Jashin ni Tensei Shitara Haika no Maou-gun ga Sassoku Metsubou Shisou Nandaga, Dousureba Indaro ka

8、Ambush (B-side)

Drake had set up camp where the Demon Forest opened up to a hill.

At the base of the hill was a flowing stream.

The location wasn't bad at all, and it was here that Drake awaited something.

"Aniue, is it not yet time?"

"I do not claim to understand Evil God-sama. He will eventually show himself before us. If we are in luck, it shall be soon."

The girl who addressed Drake as her Honored Brother 'Aniue', Eleena, apprehensively looked down from the hill.

She wasn't blood related to Drake; Their fathers were sworn brothers, so it was only natural that their children grew up together like siblings.

Unlike her beloved brother Drake who had black hair, Eleena's was a flaming red, and had been tied in a ponytail.

Contrary to the wild color of her hair, she herself was serious and demure.

In truth, when their exodus was over, she hoped to live a peaceful life together with her brother.

That same Eleena had something to tell the <Dethroned Crown Prince> Drake,

"......Is someone as inexperienced as I truly fit for this honor?"

"Come now, you are my sister Eleena, there is no reason you would be unfit to serve the Evil God as his Emissary."

The Evil God's Emissary.

It is the designation the Evil God uses for the person who acts as their prophet to the people.

They devote themselves entirely to the Evil God, and a virgin maiden is typically chosen for this role.

"I have only met him once, but Evil God-sama appears to be kind. Everything will go smoothly, Eleena."

"Yes."

"Now then, Eleena. Our conversation must end here. The long-awaited moment has arrived."

 ○

In the end, I somehow wasted a lot of time in the Celestial Realm, so I hurried to meet back up with Drake.

After all is said and done, there's still only 200 of them.

When I think about the stragglers of the defeated army coming to a new land, there's a chance they'll be pursued.

If I were commanding the enemy, I would make certain every last one of them was dead.

I had yet to fully grasp the kind of situation the Demon Lands were in, so I wonder just what exactly is going on. Is it like the early days of the Three Kingdoms, or Japan's Warring States era where several factions are fighting for power? Or has the decisive battle already occurred?

It's possible that Drake's battle with <The Northern Overlord> was the final deciding battle.

If that's the case, turning it around will be exceedingly difficult.

I don't know how thorough <The Northern Overlord> is, but they were in danger of his forces coming to finish the job. They may already be near, so I must quickly inform Drake.

Also, Drake himself said he was a genius of tactics and strategy, so he may be able to come up with something. However, they must first check out their surroundings. If there's no truth in his self-proclaimed genius, I wonder if I can do anything with just 200 soldiers? It's hard to equate from a modern-day perspective.

I had only just been reincarnated and wasn't used to everything yet, but at least I could provide surveillance from the sky; I should at least be able to handle that much.

In the midst of thinking while flying, I saw Drake and his group crowded around a small hill.

This is bad.

They were packed pretty tight on top of the hill.

At most, they’d already been cornered on top of the hill; they could only defend themselves with 50 soldiers. If they try to escape, they'll probably be killed...

It could be that an enemy force 10 times greater than their own was near.

In any case, I gotta do something.

 ○

They were jammed together.

Drake had 50 people at hand chosen for this battle formation.

The enemy probably numbered 500. They didn't seem particularly skilled, but they made up for what they lacked with numbers. They had a group of 200 Kobolds and 300 Goblins and a seated commander watching the area, likely a brigade of hired mercenaries.

Their employer…… a group allied with <The Northern Overlord>, coming for the Demon Lord.

They would take Drake's head as an offering to <The Northern Overlord> to join his camp, they were beyond scumbags.

The crowded defense line took a step back.

They were completely daunted by the attacking army.

Drake dealt the first blow with magic, taking out the troublesome enemy Mage. The enemy had no choice now but to engage in melee combat against the defenders.

The skilled archers were firing haphazardly, no longer motivated by promise of payment.

The smell of blood was stimulating.

"Eleena, are the preparations finished?"

"Aniue, I’m ready anytime."

Giving the go-ahead, Drake nodded.

The incantation had to accumulate power, and once the Mana was shaped accordingly, it burst forth from Eleena's hands.

That was the signal for the counterattack.

“To battle!!”

Eleena released a beam of light from her hands, and unerringly aimed for the center of the approaching enemy line on the right, and decimated the area around the company leader. Convinced they had already won, they had no way of blocking the attack.

A second blow was delivered to the place where the commander was burnt to a crisp.

“Charge!!”

At the base of the mountain near the stream, the second group of 150 then ambushed the enemy company of 300 on the left.

Drake used his meager 200 soldiers and split them into even smaller groups, and prepared an ambush.

While climbing the hill to attack, the enemy company on the left had their feet swept out from under them, unable to change the direction of their attack in time. And most importantly,

“Follow me!!”

Descending to attack, the <Dethroned Crown Prince> led the troop of fifty. Their intensity was fierce.

They plowed through the bodies of goblins, and finally took the head of the enemy commander and raised it for all to see.

From there, it was a one-sided slaughter.

There was no longer any hope of resistance.

When the swords of the demons led by Drake glistened with blood, the enemy mercenaries were nothing more than soulless husks.

The screams of Goblins and Kobolds that tried to escape echoed throughout the forest.

“Did we win…?”

On top of the hill, Drake looked out over the field of slaughter alone.

200 stragglers vs 500 pursuers. Indeed, it was a very well-planned counteroffensive.

Deep in thought, one Demon Lord came to Drake's mind.

Venon the <Clairvoyant>.

Amongst all the other Demon Lords, he was a true strategist.

If Venon had been their opponent...

Suddenly, a battle cry erupted from the forest.

(...No, it couldn't be!)

There appeared Venon’s trained soldiers in ambush.

There may have only been 300 of them, but they couldn't be compared to the smallfry from before.

They began hunting down the last of Drake's soldiers.

(It's all over...)

Drake clenched his teeth.

He had only just sworn to take over the world with the Evil God.

He couldn't believe it would end in a place like this.  Not against this cunning bastard.

(Aah, he wasn't supposed to be a God I relied on...)

Drake looked up to the sky and closed his eyes.

(I shall pray to the Evil God,)

"Here I pray, please save us!"