Death Approaches Slowly
The third day, very early in the morning.
Ayanokouji and Beatrice rode the earth dragon and met with Crusch and the others near the designated location. As they formed an alliance with Crusch, she requested an earth dragon from the other side.
"You're here!" Crusch smiled, and they seemed to be closer to each other.
She wore a military uniform with beautiful armor on the outside, reflecting a bright metallic light, and her high ponytail made her appear energetic and heroic.
Ayanokouji looked around.
The surrounding soldiers were all heavily armed and ready for battle. He also noticed that these soldiers had some devices that looked like very expensive cannons. Only nobles like Crusch could carry such a number. The cost-performance ratio was worse than the cannons in his previous world.
This time, Crusch brought almost all of the Karlsten family's main forces. In addition to Wilhelm, Felix was also present. He had no real combat abilities but was very strong.
"Are you Ayanokouji-sama?!"
Wilhelm led a few veteran soldiers.
"Mm, what's the matter?" Ayanokouji asked.
"They are all former veterans, and it is their sorrowful wish to destroy the White Whale." Crusch explained.
"Ayanokouji-sama, if the White Whale really appears this time, I truly want to thank you for giving me the chance for revenge." Wilhelm bowed respectfully, while the other veterans beside him also expressed their gratitude.
"There's no need to thank me. I hope you have good luck in this battle." Ayanokouji nodded and took out his phone to check the time. If it followed the previous regression, the White Whale would appear soon. "Beatrice and I will go investigate the surroundings now. If there are any abnormalities, I will come and report immediately. Please be cautious."
"Alright! Thank you for your hard work, Ayanokouji! You should also be careful!" Crusch said with a smile on her face.
Ayanokouji looked at her face for a moment, then invited Beatrice to ride the earth dragon and leave.
Beatrice, petite, sat in front of him, looking like a child.
"With their strength, they might not be able to handle the White Whale." After a certain distance, Beatrice said with a hint of concern.
"Trust them." Ayanokouji said quietly. "After all, Crusch has made adequate preparations, and the fighting strength of the Sword Demon and the others can be relied upon."
He did not reveal the true purpose. With Beatrice's character, if she knew this action was merely a trap he set for Crusch, she would be very uncomfortable.
Originally, Ayanokouji did not need to come here directly. According to the normal plan, it would not be too late for him to appear again after Crusch's forces were destroyed by the White Whale.
However, he believed the White Whale was a threat. By coming to observe the battle up close, he could obtain more information about the White Whale. Although he already had some understanding of it, observing it closely would allow him to interact with the White Whale. If it fought Crusch's forces, he could gather more information to prepare for the White Whale's eventual destruction.
And if Crusch was defeated by the White Whale in battle, her soldiers would forget her existence, losing their leader and becoming a headless swarm, which Ayanokouji could then take over.
"Moreover, there's Betty. Such things are insignificant to you, Betty." Ayanokouji extended his hand and gently touched Beatrice's hair, causing her face to flush immediately.
The reason he brought Beatrice with him was because of her powerful abilities, which could be used as insurance. This not only allowed him to move freely on the battlefield but also protected him from the White Whale's attacks.
"Yes." Beatrice nodded, clearly pleased by the praise.
Ayanokouji looked up. The stars in the sky were very bright.
At this moment, in the vast starry sky, a dark figure slowly emerged, almost obscuring the full moon hanging in the sky.
The White Whale was coming!
On the vast plains, the soldiers of Crusch's army all looked serious as they faced the monster that had taken their relatives and friends.
Ayanokouji took out his phone, turned on the camera, zoomed in, and carefully observed the legendary giant beast.
It was nearly a hundred meters long and looked almost like a regular whale. Its large fins were like wings, and there was a circle of blood-red light on its head, like a divine envoy sent to punish humanity.
As its name suggested, its body was entirely white, but its skin was not smooth; it was covered with large, coarse fur.
At this moment, the White Whale opened its mouth wide, revealing its bloody mouth, and emitted a roar that shook the earth.
The ground trembled from the extremely loud sound waves, but Crusch stood amidst her troops, remaining calm despite the danger. She always had a serene expression on her face, but it seemed there was an emotion emerging in her heart.
"Everyone, ready!"
She raised her sword high, as if the White Whale had descended from the sky.
The height of the giant beast suddenly descended, creating a massive airwave that made Crusch's long, dark green hair dance wildly in the wind.
"Attack!" The sharp sword in Crusch's hand emitted a bright green light, and then the sword struck directly!
She had a sharp sword flash and refined sword energy, and was an exceptional swordswoman. Combined with the wind magic she mastered, she could channel sword energy through the wind and use super sword skills that ignored distance!
The sudden sword energy ripped through the air, causing a loud explosion, piercing the White Whale's body, and a spray of blood immediately erupted.
Following Crusch's command, her army also launched a fierce assault at the same time.
The magical cannons condensed into countless balls of light, accurately hitting the White Whale's body. Excessive sparks suddenly appeared in the air, creating a huge cloud of smoke and dust, almost obscuring the sky.
Dozens of other mages unleashed fire magic, attacking the White Whale, tearing apart the darkness of the night sky.
And two mages activated night-vanishing magic. As a beam of light shot into the sky, the entire world instantly turned to daytime, making everyone's vision very clear.
This attack was precise, swift, and well-prepared, which showed that Crusch had excellent commanding abilities on the battlefield.
"These humans are doing quite well!" Beatrice, watching the battle from a distance, could only sigh, though her expression remained very serious. "But this level is not enough."
The smoke and dust spread, and the White Whale appeared in front of everyone again. Its white fur was covered in dust but showed no significant damage at all.
Ayanokouji squinted slightly and saw that Wilhelm had jumped onto the White Whale's body, waving his sharp sword and slashing at the White Whale indiscriminately, venting his anger.
Blood surged onto the White Whale's body like waves. If it were a normal creature, Wilhelm's attacks would have killed it.
But the White Whale was not an ordinary creature but a Mabeast created by the Witch of Gluttony herself.
The White Whale flapped its large wings and leaped into the sky again. Wilhelm had to leave the White Whale and return to the ground.
"Have you not defeated it?!"
Crusch's expression changed from calm to anxious as she bit her lip. According to the initial plan, the first wave of attacks should have been able to kill the White Whale, but the effect was not achieved. The White Whale was stronger than expected.
Ayanokouji, observing the battle from a distance, realized the problem: "The underside of the White Whale's body blocks almost all attacks, so the damage caused is very limited."
He obtained very important information.
Next, he already knew that Crusch's camp might be in trouble.
Crusch had chosen a good fighting method. She was not ready to waste time on the White Whale but prepared to kill the opponent in one wave entirely.
If the first wave of the most vicious attacks did not have an effect, the entire army would soon suffer a decline.
Moreover, the White Whale had not yet used its full strength – Ayanokouji still remembered the strange mist that suddenly filled the night air when he first encountered the White Whale.
The White Whale flying in the sky let out an angry cry, its eyes turning blood-red, and countless pores on its body opened, spreading a very thick mist.
The spreading mist immediately surrounded everyone. The sky, which had been illuminated by the night-vanishing magic, was obscured by this white mist, and everyone's vision was obstructed.
Ayanokouji, positioned at the edge, was relatively less affected, and his field of vision remained relatively broad.
He noticed that the White Whale in the sky had split into three at some point, and the three terrifying giant beasts were slowly roaming in the air, like sharks searching for prey.
"Does it have the ability to split? What is the reason for the splitting? Will its power be dispersed after the split?" he speculated in his mind.
He realized that even though the White Whale had split into three, two of the monsters flew at lower altitudes while one hovered at a higher position.
"Is that the real body?" Ayanokouji speculated after ruling out all other possibilities.
The piercing screeches echoed in the mist, irritating human eardrums within the fog.
Ayanokouji listened intently. Inside the mist, he heard sounds of something moving rapidly and rubbing against the ground, as well as continuous screams full of despair.
In the mist, Crusch's forces suffered severe losses. In an instant, more than a quarter of their personnel were dead, and even traces of their existence and the world had been erased.
'If we just wait like this, it won't be long. All of Crusch's forces, including herself, will be swallowed by the White Whale,' Ayanokouji thought. After the battle, there would be no opportunity left.
No one would remember Crusch's existence, and even in others' memories, this battle would not have occurred. In this way, the greatest opponent in his faction would be completely eliminated, and he would not have to dirty his own hands.
But Ayanokouji's plan was not only that.
In this operation, he genuinely wanted to completely exclude Crusch from the selection. At the same time, he also aimed to gain as much advantage as possible from the Karsten family.
Ayanokouji looked up at the three White Whales in the sky. He had obtained a lot of very important information. This was the best chance to eliminate the White Whale. After that, it would be difficult to predict, and there was no guarantee that it wouldn't cause damage to his own camp in the future.
He waited, waiting for Crusch's forces to be further reduced by the White Whale. When they were all desperate, he could appear before them as a savior once more.
At that point, if Crusch survived, there would only be two choices – retreat from the selection and remain loyal to him, or die in the White Whale's maw.