Chapter 233

A ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Death Knight.

A ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍monster born when a knight who had become a dead man carried a powerful grudge.

Not ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍only could it retain the refined, superb martial skill it had possessed in life, but steeped in the mystery of darkness, it could wield vile, mysterious magic unlike anything it could have used as a human. It was an infamous existence.

Because ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍it was not something one could ordinarily encounter, I had thought it belonged only in folk tales and legends!

“A-a ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Death Knight?!”

“Why ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍is such a monster here?! O God!”

The knights who had come with the second Lord Gertman let out despairing laments.

By what they had heard in the tales passed down, to face that thing, one had to make exhaustive preparations.

They needed weapons honed in mystery for days on end, and holy water consecrated by high-ranking clergy. And to deal with the undead rabble that always accompanied a Death Knight, they needed a massive number of elite troops as well.

One could not dare fight with the holy water hastily gathered from some local church. And even if we had many knights, we were only around a hundred in total.

No matter how I looked at it, it was a battle with no chance of victory. Having lost their will to fight, the second Lord Gertman’s knights fell into confusion across the board.

If they did not have the honor of being knights, they would have run at once.

And the second Lord Gertman was no different.

“There is no chance. We cannot dare fight with the holy water we brought.”

In fact, his calmness and wisdom only made him lose heart that much faster.

“I must persuade the Margrave of Bellua and withdraw. To fight like this is truly madness.”

The second Lord Gertman made his decision as quickly as he could.

Running from an enemy was disgraceful, but the Margrave of Bellua—wise beyond measure as he always was—would surely listen.

With that thought, the second Lord Gertman turned to propose it, shaping his face into the most courteous expression he could manage.

“Your Grace! Even now—”

Or so he tried to say.

But as he turned his head and began to speak, something far too alien to the situation filled his vision.

“Hmm, is it the same fellow as the one you faced last time?”

“I am not sure. Judging by the red aura surging around its appearance, it seems somewhat different from the Death Knight you faced.”

“???”

It was the Margrave of Bellua and Magician Agpiel, calmly conversing.

Unlike the urgency of the moment, they spoke with perfectly composed expressions.

And what was more—

“Then I will have to keep that in mind and fight carefully, Magician Agpiel.”

“Tsk, tsk. Why bother. Just as last time, with your brute strength—ah, our friends might hear. With your blessing(?) you can resolve it. I will place protective magic on you, so go and rampage.”

As if they had fought one before.

And Magician Agpiel’s face held not a trace of tension—only indifference.

“??????????”

---

“Hm?”

After finishing my exchange with him, I looked around, ready to urge the knights on—and spotted the second Lord Gertman staring at me with a foolish expression.

“What is wrong with him?”

Was he panicking from the aura that Death Knight was giving off, because he came from an administrator’s background?

“As expected…. Too much time behind a desk hollows a man’s spirit.”

With a vaguely pitiful feeling, I pretended not to see the second Lord Gertman’s disgrace and raised my voice toward the others.

“Pull yourselves together! You must not submit to the darkness!”

From the look of it, if I left them like this, they would fall into panic and flee at any moment.

If they were like this before the fighting even began, nothing would come of it.

Fortunately, my shout seemed to take effect.

-Ding!

[Stern Rebuke!]

[Abnormal status effects are removed from people.]

[Notification: The unit members stop their confusion and return to normal.]

“Ah…?”

“R-right. We must not submit to the darkness….”

The knights and soldiers who had been confused began to steady their breathing.

Of course, that did not mean their morale had fully recovered.

They had merely escaped panic and regained their senses.

“Tsk.”

So I clicked my tongue and drew my sword.

-CLANG!

It was to rouse their courage, no matter what it took.

“The omnipotent God protects us! Raise your weapons and prepare to stand against vile evil—!”

And as if answering my cry with perfect timing, the Holy sword began to tremble.

-WHIIIIIIING!

A resonance rang out, and light began to burst forth from the blade!

“Ooooo!”

“The Miracle knight is with us!”

“That is right! God is protecting us. Omnipotent God, we praise You! For You, I offer this one body!”

Their lowered morale surged upward at once.

With the Miracle knight who radiated sacred light at their side, there was nothing to fear.

“Shields! Raise your shields!”

“Form the formation first! Tighten the phalanx so they cannot break through!”

The knights adjusted their arms, and the soldiers pressed shoulders together, hardening their resolve.

“Come, then! You vile monster. You will not dare trespass upon us!”

-Kihihihihihikikikikik.

At their spirited posture, the Death Knight let out a grotesque laugh and drew the sword at its waist.

-ZIIIIIIING!

A cursed blade that seemed the perfect opposite of my Holy sword, waves of vile and dark mystery rippling from it.

-Ridiculous fools.

The Death Knight used that blade as a command baton, crying out as it swung it forward.

-Steal their rest. Teach them well what eternal immortality is—neither living nor dying.

At the same time, the undead that had been hiding in the forest, their red eyes glowing, began to rush in.

-KIIYAAAH!

-Kikikikikik!

At last, the battle began.

---

The undead legion the Death Knight had brought was a motley assortment.

-Blood! I smell fresh blood!

-Kikikik. Knight! Give me your flesh.

Ghouls, born when corpses buried without proper rites received the blessings of darkness.

-CLATTER!

-Cli… clik….

Skeleton soldiers, nothing left but bones after death.

-KRAAAAH—! Hu… man…. By… command…. I kill….

-THUD! THUD!

And even a giant whose body had been grotesquely distorted by long exposure to the mystery of darkness.

It was a combination I had never heard of, never seen.

But there was no question of retreating.

-CRUNCH!

-SPLINTER!

I stepped onto the front line and relentlessly smashed down the surging undead legion.

As always.

If something blocked my path—

-SPLINTER!

-KIIEEK!

It either had its skull split with a single stroke, like the ghoul that had just leaped at me.

-Or—

“R-ridiculous…. Hrk?”

-BANG!

It shattered along with its shield, like the skeleton soldier that had sneered at me, claiming that a mere human could never defeat those blessed by darkness.

-Or—

-KRAAAAH! Hu, hu… man!

“Impudent! You dare test strength against me. I will show you. I will crush you at once—grrrng?”

-KRAAAAK?

The giant, provoked by my rampage, stepped forward to wrestle me in strength, only for its arm to snap instead.

“Ooooh—!”

“As expected of the Miracle knight!”

“God has granted another miracle once again.”

Even in the chaos of fighting, soldiers and knights alike shouted in awe at the unbelievable sight.

With the Margrave of Bellua, no place could be frightening!

“Hyaaaaah!”

“Take my blade, you filthy bastards!”

“For honor!”

The knights, thoroughly encouraged, were the first to break the line and surge forward.

Heavily armored and blessed by Magician Agpiel, they began pulverizing the rushing undead legion with unstoppable momentum.

-STEP, STEP, STEP!

“Do not fall behind. Support the knights from the rear!”

And behind them, the pride of my army—now fully formed—raised a solid wall of pikes, the Pike phalanx guarding the knights’ backs.

Watching my astonishing performance, and how I seized control of the battlefield itself, the second Lord Gertman fell into shock.

“This… this is the Margrave of Bellua’s power?!”

His older brother Charles had shown tremendous prowess as well, but this was on another level entirely. No—comparing them at all felt like an insult.

Yet despite how smoothly the battlefield seemed to be progressing, I could not loosen my tension.

“That bastard…. He is far too cautious.”

Because the Death Knight stood at the rear, watching and waiting for an opening.

A thing that had acted as though it would pounce at any moment, yet for some reason remained motionless, pouring out vile mystery and standing there like a statue.

“My lord! That Death Knight seems to be doing something strange! The vile mystery keeps increasing. It is ominous!”

Magician Agpiel must have been thinking the same.

Even amid the frenzy, he kept his eyes on our surroundings and shouted urgently to me.

-CRUNCH!

-HRK!

I cut down one undead soldier rushing at me and asked back.

“Can you tell what it is doing?”

If we let that vile mystery continue to swell, something dreadful felt inevitable.

“I am not certain…. I do not know every mystery, but… ah!”

Then, as a thought flashed through him, Magician Agpiel cried out again, even more urgently.

“This is bad!”

“What is it?”

“It is… it is…! It is absorbing it!”

“What?”

Absorbing? What did he mean?

I stared, bewildered. Magician Agpiel shouted, almost like a scream.

“I mean it is drawing in the blessings of darkness spread through the undead legion! The more undead we kill, the more vile mystery is being absorbed into it! Damn it—!”

“No, what in the—?”

That meant the more we killed the undead, the stronger it became.

By now, we must have killed dozens—no, perhaps hundreds. How strong had it already become?

“We cannot leave it like this. We must bring it down first, at once.”

“I was already planning to.”

At Magician Agpiel’s warning, I hastily split an onrushing undead brute in half and raised the Holy sword high.

“Gather to me at once! Cover my rear. We will charge it like this!”

I intended to break through at a single point with the knights and eliminate the Death Knight first!

“Good! I will support you with magic from the rear. Just as in the Pix tribe battle last time—if I assist you like that, it will be enough, yes?”

“Yes! Magician Agpiel. I am counting on you.”

But—

-Khuhuhuhuhuh!

It seemed our decision had come a little too late.

-Impudent fools!

-It is already too late, you who serve a false god!

The Death Knight raised its cursed blade high and shouted.

-KIIIIIIIIIIIK!

Vast curses and writhing vile mystery surged and roiled around it as it spoke.

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