Even from a distance, its power is anything but ordinary.
'Aren't you being pretty blatant about being from the Herald Clan?'
'But Azadin seems to be using an even stronger Moonhorn Bow than other heralds, doesn't he?'
Midiam and Ishmael clicked their tongues as they watched Azadin's performance.
'Heralds definitely… learn about tactics, strategy, and various shooting techniques. But most of it is just scratching the surface, and they say without practical experience, it's insufficient.'
That's why, after completing basic training, they perform missions alongside heralds as servants, learning through fieldwork.
'But Azadin became a herald without any servant experience and is only three months in. Yet, what is this proficiency? I heard he even fell behind during basic training, so just how did Elder Kazas train him?'
Midiam grew curious about what kind of training Azadin had gone through.
***
"Huh?"
Meiya flinched at the overwhelming power of Azadin's arrow. Azadin nocked another arrow and fired again.
-Thud!
Once more, with a resounding impact, an undead collapsed. Struck by the arrow, it tumbled across the ground like a pile of trash swept up by a strong wind.
[Damn it. What the hell is this?]
The mage, seemingly watching the situation unfold, was aghast.
"You said the strong take everything, right? I'll show you who the strong one is."
[Don't make me laugh, archer! You think firing a few arrows makes you superior? Try this!]
At that moment, the undead went into a frenzy.
"Grrrr!"
"Kaaaah!"
The undead charged at terrifying speeds. It was a scene that would strike fear into anyone. But Azadin did not waver.
"Like that'll help!"
Azadin unleashed the Aragasa shooting technique, maximizing the power of his arrows as he fired in rapid succession.
-Whoosh!
With the sound of wind being torn apart, the arrows flew, and each time, the rushing undead were sent sprawling. Furthermore, the fallen undead became obstacles for those behind them, stretching out the enemy's formation.
As a result, only a few undead actually reached the front line where Meiya and Tarkiev stood. Even if the fallen ones managed to get back up, the reduced number of enemies entering the fray at once meant the frontline warriors could handle them.
"Ugh. These things look seriously disgusting."
Tarkiev took the lead, wielding a longsword, while Kaka and Chico, armed with spears, positioned themselves diagonally behind him for support.
Whenever Tarkiev swung his longsword in a sweeping motion, the openings created by his strikes were covered by Kaka and Chico thrusting their spears from the rear.
Any undead that managed to push past the defensive line were intercepted and cut down by Holy Knight Meiya, who wielded the shortsword and shield Azadin had provided.
By maintaining such a structured formation, they could subdue the undead with relative ease. Moreover…
-Swish!
-Thud!
In addition to Azadin's arrows, another powerful shot struck the undead. Unable to hold back any longer, Midiam had drawn his Moonhorn Bow, abandoning his hunting bow.
"Hey."
"As long as that Holy Knight doesn't catch us, we're fine, right?"
It seemed that Holy Knight Meiya was too occupied in close combat to notice. She had no time to look back.
Taking advantage of this, not only Midiam but even Ishmael had discreetly switched to the Moonhorn Bow, firing arrows.
"Fine. If I give the signal, switch your bows immediately."
Azadin permitted Midiam and Ishmael to use the Moonhorn Bow and continued shooting his own arrows.
***
As Azadin, Midiam, and Ishmael began firing, the undead could no longer hold their ground.
The few that managed to slip past the arrow barrage and reach Tarkiev's group were already so battered that even the slightest strike with a melee weapon made them collapse. However, as their corpses piled up, Tarkiev's group was gradually forced backward.
[D-Damn these bastards…]
The mage was flustered.
They had dismissed them, thinking they were just a bunch of nobodies with a kid among them, but they were holding out far better than merchants and mercenaries.
Moreover, their defensive formation was annoyingly tricky.
The only obstacles were insignificant wooden benches, barely reaching knee height. Still, the zombies, with their poor mobility, stumbled and tripped while trying to climb over them.
As a result, the ground forces had no choice but to remain exposed to the arrow storm. Deploying the wyverns seemed like a tempting option, but they were valuable possessions—perfect for possession magic. Losing them here would be a waste. It would be like sacrificing the queen in a game of chess at the very start.
'Hesitation leads to ruin. I should've deployed all the wyverns from the beginning.'
Ultimately, the mage decided to commit all of their remaining forces.
***
-Grrrrng.
A bear appeared.
It wasn't a zombie—only its body was covered in black spores. Unlike the undead, it moved with fluid agility, exuding raw vitality.
It was alive.
And then…
-Roooaaar!
The wyverns also started moving. With the bear attacking on the ground and wyverns in the air, they launched a three-dimensional assault.
"Whoa!"
As the bear charged, the formation was thrown into disarray in an instant. Tarkiev, who had held firm against humanoid zombies, hesitated when faced with the charging beast.
Even Azadin's arrows, which had displayed overwhelming power against other undead, failed to make much of an impact.
-Thunk!
An arrow embedded itself deep, almost entirely disappearing into the bear's flesh, leaving only the fletching visible.
If it had been a normal living bear, the pain would have been unbearable, likely causing it to die from shock.
However, the bear didn't care. It charged forward, even as the embedded arrow ripped through its muscles and tore open its wounds.
"Hiiik!"
Tarkiev, gripping his shield and sword, attempted to dodge, but the bear swung its massive paw.
The blow caught his shield, and Tarkiev was sent flying like a ragdoll.
Tarkiev flew through the air like a shepherd riding a rampaging bull and crashed onto the ground.
"Kyaaah!"
"Ugh!"
Kaka and Chico thrust their spears right after him, but they met the same fate. Their spears snapped under the force of the bear's charge, and they were sent rolling across the ground.
"Huh!?"
Executive knight Meiya, flustered, began chanting a spell.
—Retribution Strike!
A hammer of light appeared before her, striking the bear with an explosive impact. With a deafening roar, the bear's foreleg finally buckled. The shoulder and torso, where Azadin's arrows had embedded, tore apart as the bear tumbled forward.
A Holy Knight of the King's Church, and one deemed worthy of being an Executive knight of the Bishop, should possess such power, but… the problem was that she was too close to the blast.
"Kyaaah!"
Meiya was caught in the explosion of her own holy spell.
'Is she an idiot!?'
When they had been locked in the warehouse, she had mentioned that if she used her magic, she could destroy the door, but she would be caught in the blast as well. Now, he understood why. That Holy Knight could probably only use that single spell.
Still, thanks to her, the bear was defeated.
[Damn it. As expected, you are quite formidable! But…]
Beyond the fallen bear, undead creatures made from the corpses of other forest beasts surged forward.
[I still have plenty of undead left! And!]
Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the bear's charge, the wyverns soared through the sky and landed atop the warehouse roof.
[Ahaha! How does it feel, Hubris scum? This is the power of the Herald Clan, the very people you loathe! How does it feel to be repaid by the one you mocked and despised?]
The mage boasted triumphantly. But at that moment—
"Sorry, but you don't understand the power of the clan at all."
[What?]
"If you want to talk about the power of the clan… this is what it looks like."
In the next moment, the wyverns let out agonized screams and collapsed all at once.
***
The wyverns had raised their sharp, venomous tails high into the air, then plunged them downward, piercing through the warehouse roof and injecting poison inside.
Azadin, Midiam, and Ishmael had been positioned under the eaves or inside the warehouse, shooting arrows outward, but the wyverns had begun targeting them, thrashing their tails inside.
However, Azadin simply shot through the roof, embedding his arrows deep into the wyverns' bellies.
With such a powerful bow, even the arrows he shot at the bear had almost completely buried themselves in its flesh. Now, at this point-blank range, the arrows pierced straight through the wyverns' bodies, shredding their internal organs.
[What in the world…]
The mage was dumbfounded.
The sheer power and accuracy of the arrows, killing wyverns beyond their sight, were unbelievable.
In an instant, Azadin had wiped out the wyverns, then burst out of the warehouse.
"Watch closely."
Azadin drew his bow and shot at a wyvern swooping down from the sky.
"Our arrows can even bring down the stars…"
The arrow struck the wyvern's wing, snapping its bone as it continued through.
The young wyvern, as massive as a calf, let out a piercing screech as it plummeted to the ground.
"And the first arrow meets the second arrow!"
Azadin unfolded the Dual Immortal Bow.
Two arrows struck a single wyvern at the same time, severing both its wings.
"In the Emperor's name, we even hunt down the Divine King. This is who we are, the Aragasa people. The term 'Herald Clan' is merely what others call us. If you are one of us, then call yourself Aragasa."
Azadin spoke and shrugged.
[Then you are…]
"My name is Azadin, the 108th Herald of the Emperor."
[You, a herald? Emperor's herald?]
"That's right."
[Ha… Hahaha.]
The dying wyvern, possessed by the mage, let out a hollow laugh.
***
Midiam had once told Azadin that if he could convince this mage—the one who had suffered as a slave merely for being part of the Herald Clan—they would truly respect him.
But the reason he had said that was because he believed it was essentially impossible. Those who had touched the black magic never truly returned to who they once were.
Anyone who had encountered the power of black magic, the force that governs death, would forever be haunted by its scent, unable to escape the constant awareness of death.
Unlike most living beings, who think only of life, black magic darkened the mind, forcing its wielder to continuously confront the boundary between life and death.
And beyond that, how could one suppress and convince a soul filled with resentment and hatred after enduring slavery and abuse?
Yet, Azadin sensed the faintest glimmer of hope.
That hope lay in pride.
The mage, despite being tortured and enslaved for being part of the Herald Clan, had still invoked the strength of the Herald Clan while taking revenge on the Hubris people.
When someone is forced into an identity by others, that identity, whether they like it or not, becomes more deeply ingrained.
Discriminated against for being part of the Herald Clan, he had no choice but to focus on the strengths of the Herald Clan to protect himself.
If that was the case… then to persuade this mage, Azadin needed to show him the proud image of a true Herald.
But was that even possible?
The Herald Clan had long since lost its pride. Even among them, Azadin was one of the most despised, a man who had no right to feel proud—one who had only ever been scorned.
Most importantly, the mage's heart was the greatest obstacle.
How could he possibly convince a soul so twisted by suffering and pain?