"Alright, let's move!" I said, raising my voice slightly to boost their morale.
—
Group Two and I moved separately from Group One, since they were already in their respective positions.
They hid behind bushes and trees not far from the front edge of the forest.
I had already reminded Fork not to forget the flare, and we left them without even the slightest worry.
Now it was time for my group and Group Two to split up. I had to take the path to the left so I could pass along the riverbank.
I approached Vonky and told him that Group Three and I would be taking a different route to carry out the plan we had made earlier.
"I see, alright. Good luck, Luke-san. I'll light the flare later when we attack," he said.
"Yeah, I'm counting on you, Vonky. And don't get yourself caught. You're one of the important people here," I replied.
"Enough already, just go. I'll light the flare with full enthusiasm, because victory is in our hands," he said again.
I let out a soft sigh and then nodded to Vonky.
——
Luke and Group Three took a detour through dense trees, before finally seeing a river lying on land far below.
They descended slowly until they successfully reached the riverbank.
Luke continued to stare at his status screen, making sure they stayed on the correct route so they could reach the high ground and attack Abbys from behind.
Not long after that, they finally arrived directly in line with the magic circle, and now all they had left to do was climb up from the riverbank and prepare themselves.
——
"I'll go up first. Follow me and don't make any noise," I said to the members of my group.
They nodded and climbed up after I managed to get up first.
Drag, drag.
We moved among bushes and trees without making any noise, while staying close together to make sure no one was left behind.
After a few meters, I stopped and signaled them to halt with a hand gesture.
We immediately crouched down so the monsters wouldn't realize we were here, while we observed them.
I peeked through the bushes in front of me and saw a group of monsters already preparing to attack.
They were lined up quite neatly like a proper army. Most of them were orcs, but they were fairly large in size.
I could also see one monster whose physical form was almost human-like, but with dark red skin and armor layered over its body.
Most likely, he was someone from Abbys who had created the magic circle.
My other comrades also peeked through the bushes to observe the situation in front of us.
Then someone spoke to me in a low voice so we wouldn't be noticed.
"Luke-san, what should we do?" that person asked.
"For now, we just wait for the flare from Group Two. Once that happens, we grab our weapons and start the assault," I said.
"For now, tell the others to prepare by holding their swords or spears. And have the mages ready some spells if they're carrying staffs," I continued.
He nodded in understanding and moved to inform the others, while I stayed in place to keep watching Abbys and its forces.
——
Boom.
I was startled by the sound of the explosion and looked up. The flare had been lit at a position not far from where we were.
The monsters began to move, heading toward the direction where the flare had just been launched.
Huh… this is the moment to bring the plan I created to its conclusion.
"Now's the time!!!" I shouted.
I immediately stood up and rushed down from the high ground, with my comrades following behind me.
The monsters were shocked by our sudden ambush and couldn't do anything except be attacked.
I used the not-too-long sword I had brought with me and began stabbing the monsters in front of me.
The sounds of clashing blades and magical explosions echoed everywhere, filling my eardrums.
I kept swinging my sword to cut them down, until it was covered in purple blood, the distinct trait of Abbys monsters.
Their formation was finally split apart, and the forces at the rear were held back by our group, with their attention fully focused on dealing with us.
Meanwhile, the Abbys forces that had already moved ahead to attack Group Two couldn't return anywhere.
After some time of intense chaos and bloodshed everywhere, I could see the monsters' bodies gradually growing weaker than before.
That meant the magic circle had been destroyed by Vonky, and the plan had succeeded.
"Luke-san, now's the time to corner them!" someone said.
"No, this is the time to finish them off. Everyone, keep attacking and wipe them out!!!" I shouted.
——
(Yukito side)
Huh… I wonder how the three of them are doing. But more importantly, I need to focus on the battle here.
I never expected Layyer-san, the commander of the city's soldiers, to ask me to lead the troops alongside him.
What surprised me a little about this battle was that among the troops I was leading were hundreds of soldiers who actually came from Danvis.
That meant Danvis had also sent its military strength to help us hold back this Abbys invasion.
I looked back and up at the sky above the city and saw red smoke, probably a flare being used as a signal.
Judging from where it was launched, it should be coming from the middle of the forest, where Luke was.
If it's Luke, I'm sure he'll be fine. Still… I'm curious about how he fights.
Ah right, before leaving the gate, I drank the enhancement potion I bought earlier, and it seemed to be effective.
My body felt lighter yet stronger, and my mind felt clearer too. That means it's working, right?
"Oi, Yukito, what's wrong with you?" Layyer-san asked when he saw me spacing out.
"It's nothing. So, what's the plan, Layyer-san?" I asked back.
"Since our enemies are monsters, we'll just charge straight at them. And just in case, I'll station some people here, in case any monsters manage to slip through and try to get inside," he replied.
"What guarantees that we'll win?" I asked.
A direct charge… I don't know. Is it because the enemies are just monsters that they're assumed to be easy to defeat?
"Don't worry. With the additional troops from the neighboring city, our forces are stronger than ever," he said.
"I already asked them, and apparently Danvis is also being attacked by monsters trying to enter through their city gate."
"Well, that's probably why they were sent here. Since this gate connects the two cities, they should feel responsible too," he continued.
He patted my back quite hard, his hand feeling too strong for me.
"You're a member of the hero's party, right? I'm counting on you. But are you really sure you don't need a horse? I can lend you one," he said.
"N-no need. I prefer running over riding a horse, so you should ride it instead, Layyer-san," I replied.
Well, the real reason is that I can't ride a horse. It's different from pulling one with a carriage—I can do that just fine.
"Oh, they're getting closer. Alright, I'll fire everyone up first," he said as he moved a bit away from me and stood in front of us all.
"Listen up! Our enemies are nothing but monsters, and as long as we attack them together, they'll surely fall before us!"
"Don't worry either, because we have a member of the hero's party here, so our strength is even greater!"
Layyer-san drew his sword and faced the monsters with his horse beneath him.
He raised his sword straight up, then swung it down and stopped when it pointed straight forward.
"ATTACK!!!" he shouted.
He pulled the reins, making the horse rear up briefly before charging toward the monsters.
I and the soldiers, along with the guild adventurers, ran after Layyer-san.
Our hands tightly gripped the swords that would soon strike down the monsters.
The mages on top of the walls also cast their spells, causing explosions in the middle of the monster ranks.
If they can cast magic from that far away, maybe their abilities are on par with Hime and Yuu-chan, right?
Seeing us charge toward them, the monsters did the same, and soon we were exchanging blows.
Shouts echoed everywhere, dust filled the air, blood soaked the ground, sweat poured down, and the horses began to run wild.
Monsters like orcs, cyclopes, and other races whose names I didn't know attacked us.