The False Hero, Volume 12, Chapter 11 pt. 2

----- Lutz -----

“W-who are…” The soldier’s surprise fades when he sees me, the grip on his weapon loosening. “Sir Hero?”

“We’re here, so let’s not waste any time.”

“Understood!” He salutes me.

It’s obvious why he’s on edge. The army of Chaos suddenly appeared half an hour ago, teleporting close enough that they could attack at any moment.

The worst-case scenario would be to start the final battle with the enemy getting a surprise attack on our army. Everyone, me included, has been running around, desperately getting ready for battle.

Which is what makes the silence so unexpected.

“Shouldn’t they have attacked by now?” Prince Lyle asks the question that’s on everyone’s mind.

“I thought they would, too.” I give him my genuine thoughts. “But we’ll take whatever blessings we can get.”

The Gate we just came through is sectioned off from the rest of the warcamp, as is protocol when placing teleportation circles. The guards knew I’d be coming soon, but they probably didn’t expect such a large crowd.

And since they’re detecting mana presences as part of their normal duties now, they can feel exactly how strong we are. Forget S-Class adventurers, the people I brought with me are all essentially on the level of the one who was once known as the world’s strongest hero, Myra.

It’s no wonder the soldiers were slow to notice me and the girls when I’ve brought dozens of such people with me in a single teleportation.

After rushing to the main warcamp, only the relevant people step into the crowded command tent. Among the ones I brought, only Lumina and Lyle have any real reason for coming with me. The rest of them stay outside, save for Elise. She’s Lumina’s shadow, as always.

“Prince Rhys.” I motion to the crown prince who leads Orakio’s army. “Any movement from the enemy?”

The young royal with blue hair looks past his generals and commanders to meet my gaze. “None as of yet.”

“What about our men? Are they ready?”

“The lines are still forming, but we can meet their charge, if they decide to attack now.”

“If there haven’t been any last minute changes, then I’m going with the original plan.”

“Please do. We’re depending on your group to see us through the battle.”

By now, everyone in the command structure knows exactly what kind of strength I’ve brought with me. Dozens of people, far beyond what they considered the apex of power just a few weeks ago.

There are even more on the way, once King Edgar arrives. Compared to the rank and file soldiers on both sides of the battle, we’re basically untouchable.

The problem is that the enemy has their own batch of absurdly powerful warriors, the Archfiends. Normally, dealing with one is tough enough. But now that the army of Chaos is in my sights, I can finally confirm it.

Today, we’ll be fighting over a hundred Archfiends.

Even with all the grinding we did, it won’t be easy to beat that many high level enemies. And the longer the battle drags on, the worse it’ll get for us.

One of the most difficult aspects of fighting fiends is their near immunity to physical pain and exhaustion, as well as morale and mind altering effects. That includes the Archfiends, who will remain at full power until they exhaust every drop of their life and mana.

“We don’t have anything to worry about,” Lyle says, his youthful confidence on full display. “I can take care of those creatures now.”

“You’ve grown far stronger, Lyle.” Rhys, the eldest of the three royal siblings, doesn’t deny his younger brother’s tremendous growth. “But our opponent is not to be trifled with. They have their own champions to contest us.”

“Like I care about that.”

Lumina’s smile shows just how often she’s heard her two brothers have nearly this exact conversation. “I believe that in this circumstance, you can put a little more faith in Lyle.”

“Is that so?” Rhys’ opinion visibly changes after hearing his sister’s recommendation.

“Why do you only listen when she says it?” Lyle finds another excuse to stay grumpy.

Rhys gained nearly as many levels as Lyle, so he’s also one of the so-called champions for our side. But as the main general, he won’t be joining us on the front line.

That strategic thinking is how he’s able to look at his younger brother and correctly determine where he falls in terms of strength when compared to the other pieces on the war board. Lyle is definitely a talented mage, with great stat growth and a laser focus on getting stronger, making him even stronger than most others on his level.

Rhys has no doubt calculated Lyle’s position in the hierarchy of power, thinking that his younger brother is simply boasting, as he’s known to do. But this time, the young, arrogant prince has his own ace up his sleeve, one that only my most trusted companions know about.

Who’d have thought that the mouthy little princeling would end up becoming one of my strongest cards in the final battle.

Since there are too many things for me to take care of, I step back out of the command tent, both Lumina and Lyle trailing after me. A fourth person rushes up as we’re leaving, clearly wanting to go inside.

Now that I’ve spent enough time with so many Orakian soldiers, I can even pick out his role based on his outfit’s insignia.

Messenger? Could be important.

I hold the tent flap open for him. The messenger looks bewildered at having dozens of strange people from all four races standing just outside the main command center, but his legs carry him inside regardless.

“Urgent message, General!” The soldier takes a breath to compose his posture. “The fiends are moving their forces!”

“It’s time, then.” Rhys grabs the shield resting beside him. “To your posts. From here out, the battle has begun.”

We’re not the only ones exiting the tent now. Rhys and all of his remaining commanders each have their role on the field to play, even if not all of them will be fighting with the men.

I’m no different. I can only be in one position on the battlefield at a time, so I’m really just another piece on the war board, with the slight responsibility of having both the victory and defeat conditions resting on my shoulders.

However, unlike most pieces here, where I deploy is solely determined by a single factor. Wherever the Lord of Chaos appears, I will be there to meet him. It’s the only strategy that makes sense.

Looking around, I see men lined up in both directions for as far as I can see. Even though the command center is on a hill to give us a good vantage point, it’s still not enough to give full visibility of all the soldiers fighting here today.

Far on the western flank, too far for me to even make out any details on the ones in the hazy distance, is the national army of Belfast, led by King Kuro. Although their military forces are acting mostly independently of each other in terms of tactical decisions, we’re at least synchronizing our strategic plans so our forces roughly move as one.

It’s the best we could do on such short notice. There was no way we could have created a functioning command structure between two long-time rivals like Orakio and Belfast, especially considering the history of mistreatment between humans and beastkin. Even a Great War can’t heal all those wounds so quickly.

“Alisha and Belle, we’re leaving Belfast in your hands.”

“I’ll keep everyone safe, Master!”

“And while she’s doing that, I’ll blow the fiends up.”

Although it’d be great if we could all fight together, the battlefield is too big to concentrate so much of our fighting force into a single location. Instead, most of the girls will be leading their own parties to defend the entirety of the battle line.

Belfast’s army of beastkin warriors is far smaller than Orakio’s national army, so having them join us in the fight hasn’t doubled our forces. However, there’s a third monarch on the Eastern flank, leading his own kingdom’s army.

Vastela has been fighting the fiends for several years, ever since the borders of Chaos spread into their territory. Alongside Belfast and Orakio, the three kingdoms have held back the enemy ever since their arrival five years earlier.

Now, after failed campaigns and many broken negotiations between them, they finally stand united against their common foe.

“Laya and Tylith, the east is yours.”

“Mmm. Keep it safe.”

“And slaughter them all.”

Their responses couldn’t be more different, despite their intent being the same.

The battle plans haven’t changed much in several days, so everyone knows exactly where they’re going. They’ve already grouped up according to who their Party Leader is, and all they’re waiting on is the signal to dispatch and take up their positions for the upcoming battle.

Alisha and Belle are standing side by side, as they’re both going to the western front to help Belfast. But Belle is the only Party Leader between the two, with Alisha being a member of her group alongside Klaus, Wulf, and Agnis, the three of which are all beastkin from the same kingdom as Alisha.

Even though only one of my parties is going to join Belfast’s troops, I have closer relations with their kingdom than any other, besides Orakio itself. King Kuro is even one of my Party Leaders himself, with his own elite soldiers fighting under him. Specifically, Grand General Riona and the trio I beat up when taking down the Dragon Slayer guild–Boris, Krista, and Strider.

In total, there are two groups on the western front, more than enough to bolster their ranks.

The same is true for the eastern front, where Laya and Tylith will be stationed. Both of the girls will be bringing full parties with them to reinforce Vastela’s men with the overpowered people I’ve leveled and equipped during my time in this world.

Laya has Vastela’s king in her party, Matias. Since just being in my group gives people passive bonuses to their stats and resistances, giving the buff to the monarchs fighting here is clearly a good decision. If a king falls, their army’s morale could go with it.

Kymil, Galan, and Malene make up the rest of her party. Two elves we’ve powerleveled, and a former captain of the city guard. Malene lived in Flana her whole life, yet now she’s fighting a war within Orakio’s border where she’s being sent to help Vastela’s soldiers. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine herself moving between kingdoms’ borders and their national militaries so effortlessly.

Tylith is bringing the hotspring crew with her. Kalyn, Ina, Geralt, and Devin were seasoned adventurers before I met them, even if they were slaves at the time. Now that they’re all level 88 and equipped with some of my most powerful gear, they’ve become one of the strongest four-man fighting forces in the world.

Their roles are distinct, with each of them excelling at their own specialization, to some degree. It creates a well-balanced party, where there’s always someone to cover another person’s weaknesses.

The final sub-party belongs to Lumina. Elise is with her, which was a foregone conclusion long before I set the groups up. The other three slots belong to King Edgar, Prince Rhys, and Prince Lyle. It’s a very royal party.

Lumina is staying with Orakio’s soldiers, of course. Her dad probably wouldn’t let her go anywhere else, even if I asked. But I never planned on it, so it works out in everyone’s favor.

That just leaves the main party–mine. Since I have ten slots instead of five, I can fill it with a lot more variety. Distance doesn’t matter anymore, so the people in my group don’t even have to be here at the battle, which is the case for a few of them.

Julius is a no-brainer. He’s an amazing warrior, filled with the classic values that one might think of when imagining a true noble.

Cyl and Frei are with me, too. They’re in their human form right now, but that won’t be the case for long. I simply don’t want to deal with the confusion that might come along with two dragons walking around the back lines while the enemy is getting ready to charge us.

Boron, Hunter, and Adrian are all adventurers I picked up here and there. Since I spent the time and effort to grind them up, then of course I’m going to bring them to the final battle.

Finally, all the remaining monarchs are in my party, as well. King Akuma of Agrium, the beastkin country in the southeast. King Bramir of Eshia, the human country that borders the vampire lands. And King Gareth of Flana, the monarch who lost most of his country when the Northern Great Cathedral was taken over by the Lord of Chaos.

None of those three kings are here with us, nor are their armies. But I still need them in my party.

There are others out there that I’ve powerleveled and personally equipped. The royal guard, Cyan, is one example. But he’s protecting the king, so he won’t be fighting on the front lines unless Edgar himself charges in.

The crew from Silvia is here, too. Miri, Marquis Adel, Edwin, Karina, and Baldrick are all really strong on paper, but none of them are warriors. Miri is here because she demanded it, while most of the others are here to protect her.

Adel would have to come regardless, since he’s a high ranking noble with some of his own soldiers fighting here.

Finally, there’s Rin. She’s a bit of a special case, as she’s the primary guardian of the Immortal Being, Kiah. Neither of them are here, but they’ve both given me their blessings.

Others are out there, people I’ve leveled and equipped to varying degrees. King Edgar’s two bodyguards are much stronger than they used to be, as are a few other notable warriors in the Orakian Kingdom.

The armies gathered here don’t seem to have changed much in the past few months, but their battle strength is far higher than it was before. If they had this much power and cooperation at our disposal before today, the fiends wouldn’t have been able to conquer nearly as much land these last five years.

The problem is that the forces of Chaos have brought an absolutely massive army, filled with more high-class fiends than even I expected to see. Most of the rank and file don’t stand a chance against something like an Abyss Knight.

That’s what the girls are for.

“We all have our own personal reasons for being here. But in the end, each of us want the same thing–to protect this world from the mad god that’s trying to conquer it. All of you know what you need to do, so there’s nothing for me to say at this point, other than to thank you for being here with me.”

I look over the five sub-parties. “Now, let’s finish this battle so we can all enjoy the parties and celebrations that come after.”

With the final confrontation closing in, my companions take to the skies, each group heading to a different destination on the battlefield.