An Archer's Promise

Chapter 5: I'll try my best

Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi

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-Grünes Bergdorf-

The battle had already started.

Perched on top of the guard's tower, Archer watched the fight unfold from the beginning. From the hundreds of approaching demons, there were only five Knights in total, with Brynn being one of them—making this an already hopeless fight from the get-go.

'Fools, they should have worked together with the local forces to fight the army and to evacuate everyone from the premises as soon as possible.' At least then there was a chance of survival. He didn't think these beasts knew terrain as much as the locals. Not to mention, it would have bought them enough time for reinforcement to arrive.

The knights combat stance was good, their feet were firmly planted to the ground with their sword stance having little to no openings.

But he couldn't say the same for the archers in the back, as they stared in fear at the oncoming army.

'They are shaking and haven't even drawn their bows yet.'

Yeah, the more he looked, the less likely their survival seemed plausible. He was even contemplating going back and informing Alice to escape the village right now.

"Raaaaaa!" He was cut from his musing when the first monsters appeared. Looking like human-sized goblins with warts that seem to cover every inch of their body and their blatant display of their genitalia.

'Ew.'

Archer analyzed how the Knights efficiently cut down those monsters. He was able to hear one of the knights refer to them as trolls. Brynn took the initiative and cut through them one by one with her fellow Knights following her example.

"Well would you look at that, there is something weird about the way those trolls fight." Indeed, normally the demonic beasts, monsters, and the humanoid chimeras he faced in the past would always fight ruthlessly with the intent to kill. Trying to cut him to pieces or crush him, any way for them to take his life, but these creatures were different. "None of their attacks are truly lethal, most of them are trying to capture the girls instead of killing them."

Speaking of the Knights.

From their fighting style, they would wait for the trolls to attack and show off their unprotected front, this would either make the trolls avoid hitting them or reduce the strength behind the attack. For those whose attacks weren't diverted, the Knights followed up using their armored arms as shields, blocking them and going for the kill.

"Are these trolls avoiding injuring these girls because of their bodies?" That would make sense, it would explain the aroused state they fought in, and the stupid lack of regard of their life. "I rephrase my previous statement, this world is weird and idioctic."

Were these demons even driven by the will to kill, eat and conquer the human race?

"Captain, Imps!"

The second wave came, a horde of flying Imps whose hands were filled with small sacks of bombs. The girls dodged them successfully and asked the archers for support. But just like Emiya suspected, barely any of the arrows hit their target.

Some of the imps bypassed the defenses without anyone noticing and entered the village.

"Hmm…"

Archer used his [Projection] ability to trace a bow created from an undiscovered alloy, just like his armor. It was a matte black, western-style straight bow, with a simple design that was constructed to be resistant enough to fire Noble Phantasms. Being his only original weapon, a projection whose structure and composition were not directly taken from another hero's bow. And true to Archer's style, it didn't have any name—it was Nameless.