The reanimated corpses charged at him with their white eyes exposed. In the face of the overwhelming pressure that would make any normal person’s heart shrink, Ruon took a big step forward.
He stood between his companions and the barbarians like a breakwater against the tidal wave of fear. He gripped the end of his scale spear and swung it hard.
It was a simple horizontal slash, but it contained such tremendous force that the bodies of those who rushed at him were torn apart like butter.
Left to right. Then right to left.
The spearhead that was moving back and forth got caught on someone’s shield and snapped. Ruon immediately let go of the spear shaft and grabbed his sword.
The blade that sliced off the neck of a corpse that was biting like a starving beast also cut through the cheek of another one and escaped to the other side.
He pushed away the one that was flailing with only its jaw left and tried to secure some space. But behind him, the corpses started to pile up one by one, screaming horribly.
Kee-ah-ah-ak!
The space to swing his arm was gone, thanks to the ones who were pushing their bodies forward. Ruon collided head-on with the wall of corpses.
Surprisingly, he didn’t budge an inch.
He alone withstood the force and weight of the fifty or so corpse barbarians. The ones that were sandwiched in the middle couldn’t endure the pressure from both sides and began to be crushed.
In the midst of that, some of them managed to sink their teeth into Ruon’s shoulder, arm, and thigh. He had no choice but to allow such resistance, since they were so close that he could feel their breath.
But the biting power of the corpse barbarians was not enough to pierce through his muscles, let alone his skin. And then, Ruon took a deep breath and pushed his abdomen hard, shoving them away.
The wall of corpses collapsed backwards with his amazing strength. He dove into the space that opened up and swung his sword hard.
Kee-eh-ek!
The merciless blow made the corpses’ bodies literally split apart. None of them could withstand it twice.
Amella, who was watching the scene of slaughter with a blank stare, spoke without even looking at the knight who had reached her front.
“···You were already a warrior beyond common sense, but now you look like a transcendent being. I feel a creepy but glittering light from you. Is that just my imagination? What do you think, Kyle?”
Kyle punched the face of a corpse that was lunging at him from the side, then gave it a hammer blow to the top of its head. The skull caved in with a squishy sound, and the corpse fell to the ground.
He put down his hammer and answered.
“Isn’t this a situation where he can’t stop by his own will?”
Amella smiled faintly at his surprisingly sharp question. As if she was agreeing with him.
“You’ve changed a lot. I thought you were never a person who would settle for being a woodcutter, but a champion of Tivella···I can’t imagine what happened to you.”
Kyle looked at her with a regretful expression.
“Then you can just ask him yourself. He can tell you about the past while drinking beer all night until dawn.”
Amella shook her head quietly.
“···It’s too late for that.”
As she said that, a red pattern began to swell under her pale face like a blood vessel. Kyle flinched at the bizarre change and a swarm of light flew at him.
He quickly stretched out his spell breaker to scatter the attack. But the light that spread like fog didn’t seem to disappear, but rather exploded in a dazzling flash.
“Kugh!”
Kyle was caught in a dust explosion in an instant and retreated hastily. He didn’t have time to check his scorched face, as something flashed at him from the front.
He adjusted his posture and swung his hammer to block it. He realized too late that what he had blocked was a blue lightning bolt.
The blue lightning wrapped around his hammer like a snake and tried to attack his hand that was holding the handle, but it was soon neutralized by the electric current that sprang from the hammer.
Despite the pain of his palm melting on the overheated hammer handle, Kyle didn’t loosen his fist and swung his hammer again after blocking another lightning bolt with his shield.
Vroom-
The lightning bolt that advanced without hesitation struck Amella’s blue barrier. She was pushed back three steps by the impact, but she quickly regained her balance and spread her palms.
Ten different-colored lights sprang from her fingers and whipped at Kyle.
He dodged them with an amazing agility that was hard to believe for someone wearing plate armor, but he was eventually bound by the lights that chased him like they had feet.
“···Amella.”
He called his friend’s name softly, and an invisible force struck his chest. His breastplate was dented and he was flung far back.
“Ugh-”
Right after that, Amella collapsed on the spot and spat out blood. She was shaking her arm like a dead tree, and Ruon approached her.
Behind him, the barbarians had become corpses again. There were still some who were writhing with their tenacious vitality, but Colin stabbed them in the head with his dagger and made holes in their heads.
Ruon stopped and asked.
“Is it possible for a normal mage to destroy the wall, resurrect more than a hundred corpses, and cast all kinds of spells?”
Amella lifted her head with difficulty and smiled faintly. Her mouth was stained with blood.
“···Of course not. If you did all that without resting, even the master of the tower would have his brain damaged···”
The mage who did all that coughed up blood on the floor and added.
“Quinn was···fascinated by the world that the Messenger promised and trained his own army to achieve it. That was the orphanage of Dumpfries···children with talent in magic···ahh”
As she spoke, she suddenly clutched her head and groaned. Was there a curse?
Amela extended her hand forward as Ruon approached, but it seemed more a gesture to keep him at bay than the manifestation of a spell.
“The Tree of Life… if it revives… the kingdom will fall…”
From her trembling eyes and lips, Ruon instinctively realized she was risking her life to convey something to him.
“That should be enough,” he said. “You don’t need to say any more.”
At that moment, Amela’s eyes rolled back.
The sight of her whites turning pitch black in an instant filled Ruon with an indescribable sense of dread.
“Colin!”
At his shout, Colin, who had been checking on the fallen Kyle, reflexively pulled the spell disruptor towards him and crouched down.
Simultaneously, the corpses on the ground exploded.
Boom!
Bone shards scattered like blades, but the real problem was the darkness escaping from the corpses, writhing towards Amela’s twisted face.
Knowing it was the spell that had collapsed the walls, Ruon immediately grasped his Ego Sword with both hands, drawing forth its power.
Soon, red runes swirled and blazed on Ruin’s blade, emitting a bright light.
Oooh…
Then, Amela snapped her head forward and opened her mouth towards something.
Realizing it was the gates of Eltigre, Ruon didn’t hesitate to block her view, raising his arm.
At the same time, a black sphere flew towards them.
─────────!
***
After twisting the barbarian’s wrist and thrusting the spear into his solar plexus, Aslan turned at the tremendous roar from beyond the walls.
A massive shockwave struck the walls.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
Both the barbarians and the allied forces staggered, losing their balance amidst the chaos.
But the heat of battle had already reached a fever pitch, paralyzing everyone’s reason, and they immediately swung their weapons at each other.
Amidst this, Chebil, once Aslan’s lieutenant, rushed to his side.
“Another powerful spell has exploded outside. It seems to be the same one that destroyed the walls.”
“Any damage?”
“Fortunately, there’s no direct harm. It might have missed.”
Missed?
Aslan was certain it hadn’t, but he didn’t voice this, changing the subject instead.
“How’s the lord?”
“He’s been unconscious since the first explosion. There seems to be no external injury, so his life isn’t in danger.”
Aslan nodded.
“It’s hard to replace his absence, but we must persevere. We can’t fight head-on forever; we’ll push them back, drive them out, and repair the broken walls.”
Chebil responded promptly.
“An officer is already gathering all the stonemasons in the city. They’ll be here soon.”
Quick thinking.
Aslan inwardly admired the swift response.
The fact that everyone knew their role amidst the chaos of the crumbling walls and the lord’s absence spoke volumes about their regular training.
Recalling the three men who had gone outside, Aslan hoped they were safe amidst the recent noise and swung his sword again.
Roaring like a lion.
“Drive them out-!”
***
Amidst the acrid smell of burning, Kyle opened his eyes.
Forcing his crusty eyelids open, he stared at the charred face before him.
“Co, Colin!”
“Shi, shit… It’s the brother who should protect me. It doesn’t make sense for me to protect you…”
Colin’s murmurs trailed off as he slumped over. Kyle caught him, but he was already unconscious.
After discarding his breastplate that was constricting his breathing, Kyle picked up the spell disruptor that had fallen from Colin’s hand.
“What is this…”
The shield, previously unscathed, was now pockmarked with holes.
Kyle carefully laid Colin down and, clutching the hammer that had fallen nearby, struggled to his feet.
He screamed as his bones creaked, but he didn’t stop. He stumbled through the smoky fog.
“Luon-! Amela-!”
He kept calling the names of the two people who had hidden their tracks, and soon he found Amela, who had knelt down and hung her head.
He ran to her, dropping his shield and hammer.
“Amela!”
At his cry, Amela slowly lifted her head. She said,
“Idiot… You got hurt so badly… Why did you… Follow me…”
She fell into his arms, and Kyle frowned involuntarily. He felt no weight in his hand.
“Did you starve yourself? Why, why are you so light?”
She smiled faintly at his words.
“Blood dripped from her cracked lips.
“…This melodrama doesn’t suit us… Right? So… Don’t cry.”
Her body, hit by the falling tears, began to crumble like dust.
“Wait, just a moment. Amela!”
Kyle desperately squeezed the divine power in his body and hugged Amela. But he could only delay the collapse of her body, not stop it.
“Tibela! Please save my friend. Please!”
Amela laughed at his words, which were too naive for a knight representing a sect. That was how she remembered Kyle.
“Please. Please. Please. Please!”
Kyle searched and searched for the goddess, with unprecedented earnestness. All his emotions were condensed in the word ‘please’, as he couldn’t recite a proper prayer like Igor.
“Kyle… It’s enough…”
Amela gently patted the shoulder of the crying knight with her trembling hand.
That’s when it happened. Someone came trudging from afar.
“Let’s try it together.”
The man who came in armor that looked like rags from the bombing was Luon.
He knelt down on the opposite side of Kyle and wrapped Amela’s shoulder with his large palm.
“…What are you doing?”
She asked him, and Luon shrugged.
“I’m asking the dwarf god for a favor. I don’t know if it’ll work, but if it doesn’t, I’ll threaten to tear his beard.”
As he said that, the tattoo on his shoulder began to glow red. At the same time, everyone heard the sound of someone hammering in their ears.
Clang-clang-
It was the moment when the blessings of Tibela and Duemur mixed for one person.
