Chapter 45: There is someone who can open a door to another world.

An envoy of the Aste Empire’s army arrived at Dora Fortress, where the remnants of Gransil—led by the Princess Knight Evangelin—had barricaded themselves, to deliver a demand for surrender. That envoy was an adventurer knight: Siegfried the Link-Chaser, someone who, long ago and only briefly, might arguably have been called a comrade.

"Hey, hey, Milk-chan—and you too, Mr. Skin-Tight Tights and the elf—long time no see. Weren’t you supposed to be in Larentia? You’re back already?"

I had always thought he was a careless man, and sure enough, his memory was just as unreliable; it seemed he had forgotten our names as well.

"Don’t call me Milk-chan, nya. Ririka is fine, nya."

"Are you… an acquaintance of Ririka and Clarice…? Um, does that guy know me…? That’s creepy……"

Being called by a character name that might be acceptable online but was mortifying to hear out loud, Ririka corrected him. As for Natsumi, it seemed he had completely erased Siegfried the Link-Chaser from his memory. Rick, who was with us, opened his mouth apologetically.

"…Sorry. This is what I was about to say earlier. Not all the players who were in Gransil sided with us. This happened because I couldn’t keep the guild together."

Even though Rick had held the Gransil Adventurers’ Guild together through sheer personal trust after Masato’s death, he was still a low-level player. In an irregular situation like a national invasion, it was only natural that some players would refuse to follow.

"…No, Rick, that’s not something you need to apologize for. Players didn’t belong to any nation in this world to begin with, and we were never the type to care about discipline."

I reassured the visibly frustrated Rick, then turned to face the Link-Chaser, who had now become an enemy agent.

"That aside… why is the guy who was shouting the loudest about going back to our original world now a soldier of the Empire? That whole ‘defeat the Demon King and you’ll go home’ story you told us was total nonsense."

‘If you defeat the Demon King, you can return to your original world.’

The one who had brought us that story was none other than Siegfried the Link-Chaser himself. But in reality, that Demon King hadn’t even existed. We had somehow managed to defeat something called the Great Demon King instead, yet there was still no sign of a way home.

"Huh? You actually believed that tall tale? Clara-chan, you’ve got a surprisingly cute side."

Who are you calling Clara-chan?

"I want to shoot this guy dead…"

"N-now, calm down, Clarice-nyan. That aside, Sieg! Why did you become a soldier of the Empire, nya!? You said you were going to look for a way back to our original world, nya!"

Pressed by Ririka, the Link-Chaser waited a moment, then flashed a smug grin brimming with confidence.

"That’s exactly it. The reason I joined the Empire is to get back to our original world."

"W-what do you mean, nya…?"

"There’s someone in the Empire who can open a door to another world. Once the Empire conquers this continent, that person will open a door to our original world and send us back. That’s why I—and many other players—are cooperating with the Empire."

It was yet another outlandish claim. I, Ririka, Natsumi—everyone present—stood there, staring at him in shock.

"O-open a door to another world…?"

"I’ve never heard anything like that, nya…"

"I-it’s probably just a bluff… shouldn’t we stop listening to him?"

Satisfied with our reaction, the Link-Chaser continued.

"In other words, my actions haven’t changed from my original goal. If you want to return to your original world too, don’t you think the right path is to cooperate with the Empire alongside me? Players who cooperate with the Empire will have their requests heard with priority. Not a bad deal, right?"

Returning to our original world was my top priority as well, but Siegfried the Link-Chaser had a long history of lying. There was no way I could take him at his word.

I glanced back at Rick, Dom, Dias, and Beatrice behind me, but they all wore the same expression: they had never heard anything like this and clearly didn’t trust Siegfried’s story. Princess Knight Evangelin—dressed in a way that made her look more like a shameless exhibitionist than a commander—watched us anxiously as we were urged to cooperate with the Empire. I exchanged a look with Ririka, and she nodded before answering Siegfried.

"Well, I can’t believe this whole ‘door to another world’ thing, nya, but I get why you’re working for the Empire, at least… but, you know, nya, suddenly helping invaders feels like there should be some sense of obligation, or human decency, or something like that, nya…"

"So you can’t cooperate with the Empire, then?"

"That’s right, nya."

Hearing the answer, Siegfried’s expression turned uncharacteristically serious.

"It’s not like I wanted to oppose everyone. The Empire isn’t the same as it was when this was just a game. Players don’t stand a chance fighting them."

"…What do you mean, nya?"

"This world wasn’t just S Sword B Blaze O Online. There are other, far more powerful forces from different worlds. The Empire has obtained that absurd power. Even if you resist a little, you can’t stop it. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to cooperate so things go smoothly and get back to your original world as quickly as possible?"

Power from another world.

Between that and the talk of doors to other worlds, did that mean there were other players like Shogo and me—players with abilities from different games—cooperating with the Empire?

"That overwhelming power is…"

I tried to press Siegfried for details, but at that moment—

BOOM!

Something fell from the sky.

"Whoa!?"

"What the heck, nya!?"

Whatever it was slammed into the ground with tremendous force, then slowly stood up amid a billowing cloud of white, mist-like vapor.

"You’re late! How long does it take to deliver a mere final ultimatum!"

A massive white body. A wolf-headed giant, its entire form covered in gleaming silver-white fur and heavy armor of the same color, wielding an axe-halberd in each hand—each weapon longer than its towering height.

With the giant’s roar, an icy blast swept over us. The ground where it had landed froze solid and shattered. The white cloud wasn’t dust—it was an intense wave of cold.

"Erika! What is that thing!? Where did it come from!?"

"Identification impossible. This organism does not exist in the databank. It leapt here from within the group behind us. Estimated physical capabilities exceed those of naturally occurring life."

As I listened to Erika’s hurried report, Siegfried ran up to the giant and dropped to one knee.

"G-General! Please wait just a little longer! I’ll persuade them so we won’t have to fight!"

"Silence! I ordered you to deliver the final ultimatum! A victory without ever crossing blades is worthless! Stand back, you coward!"

"Eek!"

Glared down upon, Siegfried retreated in disgrace to the same position as the other envoys. After glancing back at us several times, he finally gave up and headed toward the main force.

Only the wolf-headed giant remained.

"A… a huge wolfman… a werewolf, nya…?"

"Was there ever a monster like that…?"

Reacting to Ririka’s and Natsumi’s shocked voices, the giant roared even louder.

"Do not compare me to the inferior creatures of this world! I am one of the Seven Heavenly Demon Generals of Necrozyle—Barbas of the Frozen Prison!"

As it roared, an aura-like chill rose from its entire body.

"Well, something chilling in more ways than one just showed up…"

"Looks raring to go, nya… doesn’t seem like we can avoid a fight, nya."

"But if the general himself came out, then beating just one should settle it, right? It’s better than fighting the entire army behind him."

At that, the giant snorted and laughed through its wolfish snout.

"You think I am inferior to the armies of lesser humans? You will pay for that foolishness with your lives."

It regripped both axe-halberds, clearly challenging us.

It fully intended to fight. As we braced ourselves, Beatrice—who had been waiting in the rear—stepped forward to join our line and warned us.

"Be careful! This werewolf isn’t a monster from S Sword B Blaze O Online! It doesn’t even have basic classification or status data! It’s probably the same as that Great Demon King we fought back then!"

The same as that Great Demon King.

A formidable enemy against whom not only normal attacks, but even firearms, had been ineffective.

Hearing that, I warned Evangelin and the soldiers who had come out of the fortress.

"We don’t know what abilities the enemy has! Princess, and all other soldiers, please fall back inside the fortress! Dias! Rick! I’m counting on you to handle that side!"

"W-wait! If we’re going to fight, then as a knight I should—!"

"If the commander goes down, the people in this fortress will be in real trouble! And if you’re going to fight as a knight, at least put on some proper armor first!"

"Clarice is right, Your Highness. With us here, we’d only get in the way. Leave this to them."

"We’ll support you from the walls! We’re counting on you all!"

Once I confirmed that Evangelin and the others had retreated back into the fortress, Natsumi was the first to move.

"Ice-type monsters are weak to fire magic—that’s basic theory!"

The flaming arrow Natsumi released flew straight toward Barbas, but it vanished before it could even touch his body.

"Such paltry flames are meaningless before my cold! I told you not to compare me to inferior creatures!"

"Then try this!"

Next, I drew my handgun from my waist, lined up the wolfman’s head in my sights, and fired.

CLANG!

The bullet was knocked aside with a dull metallic sound, casually deflected by one of the massive axe-halberds swinging effortlessly in a single hand.

"Y-you’ve gotta be kidding me… he blocked a bullet with that thing…"

"Oh? An interesting weapon you have there… I see now. So you are its master…"

We hadn’t been careless just because he was said to resemble the Great Demon King, but I had fired partly to test whether the gun would even work. Seeing the bullet deflected as casually as something out of an anime left me speechless, while Barbas responded with a confident grin.

"R-Ririka can only fight up close, nya… does that mean I have to punch that thing head-on, nya…?"

Watching both magic and bullets fail, Ririka looked at me with a stiff, strained expression.

"No… yeah, that’s probably a really bad idea…"

"What’s wrong? Is that all? If so, then I’ll end this. It’s a dull victory, but I’ll offer your lives as my first triumph in this world—to ‘that one.’"

As Barbas stepped forward, an overwhelming pressure washed over us, forcing us back a step without thinking.

This wasn’t the time to hold anything back.

Just then, Beatrice’s voice rang out as she activated her spell.

"Maelstrom!"

Above Beatrice’s raised hands, a massive vortex of swirling water formed, then crashed down upon Barbas in a roaring torrent.

"Fool! Water like this is meaningless against one who commands the frozen prison—wh…at…!?"

The raging water froze solid the instant it poured over him. Within seconds, Barbas was sealed inside a gigantic block of ice.

"Even if he can control cold, there’s not much he can do about frozen water surrounding him, right? And at this size, it shouldn’t be easy to break out from the inside."

"Bea-chan is amazing, nya! Total lockdown, nya!"

"I was hoping it would at least slow him down, but it worked better than I expected♪"

Beatrice smiled shyly in response to Ririka, who had jumped onto her in excitement. Once again, I was reminded how incredibly capable she was despite her gentle demeanor—a truly beautiful girl. I nearly forgot about the enemy and found myself staring.

"But… what should we do now? If we leave him like this, he’ll probably break out eventually, right?"

"Yeah… maybe we can drag the ice along and toss it back into space again…"

"And there are still the Empire’s soldiers, nya. If they see their general like this, maybe they’ll back off, nya?"

"That would be inconvenient."

The voice interrupted us mid-discussion as we stood before the frozen Barbas.

Beside the ice, a glowing circular pattern with intricate markings—a magic circle—appeared in midair.

And from it emerged yet another strange figure.

Clad in fluttering black robes reminiscent of a sorcerer’s vestments, the figure possessed the body of an ordinary adult man—but the head of a goat.

"My, my, Barbas. For one of the Seven Heavenly Demon Generals, this is quite pathetic. You boasted before ‘that one’ that you’d conquer this kingdom alone, and yet here you are. Do you intend to sully the glorious name of Necrozyle? Ah—can you hear me? No, I suppose you can’t. Not from inside that ice."

"What is it with this place, nya!? One weird thing after another keeps popping out, nya!?"

The goat-headed figure turned toward Ririka’s voice, offered an exaggeratedly courteous bow, and spoke.

"‘Weird’ is rather rude, inferior creature. Still, I’ll allow it. It is only natural that lesser beings would be ignorant of us, the exalted apostles of Necrozyle. I am generous, you see."

Ririka bristled at the goat-man’s arrogant tone.

"What is this Necro-whatever thing, nya!?"

"We are the chosen beings created by the exalted ‘that one.’ And I am one of the Seven Heavenly Demon Generals of Necrozyle, directly serving ‘that one’—Pauel of the Void Prison. Your lives will be brief, but allow me to make your acquaintance before they end."

After finishing his theatrically exaggerated introduction, the goat-headed man swept his robes aside with a flourish.

"So, in short… this one’s an enemy too."

As I raised my gun, Ririka, Natsumi, and Beatrice all braced themselves.

"Oh dear, no. I have no interest in fighting a dull battle where the outcome is already decided. Your kind—these inferior creatures—are more than sufficient opponents for others of your own world. I’ll simply be taking Barbas back with me."

Once again, a glowing magic circle appeared in midair, and both Pauel and the massive block of ice encasing Barbas floated gently upward.

"Well then, I wish you all the best, inferior creatures. I do so enjoy watching lesser beings slaughter one another…"

BANG

The sharp crack of a gunshot cut Pauel off mid-sentence as he vanished into the magic circle. He looked down at his chest in surprise. Beneath the goat’s face, his expression was hard to read, but the shock was unmistakable as red blood burst forth and spilled down.

"Huh?"

That single word slipped out before he dropped limply to the ground with a wet thud. At the same time, the magic circle vanished, and the ice block containing Barbas slammed heavily back onto the earth.

"See? He dies just fine if you actually hit him. I was getting worried—if guns stopped working, my whole reason for existing would’ve been in serious trouble."

Relieved that my cheat-level ability was still valid, I lowered the gun—only for Ririka to rush up to me.

"W-was it really okay to shoot him, nya!?"

"Well, I mean… he was clearly not human, obviously evil-looking, and saying a lot of dangerous stuff, so I kind of acted on instinct…"

"These things were monsters we’ve never seen or even heard of, nya. They kept saying all this cryptic stuff, and now that you shot him dead on impulse, we won’t learn anything, nya…"

"I think it’s fine, honestly. That type usually just drops vague hints that sound important, but in the end it turns out to be nothing serious."

Thanks to Natsumi’s casual attempt at damage control, I decided to accept that this had worked out for the best. That was when Dias’s voice rang out from atop the fortress wall.

"All four of you, get back inside! The enemy’s main force is on the move!"

Leaving the ice block with the wolfman inside and the goat-headed corpse where they lay for the moment, we regrouped inside the fortress. We lined up beside the soldiers under Evangelin’s command and looked down from the walls of Dora Fortress at the approaching army of the Aste Empire.

Judging by sight, their numbers were in the hundreds.

The fact that it didn’t look overwhelmingly large was, at least, some small relief.

"Good grief… after all that, it still comes down to this."

"Don’t say ‘good grief,’ nya. Didn’t they get mad because Clarice-nyan shot the important-looking enemy, nya?"

"Even so, letting something that creepy escape wouldn’t have been a good idea either."

"Well, what’s done is done, nya. Guess we have no choice but to fight now, nya. Defending from the walls should give us the advantage, nya."

"But this time it’s regular soldiers in between."

"NPC soldiers at least can be roughed up a bit until they give up, nya."

"Ririka-san… that might be a little optimistic, don’t you think…?"

Even Natsumi sounded exasperated by Ririka’s upbeat assessment. I agreed—it wouldn’t go that smoothly. As I considered how to end the fight with minimal casualties, Erika contacted me.

"Master, regarding the phenomenon accompanying the glowing geometric pattern when the unidentified entity appeared: no particle vibration was observed. It is presumed to differ from what has thus far been categorized as ‘magic’ in this world."

We hadn’t seen magic circles accompany spells in this world before, and it seemed that suspicion was now confirmed.

"I see… then they’re probably another type of cheat or bug entirely—different from mine or Shogo’s. What about the enemy army? I want to keep casualties as low as possible. Is there any good option?"

"Estimated enemy count: approximately 500. They have halted roughly 200 feet from the fortress. From my perspective, this does not qualify as a properly organized military force. If minimizing casualties is the priority, deploying a destroyer for aerial dispersal of tear gas would be effective."

"I don’t really want to reveal too much with unknown players lurking behind the scenes… but I guess that much can’t be helped…"

"…! Please wait, Master! Correction! Based on satellite-orbit image analysis—"

"What are you going on about already, nya!? The enemy’s almost here, nya!"

Ririka leaned forward impatiently, cutting me off as I listened to Erika’s report.

Even now, this idiot cat-eared girl—

"Everyone, get down! Take cover!"

Terrible timing!

"Nya?"

Almost at the exact same moment Ririka made that clueless sound—

THWACK!

Her head snapped violently to the side with a sharp impact.

"The enemy force is equipped with rifles!"