Battle Race in the Fantasy World

EP.141 Ah Monsters! What an Excellent Evaluation Tool!

If someone were to ask about the difference between people and monsters.

Kyle would answer without a second of hesitation.

“Whether you can kill them with a clear conscience or not.”

Even in the sparring matches with Yurika and Commander Priscilla, he claims to have given his all.

Even in the battles with Mathieu Philibert and Arcane, he says he fought with all his might.

But there was never any ‘killing intent’ in those. It was all just combat drive.

To be honest, well, in Arcane’s case, it did flare up a bit.

He did charge in roughly without warning, and above all, because he mentioned ‘assassination’.

But he didn’t kill him. No, it would be more accurate to say he couldn’t.

As a human, taking another human’s life is truly a devastating act.

But monsters are different. It’s disrespectful to even make the comparison.

Humans feel guilt when harming other humans, but those creatures don’t.

They’re not even ordinary animals. Monsters. Beasts. Man-eaters.

If someone tells you to feel guilty about killing these things, you should crack their skull open.

And today, he crushed the heads of all the monsters ambushing the legion.

Starting from the left to the right. Everything that got caught in both arms as he ran through.

‘Ah, shit. How unpleasant. It’s all splattered.’

Lately, he seems to have lost his sense from fighting so many strong opponents.

He should have swung moderately and gently, but he just recklessly threw his fists first.

It’s impossible to compare their bodies, harder than steel, with monsters.

Not considering that and swinging wildly, this was the natural result.

And as a result, the monsters’ blood and brain matter splattered all over his body.

With the foul smell and sticky liquid, it’s absolutely miserable.

His brother and sister weren’t like this. This is just impossible to deal with.

‘If sis saw this, she’d definitely nag. Saying I’m going around getting covered in such messy stuff.’

Clearly, Lea swings her fists just like him, but she doesn’t get hit by a single fragment.

When he asked how, her answer was a bit baffling. She says she can see it all and avoid it?

Leo’s side was even more extraordinary. One swing and the monster just disappeared.

Saying this method is cleaner and strongly recommending he do it like this.

As if it’s easy to do that with just one swing of a fist.

“Sir Kyle!”

As he grumbles and enters, the Saintess… no, the Legion Commander comes running.

For someone responsible for an entire legion, it’s a rather frivolous movement.

With officers trailing behind in a bunch, it looks even more undignified.

“Are you alright?”

“Not at all. I couldn’t control my strength and ended up like this. I’m sorry. It looks unsightly, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all. There’s a makeshift shower room, so let’s get you there quickly. We’ll provide you with clothes too.”

“I’d be grateful for that. Where’s the makeshift shower room?”

“This way.”

Originally, the Legion Commander would be in charge of the legion’s aftermath.

But as Kyle swept through, the monsters were torn apart before the legion could even take damage.

What the soldiers faced wasn’t the vicious monsters baring their yellow teeth.

It was some young man shouting ‘Woohoo!’ while smashing those monsters’ heads.

“Commander. It seems that story was true after all.”

“They said he took down the Alliance’s Mathieu Philibert… It seems he really did fight properly.”

“Isn’t he Jonathan? I can see why the Crown Prince sent him.”

Somehow, it turned out that the Crown Prince had sent Jonathan out of concern for the legion’s soldiers.

That Jonathan helped the legion and even cleaned up the monsters in one go, making it feel even more so.

Thanks to this, the Legion Commander and officers could once again pledge their loyalty to the Imperial Family.

It would have been enough to be grateful for the Saintess of the Order and one of the Top Ten, the Commander of the Holy Elfreda Knights.

But to even send some monster who goes out alone and beats up monsters.

Isn’t this clear evidence that the Empire and the Imperial Family are truly thinking of them?

In the Legion Commander’s eyes, Kyle was already not just some young man.

Reinforcements sent by the Crown Prince. Plus, an incredible bigshot who even receives requests from the Crown Prince.

That’s why he was trembling while suddenly adding ‘brother’ to his name.

“I’ll see you at the command tent shortly, Sir Kyle.”

Watching the Legion Commander disappear after saying that, Kyle thought,

Is he acting like this because he’s too moved that I helped the soldiers?

*

“Thank you so much, Sir Kyle. Thanks to your intervention, our casualties were greatly reduced.”

As they enter the tent, the Legion Commander expresses his gratitude once again.

Kyle smiles and waves his hand dismissively in response.

‘This Legion Commander is quite an upright person. It’s good that he cares for his soldiers.’

In reality, this courtesy was shown based on Kyle’s connection to the Crown Prince, but what does it matter?

If the one receiving the thanks feels good, isn’t that enough?

“I also extend my gratitude to the Order’s Holy Knights for their assistance.”

The Saintess and the priests are still tending to the wounded in the infirmary.

So Commander Priscilla is accepting the thanks on their behalf.

“The situation seems to be worse than we initially thought.”

“It’s shameful to admit, but you’re right, Commander. The level of these monsters is incomparable to what we usually face.”

“Some of my subordinates fought against the monsters, and it’s indeed as you say. No matter how many times we cut them down, they keep coming. Even with their limbs severed, they still lunge forward to snatch our soldiers.”

Kyle nods at the words of the Legion Commander and Commander Priscilla.

‘They’ve definitely gotten stronger. Not just in overall strength and speed, but to keep attacking until their bodies are completely destroyed? At this level, it’s not just doping, it’s more like they’ve been pumped full of drugs.’

This was the conclusion Kyle reached after facing the trolls and werewolf packs earlier.

Now he understands why the legion is struggling. It’s certainly not because they’re weak.

Those Alliance bastards. Those drug-addled fools have created something beyond mere doping.

They’ve forced it into the monsters, causing the current situation.

The more he uncovers, the more despicable acts come to light.

This is even more serious than those amplifiers or berserker potions.

In the worst case, it could lead to disastrous consequences for both the Alliance and the Empire.

“The strength and speed are problematic, but the bigger issue is their hostility, which is incomparable to before.”

“Even monsters, from goblins to ogres, usually flee when they judge the situation unfavorable. It’s their survival instinct. But these creatures show no sign of that.”

So it’s not just their bodies that have gone berserk, but their minds as well?

Come to think of it, it makes sense. The Alliance bastards captured and forcibly modified them.

It’s no wonder their hostility towards humans has reached unprecedented levels.

‘In the end, it’s those drug-addled Alliance members who are the problem. Just how far have they taken this?’

This won’t do. When he gets back, he needs to find those guys in the underground brain prison and finish their rehabilitation.

This time, let’s make it 200 push-ups every 10 minutes of planking. If they can’t do it, we’ll dislocate a joint or two.

It would be a tragic turn of events for the hardliners who were rejoicing at finally escaping Kyle’s clutches.

Clang! Clang! Clang!-

“Legion Commander!”

“Is it them again?”

“Yes. They’re coming again.”

The Legion Commander lets out a tired sigh at the officer’s response.

Another reason for the legion’s accumulating casualties.

The relentless waves of monsters left no time to tend to the wounded, let alone rest.

If they were facing enemy soldiers, or even ordinary monsters,

Such continuous assaults would have been impossible.

But these creatures kept coming in droves as soon as they gathered.

“Just how many monsters did the Alliance hardliners modify like this?”

“We don’t know the exact numbers either, Commander. Considering they gave mana berserker potions to all their knights, they must have done something equally insane to the monsters. Right now, all we can do is hope that this is the last of them.”

It might sound irresponsible, but there was nothing wrong with the Legion Commander’s words.

Eventually, it will come to an end. Until then, they just need to endure and keep fighting.

Although our side is taking considerable damage, the monsters are being wiped out as they come.

There’s a slight possibility that the ones charging in now might be the last.

“If it was going to be like this, I shouldn’t have bothered with that shower.”

Kyle stands up abruptly and lightly stretches his shoulders.

Honestly, he thought it ended too easily and wondered if more wouldn’t come.

Thankfully, they’re coming once more. Isn’t this a welcome development?

“Commander Priscilla. You need to stay by the Saintess’s side, so it might be difficult for you to move, right?”

“Usually yes, but the Saintess kept insisting that I go out and help the soldiers fight.”

She said that now is the time for my sword to protect others rather than herself.

She spoke with such a firm voice that I had no choice but to come out like this.

Kyle smiled at Commander Priscilla’s answer, thinking, ‘That’s our Saintess for you.’

“Well then, shall we go take a look?”

Kyle said confidently, but exactly 5 minutes later, he had to wear a bewildered expression.

‘…The monsters… are gone?’

The scout who brought the news was equally confused.

He had clearly seen the monsters approaching and ran like the wind to report it.

But now, it was as if the monsters had either shot up into the sky or sunk into the ground – they had all vanished.

“This, this can’t be! My team and I definitely confirmed it! This is not a false report!”

The scout leader cries out urgently, as if wronged.

Kyle, after a moment of thought, suddenly slumps down on the spot.

He closes his eyes and begins to concentrate all his senses.

“Sir Kyle?”

“Shh.”

The confused soldiers and Commander Priscilla restraining them.

In the meantime, Kyle, having finished something, lets out a gasp.

“…They really came.”

Even after arriving and scanning the surroundings, he hadn’t sensed anything.

So he thought they hadn’t arrived yet, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

It appears they had been defeating the monsters from quite a distance.

“Everyone, let’s go back.”

“Sir Kyle?”

“Brother Kyle?”

“Let’s go back. You’ll understand why if we wait a little after we return.”

At Kyle’s words, Commander Priscilla and the Imperial Legion soldiers tilted their heads in confusion but retreated.

Knowing he wasn’t the type to speak nonsense, they followed without protest.

And before long, they understood why Kyle had told them to go back.

“What, what is that? What’s going on?”

“Th-those! They’re all kids!!”

What appeared in the direction where the monsters were said to be coming from was a noisy group of children.

Their ages seemed to range from early teens for the youngest to late teens for the oldest.

Either way, they were clearly children who should never be allowed on a battlefield like this.

‘Yes, if they were ordinary children, that is.’

He can sense it. From those approaching children. The devastation of the monsters that must have fallen to their hands.

And behind them, approaching, an aura higher than the northern ice mountains and vaster than the ice sea.