Lucius had already done some rough scanning of this world inhabitant's power when he controlled the beast to attack the city.
The human beings who can enter the Order of the Knight are around Level 3 Life Forms. Level 1 is mostly babies and children. Lucius hadn't seen any adults evaluated as Level 1.
That meant, any random adult sent from this world to Earth, he can easily break world records. Of course, because Earth had no Espers.
But life evolution is never-ending. No one can claim to be the strongest. In front of the more powerful life form, they were nothing.
"Struggle hard, my junior."
Lucius turned his gaze towards Naiya, who was on the street. And at Kensel, who was soaked in his own blood.
...
"Your… Your Highness…" Kensel was shocked by Naiya's debut.
With her delicate body, she instantly decapacitated dozens of beasts. Her sickly pale appearance contrasted her ability on the battlefield.
"Are you okay?" Naiya waved her violet and black greatsword in her hands. Wiping off the blood-stained the blade.
Kensel used his sword to support his body. The spikes had punctured his body. It's not a light wound. But as the Commander Knight, he had to be stronger. If it wasn't for the toxin, he wouldn't be this worried.
Spikes? Come to think of it, what creature wounded him? Kensel gazed at the ground, his heart beating fast with anxiety.
"Your Highness, please leave this place first. It's dangerous!"
Although she had shown her great power, Kensel couldn't help but refrain Naiya from participating in the battle. She should be the one being protected by her knights.
And his greatest fear wasn't the beast, but people!
Someone wanted to eliminate the Emperor's heiress here in the city. There's only one person he could think of. If they continue to linger here…
Just as he waited for Naiya'as answer, she suddenly raised her black sword and aimed it at Kensel.
What did she want to do?
Kensel tightly gripped his sword as Naiya slashed down her sword at him!
The black blade was able to sweep across everything. Even it sent a ripple through the air as she waved the blade. A sense of danger emerged in his heart. When he blinked his eyes, Naiya already slashed her sword at high speed.
Kensel only felt a cold wind brush his cheeks. A harsh roar came from his back.
He instantly looked back.
A giant wolf whose head was cut down in half was crouching on the ground. The freshly cut wound was bleeding out blood that kept streaming down like water. The giant wolf just tried to tear up the human in front of it.
"You can't continue fighting," Naiya said. Telling the truth about Kensel's physical condition.
He's old, too old that his senses had dropped to the point where he didn't even notice an approaching danger.
The toxin in his blood is now eroding his body bit by bit. It would eventually kill him!
After he saw the determination in Naiya's scarlet eyes, he sighed.
"It seems His Highness the Emperor didn't make any mistakes in his choice…"
No mistake?
No, it's a grave mistake.
Naiya thought to herself.
The reason she bravely galloped to the battlefield was no other than she had a power in her hands. Naiya gripped her hands on the hilt of the violet-black blade. The steel reflected her scarlet eyes.
A constant source of power kept flowing inside her from the sword.
When she gripped the sword, she found herself stronger than ever—both in strength and speed, and also her instinct.
This is a powerful sword imbued with magic.
This… is a magic sword called the Arondight, Unfading Light of the Lake*.
According to Lucius, the one who once held this sword was a hero called the strongest Knight!
So, she can't waste this sword!
"Take me to the front line! We can't let those beasts wreak havoc anymore!"
A knight's duty is to protect the civilians. That Naiya can't do anything about this.
"I'm proud of you, Your Highness!"
Kensel didn't speak nonsense anymore. After forcing his body to suppress the toxin that slowly devoured his health, he led the girl towards the Order of the Knight's frontline.
Naiya felt the power emanating from the magic sword. It's the power called guardianship.
'But my precious little junior, I forgot to tell you…'
'This sword wasn't only known as the strongest Knight's sword, but also the treacherous Knight's sword… that's why it was called a magic sword. That was the most crucial thing.
Something he didn't tell Naiya.
The first thing she had to do was get down on the streets. They hadn't seen the heroine's act yet. The soldiers' little act had to finish now, let them exit through the backstage.
"Lord Commander!"
After the First Knights who were surrounding the giant lizard saw their leader arrive, the vice-commander quickly ran towards Kensel.
The lizard was already lying on the ground dying, its body full of wounds. The moment its struggle stopped, the human could use the sword to stab into its eyes and end its life.
"We've dealt with some beasts. All that's left is to clear out the ones scattered in the streets." The vice-commander told him the good news.
The situation was under control.
"Where are the civilians?"
"Taking refuge in the back part of the city. We drew most of our men to defend them. The beasts won't get there."
Hearing this, Kensel sighed with relief. After watching a knight draw his sword and heroically slain the giant lizard, he turned to Naiya at his side, "Your Highness, please don't underestimate the Order of the Knights. The situation is now under control. There is no need for you to participate in the battlefield…"
But, Naiya cut his words.
"No…"
A tingle of uneasiness spread on her consciousness.
It's not over yet…
Underground…
Under the ground, something is coming up!
"GET BACK!!" Naiya shouted to Kensel, but it was too late!
Spikes again!
Without warning, bone spikes emerged from the ground. They were so sharp that they could penetrate through everything.
Once again, the blood-soaked Lord Commander was pierced in front of Naiya.
Blood splashed and stained Naiya's face.
"…"
Naiya tried to swing her sword to cut off those spikes. But Kensel reacted quickly this time. He made a move that she couldn't understand.
A surge of golden luster emerged from inside his body. Throwing off the vice-commander behind him far away, along with Naiya and the other knights.
She didn't know this old man was so powerful.
Naiya's body heavily hit the top of the wall of the building behind her. But her vision was crystal clear.
"I hope one day you will be able to rule the world…"
Kensel held the spike piercing his chest. After finishing his last word, he roared at the vice-commander standing frozen at the side and at the First Order of the Knight's members.
"LISTEN UP! UNDER THE EMPIRE'S AUTHORITY, THE FIRST ORDER OF THE KNIGHT WILL BE GIVEN DIRECTLY UNDER HER ROYAL HIGHNESS!"
The old Knight had served the Empire for decades. From the first time he held his sword and took his oath, he had intended to die holding it.
A peaceful life had made his body old and rusty, his blood gradually becoming cold.
But at the last moment of his life, God had given him the opportunity to die in honor!
Isn't this how a knight should die in honor?
"DEFEND EVERY INCH OF THE EMPIRE TO THE DEATH! DO NOT ALLOW THE ENEMY TO STEP CLOSER!"
After Kensel gave his last Order, a sharp spike burst out of the ground, piercing his brain.
Ending the Knight's glorious life.
Naiya froze as she watched the scene. So were the knights of the First Order of the Knights. They had no time to fret, not even time to honor their fallen Commander.
Because the real disaster had just started now!
Everyone coincidentally covered their ears.
The Earth began to tremble. Houses began to collapse. As if doomsday was coming.
The shrill hissing sound made their brains clogged with fears.
Finally, the demon hiding underground appeared above the Earth.
The sky turned black as its huge body covered the sunlight…
The Crypt Lord looked down on the tiny human in the streets below. Opened his insect wings, calling out to its kind.
Its shrill made the human tremble.
A large number of insects of different sizes attacked the city with the Crypt Lord as the center!
"That… what is that thing?"
Just dealing with the beast's swarm earlier already drained the Knight's power. It was hard enough to control those beasts. And now, an entirely different powerful beast had appeared?
The appearance of the underground insect was much more hideous than the normal beast. Everyone looked at the dense swarms of insects, shivering…
"GET BACK!"
"DAMN! AN INSECT GOT INTO MY BODY… UH!"
"WHAT??"
The knights ignored the small beetles crawling on the ground and invaded. They aimed for delicious and tender human blood and flesh and gnawed on these humans.
The Knight, whose body was infiltrated by beetles, fell to the ground, struggled, but more and more beetles kept pouring into the Knight's body.
"Help me! There's something in…"
He pleaded to his companion around him.
"They…"
But before he could finish his words, a beetle that had burrowed inside him crawled out of his mouth. More and more beetles also crawled out of the dead human body.
The dense swarm of insects was feared among humans!
Everyone retreated towards the back. But a pitch-black figure with a slight scarlet glow stepped into the swarm!
Now, she can only rely on herself.
Naiya held the Arondight and burst into the swarm, surrounded by her scarlet glow, turning any approaching beetle instantly into dust and disappeared.
Her whole life, she was always alone.
Command?
Of course she won't listen to it!
Just like that, Naiya pointed her sword towards the Crypt Lord inside the swarm of insects.
A powerful force erupted from her feet. The Arondight slashed with a violet-black luster, cutting through the Crypt Lord's huge body!
But then, a sense of danger flooded her mind!
A large number of spikes suddenly emerged from the ground and attacked Naiya, who had already leaped mid-air. She relied on her superior strength to defy inertia, and her blade cutting through the Crypt Lord turned towards the spikes underground.
But her body was knocked by the unimaginable destructive force from the spikes.
She landed on a dense swarm of insects. The insects rushed towards the delicacy that had fallen from the skies.
Naiya tried to break free from the swarm by swinging her sword, but the black insects were cut off by a golden light.
At the time Naiya turned her head, she found herself standing among a dozen knights donned in silvery-white armor. The golden dragon pattern on the armor of their shoulders was clearly visible.
"What kind of Knight let a lady fight alone? For the Lord Commander!"
The knights' blood and armor were stained with blood.
"Your Highness, please give the order!"
"Attack…"
Naiya had no other order…
"Do not let them advance even one step!"
A flesh wall… but these knights simply couldn't break through the swarm's blockade.
The number was outrageously large.
Even Naiya, who previously charged in alone, felt powerless now.
They had no power to reach the beast. They could only watch the beetle pass through them to attack civilians on the rear.
After all, Naiya couldn't be a fully qualified vampire.
This was also something Lucius had predicted.
But that didn't stop her from using her vampire power.
'You know what? There's something in this world called 'Despair."
Suddenly, Lucius' voice rang inside her mind. Stopping her from swinging her sword.
Time gradually slowed down. She could only hear Lucius' voice in her mind.
'You can call it a burst, or a small universe or something like that. Those knights around you are experiencing the same thing right now.'
"...."
'Humans are such ridiculous creatures, aren't they? There are times when they're willing to lay down their lives to save those they didn't even know.'
"...."
'This is kindness. Kindness is a powerful thing. Ah, little Naiya, you're also a kind child. So you do have this power.'
"....."
'You want to protect those civilians? Do you want to take revenge for that poor Lord Commander? Do you want to teach these monsters how terrifying humans can be?'
'You do want to teach these monsters a lesson, do you? Kill these monsters who are slaughtering humans and treating them as food! You want to slay them!'
Naiya was surprised to see the scarlet luster in Lucius' eyes. He was excited, so excited that Naiya couldn't help but feeling fearful.
'Then burn it. Burn away your life… your life from my hands for revenge. The power only a vampire could have. A vampire's power is more than that.'
'I…'
Naiya suddenly felt a more powerful power surging inside her. With Arondight's power, she was so powerful to the point that a single wave of her hand could destroy the world. Her berserk power made her feel uneasy.
She hesitated, but watching the knights around her fall down one by one under the swarm's attack. She quickly changed her mind. She had no time for hesitation!
The people around her were fighting for their lives to protect their city!
She can't allow more of them to sacrifice themselves.
Vampire's power…
From her pale skin, a scarlet luster emerged. Covering the Arondight with a scarlet luster.
The unrestrained power broke free from the seal and surged inside her body!
Suddenly, the insects around her burst into a rain of blood.
She can do it!
Naiya took control of the pool of blood. The insects that approached her turned into her weapon!
She brought hope for mankind. With her new power, she rushed towards the Crypt Lord. Raising the purple-black sword and writing the final piece of this Murderous Symphony with her own hands!
"Become a heroine, Naiya…"
Lucius' voice faded the moment she swung her greatsword.
The blade easily slashed down the body of the Crypt Lord. Splitting the body into two from top to bottom!
.....
Time ticked slowly.
At the next moment, the frozen time began to flow again.
In front of the knights, the hideous monster, along with the swarm of insects, turned into a pitch-black fine sand, drifting away.
The last ray of sunlight shone upon the humans. Those who survived fell to their knees, unable to believe they had survived.
Naiya held her greatsword, maintaining her slashing stance. Under the setting sun, just like an undefeated Valkyrie.
"HER ROYAL HIGHNESS!"
No one knew who started it, then the chanting among the knights became louder and louder.
They didn't know her name, but they were chanting her identity!
"LONG LIVE HER ROYAL HIGHNESS!"
At this moment, in everyone's memory, she was no longer an obscure commoner. She had become the heroine who saved the city!
"Heroine."
Lucius squatted on top of the Church, looking at the devastated city below, and sighed. "Of course, the protagonist of the story had to make an outstanding debut."
Naiya's body finally collapsed to the ground as she had used all of her strength.
"Good performance." Lucius stood up, stretching his body. As if he was tired from playing a very interesting game.
"What exactly do you want to do?" The Crypt Lord's harsh voice sounded in his ears.
"Ah, I'm sorry for troubling you, but your acting skills are very good."
"If it weren't for my King's order, I would not have done such a humiliating thing!" The Crypt Lord's voice was tinged with displeasure.
"You've recorded your name in the history book…" Lucius stretched out his hands, looking at the setting sky.
"In a few years, the historians of this world will write this. 'Dodran the 22th, Her Highness Naiya with the strength of a whole army guard the city alone against the terrifying swarming beast attacking the city. Standing on top of the carcass of the beast like a Valkyrie', or something like that."
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"Of course." Lucius leaped down the Church to the ground below.
"Because in a few years, there will be no human existence left in this world. Ah, it's nightfall. Time to me to move, go, and appease my lovely junior."
Lucius' figure transformed into a bat and disappeared into the vast night.
TL's note
*https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Arondight