NOVEL NEXT 74 – Can a fox interrupt a war?
“Everyone head towards the eastern walls!! It’s War!! It’s War!!”
"They’re here!"
"Uuu……They’re here!?"
Other voices trembling from the enemy attack were also raised here and there. Even the forefront soldiers who had repeatedly gone through harsh training found it difficult to maintain their presence of mind after seeing the majestic appearance of the Demon King army.
This was Nixos City. The very northern city under the rule of the Demon King of Heart. And right now, the siege for this city was about to begin. As the army of the Demon King of Madness Kartuja began its march to claim the city.
The Nixos army was gathered towards the gate preparing for the worst. Because the march of the Madness army was slow, the Nixos army had time to prepare, which was crucial for them since they were outnumbered. Iris could not afford to send backup troops at this point in time.
The smell of beasts and blood came wafting about even from afar. It was as if that were the materialization of the people’s fear. The alarm bell that indicated an enemy attack was rung.
Several Demonic Beings gathered in one spot apparently preparing some sort of spell. But it was no ordinary spell as it seems all the magical energy they were gathering was condensed into a standard military cannon. Dense magical power came gushing out.
Normally it would be impossible for a normal cannon to contain this much demonic energy without breaking, however the barrel was enchanted with various runes so that it would last for one strike. And one strike was all that was needed.
"Great Demon King Cannon, FIREEEE!"
At those words, magical power jetted out.
The magical power turned into a glint, brightened the surroundings as if the sun had fallen there, and was dazzling……
A light bright enough to burn the eyeballs of those that looked at it was fired.
The light turned into heat. And when then blast reached the city…
"This is bad! Take coverー!! Take coverー!!"
The entire fortified wall was blown to bits alongside the foremost of the Nixos Army.
Headed towards the collapsed west gate, several Demonic Beings and Demonic Beasts came running.
"Hiーgyaーhaー!!"
“Stand strong men! We can’t let savage beings like those make fools out of us! Even if it costs us our lives, we can’t let someone like them take over our lands! Fight for your loved ones. Fight for our lady! Fight for the true King!”
Chaos unleashed. Both forces clashed. Screams and the sound of metal enveloped the city. The Nixos army tried its best to not let the Madness army advance. The battle continued for roughly half and hour. The Demonic Beings that were coming towards the gate stopped. They became quiet.
“Oh God… please have mercy on us…”
A hideous deformity emerged on the battlefield. A large creature with purple skin emerged. An ogre type mazoku with vicious fangs and sharp claws and two very large horns emerging from the back of his head. If anything, rather than a Demon King, he resembles the reaper that Edelweiss defeated in Almus village. Yet this creature was the Demon King of Madness Kartuja.
“There’s no way… we can win against that…”
An overwhelming aura made the Nixos army lose all its strength. It was like staring death in the face. For them, they could not imagine that they could make an attack that would damage Kartuja. This could not be called a “fight”……
"Listen well, army of Nixos. You are all mere insects. In front of the great Demon King, you shall be squashed.”
A flying mazoku from the Madness army amplified his voice with magic and acted like a messenger.
"He is overwhelming. Such power is meant to stand at the top of the demon race altogether. Our victory is assured. Lay down your weapons, and your lives shall be spared. Tis pointless to oppose the Great Demon King-sama!! There is none in this land than can injure our lord and…!!”
However, just as he was making this announcement, a peculiar being jumped from the back of the army. It was a woman. But she wasn’t wearing armor. She was a woman with long blue hair wrapped in a ponytail, a pair of glasses covering her amber eyes, a pair of demon horns and she was wearing a black tuxedo with white gloves. No matter how you look at her you can only describe her as a female butler. She stepped right in front of the Demon King.
“Pardon me, but might I have this dance?” (???)
With those words said… The Great Demon King Kartuja was flashily blown away.
The Madness army witnessing that all raised their voices almost simultaneously:
""Whaaaaaa!?""
------
~A few moments earlier~
“Ugh… just what kind of monster are you?” (Scylla)
The woman that Iris assigned to lead me to the northern city, Scylla, was heavily panting. If I were to describe her with one word, that word would be ‘ninja’. A petite female with short green hair completely dressed in a traditional attire of the kunoichi.
“Hey, you’re the one that tried leaving me in the dust. It’s only fair that I push you around the same way. You’re lucky I need you. Your speed is indeed impressive. Almost on par with mine. But your stamina is lacking. You need to train more.”
“Just what type of training allows one to run constantly for 2 straight days without a break?”
Shamoa’s training, but let’s leave that aside for now.
“I carried you in the end, so don’t complain. Anyway, is that the city over there?”
“Indeed it is. And judging by the flames… we’re too late. The siege has already begun.”
For a few minutes we analyzed the scenes that was unfolding before us.
“Hey, which one is the Demon King?”
“That would be… the one that just stepped down from that pedestal.”
“That lump of meat? Seriously? It looks more like a beast. Well, nobody is going to miss an ugly bastard like that.”
I reached for my pouch to pick up a potion. One of those shape shifting ones.
“Huh? What are you doing?” (Scylla)
“Well I need to drink this before I head down there.”
“Are you crazy? You need to gather your strength from that marathon, first.”
“Maybe you’re in no shape to fight, but don’t lump me in together with you.”
“No, no. Even more than that, the Madness army outnumbers our forces. You’re going to die!”
“Will you shut up already? I’ll be fine. Once I take out their leader all their morale will vanish and most likely will make a run for it. Stop being such a scaredy cat.”
And with that, I took big gulps of the potion. My body started to glow and it only took a few seconds for it to kick in.
“So this is the look I gotta work with? I guess it will do. At least the clothes changed as well.”
“Once again, this is a very bad idea! Please listen to reason!”
“Scylla, if you don’t shut up I’ll knock you out. In more ways than one. Just sit there and enjoy the show. It’s going to be one to remember. Here goes the super secret agent-butler, making her debut!”
That being said, I left Scylla behind and made a dash towards the city. Let’s get this show on the road. The sooner I get rid of this guy, the sooner I can relax. I’m fed up with cleaning up after everyone I meet. When can I finally have some me time?