For a moment, Fi looked like he was about to cry. But he held back the tears as he gripped his smartphone.
‘I honor the path that you have chosen. And…may there be a blessing on your soul. But perhaps you would not want a blessing from someone as sinful and tainted as me.’
“N-no! I…I…!”
‘There he is! That tent!’
The sounds of military boots echoed loudly. He could see the soldiers gathering behind the tarp. Keita raised his staff high.
“I’m glad that I met you. Give Sheto my regards.”
In spite of everything, his consciousness was shockingly clear.
He did not feel like running away. He as not scared.
What he had to do was clear in his mind, and he could imagine the steps to take.
“The veins of the earth, the breath of the lizards that burn red.”
While chanting the words, Keita realized something.
This was what it felt like to be unshakable.
“Shatter the foundation of stone and gravel. Surge forth and raise the beacon fire!”
“Tra…Transparency!”
The young dragon shouted while activating the divine vessel, and then he ran out of the tent. In order to support his retreat, the magic energy that had welled up now spread in every direction.
“Blazing furnace of the mountain that forged the stars. Throw wide your iron gates, Heavenrise Flames!”
With all of his might, Keita slammed his staff into the ground.
—
In the world on the other side of the water mirror, explosive fire rose up once again. As the red reflected on his face, Furukamuto leaned on his elbow and watched the scene unfold.
“With Canila Farada’s Hero, infiltrate the Hero’s camp with invisibility magic. And once our forces are fully occupied fighting the monsters, move in for the assassination.”
He said while glancing towards the Dragon God.
There was a troubling expression on the intimidating face, and it was clear that he was absorbed by the battle being waged below.
“It was a rather good plan. The monsters are more capable than expected. And now that Salia’s kobold is allowed to speak to the monsters, your plan was adopted. On top of that, there was a surprise scheme… The best move you could think of, indeed.”
In fact, in order for such a plan to work, everything would have had to be perfect. If one element was missing, they would have been defeated. The demon general’s competence, the kobold’s infiltration, the use of Canila’s Hero as a disposable pawn.
Layers of deep calculation and scheming had gone into completing this design. One wrong step and the victory would go to the other side.
“The battle is not over yet. So why are you acting as if you have won?”
“Indeed, that is my mistake. Now then, let us continue. Hero, give the order for all troops to advance.”
Yasuharu silently gave the order, and the army began to move.
While the situation was the same as before, the monsters seemed a little shaken by what they had suddenly been shown.
“Do not be concerned with it, Demon General. Move the entire force just as we planned.”
The Dragon God looked at the board intently, while the goddess looked at the Hero’s army with a nervous expression.
‘He-hey! Salia! What, is going on!? Why is Keita, over there!’
“Because I ordered it. He was to lie hidden, deep in the enemy ranks, and strike the Hero down in an ambush.”
The Dragon God spoke in a bitter voice, as there was no longer a need to hide it.
On the minotaur’s back, the kobold let out a shout that was close to a scream.
‘What! That is like, asking him to die! Why would, you do that!’
‘Because it was necessary to win. I had my suspicions, but…you have indeed won over the village Hero. How ruthless.’
The Demon General spoke calmly while they advanced. He was someone with both strength and knowledge. It would be interesting to use such a man as a pawn.
‘The enemy’s divine rule allows them to redo things again and again. However, if struck by surprise, they can be killed before they have time to reset.’
“Exactly. I am not at all surprised that the fraud of a god would use such tricks.”
“And I have been wary of such tactics. After all, isn’t it only natural to understand the weaknesses of your own divine rule?”
The dragon’s eyes narrowed with anger, and sparks flew as he snorted. He did not say anything after that, but simply stared at the board.