“Here we go—Magic Dragon Rakshasa, deploying!”
Diera made her declaration at the top of her lungs.
She pulled her head back inside the hatch and gunned the engine. The modified tank lurched forward, accelerating to a ferocious speed as it closed in on the Technomagic Army.
“We’re moving too!”
From a short distance away, Henry issued his command while hoisting his bow high.
He likely intended to capitalize on the chaos Diera’s breakthrough would cause. She intruded upon the battlefield in this manner so frequently that Henry seemed perfectly accustomed to working around her.
Upon receiving the order, the Demon King’s Army began its advance in unison. The Tank Unit served as the vanguard, while the Gun Unit followed behind with movements so efficient they were indistinguishable from a training exercise. Even amidst the sweltering heat of the battlefield, they remained orderly, functioning as a single, massive slaughter weapon.
Henry, our commander for this operation, had taken up a position atop one of the tanks. He knelt on the roof, drawing his bow with a sense of stability that remained completely unaffected by the vehicle’s swaying.
Having sighted his target, Henry released his shot.
Faced with that single, precise arrow, the Technomagic Army immediately scrambled to construct defense magic. However, Henry’s arrow pierced through their barriers with ease and exploded in the very heart of their ranks.
The roar of destruction was so immense it was hard to believe it hadn't been caused by large-scale magic. Fresh blood splattered, and soldiers were reduced to mere heaps of flesh. Mangled corpses were strewn along the arrow's path.
The soldiers of the Technomagic Army were visibly paralyzed by the result of that lone projectile. Their morale plummeted. I could understand their plight. To be struck by an arrow of such devastating power from a distance where even magic could not reach was a nightmare. Worse, the attack was as malicious as it was effective—nearly impossible to defend against and difficult to evade. If I were in their position, I would certainly have a complaint or two for the heavens.
Henry fired another shot. This time, the arrow was aimed squarely at the Steel Knight.
I had instructed him not to kill the man so that we could interrogate him later, but perhaps the excitement of battle had caused him to forget.
(It would be quite a problem if he died here...)
As it turned out, my concerns were unnecessary.
The Steel Knight swung his halberd in a silver flash. The parried arrow whistled past him, missing his side by a hair’s breadth. It struck a vacant patch of earth far to the rear, gouging a deep crater into the ground.
The Steel Knight remained unscathed.
(As expected of a Modern-day Hero.)
I was honestly impressed. Deflecting one of Henry’s shots through sheer physical prowess was no human feat. That halberd was undoubtedly an exceptional magic weapon, but the defense I had just witnessed was born of the wielder’s own mastery. Had he relied solely on the quality of his equipment, he surely would have been shot dead in an instant.
“Nice! Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Henry roared with delight.
Far from being frustrated, he welcomed the appearance of a worthy rival. It was a reaction typical of him.
“I shall show you a true spectacle as well!”
Shortly after Henry’s shot, Diera’s modified tank joined the fray. Artillery shells and beams were fired in alternating cycles at the Technomagic Army. Defensive magic was deployed once more, but again, it was effortlessly punctured.
Explosions erupted one after another. The Technomagic Army’s position was rapidly vanishing behind a curtain of black smoke. According to my sensing magic, lives were being snuffed out in rapid succession. Faced with such overwhelming firepower, the enemy ranks had devolved into a hellish clamor of screams and agony. To call the damage "immense" would have been an understatement.
The surviving soldiers turned their guns on the modified tank once it came within range. Bullets peppered the armor, but they were deflected in showers of sparks. The mixture of scales and carapace that formed the outer plating had been generated by Diera’s own unique abilities. Since it was the protection she favored when fighting in earnest, there was no way it would be fragile. It boasted defensive capabilities that far outclassed any conventional tank.
“Kuhahahaha! How pathetic! Can no one here offer me proper amusement?!”
Diera fired her cannons in rapid succession, each blast carving further losses out of the Technomagic Army. The tide of battle had been decided; it was no longer a fight, but a one-sided slaughter.
The main force of the Demon King’s Army halted its advance a short distance away. From that position, they began a long-range bombardment with guns and magic. It seemed they had decided to use Diera as a decoy while they picked off the enemy from a safe zone. It was a sound, conservative tactic that prioritized minimizing our own casualties.
(Perhaps there will be no need for me to step in at all.)
I watched the carnage unfold with that thought in mind. I had wanted to test this golem’s performance, but that could wait for another time. It would be boorish of me to intervene and rob my subordinates of their glory—and I was certain Diera and Henry would have plenty to say if I did.
At that moment, a horse burst through the black smoke.
It was the Steel Knight. He galloped forward at the head of a small group of cavalrymen, closing the distance to the modified tank.
(Alive, as I suspected.)
The modified tank adjusted its aim and fired. The horse the Steel Knight rode veered sharply, responding perfectly to the subtle shifts in its rider’s center of gravity. An artillery shell caught one of the following riders behind him, blowing the man and horse to smithereens.
Despite the loss, the Steel Knight and his remaining men continued their charge without decelerating.
“Reckless, but a bold move! You have earned my praise!”
Diera’s voice rang out with glee as the modified tank unleashed a barrage of beams. One by one, the cavalrymen were cut down. Those who failed to evade had their upper bodies erased in an instant.
Amidst the carnage, the Steel Knight alone survived. He evaded with masterful horsemanship, occasionally using his halberd to parry the incoming fire. He was using the very deaths of his subordinates as a shield to propel himself forward. It was a display of terrifying skill and cold-blooded obsession. He understood the most efficient path to his goal and possessed the resolve to see it through, no matter the cost.
Finally, the Steel Knight reached the modified tank’s prow.
The tank’s automated guns engaged, unleashing an omnidirectional fire intended for close-quarters defense. It was a hail of lead that could not be avoided by simply dodging left or right.
In response, the Steel Knight used his saddle as a springboard and leaped into the air. Leaving his horse to be riddled with bullets, he launched himself toward the roof of the tank. Landing atop the vehicle, he sprinted forward while swinging his halberd.
The armor of scales and carapace was sliced open with startling ease. The internal metal plating was exposed, and a sudden fluctuation in the flow of magic power suggested that the internal mechanisms had been hit. Sparks began to erupt from the rent in the armor.
Leaping down from the top of the tank, the Steel Knight slammed his halberd into its side. Using the weapon as a lever, he hoisted the massive vehicle into the air and hurled it aside with terrifying centrifugal force.
“Wh-Wh-What is this madness?!” Diera’s voice was a shrill mix of shock and confusion.
The modified tank tumbled across the ground, spinning violently before an internal explosion tore through it. It began to burn, the air filling with the sound of secondary detonations.
The Steel Knight glanced at the halberd in his hands. The tip was slightly warped, likely a result of the immense strain of throwing the tank. He gripped the distorted section and forced it back into place with his bare hands. After a few practice swings to ensure the balance had returned, he began to walk toward the main body of the Demon King’s Army with a steady, determined stride.