Giant body clashed against giant body.
Club clashed against club.
Within the encirclement, a heavyweight clash that shook the earth unfolded.
The “Yellow Scarf Wrestler – Type B” stood at about 4 meters tall, a giant resembling something armored like a shell… an alloy-made large combat golem. The yellow cloth wrapped around its head was its trademark. In the early models of the Yellow Scarf Wrestler, this cloth served as both the control key and a weakness. However, that had already been overcome, and now it remained merely symbolic.
Using its own abilities, the golem deployed barriers (though it was expected that it couldn’t maintain them for long due to consuming magic recklessly) while the Yellow Scarf Wrestlers charged in, swinging their enormous clubs fiercely and emitting steam.
And with the Yellow Scarf Wrestler as their shield, light cavalry advanced to support them.
Opposing them were giants with slightly shorter stature than the Yellow Scarf Wrestler, with green skin. Ogres.
Adorning their robust bodies with war paint and donning simple armor reminiscent of gladiators, they too wielded large stone clubs.
“Uwaaaaah!! Don’t retreat, don’t retreat! Push back! Ogres only know how to advance!!”
Nvadgi, leading the charge, shouted angrily.
He was facing three Yellow Scarf Wrestlers simultaneously. With each clash, the stone clubs gradually wore down.
In the clash of armies, the “weight” of the core forces was crucial. Even cavalry was expected to have weight and breakthrough power that infantry lacked in many situations.
In that regard, the Ogre heavy infantry fulfilled their role sufficiently. While Ogres were among the smaller giants, they were still large and powerful enough when facing humans. They had been deployed opportunistically in battles against the Blue Army, achieving significant results.
It seemed that the Yellow Scarf Wrestlers were prepared by the Blue Army to counter the Ogres.
While their large size made them less maneuverable in dense forests, they had recently been deployed to the Great Forest Conquest Unit, a fact already known to the Fallen Kingdom of Ciel-Terra.
The larger and sturdier “Yellow Scarf Wrestler – Type B” served as a deterrent against the Ogres on the battlefield.
Nvadgi, struck by the thorned gold club on his vambrace, had the staff knocked away by the next blow. The movements of the Yellow Scarf Wrestler were simple yet powerful, surprisingly swift.
His vambrace, now dented, oozed blood from the pierced hole.
“Guuuh… You iron doll… There’s no prayer in you…”
Nvadgi glared at the Yellow Scarf Wrestler with eyes so filled with terror that even a bear might faint. However, the crafty giants feared nothing.
They simply continued to strike with their massive brass-spiked clubs.
“Huuungh!”
Nvadgi attempted to catch the descending club with his bare hands.
It was reckless, but he would not die so easily. It was a desperate move to hold back the Yellow Scarf Wrestler; otherwise, they would break into the battle against the Special Combat Team.
However, the trajectory of the club was disrupted.
The Yellow Scarf Wrestler collapsed from the knees.
“Hmm?”
Precisely, sudden holes appeared beneath the feet of all three Yellow Scarf Wrestlers facing Nvadgi, causing them to lose their balance by stepping into them.
Someone dashed towards them at the speed of the wind.
Utilizing the armor pieces as leverage, the figure rushed up Nvadgi’s body from behind, leaping from his shoulders and pulling a bowstring taut mid-air.
With tanned skin, dark green hair, pointed ears, and exposed black leather armor, the figure was a female elf. …No, a Dark Elf.
During her mid-air acrobatics, she effortlessly released four arrows with a skill akin to divine intervention.
The arrow-like projectiles all struck the wrist joints of the same Yellow Scarf Wrestler, destroying them.
The metal bar dropped from the limp hand.
“No more favors owed, big guy.”
“Hoho…”
The female Dark Elf, Liellamires, stared challengingly at Nvadgi.
The Ogre chieftain chuckled with excitement.
Nvadgi, who picked up the golden club dropped by the Yellow Scarf Wrestler, used it to forcefully strike down the remaining two.
The golden club cleanly hit the Yellow Scarf Wrestler who had lost his footing, crushing his head.
The large golem, due to its massive size, was not agile and vulnerable to such entrapments.
Normally, it’s the role of accompanying support personnel to prevent that, but the spellcaster who had been riding along until a moment ago was pierced by arrows and sprawled on the ground with arrows sticking out of his chest.
Arrows flew one after another. The wind howled.
Sharp and precise shots pierced through like threading a needle, countless in number.
The cavalry supporting the Yellow Scarf Wrestler’s fight were pierced through by arrows or forced to retreat while defending.
“Advance! Crush them! Forward!”
“Uoooooh!!”
The momentum of the ogre unit surged, launching an assault without even turning back to their fallen comrades.
“Seriously… it seems like even their brains are only muscle.”
Liellamires watched them in amazement as she saw them charge recklessly without considering the consequences.
Dark elf mobile archers gathered around Liellamires, who had advanced ahead.
They were all riding on large gray wolves.
Liellamires’ beloved mount caught up as well, nuzzling her and offering its back.
Even after transitioning from elf to dark elf, it remained a faithful companion, loyal till the end.
“The sky should be adequately filled with warriors we left behind. We’ll eliminate the support personnel for the enemy golems. Let’s break through from the right.”
“Understood!”
Mounted on wolves, Liellamires lightly blew a sharp whistle.
In response to her signal, the wolves began their assault in unison.
＊ ＊ ＊
“In terms of world construction through ley lines, this forest is essentially independent. It’s like establishing a subsidiary company for self-sufficiency and outsourcing operations… though, this analogy might make it more confusing for you guys.”
Inside the core of the Gaisenfall Great Forest, within the cavern of the Great Spirit Tree (or whatever remains of it), strange machinery was lined up.
The cavern, tinted black by the Great Spirit Tree, was illuminated dazzlingly by the arranged magical lamps, devoid of any sense of mystery. Electrode-like objects ruthlessly pierced into the ground and walls.
In the center of the cavern, vines intertwined, forming a shape reminiscent of cradling something in midair. It was a gateway to the “Sanctuary”. However, that gate was already crumbling, and red liquid akin to blood dripped from the crevices of the vines.
“During the Great War, the human race was on the brink of extinction. At that time, God was probably much closer to the human race than now. So, perhaps they received this as a favor. I wish we could learn the details while your tribal chief is still alive. Though he’s probably going to die soon.”
Seated on a chair fitting the peculiar shape of her body, Everis adjusted the machinery adorned with meters and levers while speaking.
Here, in the cavern of the Great Spirit Tree, Everis continued to manipulate the land veins, cutting off the flow of magic to the northern regions while diverting it to the Kingdom of Lugarut in the south.
Originally, it was a function of the land veins of the Gaisenfall Great Forest (or more accurately, their “Sanctuary”), but Everis was utilizing it by hijacking it.
White-clad, handsome young dark elf boys, selected as assistants, experimental subjects, and toys, ran around busily, observing instruments, drawing graphs on blackboards, and adjusting the positions of electrodes, all while listening attentively to Everis’ voice.
“Well, I understand the sentiment. Rather than creating a fleeting refuge in the forest, they want to carve a firm, eternal monument beneath the forest. It would make the forest’s defenses stronger. However, those Evil Gods wouldn’t just leave a part of the vast world in the hands of the human race for free. The souls returned to the ley lines become a collective consciousness parallel computer capable of advanced information processing, but within it, a deadly virus of absolute obedience to God was implanted. That’s the true nature of what your Elven comrades call the ‘Sanctuary’. A false paradise. A gathering place for puppets ensl*ved by God.”
“Kekeke.” Everis chuckled lightly.
The boys all wore somewhat complex and tense expressions.
The ability to control ley lines possessed by the Gaisenfall Great Forest was a byproduct of the “Sanctuary”.
As to why such a function was attached to the “Sanctuary” created by the gods, it was simply because otherwise, it wouldn’t function as a cradle for souls.
Exposed to the immense power flowing through the ley lines, souls attempting to stay within them would be crushed and lose themselves, blown away somewhere. Therefore, to prevent that, a function to control the land veins was ultimately necessary.
Everis hadn’t yet uncovered why the elves began to misuse that function…
But she suspected it was at the behest of the “Will of the Ancestors”.
The “Sanctuary” of this forest reflected the will of the gods. By gathering power there, they could utilize it when necessary. Perhaps they issued some convenient oracle and incited the elves to action.
“Right now, I’m controlling the land veins like this, reconnecting with the world, and dissolving the ‘Sanctuary’. The souls of the ancestors who had integrated into the land veins retained their will only after the forest’s ley lines essentially became independent. What would happen if you floated a lump of mud in the ocean… well, I don’t need to explain, do I? We’ll leave only the framework of the ley line control function and make effective use of it.”
Everis grabbed the shoulder of a boy passing by, pulled him close, and buried him in her ample bosom.
“Eek!”
“Is it too much? What I’m doing?”
“Huh? Um…”
The dark elf boy didn’t know how to react in two senses.
“…The esteemed figures of the Sanctuary did something bad to Princess-sama and Sensei. So… it’s inevitable to receive punishment, I think.”
“Hmm, you’re quite the honor student, huh? Cute but not very interesting, this one! Good children who only say what the teacher wants to hear are like this…”
“Uwawawawa…”
Everis hugged the boy tightly and rubbed her cheek against his.
The boy in the white coat turned bright red and waved his hands as if seeking help.
“Um, Sensei! Aren’t these readings… abnormal?”
Another boy who had been observing the instruments called out, and the captured boy was released.
With her head conveniently placed on his, Everis peered into the instruments.
“Yes? …Huh? Hmmm?”
There was a meter that swung in the opposite direction from where the numbers should be.
“This… is… Ah. Someone’s been trying to cast the land veins reversal ritual? It’s just a desperate struggle, but it might have some effect.”
Everis quickly discerned the cause.
It was a magic spell intended to reclaim the land veins of the Great Forest, which had been turned into the domain of the Evil God, as territory of the Great God and the human race.
It had been cast somewhere in the Great Forest, and as a result, abnormal readings were detected on the instruments.
Even if they temporarily reclaimed a part of the ley lines, it would have no impact on the overall situation.
However, by shocking the land veins in this way, it was likely causing disruptions to the ley line control from the Great Forest.
If it had been three days since the start of the attack, the Blue Army would probably have noticed some kind of scheming. It would be reasonable to assume they had infiltrated and were conducting sabotage operations in the Kingdom of Lugarut.
“Hey, Assistant No. 1! I’ve taught you how to do it, right? Maintain the flow of magic into the river as much as possible! I’ll search for the points where the enemy struck. Someone else, connect to the Princess or Alastair!”
“Yes!”
Everis bit into the machinery full of levers and began moving the levers up and down at a rate of about twice per second.
