The Holy Hilk Kingdom was one of a cluster of four countries located in the southwest
region of the northern continent. It was also the land were the Hilk's most fervent
believers gathered.
Even with the massive Great West Revlon Empire, one of the biggest countries on the
entire continent, sitting along its northern border, the Holy Hilk Kingdom had been
allowed to thrive with little outside interference. However, this had more to do with
geography than politics.
The first major barrier was the massive Beek Sea that cut the southwest off from the
rest of the northern continent. The towering Rutios Mountains provided another
natural border to the northeast.
Mount Alsus, in the Rutios range, was heavily mined for mythril. At the base of this
mountain lay the sprawling city of Fehrbio Alsus, the holy capital and center of the
Hilk religion.
Prior to the pontiff taking control over the country, these lands had been known as the
Holy Kingdom of Alsus. The city was called the Ancient Capital and had survived for
generations, which meant its buildings had a rather distinct look.
In a world where human cities were often lost to monsters or melee, this served as a
great source of pride for the city's residents. Over the same period, other cities had
been lost to fires, disasters, and wars.
This had all changed once the Hilk took over, erecting churches throughout the city.
These churches, and the Hilk faith, began to spread across the land, and the beautifully
spartan houses of worship soon became a fixture in many cities.
The Hilk's church-building techniques had been refined over the years in Fehrbio
Alsus. Residents could look back through time just by walking the city streets.
At the center of the Ancient Capital stood a particularly majestic building, which
towered over those around it. This was the cathedral, where all the faithful in the
capital gathered.
This immense church and its bell towers could be easily seen even from beyond the
outer walls, and it served as an awe-inspiring sight to all who approached Fehrbio Alsus.
And yet, despite the city's beauty, many of its buildings had fallen into disrepair, with
some reduced to little more than rubble. Its streets were a mere shadow of their
former selves.
What had once served as the vibrant capital of the Hilk religion was now devoid of
people; a proverbial ghost town.
Amid this oppressive silence, however, was a sight that defied explanation: towering
monsters standing nearly fifty meters tall, walking among the buildings like children
stomping around a toy town. Giants might be the first word to come to mind, though
these massive creatures made the so-called giants on the southern continent look like
dwarves.
When I saw them, I couldn't believe my eyes. These abominations looked like they
were made up of human bodies strung together in one large mass, reminding me of
Cardinal Charros's monster form.
The most likely explanation was that the city's residents had been used to create these
creatures. Exactly how they'd come to serve as fodder for the giants was unclear, but
as long as there was the possibility of survivors within the city limits, it would be best
to keep destruction to a minimum.
I was floored by the pontiff's ability to create such huge beings on a whim. The two
days we'd dedicated to liberating Larisa had probably given him the time he needed,
but there was no sense in dwelling on that now.
Fehrbio Alsus had fallen, and there was no going back.
The Brahniey forces, elves, and members of the Jinshin clan had done well to clear out
Larisa under the margrave's leadership, while rescue operations were conducted
concurrently in Lione.
Despite our best efforts, we found few survivors in Lione. We had greater success in
Larisa, where more of the populace had been able to escape.
According to the margrave's report, less than a third of the city's original population
remained.
The number of survivors led to a new problem, however: arguments of control and
succession among the surviving nobility. But the margrave was having none of it and
immediately placed himself in provisional control of the kingdom. With the elven and
Jinshin forces behind him, there wasn't much room for argument.
There was the risk, however, that those not fond of the margrave might stage a coup,
now that we'd moved the soldiers out of Larisa for our assault on the Holy Hilk
Kingdom. To minimize this, Dillan had left 1,000 elven soldiers behind to supplement
the margrave's forces and maintain order.
I couldn't help but appreciate the irony that controlling a free city was infinitely more
challenging than liberating an occupied one. At the end of the day, humans were their
own greatest enemy.
Just as Dillan had predicted, we only needed two days in Larisa. We then gave the
soldiers a day to rest while I left with Felfi Visrotte for the Holy Hilk Kingdom to find
a good teleportation spot and gather some intelligence on our enemies.
The first time we'd visited, these giants hadn't been here.
I had no idea just how powerful the leader of the Hilk actually was, but I had a hard
time believing that he could create such immense creatures in a day. Otherwise, he
would have done the same back in the Delfrent Kingdom to bolster his forces.
This could only mean one thing…
When I'd come here to find a good teleportation point, I'd had Felfi Visrotte drop me
a fair distance away from the capital, and I'd teleported my way in using Dimensional
Step to make sure that the pontiff didn't see me coming.
This meant that my view had been obscured by the countless undead wandering
around the outskirts of the capital, not to mention the protective walls surrounding it,
preventing me from getting a good look at what was going on inside.
The giants must have been underground at that time, or were somehow hidden from
view.
"Never in all my years have I seen such disgusting creatures," Felfi Visrotte growled as
she gazed at the giants. We were currently flying around the city to get a look at our
objective before the upcoming assault.
Dragon Lords hated undead to their very core, and the giants below seemed to bother
her even more.
From a distance, the creatures looked as if they were covered in inflamed skin. They
stood in place, watching our every movement.
Their eyes and mouths—or the spots where these would have been on a normal
person—were large, hollowed out cavities, and their faces were completely devoid of
any expression. It was… unsettling.
"They're just… watching us."
"Kyii! Kyiiiii!"
Ponta offered its own attempt at a menacing threat to the monsters below.
"I'd love to get a closer look, but since we don't know what kind of abilities those things
can bring to bear, it's probably best to keep our distance."
It didn't look like we'd learn a whole lot more just by circling around, so I figured it
best that we turn back. To my surprise, Felfi Visrotte began descending instead.
"Well, we'll just have to find out, then. Hang on!"
She left no room for debate as she dropped down toward one of the giants. It seemed
to grow bigger as we drew close.
The giant's face locked onto us, firing a massive black ball out of the hole where its
mouth should have been.
BWAFOOM!!!
"Wha?!"
The blast shook the air like a thunderclap as the black ball barreled toward us.
Felfi Visrotte deftly dodged the incoming object, and I turned to watch it crash into the
ground, far in the distance. The black substance quickly melted away, eroding everything
it touched.
I shuddered at the thought of what it could do to me. Felfi Visrotte seemed to share
my concerns.
"I've never heard of death contamination being used as a weapon like this!"
This "death contamination" was a unique aura that emanated from the undead.
Though I couldn't see it myself, elves were able to use it to tell if someone was undead
or not. But this thing the giant had shot at us was a physical sphere.
The only way I could explain it was that the death contamination within the sphere
was far denser than usual, which allowed me to see it.
"Kyi! Kyii!" Ponta called out a warning from where it was wrapped around my neck.
I turned back just in time to see the giant slowly twist its massive body, its feet tearing
up the streets below as it shifted, and fire another volley. There were three projectiles
this time.
BWAFOOM!!! BWAFOOM!!! BWAFOOM!!!
Felfi Visrotte spun, gracefully dodging this barrage as well.
Unfortunately, I wasn't quite so lucky. I lost my grip on her back and fell.
"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuugh!!!"
"Kyiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!"
I was helpless as my body spun end over end, the ground rushing up to meet me. After
a bit of effort, I managed to straighten myself out and started looking for a place on
the ground to teleport to.
However, at the rate I was falling, it was hard to focus on any specific landmark. The
ground was rapidly approaching, and I was running out of options. I searched
desperately for something, anything, to latch onto. Just as I was about to hit the
ground, I felt an incredible force slam into my side, catching me. Looking up, I met Felfi
Visrotte's reptilian gaze.
"Sorry 'bout that, Arc. Anyway, just try to hang on a bit longer while I get us back to
the rest of the army."
She'd caught me right in her massive jaws. From an outsider's perspective, it must've
looked like she was eating me.
While I was happy not to have fallen to my death, we were hardly out of the woods yet.
The two giants were now working in concert to coordinate their attacks on Felfi
Visrotte and block her escape. The battle had only grown more intense.
For her part, the Dragon Lord shot off several energy blasts at the giants in an attempt
to overwhelm them. The attacks looked similar to the one she'd used against me back
at the stadium.
The energy blasted away chunks of the giants upon impact, but the holes quickly filled
with more human parts. Apparently, they had the ability to regenerate too.
Felfi Visrotte's attacks on the black spheres, however, fared a bit better. She was able
to blast the incoming shots right out of the sky, though she was having a hard time
keeping up with the incoming barrage.
As she weaved through several more shots, I noticed one more coming straight for us.
Without thinking, I cast a spell.
"Holy Protection!"
A bright light began spreading out from me and across Felfi Visrotte's body, like a thin,
glowing membrane surrounding us.
The black sphere struck her side only a moment later, exploding in a black mist that
quickly dissipated.
The two giants slowed their movements, giving Felfi Visrotte a chance to finally put
some distance between us and them.
Once we were out of range of their attacks, they immediately stopped shooting.
I glanced down at the giants and the streets torn up beneath them. If there had been
anyone left alive in those piles of rubble, they were almost certainly dead now.
The Dragon Lord turned to look at me. "Thanks for the assist back there, Arc."
Holy Protection was a support ability from the Paladin class that shielded you and
your party members from dark-elemental attacks. It seemed to have worked perfectly.
Unfortunately, the spell had worn off after the blow, and her body had returned to
normal.
I risked another glance down from my perch. The two giants were following us
intently with the caverns that served as their eyes.
Without a doubt, they would prove to be a major obstacle in our assault on Alsus. I
could only imagine what would happen to the rank-and-file soldiers if they were hit
by one of those black spheres.
Felfi Visrotte glowered at the disgusting creatures below and offered a plan of her
own. "Do you think if Villy and I draw those disgusting beasts' attention, you could
take down the person behind all this?"
I'd completely forgotten that we had another Dragon Lord at our disposal.
I'd originally been thinking of facing the giants using my Paladin abilities, but that
would present a great risk to the two Dragon Lords if they also joined in the battle.
Besides, I had serious doubts about whether I'd actually be able to take those two on
by myself, especially if I hoped to leave any of the city intact.
I agreed to Felfi Visrotte's plan and asked her to take me back to the outskirts, where
the rest of our forces were waiting.
She beat her massive wings to pick up speed. I leaned back, trying to enjoy the ride
while I thought about the upcoming battle.
I crossed my arms and groaned. There was also the fact that the pontiff was nowhere
to be found. But would he really have left his entire kingdom behind?
I didn't know a whole lot about his personality, so it was possible that he'd abandoned
the city. However, I had a hard time believing that he'd just leave these… things.
Either way, we needed to purge the undead from the Hilk capital.
We arrived at the location to the southeast of Fehrbio Alsus where the rest of our
forces were waiting. I was still hanging out of Felfi Visrotte's mouth.
Ten thousand troops had gathered here, of different species and nations: humans from
the Nohzan Kingdom, the Rhoden Kingdom, and Brahniey in the Salma Kingdom; elves
from Maple and Drant; mountain people from the Jinshin clan; and two Dragon Lords.
It truly was a sight to behold.
This was probably the first time in history that so many people of different species
and creeds had come together. This was evident in the way they watched each other
with great interest.
In the middle of this patchwork sat a large tent where all the commanders of the
different forces met to discuss strategy.
I stood in the center of the tent, all eyes on me.
Dillan furrowed his brow. "Indestructible giants? I never would have imagined they'd
have such things."
Ariane stood at her father's side, her face taut with concern.
Fangas, the muscle-bound high elder from the Great Canada Forest, spoke next. "And
what about those dense balls of death contamination? If someone got hit by one,
they'd be dead before they knew what happened. Judging from the sheer size of the
things, their range must be pretty impressive. I don't even know how we'll approach
the capital, let alone take it back."
Upon hearing about the death contamination spheres shot by the undead giants,
everyone in the room had grown visibly tense.
There was only one person smiling throughout all of this: Felfi Visrotte. She stood next
to me in her humanoid form, confidence radiating from her face.
"Now, don't you worry. Villiers Fim and I will keep those giants busy for ya. Besides,
Arc here can cast a spell on y'all that will protect you from one—but only one—of
those death contamination shots. That makes it at least a little better, now doesn't it?"
With that, all eyes were back on me.
Margrave Brahniey was the first to question this. "Is that true, Arc?"
I mean, sure, I'd only just discovered that this spell even worked, but I didn't need to
tell them that.
"I used it on Felfi Visrotte earlier, and despite taking a direct hit, we survived without
suffering any ill effects. However, it remains to be seen whether the human body can
survive a direct hit, even with Holy Protection to absorb the death contamination."
Sure, a powerful creature like a Dragon Lord could withstand it, but a normal human
might just get blown away. Casting Holy Protection on the troops was no guarantee
that they'd be safe.
Prince Sekt, leader of the Rhoden forces, brushed his bangs out of his eyes and sighed.
"Well, I imagine the easiest way to minimize the risk to our forces is to avoid any large
formations. That way we don't lose a bunch of soldiers all in one go." From his sardonic
grin, it was clear that he'd suffered no lasting effects from his previous injuries.
Next to speak was Zahar Bakharov, Princess Riel's bodyguard and the man commanding
the Nohzan army. "That would mean organizing our troops into small squads to carry
out guerrilla strikes, but I don't know how much good even that will do us. So long as
those giants are around, I don't think we stand a chance at assaulting the capital."
At the request of King Asparuh himself, Niena, Riel's other bodyguard, was serving as
Zahar's advisor. What the two of them lacked in authority and political influence, they
more than made up for in experience. They were slowly gaining more esteem in the
King's eyes.
Chiyome, one of the six great warriors of the Jinshin clan, and the youngest person in
the room, chimed in next. "We need to remember that we aren't fighting another army
of humans, but disorganized undead forces without any real sense of strategy. I think
it would be best for us to wait until the giants are preoccupied with the Dragon Lords
and then draw the undead out into the open to attack them in small groups. All while
staying out of the giants' range, of course."
Goemon, the hulking feline who could even put the muscular Fangas to shame, crossed
his arms and nodded in agreement with his younger companion.
It would be easy to discount Chiyome due to her diminutive size, but the mammoth
cat man standing behind her lent additional weight to her words. Not that it was
needed; most of the people in this tent were well aware of her abilities.
The only one who surprised me was Prince Sekt. I'd originally written him off as just
another young royal, but he'd proven himself in the battle over the Wiel River, personally
leading the charge into swarming undead.
Now that we'd gained some consensus, Dillan offered an impassioned speech. "I think
that's an excellent idea, Chiyome. I would like each of the forces to formulate their own
strategy around this plan. Remember, everyone, this will be our last battle with the
Holy Hilk Kingdom. Once this matter has been resolved, we will begin a new chapter
in our shared history. We are standing at the cusp of a brand-new future for all of us."
After letting out a small cheer, the leaders immediately left the tent and hurried back
to their respective forces to pass along the marching orders.
"Well, it looks like the battle is about to start."
"Kyii!"
I reached down and patted the spirit creature wrapped around my neck as I stepped
out of the tent. I could just barely make out the outline of the massive cathedral of
Fehrbio Alsus to the northeast.
Beside me were Ariane, with her hair tied back in a ponytail, and Chiyome, who'd
redone her hair with a ribbon—black, to match her clothes. Goemon approached and
bumped my fist in greeting before turning to look at the capital as well.
"Well, I guess we should get going?"
"Yeah."
"Guess so."
"Hm."
It looked like we were all in agreement.
***
Felfi Visrotte arched her neck to look at Arc and all the soldiers gathered together in
the distance.
"Looks like they're about to start, yeah?"
She spread her beautiful, violet-patterned wings as far as they would go, then flapped
them a few times, as if to make sure they were still working. Even that simple act
kicked up a violent gust of wind.
Compared to his fellow Dragon Lord, Villiers Fim sounded far less confident as he
gazed at Arc and the others. "Shouldn't we get going soon?"
For a moment, Felfi Visrotte looked taken aback by this. Then she opened her mouth
wide and cackled. "And here I thought your heart wasn't in the fight, boy. Now look at
you, all ready to go."
Villiers Fim scowled and averted his gaze, twisting his large tail around to scratch the
back of his neck. "I was just thinking about how things will settle down a bit once we
get this out of the way. That's all."
Felfi Visrotte let out another loud, throaty laugh. "Fine, fine. Let's be off then, yeah?"
With another powerful thrust of her wings, she was airborne.
From the sky, the army of 10,000 looked disjointed, the soldiers all operating in small,
independent squads as they marched toward the same goal: the holy capital. Any
moment now, the forces below would stop just shy of the giants' attack range.
Felfi Visrotte tried to spot Arc in the crowd. Thanks to her excellent vision, she found
him among the other infantry in no time. She picked up speed, Villiers Fim following
close behind. A moment later, the two Dragon Lords landed right in front of him.
"Holy Protection!" Arc cast the spell as soon as they came to a stop.
Glowing light surrounded their bodies as the magic took effect. Felfi Visrotte gave
herself a quick once-over, then she was airborne again, heading for the capital. Villiers
Fim followed soon after.
The closer they drew to the capital, the more undead they saw amassing outside the
city limits.
"Take some of this!"
Felfi Visrotte let off a volley of glowing projectiles flying down to the earth like
shooting stars. They exploded with a massive roar, sending dirt and limbs everywhere.
Arc had referred to this as an "aerial bombing."
"Gyahaha! Like music to my ears!"
As the Dragon Lord took a victory lap after her devastating attack, she summoned
hundreds of tiny balls of light around her body, then sent them down on the enemy
troops as well.
Though each of the individual blasts was much weaker compared to the previous
attack, they more than made up for it in sheer density, blanketing the land in fiery death.
Not wanting to be left out, Villiers Fim released a massive tornado of his own, which
tore across the plains, leaving a trail of carnage in its wake. The whole affair was about
as strenuous to the Dragon Lords as mowing a somewhat unwieldy lawn.
Alas, their fun ended once the giants at the center of the capital caught sight of them
and started shooting black spheres of death contamination. It was time to get serious.
Their emotionless, gaping maws of raw flesh followed the Dragon Lords as they
approached, shooting sphere after sphere in an attempt to hit their targets.
As each black sphere smashed into the earth, they melted into a disgusting corrosive
substance that disintegrated everything they touched… even the undead.
The Dragon Lords split up, still dodging the incoming shots. Within minutes, they'd
reached the city limits and were within range of the protective wall surrounding the
capital. Felfi Visrotte opened her mouth, accumulating energy into a massive ball of
light, which she shot at the wall below.
With a flash and a thunderous boom, a massive gash was torn into the wall. Its
integrity compromised, the wall began crumbling, like an avalanche of stone.
Villiers Fim passed into the capital proper, dodging shots as he closed in on the giants.
One of them reached for him, but was quickly knocked back, thanks to another blast
from Felfi Visrotte.
The attack might have struck the giant's arm off were it not for its fast-acting
regenerative abilities. Flesh and muscle bubbled out from within, reconnecting the
limb almost immediately.
Felfi Visrotte was now thoroughly enraged. "These are gonna be a real pain in the ass!
Can't you just die already, your sick freaks?!"
She swooped in close and swung her dagger-like tail into the giant's face, lopping off
the top half of its head.
The giant shuddered, and it seemed as if its entire body screamed in unison. A black
mist rose off its body as it frantically searched for the rest of its head. However, Felfi
Visrotte was the first to find it and shot multiple blasts at the severed flesh, blowing it
to oblivion.
The giant turned its attention back to her and launched another barrage of the black
spheres. She ducked behind a building for cover before launching higher into the air.
She retreated, putting some distance between her and the monster.
"You're really startin' to annoy me, y'know? I don't feel like playing this game all day."
She launched another volley, watching as each ball of energy exploded with an
enormous blast that sent pieces of flesh flying in every direction. The immense giant
stumbled.
The Dragon Lord pressed her assault as she pushed closer, swinging her razor-sharp
tail into the giant's right arm, followed by its left, cleanly lopping off both of them.
The giant fell to its knees, casting about for its missing limbs.
Felfi Visrotte launched another salvo at the severed arms, leaving nothing but dust
behind. The giant now looked significantly weakened.
"You're way too big for your own good, boy. And I'm gonna fix that!"
Deftly dodging another round of black spheres, the Dragon Lord glanced over to check
on Villiers Fim. She found him sending tornado after tornado at his own opponent, the
powerful wind funnels surrounding the giant and pinning it in place.
Once it was stuck, Villiers Fim began shooting wind blades, chipping away at the
giant's body like an artist carving ice.
Despite the undead giant's best efforts to regenerate, it was losing more and more
mass by the minute. To Felfi Visrotte's eye, it now looked a fair bit shorter than the
giant she was facing.
Even though Villiers Fim couldn't bring anywhere near as much raw power to the
battlefield as Felfi Visrotte could, he more than made up for it with his skill, as
evidenced by this sustained attack.
The thousands of victims making up this giant let out an unsettling scream as the
Dragon Lord chipped away at them, though their voices could only be faintly heard
above the howling wind. Within minutes, the giant had been reduced to practically
nothing.
Remembering that her own foe was still far from defeated, Felfi Visrotte turned to find
that the armless giant was closing in on Villiers Fim.
"Oh, no!"
She flapped her wings in a desperate attempt to catch up.
The giant was practically on top of Villiers Fim when it launched its next volley of black
spheres. Fortunately, he was able to blast them away with tornadoes.
The other giant took this opportunity to launch an attack of its own from within its
wind prison. Villiers Fim lost focus, and his magic weakened, as he tried dodging the
attacks from both directions. The confined giant used this opportunity to slam its body
straight through the cyclones and break out.
Felfi Visrotte was furious with herself for having let her guard down like that, but there
was no time to dwell on her mistake. She needed to take down the armlessgiant.
She dove for its back, where, much to her horror, a gaping hole opened, out of which
shot another massive black sphere. It was coming right at her.
"Wha?!"
The sphere struck Felfi Visrotte in the head, knocking her back into a building.
Thankfully, the magic spell Arc had cast on her earlier protected her from any of its ill
effects.
The giant followed this up with a kick, which the Dragon Lord blocked with her tail.
This stunned the giant just long enough to allow her to escape.
"If it weren't for Arc, I'd be a goner. I need to keep my guard up and remember that
this monstrosity's face is nothing more than a decoration."
The giant shot several more black spheres out of its mouth, but they were no match
for Felfi Visrotte's speed and agility. She returned the attacks blow for blow with
energy blasts of her own.
While this was happening, Villiers Fim was slowly pulling back to gain some distance
from his opponent.
The sky grew dark, and a bright flash of lighting struck the top of the giant's head,
followed by an ear-shattering thunderclap. The corpses forming the surface of the
giant's body were charred instantly, though even that damage was quickly regenerated.
"I've made some progress, but this is really starting to annoy me!"
The Dragon Lord launched several more tornadoes to knock his opponent's latest
barrage off course before jerking to the side to avoid yet another attack from the
armless giant.
This battle was taking a heavy toll on the capital, but the Dragon Lords didn't have the
luxury of thinking about property damage at the moment.
Felfi Visrotte and Villiers Fim flew back again to get some breathing room, both
launching attacks to keep the creatures at bay.
However, the giants completely ignored the barrage and pressed on, shooting sphere
after sphere of death contamination. Felfi Visrotte grumbled deep in her throat. It
began to feel as though the tables were turning—and not in the right direction.
All of a sudden, the armless giant and its shrunken comrade dove into each other.
Within seconds, their bodies began melding.
"What?!"
"No way!"
The two giants morphed together, the corpses making up their bodies pooling and
fusing. The single creature now had four arms, each with its own hole to shoot more
black spheres. Combined with the one in its face, it could now launch five projectiles
at once.
"C'mon, give us a break! This is getting ridiculous!"
Felfi Visrotte shot a volley of energy blasts to destroy some of the incoming spheres,
while pulling off impressive aerobatic maneuvers to avoid the ones she couldn't hit.
The monster continued growing, angling its upper body and launching black spheres
like it was some sort of anti-aircraft artillery. Felfi Visrotte swooped through the barrage
until she was within striking distance and slashed clean through one of its arms with
her tail. However, the giant simply stomped on its own severed arm, absorbing the
mass of flesh into its leg. A moment later, a new arm emerged.
Villiers Fim sent a fusillade of wind blades at their enlarged opponent, but it
regenerated just as fast as either of them could damage it.
The giant was now standing at an impressive ninety meters tall—larger even than
Felfi Visrotte, and more than double the size of Villiers Fim.
"Gyaugh! Its regeneration speed has increased too!"
Villiers Fim dodged another shot and decided to fall back to get some breathing room.
Suddenly, each of the giant's four arms split in half, giving it eight cannons to shoot
from. This kept Felfi Visrotte from getting too close, her only option now to attack from
above with her energy blasts. But with each successful blow, the giant simply stomped
on any severed body part and reabsorbed it.
Felfi Visrotte was starting to reach her limit. Out of frustration, she was considering
simply blasting away the ground itself when her thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
The giant's foot began glowing.
Once again, the corpses making up the massive creature began shrieking in unison, as
if the door to hell had been opened, unleashing the screams of the damned.
When the light faded, she saw that the giant was now standing on just one leg, the
other having completely vanished below the knee. It lost its balance and tumbled
forward.
The giant hit the ground with such force that the shockwave alone leveled all of the
nearby buildings. A massive cloud of dust kicked up, obscuring the central capital.
The Dragon Lords weren't about to let such a perfect opportunity go to waste. Even
through the thick dust, they were still able to pick out their target; such were their
keenly tuned senses for hunting the undead.
"You can't hide from me that easily!"
Felfi Visrotte dove down into the dense dust and chopped off two of the giant's arms,
then shot back up into the sky. Villiers Fim sent out two more tornado blasts to tear
the arms to shreds before they could regenerate, leaving chunks no larger than a
pebble in their place.
"Looks like we just might win yet!"
Felfi Visrotte let out a hearty chuckle as she launched back into the dust cloud to inflict
more wounds. With every piece of flesh she lopped off, Villiers Fim would follow up
with his powerful wind bursts to destroy it.
They repeated this process over and over until the haunted screams of the dead fell
silent, only to be replaced by the Dragon Lords' roar of victory.
***
As the armies approached Fehrbio Alsus's outer wall, the bell towers of the massive
cathedral seemed to double in size. The closer they got, the more undead remains they
encountered, completely annihilated by the thick, black contamination of death.
The army had split into small units, careful to maintain distance from one another as
they advanced on the capital. Each and every soldier was on alert for any hidden
undead. Though this abundance of caution was necessary, it made for very slow
progress.
The entire formation was led by Ariane and a group of elves, Chiyome and a contingent
of the Jinshin clan, and a group of human knights.
Arc marched cheerfully at the front, stroking the spirit creature wrapped tightly
around his neck.
Fangas looked over at his granddaughter, who'd been silently staring at Arc's back.
"You nervous, Ariane?"
He was about as tall and muscular as Arc, and wore tight-fitting leather armor pocked
with battle scars. According to the stories she'd heard, her grandfather had
singlehandedly taken down a cardinal on the front lines of the Wiel, using the massive
war hammer he carried on his back.
Though it'd been ages since he'd retired from military service, the years didn't seem
to have slowed him one bit.
Ariane sighed. "A little, I guess. I mean, with all those undead out there waiting for us…"
Chiyome turned to Ariane and raised a fist, determined to cheer her up. "Don't worry,
Ariane! I'll keep you safe!"
Ariane felt herself flush. She gave her cheeks a gentle slap to focus herself.
Fangas looked down at his granddaughter and rapped his fist against the thick armor
covering his chest. "Thinking too much leads to paralysis. Besides, I'm here. Now's
your chance to show me what you're made of."
He flashed a broad, toothy grin, though the scar running down his face still lent him
an intimidating air.
Ariane gave a determined nod and focused her attention ahead.
A few moments later, the sound of massive wings flapping filled the air. The two
Dragon Lords swooped down and landed in front of Arc.
Things were going exactly as planned.
Arc raised his right fist high into the air and cast a spell.
"Holy Protection!"
A bright flash of light spread out from him until it encompassed the mammoth Dragon
Lords, Ariane, Chiyome, Fangas, Goemon, and all the other soldiers nearby. Once cast,
a thin layer of light surrounded their bodies.
This display of magic shocked the humans, of course, but even the elves seemed
surprised by the scale of this particular spell.
As Arc explained it, the spell would protect them from the toxic effects of the giants'
death contamination, though the effect would only last for a single blow.
The Dragon Lords took to the air again, heading straight for the capital. Moments later,
Felfi Visrotte began shooting blasts of light down at the ground, sending plumes of dirt
and smoke high into the air.
Even at this distance, Ariane and Chiyome could feel the ground beneath them shake
as the pressure waves rocked the earth.
Villiers Fim flew behind and slightly to the side of his larger companion, loosing tornado
blasts that threw anyone in their path high into the sky.
Their devastating assault cleared a route from the army all the way to the gates of the
capital. Once the soldiers realized what the Dragon Lords had done, they erupted into
boisterous cheers.
While the troops celebrated their good fortune, Arc used Dimensional Step to teleport
to the remaining squads, stopping just long enough to cast Holy Protection on them.
It was time for the united forces to march on the capital.
One of the human squads rushed ahead to take down some of the weakened undead
that the Dragon Lords had missed. They met little resistance, which only served to
spur them on to find more enemies to fight.
However, they soon ran into a man-spider with half of its upper body missing. It
clawed up from the rubble, its remaining hands clutching a massive sword. By the time
the frenzied soldiers caught sight of it, it was too late.
"Watch out!" One of the soldiers let out a shrill scream.
They suddenly realized just how exposed they were and started running toward the
relative safety of the front lines.
"F-fall back!!!" Another soldier barked commands in an attempt to get the rest under
some semblance of order.
The man-spider rushed ahead, swinging its giant blade, the stump of its missing
human torso flapping loosely behind it.
The soldiers screamed and howled as they came to terms with their imminent death.
Suddenly, a voice broke through the pandemonium.
"Savage Spike!"
By the time these words reached the soldier's ears, a single arrow was already sticking
out of the man-spider's remaining torso. Then, a moment later…
BASHOOM!
The man-spider's upper body was torn apart in a violent explosion. Its spider legs took
another two or three steps before collapsing, motionless, before fizzling away into a
black sludge.
The soldiers' ears were still ringing as they searched for whoever had come to their
aid. They spotted a single elf nearby, bow at the ready. She humbly acknowledged their
thanks with a simple nod of her head.
However, her magical arrow only marked the beginning of the barrage. As if on cue,
the rest of the elven archers let their arrows fly. They passed over the human soldiers'
heads to impale more man-spiders off in the distance. Just like before, there was a
brief pause followed by a thunderous boom. The serenity that had once lay over this
field was a distant memory.
The elves usually reserved such magical arrow attacks for the largest monsters that
roamed the Great Canada Forest, usually in order to ensure a hit through dense
vegetation.
But since the attack was powerful enough to rip someone clean in half, it was the
perfect choice to use against the man-spiders.
During the planning phase, it had been decided that the elves, with their impressive
array of magical techniques, and the physically gifted Jinshin clan would focus on
clearing out the man-spiders, while the humans focused on slaying the undead
infantry.
Prince Sekt led the Rhoden troops in several separate but tightly integrated squads.
The advance guard consisted of infantry carrying tower shields, which created an
impenetrable moving wall. While the undead occupied themselves with the shield
bearers, the soldiers behind skewered the enemy with spears.
Though this greatly slowed their advance, it also meant that all the undead in their
way were completely annihilated, clearing a path for the elven archers to follow.
Of course, they were only able to operate like this as long as they stayed outside the
range of the undead giants.
In the distance, a trumpet sounded, causing Margrave Brahniey to groan. The nearby
elves, who weren't used to fighting in large-scale conflicts like this, grew visibly confused
at this sudden noise.
Unlike the soldiers serving under Prince Sekt, the margrave's commanders expertly
led their squads without additional orders. Such was the breadth of their training.
They linked up with and separated from other squads as needed, like a well-oiled
machine.
It had also become clear that Zahar—the leader of the Nohzan forces, supported by
Niena—had little experience in large-scale troop movements. There was hardly any
cohesion between his squads.
However, the sight of Zahar rushing ahead and cleaving any enemy that crossed his
path did a lot for the soldiers' morale. After all, he'd come up from the same humble
beginnings as them.
Though the unified forces could only muster around 10,000 soldiers, they were still
able to hold their own against the legions of undead, thanks to the Dragon Lords,
who'd forced the enemy to spread out.
And then there was the other heavy damage dealer up front, breaking up any undead
clusters.
"Lightning Damper!"
Arc had charged into the heart of the enemy and let loose a powerful area-of-effect
spell that sent lightning bolts raining from the sky.
He them teleported into another cluster and used a different technique.
"Bring Whirlwind!"
This attack caused a powerful gust of air to whip around, lifting the undead high into
the air before dumping them unceremoniously on the ground, where they were
quickly dispatched by the advancing troops.
Even after casting so many spells, Arc didn't look winded. He was proving himself an
invaluable ally on the battlefield.
The elves who'd watched his match against Felfi Visrotte back in the Maple stadium
cheered him on as he tore through the enemy. They had high expectations for him, and
he didn't disappoint.
Ariane glowered at Arc as she struck down undead on her own. "Well, I'm not about
to let him hog all the attention!"
She reached her free hand into her bag and pulled out a tubular object.
"Spirits of fire, lend your ears and grant me your protection!"
A barrier of leaves materialized, protecting her. She swung her sword, and it burst into
flames. She then held the tubular object in front of her and cleaved it in two with her
burning blade. Flames poured out of it, further fueling her sword until the flames
licking off it reached well into the sky. It almost looked as if she were wielding a
bonfire.
"May your flames of retribution set those who have strayed back onto the proper path,
ready to receive your guidance."
Dropping the rest of the tube, Ariane clasped the hilt of her sword firmly in both hands
and lifted it high into the air, bathing everything around her in its flickering, red glow.
She took a step forward and swung the blade with all her might, unleashing a massive
pillar of fire.
The undead in its path were instantly reduced to ash.
The pillar of fire began transforming, growing flaming branches and even leaves.
Ariane smiled at the sight.
"I'm not holding back today! I've been granted permission to use powdered mana, so
I'm free to show Arc a thing or two!"
Ariane reached into her bag again and pulled out another tube filled with powdered
mana. While typically used as a power source for magical items, powdered mana was
also used by elven soldiers to consume less of their spirit magic when casting spells.
It all sounded rather simple, but it took years of training to learn how to use powdered
mana properly and in the right amounts, a skill that many battle-hardened veterans
hadn't mastered.
After spending years watching her older sister, Eevin, use powdered mana expertly,
Ariane began to see her own lack of skill as a personal shortcoming. Eventually,
however, she'd realized that her sister simply stood a head above the rest, and there
was no sense measuring herself against her sister. But that hadn't stopped Ariane from
becoming an exceptional soldier in her own right.
Ariane's fellow elves watched in amazement as she used her powerful technique to
incinerate swarms of undead.
Fangas looked especially proud of his granddaughter, even as he barreled his way
through enemy soldiers, swinging his mammoth war hammer as if it weighed nothing.
"I'm not ceding my place to the next generation just yet!"
He offered a toothy grin and raised his hammer high.
"Great spirits of the earth, heed my call and offer me your protection!"
Leaves whipped up from the ground, forming a protective barrier around Fangas.
Though this attack was incredibly similar to the one cast moments ago by Ariane, the
energy radiating off his war hammer was something else entirely.
The air around the hammer shimmered as the ground beneath his feet groaned.
Beams of light shot out of both the weapon and the earth, the energy accumulating at
the hammer's head.
"Spirits, I summon you from your earthen slumber!"
The earth began shaking even more violently, as if something were clawing its way out
of the planet's crust. The tremor was so violent that both enemy and ally alike
struggled to stand.
"Spirits of the earth, call upon your wayward children and lead them back to the
everlasting darkness!"
Fangas swung the massive hammer down, smashing the ground with such force that
the earth itself tore open. The rift continued growing wider and wider into a dark,
bottomless chasm that bore a disturbing resemblance to the mouth of a giant beast.
Humans and elves alike watched, terrified, as it began swallowing the undead. Even
the man-spiders weren't fast enough to outrun it.
After gorging itself on a significant number of the undead, the large mouth slowly
closed, until there was no evidence that it had ever even existed.
"My friend here has been without its rune stone for far too long. It sure feels good to
use it again." Fangas patted the head of his war hammer affectionately.
His hammer had been custom-built to store powdered mana within it, allowing him
to use magical attacks on a whim. Though similar to the method used by Ariane, his
attacks were far more destructive, on par with something Arc or even one of the
Dragon Lords might pull off.
Throughout his life, Fangas had diligently collected the rune stones from each and
every monster he'd killed and refined them into powdered mana. He'd then embedded
this within his hammer so it would always be available to him.
Years had passed without an opportunity to use all of this hard-won powdered mana.
In fact, Fangas had begun to wonder if perhaps his hammer was destined to become a
decoration, its mana forever unused. It felt good to finally lay that question to rest.
He'd originally intended to use this specific attack during the battle over the Wiel, but
after Felfi Visrotte had wiped out almost the entire invading army, using such power
against the few remaining undead seemed like a waste.
Fangas rested the hammer against his shoulder and turned off his attention toward
the capital. The two Dragon Lords were in a desperate battle against the giants towering
over the city center. The unmitigated destruction was impossible to put into words.
On her way into the capital, Felfi Visrotte had blown a massive hole in the protective
wall surrounding it, and the rest of the wall had crumbled in an avalanche of bricks.
Thanks to the sheer destructive force of the Dragon Lord's attack, as well as Fangas's
powerful spirit magic, the route to the capital was now mostly clear, shy of some
undead still trapped in the rubble.
The battle between the Dragon Lords and the giants was well and truly underway,
with the mammoth monsters shooting spheres of death in every direction as the
Dragon Lords closed in.
Fangas was relieved to see that the giants were too preoccupied with the Dragon Lords
to pay much attention to the advancing foot soldiers. He couldn't bear to think about
what would happen if they were hit by one of the death contamination projectiles.
The spheres were so massive that if the giants were to shoot one toward the troops in
the field, there'd be nowhere for them to hide.
However, once they were within the city limits, there should be enough buildings to
provide ample cover from any attacks the giants might send their way. Getting through
the hole in the wall and into the city proper before they were spotted was of the utmost
importance.
Fangas's voice boomed across the plains. "We've broken through! Follow me to the
capital!" He charged, using his war hammer to bat enemy soldiers out of his way.
The elven soldiers responded with a battle cry and followed the high elder, killing any
undead in their path.
The Jinshin clan, having helped the elves eliminate the man-spiders, responded next.
Chiyome and Goemon led the group toward the shattered wall at such speed that they
managed to overtake the elves.
"Body to earth, exploding steel fist!" Goemon clanked his metal gauntlets, and his arms
grew hard, taking on a dull, silver sheen.
His fists dealt lethal blows to each undead enemy that came near, leaving a trail of
crushed bodies in his wake.
"Body to water, aqua lance slash!"
Meanwhile, Chiyome used her water lance to perform deliberate, surgical strikes on
her enemies, disarming them so that the troops behind her could pick them off.
Whether in a forest, on a plain, or even the middle of a wasteland, no one could match
the pace of the Jinshin clan. They reached the outer wall far ahead of the rest of the
army.
The wall was still kicking up clouds of dust when they arrived, though it wasn't enough
to hinder their vision. Occasionally, an undead soldier came running out of the hole in
the wall, but they were quickly dispatched by Goemon.
Chiyome surveyed the city beyond. Since the stench of death permeated everything, it
was impossible for her to tell if any undead remained inside. Instead, her eyes were
drawn to the outline of a figure standing in the middle of a dust-filled street.
It was a man, dressed in elaborate, priestly robes. He looked to be in his late twenties,
and stood around 190 centimeters tall. The muscles rippling beneath his robes made
him look more like a soldier than a man of thecloth.
Even from this distance, she could smell the unmistakable stench wafting off of him.
Goemon eyed the man warily and spoke in a low, growling voice. "Undead."
Chiyome nodded.
"Where Augrent and Tismo have failed, I will succeed. I will protect His Holiness!
Hyaaahahahaha!" The man's voice boomed in an ominous echo.
His body began to twitch and bulge.
"I am Marcos Invidia Humanitas. I have been granted the title of cardinal by His
Holiness the pontiff, and given the task of protecting our holy capital. This is your one
and only chance to leave my sight, you and your repulsive comrades. If you don't…"
Marcos's body started puffing and growing, popping the seams of his clothes as he
transformed into a hideous monster with tentacles for arms. He stood four meters tall,
and was covered in gray-brown flesh.
His head now looked like a pulsating tumor with one massive eye, surrounded by a
cluster of smaller eyes. Each one moved independently, making for a rather unsettling
sight.
One tentacle stretched across his face in a gross imitation of a mustache, while six
more tentacles, three on each side, tore out from his back, giving him a total of eight
limbs with which to grab his prey.
The horrendous stench of death emanating from the man, and the enormous power
clearly available to him, was enough to convince Goemon and Chiyome to fall back and
put some distance between him and themselves.
The rubble beneath the Jinshin clan exploded, and pitch-black stones burst from the
earth to spear them. This was clearly the cardinal's work, but Chiyome couldn't tell
how he'd done it.
She normally wasn't one to let her emotions show, but this defied explanation. The
attack Marcos had used was similar to a special ninjutsu technique that was used
exclusively by the Jinshin clan, but it required the user to have made a pact using a
pledge spirit crystal.
Goemon furrowed his brow, seemingly thinking the same thing. "Look at his chest."
Chiyome looked closer at the cardinal and saw a familiar sight. "I can't believe we
found it all the way out here."
Affixed to Marcos's chest was the distinct diamond shape of the lost pledge spirit
crystal, though it no longer held the same ruby luster as the one in her own chest. The
crystal had turned a dark black, the color of pitch, and gave off a peculiar glow.
"Begone with you, cretins!" the cardinal screeched. "This land belongs to the Holy Lord
Thanatos!"
Black energy shot out of his eight tentacles as he lurched forward, quickly closing the
distance between him and the two Jinshin warriors.
BWOOMF! BWOOMF! BWOOMF!
Each shot sounded like a miniature explosion, followed shortly by a shower of bricks
as it slammed into a building, missing Chiyome and Goemon by a hairsbreadth.
"Look at his hands."
Chiyome followed Goemon's steely gaze. What she saw brought a scowl to her face.
The skin on the cardinal's massive hands pulsed as it decayed and regenerated over
and over.
"Just possessing the spirit crystal is affecting him."
Spotting a possible weakness, Chiyome launched an attack of her own. "Body to water,
aqua shuriken!"
She threw the stars at the cardinal as fast as she could generate them. Each found its
mark, cutting deep into his undead flesh.
The eyes embedded in the pulsing tumor that served as his head focused on Chiyome,
his face contorting with rage.
"Why, you dirty little mongrel!"
Several of the cardinal's tentacles snapped through the air like whips toward Chiyome.
The ninja cat girl gracefully dodged them, managing to chop one of the tendrils off as
it flew past her.
"Curse you!!!"
Now thoroughly enraged, Marcos stretched out all eight of his hands once again and
launched another volley of black energy, followed by a second tendril strike.
BWOOMF! BWOOMF! BWOOMF!
This attack was even more powerful than the last. Chiyome could feel the concussive
waves rock her body as an enormous cloud of dust filled the area, obstructing her
vision.
Goemon chose to use this to his advantage, moving into the cardinal's blind spot and
unleashing an attack from behind while the monster was focused on Chiyome.
"Body to earth, exploding steel fist!"
Goemon pummeled his opponent's back with such speed and power that, with this
single strike, he managed to rip two arms right off of Marcos's back. Then he punched
another fist right through the cardinal's body.
Burgundy blood oozed from the wound. The cardinal spat out a mouthful of the thick
liquid before leaping up to the top of a neighboring building. But the damaged roof
gave way, and he fell through.
"Body to water, liquid wolf fang!"
Chiyome summoned two water wolves, sending them after the cardinal as he tried to
crawl out from under the mountain of bricks that had landed on him.
"You pathetic little worms are nothing to meeeeeee!"
The cardinal blasted away all of the bricks around him and regained his feet. His eyes
took on an ominous cast as a strange energy enveloped him.
Before the water wolves even reached their intended target, their bodies began taking
on a gray hue. They stopped in their tracks and turned back toward Chiyome, baring
their fangs before lunging at their own master.
"Whoa, what?!" Chiyome was completely taken by surprise.
She managed to dodge the first one with ease, but couldn't avoid the second. Right as
it was about to bury its fangs in her neck…
"Body to earth, tough muscle!"
With a flash, Goemon's entire upper body turned to bronze. He threw himself in the
path of the wolf.
"Hyaugh!"
He wrapped his powerful arms around the water creature, squeezing it to his chest
until it finally popped, like an overfilled wineskin. Dingy gray liquid poured out onto
the ground.
Chiyome delivered a finishing blow to the other wolf, then she paused to catch her
breath.
"Thanks, Goemon."
Goemon simply shrugged his shoulders, keeping a careful eye on the cardinal.
"It was nothing. Anyway, we'd best avoid using ranged attacks."
The younger ninja nodded, watching their enemy. When she'd confronted her own
water wolf, she'd felt that the ninjutsu magic had been altered by something sinister.
There was no sense in letting the cardinal do something like that again. The problem
was, the majority of her attacks were ranged, and she didn't have the brute strength
of Goemon to use physical attacks.
She glance at her companion. He nodded, as if reading her mind.
The two moved in perfect unison, using cover to approach the cardinal without being
seen. The Jinshin clan was well-versed in finding and exploiting blind spots.
Chiyome focused her azure eyes on the enemy and whispered an incantation.
"Body to water, mist blade."
A thin layer of mist surrounded her dagger, then condensed into water and formed a
nearly invisible extension from the tip, doubling the length of her blade.
Cardinal Marcos noticed them, and began thrashing about with his six remaining arms
in a desperate attempt to keep the two Jinshin warriors at bay. But he was no match
for their agility and fighting prowess.
One of his tentacles cracked through the air straight at Chiyome. Her transparent blade
caught it mid-swing, severing it.
The battle had reached a deadlock, with neither side able to gain an advantage.
That is, until Ariane showed up.
"Immortal fire, heed my call!"
A spirit magic-fueled flame engulfed the cardinal. Just like with Chiyome's attack,
these flames quickly lost their luster before fading away entirely. However, this
momentary distraction was all the two Jinshin warriors needed. Before the cardinal
even had time to react, they were in front of him.
Chiyome lunged so fast that the light reflecting off her water blade looked like a
shooting star. She lopped off four of the cardinal's six remaining tentacles, chopping
them into smaller bits as they fell to the earth.
A split second later, Goemon attacked Marcos as well. With most of his arms now gone,
the cardinal was able to do little more than stare in horror at the brute looming over
him.
"Body to earth, steel claw fang!"
Sharp metal claws jutted from Goemon's fingertips. With a powerful slash, he tore
large gashes across the cardinal's face and through several of his eyeballs.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"
Cardinal Marcos let out an ear-piercing scream and stumbled backward in a frantic
attempt to escape. However, Ariane had no intention of letting that happen and lopped
off his leg, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Flames starting running up the length of her sword. Before long, the entire blade was
crackling and burning like a roaring campfire.
"Holy flame, heed my call. Rise up, rain down, and return everything to the dust from
whence it came."
Red balls began forming around Ariane as she chanted. They took off into the air like
glimmering butterflies, dancing about as if they had minds of their own.
The flaming butterflies fluttered toward the fallen cardinal, surrounding him and
forming a large pillar of fire.
An inhuman shriek erupted from within the flaming pillar, then flames and smoke shot
high into the air.
Chiyome and Ariane watched the smoke dissipate in the strong wind.
"Think I overdid it?"
Chiyome shook her head. "Not at all. You were a great help, Ariane."
The ninja cat girl glanced up at Ariane only to find the elven woman looking frantically
around the capital.
"Hey, have you seen Arc?"
Chiyome perked her cat ears up, listening for any sign of their friend. Alas, she came
up empty and could only shake her head.
***
The Dragon Lords had kicked off the battle between the unified armies and the hordes
of undead surrounding Fehrbio Alsus with their most powerful attacks. The infantry
had watched in amazement as the Dragon Lords ruthlessly bombarded several hundred
thousand undead troops, blowing them away.
While the troops stared, stupefied by the sight, I teleported between the groups and
cast Holy Protection to preserve them from the undead giants' death contamination
attacks.
Once that was done, the soldiers were free to start their advance.
Even after the Dragon Lords' bombardment, there were still countless undead roaming
the battlefield. The elves and Jinshin warriors focused on the man-spiders, while the
human soldiers got to work on the infantry.
"Guess we should help 'em out a bit before looking for the pontiff, yeah?"
"Kyii! Kyiiiii!" Ponta mewed excitedly from around my neck, vigorously wagging its
long tail.
After affectionately scratching Ponta's ears, I teleported to the largest clump of undead
soldiers I could find and unleashed an area-of-effect attack. Then I teleported to
another group and did the same.
Attacking beyond the front lines made things a lot easier, since I didn't need to worry
about accidentally killing any of our allies.
If none of them were here, I could've used one of my Paladin abilities, but given just
how massive the damage had been back in the Delfrent Kingdom when I'd summoned
Archangel Uriel, I decided I couldn't risk it.
Dillan had also taken me aside prior to the battle to remind me that, if the Dragon
Lords and I were to wipe out all of the enemy forces, then there'd be nothing left for
the soldiers to do.
With that in mind, I figured I should leave the rest of the undead for the army to take
care of. Besides, it was about time I focused on finding the pontiff. Setting his crimes
asides, on a purely personal level, I felt compelled to talk to the man. After all, he and
I had something important in common: we were both wanderers from another world.
I used Bring Whirlwind, a large area-of-effect spell, to blast away a large group of
undead standing in my path, then surveyed the battle. Ariane, Chiyome, Goemon, and
Fangas were all doing well with their respective forces, and the tide of battle seemed
to be shifting in our favor.
I pried my gaze away to look back at the holy capital.
"There's more work to be done out here, but I suppose it's time we enter the capital,
huh, buddy?"
"Kyii!" Ponta squeaked up in agreement.
"Dimensional Step!"
I used short-distance teleportation to make small jumps toward the capital before
sending myself to the top of the wall that had once protected the city. Though Felfi
Visrotte had done a number to the wall, I could still tell that it had once been a
formidable sight.
I noted that there were few buildings in the city proper that stood as tall as the wall,
which meant I had an unobstructed view of much of the city. In the distance, the
Dragon Lords battled with the undead giants.
The giants' black spheres had done a number on the city, destroying buildings and
filling the streets with a toxic sludge. It was a sad sight.
Part of me wondered if the pontiff would actually have stayed here while such an
intense battle raged around him.
As I watched, the two undead giants combined into one even larger creature renewing
its attack on the Dragon Lords with even more fervor. And, once again, the city suffered
for it.
And yet, as I focused my gaze on a large tower behind the giant, I couldn't help but
notice that this massive landmark had somehow been spared any damage.
"The cathedral…"
The massive church, with several bell towers, was marked with the emblem of the
Hilk.
Trusting my gut, I used Dimensional Step to bound from rooftop to rooftop, making
my way across the city.
Both Dillan and King Asparuh had pleaded with the Dragon Lords to keep the damage
to the holy capital to a minimum, but sadly, it appeared that that had all been for
naught. The giant was too powerful for them to effectively fight without giving it all
they had.
If Felfi Visrotte stayed on the offensive, however, it seemed likely she'd be able to
destroy the giant, though the holy capital would suffer greatly in the process.
The giant was fixated on blasting the two Dragon Lords out of the sky and didn't seem
to notice my approach. If I acted now, perhaps I could turn the tide of battle.
Up close, it was evident that the residents of the city had been used to create this
monstrous giant. Just looking at the thing was enough to make your skin crawl. Assuming
you had skin, of course. What could drive a person to commit such atrocities?
Something the pontiff had said might explain it, but I wasn't willing to venture a proper
guess until I had a chance to speak with him, even if we still ended up battling to the
death.
Ever since our chance meeting, I'd known where our paths would inevitably lead us.
I clenched my hand into a fist. "Holy Purify!"
I watched as a ball of light wrapped itself around my arm. It tingled, and I could feel a
warmth pulsating from within. The light grew and grew as I fed more magic into it.
The spell was used to remove curses, but it could also inflict significant damage to
undead and those with an affinity with darkness. It took a long time to build up, and was
slow to execute, so it generally wasn't suited for battle. However, it would be perfect
against the undead giant standing in front of me.
I used Dimensional Step once again to teleport to an empty space directly in front of
the giant and hurled the ball of light directly at its feet.
The ball flashed so bright that it was all I could see for a moment as it grew even more
on its way to the target.
The giant's entire body convulsed as the air filled with the wordless, unearthly
screams of the dead. The sound was so intense that I could feel the very earth beneath
me resonate in sympathy. It was like hearing the voice of hell itself.
Once the light dissipated, I saw that the pillar of dead bodies that had made up the
giant's leg was completely gone. Unable to support its immense weight, the undead
giant began to topple.
Figuring I could leave the rest up to Felfi Visrotte and Villiers Fim, I used Dimensional
Step to reach the cathedral's entrance.
The heavy wooden doors creaked as I stepped into the empty hallway. A moment later,
the entire building shook as the undead giant slammed into the ground. I quickly
closed the doors behind me to keep the subsequent dust storm out of the solemn
building.
Here, in the middle of the church, the thunderous booms outside seemed as if they
belonged to a different world entirely. The walls, ceiling, and even windows were
covered in beautiful religious imagery, lending a serene feeling to the building.
The well-polished stones beneath my feet gave a satisfying clack that echoed hauntingly
off the walls with each step. The place felt completely devoid of life.
"Kyii!" Ponta called for my attention.
Looking ahead, I immediately saw what had caught Ponta's attention. In front of a
raised altar, decorative scepter in hand, stood a familiar figure in elegant robes, his
face hidden behind a veil.
This was, without a doubt, the man I'd encountered outside the fallen capital of the
Delfrent Kingdom.
I immediately stopped walking. It was clear from the way he was looking at me that
I'd already been spotted, so I decided to speak.
"Greetings. My name is Arc. I take it that you're the Hilk pontiff and the man behind
the recent invasions of your neighboring kingdoms?"
My voice boomed in the empty hallway.
However, the man didn't answer my question.
"Why?" The man's whisper echoed in the vast chamber.
I cocked my head to the side. "Why… what?"
"The way you talk and act! Why did you violate the rules of the game to play that
character?! Why?!"
The sudden change in his demeanor caused me to take a step back. A moment later, I
found myself facing a powerful magic attack.
"Evil Thorn! Evil Thorn!"
Six ghostly, half-rotted corpses appeared in midair, baring their teeth as they flew
toward me.
I drew my Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg and brought my Holy Shield of Teutates
up as I prepared to meet the attack.
Between chopping some of the specters down and bashing the others with my shield,
I was able to make short work of them. It didn't hurt that I'd already dealt with these
creatures back in Lione.
However, it soon became clear that the pontiff had only used this spell to buy some
time before his next attack. I looked up to see him swinging his scepter again.
Something he'd said a few minutes ago had stuck with me. "What do you mean I
violated the rules?"
"I summon you, Serpent Warrior Botis!"
Rather than answering my question, the pontiff pointed his scepter toward the ground
and summoned a glowing rune on the floor. A hulking beast with the head of a snake
appeared in the center of the rune. It stood at a massive three and a half meters tall
and sported two horns, a pair of tusks, and glowing, reptilian eyes. Its armor was made
of leather and bronze, and it wielded a massive broad sword.
Honestly, it reminded me a lot of Villiers Fim's humanoid form.
"Jaajaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
With an intimidating roar, the serpent warrior swung its massive blade.
SMASH!
The sword slammed into the beautiful floor with an awful crash. Pieces of stone flew
in every direction.
I decided it was best to give myself some breathing room. I used Dimensional Step to
retreat a ways. But the serpent creature was a lot faster than I would've expected and
it quickly closed the gap, swinging its sword in another powerful slash. I met the blow
head-on with the Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg.
Though it might not be anywhere near as skilled as someone like Glenys, my opponent
was able to put a lot of power behind its blows. I admonished myself for not having
practiced more and fell back a few steps.
The serpent warrior continued pressing the attack, so I fired off a few magic shots to
keep it at bay.
"Fire Beretta! Fire Beretta!"
It was of little use. The creature easily deflected my shots with a swing of its blade
before launching another attack.
The serpent's sword was even bigger than my own, so it was pretty much impossible
for me to land a blow. I was completely on the defensive.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the pontiff started supplementing his minion's attacks
with magical blasts of his own.
With a powerful swing of its blade, the serpent warrior reduced one of the long pews
to splinters. I used this opportunity to teleport away.
I teleported again and again, around the large, open hall, making my way toward the
pontiff.
CLANG!
I appeared next to him, swinging my sword down, but he stumbled back, barely
managing to catch my blade with his scepter.
I knew that he could also teleport short distances, but he seemed to lose his
composure when in close quarters, so I pressed the attack.
"Nnnngaaaaah?!"
It was slowly becoming clear that I had the upper hand in terms of brute strength. The
pontiff's burning red gaze flickered behind his veil as he struggled to fight back,
directing nothing but pure hatred at me.
"Now… let me ask… again! What did you mean by violating the rules? I've done nothing
of the sort!"
I continued my attack, bringing the conversation back to what he'd said earlier.
After a moment's pause, he began shouting. "Your strength, dammit! How can a single
character take on an entire army?! There's no way the system administrators would
ever have balanced it that way! Is this fun for you?"
I let up slightly as the gravity of his words hit me.
In my second of hesitation, the pontiff dove back. Before I could close in again, the
serpent warrior stepped between us.
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
A shower of sparks erupted as our swords met, and the whole church seemed to
vibrate from the shockwave.
I used my shield to block its next attack and throw it off balance. Leaping backward, I
fired off a magical attack to give myself a moment to breathe.
"You're really not gonna make this easy, are you?"
From the way the pontiff was acting, it was clear he believed that we were still in the
game world and that he suspected I'd done something underhanded.
But something about what he was saying didn't make sense.
No matter how good the VR might be, no system I was aware of was powerful enough
to make you mistake an image for reality. Even the clearest, crispest graphics wouldn't
provide all the other sensory input I was receiving. Touch, smell, taste… It was all here.
Sure, it could probably be done in a full-immersion system like you might see in
science fiction, but that was all still hypothetical. No such technology actually existed.
At least, not in my time…
My thoughts were interrupted as I felt someone loom over me. Jumping back on
instinct alone, I watched as the church pew next to where I'd been standing disintegrated
into tiny pieces.
The serpent warrior barreled toward me. I deflected its attack and then launched my
own, using both my sword and magic at the same time.
"Rock Fang!"
The spell tore up more of the beautiful tiles lining the church's floor as fang-shaped
stone spires sprang out of the ground at Botis's feet. Unfortunately, it was too fast, and
managed to avoid them.
"Kyiii…" Ponta let out a concerned mew.
I scratched my spirit companion's ears. "Don't worry, Ponta. This thing might be
annoying, but it's nothing I can't beat."
My mind went back to the thought that had been so rudely interrupted a moment ago.
The future.
If technology that could seamlessly recreate a realistic world existed, and someone
were to be lost in that world, would they even realize? Or would they simply think it
was all part of the game?
Perhaps the pontiff was the answer to that question?
It was an absurd theory, but it was the only thing that made any sense.
I'd already figured out that there were several other wanderers who'd come to this
world before me: Evanjulin, the one who originally created the Great Canada Forest;
Hanzo, who'd saved the cat people from the Empire's oppression and brought them
together to form the Jinshin clan; and the first king who'd ruled the mountain people
down on the southern continent.
They'd all come here long before me, several hundred years ago.
Considering the knowledge, technology, and items they'd left behind, I'd assumed they
were from the same period as me.
Evanjulin had come to this world and built the Great Canada Forest about 800 years
ago, even though the nation's namesake had only been founded in the latter half of the
1800s in my world.
The only logical answer was that people from my age were sent to the past in this
world, while those from the future were sent back to what was my present.
"What proof do you have that this world is a game?"
The pontiff's surprise was evident in his voice. "Proof? Do you even hear yourself?
Can't you tell the difference between a game and reality?!"
"Even if this world is a game, that doesn't mean you can just do whatever you like!" I
shouted. "The residents of this city died at your hands! Don't you see what you've
done?!"
The pontiff raised his scepter into the air, as if to silence me. "Evil Thorn!"
I once again used my sword to cut down the ghastly creatures, then fixed the pontiff
with a stern glare. The serpent warrior stepped up beside him, sword at the ready.
The pontiff's voice had grown ragged from all the yelling. "I can use magic! I have
monsters at my beck and call! What's more…"
He reached up and ripped the veil from his face, revealing the expressionless skull
beneath. Within, a red flame flickered. It seemed to be glowing brighter now.
"Look at this face! Does this seem real to you, hmm? This is all the proof I need to know
that we're in a world created by the PACC. A virtual world that only exists in our
heads."
I watched the pontiff's jaw clack.
I had no idea what this "PACC" thing was, but I could guess that it was some sort of
system that blurred the line between reality and fantasy.
I had no idea how many years—decades, even—it would have taken to develop such
technology, but it cemented my belief that the man before me was from the future.
This left me speechless, as there really was no way for me to know for sure whether
this world was real or some sort of virtual creation.
"I've spent so many years in this game that I've become quite bored of it. I just want it
to end so I can get back to the real world. I'll overlook your transgressions if you
contact the administrators and request that they log me out. There's something wrong
with my system, and I haven't been able to do it myself. What a buggy, piece of crap
game, am I right?"
He let out a dry chuckle.
"Unfortunately, I don't know of any way for me to log out of this world."
The pontiff's shoulders drooped, but he didn't appear overly disappointed.
"In that case, you leave me one option. Botis!"
The serpent warrior swung its heavy blade down toward me.
KWAAAAANG!
I caught it with my own and managed to knock the serpent warrior back.
But the pontiff wasn't satisfied to merely stand by and watch. While I was distracted,
he summoned another minion to the church.
"Hell King Balam!"
A large black shadow appeared behind the pontiff. Runes the color of blood began
tracing across its surface. Moments later, a gargantuan skeleton yanked itself out of
the shadow. Two enormous, ram-like horns stuck out of a human skull with four eye
sockets, behind which was a burning red flame that emanated hatred.
Though the chamber we were in was rather spacious, the sudden appearance of the
fifteen-meter-tall Hell King Balam made it feel quite cramped.
Balam lifted his scimitar high into the air, preparing to strike.
"Taking on two of his demons and the pontiff at once is going to be a bit of a problem!"
I couldn't get a good line of sight on anywhere to teleport to, so running away on foot
was looking like my best option. Unless…
"Archangel Guardian Raphael!"
I could feel an immense amount of magic drain from my body as a massive rune
appeared on the floor below me. The serpent warrior came lunging in with another
powerful blow. I barely met it with my shield and was knocked back into the church
wall, causing the rune to disappear.
I'd hoped to use a Paladin skill to get rid of Balam in one go, but I wound up wasting a
ton of energy with nothing to show for it. The Paladin abilities all took a fair bit of time
to activate and weren't well suited for close-quarters battles.
I laughed in spite of myself. Here I was expending magic without actually casting a
spell, something that would have been impossible in the game.
"Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg!"
Purple electricity ran up my blade as it doubled in length and took on a pale blue glow.
I sidestepped Botis's next attack and swung my sword, cleanly chopping off one of its
horns.
"Schaaaaaa!"
The serpent warrior hissed angrily and lunged in for another chance at me. However,
right at that exact same moment, Balam came diving down from above, sending me
rolling out of the way to escape. I heard a massive crash behind me and looked up to
see a cloud of dust and debris. I'd completely lost track of my opponents in the process.
"Yup… This is definitely bad. They're pretty much controlling the fight right now."
I shook my head, hoping to make out something, anything in the thick cloud.
"Evil Thorn!"
"Wyvern Slash!"
As soon as I heard the pontiff cast his spell, I launched my own, chop down the three
ghastly figures that came flying out of the dust.
"Flame Viper!"
A snake made of flames circled around me, growing in size as it slithered. I motioned
ahead into the dust cloud, and it shot off to find its prey.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuushhh!"
As I'd suspected, Botis was hiding just a short distance away and quickly fell victim to
the flame viper. The creature's choked screams echoed in the massive chamber as it
was slowly burned alive. In a matter of moments, a pile of ash sat where the serpent
warrior had stood moments ago.
Before I could congratulate myself on a job well done, I felt a heavy gust of wind blast
down on me from above. The next moment, my flame viper was mercilessly chopped
in two by a massive scimitar, which also split several of the pillars in the room in the
process. Without proper support, the roof began caving in under the weight of the bell
tower above.
"I summon you, Serpent Warrior Botis!"
Even as the church began to collapse, I still managed to make out the spell the pontiff
had just invoked.
"Wait, what?!"
I frantically looked around, my senses going into overdrive.
I sensed something coming in fast from my left and dove out of the way. A new
incarnation of the serpent warrior appeared from the dust, rushing toward where I'd
been standing.
While I shot off magical attacks to keep Botis at bay, Balam came flying back in, taking
another swing at me with his scimitar. All I could do was launch a Wyvern Slash at him
and try to escape.
As I ran, Botis occasionally lunged out of the dense cloud to take another swipe at me
before disappearing again. This was getting old fast.
I sighed. I was going to have to do something unthinkable to the beautiful building. It
was a shame, really.
I swung my sword and summoned another spell. "Lightning Damper!"
The air in the room grew heavy, and the sky visible through the hole where the bell
tower had stood went dark. Lighting began striking the church's roof, smashing the
remaining bell towers and sending bricks raining down.
I watched as the roof was obliterated, the smoke and dust whipped away by heavy
winds.
However, this didn't actually buy me much time. While it might have solved my
immediate problems, there was still the pontiff to deal with, and he could always just
summon another one. I didn't even want to think about what I'd have to do if it turned
out the pontiff could summon multiple Hell King Balams.
Even if I were to engage him in conversation again, I had a hard time believing he
would reconsider his belief that this world wasn't real. From the way he'd spoken
earlier, it was clear his mind was made up.
He even had me doubting just how real this world was.
I glanced down at my furry companion as I evaded attacks from Botis and Balam.
"Hey, Ponta. Are you able to track him?"
"Kyii? Kyiii!"
Ponta leaped up to my shoulder, staring into the clouds of dust.
"Kyiii! Kyiiiii kyii!"
The cottontail fox unfurled its large tail and started mewing, focusing on a spot in the
distance. So, that was where the pontiff was hiding. I took off in the direction Ponta
had indicated.
The dust was so thick that teleporting was impossible. Which also meant…
I ducked out of the way of Balam's scimitar, then swung my sword up to block a strike
from the serpent warrior. Ahead, I could just see the faint outline of the pontiff through
the dust. I briefly let go of my shield, unclasped the waterskin hanging from my belt,
and threw it at the pontiff.
"Ponta, use Wind Cutter!"
Ponta cast the spell we'd been practicing together at the mountaintop shrine.
"Kyiiiii!"
The cottontail fox sent out an invisible blade of air. As soon as it connected with the
waterskin, the thin leather tore open in midair, spilling its contents.
The liquid drenched the pontiff's body.
"Water?!"
He reached a tentative hand up to his face. His eyes went wide as his hand touched
flesh. His body began to regenerate. A moment later, a black-haired man with a face so
ordinary that you'd miss him in a crowd was standing in the flowing robes of the
pontiff.
This only lasted for a moment, however.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuugh!!!"
His face contorted in pure agony as he let loose a bestial scream and crumpled to the
floor. He looked at me, pleadingly, with bloodshot eyes.
As I watched, the man's hair turned white and then began falling out in clumps. His
skin tightened like dried leather over his face as his eyes and cheeks sunk inward. His
voice came out choked and raspy, barely a whisper.
"C-c-c-can I f-f-finally… go h-home… now?"
I scowled as I looked down at the withering man. "Yes, you should be able to log out
now."
The pontiff's mummified head slumped forward in a feeble attempt at a nod as his
body turned into a mound of shapeless ash. His scepter dropped to the ground with a
clank.
A moment later, both the serpent warrior Botis and the skeletal demon Balam
disappeared in puffs of smoke.
The liquid I'd thrown at the pontiff was some of the mystical spring water from the
base of the Lord Crown.
Since the pontiff and I shared a similar appearance and backstory, I reasoned that his
body suffered from the same weakness: the extreme emotional reaction I'd suffered
in the hot spring.
The sudden flood of one month's worth of emotions had put a severe burden on me.
Judging from what had happened to the pontiff, I couldn't begin to imagine how many
years it had been for him.
Since the pontiff had been convinced that the world around us was nothing more than
a game, he'd felt no particular attachment to the people who inhabited it. They'd
merely been NPCs that he could manipulate for his own ends.
Then again, if he really did believe this was a game, and they were nothing more than
NPCs, would he have had such an emotional reaction?
Perhaps the pontiff had suspected that this world was more than just a game, but he'd
chosen to ignore this inconvenient truth.
The emotions had slowly built up over decades, centuries, until they came crashing
down on him like a tsunami. The burden had been far too much for his mind to bear,
and he'd been reduced to ash. I desperately wanted to know more, but sadly, there was
no one left to ask.
I shuddered at the thought that, if I wasn't careful, I might become just like the pontiff.
"Kyii?" Ponta looked concerned. It licked my cheek a few times.
I appreciated the effort, but this did little to cheer me up.
"Arc! Are you in here?" a voice called out from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder and spotted two familiar figures standing in the open
doorway to the church—a short figure with two cat ears and a taller one with long,
pointed ears.
The dust had settled, and rays of sunshine shone through the hole in the roof,
illuminating the vast chamber. Ariane and Chiyome approached me, picking their way
through the ruined church.
Ariane seemed aghast at the uncontrolled destruction. She clearly wanted to say
something about what I'd done to the building, but I was grateful that she didn't.
Chiyome's ears flittered about attentively, searching for danger.
I couldn't help but wonder how things might've turned out for me in this world if I
hadn't met these two. But it'd do me no good to dwell on such things.
I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head. We were together, and we were alive, and
that was all that mattered.
I picked the pontiff's scepter up and held it aloft to show my comrades.
"Hey, I killed the pontiff!"
To my surprise, Ariane simply shrugged and stared back at me. This was the outcome
she'd expected all along.
Chiyome looked excited as she came in for a closer look. I offered the scepter to her to
inspect.
I allowed myself a smile. I'd done some good today. I'd saved people. My presence here,
my very existence, meant something, which was more than I could say for my previous
life. This world… This was where I belonged. And that was enough for me.
I slid my sword into its sheath and walked over to Ariane.