The lord of the Kobolds and Gnolls, the Kobold Lord, was not at all pleased with the current state of affairs.
Humans, after all, were supposed to be nothing more than playthings. So why, exactly, were they being pushed back like this?
Half the horde had been wiped out.
Granted, humans were annoyingly persistent… but the real problem was that insect.
That wolf-faced insect had shown up, and from then on, everything had gone spectacularly wrong.
With a single arrow, half the troops had been blown away, and then lightning began to pour down.
And, as if that weren’t enough, there was the occasional waft of a nauseatingly sweet floral scent.
It was, in a word, utterly wretched.
“Humans… kill…” The Kobold Lord let out a beastly cry, issuing its command to the monsters nearby.
“Grrrrrr!” The monsters answered.
Now, except for a few like the Warriors, every last one of them would be off to kill that pest.
With that many troops sent, the pest was as good as dead. Soon, the Kobold Lord would hear news of the pest’s demise.
The Kobold Lord sat down with a satisfied grin. A chair made from human corpses was always comfortable.
But just as it was sinking into that comfort, the Kobold Lord began to feel a discomfort in one side of its heart.
“…Grr.”
It cast its eyes down at its chest.
There, a stake was embedded—the very same stake its master had driven in.
“Grrrrrrrr!” The Kobold Lord, seething with rage, grabbed the stake.
The runes inscribed on the stake leaked magic, causing pain with every passing moment.
“GRAAAAHHHHH!” The Kobold Lord let out a furious roar.
Its master had hammered that stake into its flesh while it was just living its life. Thanks to that, a mere Kobold had become a Lord.
But it had never wanted this position.
Still, what could it do?
If the Kobold Lord didn’t do as its master wished, it would be torn apart and die. That much was certain.
“Want… to kill…” the Kobold Lord muttered, its eyes filled with murderous intent.
The Kobold Lord wanted nothing more than to kill its master, but that was out of the question. To do that, it would have to march straight into the Demonic Realm.
And even then—could it really manage it?
Could the Lord, a mere Kobold, truly kill a Demonkin? A being they called the king of all monsters?
The Kobold Lord gnashed its teeth and let its hand drop from the stake.
Survival of the fittest was the law, and before its master, the Kobold Lord was nothing but weak.
All it could do was quietly endure the pain.
Seething with rage, the Kobold Lord shifted its eyes toward the humans.
It wanted to unleash its fury on them—even if it meant killing every last one.
“KRROAAAAAA!”
The Kobold Lord erupted in a fit of rage, and the monsters’ assault grew even more frenzied.
* * *
Meanwhile, Rom found himself utterly baffled by the spectacle unfolding before him.
How… just how could such a thing be possible?
With a single arrow, the sky was filled with lightning, and with another, dozens of monsters turned to ash.
And all of it—the work of just one human.
Wasn’t this no different from the magic wielded by the Demonkin?
“…No, surely not,” Rom muttered, almost without realizing.
If—if Louis really was a Demonkin, then everything suddenly made sense.
But Louis, far off in the distance, couldn’t possibly hear his doubts.
All Rom could do was swing his spear.
Even if he was a Demonkin, what difference would it make?
Right now, the only lifeline left for him and the people of the territory was Louis Berg.
“…I have no choice but to believe,” Rom murmured quietly as he swung his spear.
Whoever he was, this was their chance. Miss it, and striking at the enemy’s heart would be impossible.
Rom clenched his jaw, forcing his staggering body forward to charge at the enemy.
His spearwork was clumsy, his Aura nothing to write home about. But if there was one thing he could take pride in, it was his tenacity.
So, he would keep thrusting his spear to protect his home.
BOOM!
Another arrow swept through the front, clearing a path.
Rom followed that path, heading for the enemy’s heart.
At that moment, Rom found himself locking eyes with a figure who could only be the Kobold Lord.
Eyes blazing with fury, the Kobold Lord reached out a clawed hand. In an instant, it had Rom’s face in its grasp.
“…Damn it.” Rom grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.
And then—
Crunch!
A thoroughly unpleasant noise rang in Rom’s ears. Yet, oddly enough, the pain he was bracing for never arrived.
Eventually, Rom dared to open his eyes and look ahead.
Bathed in a brilliant light, a man appeared before him.
“Back with us, are you?”
Louis Berg—who by all rights ought to have been somewhere far, far away—was standing there, spear in hand, wearing a grin.
* * *
“Back with us, are you?” I tossed the words Rom’s way. “A moment ago, one of our squad members brought word. The 2nd Imperial Knights will be here soon.”
“The Imperial Knights? Here?”
“Seems there was some business at a nearby Count’s House. Pure coincidence, but I suppose we’ll take what luck we can get.”
I pressed my spear down, pinning the Kobold Lord’s arm as I continued. “So if you were thinking of dying, I’d appreciate it if you held off for a bit. We’re short on hands as it is.”
I hardly supposed he actually wanted to die, but really, who closed their eyes mid-battle?
And indeed, it seemed Rom wasn’t quite so eager to shuffle off this mortal coil. He even managed to thank me.
“…Yes, thank you for saving me.”
“No need for that.” I gave a dry chuckle and looked away, focusing on the Kobold Lord.
I’d stuck my spear into the creature’s arm to buy some time, but that alone wasn’t going to leave a lasting impression.
Tch. This range is awkward for archery.
Even using Crushing Presence—that little Aura control trick—wasn’t much use against a Lord-level opponent.
And just trying to muscle through with nothing but a spear…
“My skills are too lacking for that,” I muttered before I even realized it.
If things kept going like this, defeat was inevitable.
So, what now?
Full Bloom is designed for massacring large groups. Same with Lightning Bolt. I need a way to deal with a single target.
As I wrestled with my thoughts, a single idea flashed through my mind.
This wasn’t a skill of the Divine Archer. It was a short-range technique born entirely from my own mind.
So long as I could pull it off, it would hit harder than any fancy named technique.
I drew my spear out and shoved the Kobold Lord away, retreating backward.
Then I shouted at Rom. “Buy me a little time!”
Rom shouted something back, but I didn’t bother listening. I was too busy grabbing three or four arrows and nocking them to the bowstring.
Aura has a mind of its own.
I’d never really noticed, what with my knack for controlling the stuff, but even I couldn’t deny the truth.
Why else would even seasoned knights end up hurting themselves while trying to wield Aura?
And with the Divine Archer’s Aura cultivation technique, that wildness only got worse.
Aura at its most ferocious. The kind of Aura that made you feel like you’d just bumped into a tiger in the mountains.
That was the Divine Archer’s Aura—the one I used.
So what if I just let go? Stopped trying to control it, like those knights who gave up on finesse and poured everything into raw power?
The answer’s simple.
It explodes with a great big bang.
Just stuffing more Aura in doesn’t make it stronger. It just means it’ll blow up in your face.
But right now, I needed that explosion.
It was a one-shot move—not something you’d want to try with just any weapon.
But I wasn’t just anyone. Archers, after all, are those who treat arrows as disposable acquaintances.
I loaded several arrows onto the string, then I recklessly crammed Aura into them.
Creak.
At first, I kept the Aura in check. Didn’t want it going off early—wanted it packed tight inside the arrows.
So I controlled it. Carefully.
One arrow. Two arrows. Three arrows.
I forced Aura into five arrows, pushing each one to its absolute limit.
And at that very moment, I drew back the bowstring.
Screeeeeee—
“Move!” I barked at Rom to get out of the way and let the bowstring snap.
Whooshhhhh—
Five arrows shot forward, streaking straight for the Kobold Lord.
The Kobold Warriors and Gnoll Shamans threw themselves in front to block the barrage.
But that hardly mattered.
All I needed was a single arrow. Just one to reach the Lord.
“Graaaagh!” A Kobold Warrior caught an arrow right through the head and dropped dead.
“Gurk!” The Gnoll Shamans managed to block one arrow with a combined spell, but the second arrow slipped past and finished them off.
Two arrows left.
The Kobold Lord swung his fist and knocked one aside, sending it flying off course.
Crunch!
But the very last arrow made it—landing right in front of the Kobold Lord.
I watched, the corners of my mouth curling up.
“Boom.”
I released the control I’d been holding over the arrow.
The arrow began to swell, ballooning dangerously, and then—
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion ensued.
The arrow shattered, scattering shards in every direction. Each and every fragment was packed with a ridiculous amount of Aura.
The arrow had burst right in front of the Kobold Lord’s gut, and those Aura-laden fragments tore through his abdomen like a hail of buckshot, punching clean through.
A massive hole opened up in the Lord’s stomach.
“Graaa...?”
The Kobold Lord stared down at its belly, the pain failing to register.
But only for a moment.
Its pupils began to tremble, and its breath came in ragged gasps.
Then at last…
THUD—
The Kobold Lord toppled over, its enormous body crashing to the ground.
“…Whew.”
My strength gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.
Strange. I’d meant to let go of control, but somehow, this technique demanded even more of it.
Probably not something I could pull off twice in a row.
Still, I let out a long breath, relieved that I’d won.
That’s when Rom, having finished off the remaining monsters, hurried over to me, asking, “Are you all right?!”
His voice was full of panic. Apparently, seeing me collapse had worried him enough to come running.
I let out a dry chuckle and flapped my hand in the air. “Fortunately, I’m fine. Just… a bit tired, that’s all.”
“…That’s a relief.” Rom exhaled, nodding.
Then his gaze landed on the Kobold Lord’s corpse—now sporting a perfectly round hole in its chest—and he swallowed hard.
“…In that case, may I ask you just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“…Are you really human?”
…What’s he on about now?
I sighed and gave a half-hearted nod. “Rest assured. I’m a hundred percent pure human.”
“…I see.” Rom still looked unconvinced, but apparently decided pressing the issue would be impolite, so he shut his mouth.
Anyway…
The battle was nearly over, but a few monster stragglers still lingered.
I wouldn’t be able to relax until those were dealt with.
I glanced over at the squad members in the distance, busy mopping up the remaining monsters, and hauled myself to my feet.
But then…
Where’s Kai?
I tilted my head, scanning around for him.
Strictly speaking, Kai had the highest odds of survival among us. He was a genius at assassination, after all.
He was surely off somewhere, quietly thinning the enemy’s numbers.
“…”
So why couldn’t I spot him anywhere?
I tried to smother the unease rising inside me and turned my head.
And at that moment, a dagger of unknown origin darted straight for my throat.