Chapter 130: Messiah (2)

A few seconds.

A few minutes.

A few hours.

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed.

Soon, Guard Captain Hyal sliced through another soldier zombie.

Slash—!

The last one fell.

Mountains of zombie corpses towered on the walls and all around the citadel.

Guard Captain Hyal wiped the sweat streaming into her eyes.

“Haa…… Haa…… Haa……”

Even after the final zombie dropped, the citadel’s atmosphere remained heavy and dark.

Everyone knew.

Another zombie legion would come.

Hyal leaned against the wall and counted in her head.

‘Three times… no, including just now, that was the fourth.’

The number of legions they had repelled.

The first wave had five hundred.

The second, six hundred.

The third, seven hundred.

Just now, roughly eight hundred.

With every wave, the numbers kept growing.

The soldiers’ stamina was plummeting.

Some had collapsed from their wounds. Others leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

Worse, the barricades were plastered with stuck zombies and useless.

The mushroom oil coating the outer walls had been completely wiped away.

Arrows, oil, acid solution, mineral shells—every defensive supply they had prepared was long gone.

The soldiers had been forced into brutal close-quarters combat with swords, spears, and clubs against the zombies climbing the walls.

Many had been gravely injured. A few had even lost consciousness.

Guard Captain Hyal turned her gaze outside the citadel.

One zombie stood tall atop a giant mushroom.

Several times larger than any ordinary zombie.
Razor-sharp claws at its fingertips.

Long, agile legs.

Curved wings.

The supreme elite soldier zombie.

Yet it had never once joined the fight.

It simply watched from atop the giant mushroom, commanding the legions forward.

Toying with them.

Handling them as carefully as if afraid its toys might break.

Tremble tremble—

The fingers gripping her sword felt numb. Her leg muscles threatened to give out.

If another legion came, could they truly hold?

Across from her stood the vice-captain.

The old warrior well into his sixties had already passed his physical limit long ago.

Hyal pulled out the mana resonance stone.

“Vice-captain, you remember what I said earlier? The time has come.”

The vice-captain accepted the stone.

Then he beckoned to the new recruit.

“You called, Vice-captain…?”

The recruit staggered over. Even the once-fiery youth now looked deathly pale.

The vice-captain handed him the stone and spoke gently.

“You’re a promising young man. Smart, brave, righteous. Far too valuable to burn out here today.”

The recruit opened his mouth, then closed it again.

With a resolute nod, he turned and sprinted toward the tunnel entrance.

The vice-captain smiled at the captain.

“That should do it. It has been an honor to serve the Sen family to the very end.”

“Vice-captain…”

Guard Captain Hyal and her vice-captain exchanged firm nods.

At that moment—

Bwooooong—!

A tearing sonic boom ripped through the air.

The supreme elite soldier zombie was flying straight toward the citadel.

…No—toward the new recruit running for the tunnel.

Boom!

It landed instantly in front of him.

The recruit froze, face paper-white.

“……! ……! ……!”

The supreme elite soldier zombie, however, tilted its head with clear interest.

A moment later—

Swooooosh—!

Its claws streaked toward the recruit.

But then—

Clang—!

Hyal’s sword deflected the razor talons.

That was too close.

If she hadn’t leaped straight down from the wall, she would have been too late.

In the process, however, she twisted her left ankle.

Hyal frowned, staring down the supreme elite soldier zombie.

Then—

“……!”

She realized.

She had seen this creature before.

The long scar over its right eye socket.

Guard Captain Hyal remembered that face clearly.

“You bastard… We finally meet again…!”

Ten years ago, this was the monster that had killed her father—the previous guard captain.

On the day thirty soldiers had gone out to forage for food, Hyal had stubbornly insisted on joining the expedition.

Not long after, they encountered the supreme elite soldier zombie.

Dozens of soldiers were torn apart in seconds. Her father had fought desperately, but he too was slain.

In that battle, her father had left a deep wound over the creature’s right eye.

While her father and the others bought time, Hyal had no choice but to flee.

But she was no longer that helpless little girl.

She was no longer the weak child who had abandoned her father and comrades to run.

Black aura swirled along the edge of Hyal’s blade.

[Ghost Slayer Strike]

An ancient exorcism technique created by the warriors of Ravianglily.

A secret art forged to eradicate evil.

Yet the technique had never been fully passed down.

Its practitioners had been killed by zombies, and over long centuries many forms were lost.

What had been taught to Hyal were only a few basic stances and the fundamentals of handling mana.

But after more than ten years of endless training and effort, she had completed [Ghost Slayer Strike] herself.

It was the final link connecting her to Ravianglily.

…Monster. I will avenge my father!

Hyal swung her sword.

Black aura surged like a tidal wave.

The rippling blade energy rushed straight at the supreme elite soldier zombie’s face.

But—

Tap!

The creature caught the blade between two fingers.

As easily as twisting a child’s fist.

“Th-that’s impossible…!”

Hyal couldn’t even pull her sword free.

It was lodged as if stuck in solid rock.

Behind her, the soldiers’ voices rang out.

“Captain! Run!”

Sharp claws plunged toward Hyal’s abdomen.

Swoosh—stab!

Crimson blood splattered across her face.

Yet strangely, she felt no pain.

Then—

“Ugh!”

A short, weary groan sounded.

The vice-captain stood tall in front of her.

The creature’s claws were buried deep in his side.

Drip— drip drip drip—

Bright red blood poured down like a waterfall.

The vice-captain gripped the monster’s arm with all his strength.

“R-run… Captain…”

“Vice-captain…!”

The vice-captain widened his eyes and roared.

“I said run! Hyal, now!”

“……!”

At once the other soldiers charged the supreme elite soldier zombie.

“Go, Captain!”

“We’ll buy as much time as we can!”

“Captain, please tell my mother I love her!”

“My pregnant wife—please take care of her! The baby’s name is Romari!”

Arms, legs, waist, back, even necks.

The soldiers clung desperately to every part of the supreme elite soldier zombie.

But—

Boom! Kaboom! KABOOOOOM!

The supreme elite soldier zombie began hurling them away like annoying insects.

Boom! Crash!

Soldiers slammed into walls and crumpled.

Even the vice-captain was flung aside helplessly.

Then the creature’s kick flew forward.

CRASH!

Hyal shoved aside the collapsed wall debris and forced herself upright.

She hadn’t reached it.

She hadn’t achieved it.

Her father’s wish.

Her grandfather’s wish.

The long-cherished dream of the entire Sen family.

The dream of leading the people of Ravianglily out of this demon realm.

…Failed.

Everything was over.

Tears spilled from Hyal’s eyes.

Not from fear.

Not from rage.

From pure, searing regret.

If only she had been stronger.

If only she had had more time.

The supreme elite soldier zombie raised its claws.

Shing—

The white talons reflected blinding light.

In that instant, something caught Hyal’s eye.

For the briefest fraction of a second.

Darkness that devoured light.

Darkness that shone brighter than the sun.

Slice—!

She saw it.

Darkness more beautiful than light.

Then—

Crrrrrrrrrrrrrack—

The supreme elite soldier zombie split vertically in two.

Hyal stared blankly at the sight.

Beyond the bisected corpse stood a familiar figure.

A beautiful woman with flowing black hair.

Thick darkness coiled around her, yet somehow she was brighter than the sun.

She reached out to Hyal.

“Stand. This is not the place for you to close your eyes.”

“You are…”

One of the outsiders.

The woman who had been visiting the citadel steadily these past days.

Hyal took the offered hand and rose.

“Why… why help us?”

The outsider smiled softly.

“How could I ignore a fellow countryman in danger?”

“Then you are also from Ravianglily…”

Only then did Hyal understand.

Why the previous zombie waves had been repelled so easily.

The outsiders must have blocked the reinforcements coming from the rear.

Hyal looked at the woman and asked,

“May I know my benefactor’s name?”

The woman sheathed her sword and answered.

“Ravianglily Mu Jeanne d’Arc.”

“Th-that name… could it be…”

The royal name.

She had read it once in an ancient history book of Ravianglily found in her grandfather’s study.

Then Jeanne approached the vice-captain.

“Your wound is severe. Bear with me a moment.”

She took out a small vial from her pocket.

Inside the glass bottle swirled rainbow-colored liquid.

Jeanne poured it into the vice-captain’s mouth.

Then—

“Cough! Hack! Haaah—!”

The vice-captain spat blood and gasped.

At the same time, the gaping hole in his chest closed instantly.

Hyal swallowed hard.

“Th-that’s the legendary potion… the Elixir…!?”

Jeanne gently patted Hyal’s shoulder.

“You did well. You protected everyone.”

“Ah… yes…”

Honorifics slipped from Hyal’s mouth of their own accord.

Why?

The woman before her clearly looked far younger than Hyal.

Yet respect bloomed naturally toward her.

Jeanne leaped onto the wall.

“I’ll finish the rest. Tend to the soldiers here.”

With those words, she flew off as gracefully as a butterfly.

At that moment, the sentry on the watchtower shouted.

“Reinforcements! Someone sent reinforcements—!”

Hyal hurried up onto the wall.

An astonishing sight unfolded before her.

Hundreds of zombies still packed the area around the citadel.

Yet they were being hunted down all at once.

Slash— slash— slash— slash— slash— slash— slash—

Figures drenched in shadow.

Dozens of black knights were slaughtering the zombies.

Among them, the one that captured Hyal’s gaze most was—

“Lady Jeanne d’Arc…”

The beautiful, valiant, and powerful female warrior.

Soon the vice-captain limped up beside her.

“Captain! Look over there! What in the world…?”

He pointed at the sky.

Bwoooong— Bwooooooooooong~!

A sonic boom so intense it felt like eardrums would burst.

A zombie far stronger than the supreme elite soldier zombie was streaking across the sky.

Riding on its back was a familiar man.

Waving a black flag while mounted on the mighty creature was the other outsider who had been visiting the citadel.

The vice-captain murmured in a daze.

“Just who… are they?”

“…Messiahs.”

“Huh?”

Hyal could not tear her eyes away from the outsiders.

Her pupils sparkled as if filled with starlight.

“…They are the Messiahs of Ravianglily.”