“So why have you come?! Why have you led these subhumans here?!”
“I came because I want to turn this country into hell. I’d like to make this place a fun sort of nation where shrieks, curses, and wails echo without end. But when millions of humans are involved, I can’t take the time to toy with each of you individually. That’s why I brought the others. They will lower you human weaklings into the swamp of despair up to your necks, drawing out sobs of grief and supplication on my behalf.” He sounded so amused.
This was the moment Pabel learned the meaning of evil. When the ordained clergy shouted about “the evil subhumans,” it was mere propaganda meant to raise morale. Absolute nonsense. Broadly speaking, the usual subhuman attacks were about the utterly natural business of obtaining feeding grounds.
A primal fear assailed Pabel, making his skin crawl. But at the same time, he was fiercely determined.
This country was the home of his wife and daughter. How could he let this demon enter the Sacred Kingdom?
The hand gripping his bow tensed.
If Jaldabaoth or whatever his name intended to threaten them, he’d made a big mistake. Humans weren’t cowardly. This demon would learn how foolish it was to underestimate them once they mounted a formidable counterattack.
The soldiers on this wall would defend the Sacred Kingdom with iron resolve. Even if it appeared to have rusted in recent years, their devotion to their homeland remained strong.
“You think we would allow that?! Hear me clearly, foolish Jaldabaoth!” the general roared.
Yes, he really roared.
“This is the Sacred Kingdom’s first line of defense! And its last! We won’t let you trample the peace of our people!”
Primed by his shouts, the nearby soldiers raised a battle cry. “Rrrraaaaagh!” That was the moment their morale blazed brightest. If Pabel hadn’t been concealed, he would have screamed with them. His subordinates, shivering slightly, must have felt the same.
But a mocking applause dampened their mood. After clapping, the demon spoke. “So you’re the dogs guarding the cradle? How delightful. It’s very important to have something to protect. I think I’ve taken a liking to you fellows. Any prisoners we take here will be given my finest welcome.” He laughed as he spoke, sounding truly pleased.
Jaldabaoth wasn’t talking very loud. So from where Pabel was standing, he shouldn’t really have been able to make out every word. But strangely, he could hear them all quite clearly. It sounded like the demon stood right behind them.
Nothing to worry about. It’s probably magic.
There were spells and enchanted items that could magnify voices. There was a good chance the demon was using something like that. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was creeping up on him.
“I won’t accept surrender. Please do your best to entertain me. Now then, let’s begin.”
Pabel gave his men the order to shoot to kill.
He didn’t wait for a signal from the general. He was authorized to act on his own discretion. When aiming for the enemy leader, that’s how it had to be. If they had to wait for permission from a superior, they would miss their chance.
Pabel stood.
His subordinates followed.
They only had a moment to aim. To Pabel, fifty yards was point-blank range. He drew his bowstring with the intent to kill without hesitation—and felt his eyes meet Jaldabaoth’s behind his mask.
I’m not giving you time to flee or defend. You’ll regret being arrogant enough to come to the front line alone!
“Loose!”
At the sound of Pabel’s voice, fifty-one arrows flew.
Enchanted missiles launched from enchanted bows.
Fire arrows trailed red; ice arrows, blue; lightning arrows, yellow; acid arrows, green, Pabel’s holy arrows, white—all racing across the void.
Having been loosed from strings drawn to their limits, they flew in straight paths, none of them arcing. All stuck their target, Jaldabaoth, without fail.
Pabel’s shot was particularly powerful. Boosted with arts and skills, its destructive energy matched that of an overhead blow delivered by a heavy warrior. Even a man in full plate armor should have gone sprawling.
But Jaldabaoth endured all fifty-one arrows without so much as flinching.
Then something happened that made Pabel doubt his eyes.
The arrows that should have pierced his body all fell to the ground.
What?! Some defensive ability against projectiles?!
As he prepped his second arrow, he frantically tried to figure out how Jaldabaoth managed to defeat the attack.
Some monsters had abilities that made them immune from certain attacks. For example, lycanthropes could hardly be hurt at all unless the weapon was made of silver.
So perhaps Jaldabaoth had a similar ability. In that case, what sort of attack would pierce his defenses?
The arrow Pabel had just shot was made of iron and imbued with holy energy, which was effective against evil monsters. A demon should never have been able to fully protect itself from that, but the irrefutable truth was that he had nullified it. Finding the path to victory now depended on trying different sorts of arrows to gather information and rip off the veil to uncover Jaldabaoth’s weakness.
The next arrow Pabel nocked was silver. It was also blessed with holy power.
“Very good. Allow me to make my first move as well. It’s not a very exciting present, but I’d be happy if you’d accept. Tier-ten magic: Meteorfall.”
Pabel sensed something coming from overhead at a speed that was impossible to evade. When he looked up, he saw a ball of light.
A giant red-hot boulder—but even bigger.
As the light enveloped his entire field of vision, he saw, for a moment in the blinding brilliance, his wife and daughter.
He knew it was a hallucination. His daughter was old enough to choose her path in life, but he saw her small, held tightly in his young wife’s arms.
No, if I don’t say she’s still young even now, she’ll ki—
•
The meteor that fell on the wall through the tear in the sky caused a massive explosion. The thunderous sound was enough to echo in the pit of every
