The body rose from the ground. His skin was red and full of lumps, as if it was about to burst at any moment, and he had dot marks scattered everywhere.
«It can't be... Body collector...?». Amelia murmured.
I let out an involuntary sigh.
So you were thinking the same thing.
There could only be one Noark necromancer here.
Yes, if it really was an elite that snuck in, there's no way that bastard would be left out.
Abed Necrapeto was a criminal belonging to Orcules with the nickname Corpse Collector. He specialized in many against many combat. I could already feel a headache building up in my temples. If this guy was here, it meant Noark was going for it.
Ha, there hasn't been any ambush in the rear since that failed attempt months ago, but of course, as soon as I get here...
I couldn't help but take a moment to complain, but I knew I should probably leave it for later.
Dash.
I immediately sprinted forward and hit the corpse's skull with my hammer. There was no need to use Swing.
¡Aplastar!
The corpse was crushed instantly and blood burst everywhere. As was usual for a hand-to-hand combat warrior like me, I had no choice but to bathe in it.
¡Chhhhh!
Jeez, judging by the poison, I guess it's really him.
«Are you okay?»
«Don't worry. I'm fine», I responded to Amelia. He didn't need an Elementalization immunity bonus for something like that. The +120 Poison Tolerance I got from Vol-Herchan was enough to handle the contact poison on my skin. Although it stung me a little.
«Anyway, it looks like it's starting small...» I said. While I was glad that my hypothesis was correct, I noticed that Erwen had stood as still as a rock next to me. «...Erwen, are you okay?»
«... Sorry? What did you just say?»
«I asked you if you were okay».
«Ah... ah! Yes...» Erwen nodded, but she still sounded distracted and staring at the mangled corpse. «Corpse... Collector...»
Oh, right. Now that he thought about it, it was basically an encounter with his sister's killer. The one who had killed Daria was the Fallen Scholar, but this guy had played an important role.
When Erwen spoke again, her voice trembled. «... Can we kill him?».
I looked at it for a moment and responded: «Maybe». If everything went well, maybe we could kill him. «But our survival comes first today», I added firmly. If he got carried away trying to avenge his sister and ended up losing something again, it would be a dead-end scenario.
I didn't know if he had noticed or not, but Erwen looked at me blankly for about five seconds. Then he bit his lip and clenched his fists. «...Okay. I will do what you say, sir».
That left me confused. I approached Erwen and put a hand on her shoulder, although I wasn't sure I could provide comfort right now. «Erwen, don't worry. I am also one of those who need to give people a little of their own medicine. I haven't forgotten what they did to me, not once».
It started as an attempt at comfort, but all of that was sincere. The Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos; the Corpse Collector, Abed Necrapeto; the Fallen Scholar, Belbev Ruingenes... I hadn't forgotten my grudges against those guys either. He was simply waiting for the right moment to attack.
«Wait a little longer. It won't take long».
«...Wale.»
Okay, so I think she's emotionally recovered at this point.
«Emily, where did that guy go?» As I shook the blood off my arm, I asked about Alex's whereabouts.
«He returned to the barracks as soon as the body fell in front of us».
Hmm, did you go report this to Raven? So why hasn't it come out yet?
Meanwhile, more corpses fell from the sky.
«You were right.»
Jeez, talking about the devil.
When I turned around, I could see Raven leaving the barracks with Alex. His expression had become much grimmer in the short time between our last conversation and now. «I should have stood my ground when the command unit decided to ignore our concerns».
But what...? Regretting those things is not like you.
There was no greater waste of time than mulling over the past. «But what are you going to do now?»
«I just received orders from command. All troops in each unit must gather at the lake. It seems they plan to use the magic circle on the flagship's hull to counterattack».
A meeting instead of a fight, huh? They must have chosen the most conservative strategy since they still knew nothing about the enemy forces. «So we're moving right now?»
«No. We'll wait here a moment. I have contacted the other body mages, so they should meet the adventurers here soon.»
So we were going to go to the lake once everyone was here. After that, we would board the ship there and activate a magic circle to buy time. I didn't know if this was a good plan, but it wasn't like there was a better way.
«Staff status report».
«There are three confirmed deaths and the whereabouts of two individuals are unknown!»
«Two missing... We can no longer be entertained here by two people who have not been confirmed alive or dead. Let's move».
We cleared the zombies and waited for the body wizards to gather along with their escort adventurers. It was time to head to the lake.
[Arua Raven has cast the rank seven support spell Neutralization.]
Hand-to-hand combat adventurers like me cleared the way with the support of mages and rangers. The relocation process went smoothly. That was because for now there were only animated corpses, and not even they could stop hundreds of tanks that had the support of dozens of mages. But as we steadily moved towards the lake, the ground suddenly shook with a roar that sounded like the explosion of a nuclear bomb.
¡Caboom!
«There seems to have been damage to the magic circle».
The mist that had been dispersed by the magic began to accumulate in the air again, blocking our view. Well, there was a positive side. The alarm spell that had been sounding like an emergency siren seemed to have been damaged as well, as it became much quieter.
«What are you doing? Don't stop moving».
Soon, Raven used wind magic to remove the surrounding fog and the group set off again. Before long, once the blood-red lake was close enough to see with the naked eye, the wizards summoned small ships and placed them on the water. And at that moment...
«Board the ships one by one...»
«Aaaagh!» The scream of a dying man echoed in the back of the group. Since no one had been injured in the battle with the zombies until that moment, the scream sounded especially loud.
Hit.
Raven, who had been about to enter one of the ships, retracted her leg. «... What's going on?»
«We still have to confirm it. It's probably no big deal, though, so-»
«No. I have to know. Halo, stay here and guide the rest on board».
Raven ordered the others to board the ship first. It seemed like he didn't want to board when he had no information about what was going on.
Wow, is this the responsibility of a military commander?
I had heard that Raven enjoyed great prestige in the body and I thought I would see why. Raven was a conscientious and trustworthy leader.
«What are you doing? You do not follow me?»
The problem was that our mission was to escort her. If she didn't get on the boat, neither could we. «... Where are you going?»
Raven's answer to my question was short. «To the rear. Something doesn't seem right to me».
If something doesn't feel right, shouldn't you be running in the opposite direction?
Just as I was thinking this, another scream sounded from the back. «Aaagh!»
«Deputy Commander! We have identified the enemy!»
Finally, we received a report of what was happening there. Surprisingly, there was only one enemy, but no one took the current situation lightly. That was because the enemy described was one of the most famous in the city.
«... An old knight in dark red armor?»
«Yeah. It has been confirmed that he is wielding an aura».
The Blood Knight was a criminal belonging to Orcules who was born in Bifron and began life as a knight. He later became famous for assassinating the former commander of the Royal Guard.
«Emily, do you know something?» While Raven was talking to her subordinate, I too snuck away to get information from Amelia, but there was nothing particularly useful. Apparently, they had had no contact because he was never active outside the city. She had only seen him a few times at Noark Castle, and even then they apparently never had a conversation.
«Deputy Commander! You must go fast while being held in the rear!»
«No. If we have truly encountered the Blood Knight, it will be almost impossible to mitigate the damage».
«But...!»
«No buts. If someone has to stop him, the logical thing is that I will be the one to do it. Get on the boat before me. It's an order».
«... Yes ma'am!» The wizard receiving Raven's orders greeted her with a worried but moved look. It would have been a very moving scene if we had not been the ones forced to perform it.
«In that sense, Miss Erwen. Could you help me until the body boards the ship?» After finishing convincing his subordinates, Raven made a sincere plea for help to Erwen. «You just have to get me some time. After that, we can use the Multi Teleport to escape».
That? Surely learning that spell is not allowed at your school.
«Multiteleportation...?» I exclaimed out loud without thinking.
Raven answered me without even looking in my direction, instead keeping her eyes on Erwen. «I was lucky to have the opportunity to learn it. If I had then... there might have been another way out that day. Of course, it's too late to think things like that... I will trust this to you».
In response to Raven's insistent request, Erwen looked at me. It seemed like she wanted me to decide what to do for her.
«Why are you looking at it?» Raven gave me a scrutinizing look as Erwen delegated the decision-making process to me. «To think that you would imitate even this part of their dynamic...».
Well, Raven seemed fine despite his complaints, so I ignored his continued misunderstanding and quickly checked something else. «What will they do if we don't follow them?».
«You will be disciplined for violating military law. You will not be able to participate in real campaigns again».
Is this a threat? But that's not what I asked...
«I was asking what he's going to do. If we say we won't follow you despite disciplinary action, do you plan to go alone?»
«Ah...» Raven thought about it for a moment and replied: «It would be impossible alone. I would probably go with other adventurers».
So not going wasn't even an option on the table. Somehow, this boy had become stubborn about the strangest things. Although he assumed it wasn't like he hadn't had his altruistic tendencies in the past either. «Okay, then let's go together».
After reaching a decision, there was no need to waste time. The rearguard wasn't even that far away. When we reached the place where the screams were coming from, the first thing I saw was a helpless wizard on the ground about to be hit by a ferocious aura.
[Arua Raven has cast the rank four Trajectory Interference support spell].
Instead of blocking the aura with a normal defense spell, Raven cast support magic and redirected the sword's trajectory.
¡Whooom!
The sword passed over the man's head instead of his neck. As soon as I saw him, I ran forward and pulled the wizard out of danger. «Ah...! Gr-thank you for... Deputy Commander?!»
«Raymond, you've done well. Leave the rest to us and lead the rest of the adventurers to the main unit. It's an order».
«... Yes ma'am!» The wizard guided the adventurers following Raven's instructions. Surprisingly, the enemy just watched all of this from afar with a look in his eyes that gave me goosebumps.
That man is the Blood Knight...
First, I covered my upper body with my shield and took my position in front. Then, in front of him, I looked him up and down. My first impression was that I was shorter than I thought. He must have been 1.70 at most, but he didn't seem like an easy enemy at all.
Why does it give off such a strange air?
His corpulence was evident from his complexion. Coupled with his unique aura, the amount of intimidation radiating from his small figure was considerable. The factor that contributed the most to this was probably his voice.
«The Golden Sorcerer, Arua Raven». His voice went beyond raspy; There had to be something wrong with his vocal cords. He seemed to have gravel in his throat as he spoke slowly. «One of the targets to kill». With that, he raised his greatsword with an air of business.
So you don't even care about us?
Staring at his blood-red aura, which fit his Blood Knight nickname, I murmured: «Erwen, Elementalization».
«Which one should I use?»
Which do you think? Is there anything else that can be used against a knight?
«Land».
As soon as I responded, Erwen's body became translucent. The moment we joined hands, I could feel the power of the earth flowing through my skin.
[The Spirit of the Earth now dwells in your body. Damage taken from Fire attribute attacks is reduced by half. Damage taken from Water attribute attacks is doubled. Poison immunity bonus. Using blunt weapons adds a Strength bonus to attacks. Your Physical Resistance has increased significantly].
Ugh, I haven't used Elemental Barbarian (Earth) mode in a while.
[Your physical resistance exceeds 350 points. Any damage taken from stabbing will be reduced by 50%].
Anyway, at this point, the second stage should have been activated even without Gigantization.
«What a meaningless thing.»
Gosh, don't be so arrogant just because you know how to use an aura. Woe to the tanks.
«Die!»
Seeing how the old gentleman quickly closed the distance between us, I smiled.
Who dies? Do you know why I came here?
[You have launched Iron Fortress. The Evolutionary Shell effect has increased 1.5 times].
My nickname had once been Knight Crusher. The day had finally come for it to truly shine.