How long had we been fighting like that?
By the time the blades of spears and swords had completely dulled, getting caught on the enemy’s bones with grinding sounds, and the remaining uses of arrows, magic, and holy miracles had decreased to less than half…
“Northwest direction! It’s him, it’s the Abyss Priest!”
The culprit of this battle finally revealed himself.
“You’ve held out quite well. Quite impressive.”
An old man in a black robe with a hood pulled over.
A bushy white beard had grown under his wrinkled face, and a small dagger protruded from under his wide sleeves.
“Hunting dogs intoxicated by the scent of the Goddess. Vulgar mongrels blinded by silver coins…”
He pointed at us with the index finger of his right hand holding the dagger, and spewed out contemptuous mockery in a voice cracking like an old tree.
While wrapping his entire body in a black current like shadows, shimmering like a heat haze.
A face that looked like it was about to start reciting the Communist Manifesto right now.
A gloomy attire that seemed to fully reveal an antisocial and unsociable personality.
Even a black haze that looked like it had been boiled in a pot full of black corpses.
It was truly an appearance and atmosphere that fit the name Abyss Priest all too well.
“The Abyss desires your blood and souls. Rejoice and offer your lives, and rise anew as an army of death!”
Perhaps intoxicated by his own manner of speaking, he declared loudly in a highly exalted voice.
That he would kill us all and turn us into undead.
After finishing his words, the Abyss Priest thrust the dagger he was gripping into his left arm with a stab.
A sudden self-harm. His left arm, hidden by his sleeve, convulsed and writhed violently, and then…
With a ripping sound, something monstrous burst out, tearing the sleeve to shreds.
A grotesque form that could no longer be called a human arm.
His left arm had transformed into a mass of tentacles with sharp claws instead of the bones, muscles, flesh, and skin that should have been there.
I’m not sure if an arm that has changed so grotesquely like that would be practical, but at least its appearance was quite impressive.
“Break away from the skirt of the Goddess who is no different from a whore, and accept the grace that the true god will bestow upon you. Grace in the name of eternity!”
Anyway, he pointed his writhing tentacle arm towards the paladins with a triumphant expression. Along with a provocation just right for getting his head smashed in.
“Kuaaah! You dare blaspheme Her before me! You madman tainted by evil!”
“Blasphemous, blasphemous! Unspeakable blasphemy. He must be branded with the mark of sin and burned for ten days!”
Sure enough, the paladins exploded with rage, almost foaming at the mouth, exuding sharp killing intent in streams.
“You blasphemer born of your parents’ mistake, even your children will be ashamed of their father’s sin and spit on your corpse!”
Such violent language that I suspected they might be from the same country as me.
I realized.
That the frenzy Bolton Priest had shown when facing the undead was merely at the level of a menstruating woman’s irritability.
The frenzy of real paladins and priests was truly reminiscent of mad dogs starved for ten days.
“Grrrrrr…! That hideous blasphemer… I will tear that blasphemer into a thousand pieces and offer them to Her altar!”
Even the paladin in charge of command was the same.
He had sold off his calm demeanor from before somewhere, and shouted like thunder with his eyes rolled back, showing the whites of his eyes glowing with light.
Declaring that he would turn that Abyss Priest into a human puzzle.
“Paladin Order, follow me―!”
The commanding paladin leaped off the ground, firmly gripping his 「Holy Spear」, and launched himself like a beast towards the Abyss Priest.
As the Abyss Priest pointed forward with the dagger in his right hand, a group of undead walked out from behind him and blocked in front of him as if to guard him.
Revenants with large shields formed a shield wall, and skeletons with bows lined up behind them, drawing their bowstrings all at once.
Finally, two Decay Hosts stomped out and spread their sharp claws wide.
“You think you can block the Goddess’s spear with mere shields like that-!”
The commanding paladin threw his holy spear at the revenants, breaking a part of the shield wall, then rushed in and swung his golden sword like a storm in all directions.
It was a sight that looked majestic beyond bravery.
…If only we could turn our eyes away from the fact that he was not a mere combat soldier but a commander.
“Haa…”
I let out a faint sigh as I pulled out my longsword that had pierced through an unarmed combat undead’s abdomen, breaking its collarbone.
What is that uncle doing?
If he dies like that, who’s going to command us now?
“Follow Sir Beckman! Everyone char-urk!”
Had they come to the same concern as me, or had they just gone mad with anger like their commander?
The paladins who had been taking down the Decay Hosts one by one raised their glowing swords and spears and charged after Beckman.
“No, what’s with this sudden…! If everyone goes, what about here?!”
The adventurers left behind burst out in bewilderment.
Because most of the paladins had lost their minds and rushed towards the Abyss Priest, leaving a gaping hole in the formation they had been defending.
“Narrow the formation and hold out! Until we subjugate him!”
A paladin who still had some reason left shouted, turning his head mid-run.
They would first chop up the Abyss Priest and come back, so just hold out defensively until then.
“Hold out…! Easy for you to say, damn it.”
“…It’s not like we have any other choice. Let’s do as they say. For now.”
The adventurers expressed their dissatisfaction by clicking their tongues or shaking their heads, but followed orders and continued fighting the undead while stepping back.
Still, perhaps because they were all experienced copper token adventurers, they somehow managed to keep the fight going.
“Grrrrrr!”
“The Decay Host is rampaging! Be careful!”
“Surround it, surround! It’s got two arms, so if we attack from all sides, we should land a few hits!”
The warriors surrounded the few remaining Decay Hosts in a circle, slashing and stabbing from all directions like an adult version of pirate roulette.
You know, wasn’t there once a children’s game that became popular nationwide where you stab a pirate in a barrel with knives from all sides to kill him?
The situation the Decay Host faced was exactly like that.
Splat!
“Kuhak…!”
Every time it swung its arms, two or three adventurers were sent flying back, spraying blood.
However, at the same time, more than five spears and swords pierced its body.
“Now’s the time! Stab it!”
“Die!”
“Grueeek! Graaak! Gauaak!”
A fierce attack that would be hard to avoid becoming minced meat even if it were a Decay Lord, not just a Decay Host.
Even as it was rapidly becoming a rag, it thrashed about wildly, bursting white spores in all directions like a kicked dandelion, but…
“This bastard is bursting spores again! Everyone hold your breath!”
This too was nothing more than the death throes of a cornered beast.
“Priest Johann! How many purification miracles do you have left?”
“Two more times!”
Although all the paladins had left the formation to kill the Abyss Priest, the priests who remained were supporting the adventurers with miracles of blessing and purification.
“Hey, you got any spare arrows? If you do, sell me half a bundle!”
“Can’t you see? I’m broke too, broke. Who knew there’d be so many of these undead bastards…”
“I can’t fight anymore! I’ll leave the rest to you!”
“I’ve used up all my magic too… I’ll step back until midnight!”
Although the burden on those dealing with other undead had increased somewhat as most of the warriors were focused on subjugating the Decay Host, it seemed we could somehow hold out like this.
That was enough.
“Is this all you’ve got!”
“Try talking big like before! Blasphemous vermin!”
“The Goddess desires your screams!”
While we were holding out like that, the frenzied paladins were literally grinding up the Abyss Priest and his guard forces like a blender.
“Kuk…! You’re quite something, dogs of the Goddess…!”
The Abyss Priest extended the tentacles of his left arm long and swept them around like whips, but he couldn’t keep up with Beckman’s swordplay that was emitting streams of golden light, and was pushed into a one-sided defensive.
Were his arrogant remarks at the time of his appearance just bluster spouted recklessly?
His combat abilities were far too crude for someone who had created this many undead.
It seemed he hadn’t paid any attention to fields other than undead creation… there’s a limit to focusing on just one thing.
At this rate, it was only natural that he would be helplessly overwhelmed once he allowed the paladins to approach.
And after about ten minutes like that.
“Kaaap!”
Finally, Beckman’s sword sliced off the Abyss Priest’s left arm at the shoulder and sent it flying.
“Kuaak…!”
The Abyss Priest screamed in pain and staggered back. It was a sight of clear defeat – no, his life was hanging by a thread.
Just as Beckman kicked off the ground to finish him off, two wights launched a suicidal charge, stopping him in place for a moment.
“You vermin!”
Of course, the time the wights could buy was only a fleeting moment at best.
Beckman’s sword strike, accompanied by a thunderous roar, cut off one wight’s neck and then plunged into the waist of the other, splitting it in half.
“Kriic…!”
The wights perished in an instant.
However, thanks to the very brief time they bought, the Abyss Priest was able to seize one last opportunity.
“Kuuk…! Don’t think this is over with this!”
The Abyss Priest uttered a line like a third-rate villain as he stretched out his right hand and grasped at the air.
The next moment, the undead that were being turned into mincemeat by the paladins’ swords and spears all swelled up at once. Like half-rotten meat balloons.
“It’s 『Corpse Explosion』! Defend!”
With Beckman’s urgent cry, the paladins all spread holy barriers at once to prepare for the impending explosion.
Boom!
The following explosion. The undead that had swollen to their limits burst like bombs, shooting flesh and bone fragments in all directions.
Ziiing-!
Even so, most of it was blocked by the translucent holy light barrier walls and fell helplessly…
“He’s escaping!”
While the paladins were stopped to block the corpse explosion, the Abyss Priest was already fleeing at full speed, clutching his severed shoulder.
Into the dark forest from which he had emerged.
…If he was going to run after taking a few hits, he shouldn’t have talked big. It was an ugly reverse charge.
“Don’t let him escape-! Pursue him!”
Of course, the paladins weren’t the type to just let him get away.
“You heretic vermin from a brothel! Where do you think you’re running!”
The entire Paladin Order that had been fighting him, including Beckman, charged into the forest with fierce battle cries.
It was a blind charge that didn’t consider the consequences at all, like a gang of elementary school students rushing towards a truck full of hamburgers.
* * *
The Paladin Order rapidly moved away.
Instead of criticizing their absurd behavior, the adventurers collapsed on the bare ground, panting heavily.
It wasn’t that they had given up on the battle. Rather, the opposite.
“I-Is it over…?”
“Huff… huff… I’ll never take a request like this again…!”
Because there were no more enemies left to fight, they could finally take a proper rest.
Around the time the Abyss Priest gave up on the battle and fled, we had finally turned all the oncoming undead back into just dead. There was an end to the horde of monsters that had seemed endless.
“We won! We’ve won!”
Some adventurers who still had the energy to shout raised their hands high and cheered, while those who didn’t even have that much energy left gathered with their party members, quietly laughing and savoring the joy of victory.
The priests were busy running here and there, tending to the wounds of those injured during the battle.
Yes. We had won. At last.
Everyone seemed to be certain of that.
That’s why none of the adventurers complained about the paladins’ reckless charge. They just hoped they would return quickly.
If they came back with the Abyss Priest’s head, we would finally be able to return to the city.
“…Still, there was no need for all of them to rush off like that, was there?”
Only I grumbled, expressing faint dissatisfaction while searching for my helmet that had flown off somewhere during the battle.
“It’s fortunate that we managed to kill off all the undead here, but what if there were still powerful enemies left?”
The paladins’ actions were impossible to applaud no matter how much one tried to be generous.
It’s lucky that the adventurers and priests struggled hard to annihilate the undead army. If we had been pushed back instead, by the time the paladins returned, there might have only been corpses left.
“Are frontier paladins always this short-sighted?”
It was impossible to hold back the complaints.
“―That’s right. Absolutely. The young lady is quite wise.”
And then, an unfamiliar voice responded to this.
“Coolheadedness is a good virtue. You’ll make an excellent adventurer, young lady.”
It was an old man’s voice, low and thick, resonating as if humming, that I had never heard even once in the nearly two days since joining the subjugation force.
“What…!”
I reflexively turned my body around to look in the direction the voice had come from. Recalling the old saying that ‘what if’ can kill a person.
And before my eyes as I turned around.
“Fanaticism tends to rob one of intelligence. To the extent of being fooled so easily, unable to notice even a clumsy fake.”
An old man in a black robe had approached like a ghost, without making any sound.
“…Who are you.”
I bit my lip and pointed my longsword at him.
Cold sweat ran down my spine.
Speech and behavior too subversive for an adventurer.
An attire where the inside couldn’t be seen properly, as if the darkness of night had been cut and pasted on.
And above all, an ominously foreboding atmosphere incomparably more intense than the ‘Abyss Priest’ who had just fled.
“Ah, yes…. I haven’t introduced myself yet.”
Brunhilde’s body, the intuition cultivated as an adventurer, was telling me.
“A priest of magical arts who explores the wisdom of the Abyss. Hugh Casvail.”
That before my eyes was an Abyss Priest.
Not the fake from earlier, but an Abyss Priest in the true sense.
“I believe you call me the Lowborn Slaughterer?”
A faint smile spread across the old man’s lips covered by his beard.