Chapter 178
Simon and Lete finished clearing the general compartment and moved on to the next carriage.
The Holy Train was composed of a variety of multipurpose cars. After the sleeper cars for first, second, and third class, there were general compartments or cargo holds, followed again by sleeper cars in a repeating pattern.
The fierce battle had taken place in the second-class car. The Blood Heaven Cultists had propped up the beds to create barricades, secured space behind them, and were launching ranged attacks.
Although Simon and Lete had deployed a Protection Barrier to block them, a considerable amount of mental strength was being drained.
"Ugh, so annoying."
Lete clicked her tongue. She wanted to wipe them out in one go with a wide-area physical attack, but the hostages in the back held her back.
All the hostages had their eyes and mouths covered, their limbs bound, and wore red necklaces. Lete turned toward Simon and asked,
"Got any bright ideas?"
"..."
Simon hesitated for a moment, then turned his back.
"Hold them off for five minutes."
"Ugh, five minutes? Make it two!"
Simon turned around and moved to the rear carriage. After confirming it was empty, he took off his clothes and flipped them inside out.
Flap!
His outfit transformed into a coat. When Simon lightly infused Darkness into its surface with his fingertips, it instantly turned pitch black.
He fastened the coat's buttons all the way up to his neck without leaving a gap and pulled the hood low over his head. Lastly, he took out the mask he had bought on the black market and put it on.
'Knew something like this would happen.'
With his disguise complete, Simon looked up. He spotted a hatch on the ceiling of the car.
He leaped up and grabbed the emergency handle on the ceiling with both hands, then kicked up with his legs to force open the hatch.
Click!
It opened more easily than expected. Simon climbed onto the roof of the train, facing the fierce headwind.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
The sound of the moving train was much louder outside.
'The train's definitely slowed down.'
Simon steadied himself and looked around.
Old rails, and wild trees growing unchecked. This definitely wasn't a normal route. It looked like the train had changed direction midway.
'Let's move.'
Resolving himself, Simon began to run. He leaped across to the next train car's roof.
"This should be about right."
Below, he could hear the sounds of battle between Lete and the Blood Heaven Cultists. Simon drew a magic circle on the train roof, then took a potion of acid out from subspace and placed it in the center.
'It's been a while, Toxicology! Good to see you.'
Simon activated the magic circle.
Clink!
The potion bottle shattered, and its contents flowed into the circle. Soon, the magic circle turned green, the same color as the potion.
Chiiiiiiiii!
The circle's effect kicked in, and the roof began to melt rapidly. A large hole opened, and through it, he could see the Blood Heaven Cultists. A few of them noticed Simon, but it was already too late.
Simon jumped down into the hole.
Boom!
He landed right in the middle of the cultists, stomping on them as he fell.
As everyone panicked at the sudden appearance of a man in black, Simon planted his left foot firmly.
"Open Gate!"
Overlord's blades shot out simultaneously from six directions, slicing through the cultists. More than a dozen people were thrown in all directions, flying out the windows or slamming into walls.
"Gah!"
"Kill the masked bastard first!"
There were still plenty of enemies left.
The cultists unleashed a barrage of Blood Arrows from their palms, but Overlord's blades coiled around Simon like a serpent, shielding him.
"Half of you take the woman! The rest, get this guy!"
"Keep firing! Just overwhelm them with numbers!"
At that moment, Simon's eyes flashed behind the mask through a gap in Overlord's blades.
"Numbers, you say?"
Simon pulled an imaginary lever. A swarm of skeleton troops poured out of subspace.
Having trained consistently since Leshill, Simon could now control six summoned skeletons at once. Add to that ten Legion-type skeletons with no cap on numbers, a total of sixteen skeletons slashed their way into the fight.
'Go.'
Simon began commanding them. He split the skeletons into two units to attack enemies at the front and rear simultaneously. A few remaining skeletons secured the hostages and moved them to the safe rear car.
'Pike unit, forward.'
The skeletons raised their shields and spears and advanced, while Overlord covered ranged attacks.
Simon, who had flipped the tide like turning over a palm, turned his head. Some cultists, sensing their defeat, tried to escape to the front car.
'Can't let them call reinforcements.'
Simon stretched out his right arm. A few Skeletons transformed into Bone Armor and shot forward like arrows.
Clack! Clack!
They began to attach themselves to the bodies of the two cultists trying to flee the fastest. Startled screams erupted as they saw the bones latching onto their bodies.
"W-What is this?! Ugh!"
Even skull-shaped helmets formed and covered their heads. The two cultists, now fully equipped with Bone Armor, turned around.
"What are you standing there for, hu— Gah!"
The two now in Bone Armor blocked the narrow passage and began attacking the cultists trying to flee.
"Traitors!"
"It's not me! My body's moving on its own!"
Simon's right hand danced like a puppeteer pulling strings. Using those two to block the corridor, the remaining skeletons suppressed the cultists from behind.
It took less than ten minutes to completely neutralize nearly thirty enemies.
A flawless victory, no doubt. As Simon, in his black coat, raised his clenched fist high, the undead let out a roar of the dead in triumph.
Smiling, Simon turned around.
"Alright, let's move to the next car, Le—"
Simon froze mid-sentence. Lete stood there, paler than ever, arms wrapped tightly around herself, trembling. Simon quickly took off his mask and pulled it up over his head.
"A-Are you okay? That scared you, didn't it?"
She had a trauma, she had seen with her own eyes the villagers of her hometown turned into skeletons by a necromancer.
"I'm sorry. I'll call them ba—"
Step.
She walked forward with a hardened expression. Passing by the mass of skeletons, she came up beside Simon.
"Don't underestimate me."
"...Lete."
"You said it, remember?"
She kept walking past Simon as she spoke.
"You said you'd try to change the way I see things."
"...Huh? Y-Yeah."
"Let's go."
Relieved, Simon let out a breath and put his mask back on.
They moved to the next carriage. Since the enemy's forces had been focused on the second-class car, the third-class one was clean and empty. They passed through it quickly.
"...Damn."
This next compartment was drenched in blood.
Along with the sacrificed passengers and priests, there were also fallen members of the Blood Heaven Sect. Their bodies showed massive bite marks.
"A third faction? If not, then it looks like something indiscriminately killed everyone, ally and enemy alike."
"The blood trail leads to the next car."
Simon pointed as he spoke.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
The two of them proceeded cautiously. Passing through the narrow connection between train cars, they entered the next compartment.
And they saw it.
Kegegegek! Kegegegegek.
A massive monster, its head nearly touching the ceiling, was visible, a grotesque mass of red muscles without skin. A canine snout protruded from its face.
In its front paw, it held a man in priestly robes who had just breathed his last. The creature flung the priest into a wall, then turned its bulging eyes toward the two of them.
'A type of chimera. This won't be easy.'
Simon's face tensed.
"I've heard rumors. Blood Heaven Sect's secret weapon, a patchwork monster made by haphazardly vomiting up flesh from humans and monsters. We call it a Hellhound."
Kegegegek!
The Hellhound began to approach. Simon issued an Absolute Order.
Clack! Clack!
The skeleton unit charged forward with weapons drawn.
In response, the Hellhound raised its front paw. A massive axe blade made of bone popped out and it swung it horizontally.
Craaaaaaash!
Three skeletons were simultaneously shattered in a single blow. As bones flew through the air, Simon thrust his right arm forward.
The airborne bones paused for a moment in midair, then launched forward and stabbed into the Hellhound's body.
However, most of them bounced off, unable to pierce the dense muscle. The Hellhound didn't even flinch.
Kegegegek!
When it immediately swung its paw in counterattack, Lete stepped forward and deployed a Holy Shield.
Boom!
Lete's sturdy shield cracked loudly under the blow.
The two of them gave up on defense and retreated. On the second strike, Lete's shield completely shattered.
"Small stuff won't cut it! We have to finish it off for good!"
"Then show me something that'll get the job done!"
She swiftly waved her hands in the air, and a new magic circle unfolded. A thick, drill-shaped silver spear rose from the circle.
Whirrrrrr!
The silver spear began to spin.
As Lete drew the sign of the cross and clenched her fist, a direct Blessing was cast onto the Holy Spear. Colorful bands of light, visual manifestations of the blessing, fluttered and wrapped around the body of the drill.
"Die!"
With a thunderous roar, the Holy Spear fired straight into the Hellhound's chest.
The Hellhound was pushed back by the impact and slammed into the wall.
Kegegegek!
But even with the spear lodged in its chest where the heart should be, it stood up unharmed. It clearly wasn't an ordinary life form.
"Ugh, I overdid it."
Lete gasped for breath. While holy magic could be cast quickly if one had the will, it consumed a significant amount of mental energy.
"Step back, Lete. I'll handle it."
"...What are you going to do?"
"You catch a monster with a monster."
Speaking confidently, Simon opened subspace and took out what appeared to be an ordinary zombie. He set it down on the floor. Then, bringing his mouth close to the gray ring on his left hand, he spoke.
"Prince, get ready."
"?"
Lete tilted her head in confusion at the sudden act of speaking to a ring.
"Bring the crown too, and come over here."
After finishing the conversation, Simon touched the zombie's body with the ring. Of course, nothing happened.
"What, what the hell are you doing! This is no time for jokes!"
"It's not a joke! This is the actual summoning method!"
"Don't lie to me! You think I don't know black magic and you can just bluff your way through?!"
Kegek! Kegegegegek!
The Hellhound charged violently and swung its front paw.
"Ugh!"
Lete once again leapt in front of Simon and spread both hands.
Multiple protection barriers unfolded in the air, but with each strike, one after another shattered under the Hellhound's blows.
Lete deployed shields, the Hellhound smashed them, over and over again.
"I was wrong to trust you! Get out of the way!"
Despite her shouting, Simon remained still, pressing the ring against the zombie's body without moving.
The Hellhound alone was already overwhelming, but to make matters worse, a horde of Blood Zombies came rushing in from the front compartment, drawn by the commotion.
"Lete."
"What!"
"It's fine now. Step back."
Bang!
The barriers had just been completely destroyed. Lete dodged to the side, and the Hellhound's front paw came crashing down toward Simon.
Ruuuuuuuuumble!
A black lightning bolt struck down from the ceiling, hitting the zombie's body.
The Hellhound's axe, tearing through the air in a deadly arc, came to a halt — thud! — against a hand wreathed in black lightning.
[Sighhh, always when I'm trying to rest.]
Lete's eyes widened.
The zombie's body, struck by lightning, rippled and began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, the zombie vanished, replaced by a boy wearing aristocratic clothing and a golden crown, rising with weary eyes.
But that wasn't why Lete was shocked.
'...I-I can't breathe. I've never seen an undead like this.'
The Prince yawned lazily and turned to Simon.
[So, I just need to beat the mutt first?]