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But as Damon saw it, there was almost no chance of that happening. Judging by the long, hard-worn experience he had accumulated, there was no way Sergei would simply let Daphne go. The last remaining Saintess in Trubenia would be the most effective means of raising the soldiers’ morale… Damon spoke in a low, gloomy voice.
“Let us think about that matter later.”
“Daphne really wants to go with you, Uncle. Truly.”
In the end, Damon had no choice but to nod. He simply could not bear the expectant look in her eyes. A somber expression passed over Shrekheimer’s face as he listened to their exchange. He already knew full well that Daphne’s wish could never come true. All he could do was pray inwardly.
“O God, punish me for speaking falsehood. But it was a choice I had no choice but to make in order to prevent Trubenia’s destruction.”
After finishing their meal, the heroes set out again. Their destination was the barrier visible far in the distance. With the hope that they would be able to reach the temple once they broke through this place, the heroes hurried into their march. But the place where the barrier stood was farther than it looked. They walked for a long while, yet the misty region showed no sign of drawing nearer. Still, the heroes silently kept moving, and at last the mist-covered area concealing the barrier came right before their eyes.
As entry into the barrier became imminent, Sergei hastily rearranged the formation of the heroes.
“Deploy your forces as you were instructed in advance. The most important thing for us is to protect the Saintess. Bear that in mind as you carry out your duties.”
According to the plan, the forces from Groups 1 through 8 would enter the barrier first. They had been assigned to prepare for any possible danger at the very front. In total, there were 120 knights and 40 mages. The advance party had already been arranged to spread out broadly in units of two groups each, advancing while thoroughly keeping watch ahead.
Next came the main force. The knights from Groups 10 through 15, the most skilled among them, were tasked with guarding the Saintess like an iron wall. Of course, it went without saying that the Four Great Knights were stationed there as well. Shrekheimer and Sergei naturally remained by the Saintess’s side.
The remaining six groups would follow the main force from a short distance away, prepared for any possible surprise attack from the rear. It was, in the truest sense, a formation meant to thoroughly guard the main force where the Saintess was located. When the Four Great Knights and the other knights, who looked highly skilled at a glance, densely surrounded them, Damon’s complexion grew even darker.
“Should I say I feel like some kind of extra?”
Not a single person spoke to him. They seemed to regard him as no more than the horse carrying the Saintess. He had already resolved himself to meet his end without regret, yet anger still rose within him. Whether Sergei knew Damon’s feelings or not, he coldly gave the order to depart.
“Move out.”
The knights of the eight groups assigned to the advance party all plunged into the barrier at once. They were the troops who would focus on opening a path for the main force by mercilessly crushing any ghouls and wights that blocked their way. The mist covering every direction swallowed the bodies of the 160 men in an instant.
After a short while, the main force set out. The main body, made up of 100 men, stepped into the barrier with extreme caution. Their visibility was very short, but as the mist did not seem particularly different from any other fog, the heroes relaxed somewhat and were drawn into the barrier one by one.
Damon, carrying Daphne on his back, also disappeared into the barrier.
After all of the main force had entered, the rear guard finally began to move in as well. The heroes dispatched to save the fate of humanity vanished into the mist without a single one left behind.
“This does not feel very pleasant.”
Those were Sergei’s first words not long after entering the barrier. The sticky mist coiling around their bodies was making them feel quite uncomfortable. Strangely, it was not very cold inside the barrier. So much so that the bitter cold they had felt while crossing the mountains, cold enough to freeze their breath, seemed like a lie. The anticipated attack by undead monsters did not come. Of course, if there had been an attack, the advance party would certainly have sent a warning.
The heroes walked forward one careful step at a time, gripping their sword hilts tightly. Every one of them looked tense. Caught among them, Damon trudged along as well. Whether she had fallen into a deep sleep, there was no sign of movement from Daphne on his back. Walking silently, Damon glanced around. But all he could see was the mist filling every direction. It was impossible to make out what lay beyond it. Suddenly, a question flashed through Damon’s mind.
“Will the mission really succeed?”
Of course, this was not an operation with a high chance of success. First of all, it was questionable whether Daphne would even be able to speak with Berhazel, and it was even more uncertain whether Berhazel, disappointed in mankind, would meekly accept their petition. Moreover, even if they obtained the Oath Stone, there was no guarantee the dragons would willingly withdraw from the battlefield. To Damon, an outsider, everything was bound to be full of questions.
“What would have happened if something like this had occurred in the Central Plains?”
Of course, there was no answer to that either. For now, he thought that perhaps the best course was to trust the leadership completely and follow them. The marching knights were surely of the same mind. Damon decided to think of it simply.
“Looks like I’m about to face a god, though it was never in my fate.”
At that moment, he felt Daphne’s body tremble faintly against his back. Damon knew well what it meant. It was something he had already experienced several times before…
“Daphne is sensing lives being extinguished right now. In that case, it would be safe to assume that the advance party has begun clashing with the undead monsters.”
Daphne continued to tremble without pause. It seemed that a battle of fairly large scale had broken out. For a moment, he wondered whether he should inform the others of this fact. But Damon did not open his mouth. His honest feeling was that he did not want to speak to Sergei under any circumstances.
“Well, that arrogant bastard can figure it out himself, can’t he?”
If a battle had broken out, the advance party would surely send a report. Damon decided to quietly watch how the situation unfolded. The most urgent matter for him right now was to soothe Daphne, who was being struck by shock again and again. Of course, there was nothing he could actually do for her. The signs of an ambush were revealed as truth before long.
“Something is approaching!”
At the urgent warning of the knight at the front, the heroes all assumed a response formation at once. The four most skilled knights pressed close around Damon, while the remaining knights drew their swords and stared ahead. It sounded like something was running toward them in haste, and the clattering of armor could be heard as well. A strange light flashed in Sergei’s eyes as he looked forward.
“Messengers?”
Judging by the situation, there seemed to be about two figures approaching. It seemed certain they were messengers, but even so, the knights did not lower their guard. At last, the owners of the footsteps revealed themselves. In that instant, tension surged sharply across the knights’ faces.
“Death Knights.”
What appeared were two Death Knights. They wore blackish armor, and from the eye slits of their helmets flashed a light that seemed capable of tearing out a person’s very soul. A murky aura of darkness seeped from their helmets and armor, where the Demon King’s emblem was clearly engraved. Upon seeing the party, the Death Knights drew their swords without hesitation. From the blackish blades, much like their armor, an energy like black haze billowed upward.
“Dispose of them.”
No sooner had Sergei spoken than four knights at the front charged in. Only four were sent into the attack, intending for two to take on each one. A fierce bloody battle soon erupted. With precise movements and ruthless attacks, the knights drove the two Death Knights back relentlessly. As if proving that they were Sword Masters, they poured Aura Blades in streaks along the entire length of their swords.
Kwang!
But the Death Knights facing them were no ordinary opponents. They received attacks condensed with Aura Blade without difficulty and fought back with fierce resistance. They did not look like ordinary Death Knights at all.
Since they appeared to be the master-class Death Knights he had only heard of by word of mouth, Sergei sent in two more knights as reinforcements. Judging by the situation, the advance party also seemed to be in the midst of a fierce battle by now. Once the two additional knights joined in, the Death Knights began to be pushed back rapidly. No matter how master-class they were, there was no chance they could win against six Sword Masters.
When Sergei saw the heroes overwhelmingly press the Death Knights, he turned his head and glared at someone. In his eyes, an extremely furious light was wavering.
“What is the meaning of this? Did you not clearly say there were no Death Knights?”
Carvingston also looked utterly flustered.
“A-at that time, there certainly weren’t any. Only three Dullahans appeared, and the rest were all nothing but ghouls and wights…”
“You fool! Can you not even conduct reconnaissance properly? Those are no ordinary Death Knights. If they can endure this long against six Sword Masters, then they must certainly be regarded as master-class Death Knights.”
Before his words had even ended, a horrifying shriek rang out. Sergei turned his head without realizing it.
“Kiaaaaaa!”
One Death Knight screamed in agony as its chest and abdomen were pierced through. It was a voice that seemed as though it could only be heard in the demon realm. A moment later, the light dwelling in the eye slits of its helmet faded, and the Death Knight’s body collapsed limply. As if an empty suit of armor had simply crumbled apart.
Once one had fallen, the remaining Death Knight also met its end before long. Its nape pierced, the Death Knight collapsed powerlessly to the ground, and several blades carrying Aura Blades dug mercilessly into its armor. It was the finishing blow, taking into account that their opponent was undead and would not die unless its body was completely torn apart.
“It is over.”
The six knights who had been deployed gathered their swords while breathing heavily. They had not expected Death Knights to be this strong either. Strangely, their swords were covered in something like black soot. But as there was no time to wipe them clean, they quickly moved back to their assigned positions.
After disposing of the two Death Knights, the main force resumed its advance. The heroes each cast a glance at the scattered remains of the Death Knights, then hurried their steps. Of course, the one most interested in them was Damon. Until now, he had never once seen a Death Knight.
But because the main force had begun marching, he had no time to observe them carefully. Glancing at the Death Knight that had fallen helplessly, Damon suddenly wore an amused expression.
“To think things like that are wandering around. This really is an interesting continent.”
The heroes glanced at him at his muttering, but no one spoke to him. They were all far too tense. Since two Death Knights had appeared, no one knew what sort of monster might appear next.
The attack came before long. Eight Death Knights and five Dullahans suddenly emerged from the mist and launched a surprise attack on the party. This time, Liches appeared as well. Three Liches unleashed magical attacks simultaneously from the rear, as if providing support.
“Uaaagh!”
Because it was a sudden ambush, two heroes lost their lives in an instant. Just like before, the Death Knights seemed to be master-class. But the heroes, who had already been tense, began their counterattack without delay. The knights holding their positions launched a fierce assault based on their numerical advantage.
“Kiyaaaa!”
Starting with one Death Knight collapsing as black smoke poured from the gaps in its armor amid a miserable scream, the surroundings became a pandemonium of screams and shouts. The creatures’
Their strength was truly terrifying.
The Dullahans, whose combat ability was comparatively inferior, could be faced by the warriors even many against one, but the Death Knights’ skill was nearly on par with the warriors’. Seeing how they could not easily gain the upper hand even when two of them took on one each, it was impossible to gauge just how powerful they had been before becoming Death Knights.
Moreover, the gleam that poured out from between their helmet visors was dreadful enough to chill the heart of anyone who saw it. Of course, the sight of a Dullahan wielding a sword while holding its own head like a shield was terrifying enough as well.
But because the warriors had been carefully chosen from all across Truvenia, they stood their ground without being pushed back. From time to time warriors lost their lives and fell, but in proportion to that, the number of Death Knights continued to dwindle as well.
The Liches were comparatively easy to deal with. Most of the warriors were wearing anti-magic defensive armor, after all… The warriors closed in while taking one or two magical attacks, then cleaved the Liches’ bodies in two at once. They were Liches so weak they could not even be compared to Gedenhide, who had infiltrated the Feldrian royal palace.
It was a bloody battle in which neither side retreated. As if intoxicated by combat, both sides exchanged attacks and defenses without pause. Until one side was completely annihilated.
“Watching a fight is rather entertaining.”
Damon muttered quietly to himself. It was because he found the Dullahan fighting while swinging its head around extremely fascinating. The knights glared fiercely at Damon.
“Damn bastard.”
It was certainly not something pleasant to hear when their comrades were fighting with their lives on the line. But Damon merely pretended not to hear. In truth, he was terribly worried because of Daphne, who continued trembling while being carried on his back. Seeing how her body’s trembling did not cease, he could not even guess just how great a shock she was suffering. In his heart, he desperately wanted to reach out and stroke her back, but Damon was in no position to do so. His arms had long since ceased to be under the control of his brain.
‘Poor thing. How did you end up born with such a fate…?’
In a way, Daphne and he might have been born into similar circumstances. The circumstance of being endlessly used by those around them because of the abilities they possessed. While Damon was worrying so, the battlefield was finally cleared. The Death Knights, Dullahans, and Liches that had launched the surprise attack all ended up lying on the ground without a single one remaining.
“Just what in the world is going on?”
Amid the corpses of the warriors and undead strewn everywhere, Sergei kept tilting his head. He simply could not understand how master-class Death Knights could appear in such a swarm. And in a place that had been scouted in advance with a large number of Assassins mobilized, no less. But there was no longer anyone to ask.
For Carvingston, the leader of the Assassins, had already become a corpse at the hands of a Death Knight.
After looking around in every direction, Sergei ultimately had no choice but to make a decision.
“For now, we’ll join up with the advance party, then decide how to act.”
Having confirmed that countless master-class Death Knights were appearing, he could no longer divide his forces. It seemed best to act after joining up with the remaining troops.
He selected two highly skilled knights and sent them back as messengers to the rear party. His plan was to catch up with the advance party, wait for the rear party there, gather all their forces together, and only then continue the march.
“Understood.”
The knights who received the order immediately ran back the way they had come. Without even watching their figures disappear into the fog, Sergei set the troops in motion.
“Advance at full speed. We must hurry and catch up with the advance party.”
The main force soon disappeared into the fog, and in that place only the corpses of dead warriors and the remains of Death Knights remained, rolling desolately on the ground.
“Hup.”
Damon dodged with all his might the blade that dug toward his neck. But the owner of the sword pursued Damon with relentless persistence. A chilling gleam in the eyes. A helmet and armor clearly marked with the Demon King’s crest. The one attacking Damon was none other than a Death Knight. A master-class Death Knight whose skill rivaled that of a Sword Master.
Realizing he could no longer evade, Damon’s face turned pale. Fortunately, with Helbertron’s help at the right moment, Damon was able to escape the crisis. A sword emitting dazzling light suddenly shot out and blocked the Death Knight’s blade.
“Kiaaaak!”
Thick black smoke poured from the Death Knight’s body, which had been split in a cross shape. That lasted only a moment; the Death Knight’s body, having lost its combat power, collapsed to the ground with a loud metallic crash. Only then did the complexion of Helbertron, who had been gasping for breath, return to normal.
“That was close. From now on, I will never leave your side and will protect you.”
Of course, strictly speaking, Damon knew very well that those words applied not to him, but to Daphne. Helbertron would never protect him, not even in his dreams…
The main force was now in an extremely difficult situation. No matter how far they advanced, there was no sign of the advance party. To make matters worse, groups of Death Knights, Dullahans, and Liches kept appearing without end and attacking the main force ceaselessly. It was truly an impossible situation.
“Unbelievable. Even during the Dark War, the number of master-class Death Knights never exceeded one hundred…”
No matter how much they denied it, this was reality. Under the repeated assaults of the Death Knights, the warriors fell here and there, spraying blood. Of course, the Death Knights that attacked all ended up rolling on the ground with their bodies hacked apart, but their own losses could not help being severe as well.
First of all, almost all of the ones attacking them were master-class Death Knights.
The Dullahans’ skill was also truly astonishing. Their combat ability was nearly approaching that of Sword Masters, and when two or more charged in, the warriors were invariably forced into difficulty. In all, four surprise attacks had been carried out, and the warriors were now fiercely fighting back against the fifth assault, made up of the greatest number of Death Knights yet. Naturally, many warriors collapsed, their whole bodies drenched in blood.
Because the battle situation was so arduous, the knights who had been surrounding Damon were forced to join the close combat one by one, and at last even the Four Great Knights ended up plunging into the fight.
Taking advantage of that opening, one Death Knight broke through the encirclement and launched an attack toward the saintess. If not for Damon’s movements, honed on the battlefield, the two of them would have met their end skewered on a longsword like bandits. Both sides exchanged offense and defense as if mad. As though killing Damon were their supreme task on earth, the Death Knights ceaselessly tried to break through the encirclement. It seemed their target was Daphne, who was on Damon’s back. But because so many experts were concentrated there, not a single Death Knight succeeded.
While they repelled the enemies’ attacks in waves, countless warriors lost their lives, and in proportion, the numbers of Death Knights and Dullahans also sharply decreased. At last, the final Death Knight rolled across the ground with its head severed. Black smoke billowed up from the cut section.
“Hah, hah.”
The warriors gasped for breath as they reformed their ranks. More than half the warriors had already been unable to avoid becoming sacrifices. It was an attack that could only be described as truly horrifying.
“Could the true nature of this place perhaps be an Abyss, a Great Demon Palace connected to the Demon Realm?”
Those were the words Sergei spat out as he looked with a distorted face at the corpses of the warriors collapsed among the remains of Death Knights. And for good reason—he had never imagined in his dreams that so many Death Knights would be lying in wait here. Especially when each and every one of them was a master-class Death Knight.
The number of Death Knights that had appeared was so great it made one wonder whether this was thirty years ago, during the Dark War. He agonized over it until his head felt as though it would lose hair, but he simply could not understand the reason.
“At this rate, the advance party cannot possibly be safe either.”
As Sergei muttered quietly, another warning rang in his ears.
“Enemies. This time, from the rear.”
No sooner had those words ended than the clangor of spears and swords clashing rang out loudly. Sergei turned his head, and his face stiffened. Without realizing it, he was seeking the chief god, Verhazel.
“Oh! God. Please, grant us your protection…”
A group of Death Knights, Dullahans, and Liches had appeared yet again and were striking the rear. Since their number was close to twenty, he could not even imagine how many of his comrades would die. On the warriors’ faces, exhaustion and despair were clearly evident.
“The damage?”
“I will first report the number of survivors. Of the one hundred men in the main force, the surviving knights number thirty-two in all. Excluding the severely wounded among them, only twenty-seven can barely take part in battle. Fortunately, it is a tremendous blessing that the Four Great Knights are safe.”
“How many mages survived?”
“Two… Two of them. Lord Shrekheimer was seriously wounded, but fortunately, he survived.”
After hearing the report, Sergei let out a long sigh. He had never imagined in his dreams that the main force would be reduced to such a battered state.
According to the original plan, the expected sacrifices within the barrier had been no more than ten. Because they had expected their opponents to be Ghouls and Wights. He truly had not known such a result would come.
Originally, these were the ones who were supposed to block the Dragons’ attacks during the escape after making their petition to Verhazel. To think such people had been wasted so pointlessly…
But they could not retreat in this situation. They were the strongest fighting force Truvenia possessed, a force that had been desperately conserved even as soldiers died without cease. For such an order of knights to be annihilated so pointlessly… In this situation, thinking of victory was completely absurd. No matter what happened, Sergei had to obtain the Oath Stone. In the end, he gave the order to advance.
“We leave the severely wounded behind. If they are lucky and meet the rear party, they may live.”
A cold judgment that did not lose reason under any circumstances. Resigned expressions appeared on the faces of the severely wounded knights. In a situation where so many Death Knights were appearing, expecting to survive would be nothing but nonsense. They resolved to meet death peacefully and shut their eyes tight.
“Hide yourselves well.”
“No matter what happens, we’ll come back to save you.”
The knights who offered a word of comfort each had tears brimming in their eyes. Come to think of it, they themselves might end up in the same state at any time. But they forced themselves to gather their composure as they remembered their mission.
Step, step.
The warriors of the main force, whose numbers had drastically decreased, swallowed their tears and moved into the fog. The figures of the wounded soon disappeared into the mist.