"Alright...! I'll join you...!"

In a melee battle with close enemies, we can't help but shrug off a wide range of attacks.

In this case, keep an eye on your surroundings and move to minimize the damage to your allies.

Find enemies to attack your knights from a blind spot and eliminate them as a matter of priority.

─ ─ Just before the right diagonal forward, while the enemy in front was attacking, there was another knight who was being attacked by another Magic Stone Beast.

─ I'll let you do it!

Raphael rushed toward the Demon Stone Beast that was about to turn behind the knight and slashed into two with one sword. The human form carried by the demonic stone beast unleashed ice from the dagger's magic mark weapon (artifact) and sealed the movement.

Thank you, Rafael!

"I can't thank you enough - be careful!"

By the way, I took the lead on another demonic stone beast in a dangerous position.

The Holy Knight's sacrifice was small, and the number of magic stone beasts decreased.

Eventually, Ellis and Ripple rendezvoused from the left flank.

"Raphael! Are you okay?!"

"Yes, but Master Ellis, Master Ripple - did you notice?" This Demon Stone Beast seems to be more powerful than the previous one...! "

"Yeah. It's more durable than before, isn't it?! I wonder if it's because the main unit is more powerful...?"

"That's all, I can't drain my strength from the front seat! Anyway, keep the damage to my allies down!"

Let's get through this and get ready for the next one...! "

Yeah, that's right ~!

Raphael looks back in the direction of the city of Aalmen.

The chaos caused by the human-type Demon Stone Beast had already subsided.

Artifacts of ice magic marks have also been used to fire backup shots at human-shaped magic stone beasts that have fallen on the ground.

Furthermore, a pale smoke-like light rose from all over the city.

The black mask shines when changing the frozen human-shaped demonic stone beast.

You seem to be doing well, too. After the whole city was over, I wanted to ask you to take care of the demon stone beasts that had frozen outside. It would be tough, but I had to leave it all to myself.

”Thanks for working so hard over there!!? Is that...!?”

"- Wow...!? Hey, look at that!"

"! Ripple, Raphael! Here comes the next one!"

Three people shout at the same time.

Raphael looked back, Ellis to the right, and Ripple to the front.

!?

In other words, the three of them found a group of enemies in different directions at the same time.

"Na...!? This is...!?"

"Are you trying to besiege us?!"

"Whatever you look at, it's full of magic stone beasts...!"

A horde of magic stone beasts appeared as they surrounded the city of Aalmen.

Almost all of them are flying birds. That number could be several times as many as the group we're fighting against--no, it could be ten times closer.

And the weird thing is...

"How could a demon stone beast move like this...!?"

"Hmm... I wonder if this has ever happened before...!?"

Ellis and Ripple thought the same thing about Raphael.

The Demon Stone Beast is a threat to all humans living on this earth with great power, but its behavior is probably animalistic.

Surely, you can form a group like a herd and attack the villages and towns where you're going.

But it's only instinctive, not like tactics or strategy.

This movement of surrounding and attacking the opponent and the enemy base was unlikely to be seen by the Magic Stone Beast. It looks like a movement with a clear purpose or tactics.

If it's a horde of people coming in one direction, rather than a siege, it's a whole.

Not only the numbers, but the movement is spooky. Therefore, I feel threatened.

But it doesn't start even if I emphasize it.

If the enemy is coming, it is our mission to deal with it.

"This is not the case with us -! We need to be ready to intercept immediately!"

"Yeah, that's right! If we get lost, our allies will just fall...!"

"How can I intercept you...? Those numbers can't be dealt with by the Paladin alone...!"

"We stand alone and isolate ourselves-! Let's get inside the bulwark!" In coordination with the armies of the lords, we will strike in all armies...! "

"The enemy is coming from all directions...!" If one direction collapses, the whole thing may collapse from there...! "

Well then, we might as well stay in the direction of fragmentation ─!

Well then, let's split up the Holy Knights and support the front as the main force in each direction!

"We'll do it one by one in three directions...!" The only direction left is -!? "

"I'll leave it to the First Officer, and let Miriela go back up!" You're really here! "

"Okay! Let's do that!" I'll be the Paladin while you get ready! ”

Not even the first enemy was destroyed.

However, if they did not move quickly, it would be difficult to cope with the horde of the two formations.

We need to hold our enemies back while we intercept.

"Well then, I'll go talk to Miriela...!"

"Ellis-sama, please join the First Officer in a four-part arrangement!"

Alright! I'll take care of the west after that!

"Well then, I'm north!" Miriela will go south! "

After serving as a lord, we will arrive at the Eastern Guardian!

The three nodded to each other and moved toward their goals.