The Man Who Remained — His Second Life Began with a Humble Bow of Apology. - Chapter 93: While The Visitors Were Enjoying Themselves…

While The Visitors Were Enjoying Themselves…

As Cross and Unyou bit into the large rice balls they had received as a gift from Fusou, Ellie suddenly twitched and turned her gaze toward the distant forest, eyes sharpening with alertness.

Noticing this, Cross and Unyou paused their eating, licking the rice grains off their fingers. They set down their rice balls and reached for their swords.

“They’ve arrived.”

At Cross’s words, Ellie gave a firm nod.

“Can you tell how many?”

“Please give me a moment. Their formation is so scattered and messy that it’s a bit hard to count…”

“Even using magic instead of your eyes doesn’t help with that?”

“Right. Well… I’d say it’s probably two platoons of fifteen—about thirty in total. There might be a margin of three, give or take.”

“Is that all? Just thirty? I expected them to come with greater numbers.”

Unyou looked visibly disappointed, perhaps because he had been bracing for a more intense battle.

Ellie smiled at his reaction.

“No, that’s not quite right.”

“Huh? Not right… Ah, I see. The thirty are just the vanguard, and the main force is coming after them?”

But Ellie, still smiling, shook her head.

“No, that’s not it either.”

“Then… what do you mean?”

“It’s not thirty individuals. What’s coming to attack us are thirty units.”

Unyou didn’t understand what that meant at first.

Over the long course of history, as war after war unfolded, the means of combat and the technologies behind them evolved rapidly.

Swords became sharper and sturdier, spears longer and more efficient, and shields diversified based on function.

Not just weapons—tactics and magical techniques advanced through the crucible of war as well.

Yet, the true beneficiary of wartime innovation wasn’t individual weaponry or talent-based magic.

What advanced most dramatically—beyond comparison—were weapons of war.

Siege engines designed to bring down castle walls. Chariots drawn by horses.

And beyond that, full-body armored tanks powered by magical energy—massive constructs utterly unsuitable for everyday use.

Cannons capable of carving craters into the land.

Ballistas that could pierce a hundred men at once.

Colossal warships that could carry thousands of humans and monsters alike.

Airborne bombardments using flying creatures were part of the arsenal, too. But none of these, for all their power, were considered the star of the battlefield.

The real centerpiece—the symbol of warfare and the key to turning the tide—was a weapon called the Yoroi.

These suits, referred to as “Magitek Armor” by the monsters, had long been regarded as the decisive factor in any battle larger than a skirmish.

Cross and the others, having moved to the perimeter to intercept the attackers, soon spotted them: towering humanoid figures, about three meters tall, marching slowly with the dull clang of metal.

Their appearance resembled heavily armored knights—but such size and weight would crush any human body inside.

Which meant, without doubt, these were Yoroi.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me. Who the hell brought those out?” Unyou muttered, scratching the back of his head.

“Alright. I’ll hold the line here. Go back and prepare the village for defense.”

He stepped forward, drawing his blade with resolve.

Hōrai Village possessed no Yoroi.

It had never even been attacked by one.

As such, they had absolutely no tactical experience or preparation to deal with them.

Unyou, with no prior combat experience against Yoroi, made a grim decision: he would sacrifice himself to buy time. If the village had enough of it, they might manage to come up with a countermeasure.

Even without Yoroi, they might be able to overwhelm a force of thirty with sheer ability. Given time, they could also set traps targeting the massive machines.

The village wasn’t weak.

They had a chance.

And so, Unyou’s course of action remained unchanged.

As gatekeeper and protector, he would stand his ground—just as he always had—ready to risk his life to defend them.

Even Cross and Ellie, outsiders though they were, could see his intent.

“…Look, I hate to ruin your tragic resolve, but… we can handle this ourselves, honestly.”

Cross’s words caught Unyou off guard.

With a gentle smile, Unyou responded, “Sorry to make you worry. But it’s okay—I won’t die so easily. Just go tell the village. There are stronger people than me back there. We’ll be fine.”

“No, it’s not about worry or anything. I mean it literally. These Yoroi? We can handle them just the two of us.”

“…Are you serious?”

Even after Cross nodded firmly, Unyou still looked skeptical—more disbelief than belief in his eyes.

“What do you think, Ellie?”

“I think Cross-san could handle them alone. I wouldn’t say he’d breeze through it, but he’s capable.”

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure it will be a breeze,” Cross replied confidently, eyeing the approaching Yoroi.

Their construction was crude. The limbs looked like stacked rectangles, with stubby legs and an awkwardly elongated torso. The head was flat, almost box-like.

Painted ochre with black and white markings, each unit wielded a massive metal club—nothing else.

After mentally comparing the design to his memories, Cross nodded.

“Yeah, I thought so. These are old models—several generations outdated. From my era. They’re ancient.”

“Really? You can tell that just by looking?”

“Well, unless someone customized the interior, there’s no reason to use such clunky outer shells. And their movements are so sluggish. Oh, and they look human-made.”

Ellie frowned. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.”

“…That could be a problem, don’t you think?”

“You mean?”

“Well, there’s not enough information to be sure yet, but…”

“What’s the worst-case scenario?”

“A monster allied with—or worse, subordinate to—a human. That would be… bad. Very bad. Though unlikely.”

“And the most likely explanation?”

“They were probably captured during the last war between humans and monsters. Or someone stole already-captured units.”

“I see…”

As Cross and Ellie chatted leisurely, seemingly unbothered, Unyou found himself confused and bewildered by how calm they were.

“Don’t be scared. You’ve got the skill. And besides… you don’t even need to fight them head-on.”

Those were the words Cross said to Unyou before taking on two advancing Yoroi alone.

It was then that Unyou realized—he could never surpass Cross.

Before their sparring, he had considered Cross’s strength close to his own, maybe a bit higher. Afterward, he suspected Cross had hidden reserves, making him the superior fighter.

But that wasn’t the truth.

Cross’s power didn’t lie in special abilities or secret weapons.

In terms of raw stats, they weren’t so different. Unyou, descended from a proud oni bloodline, had superior physical strength. Cross, on the other hand, had greater magical potential. They were nearly evenly matched.

But that wasn’t what mattered.

What did matter was the quality—the sheer weight—of Cross’s experience.

It was overwhelming. Incomparable.

As Cross toyed with the two Yoroi, drawing their attention while explaining how to fight them, Unyou realized how foolish it was to compare himself to someone like that.

“And so, there are two key points to defeating a Yoroi,” Cross explained mid-battle. “First, how to deal with their ridiculous attack power and insane durability. Second, you have to understand their limited mobility—whether they’re armed or not, their joint range is narrower than humans or humanoid monsters. Know their weak spots. For this type, it’s the back. Jam your sword into the seam back there.”

“And what happens if I do?”

Cross showed him.

He leapt behind the approaching Yoroi and, in a single silent motion, plunged his dagger into its back.

It jerked violently, letting out a mechanical scream, before grinding to a halt and releasing a plume of smoke.

“See? Easy.”

“Yeah… sure. It’s easy when you’re some kind of lunatic who casually takes down a walking siege engine solo.”

“C’mon, lots of people could do that.”

“No. No they couldn’t.”

“Well, my acquaintances could probably do it even faster.”

“…Who?”

“Aura and Mercury.”

“The first one, sure—she’s a Demon Lord. Magic blast and done. But the second? What species is that?”

“Dragon.”

“Oh. Yeah, makes sense.”

With a sigh, Unyou followed suit and drove his blade into the back of another Yoroi.

It screeched and sputtered before collapsing into a heap.

“See? Easy, right?”

“Yeah. And now I’m convinced. You’re insane.”

Ellie smiled and nodded in agreement as Cross scowled in mock protest.

Even as they stood among the wreckage, another wave of Yoroi emerged from the forest—around ten leading the front, with another twenty following behind.

This matched the count Ellie had initially estimated.

“Hey, Cross. Just to confirm… even with this many?”

“Still easy. Also, Unyou—you’ve got the wrong idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just because someone’s wearing a Yoroi doesn’t make them invincible. Operating one takes immense skill, and coordinating in groups is even harder.”

“…Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

“So unless they’ve got trained pilots, they’re just tin cans. Honestly, even without us, your regular gate guards could probably handle it.”

“Okay no, that’s going way too far.”

Unyou stared at Cross as though he’d lost his mind.

Facing Yoroi in direct combat is generally suicide.

At least, Unyou had believed that just minutes ago.

Even now, after seeing how easily they were defeated, he didn’t underestimate the threat they posed.

Sure, elite guards might manage, but ordinary soldiers? They’d be crushed.

“Um, Cross-san. Over there…”

Ellie tugged on his sleeve, pointing at one peculiar Yoroi in the distance.

Both Cross and Unyou frowned as they saw it.

It was… gaudy, to say the least.

Decked out in necklaces, bracelets, and rings made of unknown flora, painted a lurid reddish-pink, and equipped with an oversized sword and shield adorned with a pirate-like emblem.

It looked more like a walking embarrassment than a threat.

“…All the others are uniform, so… is that the commander unit?” Cross muttered, appalled.

The design was so awful, it felt more like a punishment than a privilege.

“Should we take that one out first?” Unyou asked.

“…Wait. I really don’t want to, but—what if… yeah, let’s try something. Let’s pray the guy inside is a moron.”

“…What?”

Before Unyou could press further, Cross called out loudly:

“—You there! The one in the strange and powerful-looking Yoroi! You must be the leader! What is your goal? Why have you assembled this force?! Explain yourself!”

Ellie and Unyou looked at Cross like he’d lost his mind.

In this situation—with the enemy holding clear numerical superiority—who in their right mind would respond?

No one.

And yet—

“Very well! I’ll tell you, so you can take it with you to the afterlife!”

A voice rang out cheerfully from the hideous Yoroi.

“…Thank goodness,” Cross muttered. “He’s the type who has to monologue his evil plans.”

Ellie and Unyou stared at the machine—and its pilot—with pure disbelief.