Saito threw back a short reply, “I am not a soldier.”
“What do you mean?”
“Be they allies or enemies, I will not treat them as tools.”
Derflinger sighed.
Saito danced, dodged, and struck left and right, which caused massive chaos within the enemy formation.
Fighting alone turned out to be extremely advantageous.
To prevent friendly fire, the enemy did not dare to use firearms or projectiles, and with Gandálfr’s speed, nothing in this world could catch up.
But… the mage opponents were still very difficult to deal with.
Although Derflinger could absorb the endless barrage of spells, the amount of magic delivered was certainly above normal, and slowly the sword began to lose its ability to handle them.
“Ugh!”
“Left hand?”
“Hum, damn… I can’t move it anymore.”
Saito could only wield Derflinger with his right hand, his left shoulder took a deep wound, and part of his body was now charred by flame, which came from the fireball that exploded near him.
Although the situation was grave, Saito still charged forward, bravely standing tall while surrounded on all sides.
Due to the attacks by magic and weapons alike… Saito’s injuries became graver every second.
Riding on his phantom manticore was the unit’s commanding officer. He kicked his beast and prepared to charge, but a sword knocked him off his mount and he saw his manticore struck down. In that instant, his own legs were shattered and he collapsed on the ground.
The commander of the firearm division ordered his men to prepare for a maneuver, thinking about surrounding this wind-like enemy in an instant, but the enemy leaped over the formation, and struck the commander’s head with his sword, sending the man instantly into oblivion.
The young commander in charge of the archers hastily ordered his men to fire, but the arrows could not reach their foe, instead striking down his allies instead. In the chaos he managed to hit his own foot.
The chaos among the forward guard became progressively worse. General Hawkins received reports that completely boggled him. The communications he received were a complete mess.
Some said, the enemy was a single rider.
Some said, the enemy was a magician.
Some said, it was a part of the enemy army.
Some said, it was elvish mage knights.
Some said, it was an elvish division… etc.
But the General, a veteran who survived a hundred battles, felt it was a single foe.
An enemy with the speed of wind.
An enemy with strength like fire.
An enemy unshakable like the stones of the earth.
An enemy elusive like the waves of the sea.
“I don't like it,” General Hawkins muttered.
Just as Saito broke the wand of a middle ranked officer, the boy spotted a group of mages. Since so many mages were protecting a single individual, that meant…
“That guy must have a pretty high rank...” Derflinger added. But even though Saito heard him, he couldn’t do much as his body began to be paralyzed by the pain. Very soon he wouldn’t be able to move at all.
He had to save his energy for breathing.
Just to take down one more officer…
Just to cause more havoc.
Just like this to extend the time, just even one minute, one second, must be taken.
This was Louise’s task.
A task my own beautiful master was going to carry out.
Saito rushed towards the enemy general surrounded by a horde of mages.
General Hawkins stared at the wind blasting toward him.
Truly amazing speed.
He pulled out his wand, chanted his spell, and in one breath summoned a wind blade. But… the enemy swiftly dodged it. He could only see the foe’s blade, flying toward his head.
General Hawkins could only see the shadow in front of him, as if trying to brand it under his vision.
His riders struck the enemy full of magic bolts, each attaching itself on to that swordsman’s body.
Although so many bolts should have been fatal, the wind-like warrior never slowed.
A fencer's sword shot up, slamming into Hawkins' body.
The blade’s tip reached within 5 cm of his face.
Hawkins, not averting his gaze, stared straight at the tip.
But it did not strike Hawkins’ face.
As if time suddenly stopped, the swordsman’s movement froze.
Hawkins used his wand to knock the sword away, and the unknown blademaster hit the ground with a thud.
“Your Eminence! Are you ok?”
“General Hawkins!” one of the knights rode by.
“No bones broken,” He answered.
“Combat is over, give me the report.”
Reports came in quick succession.
It was absolutely unimaginable that a single warrior was able to cause so much damage. Lower command, upper command echelon had 14 wounded, the enlisted infantry estimated injured were around two hundred and fifty.
The loss, from the entire army’s point of view, was apparently within the acceptable limit. But its effects were significant. The strong forward guards were now in complete chaos, many were injured by their own friendly fire in the fog of war, and the story that “everything was caused by a single swordsman” had spread among soldiers like wildfire, greatly damaging the morale of the troops.
The forward commander reported with a bitter face: “I am afraid it will take a while to reform the forward command, at least several hours.”
Also, stories continued to spread among the frightened troops, which greatly decreased the army marching speed. The enlisted soldiers were afraid the enemy might hide another swordsman like the one before.
The adjutant slowly murmured to General Hawkins,
“I am afraid we cannot meet today’s marching objectives. If the situation continues, we will have to waste half a day… no, an entire day of time.”
Hawkins lowered his head.
He got off his horse, walked near the fallen swordsman, and took in stock of his looks.
“He is just a boy.”
The body on the ground was a black-haired, very unusual looking boy.
Looking at him still breathing weakly, his body clearly had taken an enormous amount of magical damage; it was only a matter of time.
Hawkins wanted to summon a water mage, but after so many injuries it would only extend his suffering. Not even magic is infinite.
Hawkins looked down on the boy and whispered,
“I am really jealous.”
“Huh?”
“A single warrior stopped an entire army... in the words of history long gone, he is a 'Hero'; I wish I was not merely a general, but a hero.”
Hawkins’ voice trailed off.
His sub-commander nodded as well.
“What you say is right, but situations like these are the results of war, a pity he was an enemy of ours.”
“Even though he’s an enemy... not even a noble... I believe he should receive the highest honor and respect.”
“I understand your point.”
General Hawkins and the sub-commander both saluted the boy.
“Let's bury him with honor.”
He gave his order to his troops.
In that second, Saito's body leaped.
“What the hell?”
Saito's body reached his old speed, and vanished into the forest.
Once inside the forest… Saito’s body collapsed again.
A voice echoed in the dark forest.
Not Saito’s voice, but Derflinger’s.
“Haaah… it’s been one thousand years since the last time I used ‘Master’ was it? Though the reason I was able to move… was because of the absorbed magic energy. Anyway, I'm beaten already... but partner, you look tattered...”
Saito’s body didn’t move in the slightest.