Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode-Chapter 174

“Hmm, even the Empress has joined in now. It seems there are more injured than expected, though she’s been staying outside the territory all this time.”

Gaia spoke, her gaze fixed on a distant scene.

Not long ago, the area had been an empty expanse of snowstorms. Now, it had become bustling with activity.

Paura, looking visibly troubled, moved about swiftly, feeding the dying humans.

Although not visible to Gaia, Nutritia worked unconsciously to heal the mentally corrupted humans.

Then there was the dog chewing, tearing, and thoroughly enjoying itself on the divine beings trying to merge with the bandits and harm humans. Zumya and Fiore fought alongside it, unable to manage the bandits but effectively targeting the divine attackers.

Observing this scene, Gaia felt the weight of her past actions settle heavily on her chest.

“So, will you keep going?”

Gaia turned to look behind her as she spoke.

...

“Haah, honestly, I don’t get it. At this point, it’s practically a family reunion. Shouldn’t this be the moment to call it quits? What kind of mindset is driving this?”

Gaia spoke with disdain, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Of course, Gaia herself had played a part in driving the relationship between divine beings and humans to utter ruin. However, the freezing of the empire was entirely the doing of the woman Gaia was currently watching.

Hearing the woman speak, Gaia wiped the faint smile off her face, leaving her expression cold and indifferent.

“Ah, right. Well, I suppose that’s beyond my control. I’ve nothing more to say. I don’t have any options either. All I can do is watch and see how this all ends.”

Gaia turned her gaze back to the distance, her voice flat.

“…By the way, that human over there… Is he another halfwit like your sister? He moves differently from the rest.”

*****

Clang!

Swords clashed repeatedly.

The Knight Commander, for some reason, was struggling against the Candles.

Given her strength, she should have been able to deal with them swiftly and move on.

“Haha! So you’re the ‘Commander’ they keep talking about? What a joke!”

“What kind of sluggish Knight Commander is this? Die already!”

Following one Candle’s lead, the others swarmed the Knight Commander, blades flashing mercilessly.

Squelch.

A sickening sound accompanied the spray of blood as the Candles felt the viscous, soft resistance of their swords sinking into her body.

They immediately sensed victory.

But then—

“…If I had more time, I would have honored you by facing you as a knight.”

The voice stopped them cold.

“W-What the hell?!”

“Her heart was pierced, but she’s fine?!”

“No, there’s a sword lodged in her head too!”

The Candles tried to pull their weapons out, only to realize they were firmly stuck.

It was as if her body had recovered around the blades, making it impossible to retrieve them.

They stumbled back in horror.

Despite having five swords lodged in her body, the Knight Commander walked toward them with a calm, cold expression.

This sight inspired a terror greater than any external deity could.

“Unfortunately, I must check on the main force to ensure they are holding their ground.”

With that, the Knight Commander leaped high into the air.

As she landed among the Candles, her fist struck the ground with immense force.

A blinding flash erupted in an instant.

By the time the Candles realized what had happened, their lives were already extinguished.

The Knight Commander, now certain the situation was under control, sighed and pulled the swords from her body.

Blood from her head dripped over one eye, giving her an almost comical appearance. She muttered bitterly:

“At this point, I wish my body didn’t have blood at all.”

The Knight Commander sprinted back into the territory.

Inside, the outer deities summoned by Tanthan were actively using their powers, while the Vice Commander and White Mask fired Meditatio beams, swiftly eliminating the deities.

The sight brought a faint sense of satisfaction to the Knight Commander, who couldn’t help but smile.

However, the smile didn’t last as she scanned her surroundings.

The knights frozen by the Giant of the Snowy Mountain were locked in expressions of agony, their pain palpable.

Seeing this hurt more than the wounds she had received.

Approaching one of the frozen knights, she gently brushed her hand over his chest, a bitter smile forming.

“I’m sorry for being late. I’ll save you now.”

Determined to end this war in victory, the Knight Commander heard a voice call out behind her:

“Hey, Commander!”

It was Mushin.

Wiping away her expression, she turned to face him.

“What, already smashed your way through?”

“Haha! With you cutting through so easily, how could I hold back?”

Mushin laughed boisterously but soon noticed her face and asked, puzzled:

“What’s this? Commander, were you crying?”

“Crying? Please.”

She tried to dismiss it, but her lowered gaze betrayed her lingering feelings.

“I didn’t cry… just….”

“Hey! Don’t let this get to you, Commander!”

Understanding her thoughts, Mushin clapped her shoulder roughly, his tone jovial yet firm.

“We’re going to save them now, right? And look, I’m still alive, aren’t I? That’s what matters! Sure, if it were irreversible, I’d get it, but we can fix this soon enough.”

“But the pain they’ve endured—”

“Hey! Didn’t Tanthan say he’d use the deities to fix it all? If you keep sulking like this, I’ll have to throw you like last time!”

Though Mushin’s words were threatening, the Knight Commander could sense the effort behind his humor to lift her spirits.

“…Haha, thanks for always cutting through my thoughts so directly, Mushin.”

The Knight Commander smiled faintly, her usual confident grin returning.

Seeing this, Mushin grinned back.

“Let’s go! Let’s crush that Giant of the Snowy Mountain and bring peace back to the empire!”

“Yes, it’s almost over.”

As Mushin lifted an axe to point at the Giant of the Snowy Mountain, it happened.

"Hraaah!"

Something caught Mushin's eye.

It was Muyon, charging recklessly toward the cluster of outer deities with an axe in hand.

"N-no! Daughter, no! That’s too dangerous!"

The relaxed smile Mushin had been wearing vanished in an instant. His face paled as he sprinted toward Muyon with everything he had.

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"Ha, seriously."

The Knight Commander chuckled dryly at the sight and moved forward.

There wasn’t time to be worrying about others, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

*****

The Hunter’s decision to remain behind had successfully diverted the attention of the divine beings away from us.

Angered by her provocations and mockery, they all flew and charged toward her with single-minded rage.

Now, only the Princess, Aphta, and I remained.

The silver lining was that we were finally close enough to see the Second Princess’s form.

"…This means we absolutely have to succeed now."

The Princess murmured softly.

The weight of the sacrifices made for this mission seemed to weigh heavily on her, pressing her shoulders down with guilt.

"Princess."

"…Yes?"

"You don’t need to burden yourself so much."

At my words, the Princess turned to me with a puzzled expression.

"I’m here to ensure you don’t fail, and the Recorder is here to witness everything. We’ve got your back."

"…Tanthan."

"We’ll support you fully. So, why not let us carry some of that burden for a while? Focus on what you need to do."

I spoke as gently as I could, trying to ease her mind.

When I first arrived in this world with no memories of my past life, only the experiences from this rebirth, I had felt similarly overwhelmed.

But once I gained companions—people and even divine beings who believed in me—I gradually found peace of mind.

It was thanks to them that I made it this far.

"…Thank you, Tanthan. I feel a bit better now."

"I’m glad to hear that, Princess."

Her expression was noticeably lighter. It seemed my words had helped.

And, well—

It was true that I’d probably end up handling most of it myself anyway.

The Princess didn’t need to worry too much.

"…You’re annoyingly reliable."

"Pardon?"

"It was nothing."

The Princess muttered something under her breath, but I couldn’t quite catch it.

It probably wasn’t anything bad.

With that thought, we finally arrived at a vantage point where the Second Princess came into view.

Distance to the Second Princess: 0…

"What the—?"

"Huh?"

The monologue I had been preparing to voice vanished as though swept away by the wind.

The scene before me was utterly beyond belief.

"This… No way."

I exchanged a glance with the Princess, who was wearing the same incredulous expression as I was.

As we stood there, stunned, Aphta slowly approached us and spoke in a calm, quiet voice.

"Yes, it’s an ice statue."

Distance to the Second Princess: 1km.