Chapter 68:《Reunion Is Just an Appetizer》 – (1)
(I)
“Grandius, what is going on…?”
As she ran with all her might, Lilianel asked Grandius. Swallowing his rage, he answered her.
“The seventh fortress wall has already been breached. There’s no hope left. We must escape and wait for another opportunity in the future.”
“That can’t be….”
Hearing that Nevirthol, hailed as the strongest fortress on the surface, had completely fallen in less than three hours, Lilianel’s expression stiffened.
“B-but isn’t there any way? Just running away like this, like this….”
Lilianel hated the thought of fleeing powerlessly without doing anything. She gestured to the four warriors following behind her.
“Even if it’s just us, can’t we do something…?”
The swordswoman Yuna, the holy knight Daniel, the mage Derin, and the S-rank adventurer Isera.
The warrior party standing by her side were undeniably the strongest in the Avilia Kingdom. Lilianel had hoped that perhaps they could turn this desperate situation around, but Grandius firmly shook his head.
“Absolutely impossible. There are hundreds of thousands of undead ranked A or higher. Even escaping safely is uncertain.”
The additional skeleton soldiers summoned in rage by Elzerba, combined with the corpses of those who had fallen in battle, filled the streets of Nevirthol with hundreds of thousands of undead.
And these weren’t just any ordinary creatures. Each one of them was part of Elzerba’s elite forces, ranked A or higher. Even with the hero’s party, there was no way to overcome such overwhelming numbers.
Right now, their best option was to trust in Isera’s chantless magic, Derin’s fire magic, and Grandius’s own power as a hero and attempt an escape.
“…The only fortunate thing is that Elzerba herself will take a little longer to arrive here. We must escape before she gets here.”
“…Alright.”
Hearing Grandius’s bleak assessment, Lilianel lowered her head in despair.
In just a single month, she had lost everything.
From the supreme ruler of the kingdom, she had fallen to the status of a mere fugitive. A truly miserable fate.
…But first, she had to survive. Only by surviving could she seek revenge or rebuild. Pushing aside her resentment, Lilianel steeled herself to escape this hell no matter what.
“Breaking through on the ground is impossible. There should be an aerial carriage rental station near the palace’s back gate. Let’s take that and escape by air.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Escaping through the undead-infested streets was out of the question. Instead, they would secure an aerial carriage near the palace and flee through the sky. Grandius agreed with Yuna’s plan.
The undead dragon that had been dominating the skies had also retreated from the battlefield after being struck by Serion’s attack. This could be the perfect timing.
“Speed is everything. Everyone, run faster!”
With that, they rushed toward the palace’s back gate. If they could cross the rear garden, they would reach the aerial carriage rental station within ten minutes at most.
Boom!
“Kyaaaaaaahh?!!”
But just as they neared the exit, part of a stone wall in the garden suddenly collapsed, crashing down on the warrior party.
“Derin!!”
“Derin!!”
Most managed to dodge in time, but the mage Derin, who had been closest to the wall, was unable to avoid the falling debris and was buried under the rubble.
– Keeeeaaaargh!!
– Keeeeeeaaaah!!
“Undead…!!”
There was no time to worry about Derin. The moment the wall crumbled, skeleton soldiers trampled over the wreckage and swarmed toward them.
“They’ve already reached here….”
“There are too many…!!”
An overwhelming number of skeleton soldiers surrounded them, cutting off all possible escape routes.
And with Derin, the only one capable of unleashing fire magic, incapacitated, it seemed impossible to break through and reach the aerial carriage station.
“Grandius! What do we do now? There’s no opening…!!”
“Damn it….”
Lilianel, on the verge of tears, pleaded, while Grandius’s face twisted in frustration at the hopeless situation. As she said, there wasn’t a single gap in the undead horde.
‘A way, a way….’
Sweating coldly, Grandius desperately searched for a solution. If they stayed like this, they would either die or be captured.
…Time was running out.
“Haaah….”
“Huh…?”
“A-Isera…?”
And at that moment, Isera sighed wearily and stepped forward.
The skeleton soldiers let out chilling screams as they noticed her movement.
– Keeeeaaaaahhh!!
– Kyaaaaaah!!
“….”
The horrifying cries sent chills down their spines, yet Isera didn’t even blink. She simply stretched out her hand.
“…Ice Pillars.”
As she muttered, a massive blue magic circle spread beneath the skeletons’ feet.
A moment of stillness.
Then, enormous ice pillars, sharp as stalagmites, erupted skyward.
Boom!
Five ice pillars shot up in succession, releasing an intense cold that instantly froze every skeleton soldier surrounding them.
“What….”
“This is unreal….”
With a single spell, Isera had frozen all the terrifying skeletal warriors.
Astonishment was evident on everyone’s faces as they stared at her.
…However, Isera remained as expressionless as ever and spoke flatly.
“…What are you all doing? Move.”
***
(III)
“Pl-please, spare me…!! Kghack…!!”
“….”
With the final desperate plea from what seemed to be the last surviving soldier, Tina swung her blade, severing his throat.
And with that, we finally breached the seventh fortress wall, where Nevirthol’s palace stood.
– Kiiiiiaaaahh!!
– Keeeeaak!!
Inside the walls, the skeletal soldiers who had entered before us had already turned the place into a battlefield.
Only ravaged corpses remained, littering the ground in a gruesome display.
– Provide cover!
– Holy Lightning!
“Hm?”
I had assumed that no one had survived.
But then, the sounds of battle reached my ears.
The source was nearby.
“Survivors…?”
Wondering how any soldiers had managed to survive until now, I moved toward the source of the sound.
– Maintain formation, everyone!
– Don’t give up! The Celestial Deity Astira will protect us!
“…That is.”
What entered my sight was a group of a dozen men and women clad in familiar armor.
A smile naturally formed on my lips.
That unmistakable silver armor.
And the blonde-haired woman at the forefront, desperately fighting against the skeleton soldiers.
…The High Saint of Serion and the Blessed Knights.
“I finally found you.”
The very person who had sealed me away with the Chains of the Goddess—the High Saint of Serion.
Seeing her face again after all this time, I couldn’t help but smirk.
“….”
Raising one hand, I commanded the skeleton soldiers attacking the surviving holy knights to step back.
This was a long-awaited reunion with someone from a thousand years ago.
I couldn’t let mere skeletons ruin the moment.
– W-what…?
– The skeletons…?
As the skeleton soldiers that had been relentlessly charging at them suddenly retreated, shock spread across the faces of the holy knights.
– Why are they backing off…?
– Could it be… that Astira is helping us…?
– Ahh, the great Celestial Deity….
Each of them fell into their own delusions, uttering their personal interpretations of the situation.
Amused by their foolishness, I leisurely took a step forward.
Step, step.
I couldn’t suppress the grin spreading across my face.
The closer I got to that blonde-haired saint, the faster my heart pounded.
It felt like reuniting with an ex-lover after centuries apart.
– Y-you are…?
And finally, my eyes met the High Saint of Serion.
Her eyes widened in shock, her face turning deathly pale.
I waved at her lightly.
“Hello? It’s been a while.”
– Elzerba….
A thousand years had passed, yet she hadn’t forgotten my face.
And behind her, the holy knights she had brought with her began murmuring in alarm.
– Elzerba…?
– If it’s Elzerba… then that means… the Progenitor Vampire’s true name….
– Then that girl is….
“….”
It seemed they, too, recognized me.
Just like their leader, they froze in place, staring at me stiffly.
I maintained my bright smile as I examined them one by one.
Including the High Saint, there were twelve of them.
It was unlikely they had brought only twelve people as reinforcements.
Most likely, these were Nevirthol’s last remaining forces.
They say you should save the best for last.
Perhaps they had delayed their appearance on purpose, just for me?
It would have been disappointing if we had missed each other.
“Oh, esteemed footstool of Astira. How have you been?”
– ….
“I searched for you quite a bit. I’m glad we finally met.”
– Elzerba….
The High Saint, who had been staring at me intently, began sweating coldly.
She slowly set down the massive hammer she had been holding and spread both hands wide, signaling that she was unarmed.
…She discarded her weapon and raised her hands.
It was a universal gesture of non-aggression.
Usually, it was done in surrender.
But considering how much the High Saint of Serion despised monsters, she wouldn’t surrender so easily.
This was likely her way of requesting a conversation.
– Put down your weapons, all of you.
– B-but…!
– Do as I say. Now!
– ….
She ordered her subordinates to lay down their arms.
Even though their weapons were the only thing they could rely on in this situation, they hesitated briefly before lowering their heads and tossing them to the ground one by one.
Clatter.
Spears, swords, axes—brutal weapons that would make anyone wary—fell onto the stone pavement, creating a crisp metallic sound.
– ….
Seeing that her knights were now completely disarmed, the High Saint swallowed dryly.
She nodded at them reassuringly before turning her gaze back to me.
Then, in a trembling voice, she spoke.
– …Elzerba.
“Hm?”
– Let’s talk. Let’s have a conversation.
“….”
As expected, she wanted to negotiate with me.
Well, they stood on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from monsters, as dictated by Astira’s will.
They couldn’t surrender.
But if they kept fighting, they would only meet a senseless death.
At this point, their only option was to request a conversation, whether they liked it or not.
Her choice made sense.
– We have no will to continue fighting. Let’s calm down and talk.
“….”
– Through conversation, we can resolve your resentment and clear up any misunderstandings.
“….”
– You’ve already taken the lives of hundreds of thousands. Any more than this would be meaningless slaughter.
“….”
– Please, have mercy on the humans. They are innocent. Let go of your anger, and instead of fighting, let’s find a solution through conversation.
“Conversation, huh….”
I quietly repeated the High Saint’s words.
Indeed, conversation was the best way to resolve misunderstandings and reach a compromise.
No one would have to get hurt or lose their lives.
What a wonderful solution.
“Yeah, conversation. It doesn’t sound too bad.”
…I nodded, responding to the High Saint.
Hearing an unexpectedly favorable reply, a hopeful smile bloomed across her face.
– Truly? Wonderful! Then let’s—
“But.”
Just as she eagerly prepared to order the skeleton soldiers to retreat, I cut her off coldly.
“Come to think of it, we don’t really need multiple people for a conversation, do we?”
– …What?
“A mouth—one is enough, right?”
I raised my hand, then clenched my fist tightly.
At that moment, I felt a satisfying resistance—similar to the sensation of landing a headshot in an FPS game.
And then—
– M-my head…! Kkyaaaaaaaagh!!
– Andre…?! Wait, my head—aaaaaagh!!
– M-my skull! Help meeeeee!!
…The heads of the eleven holy knights standing behind the High Saint burst open simultaneously, like fireworks.
Their blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, staining the High Saint’s black nun’s robe with grotesque, messy streaks.
– …Huh?
The High Saint’s expression froze in horror.
—
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