While we were celebrating with our victory shout, the Imperial forces finally arrived atop the outer wall. Among the leading group, I spotted Marcellus and promptly dispelled the spiritual art controlling the sand, causing the small fortress to collapse easily. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

With the battle over, I reverted from my demon form and cleared the remains of the fortifications aside so it wouldn’t obstruct the passage. Just then, Marcellus and his unit approached. They seemed to have engaged in a fierce battle on par with our own, as both Marcellus himself and his subordinates’ armor and shields were tattered and stained black with their own blood and the blood of their enemies.

Their weapons seemed to have suffered a similar fate. Some blades had merely dulled, but others appeared broken beyond repair. Some of my comrades had their weapons damaged as well, but they had resourcefully scavenged replacements from the enemies’ weapons, so it wasn’t a problem. As for me, I knew Mika would take care of my swords, so I wasn’t concerned.

“It seems you were raising a victory shout, but what’s happened? The gate on the other side of the outer wall is open…”

“I’ll explain from my end.”

Mika, who was accustomed to conversing with higher-ranking individuals among us, said. He proceeded to summarize what had transpired at this place. Listening to the report, Marcellus nodded his head several times and then smiled wryly, saying, “Seems like I missed the moment of victory.”

Marcellus informed his subordinates that the battle had ended and they had emerged victorious. At first, the Imperial soldiers seemed bewildered, but gradually they started to understand the situation and began raising shouts of triumph themselves.

Among them, there was a group that stood out, shouting loudly and shedding tears. Perhaps they had a strong attachment to this place.

“Nevertheless… you all look pretty beaten up. Not that I can say anything myself,” Marcellus remarked.

Indeed, he was right. We were as wounded as they were, if not more. There wasn’t a single person without injuries; even I had numerous wounds all over my body.

Everyone was in a sorry state; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we were all in tatters. The fact that there were barely any casualties despite the intense battle was probably thanks to our demon healing abilities. It’s frustrating, but we owe our survival to Orvo’s techniques.

“Mr. Marcellus, who are these people?”

When I was pondering such thoughts, someone suddenly peeked out from behind Marcellus. As soon as we saw his face, we involuntarily transformed into our demon forms. It was because the person was a blue-skinned Khan race male.

He had an average height but a rather slender build, and there was no visible aura of combat expertise in his stance. However, his body carried a strange odor… a dense, intense scent of fresh blood. Who was this guy?

Although he should have been met with hostility from us, the Khan man showed no signs of fear whatsoever. On the contrary, his eyes sparkled with excitement as he approached us.

“I’ve never heard of a shape-shifting human species! Are there humans like this on this continent!?”

“……!”

“Wait! Don’t kill him!”

Feeling an inexplicable fear and sense of danger, I shifted my position to shield my comrades from the Khan man’s reach while preparing to strike with my poisonous tail. However, just as the sharp stinger was about to pierce his neck, Marcellus hurriedly intervened, prompting me to halt my tail’s movement.

The Khan man firmly grabbed my tail, stroking it as if to examine it closely. The moment he touched me, fear surged through me, and I immediately withdrew my tail. But the Khan man then extended his hand, trying to touch my body.

In that instant, not just me, but the other demons behind me showed their wariness by placing their hands on their weapons. The only reason they didn’t draw their weapons was out of respect for Marcellus, their superior, and because of the command, “Don’t kill him.”

“Everyone, calm down! And Mr. Haddin, please restrain yourself. Your fate is yet to be decided,” Marcellus said.

“Mmm, I guess you’re right.”

The Kan man, apparently called Haddin, grumbled. Reluctantly, he refrained from approaching me any further after being sternly admonished by Marcellus. However, he continued to shoot occasional feverish glances at me and the other demons. What’s with this unsettling Khan man?

Marcellus waited for Haddin to settle down before explaining to us who this Khan man was and trying to convince us. According to his explanation, this man named Larman Haddin was a Kan race researcher who had surrendered to the Imperial Army. He claimed that from now on, he would use his intellect for the benefit of the Empire.

Ah, I see. This man is similar to Orvo, isn’t he? He prioritizes his research and curiosity above all else. Just earlier, he was clearly fixated on my tail and poisonous stinger, and even now, he’s paying close attention to us, so my assumption isn’t far off.

“But please, tell me something about who these people are. I won’t be able to sleep at night if I keep wondering,” Haddin said.

“Well… I suppose that’s acceptable. They’re called ‘demons’, a kind of human species created through spiritual arts by synthesizing humans with other creatures, a synthetic human species.” Marcellus explained.

“Demons… so they are synthetic beasts…?”

Haddin’s mouth gaped open in astonishment, but he seemed oblivious to the several stern glares directed at him. While it didn’t bother me, as I used to be a scorpion, many other demons disliked being referred to as synthetic beasts.

Even if they had come to terms with it themselves, being reminded by others was unpleasant. Normally, they might hold back, considering the situation and if the other person they were dealing with was an Imperial soldier. But now, just after the battle, emotions were running high, and the man before us was an enemy prisoner of war. There was no room for restraint in the gazes of my companions.

Haddin seemed completely oblivious to the true meaning behind Marcellus’ mention of the “synthetic human species”. Despite the stares from my comrades, he remained utterly unfazed. It was not so much courage as it was a lack of awareness of the situation. He continued to observe us intently as if studying us more than ever before.

“So, what methods were used to achieve this, and who came up with such revolutionary technology?”

“I know who, but I don’t have the authority to introduce you. If you want to meet them, you’ll have to impress the higher-ups.”

“Oh, I’ll make sure to meet them and hear their story!”

Marcellus deliberately sounded a bit sarcastic when saying that, but Haddin took it at face value and seemed to take his words as encouragement instead, puffing his chest. It was evident that, in terms of lacking situational awareness, Haddin surpassed Orvo, who was more politically astute.

However, it was also certain that, while he might not be as exceptional as Orvo, Haddin was undoubtedly talented. Until now, I had overlooked it, but this man, Haddin, effortlessly talked in the Ditto language we used, not the Khan race’s language.

Several years had passed since the invasion began, yet they continued to massacre the inhabitants of the continent. In other words, they had to learn the language from scratch with no one to teach them. It would be impossible for the less intelligent ones among them.

“Alright, alright, enough chitchat. Let’s get down from here. It seems that traps are set on the inside of the outer wall, and if one were to accidentally trigger them, the whole wall could collapse.” Decius warned.

“Understo…? What was that sound, Whoaaaa!?”

Just as Marcellus was about to respond to Decius’ suggestion, a deafening thunder-like roar echoed from afar, and the outer wall shook violently. That thunderous noise had become all too familiar during the war with the Republic. Yes, it was the sound of cannon fire.

“Where is the attack coming from!?”

“Th-the sea! Could it be that the fleet remained…!?”

The source of the cannon bombardment was a fleet floating on the sea, far away from the Carnela Port. Didn’t those who could use flying spiritual arts carry a large number of bombs to destroy those things? I heard there were far more bombs this time than when we had taken them… Did they fail?

The fleet wasn’t unscathed either. Several battleships had suffered damage from the explosions, but their number exceeded ten. The bombardment from the massive cannons mounted on those ships rained down on the downtown area and warehouse district of Carnela Port, as well as this outer wall.

“This indiscriminate targeting… Could it be they intend to turn this place into a wasteland!”

“If they can’t have it, they’ll obliterate everything. That’s the Republic’s way.”

In response to Marcellus’ exclamation, seemingly unable to believe it, Haddin replied calmly, seeming to accept the situation as natural. Just then, the bombardment struck the outer wall once more, with multiple impacts shaking the ground beneath us.

While it wasn’t enough to knock us off our feet entirely, it was undeniably extremely dangerous to stay here any longer. I used spiritual arts to create a cushion of soft, airy sand on the ground, intending to instruct everyone to jump down onto it.

However, before I could give the command……the third bombardment struck the outer wall, and the internal traps seemed to have triggered a massive explosion from within. The blast blew away our footing, hurling us into the air. Struggling against the sudden sensation of weightlessness, I swiftly conjured sand arms and tossed my companions onto the soft sand cushion I had prepared.

(Tch! There are many people who have fainted! Did they hit their heads hard from the explosion!)

The sturdy outer wall had exploded, causing many of my comrades to lose consciousness. Even skilled individuals like Tigar and Mika were not spared. In fact, there were only a few who hadn’t fainted, apart from me.

For those who remained conscious, panic set in, and they flailed their arms and legs in a frenzy. Calm down! I’ll throw you to a safe spot even if you fall! Perhaps, having unintentionally transformed into demon forms, they had unexpectedly gained considerable strength.

(Hmm! Alright, now my comrades should be safe. I should create some foothold for myself…!)

After confirming the safety of my comrades, I also tried to get down on the sand cushion I made myself. However, before that, another round of bombardment struck the remains of the outer wall. As a result, debris larger than my head came hurtling toward me at high speed. I hurriedly tried to brush it away with my tail, but one large piece struck my abdomen, sending me flying in an unintended direction. Eventually, I plummeted into a pile of rubble.