I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Chapter 472
Oh shoot it’s 3 AM already
10-58. Searching Surviving Allies
With a shout, they all burst into action.
Lacc soared into the sky, the Mounted Dragon raced across the ground, and Uchikage moved just as swiftly along the ground.
The devil and Houen quickly scattered to search for survivors.
They wanted to remain inconspicuous, but the fiery wings of Houen made it impossible to go unnoticed.
So, they lowered their altitude as much as possible to conduct their search.
Flying in the air allowed them to get a better view of the situation on the ground.
The scenes they witnessed were nothing but horrifying.
Devils being devoured by monsters, and giant creatures wreaking havoc in areas that once held towns, reducing everything to rubble.
It would be unbearable to be attacked by such things.
Furthermore, the arrival of flying creatures posed the greatest threat to the devils.
Many winged creatures had fallen to the ground.
They seemed to have engaged in combat, but the results appeared devastating.
As they witnessed this grim spectacle, Houen gritted his teeth.
He had to find surviving devils somehow.
Without their forces, the success rate of this operation would plummet.
Even though he could afford to wait until they were found, they would likely be discovered soon anyway.
The longer it took to gather soldiers, the greater the burden on their dwindling numbers.
Engaging with the enemy meant the devils would have to face the monsters as well.
As time passed, Uchikage and Lize’s units would likely join him, but they were moving on the ground.
They would inevitably encounter monsters and be forced to fight.
This would delay their arrival.
“Until then…no, even before that!”
He increased his flying speed to search for surviving devils.
However, no matter where he flew, the same scenery greeted him.
It was possible that the devils were already in hiding, making his search quite challenging.
As frustration grew from not finding any, he heard the sounds of battle.
Beyond a mountain range.
It was an enormous explosion, so it was certain that some kind of battle was taking place over there.
He immediately flew in that direction to confirm what was happening.
Between the mountain ranges… in a valley, devils and a vast horde of monsters are engaged in battle.
A single devil is restraining the seemingly endless tide of monsters erupting from the ground, while behind him, devils that appear to be of intermediate rank are working diligently to cast spells.
The devil holding back the monsters alone has their lower body melting like slime.
It seems to have swollen in size to block the invasion, but it’s clearly a strenuous battle.
Their expression is grim, and it appears they are barely managing to maintain the current situation.
“Abus-sama!! It’s no use anymore!! We should retreat!”
“If I release this, we’ll be swallowed up and die!”
“But…”
“You know, I’m good at mental attack! As for Area attacks… not that much!”
They manipulate the slime to strike and push back the monsters.
However, even this takes a considerable toll on their stamina, and they end up on the defensive once again.
“Allow me to assist!”
“Huh!?”
” ? Fire Feather? !”
With each flap of his fiery wings, the flames strike the monsters directly, engulfing their bodies in fire.
It burns all the monsters spreading from the sky to the ground, and the flames from the Endless Inferno continue to spread.
Having burnt most of the monsters in the rear, Houen descends and grabs the neck of the devil holding the line against the invasion.
“HOWAAAAH?”
“Don’t struggle!”
“Uwaaaah- My lower body!! Come baaack!!”
Reaching out and squeezing, the swollen slime condenses and leaps into the devil’s hand.
Upon incorporation, his lower body is gradually reshaped.
It appears that wasn’t a skill; it was actually his lower body.
But for now, they managed to break free.
Then he gives orders to the devils behind them.
“You devils!! Retreat!”
“Huh!? Say what!? Y-yes! All forces retreat!! Fall back to the defense line!”
“Why are you the one giving orders!?”
“My Endless Inferno won’t hold them for long. Once it’s burnt out, it’s over. Retreating is the standard procedure.”
“Hold on, are you a reincarnator!?!”
“The name’s Houen.”
They continued carrying the surviving devils along.
If he followed the retreating devils, he might be able to meet up with his other comrades.
All that was left was to request their cooperation.
“Uh, hey! Why the reincarnator here… I mean, why are you here, Houen!?”
“Because there’s The Voice here. We need to gather our forces quickly. Dacia and Mana are also here, searching for your comrades.”
“D-Dacia-sama and Mana-sama are here too!?”
No one had expected them to come.
Considering this might be their final order, everyone had devoted themselves to fighting to the death. To survive was the utmost priority, and devils were creating the opportunity to gather strength and strategize.
The battle was one-sided, and in just three days, many of their brethren had already perished.
However, it seemed that every fallen comrade had died with pride.
Was it okay for them to be the only ones left alive? This question haunted Abus.
However, the fact that Dacia had come meant that they had gathered strength and made plans. Their fight had not been in vain, and their survival had bought them time.
The moment this realization hit, the doubt about whether they should be the only survivors faded away.
From now on, Abus would fight as one of Dacia’s soldiers.
Then, Abus remembered the words Houen had spoken earlier.
“…Wait a minute? Our forces… haven’t been gathered, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Wh-Why did you come then? We’re already in terrible shape! There are so few surviving devils!!”
“Few, you say?”
“You have eyes right?!”
“We have our reasons too. It’s impossible to gather our forces in just three days. But if we don’t reach a resolution quickly, all of the devils will be wiped out.”
“W-Well, I understand that, but!”
“Enough of your complaints! This is our final battle!! Both Dacia and Mana have put in a lot of effort to gather their comrades! The leaders have chosen to fight, so it’s your duty as subordinates to cooperate! Otherwise, I’ll throw you off this place!”
“Heeee…”
Abus shrunk in response to Houen’s scolding.
What he said wasn’t wrong. That’s why Abus couldn’t argue back.
There was something welling up in Abus’s heart, like a wave rushing in and clouding his vision.
“Ueeeh”
“Why are you crying…”
“Abandoned… I thought we were abandoned…”
“There’s no way they would abandon their comrades. They need you to buy time, to detain humans and Onis so they could protect their own kind. It was probably the most difficult for those three.”
“Snniff…”
In fact, when Dacia and Mana had proposed using devils to detain the enemy, they had admitted that it was a last resort.
It wouldn’t be normal to think of using their own kind as a way to detain the enemy.
But those two had executed it.
From the devils’ perspective, it wouldn’t be strange to think they had been abandoned.
The reason for their rally might have been to distract from this truth.
“Still, even though they fought against us back then, they protected humans in the end. The passage of time might erase hatred.”
“Ugh, no, that’s not… Dacia-sama… obliterated the human country… just to prevent the manifestation of voices… sniff… that’s why…”
“…You felt guilty. You’re quite an unusual devil, huh.”
After a small sigh, Houen increased his flight speed and headed toward the location where the devils were hiding.
Finding devils so quickly was fortunate.
It would be tough, but he needed to prepare for departure as soon as possible.