Chapter 77 - Contract with "Takame" Part 3
Recorded later as the Incident of the Heretical Holy Knights, an event kept secret simultaneously.
Dahlia Silver Bullet and Rose Silver Bullet, who became heretics, were executed by the church. The heretical nature of the Holy Knights couldn't be publicly disclosed and was secretly erased by the inquisitors of heresy.
In their final mission, Dahlia and Rose believed in love till the end.
"Please... listen calmly."
"You're not the captain anymore. Don't interfere!"
Holy Knights who believed in the extermination of monsters sought to capture Dahlia. They believed she should be judged by the law, not killed.
"This monster doesn't harm people recklessly. Please understand!"
"Just because it's a Disaster-class calamity doesn't guarantee it won't harm people. Rose, you should understand!"
Not all fifteen Holy Knights moved to capture Dahlia and Rose. Some activated their magic armors to kill Death Knight, the evil knight, and the boy.
Death Knight blocked attacks with his giant shield.
He defended against attacks from weapon-type magic armors with his shield and deflected them with his sword. And he protected the boy from long-range magic armor attacks by using his body as a shield.
As expected of a Disaster-class calamity, he remained unscathed.
Being originally an undead-type monster, he had considerable durability. Moreover, possessing a convenient body that didn't feel pain, he was suited for defense.
"Give it your all. Then, there's no need to hold back."
Death Knight activated his magic. Monster-specific magic, or magic power, had superior activation speed compared to traditional magic. And they were all unique and powerful.
In Death Knight's case, it was the ability to control those he killed. In other words, he could control corpses like zombies. If Death Knight were to destroy a village, all the villagers who died there would become zombies. With those zombies, he could potentially attack towns and even large cities. This was why Disaster-class calamities were feared.
The combat abilities of created zombies depended on their abilities in life.
If they turned Holy Knights into zombies, they would be quite a formidable force.
Moreover, Holy Knight zombies could even use magic armor. However, since corpses lacked magical energy, if they used magic armor, it would have to be Death Knight's. They couldn't use it recklessly.
"Don't touch the boy!"
Death Knight, when serious, surpassed even Holy Knights in power. He was a powerful individual who could only be defeated by S-class magic armor users. Normal Holy Knights couldn't stand a chance.
One of the Holy Knights fighting with a sword-type magic armor had their heart pierced.
The Holy Knight who used a spear-type magic armor had their attack deflected by a shield and was then beheaded.
The Holy Knight who wielded lightning-enhanced hand-to-hand combat had their abdomen torn open, followed by their head being smashed.
Then, under Death Knight's magic, they were resurrected as his followers. There were now zombies with holes in their hearts, zombies without heads, and zombies with their internal organs hanging out. They became Death Knight's subordinates.
"Look, Dahlia! It turns out the monsters are evil after all!"
One of the Holy Knights fighting Dahlia accused her.
With casualties like this, the half of the Holy Knights who had been undecided on which side to support made up their minds. They all decided to eliminate Death Knight and the boy.
In an instant, a siege was formed, surrounding Dahlia, Rose, Death Knight, and the boy. There was no escape.
"Uncle! This is bad!"
"I know. Don't move from there, kid."
They protected the boy with the zombie Holy Knights, and Death Knight sprang into action. He aimed to kill the Holy Knights and increase his ranks of zombies.
"Wait!"
Dahlia tried to stop Death Knight. Any more killing would be unforgivable. Well, they were already in an unforgivable situation, but Dahlia couldn't contain the chaos.
Of course, Rose was in the same situation.
"Wait! Stop the fighting! You, Death Knight, stop fighting too!"
"Rose, you should quietly surrender."
"Three of our comrades have been killed. Monsters are truly evil!"
"Ugh... It's impossible..."
A monster protecting the boy.
Dahlia and Rose trying to protect the monster and the boy.
And the Holy Knights trying to kill the monster and neutralize Dahlia and Rose.
In the chaotic battlefield, the only clear opponent to fight against was Death Knight. They had to protect the boy while killing the Holy Knights.
He sliced through the Holy Knight in front of him.
And he created his fourth subordinate zombie.
But even so, more than twenty Holy Knights were still targeting Death Knight. Disaster-class monsters could be defeated by multiple A-rank magic armor users. Gradually, the Holy Knights' attacks began to reach Death Knight.
"Capture him!"
"Yes!"
"Uncle Knight! Do your best!"
"Hmph, you're speaking nonsense, kid... but leave it to me."
Still fighting with only his usable right hand and right leg.
Once the evil knight, Death Knight, dies, the zombies controlled by magic will also disappear. When that happens, the boy will likely be killed by the holy knights. Death Knight, who had shown affection as a parent, was willing to sacrifice even his life to protect the boy. Monsters, it seemed, could hold the same love as humans.
(Why is this happening...)
Dahlia felt conflicted as well. She had believed that monsters could have hearts and become like humans. And she had indeed found Death Knight, who had connected with humans on an emotional level. But now, she couldn't find the answer to why they were fighting.
And doubt created openings.
Dahlia was restrained by magical bindings. Her limbs were covered in ice.
"Damn it..."
"Dahlia!"
"It's behind you, Rose! Be careful!"
Instinctively, she turned her attention towards her husband, and Rose was also taken advantage of. They couldn't move due to the ice magic.
The only thing left was to defeat the evil knight, Death Knight.
"The zombies won't move to protect the child. Prioritize defeating the monsters!"
They formed a formation, not giving Death Knight a chance to attack. They constantly pressed forward, trying to break through his tough armor.
"Die, monster!"
"It's almost over!"
"Don't let your guard down."
"Right."
"Hold its legs."
"We'll handle the attack."
"Target the right arm!"
Attacks from all sides were closing in on Death Knight. With his left hand and left leg gone, in his surrounded state, defeat was only a matter of time. For Death Knight, the boy was now the only thing that mattered.
(Regret...)
He launched a desperate attack one last time. The forceful swing of his sword briefly pushed the holy knights back. He had been using agile moves until now, but this all-out attack left him vulnerable. Death Knight couldn't even defend himself anymore.
However, he did it for the sake of leaving a legacy for the boy.
"Live... the world exists for you!"
As he uttered these words, he was pierced by several holy knights.
His cracked armor was penetrated, and Death Knight became motionless. His magic began to disperse into the air. Monsters formed from magic would turn into magic upon death.
"Uncle!?"
The zombies that had been protecting the boy collapsed like marionettes with their strings cut. With the disappearance of the magic, they reverted to lifeless bodies. In other words, it meant the vanishing of Death Knight.
Now that the monsters were gone, the holy knights turned their focus to the boy.
"We've been troubled by you. It's time to end this by killing the child."
"Wait!"
"Dahlia, stay silent! You're not a commander anymore!"
There was no mercy. For the holy knights, the boy was considered evil. He tolerated monsters and had fallen into wickedness. There was no hesitation in killing him.
Only Dahlia and Rose opposed this.
"It's over. Let them feel the regret of losing their comrades...!"
A sword was about to descend.
The boy, young "Takame," closed his eyes. His only regret was that he couldn't uphold Death Knight's final wish, to protect him like a father.
He thought he was going to die.
But a lukewarm liquid splashed on his face. It didn't hurt.
The boy cautiously opened his eyes.
"Ugh..."
Before him, it was not himself but Dahlia who had been slashed on her back. It took him a few seconds to realize that she had protected him.
"You dare to escape my grasp!"
Dahlia, using her magic, shattered the ice through sheer force and protected the boy. Rose also activated her magical armor. A subordinate-type magical armor summoned a lightning girl who floated above the boy to protect him.
"Make them faint!"
One of the holy knights struck Rose's neck with his hand, causing her to lose consciousness. Dahlia, too, was incapacitated the same way.
As a result, the lightning girl also disappeared, leaving the boy defenseless. There was no one left to interfere with the holy knights who were about to kill the boy.
"It took some effort."
"Because of Dahlia and Rose's betrayal."
"Yeah, four of them are dead."
"Damn... it's all because of this brat."
"Let's finish this quickly. It's over."
"That's right."
One of the holy knights stood in front of the boy.
He raised his sword.
All that was left was to strike, and the mission would be complete.
The boy wished with all his heart, just as Death Knight had asked of him.
(I have to survive... no matter what! I don't have time to be scared or cry!)
The world existed for his sake.
Therefore, taking revenge on the Cult of Demons, which had killed his surrogate father, was also his prerogative.
That became the boy's wish.
The dormant magic turned into a physical form, manifesting as magical armor.
The power of transference, the magical armor necessary to survive, was activated.
"Die."
The holy knight swung his sword.
But the sword, instead of hitting the boy, lodged into the ground.
◆◆◆
"Takame" looked at him with a nostalgic expression.
"I owe my life to her parents. However, Dahlia and Rose were executed through an inquisition. I lost the chance to repay my debt to them. So, I thought I'd repay it to their daughter."
"Rather dutiful or serious, I'd say..."
"It's also the teaching of the person who raised me. He was a knight."
"I see."
But that's how much "Takame" respected and admired Death Knight. From Shu's perspective, it was a surprising revelation.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I thought I'd garner a bit of sympathy from you."
With her usual hard-to-read expression, "Takame" continued.
"Would you be willing to take on a grand assassination mission for me? It's to assassinate someone in the Holy Kingdom of Grinia."