In this battle, quite a large number of casualties fell, and almost all of them came from the soldiers sent by each leader.
At the main gate, where Hime, Yuu-chan, and the other adventurers were stationed, they successfully defeated the monsters that tried to enter the city.
Most unexpectedly, there was a monster with an extremely large and tall body, making it certain that anyone who was stepped on would not survive.
It took repeated magic attacks and volleys of arrows to finally defeat that monster.
Aside from that, there were various kinds of monsters with different types of attacks, causing their forces to be slightly overwhelmed before they were eventually able to regain control of the situation.
Thanks to Yuu's Enchant magic, he managed to minimize the number of casualties.
The protective and enhancement effects he granted to the entire force allowed them to fight longer and stronger.
The same went for Hime, who at one point used one of her large-scale explosion spells, shocking everyone who was fighting the monsters into silence as they witnessed the sheer size of the blast.
After nearly all of the monsters had been defeated, a few managed to escape because the other monsters blocked the pursuit of those fleeing.
However, their force commander stopped them, as he felt that victory was already in their hands.
Hime and Yuu also received congratulations and words of gratitude from the people around them.
Because of the spells the two of them used, their forces were able to achieve the victory they desired.
—
In the forest within the city, thanks to Luke's well-crafted plan and the knowledge he had previously gained, their forces successfully defeated the monsters in the forest.
After the magic circle was destroyed by Vonky, the monsters seemed to lose their power and were eventually easily defeated by Luke and the others.
The monsters that grew desperate after fighting Vonky's group attempted to flee in all directions in order to survive, but they were intercepted by Fork's group.
Likewise, the monsters that tried to escape toward the rear instead ran into Luke's group, signaling that there was no escape left for them.
One of the monsters, which had a humanoid form, was secured by Luke, as it could speak like a normal human.
Luke detained the monster in order to interrogate it and learn more about this Abbys invasion.
They eventually gathered outside the forest with cheerful expressions, having successfully eliminated the impending threat.
Luke was immediately embraced by several people, as they knew they would not have been able to achieve victory without his plan.
—
Meanwhile, at the gate connecting the two cities, Layyer and Yukito's forces successfully wiped out the monsters and ensured that not a single one escaped.
Layyer fought with overwhelming ferocity, and Yukito proved that the enhancement potion he drank was indeed effective.
Unfortunately, nearly half of their forces were killed because there were monsters that, unexpectedly, could use magic.
The soldiers, unprepared for that possibility, were unable to do anything and allowed their bodies to be struck by magical attacks.
Despite the large number of casualties, they still achieved victory, and that meant they succeeded.
Although there were names of people who could not return to their homes, they were true heroes for the cities they defended.
The citizens were protected through the sacrifice of their lives, all for the sake of everyone's future.
The blazing sun signaled that it would soon turn to afternoon.
That sunlight appeared like a sign to everyone in Vannis and Danvis that they had succeeded in preventing Abbys from taking over their cities.
And there was only one question that arose after the battle ended—why wasn't Abbys acting recklessly?
They seemed like mindless monsters that could only attack anyone in front of them.
Yet Abbys itself, in addition to monsters, also possessed demons whose abilities were several times greater than those of monsters.
However, only dozens of demons were seen during the battles at these three locations, and they were the monsters that had humanoid forms.
Those demons had a crucial difference compared to monsters: intelligence.
Indeed, there were monsters that could speak like humans, but they lacked the intellect to think for themselves.
Everything they said was baseless, and they only wanted to kill and keep killing.
Demons, on the other hand, could act like humans, or even surpass them, trapping humans within the schemes they devised.
——
(Yukito side)
"Hah… My arm hurts this much, but because of that enhancer, I ended up going overboard…" I muttered while leaning against the fortress wall.
Our forces did not immediately return, instead taking a short rest around the gate while waiting for further orders.
"Good work, Yukito. Your swordsmanship is quite impressive," Layyer-san said as he approached and stood beside me while I leaned there.
"Look at them. These people fought against monsters, and some of them will never return home because they died. Yet they are not afraid to take part in battles like this again," he said.
"That's only natural… Most people who go to war already know the risks of what they're doing," I replied.
"Alright, get ready. It looks like we'll be gathering in front of the royal palace. The subordinate I sent to Marcen-sama earlier has returned," he said as he walked toward the person he mentioned.
After a brief discussion, we were all ordered to line up again and head toward the palace.
Apparently, Marcen-sama wanted to offer his congratulations for our efforts in stopping Abbys's invasion of the city.
When we arrived, I was shocked by the vast open space beyond the palace gate.
This city's palace was perhaps only half the size of Necvalion's palace—well, I might know the reason why.
Even so, although the building itself looked rather small, the grounds and courtyard were extremely spacious.
I saw two other forces, larger in number than ours, already lined up and having arrived earlier.
Ah, they must be the forces that guarded the forest and the main gate—that means they succeeded as well.
Hmm… unfortunately, I couldn't see anyone from my party. Well, they were probably somewhere in the middle or at the front.
——
After we all lined up, our gazes immediately turned to the balcony on the second floor of the palace.
A young man, perhaps only a few years older than me, stepped out. His hair was white with a hint of gray, and his blue eyes looked down at us.
Beside him stood a woman with long white hair tinged slightly with gray, her face incredibly beautiful and pure.
Her light blue eyes and long eyelashes suited her eye color perfectly.
Behind the two of them stood the Guildmaster—geh, that meant they were—
Wait a second… I feel like I've met that man before. Where was it?
"Everyone, I am Marcen Ced Vannis, the ruler of this city. I have witnessed your struggles today, and I wish to congratulate you all!" he said.
"Many of our comrades have fallen, but they have become heroes of this city. To honor them, we have the right to rejoice in the victory we have achieved today!!" he continued.
He turned to the woman beside him, and she stepped forward, seemingly taking her turn to speak.
"I am Anggie Lux Vannis, Marcen-sama's fiancée. I am pleased to invite everyone present here to attend the banquet tonight at the palace!" she said.
At those words, the people around me immediately erupted into cheers, as if that was exactly what they needed.
They shouted with joy and excitement.
The three of them returned inside the palace after delivering their congratulations, and the forces gathered in the courtyard began to break formation.
Well, we all immediately regrouped with other forces, whether with acquaintances or friends.
Everyone chatted and laughed together after fighting the monsters.
Oh right, I need to find Hime, Yuu-chan, and Luke. Yosh, I'll go look for them!