I Was Reborn in Another World, but Hold On – No Parents? Was I Abandoned? - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Battle

After two weeks of waiting, I was summoned by the colonel, who briefed me on my mission.

“The rear support unit has been ambushed. In response, we dispatched four squads, but communication has been lost. Therefore, it has been decided to send your squad. Upon arrival, assess the situation, and if it’s dangerous, retreat immediately and report.”

A mission to assess the situation.

But a support unit?

Are they alright?

“Don’t worry. Those you’re concerned about are from a different unit and are currently under strict protection. Now, go immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

Leaving the command headquarters, I returned to the squad and informed everyone about the mission.

“Captain, if those four squads sent ahead were wiped out, there’s a significant chance that the enemy is an extremely dangerous unit, right?”

Kaito’s concern was justified. Four squads equate to around 120 to 240 individuals, essentially a company-sized force.

Considering the ambush on the rear support unit, it can be deduced that the enemy is a small elite force. If a situation has occurred where the four squads were annihilated, the enemy’s proficiency is likely extremely high.

Hence, it’s not a mission for reinforcements to eliminate them but more of a reconnaissance-style task to be executed with a nimble, small force.

In essence, if the advance team has already been annihilated, escape immediately without fighting. That’s what it means.

The crucial part is to confirm the situation and report back to headquarters.

“It might be a dangerous mission, but everyone, take care of your lives.”

That was all I could say for now.

About two-hours after departing, we found the location of the rear support unit.

!?

We were waiting in a space between the trees in the forest, watching the scene unfold through the gaps in the foliage.

Annihilation? The word couldn’t adequately describe that grim scene.

Most of the hundreds of corpses were soldiers from the Rosen Kingdom.

“C-Captain… this is…”

“It’s a total wipeout.”

Kaito and I stood side by side, silently observing, but the undeniable truth was evident.

“Look over there, there are wyverns.”

Leonardo pointed it out, and when I looked, there were indeed dozens of wyverns feasting on the flesh of the dead soldiers.

“Ugh…”

One of the soldiers vomited at the sight.

Certainly, it wouldn’t be strange to feel nauseous.

Decapitated bodies, bodies without limbs, bodies exploded into pieces, bodies crushed into a pulp, bodies split in half from the abdomen.

And wyverns devouring them.

This was the battlefield.

“Wait, there are enemies.”

I raised my hand towards the squad members, signaling them to stay still before focusing on the front.

More soldiers riding on wyverns had arrived.

Their numbers were dozens.

All of them are clad in black armor.

“Those are… Dragon Knights… the surprise assault unit from the Demon Kingdom.”

“Surprise assault unit?”

“Known as the top elite forces within the Demon Kingdom, the flagship unit, despite its small size, wields the combat prowess equivalent to that of a company.”

If Kaito’s information is correct, then the enemies before us are exceptionally dangerous.

Among the Dragon Knights, a girl stood out, clad in a black dress with minimal armor, an incongruent sight given the circumstances.

Her gaze met ours…

She appeared to be issuing commands to the other soldiers.

Shortly after, the soldiers abruptly turned and sprinted towards the forest with remarkable speed, heading in our direction.

“What!! Let’s get out of here!”

Kaito yelled.

“What are you saying!? We fight!”

Gaizen roared.

Two choices. However, the opponents are Dragon Knights.

They are charging at us, but if we escape, they will likely chase us on wyverns.

In that case, escaping won’t guarantee safety.

“If they mount wyverns, escaping won’t work. Engage in combat for now, and retreat if there’s an opportunity.”

Following my instructions, the squad members raised their weapons.

There might be a chance to turn the tide in the forest.

Fight in the forest! Avoid open spaces! If skill alone won’t secure victory, use your heads. We must win and return safely!

“Yes, sir!”

Between the forest and the open grassland, the soldiers from the Magic Kingdom halted.

Then, one person stepped forward from there—the girl from earlier.

“I’m Lorna, captain of the Belzebute Great Demon Kingdom’s Surprise Assault Unit, Second Division!! Nice to meet you all!!! Oh, but sorry for meeting you under these circumstances! I’ll be killing everyone, but forgive me, okay?”

The girl stuck out her tongue at the end.

Under normal circumstances, it might have seemed cute, but in this situation, it exuded madness.

The girl wielded a slender sword and walked deliberately toward me, her focus solely on me.

What’s with this overwhelming pressure?

This might be a genuinely formidable opponent.

So far, I haven’t faced an enemy with such a menacing aura.

I quickly checked Lorna’s status.

――――――――――――――――――――

Name: Lorna

Clan: N/A

Age: 19

Race: Demon

Occupation: Magic Swordsman

Title: War Princess, Slayer

Level: 124

HP: 37,000 (37,000)

MP: 34,000 (32,500)

Attack Power: 49,200

Defense Power: 41,000

Agility: 12,000

Dexterity: 7,800

Luck: 6

Magic Affinity: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Darkness, None

Innate Magic: [Gluttony Lv. MAX]

Attack Magic: [Flame Blade Lv. MAX], [Wind Blade Lv. MAX], [Thunder Blade Lv. MAX], [Puppetry Lv. MAX], [Blood Binding Lv. MAX], [Amplification Lv. MAX]

Defense Magic: [Body Strengthening Lv. MAX]

Innate Skills: [Magic Swordsman Lv. MAX], [Path of Training Lv. MAX], [Automatic Recovery Lv. MAX]

Resistance Skills: [Poison Resistance Lv. MAX], [Mental Attack Resistance Lv. MAX], [Paralysis Resistance Lv. MAX]

Divine Skills: [Divine Protection of the Magic God], [Divine Protection of the Evil God]

――――――――――――――――――――

Level 124? Attack power 49,200!?

And she’s a Magic Swordsman proficient in five magic types.

This… she’s stronger than my dad.

This is seriously bad.

The most dangerous person I’ve encountered so far.

I swallow hard, gazing at the girl.

Suddenly, she disappeared.

No, she’s running at incredible speed.

I abandon visual tracking, anticipate her trajectory, unsheath my sword, and intercept her slash.

“Incredible!! Hardly anyone, even among demons, can parry that, you know? I thought you were quite formidable, so I put in some serious effort, you know~”

Despite the considerable force of the slash, which forced me back a bit after blocking it with all my might, the girl maintained a nonchalant and smiling expression on her face.

An alarm resounds in my mind.

This is really dangerous.

Cold sweat runs down from my forehead to my neck.

I need to create some distance for now.

Activating telekinesis, a magic I’ve rarely utilized since leaving the forest, I propel the girl away.

It’s telekinesis with several times the usual magical power, but the girl is only pushed a few meters and maintains her balance effortlessly.

Damn, what should I do…

Scanning the surroundings, I see that my squad members are already locked in combat with the enemy, and a few have fallen.

I should have run with all my might in this situation.

It was a miscalculation on my part.

“If you get distracted, it’s dangerous, you know?”

The girl is already in front of me, raising a sword engulfed in flames.

Flame Blade, is that a magic spell?

I hastily raised my sword, activated Body Strengthening, and circulated qi throughout my entire body.

Guhhhh!!

However, even with Body Strengthening, qi, and my natural defense, my supposedly ironclad body was pierced through the left shoulder by Lorna’s instantly-altered thrust.

Was that Flame Blade a feint…

As I grasped the situation, the sword that had pierced me and stayed lodged was flickering with a bluish light.

“What!!?? N-noooo!!”

Thunder Blade… damn it… electricity from where it stabbed…

I stumbled and dropped to my knees, my body tingling with numbness and intense pain.

Lorna withdrew the slender sword, examining it with curiosity.

“I put quite a bit of magic power into making you faint~. You’re quite tough.”

She probably wasn’t expecting an answer.

Saying that, Lorna immediately readied her slender sword again.

Roaring flames erupted from the prepared sword.

Another feint?

No, more importantly, this situation is dire.

My legs are numb, rendering escape impossible.

I calm my anxious mind and think of a strategy.

There’s no alternative!!!

“Well, it’s about time for you to die! It’s been a while since I had this much fun!”

The blazing slender sword descended.

However, Arus didn’t flee, instead, he was sent sideways without altering his stance.

“Huh?”

Not comprehending what occurred, Lorna gazed at the blown-away Arus.

Arus employed telekinesis to propel himself sideways.

Putting his numb legs on the ground, Arus came to a halt approximately ten meters away.

However, he was unsure about his next move.

He had to do something about her, there was no way he could escape without dealing with her.

Yet, she was exceptionally powerful.

Arus contemplated potential attacks in his mind.

Telekinesis, qi, fireball, water bullet, wind slash, lightning strike, flamethrower, water manipulation, dragon’s breath, heavy rain and thunder.

Fire-based attacks were ruled out. Additionally, a widespread attack like downpour thunder was a risky idea, as it could cause damage to allies in the forest.

Arus opted to combine qi with physical combat, utilizing telekinesis and non-fire, and widespread magic for support.

It appeared to be the only viable option.

Wait… wait a moment.

There was something he could use.

Yes, if it’s just once, he can certainly use it.

Now, it’s all about timing.

Arus, attempting not to disclose his devised plan, hurriedly approached Lorna with a face that seemed both anxious and contemplative.

“You can still run! Amazing!”

For some reason, Lorna appeared genuinely delighted.

Resigning to the injury in his left arm, Arus firmly grasped the sword with only his right hand. Swiftly, he closed the gap towards Lorna, then vaulted as if aiming for a high slash…

Yet, it was a deception. Instead, he executed a knee kick charged with intense qi straight into Lorna’s abdomen.

“Ugh… Gahh!”

Caught off guard, Lorna clutched her stomach, leaning forward.

Seizing the opportunity, Arus swung his sword downward towards her neck.

Kiiing!

However, Lorna, without looking, raised her sword to block the beheading.

“That surprised me! It hurt like crazy though.”

Puffing her cheeks, Lorna glared at him.

“Returning the favor from earlier.”

Arus replied with just that and readied his sword again, unleashing a diagonal swing.

However, Lorna skillfully jumped back, then swiftly advanced, releasing a horizontal slash in return.

Arus stopped that attack, extended it with his own slash, which Lorna blocked and countered with her own, and this exchange continued. Arus parried, flowed with it, and counter-attacked while Lorna unleashed a slash, and then she pulled her upper body back while Arus dodged.

It was truly a back-and-forth battle.

“You’re strong! Even though you’re still a kid, if you were a demon, I would have invited you to join our squad!”

Lorna, too, had sweat forming on her forehead.

But Arus was sweating profusely.

A single misstep could mean instant death.

Even Arus knew that if his head were severed, death was certain.

Applying the technique he used earlier, Arus utilized telekinesis to jump backward and create distance.

Taking a breath, Arus attacked Lorna, who was now at a distance, with a slash.

Wind Slash, a magic that launches blades of wind.

However, this slash wouldn’t hit Lorna, who had jumped into the air.

Yet, Arus allowed himself a small smile at this moment.

Then, he continued by unleashing Lightning Strike and Flamethrower towards the airborne Lorna, one after the other.

In the air, there was no risk of setting the trees ablaze, and she couldn’t escape.

However, that prediction turned out to be wrong.

Suddenly, Lorna, now sporting large black wings, avoided the attacks by ascending further, then began a rapid descent straight towards Arus.

Oh… demons have wings…

Once again, Lorna ignited her slender sword, closing in at an incredible speed…

Arus readied his sword, but with the added velocity and force of the descent, the attack was unbelievably powerful, and the sword sliced through his abdomen without resistance.

Landing behind Arus, who was cut in one swift motion, Lorna exclaimed.

“You should be proud! Among humans, you were exceptionally strong.”

She then turned around with a smile.

However, Lorna swallowed nervously.

He wasn’t there anymore!! Why?!

The boy she should have cut down wasn’t there.

It couldn’t be! She surely killed him.

After all, he was literally cut in half, right??

Feeling a presence behind her, she hesitantly turned around.

There stood the boy she thought she had killed.

Before she could evade, she was struck by a slash from the arm she had hastily raised in panic.

However, the boy’s attacks didn’t cease.

Just when it seemed he had thrown his sword into the air, he shifted into a martial arts stance and delivered a palm strike to her abdomen…

Thrown away by the overwhelming force, Lorna tumbled through the air.

Yet, by the time she landed, the boy was already there.

One after another, blades of wind flew towards her, cutting through Lorna’s body.

Even for a demon boasting high defense, being sliced like this posed a serious threat to her life.

Sweating profusely, she somehow managed to plant her feet on the ground and rolled in a tangled mess.

In an instant, the boy closed the distance and unleashed a blue-white glowing lightning magic.

“Aaaaahhh!”

For the first time on the battlefield, Lorna felt the imminent danger of death.

Incredible fear.

Her body trembling.

Reluctantly, Lorna reached for something she never wanted to use—a necklace with a squirming eyeball attached to it, hung around her neck.

Damn it, I’ll be ridiculed by everyone if I use this.

But I don’t want to die.

With a resigned grip on the necklace, she chanted, “Return.”

Arus widened his eyes.

After finally seeing a chance to defeat her by using the shadow clone and relentlessly employing telekinesis, qi, Wind Slash, and Lightning Strike, the girl in front of him gripped the necklace, chanted “Return,” and vanished without a trace.

Did she escape?

That necklace seems to be a magical tool, huh?
Which means…

I won.

Somehow…

But there’s no time to bask in the afterglow of victory.

I immediately dashed into the forest to find the members of my squad.