Crusch's White Whale Subjugation Battle
"Lady Crusch really is too reckless, meow. I'll deal with this right away.
What's wrong, meow? You look uneasy.
Aside from Lady Crusch getting seriously injured to save someone, isn't everything progressing smoothly, meow?"
Standing at the top of the hill, Crusch did not take her eyes off the battlefield despite Ferris speaking behind her.
Just as Ferris said, the White Whale—one of the Three Great Demon Beasts—was beginning to falter.
However, Crusch couldn't shake a vague sense of unease.
"...The White Whale was a monster that even defeated a previous Sword Saint, right? Could it really be taken down so easily?"
Crusch asked Ferris, who was treating her wounds.
"Honestly, Lady Crusch, you're worrying too much, meow. Reinhild's power isn't on the same level as other Sword Saints.
Besides, even Wilhelm-sama defeated the previous Sword Saint, didn't he, meow?
And anyway, this isn't really 'easy,' meow.
Even though we unexpectedly gained support from Anastasia's camp with the Iron Fangs and Julius and other powerful fighters, we've still lost over 10 people, meow."
Crusch froze for a moment, then quickly looked around.
Only then did she realize that thirteen of her subordinates were missing—and she couldn't recall anything at all about twelve of them.
"White Whale...!!!"
Crusch gritted her teeth.
Her subordinates were undoubtedly skilled warriors—yet she had forgotten even their deaths. That was the White Whale's most sinister ability: its fog erases every trace of a slain person's existence from the world.
"Wait until I'm fully healed before heading back out."
Her hand was grabbed, and hearing the voice behind her, Crusch took a deep breath and calmed herself.
She understood there was little meaning in rushing back in now. She should wait to replace a fatigued top-tier fighter when the time came.
"Right now, I suppose we should be thankful—thankful that Anastasia found us yesterday."
"Just an opportunistic merchant, meow. We'd been preparing for this day for so long, and she suddenly butts in? What's up with that, meow? I was about to... Anyway, it's so frustrating, meow!"
Ferris pouted, clearly annoyed by Anastasia's sudden arrival for negotiations the day before. Crusch patted Ferris's head with her freshly healed hand.
"You shouldn't say that. Otherwise, today's battle would have gone far worse. It's my fault—I mistakenly equated the Great Rabbit with the White Whale. That's what endangered everyone."
Crusch spoke earnestly, acknowledging her mistake. The Great Rabbit lacked intelligence, couldn't fly, and had weak individual strength.
Though it was impossible to subjugate, it was easy to repel.
Having repelled the Great Rabbit at seventeen, Crusch had subconsciously underestimated the White Whale. But in terms of raw combat power, the White Whale was overwhelmingly stronger.
"That's not true, meow.
You were also preparing with everything you had until the last moment, meow.
Buying weapons and earth dragons in the royal capital without regard to cost is what allowed that merchant to spot the opening, meow."
Ferris turned toward the battlefield.
While she disagreed with Crusch belittling herself, Ferris knew things weren't going smoothly.
The initial magic bombardment was largely neutralized by the whale's fog, and the rest was absorbed by its feathers.
What was supposed to be a crippling blow only inflicted a minor wound.
Retaining flight had made the White Whale a massive threat.
Though many present were elite fighters, few could leap dozens of meters into the air to land a hit.
The whale's enormous body also reduced the effectiveness of swords—what would be a lethal wound to a person barely scratched it.
Ferris instinctively looked at her right hand, then shook her head.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, meow. I just need a little more time."
Ferris looked at the face of the person she served.
She knew how hard both Royal Selection candidates had worked to keep the White Whale's appearance secret from Reinhild.
She also knew Wilhelm-sama's true thoughts. If she acted now, it would be a betrayal of their efforts—proof that she didn't trust them.
—It's okay, meow. Even if there are casualties, as long as I maintain this lifeline, we can win.
If we succeed in subjugating the White Whale, Lady Crusch will regain political advantage.
For the future she hopes for, we cannot call Reinhild.
The magic tool called "Nightbreaker" ascended into the sky.
Those who understood the signal quickly shut their eyes. A flash of intense light illuminated the world, and the White Whale froze visibly.
At that moment, the second long-range bombardment struck its body.
"Ngghh—!!"
Taking the blow head-on, the White Whale let out a pained cry. Then, a mass of fog erupted from beneath it, instantly covering the entire battlefield.
Wilhelm and Julius, who had been at the front lines, noticed the fog's movement immediately. They dodged incoming attacks and launched counterattacks.
The whale's cries and sprays of blood followed. Still, the beast pressed onward, charging at them relentlessly.
The Sword Demon, Wilhelm, used minimal movement to redirect the attack and plunged both his swords into the White Whale's body, carving two deep gashes along its side.
"Wilhelm-sama, look out!"
Before the old man could catch his breath, a knight's voice cried out urgently. Wilhelm turned sharply and saw the gaping maw of a second White Whale coming straight at him.
Even as it was pierced by six-colored sword light, the beast was unfazed.
"Well, I've really gone and..."
"Wilhelm-sama!!"
Julius screamed the name of the Sword Demon, who had been swallowed whole. In that instant of shock, he was blindsided by the third White Whale hiding in the fog and sent flying.
As the fog cleared, the battlefield witnessed their strongest two fighters defeated. Their one enemy had become three.
Even among the bravest warriors, many lost the will to fight in that moment.
—No, this isn't right.
Crusch suddenly realized her vision was darkening.
Looking up, she saw the white fog descending—not toward herself, but toward Ferris.
The White Whale that had been wounded by Wilhelm was the one attacking.
"One Blow, One Hundred Felled."
Crusch used her strongest technique to barely disperse the fog.
The White Whale was further away than she thought—like she had spaced out for a moment. Sensing the opportunity, Crusch immediately raised her hand and released a wind spell toward Ferris.
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