Chapter Seven: The Rampage of the Undead
Simultaneously, Satellite City-State of Alto
“Hurry!! Keep preparing!”
Derens, the commander of the Knights of the Satellite City-State of Alto, had been working through the night to prepare the expeditionary force.
It had been nearly a day and a half since the attack by the Island Devouring Turtle, and he had barely rested. The situation with the Island Devouring Turtle itself hadn’t even been properly dealt with yet. Considering the forced march under these circumstances, it was nothing short of hell. But even so, he couldn’t afford to stop.
“Commander, won’t it take too much time to prepare for an expedition outside the city-state…?”
“Do what you can. We must continue preparing.”
One of the captains voiced his concerns. The knights under him were also in poor condition. The very idea of the knights, who were the backbone of the nation’s defense, going on an expedition to the “Outer Human Survival Zone” was already reckless. Derens was well aware that everything was far from perfect.
But even so, it had to be done.
“Lady Diz of the Seven Heavens has already set out ahead of us! We must do our part!”
At the mention of the [Seven Heavens], the captain who had been voicing his concerns immediately stiffened. Derens felt a pang of guilt for using that name like a tool, but it was the truth.
They couldn’t let the guardians of this world take the lead while they lagged behind!
“Commander! A report from the mages!”
Just as Derens was desperately rallying his troops, a knight rushed in with a report. From the knight’s expression and tone, it was clear that the news wasn’t good, but Derens couldn’t ignore it.
“What is it?”
“A massive barrier-like force is spreading rapidly from Canaan’s Fortress…!”
“A barrier…?”
Derens couldn’t comprehend it just from hearing the words. But the knight continued in a fearful voice.
“Th-the mages believe that a Labyrinth might be expanding across the surrounding area…! Monsters have started appearing from it.”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone present fell silent.
This wasn’t like the [Overflow], a phenomenon where small or medium-sized Labyrinths couldn’t contain the monsters and they spilled out.
It was more akin to the [Endless Forest – Labyrinth of the Great Sin], which had been sealed by the great witch of old. A chill of an unprecedented disaster washed over them.
“So this is why she was in such a hurry…!”
──The expedition might take time, but at least make sure we’re ready to fight immediately.
That was the order she had given. It wasn’t just about dealing with the bandits who had attacked the Island Devouring Turtle. It was to prepare for unforeseen situations like this!!
“Send word to all the city-states! Any forces that can move, prepare for battle! Do not let the monsters near Alto!!”
Even in the Satellite City-State of Alto, close to Canaan’s Fortress, the battle had already begun.
Canaan’s Fortress, Rooftop Walkway
I messed up. I mistimed my exit. Nina couldn’t help but feel that way.
It had been years since she started her adventuring career, and she still hadn’t risen above the Chalk Rank. Both she and Laura were nothing more than small-time adventurers. But even so, the reason she had managed to survive until now was because she knew her limits.
No matter how dazzling the rewards, she never took on dangerous missions. She never accepted tasks she couldn’t handle. That was how she had survived until today.
[KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAAAA!!!]
“……!!”
The moment the Starving Skull raised its massive arm again, her body froze.
Her body knew. This place was far beyond her capabilities. She had to run. But that instinctive urge only made her body stiffen further.
“Uwaaah!!”
Just before the fist came crashing down, her body was shoved aside. The boy had pushed her out of the way. The Starving Skull’s fist smashed into the empty space again. But she couldn’t feel relieved. Her body was still frozen.
[GAAAAAA!!!]
The fist shattered the walkway. The sheer force of it sent a chill down her spine. A direct hit would have turned her into a bloody pulp. That alone was terrifying, but the threat didn’t end there.
[Kakakaka! Stop gawking!!]
With the Starving Skull momentarily still after unleashing its full force, the Death Knight sprang into action again.
Its blade flashed as it closed the distance in an instant, running along the edge of the regenerating fortress wall. Of course, the Starving Skull’s brute strength was overwhelming, but this Death Knight was no less dangerous.
After all, it was clearly more skilled than her.
“Tch!!”
Ur was the first to move. He thrust his spear toward the approaching Death Knight.
His skill wasn’t much different from Nina’s, but compared to her, who had been paralyzed by the Starving Skull’s earlier attack, his strike was decisive. But that strike…
[Kaka. Too slow──oh!]
“Tch!”
…was effortlessly deflected by a single-handed sword movement, as if swatting away a breeze. The force was redirected, and Ur’s body was left open to a kick.
“Ugh!?”
He groaned as he was sent tumbling to the ground. And just as the Death Knight raised its sword to decapitate him, Nina finally managed to snap out of her paralysis.
“T-thiisss!!”
It was a desperate swing, but it wasn’t bad. She aimed for the side of the Death Knight that wasn’t holding its sword, putting all her strength into it. At the very least, she thought it would hit.
[──Bones are surprisingly hard, you know? Little girl.]
“Huh!?”
She was left speechless as the attack was deflected by the Death Knight’s free arm, its bones angled to block the blow. The next moment, the arm slammed into her neck, leaving her gasping for air as tears streamed down her face.
At least Ur managed to escape during the attack, but that was the only silver lining.
She had heard that Death Knights were stronger than regular undead soldiers, but this was on a completely different level.
It was purely a matter of skill. Unlike her, who had only picked up a sword to survive day by day, this knight had honed its craft solely to kill.
And on top of that, it wielded powers inherent to its demonic nature.
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[Bone Core Transformation]
The Death Knight’s sword, made of bone, began to change shape.
It extended like a spear, flexible as a whip, and with a flick, it tore through the air, slicing toward both Ur and Nina in an instant, sending them flying.
“Ugh!?”
“Kya!?”
[KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!]
And then, the Starving Skull moved again. It brought both fists together and swung them down in a massive blow.
“Nina!!”
“Don’t come, Laura!!”
While narrowly avoiding the Starving Skull’s overwhelmingly heavy strike, she shouted at Laura, who was staying back. But deep down, she wished Laura would use her magic to help right now.
[Kakakaka! You’re not putting up much of a fight. Should I just kill you already?]
[GAGAGAKAKAKAKAKA!!]
Faced with the ferocious Death Knight and the brutal Starving Skull, Nina couldn’t see any future where they could win.
She had truly mistimed her exit. No, she should have told them to run right away──
“──That big guy over there, it can’t move while it’s generating those pulses, right?”
[Oh?]
“Huh?”
Ur’s words didn’t immediately click for Nina. But she soon realized he was referring to the Starving Skull’s nature.
“The labyrinthization and domination of the area, its own movements—it can’t do them simultaneously. Its body is massive, but it’s not invincible, right?”
[Yeah, you’re probably right, kid. It’s not moving right now.]
Pointing at the Starving Skull, which had once again stopped moving as it generated black-purple pulses, the Death Knight casually revealed its master’s weakness. Ur’s expression turned thoughtful as he considered the answer.
Unlike Nina, there was no sign of surrender in his eyes.
He was still looking for a chance to win.
[Kakakaka!! If you’re going to win, give it your all, kid! Otherwise, its territory will just keep expanding!]
“Stop attacking while you’re saying that, you old bag of bones!!”
[I’m actually holding back quite a bit, you know!?]
Once again, the whip-like blade rained down, cutting into Ur and Nina’s bodies repeatedly, mercilessly beating them down.
It didn’t look like the Death Knight was “holding back” at all, but it didn’t seem to be joking either.
[When I woke up, I had no memories, just this bony body. My master was some shady, unpleasant-looking mage. And I couldn’t disobey his orders. Well, it seems like he’s in a pretty bad state now, huh?]
The Death Knight’s gaze turned to the Starving Skull, and though its expression was unreadable, there was a clear sense of disgust in its tone.
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