ALL NOVEL Chapter 392
[Alright, let’s quickly explain the rules! Fun games are played under well-structured rules after all!]
Despite being urged by the creature, I lifted the chess knight and leisurely began to speak.
“The rules are simple. We pit my toys against your toys, and the winning side gets to make a wish. The field has been prepared on my end, so you can summon your cherished toys here.”
[Sounds fun!]
The creature was completely intrigued. I mean, which guy hates playing soldiers?
…But wait, is it really a guy?
I couldn’t tell the gender just by the voice.
But right now, gender isn’t really important, so I’ll let it slide.
I swept the chess pieces aside and brought out the symbols of the forces I had prepared.
Human.
Elf.
Witch.
Demon… Where are the little bastards?
Am I being played?
“Summon your toys. You’re an observer, so that should be easy.”
[Of course.]
Four pieces appeared on the board.
Human, Elf, Demon, Witch.
Just eight pieces on the chessboard might seem a bit sparse, but this is just symbolic. In reality, I had over 30,000 troops, like they were all wrapped around the World Tree.
“I wonder how impressive the toys chosen by the great observer will be.”
What will pop out?
That was an important question.
Since it’s the outsider’s toys, there’s no way they’ll be regular ones. In the best-case scenario, some neither-here-nor-there type may pop out and get wiped out in no time, but in the worst-case scenario, some dragon-like creatures could flood out.
Could we handle dragons with our current forces?
Thinking about that… Maybe one or two we could manage.
Our forces are definitely not weak.
But if five or more pop out… We’d have to rely on Quartz’s reinforcements. Honestly, they aren’t an easy target, regardless of how easily I wipe them out.
[Look forward to it. I cherry-picked some excellent toys.]
One of the creature’s tentacles placed four pieces on the board.
“…Impressive.”
[Right? Right?]
The excessively triumphant voice tortured my eardrums non-stop. No matter how immune I was to mental corruption, the sounds emitted by a higher-dimensional being were practically sonic attacks themselves, so it couldn’t be helped.
I swallowed a sigh as I gazed at the four pieces the creature had placed on the board.
Just how many collectibles does this…?
How does it bring out pieces like this?
I tapped the eight pieces on the board.
In an instant, a map reflecting the region’s environment was sketched onto the monochrome board. It was an environment I had spent days meticulously crafting. In war, various environments act as variables.
Simply calling it a showdown in the desert may have its brutality, but wouldn’t be fun.
Urban area.
Forest.
Plains.
Mountain range.
Various environments with various variables.
[Diverse-]
“It’s an environment I spent effort creating. Calling it a toy war doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s a setup to maximize the fun of this toy war.”
The collector seemed to like the board I had made.
[A toy war… I like it!]
It looked so satisfied, the creature gave a sly grin. From my perspective, its grin gave me the creeps, but at least it got their interest.
The worst scenario would have been it not caring about the fun I prepared and just taking me.
Anyway, the deal was struck, so now it’s time for the main game.
“Bring your toys onto the board.”
[Don’t be surprised by my collection~]
The creature boasted like a proud child as it began to rip apart space.
—————————————-
“Johann…”
The conversation between the observer and Johann wasn’t audible from our side.
Thanks to Kalon and Johann erecting multiple layers of barriers to prevent any potential interference and mental corruption, that is. The barriers were already partially cracked, but still, they performed their mission splendidly.
“Don’t worry too much. That guy has guts, right? He’s someone who laughs and has fun even standing in front of dragons.”
“Is Lenni not worried?”
At Karina’s question, Lenni avoided eye contact and answered.
“…Well, it would be a lie to say I’m not. But all we can do is trust each other. Let’s commit to our roles.”
“Lenni’s right. Let’s focus on the task, Karina. Uncle will do his part.”
After finishing her words, Lenni fiddled with the hilt of the sword. The sword that he had made for her. Ever since she replaced it with the hilt made from the World Tree, she often fiddled with it.
Just touching the hilt made her feel much better.
“By the way… it seems like we’re about to start.”
“W-wait, the space is ripping apart…”
At her words, Karina and the other lovers turned their gaze forward. The Emperor’s elite soldiers and the Elves. And among them, the members of the Quartz family were observing the toys emerging between the rifts.
“Human…?”
“That’s… probably a dragon?”
“Such a massive number…”
Even though we had a solid number of 30,000 on our side, the enemies looked just as numerous. As a result, the tension among the soldiers heightened.
“It looks like we won’t be allowed an easy victory.”
Lenni remembered Johann’s earlier words.
Due to the negotiations with the outsiders, this battle would resemble a proxy war.
Her role was to protect Karina as a top priority, but at a certain point, she would be required to intercept high-priority targets while keeping Karina in the rear.
The fact that she had to move without leaving Karina behind was burdensome, but this wasn’t a fight that could be won merely by protecting Karina.
Since there was nowhere to run, if everyone died and just Karina and herself were left, Karina’s death would be certain. Sometimes, protecting isn’t just about keeping someone safe; directly smashing the source of danger is also an essential part of being a guard.
Lenni raised her gaze upwards towards the lovers on the tower, barely visible from here, and silently murmured.
“Stay strong.”
“How many are there?”
“Probably similar to us… or maybe even more. Have they just spent their lives collecting toys? When will they all arrive?”
It had already been ten minutes since the space started to rip. Yet the toys kept pouring in. It looked like at least 10,000 were flooding in.
From ordinary humans to demi-humans with animal traits, and various monsters. Among them were even dragons reminiscent of the dragon-like creatures.
An assortment of evidently unusual beings continued to rise, yet the soldiers gazed resolutely ahead.
They were the Empire’s strongest elite soldiers who had never lost in battle.
Their pride, the fact that they had been chosen to save the world, and the reassurance of not being alone empowered their bodies.
“So many damned things.”
“No matter how many, they’ll just end up skewered anyway.”
“Wanna bet how many we can take down?”
The soldiers exchanged jokes as they tilted their spears forward. The knights behind them also gripped their lances tightly alongside the cavalry.
Once the soldiers blocked the first charge, they’d unleash the knights’ charge to smash all the enemies.
Just as they’d done so far, they shouted with resolve.
“For His Majesty the Emperor!”
A blue aura enveloped a portion of the battlefield.
“…By the will of the Great Mother.”
Bows were raised in the hands of the born archers amongst the Elves. They stared at the front, specifically at the dark-skinned Elves with similar long ears.
Dark Elves.
The cursed Elves thought to have vanished long ago revealed themselves.
“In the name of our father, Kalon.”
[My children. I am with you, so deliver judgment upon the evil that has invaded our world.]
The Paladins took a unique pose, pressing their swords to their chests while raising them, drawing forth sacred power from their bodies.
“Don’t we need to shout something too?”
Still bound in restraining gear, Peymin cheerfully said to Maria. Maria simply stared blankly at the tower in the distance, cradling her husband.
Peymin’s awkward gaze shifted to Hazel.
“Sister.”
“Oh my. What’s the matter, dear?”
“…Let’s set old grudges aside here and fight together.”
Though the rift between them showed no sign of healing, they couldn’t afford to fight here.
They were the Joker cards that would turn the tides of this battlefield.
“…I never expected to hear such words from you.”
“Don’t get it twisted. This doesn’t mean I forgive you. The fact that you killed our parents doesn’t change.”
“…I know too.”
A bitter smile appeared on Hazel’s face but faded quickly.
“Hahaha! It’s been a while since I’ve warmed up my body!”
The ground trembles.
As the space fully closed, the toys and the soldiers gathered to protect this world glared at each other in hatred.
In the rear, the Crown Prince, observing the battlefield, shouted with the aid of a mage’s amplification spell.
“Glory to the allied forces!”
The earth trembles.
It was the beginning of the survival competition that we call war.