The golden giant stood upon the earth.
At the sight of it, the Holy Knights involuntarily gasped in admiration.
Those living in the Holy Kingdom only knew of the Pope’s strength through fairy tales or stories.
Yet, now that they could actually witness that strength, their exclamations wouldn’t cease. To be able to control such a massive form using divine power!
Even the priests were mesmerized, staring up at the giant in awe at this unexpected utilization of power.
All the rumors circulating within the Holy Kingdom about the Pope losing his powers turned out to be nothing but nonsense.
As those words were exchanged, the chatter among the Holy Knight Order began to quiet down.
Those who had lost their fighting spirit upon the appearance of the Forgetting Whale clenched their teeth and picked up their fallen weapons once more.
“The Pope has stepped forward! But why does everyone seem to be retreating?!”
“Are you not ashamed before the Goddess? Lift your heads and confront it with pride!”
At the furious reprimand of one Holy Knight, even those gripped by fear raised their heads again.
Kal, who was overwhelmed with grief over Yurph’s sacrifice, tightly shut his eyes but soon opened them again, grasping his spear.
If they were to just stand by and let Yurph perish, it was far better to eliminate that monster first.
Due to the fog spreading all around, they couldn’t see clearly, but they couldn’t just sit back and take it.
The priests began to cast blessings on the people, trying to counter the effects of the Forgetting Whale.
Although the consumption of divine power had increased significantly compared to earlier, hopeful smiles adorned their faces.
“So what if it’s called the Forgetting Whale!? Do you plan to retreat?! Do you know how many of our brothers and sisters have been killed by that creature?!”
“Those who wish to run should do so now. We don’t want cowards like that as our comrades.”
As harsh voices were exchanged, each person grabbed their weapons and stood up.
The Black Raven Knights also stepped forward with smiles.
Though they couldn’t see clearly even a step ahead, they knew that Abel was over there, facing the Forgetting Whale.
Despite facing a catastrophe-level monster, their eyes gleamed with fighting spirit. Abel smiled in satisfaction at their appearance.
“I didn’t raise them in vain.”
Now was the time to begin their counterattack.
“First, let’s get rid of this bothersome fog.”
As he reached out, a massive magic circle began to draw itself upon the ground.
Although colossal amounts of mana were being consumed in an instant, there was not a hint of concern on Abel’s face.
No matter how much it was, it was not a significant amount compared to the total mana he possessed.
Brrrr…
A powerful spell began to unfold, causing those sensitive to mana to feel a shudder.
From the completed magic circle, a dazzlingly intense light began to radiate.
In the blink of an eye, the gray fog that had enveloped their vision vanished.
To clear away fog so easily with a single spell! The Pope couldn’t help but click his tongue at Abel’s remarkable abilities.
He had known Abel had reached the level of a great magician, but he never expected it to be to this extent.
He wondered if that powerless boy he once saw had really become this strong.
“What are you staring at? Show us the Pope’s might!”
“Haha, understood. I shall do so.”
Chuckling in response to Abel’s urging, the Pope stepped forward. It had been a long time since his heart raced with excitement.
The frail spirit he thought had weakened long ago had awakened sharply since Yurph’s incident.
His decrepit body could move reasonably well now, so there was no reason to stand by and watch any longer.
As he reached out his bony hand, the giant raised its arm.
With a clenched fist, it swung down at the subdued Forgetting Whale.
Boom!
Gwaaarrr!
With a tremendous noise, the whale began to thrash wildly. Its fins flailed here and there, glowing so bright that the ground shook.
As a result, the knights could not approach easily, merely striking from afar.
Watching this, Abel reached out once more.
Numerous magic circles were drawn in mid-air. The white chains that burst forth from the magic circles pierced its flesh.
The taut chains completely restricted its movements.
“The Duke has bound it! Advance forward!”
“Slice and tear it apart! A catastrophe-level monster is not invincible!”
Leading the charge, Arin’s shout ignited the knights’ attacks aimed at the whale.
Her green flames undulated like waves, soon engulfing the whale.
Beside Arin, Pi was unleashing flames with all her might.
As they witnessed this, the knights and Holy Knights exchanged glances, nodding to each other.
“Brothers! Let’s go!”
“Yeah, let’s do this!”
“Follow the captain! There will be a punishment for the last one to arrive!”
“Wooahhh!!”
A deafening cheer erupted. Once lifted, their morale showed no sign of breaking, soaring even higher.
Inspired by that, the Holy Knights and knights began raining down attacks on the Forgetting Whale with abandon.
The creature emitted fog as if resisting, but thanks to the priests’ blessings, the damage was almost negligible.
Though consuming divine power at an exceptionally high rate made things tough, there was hope in their faces.
Boom!
The giant’s fist flew toward the creature again.
The whale, which had been screaming continuously, was now barely letting out weak whimpers, its consciousness fading.
While the extermination was going smoothly, a mark that only Abel could see began to burn red.
“Get back!”
Feeling something ominous, he immediately ordered the knights. Hearing this, both knights and Holy Knights retreated.
Even these skilled individuals felt the Forgetting Whale’s aura was unusual.
Grrr…
Crackle.
With a sound of sparks, a dense golden energy began to envelop the whale.
Though the knights and Holy Knights couldn’t see it, those who had attained great heights like the Pope, Abel, and Arin clearly perceived what was happening.
“Hmph. A shallow trick.”
“What a laughable ruse.”
The Pope scoffed, shaking his head, and swung his arm once more. At the same time, the giant interlocked its hands and slammed down like a hammer.
Boom!
With a loud noise, dust spread everywhere. However, the screams that should have accompanied it were nowhere to be heard, replaced instead by a disturbing vibrating sound.
Brrrr…
Once the dust settled, revealing the Forgetting Whale again, it now resembled a zombie, moving like a marionette on strings rather than a living being.
“Tsk, quite persistent.”
Abel clicked his tongue and lifted his staff again.
§
Thud!
With a loud sound, the inside trembled. It was likely that the extermination army was attacking the whale outside alongside Abel.
What he needed to prioritize now was rescuing Yurph.
[This place is really filthy.]
The stench was so foul it nearly made him gag.
He thought he might have vomited if he had eaten breakfast before coming; it was that severe.
Having just gotten past his esophagus, the bad smell was already unbearable; things would probably worsen once he went inside.
Sighing, he stepped forward once more. Silphy, who was standing beside him, asked cautiously.
[Are you maintaining the air for your breath?]
“Of course.”
He raised his voice, emphasizing it while crossing his arms as he warned him.
[Remember. Breathe lightly. Otherwise, you might inhale the fog spreading within.]
“What happens then?”
Curiosity sparked, and when he asked Silphy, he sighed.
Silphy hesitated, as if embarrassed to speak about it, then eventually answered.
[If you inhale this fog for more than three hours, you will lose all memory.
After that, you’ll just be an empty shell, quietly becoming this whale’s prey.]
“What that means is Yurph…”
Trailing off, Silphy nodded.
[We must find her quickly. Three hours is not a long time.]
Even if he tried to act indifferent, it was clear he was anxious about Yurph, as could be heard in his voice.
He felt the same way, so he had to hurry.
“..Got it. We need to move quickly.”
Grrr…
Just a few steps forward, something lurking here caught his eye.
Among them were several humans dressed like priests, staring blankly before slowly rising.
They looked like the zombies people often spoke of. It seemed these were indeed the empty shells that had lost all memory.
“Urgh…”
Laughing as if deranged, they charged towards him without hesitation.
He swung his rapier, slicing at their arms, but they didn’t even flinch and continued to glare at him.
With their mouths agape, they came rushing forward to bite him. Unable to waste any more time, he ultimately beheaded them.
With a sickening sound, they fell, and he involuntarily ground his teeth.
The sensation of flesh being cut was still something he couldn’t grow accustomed to.
And to be honest, he didn’t want to.
‘Really?’
Suddenly, a voice echoed, and he instinctively turned his head.
It was the voice that had helped him resist when he was subjected to mental interference before.
However, no matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t find the source of the voice.
[What’s wrong?]
“Nothing. Just the voice I heard before…”
[..I didn’t hear it.]
Taking a moment to catch his breath in response to Silphy’s words, he decided to focus again on searching for Yurph.
Right now, rescuing her was far more important than worrying about that voice.
Just as he was about to take another step, the vacant eyes of a fallen one caught his sight.
Getting distracted by that sight, he hesitated but ultimately snatched the cross hanging from their necks.
[Are you going to return it?]
“Yes. I want to do this much for them.”
Storing the crosses in his leather bag, he moved forward.
No matter how busy he was, a small gesture for the deceased seemed only right.
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