"Run!"
Simon grabbed Kamibarez's hand and ran. At the same time, a chilling slicing sound tore through the air behind them.
Boooom!
Boom!
Black crosses slammed into the ground in rapid succession, carving out massive craters. Simon's eyes widened.
…A Priest is using Darkness?!
He immediately realized the situation was far worse than he had imagined. It wasn't just that a Priest had somehow appeared on Roke Mountain.
…There's a traitor inside Kizen!
Simon had two reasons for that conclusion.
First, Darkness and Holiness were fundamentally conflicting forces. One could wield only one or the other.
Second, this Priest was clearly using Darkness — not Holiness.
In other words, this wasn't an external infiltrator.
This was someone who had been operating within Kizen all along.
Almost certainly a spy from the Holy Federation.
No one within Kizen prayed to a god. That meant the Priest must have ventured deep into the Forbidden Forest, where no one dared set foot, to perform their rituals.
And Simon and Camibarez had the misfortune of witnessing it.
Which led to a single, undeniable conclusion:
If we're caught… we're dead!
Shick!
Shiiiick!
Black crosses formed from condensed Darkness rained down indiscriminately. Blood splattered from Simon's arms and thighs as searing pain shot through his body.
Huff! Huff!
Panting heavily, Simon's eyes flew open.
Something slithered toward him like a serpent.
"Watch out!"
Simon shouted, bending backward just in time.
A pitch-black chain of Darkness shot past, barely grazing his hair.
As Simon straightened, he turned toward Camibarez.
"Are you alrigh—!"
She was being pulled away.
"S-Simon!"
Her leg had been ensnared by the chain. Both of them reached out desperately, but their fingers sliced through empty air.
An instant later, Camibarez was dragged into the darkness at terrifying speed.
"Damn it!" Simon bolted after her.
By the time he reached her, she had crashed into a tree and lost consciousness, her body tightly bound by black chains.
Kami's been captured!
Simon gritted his teeth and looked back. The robed Priest approached slowly.
The hood was pulled so low, and the darkness beneath it so thick, that their face remained completely hidden.
The flowing robe concealed even their build and gender. There was almost no information to be gleaned from appearance alone.
Then the Priest raised their left arm.
Tat!
Simon instantly stepped onto Darkness and ducked behind a tree. A charging chain slammed into the trunk and recoiled.
Whummm! Whummm! Whummm!
This time, dozens of crosses manifested midair all at once.
To manifest crosses — a sacred symbol of Priests — using Darkness, the domain of necromancers…
Simon felt a profound sense of discord.
At the subtle motion of the Priest's palm turning downward, the crosses rained down simultaneously.
Ugh!
Simon drew a skeleton short sword from subspace and dashed forward.
The crosses pierced the ground like gravestones. Just as one shot toward him—
Clang!
Simon swung the short sword, deflecting it. A violent jolt surged through his wrist, and the blade shattered into fragments.
Chrrrriiiing!
Chains lashed in from both sides. Simon dropped low, nearly to the ground, dodging them before snatching up a nearby stone.
Imbue with Darkness!
Whumm!
Darkness flooded into the stone, dyeing it pitch black. As Simon rose, he hurled it with all his strength.
Shiiiiing!
Simon stared desperately at the spinning projectile.
'Hit… Reveal your face!
Perhaps caught off guard, the Priest reacted a fraction too late. The stone tore part of the hood.
But only slightly.
"..."
Though the face remained hidden, Simon could feel the surge of fury radiating from the Priest.
More crosses materialized overhead.
Simon tried to move—
But the attack range now extended above him. There was nowhere to dodge.
"Whew…"
Simon slowly closed his eyes, raising both arms as though accepting his fate.
And then—
'Now!
A massive greatsword materialized behind the Priest.
KWAAAAAAANG!
With an explosive roar, the Priest's body was blasted backward.
They instantly conjured a Darkness shield, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two. The summoned crosses scattered like ashen debris.
[Keh-heh-heh-heh… Are you alright, boy?]
Pier revealed himself, fierce blue flames blazing within his eye sockets.
Towering well over two meters, he stood with a shapeless cloak billowing behind him and a massive white greatsword gripped in his hand.
Even the Priest appeared startled by the sudden emergence of an Ancient-class undead.
Pier!
[Stay back! This opponent is still far beyond you!]
Pier raised his greatsword beside his face. Simon nodded immediately.
Please…!
[Kahahahaha! I can't remember how long it's been since my last real fight! Here I go!]
Pier stomped forward. The ground shattered beneath him as he launched like a bullet. The Priest raised a Darkness shield in response.
CHZZZZZZZZZZZZZZANG!
Shield and greatsword collided.
The air screamed. The earth trembled. Nearby trees were uprooted and hurled aside.
Simon knew he was no longer at a level where he could intervene.
Suppressing his frustration, he turned and ran toward Camibarez. Pier's ambush had dispelled not only the crosses but also the chains binding her.
"Cami!"
Thankfully, she appeared to have merely fainted from the shock. Simon lifted her into his arms. As always, her body felt alarmingly light.
BOOOM!
A massive rock fragment crashed down nearby, forcing Simon to retreat farther. Each clash between Pier and the Priest reshaped the terrain.
'Pier! How's it going?
[Grrr… Not easy!]
Pier's voice trembled with strain.
[This one… They're absurdly strong, even using only Darkness! Possibly professor level!]
Though Pier was an Ancient Undead, his strength had yet to fully recover after being unsealed.
More importantly, Pier had originally been a Legion commander, not a frontline combatant. If the opponent truly possessed professor-level ability, the battle would be far from easy.
There must be…
Simon bit his lip. He couldn't accept losing one of his father's undead like this.
There must be a way…!
As Simon desperately searched for a breakthrough, a violet streak of light suddenly tore across the sky, descending like a falling comet.
Though slightly delayed — both distracted by their clash — the Priest and Pier noticed the incoming streak just in time.
The impact unleashed a violent gust of wind.
Simon and Cami staggered under the sudden pressure, while Pier and the Priest were forced backward. Even so, both of them managed to remain standing.
A dense cloud of dust and smoke billowed outward from the point of impact, swallowing the surrounding area.
For a brief moment, nothing could be seen.
Then—
Amidst the swirling haze, a shadow emerged.
As the wind gradually dispersed the smoke, a lone figure came into view. A hooded silhouette stood at the center of the crater.
Black garments draped over the figure's body, layered with sharp, regal precision. A dark mantle flowed from their shoulders like living shadow, its edges fluttering softly in the lingering turbulence. Subtle gold accents traced the attire, faintly glinting beneath the moonlight, while a dim violet hue shimmered from within the depths of the hood.
Just the presence alone was overwhelming.
Simon stared at the unfamiliar figure who had suddenly appeared before them.
Pier's blue flames flickered as he narrowed his gaze.
"…This presence… familiar, yet not."
His grip on the greatsword tightened.
"You're not a Legion Commander… and yet…"
A brief pause.
"Why do you carry the same aura?"
Pier's hollow eyes burned intensely.
"Who are you?"
The Priest, who had been momentarily dazed by the impact, suddenly recoiled.
Their voice cracked with shock.
"YOU?!"
A surge of agitation rippled through the Darkness surrounding them.
"Why are you here…?!"
The Priest's shout echoed through the clearing.
"Eighth Legion Commander…!"
"Shadow Monarch…!"
"JIN!"