The Bonfire Man

Could those things even be called living?

Soldiers looking like burnt corpses attacked one after another.

And they outnumbered us by nearly three to one.

Despite Queen Tianis's strike having taken down quite a few of them.

One of the soldiers approached the startled Yohane, but Azu kicked it away and severed its head.

The headless soldier did not get back up and lay still.

"They can be killed by removing the head!"

"So that's the same as Undead."

Alexia swung her blazing battle-axe and mowed down several soldiers.

The fire spread to the enemy soldiers, but they showed no sign of caring.

When one tried to get back up, one of the Kingdom soldiers Mani had brought cut off the fallen enemy's head.

"Having already been burned, fire magic doesn't work well on them. It'd be better to destroy them directly with wind or rock magic."

"Alexia-chan, I'll protect you while you cast. Being used in such a state is just too pitiful."

"I feel the same even without being a priestess. Don't let any enemies get close."

Elza moved to guard the now-vulnerable Alexia.

Her swinging mace mercilessly crushed enemy heads.

Elza's complexion was quite pale.

The enemies moved sluggishly and in straight lines.

Non-combatants like Yohane and Orleans aside, trained soldiers could handle them well enough.

But the difference in numbers was a problem.

If surrounded, even slow-moving enemies would become a threat.

Azu was focused on guarding Yohane, and Finn was slow to bring them down since they were such a bad matchup for her.

"If they were normal soldiers, I could disable them by cutting their tendons or neck arteries!"

"Finn, don't push yourself!"

"Tch."

An enemy soldier who had been slashed multiple times tried to grab Finn.

But Finn kicked its knee to throw it off balance, then leaped onto its shoulder and escaped danger.

It didn't look like Finn would lose.

"Commander Mani! What are your casualties?"

"A few are down! If we get surrounded any more, we're in trouble!"

We had no casualties on our side, but Mani's group was struggling with losses.

There was no guarantee the enemy wouldn't receive reinforcements.

We couldn't take prisoners either. Best to defeat them as quickly as possible and head back.

While all this was going on, Alexia finished her incantation.

"I'm going all out. Everyone get down!"

Everyone on our side hurriedly put distance between themselves and the enemy and hit the dirt.

Alexia released the wind magic she had deployed overhead.

Multiple sickle weasels formed and flew toward the enemy soldiers.

The enemy soldiers struck by the sickle weasels were cut apart one after another, and all of them were defeated.

"Wind magic really is difficult to control. Good thing the enemy was slow and moved on instinct alone. I couldn't use this against monsters."

"But it was more than enough for now. Thanks."

"Whatever. I just did my job. Besides, I wasn't too happy about them being used like this."

Mani and the others were treating the wounded soldiers.

Elza was helping with treatment, so they should be able to move again soon.

But the soldier who was attacked first and two others had fallen victim.

"I appreciate your cooperation. We might have been in danger alone."

"It was by Queen Tianis's order. And since Commander Mani herself was going, we had to do at least this much."

"It was careless of me given my position as general. I need to hurry and select people to delegate this kind of work to."

There were many challenges ahead.

They would leave the cleanup here to the follow-up troops.

Just as he thought that and turned away, a loud noise erupted.

Looking back, the enemy's wagon bed was destroyed.

It had been forcibly broken from the inside.

Azu and the others raised their weapons in alarm.

"Whaat's this? I was sleeping and we stopped in a place like this."

A large man crawled out from inside the wagon.

Unlike the other soldiers, he showed no signs of being burned.

"Empty husks really are useless. Can't help it since all they're good for is becoming kindling."

The large man trampled the motionless enemy soldiers without hesitation.

There was no respect for life in his actions.

It was a disgusting display even for an enemy.

"Who are you? What purpose brought you to invade the Kingdom!"

"There are women here. Several of them too. I thought this was going to be a boring job just ruining the coronation, but looks like I can enjoy myself. I was deflated cleaning up after Crispus's half-assed work, but maybe I'll get a little motivated."

Ignoring Mani's words, the large man looked our way.

He made no attempt to hide his vulgar gaze.

"Don't look at me with those disgusting eyes."

Finn moved.

In the blink of an eye, she circled behind the large man and slashed the back of his knee.

The knee supporting the large man buckled, and he dropped to one knee.

"Ohh?"

Finn then tried to stab and gouge both daggers into his ear.

But the large man dodged by quickly ducking his head.

Just as Finn was about to follow up, she suddenly leaped backward.

"Whaat, I almost had you."

Before anyone noticed, a spear befitting the large man had been thrust into where Finn had just been standing.

The large man stood back up and gripped the spear.

The wound Finn had inflicted remained, but he showed no sign of caring.

"This guy isn't a normal human. I cut his tendon and he's acting like nothing happened."

"Do I look human to you lot? Your faith must be lacking."

"What nonsense are you spouting…"

Alexia readied her battle-axe.

"Don't lump me in with humans. I'm one of the Apostle candidates of the Church of the Sun God. Bonfam the Bonfire. I will burn you as enemies of the Church of the Sun God and offer you as tribute to our god."

Bonfam's body burst into flames all at once, engulfing him completely.