The soldier finally looked up and over at his companions, but instead of looking at him and the woman, they were staring slack-jawed into the distance. They, like the woman, were now pale and trembling. That was when he noticed something.
"What? Why's everything…?"
As the soldier turned away from the city, he saw two things: a crimson moon and an approaching darkness.
The change in the moon was simple enough.
'The moon… is red?'
The moon was now blood red, and that alone was enough to cause fear and panic among even the soldiers. However, this change was overshadowed by the second thing the soldier had noticed. Innumerable silhouettes of varying sizes were exiting the forest, and along with them came a murder of crows that covered the entire sky. The soldiers could now hear the metallic sound of plate armor clanking together as the earth rumbled from heavy footsteps of the countless number of something that was heading toward them.
"Hoooo…" An inhuman moan emanated from the approaching creatures, one which was easily recognizable.
They were skeletons, but they were very different from normal skeletons. They weren't trash mobs with already cracked bones wielding frail bone clubs. Their entire bodies were covered from head to toe in pitch-black plate armor and they carried lengthy swords and large tower shields, which were as tall as they were. Some others instead wore simple leather clothes and tattered rags, carrying daggers as their weapons of choice. Skeleton warriors, skeleton spearmen, and skeleton assassins, the more the soldiers looked the greater variety of skeletons they could see. However, that wasn't all. Transparent female spirits with bows and arrows: Banshees. Headless horses ridden by headless knights: Dullahan. A five meter tall creature of bone covered in heavy plate armor: A Bone Golem. Liches wielding chained scythes and wearing long, dark robes. Even Death Knights wearing seamless armor, each wielding a massive sword and shield. It was an undead army filled with resentment and loathing for the living; an army which brought forth nothing but death. This army was now advancing toward the capital of the Holy Kingdom.
"… Dear God."
The soldier took a step back.
"Ring the bell!"
"Emergency!"
"D-demons are invading!"
Instantly, Lania became noisy. Gates were shut and soldiers were organized upon the city's large outer walls. Their swift movements reflected their excellent training, but even the best training couldn't stop the soldiers from feeling tense and on edge, especially after they saw their enemies.
"D-don't let those b-bastards approach!"
The Holy Knights gulped as they heard the cries of the soldiers, looking toward the undead outside the walls.
"No, it's fine," one of them yelled. "Let them approach! They have no siege units. It would be one thing if they had catapults or trebuchets, but it looks like they don't even have ladders! We just need to do something to delay that Bone Golem!"
The Holy Knights began to direct the soldiers in preparation for the battle to come. The soldiers of the Holy Kingdom looked at the undead army with pale faces. They could feel the earth rumble from their heavy footfalls and watched as the dead they tread over rotted and withered. The soldiers were restless, standing beneath the crimson moon which shone bright like the sun. Without warning, the army of the dead split apart, revealing a single figure. It was a creature covered from head to toe in armor, with antlers, a lion-like helm, a fluttering mane, and a dark, shadowy cape. In one hand it held a long, reddish-black bone spear while its other hand was reaching out into empty air. Suddenly, bones and blood erupted from the ground in front of the creature, gathering to form something.
"Is… that a bow?"
As the Holy Knights stood frozen, staring dumbly at him, the master of undead nocked the long spear onto the bow and aimed it toward the city gate. Then… he fired.
Simply releasing the arrow produced an unbelievable shockwave, causing the air around the bow to tremble and shimmer. As it rocketed away, the tip of the spear expanded into a spiral before exploding. The arrow-like tip was propelled to even greater speeds as it cut through the air—leaving a black trail of smoke in its wake—before finally slamming into the gate. Fragments of wood and metal were sent flying in every direction. The center of the outer gate had been blown apart in an instant. Soldiers standing in the vicinity were launched back, many of them pierced and pulverized by the shrapnel. If that wasn't enough, the arrow continued to fly unabated, carving a path of destruction straight through the city.
"What…!"
"What was that?!"
"An arrow! Did he shoot an arrow?!!"
"Ar… row…? Did you say an arrow? That was just an…?"
While the Holy Knights muttered among themselves, shellshocked by what they'd just witnessed, the master of the undead spat out a single word.
[…Strike.]
With a thunderous cry, the countless undead began to pour forth. With every step they took, the ground shook like an earthquake.
"They're coming!"
"Archers to the front!"
"Fire!"
Arrows filled the sky. However, they weren't arrows fired by the human side, but from the undead army. Their black, formless arrows tore through the air at incredible speeds and struck the archers standing on the outer wall with inhuman accuracy. The archers' layers of armor were cleanly pierced, leaving a hole the size of a head straight through their bodies. One of the Holy Knights grimaced at the banshees in the distance. The feminine-looking ghosts were nocking their magic-imbued arrows on their composite bows.
"Ey, it's no joke! It's not like they're a siege weapon. How can they put out that much strength with arrows fired from that distance!?"
A crow flew in the air gauging the surrounding situation. All the information it gathered was relayed to the undead, allowing them to rush toward the most vulnerable areas of the city's defense.
"Fire!"
The soldiers began to fire arrows and throw spears down on the enemy, from atop the wall. Unfortunately for them, the undead simply blocked their projectiles with their shields and continued to run toward the gate. Soldiers deployed in front of the breach tried to fend off the undead, but were quickly overwhelmed.
"W-what the! These things… their strength is incredible for some piles of bone!!"
One soldier blocked the a skeleton's blade with his shield, but it only delayed the inevitable. His shield began to rot away, followed by his arm, which turned a sickly black and melted—the flesh slopping off his arm.
"U…uwaaaack!"
In the face of this indomitable aura of death, they were easily pushed back. Hearts were pierced, organs were torn out, and necks were severed; the corpses of those that were slain by the undead were imbued with magic, ultimately rising to fight again as an undead. Rather than decreasing the number of enemies, their defense of the breach had an opposite effect.
"…Hah. For mere undead to dare to attack the capital of the Holy Kingdom!"
Holy Knights had been deployed behind the lines of common soldiers outside the walls. They each wore a confident smile as they raised their weapons, pointing them toward the advancing wave of undead. These Holy Knights were the ones who weren't chosen to participate in the honorable Golden Cross Army this time around, but they were still among the strongest knights on the continent.
"Yes, their numbers are large, but mere undead…!" Their weapons shined brightly. "Will be purified by Holy Power! Holy Knights, followers of Lord Artarrk! Let them meet God's mace…!"
The Holy Knights advanced toward the undead, finally engaging them in combat. They easily cut down the soldiers-turned-zombies, scattering them like ash. Seeing these paragons of strength join the battle, the faces of the soldiers lit up.
"It's the Holy Knights!!"
"We can win!"
One of the Holy Knights wore a large grin underneath his helmet as he swung his sword toward a skeleton soldier. It cut through both its body and the pitch black armor it wore.
"Fallen dead! Be purified and exterminated!"
As if heeding his confident voice, a bright light formed around him, before swallowing the skeleton. Its body began to burn and melt away, but then, suddenly, it… stopped.
The Holy Knight looked at his sword piercing the undead with disbelief. Without a doubt, his blade had accurately pierced the monster's chest.
"It… can't be."
The skeleton's pitch black armor was turning white right before his eyes. The blindingly bright white color gradually expanded across its armor until the skeleton's appearance itself was changed. Its entire body exuded a white aura, and its eyes were ablaze with a white light, eyes which were glaring dangerously at the Holy Knight.
The Holy Knight retreated a step, his confidence shattered.
"H-how…" Terror took over as he let out a yell that sounded more like a scream. "How does a mere undead carry Holy Power-?!"
With those final words, the skeleton's blade fell upon his neck.
— Ω —