Ch.127Derikson Village Purification (1)

Dawn broke.

“Sun of humanity. Please grant us the strength and courage to defeat the wicked.”

I recited a short prayer as I rose from my place and checked on my companions.

“Arrows?”

“Fully stocked.”

“Check the connections on your armor too.”

“Yes.”

While Lucia and Casia were checking the connections on their leather armor and tightening any loose parts, I drew the two swords from my waist and gazed at their blades.

Annihilator and Eradicator.

These two swords, bearing the meanings of obliteration and elimination, were in my hands—proof that people acknowledged I had received the Sun’s blessing.

And now, as the power of those who defy the Sun’s laws flourishes under the sun itself, I, as a knight of light, must drive out the legions of darkness.

Shhhhk…

I sheathed my swords again.

When I first set out on this adventure, I pitied the Sun.

I pitied how it could only watch from above as the empire established by its successor corrupted and collapsed after 300,000 years, ultimately destroyed by its own descendants, leading to 50,000 years of global devastation.

But now I understand.

The Sun should be an object not of pity, but of admiration.

The essence of the Sun is light.

It is the crystallization of infinite love for humanity, sharing life with all who yearn for light.

The Sun offers sinners the light of repentance instead of divine punishment, the righteous the light to move forward instead of mere blessings, the strong the spark toward greater purpose, and the weak the flame toward the future.

And as a result, the Sun fell.

It was overshadowed by the Four Great Gods who strike down sinners with lightning, bestow divine powers upon the righteous, give the strong ways to become stronger, and provide the weak with faith to grow stronger.

Those who believe in Karil receive the power to kill enemies, those who believe in Medina receive charm for pleasure, those who believe in Logos receive wisdom for knowledge, and those who believe in Moneta receive seeds for prosperity.

Like adults giving candy to children, humanity craves the blessings of gods who were once human, and walks this world obtaining them.

Is that truly the right way?

Can one who remains silent, merely watching, and only speaking a few words to the chosen few like myself truly be called the god of humanity?

Even I cannot hastily answer this.

Without the proposition that believers receive rewards, why would anyone believe in gods?

Even if these gods draw power from all human actions, without believers they would be nothing more than formless ghosts.

And that is why I came to admire the Sun.

The first human to ascend in an era without gods, and simultaneously a great ancient being who made a contract with the world to burn eternally for the sake of its own kind.

How could I pity a being who, even after 350,000 years, still brings light to humanity from above?

I can only regard it with boundless admiration.

“Party leader. We’re ready.”

“Good. Let’s move out.”

And may this small crusade we wage today help the Sun forget its pain, if only slightly.

*

Clop-clop! Clop-clop!

“Ride!”

Shing!

I drew both swords and combined them into a spear.

A spear was more suitable than swords for wielding on horseback, and I shouted toward Derikson Village as I sliced through the necks of zombies that were beginning to appear.

“Come out and face us! We have come to destroy the schemes of the wicked!”

“Kyaaaaaaah!!!”

Instead of an answer, we heard the screeching of bats swooping down from the sky.

As giant bats nearly the size of a person flew toward us, Lucia and Casia’s arrows shot through the air, and the bats with torn wings and arrows in their heads fell ungracefully.

“Kyaaaak!”

“Gwraaaagh!!!”

“They’re coming!”

“Everyone dismount!”

As we reached the entrance of the village, thousands of ‘zombies’ began charging at us from between the crumbling ruins.

Zombies slipping on their own spilled entrails. Zombies with broken necks dangling loosely. Zombies crawling with only their upper bodies, their lower halves torn away…

It was a horrific sight that could traumatize an untrained mind, but to me, even such carnage only fueled my anger.

Click!

I transformed the spear back into swords.

“Iron Walker Party! Combat ready!”

Twang!

At my command, bowstrings were pulled taut, and the zombies and skeletons stopped all at once as if there were an invisible boundary line.

Thump-thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump!

Then, from between the collapsed towers, corpse-eaters with grotesque appearances—ghouls—began to appear, staring at us with eyes that regarded us as prey.

Shing…

I pointed my sword and shouted.

“Let us liberate the cursed ones! Charge!!!!!”

“Kyaaaaaaak!!!”

As we charged, the ghouls’ screams spread.

Soon the army of corpses approached us, and I swung my two swords with rage and hatred boiling from the depths of my soul.

“It’s time to send the dead back to death!”

Crash!

My aura-infused slash struck the massive army, and the zombies severed by the slash began to burn while screaming.

This happened because Simon had imbued our weapons with the fire attribute.

“Logos! Grant me the power to purify these mindless corpses!”

Whoosh!!!

Simon was waving his staff and igniting flames, while my wife was protecting him by swinging her halberd widely.

“You stinking corpses! You’re already dead, but die again!!”

“As long as you hit them, don’t worry about missing!”

The elf sisters were also arguing about where to aim while releasing their bowstrings, and seeing my companions’ fierce efforts, I gritted my teeth and stood against the ghouls charging head-on.

“We have come to uphold the laws of the earth! Impure ones, return to darkness!”

“Kreek! Kroalak!”

“If you refuse, the sword of radiance will burn you!”

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

Despite my threats, the ghouls rushed at me.

I struck down one ghoul charging at me with my sword, and slashed another that was trying to dig into my side by holding my sword in reverse grip.

Both began to die as their wounds burned with screams, and soon turned to ashes.

Zombies and skeletons marched forward, trampling those ashes, and I once again summoned my aura and sent the souls of the dead skyward.

“Kyaaaak!”

Slash! Slash!

The unpleasant feeling of cutting through rotten flesh and the bizarre sensation of crushing dried bones transmitted through my hands holding the swords.

But still…

“The purification of unholy armies is the privilege of the chosen elect! We shall pursue and purify those who have brought a village to ruin to the ends of the earth!”

Crack! Crunch!

As I crushed a charging skeleton’s skull and tore off a zombie’s head while shouting, the zombies suddenly began to tremble and their pale eyeballs started burning red.

“Keeeeeeek!!!”

Slash!

“Grrrrrk….!”

This didn’t mean they had become stronger, but zombies that had been shambling were now starting to leap, which could certainly become a greater threat.

“Party leader! The necromancer has cast a berserk spell! It’s going to get more intense!”

“Then we’ll just have to kill more intensely! Form a wedge! We’ll break through the ranks of corpses!”

“Woohoo! Did you hear that, Casia?! Put away the bow and draw your blade!”

“Ah… I don’t want to smell like corpses though..!”

The elf sisters grumbled as they put away their bows and drew their twin machetes.

Simon also began preparing spells, and Raisha gripped her halberd shorter to prepare for close combat.

“Exteris Flotatem Injereil!”

Boom!

As Simon chanted his spell, a massive ring of fire spread out from around us, and the zombies and ghouls that tried to pounce on us were engulfed in flames and died in agony.

And that meant the enemies could no longer stand in our way.

“March forward! We shall purify this village!”

“Hiyaaaah!!”

And so we charged.

I transformed my swords into a spear and swung it wildly, becoming a human mixer that dismembered zombies, while beside me, Raisha was breaking them down into smaller pieces.

From the rear, the elf sisters were pushing back burning zombies by swinging and thrusting their machetes, and we were progressing from the village entrance gradually closer to its center.

“Kyaaaaaaak!!!!”

“What is that?!”

“A revenant! Be careful! Conventional attacks won’t work against it!”

And finally, the strongest being in the necromancer’s army—a revenant—revealed itself.

Its terrifying appearance, like a bluish spirit clinging to a decaying body, made even me hesitate for a moment, and they approached me with toothless grins while wielding notched swords.

But I had a mark.

“You impure monstrosities! I shall place you on the scales of judgment!”

And as I activated my mark: Seika, the revenants’ souls began to bind more strongly to their bodies.