Chapter 56: Army of the Dead (4)

A Star rose high in the sky and then fell.

Its end was aimed at the head of the Zombie Knight.

Kwaaang -!

Like a bomb exploding, rotten flesh and fragments scattered in all directions.

“You bastard .…….”

Poiro Count’s murderous gaze turned to one side.

The hill where the Army of the Dead was standing.

Atop it, a massive White Lion stood, gazing down over the battlefield.

Kwoooong -!

A roar shook the air.

Right after, the lion charged toward the dead.

Once, twice.

It was when the lion struck the ground for the third time.

The huge beast, which had come right up to the noses of the dead, vanished without a trace.

“Roar…”

The lion’s roar echoed once more.

But for some reason, that mixed, mournful howl spread out before the formation of the Alliance.

Moving across the ground in a flash—a movement skill.

It was one of the powers possessed by the Lion King.

“Sorry I’m late.”

A familiar voice reached the ears of the Alliance from somewhere.

The men, who had been staring wide-eyed at the lion, lifted their heads.

Richard was riding atop the lion.

But his condition was not good.

His eyes were sunken, and his whole body was soaked in sweat.

“I hurried as much as I could to get here quickly.”

Richard could not help but be exhausted.

It had only been one night since he accepted Narre, the Lion King, as his divine beast.

For him to appear here now meant he had run at truly incredible speed.

“Of course, Narre did the running himself, but—”

But the mana that powered him was a burden Richard had to bear.

The mental fatigue was no joke.

But now was not the time to rest.

Richard turned his head, scanning the surroundings.

The first thing he saw was Adele’s roots winding around the castle walls, with worshippers singing atop them.

Next was the Alliance.

The signs of their desperate struggle to hold back the Undead’s relentless assault were clear.

***

The Undead still outnumbered the Alliance, and far off in the distance, the Army of the Dead was approaching.

“Narre, go wild.”

I dismounted from Narre.

From the direction of the choir, the sound of hymns reached my ears.

Even my exhausted body felt a faint surge of energy.

Pat -!

Once again, I drew my Sword and leapt forward.

Cutting through the stench, I pressed on, forward and forward.

“Why are you so late!”

While I was busy cutting down Undead, Leon’s voice called out from beside me.

I lopped off the neck of an Ogre Corpse as I replied.

“Sorry. It took longer than I thought.”

“Haa.”

He let out a dry sigh.

But even so, he kept swinging his Sword steadily, his skill truly first-class.

“So, you finally prayed, huh?”

“That just means we were all waiting for you, Young Master.”

What was that prayer about again?

Please, grant strength to this weak and frail Knight—was it something like that?

“But…”

“But?”

“After I prayed, I started thinking of you, Young Master. My heart started pounding.”

Leon glanced at me with a strange look in his eyes.

If you prayed, you prayed—why would your heart pound?

“Almost like… falling in love…”

It was an unsettling analogy.

I shuddered at the thought.

I wanted to smack him, but now was not the time.

“Hey!”

“Richard!”

Before I knew it, Huger and Moritz had rushed over to my side.

And even Aaron came, cutting through the Undead to reach us.

“What about the formation?”

“Thanks to the lion you rode in on, Young Master, we can finally breathe.”

Aaron, with a resolute face, looked up at me with shining eyes.

“Chwik! Amazing human warrior! Our comrade here was so worried about you, haha!”

“When was I!”

Huger and Moritz, as always, bickered noisily.

Even though this was the middle of a battlefield.

“Save the jokes for later.”

I shook my Sword once and focused on the front.

A massive wave of Demonic Energy surged toward us.

“They’re coming.”

Soon, the tide of Undead in front of us split apart.

Behind them, four hundred corpses riding ghostly horses revealed themselves.

“Ugly… monsters…”

The corpse at the front raised its Sword at us.

“How dare you… have you… captured… the castle…!”

His voice, like iron being bent, was unpleasant to hear.

“Seems they see us as Undead in their eyes.”

Leon muttered as he flicked his Sword clean.

Behind him, the First Knight Order gathered in an instant.

Despite how long they’d been fighting, the Knights showed no sign of fatigue.

I quickly estimated the numbers between our side and the enemy.

“The odds are about right.”

Four hundred enemies.

We had about a hundred.

This kind of numerical disadvantage was nothing.

“Captain! Let me take on Poiro Count!”

“If we each take down four, it should be doable, right?”

“Anyone who gets even a scratch sits out! Don’t try to hog the headcount if you’re weak!”

These loudmouths, talking like street punks, were the very best Swords of Bartenberg.

Each one was at least upper rank or higher, their talents extraordinary.

A group of geniuses, incomparable to ordinary Martial Union Knights.

“Richard, Young Master! You don’t look well—shouldn’t you rest?”

One of them spoke to me.

While his words expressed concern, his eyes betrayed his desire to claim my share of the kills.

“Hey, you! You’re up against the Zombie Knight.”

“Waak!”

With the enemy right in front of us, there was no one here who would back down.

Aaron and Huger were burning with fighting spirit, and even Moritz, though his hands trembled, gripped his Sword tightly.

“Sorry, but Aaron and I will handle the Count.”

Of course, I felt the same.

No, the fighting spirit raging in my chest was the strongest of all.

The battle at Snowfall, where I suffered defeat.

Ironically, my opponent then had also been a Death Knight.

“I have to settle the score this time. Right, Aaron?”

“If I’m with you, Young Master, I can do anything.”

Stubborn Aaron declared his loyalty.

The First Knight Order, alarmed, tried to stop me.

“Young Master! Poiro Count is at the level of a Swordmaster. Please, let us handle it this time!”

Among the leaders of each martial house, only a few reach the pinnacle that is Swordmaster.

Indeed, there was a thick wall between me and him.

No matter how much Aaron was with me, it would be hard to overcome that wall.

“I refuse.”

Knowing that, I still insisted.

“Young Master!”

The Knights’ gazes burned into my face.

They didn’t say it out loud, but I could almost hear their thoughts.

A brat who can’t even recognize the difference in skill between himself and the enemy.

A fool who, just because he got a bit stronger, doesn’t know the value of his own life.

Suddenly, I laughed.

To think there are so many who worry about me.

Guess I won’t die so easily in battle.

“This isn’t the time to be smiling.”

Leon pressed for an answer.

But I felt like I’d already given one.

“I said, Aaron and I will handle it.”

“Please reconsider!”

“I won’t say it again.”

Of course, I knew.

My Sword still couldn’t reach that high.

But so what?

This was my chance.

Ugh—, pain throbbed across the back of my hand.

The cross-shaped Stigmata was burning, aching fiercely.

Ever since my eyes met Poiro Count’s.

“Then, if it really gets dangerous, I’ll step in. I won’t yield on this point.”

Leon, after glaring at me for a while, finally raised both hands in surrender.

“You’re… all talk…”

Maybe he was annoyed I’d ignored them.

The Army of the Dead radiated killing intent.

I fixed my eyes on the corpse at the head.

A Death Knight, exuding a far more menacing aura than any of the others.

That was Poiro Count.

Dudududu—

The hooves of four hundred horses thundered across the battlefield.

The shrieks of the Undead never ceased around us.

But the choir’s song drowned out that noise.

As I watched the approaching enemy, I prepared for battle.

Then I felt a gaze on me. Turning, I met Huger’s eyes.

“Chwi, no…”

The red pig grinned unpleasantly, trailing off.

“Well, I just thought—”

As expected, he was relishing the fight.

“That’s not it.”

It’s not like I’m crazy enough to enjoy fighting a martial house leader.

It was just something that had to be done.

Goooo—

The enemy’s fierce, gloomy Demonic Energy came right up to us.

I raised my Aura to match it.

I overlaid a Star Remnant onto my Sword.

Thanks to the crown, my cold, clear mind envisioned the battle ahead.

Now,

The real fight began.

Leon and the other top Knights lowered their Swords, ready.

Swoosh -!

Dozens of slashes flew out.

The ghostly horses, more agile than any steed, lost their legs and collapsed.

With that, the troublesome cavalry battle was over.

The First Knight Order charged forward, brimming with fighting spirit.

From behind, the choir’s support pushed them on.

[Save those trapped in nightmares]

[Let the people of the dark world sleep in peace]

As if resonating with the power in the song, the Star shivered.

It was as if urging me to save the Knights trapped in this nightmare.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Pat –

Kicking off the ground.

Sensing our killing intent, Poiro Count looked this way.

“You… are… not… my… opponents…”

Kwaang -!

The Sword, wrapped in pure Star and Demonic Energy, clashed.

Just one clash, and my grip split, blood flowing out.

As expected of the martial house leader who guarded the first fortress.

Through our crossed Swords, I stared at the Count’s dead eyes.

Kwaduduk –

Losing in the contest of strength, my body was pushed back.

At that moment, Aaron rushed in and stabbed with his spear.

“Pathetic…”

The Count easily flicked away Aaron’s spear with his Sword.

A fragment of his violet Aura scattered and dissipated.

Shwik!

The Count’s Sword slithered up toward Aaron’s neck as his stance faltered.

I rushed in again to block it.

Several exchanges followed.

The Poir Family’s secret Swordsmanship twisted and turned like a snake.

Just when you thought you’d dodged, the trajectory would shift, aiming for a vital spot.

If you blocked, an immediate follow-up attack came.

Aaron and I were accumulating more wounds.

But the Count was unchanged from the beginning.

Except the murderous light had faded from his eyes.

“Pathetic…”

Gritting my teeth, I glared.

The bastard’s attention was drifting to the other Knights.

We were nothing to him.

“Chuu…”

I steadied my breathing.

I wrapped my body in Faith, strengthening myself.

Still not enough, I coated the Star with Holy Aura woven from Faith.

Kiiing—

The Star let out a high-pitched cry.

It felt like my heart was being squeezed, my head about to split from pain.

A body wrapped in Faith.

A Star woven from Faith.

Aura bound with Faith.

My body couldn’t withstand it.

It was still too much for me.

“Young Master. I’ll go all out as well.”

Aaron gripped his spear tightly.

Violet Aura began to spin around the tip.

The savagery emanating from the Aura grew even fiercer.

“Such… filthy… disturbing… energies…”

The Count straightened his stance.

His gaze, which had wandered, returned to us.

Yes, that’s right.

Kwaaang -!

Aaron struck first.

Sword and spear, wrapped in Demonic Energy, clashed.

Aaron’s spear did not yield.

Rather, it gradually disrupted the Demonic Energy.

Then it was my turn.

The Star traced an arc, scattering beams of light.

Kaang!

The Count’s Sword, having deflected Aaron’s spear, met the Star.

Faith and Demonic Energy collided, sending out a fierce shockwave.

Aang, kwaaang -!

With every clash, the earth shook and the air trembled.

Deep wounds opened in my arms and legs, and the thick Demonic Energy churned my insides.

Blood dripped between my clenched teeth. Aaron’s arm had already been broken.

“Huff… huff…”

My breath caught in my throat.

He’s too strong. Far too strong.

A true martial house leader, incomparable even to Poland Helga.

‘Tch’

Someone kept whispering inside my head.

It’s impossible for you to face him right now.

Hand it over to Leon and fall back.

Stop letting your petty pride get in the way and save yourself.

That was my rational mind.

Just then, my eyes met Leon’s.

The other First Knight Order members, having finished off their own opponents, were looking this way.

Their gazes full of concern.

They must have been thinking the same thing as my rational mind.

“…Fine.”

I tossed aside the ice crown.

I didn’t need a rational mind whispering in my ear.

“I’m not fighting out of foolish pride.”

The Stigmata of the Sword.

This was the fate I inherited.

Knowing this, I had no choice but to put my life on the line, walking the endless path of trials.

One old memory resurfaced from far away.