To make the most of even a minute and a second, it was best to start the battle right as the sun set. To do that, we needed to move quite busily.
By the time I exited the Grand Conference Room, it was already around 2 PM.
We took about two more hours of practical compression rest before descending into the underground passage.
The battle that would commence a few hours later would be a full-scale conflict.
The target was the northern front. In that sense, our strategy mirrored the one Martini attempted last night, leaving minimal defensive troops in other areas while aiming for a decisive breakthrough.
However, whereas last night’s surprise attack aimed to shake the Luminous Kingdom’s rear support by targeting a relatively weak spot, today’s goal was to incapacitate the main army of the allied forces in one fell swoop.
With the vampire forces significantly bolstered, this was a high-risk, high-reward strategy we could attempt.
Still, moving so many people through the underground passage was impossible.
Even if we could manage it, leaving the front completely empty would be a meaningless act, forcing most of the troops to move above ground when the sun set.
But wasn’t it a waste of time to even consider the minutes it would take after nightfall to clash with the allied forces pressing down from the north after departing from the Grand Duke’s Castle?
It would be at most around 30 minutes, and already there was a track record of disaster from last night where the battle didn’t end until dawn.
Thus, our conclusion was to ensure we didn’t waste even that minimal time by sending a small advance party through the underground passage ahead to a nearby exit.
“By the way, is there no way to completely cross over to the opposite side and attack from both directions?”
“Right now, that’s difficult. This time, unlike three years ago, the humans are advancing and have blocked the exits. They don’t seem inclined to come down and fight underground, so some movement restrictions are understandably in place. We’ll have to settle for saving a bit of time.”
Stella, who was leading the advance party in Martini’s stead, replied.
What a pity. If that had been possible, we wouldn’t have tried to break through the western front last night but taken them from behind immediately.
I did wonder if we were waiting too long, but perhaps because of the tension I felt around me, the moment of confrontation approached faster than I expected.
As I emerged above ground, the cool night air brushed against my cheeks.
The scent of blood carried on the wind. Not right next to me, but I could feel countless humans’ presence a short distance away.
Roughly estimating, there must be tens of thousands.
Had I ever seen so many humans gathered in one place in my life?
The view from above the western front battlefield this morning had its imposing atmosphere simply from sheer numbers, but I could already confirm that today’s main force was beyond that.
“Plona.”
“Yes, sister.”
“I’ll remove your restraints.”
Come to think of it, Plona had hunted humans since becoming a vampire, but she hadn’t actually killed any… yet?
No, in fact, three years ago, she had attacked the duchy from that side.
Since I had only heard about it, I hadn’t considered that killing former colleagues might be quite the mental hurdle.
“If you hesitate at all, you can withdraw this time.”
“No, sister. I’m fine. I can do this.”
Thanks to the support of the Helraig Duchy, our chances had become a bit brighter, but it was still a fight where survival was not guaranteed.
As I said that with concern, it was as if Plona had pressed an invisible switch to change her mood, as hesitation vanished from her face, replaced by a confident smile.
…Is it really okay?
Sometimes I feel I might be hypnotizing her unknowingly.
To be honest, I do have some guilty feelings about this.
The time I made Plona my subordinate was a period when neither of us was particularly stable mentally, and in the process of caring for her to prevent suicide, I can’t deny that I inadvertently gaslighted her.
Regardless, it was fortunate that Plona had regained her spirit and bright demeanor, but there were times she seemed excessively blind to everything.
It wasn’t troubling if she merely followed orders, but it felt alarming that she sometimes seemed to dramatically change her emotions at a whim.
“Then I promise. No matter what happens, your survival comes first. The same goes for Eleonora. Got it?”
“Don’t worry, sister.”
“Yes, Master.”
…Why does that not comfort me? In this regard, Eleonora is far more reliable.
Right now, my anxiety just means I need to step up my game. I steeled my resolve even more.
“How about me, Aria? What about me?”
“Just pay your dues.”
Ravina subtly chimed in, but what did it matter since she was going to shoot arrows from the back?
Of course, that didn’t guarantee safety, but I was convinced after seeing her fight alongside the Helraig Duchy.
There was a reason she had survived alone without being captured right after being exiled from Albresia.
As expected, Ravina’s goal seemed to be simply having a pointless conversation.
“Shall we? Looks like they’re starting to catch on over there.”
Indeed, there were movements from the allied forces. Well, with this many people moving, it was only natural they’d notice.
We would launch a flanking attack, and after about 15 minutes, Martini and Jeil would lead the main force to strike at the front.
We aimed to end the war with tonight’s battle.
To do that, we needed to kill plenty.
We had to crush the humans’ will to fight so thoroughly that they wouldn’t even dream of invading for a while, even if they retreated.
“Lady Aria.”
Stella called for me. I raised my head to see the advance party, now wearing solemn expressions, ready for battle.
“May I ask for a word?”
Was she expecting some kind of opening speech?
I thought such things were usually said before deployment, and if so, wouldn’t that be Stella’s role as the one leading the advance party? But as I looked at the vampires’ gazes, I made up my mind.
Whether it was because of what I had shown this morning or if there was some prior notice from Martini, at this moment, their eyes were fixed on me, not Stella, who was nominally the winter party’s leader.
To be honest, it was burdensome, but they didn’t need grand speeches. What they required was a visible hope stronger than a hundred words.
I turned away from them without a word, assuming a defensive posture as I faced the approaching allied forces.
There were a few presences that seemed to be knights among the ranks, and I could sense plenty of support priests preparing divine magic further behind.
Stella had mentioned they could use such powerful magic that they would willingly take their own lives against multiple enemies.
However, it was evident that the support priests were ready to unleash holy magic at any moment, so starting with dark magic wouldn’t be a wise choice.
‘Blood Magic would be best.’
Every drop of blood in existence could become my weapon.
Of course, while my blood is the most effective and easiest to use, I could also manipulate the blood within others’ bodies, just like I had used it to gain the upper hand in the Helraig Duchy.
I couldn’t touch the blood of someone with a will, of course. It would be no problem if they were weak, but the stronger they were, the less I could freely take advantage of them, much like hallucination magic.
The difference is that dark magic is negated by holy magic, but blood magic is not.
‘The materials are all around.’
The location and situation were just right.
Northern front. A place where battles had occurred more than the western front, where corpses had piled high and rivers of blood flowed just until yesterday when death had not ceased for even a single day.
Fresh blood still flowed crimson over the ground.
“Look.”
The dead have no will, and the blood of the dead is just as good as mine, no matter how much there is.
No lengthy words were necessary. I had confidence that I could do this.
There were no restrictions like before, insisting I avoid killing, nor did I need to stay out of combat to maintain the eclipse like this morning.
If anything, this battle could be considered my true first revenge match.
I, who had hidden and run from the humans, finally returned after three years and was going to use the strength I had built up without any limitations on taking lives.
I halted the blood flowing along the ground.
The sound of it splashing and squishing ceased. Some of the humans marching over the surface seemed to feel something off and looked down at the ground.
I quietly moved my right hand.
From below to above.
I divided the blood that formed a river into hundreds of thousands of droplets, turning each one into bullets and shooting them upwards against gravity.
With a sickening sound of flesh tearing and bones breaking, the stench of blood spread.
The black sky turned red. The blood that shot up like a fountain pierced through the bodies of the humans walking above before remaining suspended in the air like a fountain.
Like puppets with their strings cut, the humans fell like leaves, gushing blood from their bodies. The blood they spilled rose into the air instead of flowing to the ground, increasing the number of bullets.
This time, from above to below.
The blood suspended in the air descended all at once.
The red sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, thousands of lives extinguished.
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