Ugh… How did it get so tangled up like this?
Cardinal Nicholas looked around slowly, chuckling to himself.
Before long, Holy Knights and soldiers surrounded him, brandishing their spears.
Everything was going according to plan.
He had accidentally gained control of the cardinal’s corpse.
He lured in a Holy Knight consumed by ambition.
With this level of preparation, he thought he could resurrect Kali without any interruptions.
But where did it all go wrong?
Was it when he involved Sola with a crazy guy who was wanted for attempted rape?
Or when that crazy guy disguised himself as a curse caster and infiltrated through the rainwater tunnels?
Or maybe it was when the Priestess sensed the traces of demonic energy and followed him into the rainwater tunnels?
He didn’t know where it went downhill, but he knew the solution.
Just kill them all. Then I’ll be the strongest.
He intended to pile up corpses.
If he could gather the corpses of the Holy Knights and mages here, how powerful would his army become?
Hehe…
While thinking that, a sly smile crept onto Cardinal Nicholas’s face, or rather Luna’s.
Hehe… Zenon. Hah. Make sure no one touches the entrance.
What? Zenon? Why is my subordinate’s brother’s name—
Boom!
As Luna turned around without a second thought, an earth-shattering explosion echoed.
The boy born with the talents of a Great Mage but unable to flourish those talents due to a heart disease.
As soon as Zenon finished his heart surgery, he appeared as a mage awakened to explosive magic.
That guy should have just handed himself over to me long ago! Hehe!
It was a shame that someone as talented as Zenon couldn’t flourish his abilities due to limits of the body.
Such a pity.
If he went through his hands, they could all become much stronger!
Of course, Zenon lost all reason due to the influence of earthquake necromancy, but that was a trivial matter.
Now, Kali, it’s your turn. I’ll make you into a ‘perfect’ form soon. Hehehe…
Slither…
Luna’s spiritual body slipped out of Cardinal Nicholas’s body and seeped into the ground.
Just as she was about to head inward.
Luna’s eyes widened in surprise.
Below, the Priestess, who had just been kicked down, was cradled in a man’s arms.
With a tender gaze, he applied a potion to her head, causing Luna’s brows to furrow.
Don’t you dare flirt in front of me!!!!
It was a scream that would make monsters flee and spirits wither away.
But the voice of the spiritual body wouldn’t reach the living.
With her anger at its peak from the ongoing provocation, Luna hurried deeper into the rainwater tunnel.
I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you!!!
Luna’s will filled the entire rainwater tunnel.
The stiff corpses began to move one by one.
Although she wasn’t controlling them directly, the shared intent of ‘find and kill the person’ was clearly engraved in them.
You all go and kill those lovebirds! I’ll revive Kali!
Just as Luna’s spiritual body was about to slip into Kali’s body.
Thud!
The spiritual body got pushed back as if hitting something.
Huh…?
How could a spiritual body, immune to physical force, be unable to move forward?
With a puzzled expression, Luna waved her hand in the air, realizing that a strange magic surrounded Kali.
Holy Shield.
A type of barrier that blocked not only physical and magical forces but also the entrance of spirits, including elemental beings.
It was a spell personally developed by the Priestess.
Damn you, you annoying brat!!!
Luna’s wail echoed.
*
The moment they stepped into the rainwater tunnel.
The identity of the enemy we were facing was revealed.
Necromancer Luna.
A name belonging to a sorcerer who once dreamed of immortality long ago.
He didn’t have any remarkable abilities in his youth.
It wasn’t until his old age that he discovered his magical talent.
He started to study magic fervently, but like any other human, he faced the limits of lifespan.
His aging body was not what it used to be, and he fell ill repeatedly until he could no longer continue his magical research.
Luna judged that there was no way to overcome the limits of lifespan through magic.
He began to dabble in curses.
And just before death.
Luna completed his final work, a synthesis of curses and magic.
10th-tier magic, Resurrection.
A spell to revive the dead.
At the moment Luna closed his eyes, he cast Resurrection, yet he never realized the spell had flaws.
Due to the defect, the spell was cast abnormally and trapped his soul instead of reviving him.
He couldn’t disappear or scatter, existing only with awareness as a spiritual body.
Though Luna ended up in such a miserable state, he didn’t give up and began gathering strength.
He researched and developed curses that could be used solely with his spiritual body.
The result was necromancy.
It was just as Luna awakened as a necromancer and received the proposal to become one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Damn it. The army of the dead has started to move.
In the deep darkness.
A chilling sound echoed from afar.
Luna could only control one corpse.
But if he imbued the corpses with simple intent, it was possible for them to move autonomously.
They resembled zombies.
That was the army of the dead.
The reason Luna was considered one of the worst of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Jill is knocked out and can’t move. Without Mi Jeong by my side, the Guardian Knight can’t activate either.
Right now, I was like a weakling reduced to one-fifth of my usual stats.
I would probably still be able to use Iron Blood Storm Slash in this condition, but…
The power would diminish too much, and it wouldn’t be able to cut bone.
The army of the dead felt no pain, so no amount of skin slicing would help.
Unless I smashed their spines, it would be meaningless.
Fighting such an army of hundreds in such a confined space was extremely dangerous.
There was no choice.
I would have to reveal my identity to Jill.
And then, I would need to activate the Guardian Knight again.
Ugh… Ahh. It hurts so much…
As the cries of the dead drew closer and could be heard right in front of them, Jill opened her eyes.
I immediately informed Jill about the situation.
“If you wake up, don’t answer, don’t move, don’t use magic, just listen. If you make a loud sound, you’ll die.”
It may seem childish, but it was a smart kid.
Jill quickly sensed that the situation was dire and responded in a hushed voice.
It seemed I could gain her cooperation for the moment.
Of course, I had no idea how she would turn once the crisis passed…
But at least before she could kidnap me, I planned to leave Cologne.
[Stats]
[Strength: 19(x5) *Guardian Knight Effect Active]
[Stamina: 44(x5) *Guardian Knight Effect Active]
[Mana: 50(x5) *Guardian Knight Effect Active]
[Dexterity: 25(x5) *Guardian Knight Effect Active]
[Luck: 10(x5) *Guardian Knight Effect Active]
Done.
The Guardian Knight trait finally activated.
So now, there was no reason to hesitate.
Drawing my magic sword, I assumed the Dakia-style 0th form, the stance of the beginning of grazing.
Finally, you’re pulling me out. I feel my body filled with strength again. Who’s the opponent?
The army of the dead.
Oh, um. Good luck.
The magic sword, which had been chattering away, suddenly went silent.
It seemed it had become scared upon realizing Luna was the opponent.
It was only natural, as if caught by Luna, it would have its consciousness ripped apart.
“I invoke the Dakia-style secrets.”
The moment I whispered it quietly.
The cries of the dead grew closer.
A sharp, clawed hand reached toward me.
Just before its fingers touched my forehead.
The slash exploded.
“Iron Blood Storm Slash!”
Boom!
The white sword energy illuminated the surroundings as it shot out.
The living corpses were instantly annihilated, their pieces scattering everywhere.
After the slash swept through.
As Jill trembled and illuminated the darkness with an illuminating spell, the sight that emerged was a floor littered with dismembered corpses.
It was a relief that they were long dead so no blood spilled.
If blood had oozed out, it would have been even more disgusting.
“May you all go to a good place…”
Instead of being horrified by the scene, Jill approached, tears streaming down her cheeks.
And then, she plopped down.
Kneeling, she prayed earnestly.
I knew Jill’s facade all too well.
That wasn’t just a pretense; it was sincere.
Jill was genuinely saddened, shedding tears.
I used to have a crush on that kind of look…
I remembered.
I had fallen for Jill’s priestess-like appearance.
She was full of complaints and had a low threshold for suffering, making her the least fitting for a clergyman.
But I admired her for enduring everything and doing good.
Her nobility had stolen my heart.
“Get back, Jill. A dangerous thing is coming.”
…What?
But now wasn’t the time to indulge in those sentiments.
From beyond the corridor, vibrations echoed from the rainwater tunnels.
Although we had no way to feel it now, it was evident that spirits would be escaping from these corpses, heading toward Kali’s corpse.
The spirits gathered would be used to cast a spell.
10th-tier magic.
Resurrection.
A magic that transcended simple puppetry of necromancy, reviving the dead.
That’s…
Run, Jill.
A giant slowly revealed itself from the darkness.
I shuddered at the familiar silhouette.
The upper body of a beautiful woman appeared first, followed by the grotesque body of a giant spider.
Great Druid Kali had returned from the dead.
Glancing back, I noticed Jill had climbed the ladder and opened the entrance without looking back.
Good job.
If she had tried to fight alongside me, I’d have been at risk of a stroke from high blood pressure.
“It’s been a while, Kali.”
That’s not the Kali you know.
The magic sword chimed eerily.
Not the Kali I knew?
Upon closer inspection, Kali’s pupils were empty, devoid of life.
Even so, she approached me, staring intently, just like when she was alive.
Completely different from the corpses that solely possessed aggression.
But to say she was alive seemed dubious as well.
It appears Resurrection isn’t perfect after all.
“Blood Ghoul brat! Where’s the Blood Ghoul brat???!”
Kali’s voice roared, shaking the sewers.
It seemed she was still caught up in the emotions from just before her death.
I couldn’t let her meet Mi Jeong.
Absolutely not.
“Where’s the Blood Ghoul brat? Give her to me!!!”
Ugh?!
In an instant, Kali’s leg lunged at me.
Before I could react, my body reflexively moved.
Dodging backward would be too late.
As I rolled forward, I barely avoided her downward strike and found myself positioned under Kali’s belly.
She seems way faster than before…
Her speed had drastically increased compared to when she was alive.
Back then, I overwhelmed her in speed, but now it was the opposite.
How was I to catch her now?
While I was lost in thought, I heard Kali shout.
“Blood Ghoul brat! I need to catch the Blood Ghoul brat…!”
This is insane.
Kali was ignoring me as she dashed straight toward the ladder.
Even though I stabbed my magic sword into her abdomen, she simply ignored me and kept running.
It seemed she didn’t feel pain at all.
I can’t let this happen. Mi Jeong’s in danger.
If she got outside, there would be chaos.
No Holy Knight or mage could handle an unstoppable Kali.
I could imagine her smashing, tearing, and killing everything in her path until she found Mi Jeong.
At this point, she was solely focused on finding Mi Jeong, perhaps holding a grudge against her for something said just before her death.
If this continued, the only option left was to become a greater enemy than Mi Jeong.
“Kali!”
…What?
By now, Jill had climbed to the top of the ladder and was opening the entrance.
I threw a rock at the back of Kali’s head as she was just behind.
“Look at this!”
Kali turned her head.
Her gaze locked onto what I was holding, momentarily flaring with interest.
[Blood Ghoul Brat’s Dead Soul]
[Condition: Good]
[A magical tool crafted by processing the dead soul of Great Druid Kali. It will bloom in due time.]
“You son of a—!!!”
Kali’s expression changed instantly.
