Regarding matters that could help Takeru, Rem absolutely refused to yield. Although Ram did not speak, her confident and determined gaze said everything.
Looking at everyone's expressions, Takeru revealed a gratified smile. "Alright, set aside the matter of participating in battle for now. Comparatively, I do not wish for any of you to encounter accidents in this fight. Therefore, the selected combatants will be you five: Ram, Rem, Betty, Emilia, and Esdeath."
"As for the rest of you, just wait behind and await our triumphant return."
"Wait, Takeru, what about us?" Hearing Takeru's words, Akame, Kurome, Karin, and the others became anxious.
"Your strength is still too insufficient. For a battle of this scale, although it is nothing to me, it would be very dangerous for you. Afterwards, I will establish a barrier and have Salamence protect you. As for you, Betty, and the others, prioritize your own safety above all." Looking at them, Takeru earnestly instructed.
Upon hearing this, although unwilling, they could only nod.
The battle was still two days away. During these two days, Takeru began informing everyone about the information regarding this world.
After all, they were about to take control of the Kingdom of Falmuth, so not being familiar with this world would not do.
As for why Takeru had Ram and the others participate in the battle, it was because Takeru also intended to use this opportunity to properly temper them.
After all, the Falmuth Kingdom would have several skilled fighters. Entrusting them to the girls was just right.
Regarding safety, with Takeru overseeing, and each having one hundred bottles of recovery potion stored in their item slots, Takeru had no fear of anything happening to them.
These so-called recovery potions were the very ones Takeru had obtained from Rimuru, having taken 1,000 liters at the time. One hundred milliliters of recovery potion could produce one bottle. After giving each of Betty and the others one hundred bottles, Takeru still had 950 liters of recovery potion remaining.
Takeru did not divide the remainder for now, as he intended to test whether one bottle of potion and one barrel of potion both counted as a single manifested item...
If that were truly the case, then Takeru could be said to have found a small bug.
Amidst everyone's training and learning, two days quietly passed. On this day, Takeru received information transmitted back by his clone, confirming the army's movements.
Apart from the kingdom's information, there was an unexpected delight. Over these past few days, his clone had managed to infiltrate the royal palace's library and learn some of this world's magic.
Besides ordinary magic, there also existed summoning magic and anti-magic area barriers.
After briefly digesting this knowledge, Takeru immediately gathered everyone.
First, he settled Karin and the others in a rear tower. Then, Takeru, Betty, Esdeath, and the others waited in place for the enemy army's arrival.
As time slowly passed, the army advanced toward the forest in a mighty, sweeping formation, completely destroying the trees along the way.
Soon, the army had completely surrounded this mountain area. Leading them was indeed Knight Commander Focken, accompanied by the three Otherworlders from Japan.
"Hmm, so this is that dragon knight? And weren't there supposed to be many monsters? Why did we only encounter about a dozen on the way in?" Taguchi Shogo frowned as he looked toward Takeru's group.
"Ha, those people are just worthless, exaggerating to avoid responsibility. Hmph, making us come all this way for nothing." Mizutani Kirara directly took over the conversation.
"Well, since we're here, although the prey is fewer, the spoils should still exist, right?" Tachibana Kyoya narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
"You are that dragon knight?" Glancing briefly at Shogo and the others, Focken frowned and turned his head to address Takeru's group.
"Of course. I already spared you once before. Why do you encroach again?" Looking at him, Takeru spoke with a calm expression.
"Haha, this is the territory of the Falmuth Kingdom. Monster, it is you who are invading us. We are merely protecting our homeland!" Hearing Takeru's words, Focken spoke mockingly.
"Is that so? In that case, we have nothing further to discuss." Hearing his words, Takeru revealed a faint, cold smile.
"All troops, be on guard! Magic corps, attack!" Hearing Takeru's words, Focken made an immediate, decisive command.
At Focken's command, the rear mages instantly began chanting magic in unison. Soon, they released their spells toward Takeru and the others.
Instantly, powerful flames accompanied by gale-force winds and a rain of arrows descended, resembling an apocalyptic scene.
Seeing this, Takeru merely deployed his own protective barrier, directly blocking all the magic. However, quantity induced quality, and Takeru's barrier quickly dissipated.
Nevertheless, even so, the magic's power was reduced by ninety percent. Ram merely released a light gale, which, combined with Rem and Emilia's ice shields, directly blocked the remaining spells.
At that moment, a thin barrier directly enveloped the area where Takeru and the others stood. Ram and Rem sensed their mana weakening.
Takeru and the others, however, were unaffected. Clearly, this barrier was targeted at monsters. Yet despite being weakened, Ram and Rem still possessed top-tier power.
As for Focken, seeing the barrier appear, he revealed a smile. "Everyone, attack!"
"Roar!" Hearing Focken's command, the front-line knights charged toward Takeru and the others.
What Focken and the others did not know was that, with the barrier's emergence, further away, Takeru's clone had also activated another magical barrier pre-established earlier, enveloping everyone.
"You may attack freely as well." Sensing his own magical barrier activate, Takeru spoke calmly.
"Just what I wished for. Ice Legion!" Without hesitation, Esdeath directly unleashed her ultimate technique. Since the enemy was deploying knights, Esdeath summoned a legion of ice knights to counter-attack them.
As for Takeru, watching the numerous charging cavalry, his expression was indifferent. He softly chanted, "El Vita!"
With Takeru's words, instantly, within a hundred meters centered on Takeru, numerous knights experienced an immense gravitational force abruptly assailing them. They, along with their mounts, were instantly crushed into pulp...
Simultaneously, continuously approaching knights also succumbed to the gravitational crushing, all dying without exception.
As they died, numerous souls began slowly ascending, penetrating the magical barrier deployed by Reyhiem and the church members, only to ultimately be intercepted by Takeru's barrier.
"Halt!" Witnessing the bizarre deaths of so many knights, Focken was startled and directly stopped the rear knights from advancing. This was simply too eerie.
"Is this a monster?" In truth, Focken's reminder was unnecessary. The surviving knights, seeing those ahead inexplicably die, dared not advance further.
"El Minya!" Although the knights had halted, Beatrice would not stop. She directly released magic toward one direction. Purple mana arrows rapidly shot forth, each basically killing a knight with a single arrow.
Two of these arrows flew toward Razen amidst the crowd. Facing Beatrice's mana arrows, Razen casually released a shield and effortlessly neutralized them.
"Tornado Hurricane!" On Ram's side, she directly deployed a massive tornado annihilating the enemies to the east.
"Ice Spikes!" Rem, meanwhile, directly summoned numerous ice spikes, spraying them toward the southern enemies.
"Damn it!" Seeing the large number of knights continuously dying, Focken was furious.
Although he did not care about the soldiers' deaths, losing so many while merely eliminating six individuals would soon have the King questioning his command abilities.
"Shogo, Kyoya, Kirara, attack now!" Thinking this, Focken directly ordered the more combat-capable Shogo and the others forward.
"Hmph!" Hearing Focken's commanding tone, Shogo raised an eyebrow. However, recalling that their lives were still under the nation's control, he dared not defy. He then leaped into the gravity zone. Feeling the force acting upon him, his legs weakened, but he quickly adapted.
Because Takeru needed to maintain a large area, the gravity was only about three to four hundred kilograms in weight. Other soldiers, wearing armor and other burdens, combined with their inferior physical constitution, were directly crushed to death.
As for Shogo and the others, their physical capabilities were far superior. Although unaccustomed, they were not directly pressured to death.
"Be careful! There is immense gravity within!" Sensing the pressure on his body, Shogo loudly turned his head and called out to Kirara and the others.
"Gravity, is it?" Hearing Shogo's words, Focken frowned.