304 – Battalion Commander, Ernesis the Witch Who Invites Death

If there are two battalions present, then… There should be two people leading them.
I look around, searching for the commanders.

『Hey, isn’t that it?』

Receiving my partner’s thoughts, I follow her line of sight.
There she is.
I spot a woman wearing gaudy make-up, holding a long staff.
She looks about thirty years of age.

“You guys, ignore the small fry and do something to get that big one’s attention! I’ll pull out its guts!”

“Hah, Ernesis-sama!”
“Understood.
But it’s okay if we kill it, right?”

It looks like the morale of the troops near her is higher than elsewhere.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
[Ernesis Ermanea]
Species: Earth Huma
Condition: Normal
LV: 37/60
HP: 188/188
MP: 218/264
Attack: 63+14
Defence: 138+55
Magic: 268+62
Speed: 110

Equipment:
Hand: [Mithril Longstaff: B]
Body: [Mithril Breastplate: B]

Characteristic Skills:
[Grisha Language: Lv7] [Sorcerer Talent: Lv5]

Resistance Skills:
[Physical Resistance: Lv1] [Magic Resistance: Lv2]

Normal Skills:
[Circle Staff Dance: Lv4] [Total Concentration: Lv4] [Rest: Lv5] [Care: Lv2] [Physical Barrier: Lv4] [Fireball: Lv5] [Slow: Lv4] [Poison: Lv4] [Fire Arrow: Lv2] [Dark Sphere: Lv3] [Demon Hand: Lv1] [Death: Lv1]

Title Skills:
[Black Witch Bloodline: Lv-] [White Mage: Lv4] [Black Mage: Lv6] [Staff Combat: Lv4] [Witch Who Invites Death: Lv-] [Starved Hunters Battalion Commander: Lv-]
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Looking at her title skills, it’s clear she’s one of the commanders.
She’s also got tons of useful skills lined up.
It looks like it’s not her forte, but she has the bare minimum of close combat knowledge.

Adding in the staff’s correction, she’s got a magic stat of over 300.
I’ve never seen a huma with a magic stat that high other than the hero.
Mine’s over three times that number though.

My eyes meet the woman sorcerer… with Ernesis, and she laughs scornfully then glares at her subordinates.
Unlike the magic attack unit, the other members of the unit all have a sword or spear in hand.
Their tactic is probably to have the others stand in front while Ernesis fires off magic.

“Buy me ten seconds! I’ll kill it the same as before!”

Following Ernesis’s order, her subordinates raise a cheer as they charge forwards.

“It’s coming, Ernesis-sama’s devil hand!”
“Commander-sama, what is…”
“You wouldn’t know since you were just assigned here.
Just watch.
Heheh, its guts are gonna be pulled out.
So many humans and monsters have been pulled apart that it’s funny.”

One man who can’t follow what’s happening asks another.
Devil hand… Is it the [Demon Hand] skill she had? It looks like the skill level is low, but…that just means it’s that hard a skill to use.

Behind them, Ernesis holds her staff vertically and closes her eyes.
A blood vessel appears on her forehead.

I swing my tail, scattering the oncoming soldiers.
With just a graze, the horses and soldiers are sent flying, separate in the air, then hit the ground hard.
I swing my arm towards a soldier who comes in front of me.

“Ugooh!”

I hit the soldier towards Ernesis.
Two of her subordinates in the way meet each other’s eyes, then raise their weapons together.

““[Clay Wall]!””

A two-layered wall of earth rises, intercepting the flying soldier… So they have some magic knowledge?

“Great, just keep it occupied…”

The soldier’s body crashes into the wall of earth and pierces it.
The two-layered earth wall crumbles apart, leaving only the base remaining.

【174 experience points have been acquired.】
【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 174 experience points have been acquired.】

As the soldier hits the wall, I receive an experience point notification, telling me he died.
The soldier’s body soars between the two of Ernesis’s subordinates.

“Ah…”

It continues on to collide with her horse.
The horse screams and collapses, and Ernesis, who had her eyes closed, falls to the ground.
Trampled on by the horse, she screams and rolls about.
Traces of blood stick to the ground.

“D, [Demon Hand]!”

She raises her bloodied face high and shouts.
A red light appears in front of her and swirls into a vortex, a gigantic dark red arm appearing from inside.
Its claws…or rather, the tips of its fingers are bizarrely long, giving it a grotesque appearance.

“H-hiih!”
“N-not yet, Ernesis-samaah! Erase it, please erase it! GyaaaaAAH!”

The hand crushes closed, and the humans in range are squished together with their horses.
Only a head escapes, landing neatly on top of the pile of minced meat.
Scraping the ground, the devil’s hand pushes forwards, devouring the flesh of allies and fallen horses alike.

…Indeed, that’s an outrageous skill.
If she’d caught me by surprise with it, it could’ve been dangerous.
Though it doesn’t look like she’s proficient enough to manage a sneak attack.

Seeing as she activated it in a hurry before the ten seconds had passed after falling from her horse, it looks like she doesn’t have any control over it.

“If I stop it now, it’ll be a waste of magic power! Stop that damned dragon’s movements! It’ll beat it to death! As long as it hits, none can win against this devil hand!”

Ernesis yells, her face covered in blood and hair dishevelled.

“Th-that’s impossible, Ernesis-sama! Please stop! Stop, don’t come, don’t come, aaaaah!”

Another person is caught up and transformed into minced meat.
I flap my wings to fire [Wind Slashes].
As before, I shoot a total of eight shots.
The blades of wind skim the battlefield, bisecting horses and riders before exploding into clouds of dust.
Without time to react, the nearby soldiers die, only their short screams remaining.

【1136 experience points have been acquired.】
【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 1136 experience points have been acquired.】

One of the eight shots flies into the palm of the devil hand.
For a moment, it looks as though it is erased by the hand, but the next instant the blade of wind bursts out of the back of it.
Blue blood spurts out, then along with the blood, the hand transforms into red light.

“M-my invincible magic…”

Crawling on the ground, Ernesis braces her staff, but she is cut in two by the blade of wind which hadn’t lost any speed.
The blade then collides with the ground, vanishing in a cloud of dust.

【222 experience points have been acquired.】
【Due to the Title Skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 222 experience points have been acquired.】

It has only been ten short seconds since I laid eyes on Ernesis.
The other commander is… I wonder, looking around, and the soldiers who meet my eyes stop moving and drop their weapons.
It looks like they’ve finally realised the difference in strength.

“Uwaaaaaaah! That’s why I said, that’s why I saaaaid! UwaaaaaAAAH!”

The plump man from before, captain Libras, rides his horse away as fast as he can.
Unable to dodge, he slams into a tree, but quickly gets to his feet without paying attention to his injury and runs.

The sight of his ungainly flight fans the fear in the others, or perhaps reduces the hurdle to them fleeing… Either way, one after the other, they throw their weapons down and run.
Personally, I’m glad they’re fleeing.
I may have made my resolve, but I don’t have a hobby of slaughtering low-ranks.

Besides… Smoke is rising from the village.
I need to get over there as soon as possible.

“W-we can’t do it! Let’s leave it to Azalea!”
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing, running into the village?!”
“I need to let Tolman-sama know…”

…The general is in the village, it seems.
Even after seeing what came of Ernesis, they think that person is strong enough?