Hakai no Miko

In later years, Soma Xaki has been given numerous aliases.

The most famous of these is the Son of Destruction.

This was, of course, named for his own being the son of the Goddess of Death and Destruction. He himself was undoubtedly the most widely known alias because there were times when he spread himself to be the son of the goddess of death and destruction in order to increase the morale of his army and, conversely, to demoralize the other army.

Other well-known ones include 'Son of Genovanda' and 'Destroyer of Scorched Earth', but a large proportion of those aliases seem to relate to 'Fire'.

This is probably because he was said to have preferred to use fire in many fights.

But if you look into his war history, surprisingly, there are not many records of firefights.

Yet he was misperceived to have preferred to use fire attacks because of his supposedly first battle, the Battle of Hognalea Hills, and his strong image in the later "massacre of Bornitz".

In particular, the "Bornitz massacre" was said to have gone off track at the time as well as burning down a whole city within its own territory, along with tens of thousands of human beings, and was widely communicated with shock to neighbouring countries.

These things would have settled in the false perception that the Ethereal Horse preferred fire.

In fact, however, the Ethereal Horse preferred a fire attack, whereas it seemed rather repentant.

At this time, when attacking a fortress or city, a large number of fire arrows were fired, extensively burning houses inside the fence, confusing the defensive side before attacking them. Yet the Ethereal Horse originally did not seem to like the siege itself, but the statement remains in some literature that he did not try to accept it hard when he was advised to fire at the generals in even the few sieges.

This, contrary to the public image, makes it clear that the Ethereal Horse himself did not like fire attacks.

And "Battle of Hognalea Hill" was the first battle for the officially documented Ethereal Horses, and from the feat of burning down as many as eight hundred enemy soldiers with just a few Zoans, various people often asked me to talk about that time, but there are stories of the Ethereal Horse's mouth getting heavier when the story reaches it.

This is what Count Bilgrit, who negotiated peace with the Ethereal Horse as envoy of the Hogna Nation, said in his journal: 'In the meals, Soma Kisaki seemed to be disguised as calm but upset when the topic extended to the' Battle of Hognalea Hills'. When I send a compliment to that battle, it will be true because he wrote that a smile was backwards and seemed offensive for some reason '.

The same was true of some Zoans, called the Fang Clan, who had followed him since that time. Many of them don't try to tell too much about the time.

What a strange story, "Battle of the Hognalea Hills" seemed to have had a great impact not only on the devastated damaged National Army of Holmea, but also on the Ethereal Horses who planned and executed the fire attacks.

But it is also what many historians have pointed out that, without those shocks, the Zoans, who had been adamant about the way they fought until then, would not have followed the soldiers who should also be called the innovations of the Ethereal Horse afterwards.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

The morning after the rain went up, Gallam stood on the mountain path, accompanied by one Gurkaka.

If you look around, it was scorched earth there.

The mountains, which were full of various colors such as weeds, fallen leaves and trees, now have no shadow to see. Black of coal and burnt remaining coal, white of burnt ash. It had turned into a world made up of only two colors. The air stinks, and the trees still burn here and there are still dull.

"Awesome..."

Gallum breathed into a sight that could only be described as so.

Next door, Gurkaka agrees.

"You have no idea how many people have died, chief. The humans who have missed the escape are caught in several parts, as the lad named Soma put it. They tell me to help as much as possible, so I'll treat you, but many soldiers are too late for a burn."

"In this minute, how safely the fleeing soldiers can reach the fort..."

There is no detailed record on Zoan's part of the damage on the human side at this time.

The only logs that would be helpful are those left by Assistant Commander Marcronis, who remained in the fort.

According to that, between three days and a few days after confirming that the fire had risen on the mountain, about two squadrons, mainly soldiers who were at the rear heavy units, have reached the fort. But the figure of those soldiers was terrible, and their whole bodies were stained with coal and ash, and there were numerous people seriously injured or severely burned by stone throwing. Many of them took their breath without merit of diligent treatment, and said that the number also climbed to a quarter of the soldiers who reached the fort.

Since there were roughly 100 squadrons at that time, it seems that there are roughly one hundred and fifty survivors.

Furthermore, it is said that the soldiers, who became prisoners of the Zoans and were subsequently freed in turn and returned to the fort, were eventually two squadrons.

Other than this, some of the soldiers would have fled without going back to the fort, but not so many, as even the nearest village would have to walk another two days from the fort. Also, it is not hard to imagine that the majority of them lost their lives from starvation and injury.

Considering this, many surviving soldiers would be around four hundred, even if they were quoted.

It was just an unprecedented event that eight hundred soldiers lost half of them with little or no decent fight.

Soldiers at that time gathered peasants and cannibalized refugees, often only letting them bear arms, and their loyalty to the country and commanders was low. If such an army loses half its strength in a single battle, it is no exaggeration to say that it is devastated. Even if the troops were to be regrouped, the fear of defeat burned in their hearts would have prevented them from being used properly for some time.

"What about this damage?

To Garam's query, Gurkaka replied, using bows and arrows that she could not even be, as she dropped her eyes on the peeled palm of her hand.

"Those who were accidentally burned when lighting the fire, those who breathed smoke and hurt their throats, those who injured their hands with bows and arrows that they could not be. That's about it."

Compared to the devastated human army, the damage on the Zoan side was only to that extent.

That's another amazing result, too. That shows that the Zoans only unilaterally launched an attack.

To the reported result, Gallum groaned as if out of the blue.

"What can I say about this..."

"Say victory, aren't you sure?

"Say stupid, Gurkaka"

Gallum sighs loudly.

"Is this just a victory? At least with a big victory."

What Gallam says is also best. With all that power difference, this one destroyed his enemies without damaging them. There's no way this is just a victory.

Northerly winds blow through the snowy white ashes between them.

Glucaca, not sure if I should tell you, but I never opened my mouth.

"But, chief. Honestly, I'm scared."

Gallum didn't answer anything, but he knew exactly what Gurkaka was trying to say.

"Can this be called a battle? At least it's not a battle we Zoan know about."

Gurkaka shouted, pointing to the surrounding sights that had turned into scorched earth.

"Is this the power of Aura, the goddess of death and destruction?! Is this the power of that kid?! I can't wait to be horrified. I was wondering if one day we would fall into this sight!

In the eyes of Gurkaka, the corpses of human soldiers lying in dust and turned mountains appeared overlapping with those of the Zoans of tomorrow.

Garam knew Gurkaka's anxiety.

This is too heterogeneous for Zoan. I had the fear that Zoan would cease to be Zoan if I were involved in something like this.

But as the chief who would keep the future of his family, there was another thought.

"It's Gurkaka. Maybe we have to change."

"Change......?

"That's right. We used to fight each other, Zoan. There was honor, pride and courtesy."

Garam gave his thoughts to the battle of Zoan, which his fathers had once proudly spoken of on the plains.

But Garam, an excellent warrior, felt that he could not beat man then.

The humans inferior in their individual power learned to defeat Zoan by collecting numbers and forming teams. In contrast, Zoan learned nothing and only came to repeat the old-fashioned way of fighting.

When there were still a lot of Zoan warriors, that was still good. However, the Zoans have lost many young men due to a long battle. In contrast, humans who cut through forests and mountains to expand their spheres of power rapidly increase in numbers and send soldiers into the plains incessantly.

Even Zoan, inferior in numbers, was in a vicious circle where the more he fought, the more power he spread with humans.

Not as far as this goes, Zoan himself will perish as well as the Fang Clan.

"As it is, we Zoan will perish. In order not to perish, we must change."

To do this, when I really needed the power of a human child named that soma, I wouldn't put it in my mouth, but Gallum felt so strongly.

But Gallum didn't know that at this time.

That at this time a great aberration was coming to the Ethereal Horse.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

At that time, the Ethereal Horse was being taken by Shemr to visit the camp.

The camp, where the rain has just risen, still dulls the remains of burnt buildings, raising white smoke everywhere. There were several Zoans cleaning up in it.

Until I got to such a camp, the Ethereal Horse felt exhilarated and never stopped smiling all the time. The measures I had in mind fitted brilliantly and drove away the enemy's army. There's no way I'm not happy. It is all the more so because Shemr, next door, is happy to say that thanks to the Ethereal Horse he was able to win without any damaging damage.

When thinking about how to get rid of the human army in this battle, Aoima remembered the battle of the famous comic strip "The Three Kingdoms", Hakubo.

In the comics, Zhuge Pao Ming, who had just been greeted by Xuan De, led by Xia Huo (Kakou), lured Xia Huo Po into what he called Bo Wang Po when 100,000 Cao troops attacked Liu Bei Xuan De, who was in Xino.

While knowing the invitation, the enemy was chasing Taka with a small crowd, Summer Summer Summer Summer advises his deputy general Lee Bien that "it is narrow according to the way it goes, and if the mountain river is too small for the grassy trees to be able to serve as a fire gauge to the enemy". It was already too late when Xia Weiju looked around and realized that it was exactly the situation, and the Xuande Army fire gauge caused Cao Cao Army to go into havoc and suffer major defeats such as taking over his deputy General Xia Hooran.

Not only does Zhuge Confucius Ming defeat the Great Army with measures for the first time, but this is a popular occasion for gaining power and trust from Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and others who initially had objections.

Zhuge Confucius Ming is popular in Japan as a warrior of the deep conspiracy.

If the Ethereal Horse is also questioned as his favorite figure among the Three Kingdoms, he will name Confucius.

Just like such a peacock, the Ethereal Horse, who was able to defeat the great army of the enemy with fire, could not help but be the best at this time.

But the Ethereal Horse had a sweet look at reality.

A battle he knows is only every game, comic book or novel he can make. It doesn't even depict how tragic the battlefield is there. Also, even if it were portrayed, it's just a virtual one, something that blurs before an overwhelming reality.

And the Ethereal Horse came to know it with his own hands.

The sight of an overwhelmingly powerful battlefield that no matter how sophisticated CG or special technology can catch up with. A strange odor that allows you to stand around. The voice of a man who groans at suffering. The heat transmitted from a burning building that still dulls. Just breathe and spread in your mouth, the taste of coal.

All five senses of the Ethereal Horse complain to the Ethereal Horse that it is reality.

Until then, the exhilarating mood cools me down like I've been poured cold water.

It was Shemr who noticed such an anomaly of a pale horse.

"What's up, Soma? You feel bad, too?

But the Ethereal Horse doesn't move with his eyes on the front, as he doesn't even notice Shemr's voice.

Following that gaze, there was the body of a soldier who was crushed in the lower body by a burnt-out building and thought to have burned to death as it was.

Shemr faces slightly at the corpse, which remains round-burned in its horrible shape, which is likely to hear the cries of the Terminator even now.

"What's wrong with that corpse?

Saying so, Shemr turned around and looked away a little.

Any blood from the face of the Ethereal Horse disappeared and was turning bright blue. I open my eyes to the full limit, and that breath is as rough as I just had a full walk of disease. At first it was trembling in small pieces, but it grew bigger and finally trembled violently like cramps (convulsions).

"Ahhh...... ahhh!

The squeezing bitterness leaks out of my mouth.

"Soma?! What's going on!

I vomited violently, wondering if the Ethereal Horse's throat rang.

Spit out everything that was in your stomach, it won't stop. My stomach fluids and saliva draped sloppily from my open mouth, yet my body continued to cramp trying to vomit.

"Soma! Soma!? Somebody call your wife! Soma's in trouble!

Listening to Shemr's screaming voice, the Ethereal Horse fell and lost consciousness, trying to stick his face into his own diarrhea (shabu-shabu).