I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

204 – Baal (1)

Maybe it was Napoleon.

My memories of the modern era have already faded considerably, but there was one saying that I remember.

– A great army has no need for military strategy.

Just because there are more of them doesn’t mean they can fight however they want.

This must have meant that the essence of military strategy was to bring superior forces to the battlefield than the enemy.

But it is also a word that is usually interpreted more in this sense.

When you have overwhelming power, there is no need to go through complicated turns.

It is entirely the role of the weak to resort to difficult methods to defeat the enemy.

That seemed to me to be Baal’s strategy.

The route is so simple that it makes you wonder if there is even a strategy.

It was an easy way to understand that once the southern part of the continent was cleared, we would slowly advance north.

Should we say that it is an attitude that victory is already decided?

It was obvious that he intended to eliminate the human race in one go rather than doing it multiple times by stirring things up here and there for no reason.

“Welcome, Your Highness. You arrived earlier than I heard.”

“It’s too late. The detailed situation is… … Hmm.”

“Yes, as you can see, it’s a disaster.”

Sirien trailed off.

Because I felt like I knew it even without listening properly.

Sirien and I have been on many battlefields and have experienced many different situations.

The morale of the soldiers can be judged just by looking around the barracks.

And the mood in the Confederacy right now was arguably the worst.

It’s natural for morale to drop after repeated defeats.

However, there was a clear difference between an army with hope and an army without hope.

Even if you lose this time, you can win next time.

Now it’s just a step back for a bigger victory.

An army that is so trustworthy will not fall.

But there was no sign of hope for the current Southern Army.

No one can defeat an army like this without a major breakthrough.

“It would be better not to merge the formations. Let’s keep the command structure as it is and have the two armies move in a cooperative manner.”

“Yes, I understand that. I will report back to you in the event of an emergency.”

We cannot transfer that kind of atmosphere to our soldiers.

In terms of efficiency, it would be better for Sirien to take the supreme command, but it was also judged that it would be better to keep some distance from the current Southern Army.

Dersian also nodded as if he understood.

Moreover, this despair was not just a problem for the soldiers.

– I know this may sound blasphemous, but… … it literally felt like I was pointing a sword at God.

– Even though the expression is harsh, I think I know what you mean. It’s like you’re looking straight into my head. It doesn’t matter whether it’s standard or unorthodox.

– The timing of the counterattack was strange. Rather than checking my sword path and then attacking, it seemed like he pulled out a card that had been prepared for a long time.

– A response that is incomprehensible from a common sense perspective comes out. It would be easier to fight under the assumption that Baal sees through everything I do.

A magical power that is even more overwhelming than that of Barbatos.

A divine power that was so powerful that it was overwhelming even for two saints to respond.

There was no need to even mention such things.

– I don’t know. Is there anything I can do… … .

– I don’t think I can win.

The hearts of the sword masters were broken.

They were like milestones for the soldiers.

Guardians who protect their allies from unstoppable powers, and at the same time, problem solvers on the battlefield who break through the enemy’s strong defenses.

He was the object of envy for the knights who were the main force – he must not be broken even if he loses.

… … It’s not like this problem can be solved by rushing right away.

First, we should turn to the other demon lords and leave Baal to us.

“What about the attrition of troops?”

“I’ll organize it and upload it as a document. It’ll be less than you expect.”

“You say it’s small?”

“It’s embarrassing to say, but… … I judged that with our current strength, we had no chance of winning. So, we decided to retreat in order to minimize our losses until reinforcements arrived.”

“Why are you embarrassed about that? Avoiding a fight you can’t win is also a commander’s skill. You can be more confident.”

“Go, thank you!”

As soon as they joined, Sirien started issuing orders busily.

Looking at the troops moving busily, they seemed more lively than before.

Now that I think about it, was that how it was in the original?

Sirien’s tactics are not a series of strange strategies.

It was impossible for Sirien to find out the enemy’s well-hidden supply depot or to manipulate the enemy’s psychology with double or triple deception.

Just cold-blooded calculation and rational judgment.

The secret of the Illencia Army, which tormented the original Ellis to such an extent, was simply to issue good orders quickly and in large numbers.

Sirien quickly gave instructions on the map that Dersian had prepared.

“I need to expand the battlefield. I’m not using ice dolls like Barbatos, so the enemy should have supply lines. Can I attack them by going around them?”

“It won’t be easy. There’s Demon King Saleh in the enemy camp. He’s a Demon King who specializes in reconnaissance and exploration, so he’ll be discovered quickly.”

“Then we’ll have to be satisfied with just pretending. Let’s not go too deep and let’s induce the enemy to divide their forces.”

Baal is an overly powerful demon lord.

If you fight with the support of a strong force, you will naturally have such thoughts.

The thought, ‘Do I even need to be here?’

There may be a Demon King who imagines a world where humans disappear after the war ends.

It will be too late by then. You must be calculating that you need to prove your usefulness now.

If the allies divide their forces, those demon lords will respond and follow.

So I excluded the sword masters who would not be of any help in the fight against Baal.

It was not a bad deal since they would take the other demon lords with them and escape.

Besides, isn’t our supply capability far superior to that of the enemy?

The Demons never had the same level of infrastructure as the Empire.

“No matter how strong Baal is, he only has one body. He cannot appear on every battlefield. Let’s show that war is not fought alone.”

… … Sirien said something that sounded familiar.

Anyway, little by little, we prepared a counterattack.

Three days after the southern annexation of the Illencia Army.

For the first time, the front line was not pushed.

* * *

A pure white light passed by the armor.

The heated air expanded rapidly, and a blast of heat that seemed to burn my lungs entered through the gaps in my armor.

Where the light had passed, the melted earth was bubbling.

‘Was Asirel’s divinity originally that violent?’

When Ellis wrote them, they were clearly defensive abilities.

I remember it being something like blocking attacks or bringing good luck.

The divinity that Baal wielded felt like a force meant solely for destruction.

From the first engagement, a rough estimate was made.

It is impossible to fight with strength. The opponent has thicker defenses than Gamigin and is more destructive than Barbatos.

Each and every attack that was launched without a second thought was reminiscent of an enraged Barbatos.

Maybe I can call this a blessing.

It seemed as if Sonarq’s power was piercing through us.

Isha, who approached much more stealthily than I did, blocked my attack before it could even begin, but I couldn’t predict it with my sword.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean things were good.

The moment we encountered Baal on the battlefield, he reacted particularly violently to us.

“Yes. I knew you were coming. I’ve been feeling a twist in my fate for a while now, so I thought you’d come soon.”

Baal, who had been acting as if he had no interest in battle itself up until now.

That guy was the first to pull out a weapon.

A very old-style armor was placed over the clothes reminiscent of a priest.

Behind the pure white armor, a cloak flutters in the wind, and a gray kite shield gleams in the sunlight.

An appearance reminiscent of the mythical era.

It was quite a sight.

If it’s like this, it’ll seem like I’m the villain standing in the way of the hero.

“Oh, Hebras… … !”

“Do you dare mention the name of that abominable god in front of me?”

“Ugh!”

This is ridiculous.

The one-handed sword and the greatsword clashed, but I couldn’t push them away.

The sharp underside of the kite shield is aimed at me.

The intention was not achieved, as Darthian’s shield clashed with the enemy.

Hilia’s private sword, which is trying to tie up Baal’s blade. Isha, who has been following Baal since some time ago.

The moment when the ashen moon draws an eerie line.

The world has sped up.

– What was going to happen happened, so the process wasn’t that important.

A phrase I once heard in a story about Gamigin.

As if she had pulled the future that she could pull into existence for a moment, Isha’s sword was blocked by the shield.

I don’t know how this result came about.

As the testimonies say, when they came to their senses, the situation had changed, and the initiative for the attack had already passed to Baal.

The tip of the sword, imbued with the divine light, was aimed at Isha’s heart.

‘I have to stop that.’

The greatsword aimed for the arm holding the sword, but the world was twisted once again.

A heavy, tingling sensation at the tip of my arm. My sword was blocked by Baal’s shield.

Is it just the posture that changed this time?

No. This is not the time.

I felt Sirien’s divinity pulling my body towards her.

As soon as I pulled my body out, light poured into the place where I was.