royal family's possession.
Should he infiltrate the palace stealthily? Or should he storm in with overwhelming force?
Personally, he preferred the latter—charging into the palace, taking the artifact right in front of them. That would be far more impressive!
"ROOOOAR—!"
"GRRRR—!"
Suddenly.
Without warning, the Ogres let out gut-wrenching roars, and the White Wolves' shrieks nearly pierced eardrums!
The monsters' eyes all turned blood-red, their muscles bulging violently as their aura surged several times over!
"Oh no!"
"Look out!"
The monsters' power skyrocketed, catching the knights off guard. The battlefield instantly turned into a bloodbath.
"...What are you doing?"
Eiji turned to the witch beside him.
"Huh?"
Airi Yasaka looked at him blankly.
"Cut the act!"
Eiji's eyes narrowed sharply, his gaze turning fierce.
"It's the Demon Lord's Daughter's Blessing!"
"Everyone, be careful! The witch is nearby!"
"Fall back! Retreat now!"
The knights paled, hastily backing away as their morale plummeted.
Even the three black-haired adventurers struggled against the empowered monsters, gradually losing ground.
"Damn it, if only Mitsurugi and the others were still here!"
The young swordsman gripping the blood-red katana cursed under his breath.
With only three reincarnators, they simply couldn't handle the horde of monsters whose strength had dramatically increased.
"This isn't a feint—it's an all-out attack!"
"We have no choice but to retreat!"
The two companions also made the reluctant decision to withdraw.
Under the relentless pursuit of the monstrous horde, the entire defensive force collapsed, fleeing in disarray toward the royal capital.
"Sacred Lightning Blare—!"
A youthful shout suddenly rang out across the battlefield.
"BOOOOM—!!"
A bolt of lightning descended from the heavens!