Chapter 15: The Crisis of Snowfall (1)

“KIEEEEK!”

I sliced through a rotting lump of flesh.

A sickening sensation traveled up my hand, and the foul stench was relentless.

What if—just what if—I hadn’t obtained the Frost King’s Set?

Maybe I would’ve collapsed in fear like a coward.

It wouldn’t be surprising—Even the villagers witnessing this battlefield were retching in horror.

“Protect the village! Don’t let a single one through!”

Aaron shouted while swinging his spear.

The knights of Bartenberg wouldn’t be defeated by such undead.

Pushing aside concern for the knights, I focused on the enemies before me.

CRACKLE—

The icy aura of the Frost King, fueled by my mana, surged forward.

Frost settled on the bodies of nearby undead.

‘These are just small fry.’

Beheading another corpse, I stared into the forest.

An unsettling presence oozed from there—

Far thicker and darker than the corrupted aura of the Frost King.

‘A high-ranking undead… or worse, a demon?’

I didn’t want to believe it, but the chances were high.

This level of dark energy wasn’t something mere corrupted beings could possess.

‘Why is this even happening?’

At this point in the story, there shouldn’t be any major events in Snowfall—

Just a few weak monsters attacking at most.

‘First, I have to deal with this situation.’

I shook off the distracting thoughts.

I could worry about them later.

SCREEEEEECH—!

I sliced through an orc zombie charging at me.

The severed flesh froze instantly.

The battlefield was gradually stabilizing.

Even excluding Aaron, Bartenberg’s knights were elite fighters.

But even they seemed tense—They could feel the overwhelming dark energy drawing near.

“Any injuries?”

We had just finished what you might call the first wave.

Thirty or so corpses had already been dealt with.

I took a breather and checked for wounded.

The undead we had fought were like zombies—If you were bitten, you’d turn into one too.

Thankfully, thanks to the knights, no one was infected.

“Wooooah!”

The villagers cheered.

“Thank you for protecting us!”

As if the crisis had already passed.

Some even looked at me with admiration.

‘It’s not over yet…’

Aaron approached me.

“Young master, please evacuate with the villagers.”

“No. This is the only village in the area. If we flee with them, they’ll be left behind.”

Abandoning them wasn’t an option.

“What can I do right now…?”

I forced myself to think clearly.

What resources did I have?

Four low-ranking knights and one mid-level knight from Bartenberg.

And the remaining faith?

Even with today’s gains, it was desperately insufficient.

‘The only option left is…’

In just a few seconds, dozens of options flashed through my mind.

And I made a decision.

“Mary!”

“Y-yes?!”

“There’s no time to be dazed! Do what you need to do!”

Her confused expression hardened.

The villagers realized it too—

That suffocating, gloomy, pitch-black aura had now crept right up to them.

THUMP!

Between the toppled trees, a figure emerged.

“A big one… damn it.”

I spat on the ground and grimaced.

A knight clad in blood-soaked black armor.

Where his head should’ve been was a pitch-black skull.

“…Death Knight.”

A high-class undead with six-star combat power.

At least it wasn’t a demon.

Behind him stood fifteen more undead, radiating violent energy—All mid-tier undead.

Against them, my squad was hopelessly outnumbered.

THUD—

The Death Knight stomped forward, glowing eyes locked on me.

His foul aura darkened the very earth around him.

“You’re the one spreading that filthy energy! By order of Lord Krombel, I’ve come to take your head!”

Krombel.

I recognized the name.

One of the three Liches from the Demon Realm—

Not your average lich, but a true demon, a powerful one at that.

‘So that’s why this is happening…’

Undead had suddenly attacked, and now it all made sense.

Faith and dark mana are opposites.

That means demons are highly sensitive to divine power.

The faith I had released during the fight with the Frost King…

It must’ve drawn their attention.

Then—

BOOM!

The Death Knight suddenly closed the distance and swung his sword.

Because I had remained tense, I managed to block it—barely.

“Ugh!”

But my insides shook violently.

The moment our swords clashed, dark mana poured into my body.

The pain was one thing—But the sickening disgust, like gulping down filth, was unbearable.

“Y-Young master!”

Unfortunately, the knights had no time to assist me—The other undead had begun their charge.

The battlefield descended into chaos once more.

Even so, the Death Knight targeted only me.

I narrowly avoided a decapitating strike, counterattacked,

But my blade didn’t even graze him.

‘This guy is on another level.’

He was nothing like the Frost King.

He lacked the same defense, but his swordsmanship—honed over centuries—and sturdy physique made him a far tougher opponent.

It felt like I was fighting a high-level knight.

And worse, his dark mana was too pure, too powerful.

Even when I clashed my blade imbued with divine energy against his, I was the one being eroded.

I was losing the elemental battle.

[Skill: Hyper-Focus – Activated.]

Still, I had to endure.

What I needed more than anything right now was faith.

***

“We’re all going to die!”

A villager screamed in terror, his earlier cheer long gone.

BOOM!

The Death Knight’s massive blade split the earth.

Richard dodged by a hair but couldn’t counterattack—he had to retreat.

Even so, the Death Knight was relentless.

Forced on the defensive, Richard rolled across the ground.

The villagers watching fell into despair.

Baron Hessen was even worse.

“P-Protect me! You useless soldiers!”

Collapsing from fear, he yelled for help.

Noble dignity meant nothing in the face of death.

“Why—why are those damned undead even here?!”

His fear infected the rest of the villagers.

“Everyone, pray! We must lend the young master the power of God!”

Mary’s voice rang out clearly.

Despite trembling in fear, her voice carried conviction.

If they prayed—if they truly believed—the god she served would come to their aid.

“Our merciful god will save us!”

Just as she was about to say more—

SLAP!

Baron Hessen slapped her.

“Shut up! Who prays to God at a time like this?! Don’t be stupid! If God existed, this never would’ve happened!”

He ranted, calling faith delusional and idiotic.

He needed someone to take out his fear on—And Mary was his scapegoat.

With all eyes on him, the baron screamed even louder:

“We’re all going to die here! This is all that damn scoundrel’s fault!”

He was completely unhinged.

Mary, forced to witness it all, might’ve cried out of fear before—But now—

GRIT—

She clenched her teeth.

“Did you just call the young master a scoundrel?”

She pointed toward the battlefield.

“Look at him! While you’re wetting yourself in fear, wearing your noble title—”

Richard, soaked in blood, was fighting the Death Knight head-on.

Even with Ultra Focus activated, he couldn’t avoid every blow.

The other knights were also struggling.

“The young master and the knights are fighting that monster.”

Mary bit her lip.

As a devout believer, she hated her own helplessness.

She had always wondered—Why had the young master come here, of all places, when he hated the cold so much?

This was his first outing in two years.

There were far nicer places to visit.

That mystery was solved when the undead attacked.

“He came here by divine guidance.”

He came knowing this village would face a disaster—To protect them.

As she watched Richard, covered in blood, she prayed:

“God, please… grant me strength as well!”

And in that moment—

If she could see the system window, she’d have gasped.

[Follower – Mary: Minimum qualification for Cleric met.]

[Trait acquired – Radiance (E)]

“…Ah.”

The noise of the battlefield stopped.

A soft light radiated from Mary, illuminating the area.

“Nice, Mary.”

Richard coughed blood and muttered.

Then he forced his faith into action, and the same radiant aura burst from him.

“God has shown proof through her! Just believe, you idiots!”

“He has shone his light upon us! Everyone, pray!”

Mary and Richard shouted in unison.

And their desperation reached them.

“Please… please save us!”

“O divine one!”

Villagers began folding their hands in prayer.

[Prayer received from Friya.]

[Prayer received from Roman.]

[Prayer received from Hansen.]

…

System notifications flooded Richard’s vision.

Just then, the Death Knight attacked again, targeting a moment of vulnerability—

But—

CRACK!

Richard’s faith-infused blade blocked the blow.

Yet, despite the prayers, he was still at a disadvantage.

The light on his blade was slowly chipped away by the Death Knight’s dark mana.

The faith of a tiny village simply wasn’t enough.

‘Still not enough…’

The villagers were just ordinary people, not official followers.

Each only granted 30 points of faith.

A total of just over 1,000.

‘If I fail, I die.’

Richard swallowed hard.

There was only one move left.

With the world holding its breath, he summoned all the faith into his body.

SHINE!

Light gathered around him—

Converging into the hexagonal sigil on the back of his hand.

The sigil distorted under the pressure.

And then, a message appeared before him:

[Divine Interference on Sigil Detected.]

[Temporary Sigil Release – Sword Saint’s Blade: Forced Activation]

Light exploded.