In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 312

Chapter 312: The Kukkoro Male Knight vs. the Ant Soldiers (2)

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The battle against the ant troops had turned extremely fierce. With four arms each, they were insanely strong even in one-on-one close combat, and their coordination was excellent. Since they frequently used tight formations, explosives were effective, but unfortunately, our stockpile of grenades wasn’t that large. Relying solely on grenades to fight was clearly unrealistic.

So I decided to pull the unit back once, at the moment when the shock effect of the initial barrage of grenades had begun to fade. That said, it wasn’t a full retreat. It was a repositioning of the unit to inflict greater damage on the enemy.

“Looking at it like this… that hole really is a kind of fortress.”

Lady Dalaiya said this in an unusually carefree tone as she finished off a fallen ant soldier. She spoke as casually as if she were out for a walk, but her poncho was dyed bright red with blood. The blood-soaked bridle cross on her back looked downright ominous. Though she was a master of magic, her swordsmanship was also at an expert level.

“We elves do not build fortresses. Neither do the ants. This kind of fighting is quite refreshing.”

She cast a glance toward our trenches. Some of the ant soldiers were trying to break through by forming a scrum, but the marines defending the line did not allow it. They fired rifles and thrust with bayonets to hold them back.

The ground in front of the trenches had been shaped into a slope, allowing soldiers with bayonets to stay concealed while attacking enemies from above. This allowed even regular soldiers, who were somewhat lacking in experience, to fight on equal footing with the formidable ant troops. And while the attackers and defenders were locked in stalemate like that, the flamethrower units rushed in and burned the enemy groups away. Thanks to this combination, it seemed that not a single enemy soldier had managed to breach the trenches so far.

“I already knew elves excel at field combat… but fighting on the enemy’s home ground is no joke!”

Blocking an ant soldier’s biting attack with my gauntlet, I replied to Lady Dalaiya. Its beetle-like mandibles pressed against the armor with a grating sound. The biting force was incredible. If it hit bare flesh, it felt like it could easily bite off a limb. I fired my pistol into the abdomen of the ant soldier trying to follow up, then drove a knee into it to forcibly create distance.

In Runga City and the so-called “Legitimate” hidden village, there hadn’t been any defensive facilities at all. It seemed that elven doctrine completely abandoned defensive warfare from fortified positions and focused everything on field combat. It struck me as excessively offense-oriented.

“From the perspective of a long-lived race, most structures simply don’t last long enough. Maintenance is troublesome too… it’s easier to treat buildings as disposable.”

Saying that, Lady Dalaiya attacked the ant soldiers with steps as light as a dance. She dodged incoming spear thrusts with minimal movement, then countered with a powerful upward diagonal slash. The ant soldier blocked with its shield, but she immediately cut off its legs with a wind blade spell. As it fell screaming, the “loli hag” mercilessly finished it off.

“These ants are truly tough. It’s quite hard on these old bones…”

She said that while tapping her lower back. I looked at her with suspicion. That didn’t look like someone who thought the enemy was tough.

“…”

On the other hand, Karina, who had come to the battlefield as my attendant, wasn’t doing nearly as well as Lady Dalaiya. She was barely holding off the relentless attacks of the ant soldiers by wildly swinging her sword. She was clearly at a disadvantage. My younger sister never neglected her daily training, but the enemy was simply too strong. The average skill level of the ant soldiers was extremely high. Like the elves, even their rank-and-file fighters seemed to possess strength comparable to an ordinary knight. It was too much for a knight-in-training.

I wanted to go help her, but I was quite busy myself. For some reason, most of the surrounding ant soldiers were concentrating their attacks on me. I split one of them in half while shouting “Chesto Ant!” but another enemy immediately took its place.

“Damn you, fighting like that and you call yourself a man! Hey! Do you have any idea how many of my sisters you’ve killed!?”

“How are you gonna make up for this, you idiot! At the very least, you’ll make up for every one you killed, so be ready!”

“We’ll run a train on you till your head goes empty, so look forward to it!”

The ant soldiers tried to intimidate me with rough, aggressive language. They were all big and well-built, which honestly made them pretty scary. Karina looked like she was about to wet herself. Still, as the commander, I couldn’t afford to be intimidated by something like this. I immediately fired back.

“Shut up with all that ‘fuck this, fuck that,’ you damn pests! If you wanna get fucked so bad, I’ll shove in as many bullets or blades as you want! KIEEEEEEEE!”

“Gwaaah!”

“Sis! This bastard’s getting cocky just because he’s a man… I won’t forgive this!”

“Stop it, you idiot! Don’t break formation!”

“Gwaaah!”

“See!? This is exactly what I warned about!”

The battlefield had descended into total chaos. However, overall, things were beginning to tilt in our favor. The strength of the ant soldiers lay in their solid defensive phalanx formation. But now they no longer had the numbers to maintain tight formations, and we had forced them into chaotic melee, which favored the elves. And furthermore…

“Don’t push forward too far! The elves will surround you with shields and crush you… guh!?”

An ant soldier who seemed to be a commander, shouting orders, collapsed after being shot in the side. It was sniper fire from the trenches. This was the reason for the repositioning. If we stayed in front of the trenches, we wouldn’t be able to receive covering fire. Since we didn’t have artillery, we had to fight in a formation that maximized rifle firepower.

First, break the enemy’s momentum with grenades. Then engage in close combat during the confusion. And while their formation was in disarray, steadily thin their numbers with sniper fire from the trenches. That was my plan. It was improvised, but so far it was working well.

“Alright, now’s the time! Push them back!”

With their commander down, this was our chance. I raised my saber and charged at the enemy in front of me. The elves responded with a unified “Ooh!” and launched a fierce assault. The ants were strong, but the elves were no pushovers either. They made up for their smaller physiques with experience and magic, attacking boldly. As enemies, elves were incredibly troublesome, but as allies, they were nothing short of reliable.

“You lot, what are you all standing around for! Pathetic!”

But the ants weren’t going down without a fight. A tall woman appeared from the rear with her subordinates, raising a large naginata as she shouted. The ant soldiers cried out “Big Sis!” so she was probably a high-ranking commander.

“If we keep dragging this out, we’ll just lose more troops for nothing. I’ll handle this. You all fall back and reorganize.”

“Got it, Big Sis. We’re counting on you.”

It was like a single command from a crane. At the order of the woman called “Big Sis,” the ant soldiers began to withdraw in perfect order without a single objection. The elves tried to pursue, but a rain of thrown spears descended upon them. It came from Big Sis’s entourage. …Those ant spears were insane. They were flying well over a hundred meters like it was nothing.

“Forget the small fry!”

I shouted that order to the elves. The Vanka faction was nearby as well. If we chased too far and left our position exposed, we’d be giving the enemy an opening. Expanding our gains could wait. More importantly, that “Big Sis.” Since the enemy commander had come forward herself, we had to give her a proper welcome, or the Blondin family name would be a disgrace. Just as I was about to open my mouth to taunt her—

“Oh! How admirable, delivering your head to me yourself! Like a moth flying into a flame!”

“Hey, old hag, it’s autumn now… almost winter, actually! That head’s mine, so get out of the way, you senile fossil!”

“Oh ho, trying to take the lead without me? Bold of you. It is I who will receive the young lord’s kiss!”

“It’s the head, the head! That head is mine!”

Without even waiting for orders, the elf soldiers charged en masse at the enemy commander. At the front of the charge was none other than Lady Dalaiya.

…These guys, seriously… honestly… good grief…

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