(Yukito side)
I, together with the unit I was leading, was already in the position we were supposed to be in.
From here, we could see the enemy forces moving toward the barrier.
Of course, we would remain hidden until all of the enemy troops were no longer visible to us.
When that moment came, we would all move out at once and surround the enemy— a simple tactic that they likely would not expect.
Oh, it seems their troops are about to pass our position. Is this the right moment to move out?
Just as I was about to stand up to take a closer look, someone behind me stopped me.
"Wait a moment, Yuusha. I can sense that there's still something else coming," that person said.
If an elf says something like that, it means they truly sensed something.
I couldn't act rashly and had to wait a little longer before moving o—
Just as the elf said, something else really did come after the enemy troops had passed.
I was certain that it wasn't a monster, but a demon. I could feel it from the strong aura spreading around it.
He was wearing dark clothing, with many weapons such as swords surrounding him.
His body looked human, but he had two horns on his head. That meant he was indeed a demon.
Despite his human-like body… I could feel the power within him. Was he the leader of that force?
If that was the case, then our unit had to defeat him from behind so he wouldn't be able to join the battle near the barrier.
I turned to everyone behind me and gave them a few signals, indicating that once I moved out, they were to follow me.
They all nodded quietly, waiting for my command.
Alright, let's begin!
I stood up and began moving out from behind the trees, followed by everyone behind me.
Once we were all on the main road leading to Riruyo, we could see the enemy forces only a few hundred meters away.
The demon we had seen earlier was also at the very back. That meant he was an important figure within the Abyss forces.
"EVERYONE, ATTACK!!!"
I deliberately shouted so that the others would do the same.
Of course, our voices made the enemy aware of our presence behind them.
They all immediately turned to look at us, and the monsters quickly turned their bodies around.
That demon also looked at us. I think he had already been provoked by that shout.
I drew my sword and raised it high before running straight toward them all.
The first enemy I would hold back was, without a doubt, that demon!
When I tried to slash at his body, he immediately deflected my attack with the sword he was holding.
The sound of our swords clashing caused my adrenaline to surge instantly.
This time, I would only use my own abilities, without relying on any potions like before.
I was sure this would be a valuable experience for me, because… I had absolutely no intention of losing to him!
As the demon blocked me, he immediately glanced toward my comrades who were already charging at the monsters.
He wanted to go after them, but of course, I wouldn't allow that.
"Oi, oi, your opponent is me, you know!" I said.
He frowned slightly. I think he was about to take me more seriously.
I stepped back a few paces to prepare for another attack, and he did the same.
"Human, who are you to try and hold me back here? Are you the hero?" the demon asked, not immediately counterattacking.
Right, demons can speak just like humans. I almost forgot about that.
I lowered my sword to show him that I wasn't going to ignore his words.
"No, I'm the hero's companion. But I can say that they entrusted this task to me," I replied.
He looked slightly surprised by my answer, falling silent for a moment before asking another question.
"I can tell that with your own abilities alone, you will lose to me. Are you still confident you want to fight me here?"
"If you wish, I can forget what you just tried to do to me and let you live," the demon said.
What is this? I never knew demons could think so logically. I thought they could only speak like humans.
But it turns out they're almost as intelligent and cunning as humans themselves, huh? This is new information for me.
"What are you talking about? You're telling me to retreat—do you really think that battered sword of yours can stop me?"
"Or maybe you got scared the moment you blocked my first attack? If you're scared, I wouldn't mind letting you run away, you know~" I replied.
I deliberately tried to provoke his anger so my comrades could wipe out all the monsters ahead of them.
A bit of sweat began to form on the side of my face. Of course, I was slightly panicking after saying such a threat.
The demon stared at me with a sharp, irritated gaze, clearly angered by being belittled.
"What did you just say?" he said.
I felt an unpleasant sensation, forcing me to stay on full alert.
"Let me show you what true swordsmanship means," he said again.
Just one second after he said that, he was suddenly right in front of me.
It was as if he had teleported—or perhaps he moved so fast that I couldn't even perceive it.
The sharp look in his eyes showed just how serious he was about this duel. I couldn't afford to anger him any further.
His sword looked incredibly sharp, as if it was eager to draw blood from my body.
This demon… is far stronger than I expected. Damn it, can I even dodge this attack—
Slash!
He swung his sword at me. Luckily, I still had enough reflexes to evade it, maybe—
I immediately jumped back several steps to create some distance. He didn't attack again right away, instead focusing on my reaction.
He's… looking at my arm? What's going on—
The upper part of my left arm had been slightly cut by his sword. After a few seconds, blood began to flow.
My eyes widened. I didn't expect that attack to be so fast that even though I thought I had avoided it, his blade still managed to graze me.
I immediately used my right hand to cover the wound, hoping to slow the bleeding.
I looked at the demon once again. There was no way I could escape from him now.
"You think just because my arm got slightly cut I can't use my sword anymore, huh?" I said.
Of course not, you idiot! Why didn't I just tell him the truth!
I couldn't move my left arm anymore, even though it was just a small cut. Still, my arm wouldn't respond.
There was no other choice—I could only use the sword in my right hand.
This was harder than I imagined. How was I supposed to defeat a demon stronger than me with just one hand?!
"When dueling someone, you let your guard down far too often, don't you?!" the demon said as he swiftly moved toward me again.
Ah, there was no option to run anymore. At the very least, if I could make it back alive, I would consider that a victory.
——
While Yukito was holding off the powerful demon, the members of his unit broke straight into the monster ranks.
Naturally, with their vastly superior ability to think and coordinate, the elves managed to defeat the monsters through excellent teamwork.
The monsters began to grow confused about what actions to take next.
But at the very least, they succeeded in holding back nearly half of the enemy forces due to the assault from Yukito's unit.
This greatly reduced the number of troops that would reach the barrier.
——
(Luke side)
"Everyone, let's go help them!!" I shouted loudly, signaling my unit to move and follow my lead.
We all burst out of our hiding place and entered the main road, where Yukito's unit had already launched their attack.
From this distance, I could see two sword users clashing, and I was pretty sure I knew who one of them was.
I immediately sprinted toward them with the others behind me.
Just wait—this reinforcement I'm bringing won't disappoint you. Yukito, wait for me.