In the face of the overwhelming horde of Gluttony Octs, the Crusaders’ defense force finally collapsed in disarray. The supply base of the 203rd Development Village had now become a hellscape of screams and chaos.
“Waaaaah! H-help meee!!”
Amid the fleeing soldiers, cries for help rose from all directions.
A quick glance revealed a young soldier who had tripped after being ensnared by the legs of a crawling octopus. His matching steel helmet, adorned with a cross, must have fallen off when he stumbled, clattering hollowly as it rolled away. His exposed face was still youthful—perhaps barely past the age of conscription at fifteen, yet his terrified expression made him look even more like a child soldier.
“Magic Bullet.”
He was younger than me. And I had just enough leeway to spare a shot. To save him, I fired a support bullet.
Two shots. One blasted apart the tentacle gripping his leg, the other pierced straight through the octopus’s head.
Freed from his terror, the soldier wore a bewildered expression, but he quickly realized he was free. A mix of tears and a relieved smile crossed his face as he scrambled to his feet—only for a harpoon-like spear to impale him from behind the next instant. The barbed tip dragged his body away, vanishing into the mist in the blink of an eye.
“…Damn it.”
I muttered the curse inside my thick full-face helmet, making sure Ursula, cradled under my arm, wouldn’t hear.
The ones dying were enemy Crusader soldiers. I shouldn’t care how many of them perished—hell, I’d slaughtered countless of them myself.
And yet, watching this one-sided massacre unfold before my eyes left a bitter taste in my mouth. They were still human, after all. It was only natural to want to help.
But as if mocking my feeble goodwill, the octopi only brought forth more horrors.
“Shit—”
Before I knew it, I had reached the village’s central square. Wider than my own village, lined with large buildings, the plaza was now overflowing with panicked villagers fleeing the sudden monster attack.
And the octopi, capable of descending anywhere from above, had also converged here. This place had become their perfect hunting ground.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
A woman’s agonized scream pierced my ears. A young mother clutching a baby was under attack.
Her destination was the church—far grander than the one in my village. Sturdy and spacious, it seemed to be serving as a refuge for the villagers.
The main gate was still open, with Crusader infantry and what looked like the Self-Defense Corps holding the line, fending off monsters while ushering in survivors.
The mother was just ten meters short of safety when a green tentacle coiled around her ankle.
“Magic Bullet—”
There was still time. This time—I reflexively took aim, but a massive shadow dropped in front of me. Of course, another green octopus.
About three meters long, this mid-sized octopus was well-fed, its head grotesquely enlarged, its four tentacles thicker than the others. Baring fangs from its circular maw, it shrieked a warning—*Kishaa!*—while violently swinging its spear-like limbs. It looked less like a monster and more like some alien horror.
“Tch!”
A frustrated sound escaped me—not because I felt threatened.
In fact, before its sharp appendages could strike, I had already cleaved its oversized head in two with my halberd. The oversized octopus crumpled lifelessly onto the cobblestones.
But what I *wanted* to do wasn’t kill this thing—it was to save the mother and child now being attacked behind it.
I reached out to fire another bullet, but my arm refused to move.
“Ah—”
A small, startled sound—almost a whimper—came from Ursula in my arms.
“Don’t look, Ursula.”
I twisted to block her view.
Beyond the green-bloodied octopus lay a scene of hopeless predation.
The mother was being swallowed whole, her head already inside the monster’s maw. Whether she was still alive or already dead was impossible to tell—only her pale legs twitched faintly.
Right beside her, a swarm of smaller octopi, each about fifty centimeters long, descended upon the baby discarded on the ground. The sheer number of them piling atop the infant mercifully obscured the gruesome details—perhaps a small blessing for Ursula’s sanity.
“Damn it… shit…”
The same words kept repeating in my head.
Every attempt to help was too late. Even when I *did* save someone, it ended in futility. This time, just a split-second obstruction had cost me the chance.
But what else could I expect?
Look—the enemy’s numbers were overwhelming. Listen—the chorus of screams echoing from all directions. The casualties were too many.
I had to accept it. No time to dwell on small things. In a situation like this, focus solely on escape. Abandon everything else. That had been my plan from the start.
“Lady Chloe, put me down.”
Tapping lightly on my waist plate, Ursula suddenly spoke up. For now, I obliged.
“Can you run on your own?”
“No. I’ll fight.”
“No need. If we’re just escaping—”
“I want to help. Let’s save them, Lady Chloe—the people of this village.”
Her blue eyes, gazing straight up at me, were clear—so beautiful they threatened to pull me in. But the purity of her desire to help was the most beautiful thing of all.
Faced with such sincerity, I nearly averted my gaze.
“Staying to fight is dangerous.”
“Hehe. See? You *do* want to help too. You didn’t say no.”
A mischievous, childlike smile spread across Ursula’s face—as if she saw right through my pointless hesitation.
Maybe *I* was the childish one here.
“…Sorry. Are you *really* sure about this?”
“It’s fine. With you and me together—”
My strength. Ursula’s strength. If we gave it our all, we could at least evacuate the villagers holed up in the church.
The trade-off? Both of us would be risking our lives in a true battle to the death.
A proper adult would scold Ursula for recklessness and prioritize our own escape. A guardian’s duty.
But the fact that I so readily agreed with her only proved how much of a kid I still was. Just a seventeen-year-old high schooler, after all.
“Lady Chloe, there’s a white stone warehouse on the west side. That’s this base’s armory.”
Ever the sharp one, Ursula. She knew exactly what I needed.
“Are you sure?”
“I overheard the soldiers yesterday. There’s also a lot of supplies meant for Alsace Fortress still here. If we search, we should find weapons.”
Great intel, but one problem remained.
“I’d have to leave you alone for a bit.”
Given the situation, there was no time to carry her *and* fetch weapons. If we didn’t act now, by the time I returned, it’d be too late.
To save the villagers, I’d have to go for the weapons alone while Ursula started fighting.
“I’ll hold out. Trust me—no, trust *our* power. Mine and Anastasia’s.”
No time left to hesitate.
“I’ll be right back.”
With only those words, I sprinted off alone toward the cluster of Crusader supply warehouses.
—
Left behind in the center of the square—now a hellscape where countless tentacles seized, impaled, and devoured people alive—Ursula quietly unleashed her power.
“Now… I’ll devour them all for Lady Chloe—**White Night Demon Princess**.”
Flickering like a heat haze, the white oni princess materialized soundlessly. In this extreme chaos, no one noticed—not the villagers, not even the armed soldiers, all too consumed by their panic to see.
Thus, Ursula wielded her power freely, unobserved and unchallenged.
“Hah!”
Starting with the nearest threats.
Anastasia’s four arms—ironically mirroring the octopi—lashed out not with writhing tentacles but with the speed and precision of swallows in flight.
Octopi stretching their limbs toward prey, those already skewering victims, even one mid-bite—all vanished the moment Anastasia’s white hands touched them, leaving not even bones behind. Whether these monsters lacked skeletons to begin with or simply turned to ash under her power mattered little.
“There’s too many…”
Swinging her arms wildly, Ursula wiped out every enemy within five meters while fending off new ones dropping from above. Her tone was less fearful and more… annoyed. Like a clerk faced with a mountain of paperwork.
“…Sorry if this hits you.”
An apology? Or just self-justification? Regardless, Ursula steeled herself and pushed Anastasia’s power further.
Cloaked in a pure white robe-like form, Anastasia’s lower half enveloped Ursula in a translucent veil. Flimsy as it seemed, this veil acted as a barrier—something proven during training with Chloe. It could absorb heat and shockwaves, letting Ursula shrug off explosions with ease. Of course, its absorption wasn’t infinite—overwhelming force or numbers could breach it. Still, an omnidirectional defense was invaluable.
Now, from that same veil, a mist began to seep—much like the one shrouding the village, yet fundamentally different. Another manifestation of Anastasia’s absorption.
“Blow them away—**Omnidirectional Release**.”
In an instant, the mist erupted into a white shockwave. No heat, no impact—just a violent gust.
Radiating from Ursula, this wave drained magic and life force from everything within twenty meters. Unlike Anastasia’s touch, the effect was weaker—the octopi merely collapsed, twitching but not dead. The villagers, too, were only weakened, not killed.
At least they were neutralized.
“Ah… the mist is gone… Huh. So it *was* magic after all.”
Despite the scene of fallen monsters and unconscious villagers, Ursula paid them no mind, her gaze drifting to the now-clear sky.
Cold? Perhaps. But on the battlefield, situational awareness mattered more.
Thanks to Chloe’s rigorous training, Ursula understood her absorption ability perfectly. It didn’t poison or weaken—it siphoned *magic*.
People collapsing was just a result of losing their internal magic. A small drain caused fatigue; a massive one, unconsciousness. And if the magic sustaining life was taken? Death. If absorbed rapidly enough, the body would crumble—reduced to bones, or even ashes.
A power both potent and perilous, tied to the intimate link between magic and flesh.
Conversely, it was useless against inorganic matter—stone, iron—things with no magic to take. The village’s stone walls wouldn’t budge no matter how long Anastasia touched them.
And the mist? The same. If it had been a natural phenomenon, her drain would’ve done nothing.
But it *had* vanished—meaning it was a magical construct.
It serves as proof of one thing.
There exists magic that simply generates fog to obstruct the enemy’s vision. Ursula had previously heard during a casual conversation with Chloe that it seems to be a type of supportive wind magic often learned by assassins.
If that’s the case, then this fog must also be magic actively cast by Gluttony.
That said, given how unnaturally this fog appeared, it was highly likely from the start that it was the monster’s innate magic.
*”Maybe I can do something like a wind barrier…”*
If this fog is nothing more than a mass of magical energy, then dispersing it with her own power should be easy.
This would be her first time applying Drain to a gaseous substance lingering in the air, but for Ursula—who had already mastered controlling Anastasia—it was merely a simple application. She had just witnessed a wind mage blowing away the fog, so she even had a reference.
Now, all that remained was execution.
*”Hmm… like this.”*
She envisioned the Drain mist spreading outward like a thin membrane.
While a wind barrier constantly repelled the fog by blowing it away, Drain simply existed in place, automatically absorbing the encroaching mist. Rather than maintaining a continuous flow, it was more effective to shape it into a dome-like wall and ceiling to cover the area.
Though it was an improvised attempt, Anastasia—like a loyal servant attuned to her master’s will—precisely manifested the effect Ursula had imagined.
Just like the *”Omnidirectional Release”* she had unleashed earlier without regard for allies, a faint mist spread outward in a radial pattern, resembling an explosive shockwave. Then, at the limit of her control—roughly a radius of fifty meters—it firmly sealed the area without gaps.
Anastasia’s Drain ability scaled with its density. At its highest density, it could form a clear female body, while at its lowest, it was nothing more than a faint mist.
But to block the fog Gluttony had created, the Drain mist alone was sufficient. Around Ursula, just as when the wind mage had erected a barrier, the fog within the area was completely cleared.
*”Hmm, maintaining it seems manageable too.”*
The impromptu Drain barrier felt surprisingly effective. If it demanded too much concentration, she would have to abandon it, but that concern proved unnecessary.
With her vision secured, not only would her own combat improve, but her allies would also find it easier to fight.
Ursula didn’t believe she alone could protect all the villagers. She already understood that, without accounting for even the Crusader soldiers who had fled so easily, succeeding in this retreat would be impossible.
*”Next, supporting my allies.”*
With the fog repelled by her barrier and the octopus monsters dispatched in a single strike by Drain Arms, Ursula—now an impregnable fortress—felt neither panic nor confusion as she methodically carried out her tasks.
After securing her own safety, her next step was to support the Crusader soldiers and help them reform their defensive line.
**”RAAAAAH! Hold the line here no matter what!”**
The voice booming loud enough to echo across the square belonged to Cliff, captain of the Heavy Cavalry Unit. He should have been fighting valiantly at the stone wall earlier, but with his subordinates fleeing one after another, even the sturdiest heavy knights had their limits.
In fact, Ursula’s honest impression was surprise that he was still alive at all. He seemed to have barely escaped with his life, finally reaching the entrance of the square. Their numbers had clearly dwindled since she last saw them.
But it was fortunate that, even now, some allies still retained their will to fight—especially a group of powerful heavy knights. Moreover, that heavy knight captain likely held a fairly high rank within the Crusaders. Centering around him, they might be able to properly regroup.
Deciding that the battered heavy knights were her priority, Ursula began walking toward the square with light steps, as if heading out for groceries.
Along the way, new octopus monsters surged forward to replace the ones she had cleared, but she effortlessly brushed them aside with Drain Arms before quickly arriving at the heavy knights locked in their desperate defense.
*”Excuse me—”*
**”Tch, they’re coming all at once! All units, defensive formation—!”**
Of course, knights wearing thick helmets—especially in the heat of battle—wouldn’t hear Ursula’s soft voice. Even if they did, they wouldn’t have the leisure to deal with a child.
Right now, their minds were entirely focused on repelling the horde of octopus monsters advancing toward them like a clustered mass. The fact that the fog had cleared here only made the enemy more visible, further sharpening their concentration.
She understood the situation. But being ignored still annoyed her—that was a separate issue.
*”They don’t notice because they’ve got tunnel vision. What amateurs, tch.”*
Muttering this petty complaint, Ursula decided to quickly eliminate the enemies in front of them to draw their attention.
Her four Drain Arms shot forward with a momentum fueled by her minor irritation. The fact that the octopi were clustered together instead of spreading out only made things easier.
Like crushing insects under a warhammer, the octopi vanished without a fight—so effortlessly that calling it “anticlimactic” would still be an overstatement.
**”Wh-What?! What was that just now—?”**
*”Me.”*
As Cliff spun around in shock, Ursula stood proudly with her chest puffed out.
**”Impossible! Where is the mage—?”**
*”I said, it’s me.”*
Faced with this unbearably rude amateur knight who kept dismissing her, Ursula had Anastasia lean forward and glare at him with full intensity.
**”Gwah?! Wh-What is this?!”**
*”My primordial magic. I’ve been using it since the fight at the gate—didn’t you see?”*
**”Ah, no, I saw white wind-like attacks wiping out those devilfish monsters… But to think a little girl like you was the mage…”**
*”You’re hopeless.”*
Ursula scoffed at Cliff’s lack of situational awareness, though his reasoning was perfectly valid. In the Crusaders—who always had ample manpower—a child under fifteen standing on the battlefield was fundamentally unthinkable.
Of course, exceptions existed. Some children were allowed to accompany troops due to their exceptional talent, and there were even special units composed entirely of children for certain reasons.
**”You’re one of the evacuees from the neighboring village, right?”**
*”Ursula, apprentice sister of the 202nd Development Village. This is my magic—’White Night Demon Princess.'”**
Why was a child fighting? That question never left Cliff’s lips as he stood before Ursula, accompanied by Anastasia, whose presence radiated extraordinary magical power. He had no choice but to accept that she was a special child, capable of standing alone against a horde of monsters.
*”I want to evacuate the villagers here. I’ll cover you, so work with me.”*
**”Tch… As a knight, even if you possess great power, I can’t allow a little girl like you to fight… But in this situation, we have no choice. Miss Ursula, we’ll gratefully accept your aid.”**
*”Glad you’re quick to understand.”*
As Ursula nodded smugly, Cliff took no offense and immediately sprang into action.
**”Reform ranks around the church! Recall the soldiers and rebuild the defensive line! Once gathered, secure a retreat path! We’ll evacuate the civilians while withdrawing to Alsace Fortress!”**
Cliff’s orders came rapid-fire. His heavy knights moved first, shouting to rally the fleeing soldiers. At the same time, they called out to villagers fleeing monsters and rushing into the square, urging them to take shelter in the church.
**”Hey! If you don’t wanna die, pick up a spear! Running just means getting stabbed in the back!”**
**”Hurry! You’re safe here!”**
Though the square had become a crucible of chaos, soldiers and villagers were indeed beginning to gather—precisely because this was the only place where the thick fog had cleared, and where stalwart heavy knights held back the terrifying monster horde.
Even cowards who had abandoned their pride as knights and their duty as soldiers to flee for their own survival could see at a glance that this was now the safest place in the village. Rather than fleeing blindly into the fog, they instinctively sought safety in numbers.
Before she knew it, dozens of soldiers had gathered in front of the church, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the heavy knights to reform a desperate spear wall.
But unlike the battle at the main gate earlier, the number of enemies assaulting them was drastically lower. For one simple reason: Ursula was now at their backs.
**”Hey, you! What’s the situation at the command center?!”**
**”They’ve been wiped out for ages! The acting base commander, the officers—everyone’s already inside those octopus bastards’ stomachs! Captain Cliff, you’re the highest rank left now!”**
Grabbing a soldier who had fled from the direction of the supply base’s command center, Cliff received that answer.
**”Tch… Then I have no choice. I’ll assume command!”**
On paper, he seemed frustrated, but Ursula detected a hint of delight in his voice.
She knew the official base commander here was that incompetent mushroom-headed Mashuram, and his interim successor was equally useless, with no intention of properly managing the base.
That said, this was a middling outpost—neither a place to earn military glory nor an important stronghold. It was no wonder no one had any motivation to take charge. Someone like Cliff, brimming with inexplicable enthusiasm, was the exception.
And now, having effectively become the top authority, he seemed oddly satisfied.
*”Men are such idiots.”*
Muttering a line borrowed from romance novels, Ursula continued wielding Anastasia’s arms to gather as many soldiers as possible.
**”Incredible… She’s completely holding them off!”**
**”Hey, don’t let your guard down! We still need to retreat!”**
**”Fire! Light fires! They’re weak to fire!”**
**”Those without weapons, grab torches! Don’t let them get close!”**
Momentum was building as the Crusaders steadily regained their footing.
With Ursula’s support allowing them to hold out, even temporarily, a sense of relief and hope kindled in the soldiers’ hearts.
Their numbers had already swelled to around fifty. Beyond that, male villagers who had taken shelter in the church, courageous women, and boys barely on the cusp of adulthood began joining the fight, armed with weapons or torches.
With the villagers joining the soldiers, their total numbers now matched the original force of nearly a hundred. This was likely the last fighting strength remaining in the 203rd Development Village. No more figures rushed into the square—only green octopi surged from beyond the fog.
**”Miss Ursula, we can’t expect any more survivors! We’ll begin our retreat!”**
Ursula, who had been calmly observing the situation even while fighting, agreed with Cliff’s assessment. But she couldn’t answer immediately.
Priest Chloe still hadn’t returned.
*”…Chloe-sama will be fine.”*
After a moment’s thought, she reached that conclusion. With his overwhelming power—far beyond even her *White Night Demon Princess*—there was no need to worry. Even if they started retreating now, he would find and regroup with them soon.
Nodding to herself, Ursula was about to convey her agreement to Cliff when—
**”WHOA?! S-Something huge is coming!!”**
Drowning out the soldier’s scream, an enormous clawed limb slammed into the square’s cobblestones.
A massive tentacle—thick and long as an ancient tree—stretched from beyond the fog. The harpoon-like claw at its tip was no mere spear; it rivaled a dragon’s talons in size and sharpness.
And at the end of that towering appendage, high in the air, was a colossal head. The dark, gaping maw on the underside of its head turned toward them, as if ready to swallow everything whole.
*”Th-That’s bad!”*
This was no ordinary octopus—it was a 10-meter-class monstrosity, a cut above the rabble. Ursula had just witnessed one of these creatures unleash a devastating acidic breath alongside Chloe.
A single hit from that would turn their densely packed forces into mush—reduced to nothing more than baby food for the monsters. Seeing the thick, purple drool dripping from the giant octopus’ maw, Ursula’s spine turned to ice.
**”Damn it… We’ll have to handle that big one ourselves—”**
*”Stay back. I’ll deal with it.”*
Stopping Cliff as he moved to charge, Ursula stepped forward.
No matter how fast the heavy knights were, the giant octopus would unleash its acid breath first. Its circular maw was already inhaling deeply, priming for the attack.
*”I’ll show you… Anastasia’s and my full power!”*
—
**Author’s Note:**
I forgot to include this in the activity report, so I’ll write it here.
The 10-meter giant octopus is inspired by the tripods from *War of the Worlds*. But to be precise, it’s more like the alien walker *”Deroys”* from *Earth Defense Force 2*, which were likely based on those tripods.
I only watched *War of the Worlds* once and don’t remember much, but I fought these Deroys a lot in-game. Their annoying movements and awkward hitboxes gave me trouble (laughs wryly). Inferno difficulty? Never heard of her.