Ch.203[Episode 203] Sanctus Dominicus

With only about a minute left until Sir Dominic’s party claimed victory.

As the Demon Lord’s party was decimating the remaining parties and climbing the hill that had transformed into a cityscape, two figures arrived at the bottom of the hill.

“I thought this was just a hill until a moment ago.”

“…This is the afterlife. The rules may differ from the living world.”

Arkus stared in bewilderment at the hill that had become a forest of collapsed buildings.

If he could just climb this hill, he would be able to meet Sir Dominic. That’s what Arkus thought.

However, for someone as directionally challenged as Arkus, this forest of buildings looked like an impossibly complex maze.

“Sir Dominic is just beyond this…”

Arkus bitterly ran his hand along the wall of a building.

“…No. No matter how long it takes, I just need to get through this maze.”

Arkus muttered with a bright smile, as if he’d had a good idea.

This was a thought he could only have because he didn’t fully understand the stage yet, because he didn’t know that this stage would soon end with Sir Dominic’s victory.

“So which way should we go? Ah, I feel drawn to this place…”

Arkus had reached the point of asking himself questions and answering them himself.

Ogreson looked at Arkus with strange eyes.

To a third party, Arkus appeared no different from a madman.

That’s when it happened.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Arkus and Ogreson instantly covered their ears.

A terribly high-pitched, screeching sound like a scream echoed across the battlefield, threatening to tear their eardrums.

“…! Look at the sky!”

Ogreson suddenly realized something was wrong with the sky and shouted to Arkus.

The sky was turning blood-red and beginning to be covered with dark clouds.

However, Arkus couldn’t hear Ogreson’s cry because of the painfully loud siren sound, nor did he notice the anomaly in the sky.

Instead, he noticed the sky’s strangeness in a different way.

With his head down and ears covered, Arkus suddenly realized that his surroundings had darkened.

And he looked up at the sky to find the source of the darkness.

There was… something peculiar that neither Arkus nor Ogreson had seen before.

…

“Is this really acceptable?”

Sir Dominic looked at Jugashvili with unease.

“Of course. If any problems arise, they’ll be mine to deal with. Don’t worry, comrade.”

Jugashvili took a puff from his pipe as if to say there was nothing to worry about.

Despite Jugashvili’s words, Sir Dominic couldn’t hide his anxiety and began pacing around.

As he passed by a window, Sir Dominic glanced outside.

In the distance below, he could see the hill.

Yes.

Sir Dominic and Jugashvili weren’t on the hill, but in the sky above it.

Aboard Sir Dominic’s airship.

“This is quite impressive. I didn’t know you had such an aesthetic sense, Comrade Dominic.”

Jugashvili complimented Sir Dominic’s airship.

Sir Dominic’s massive airship, which could be summoned as one of the abilities of Jugashvili’s special skill [●●●grad], had no offensive capabilities despite its size, but it was perfect for ceremonial purposes.

“Is it really okay for all of us to be here except Gregory?”

Vacheslav anxiously said to Jugashvili.

“If we somehow lose the hill in that short time—”

“Watch your words. Words can become seeds, comrade.”

Jugashvili warned Vacheslav.

Startled by Jugashvili’s threatening tone, Vacheslav closed his mouth.

“Even so, they can’t reverse this score.”

Vacheslav looked at the current points.

They had already exceeded 950 points, so even one person would be enough for the remaining minute.

Of course, they could have all four occupy the hill and end the game secretly within 10 seconds, but that wouldn’t help increase their personal value at all.

Like this, one needs to show something noticeable to demonstrate and increase their value to others.

Just as assassins leave their business cards on their targets’ bodies to raise their reputation.

That’s what Jugashvili thought.

“…About 30 seconds left now.”

Vacheslav looked at the remaining points.

Even as they spoke, 20 seconds had passed.

“We should prepare now, comrade.”

Vacheslav said to Sir Dominic.

“Since I was purged once in between, I’ve accumulated some special ability stacks, so it might be quite flashy.”

Sir Dominic nodded at Vacheslav’s words.

“Do as you please. If it increases our value, it’s good for me too.”

Sir Dominic said that and looked out the window again.

Outside, the sky had turned red and was filled with dark clouds.

About 20 seconds remained.

Vacheslav stood at the back of the airship in front of the storage door, holding a Molotov cocktail.

Sir Dominic opened the rear door of the airship floating in the sky.

And Vacheslav’s special ability began to activate.

…

“White Raven have mercy…”

Arkus saw the elongated fortress floating in the crimson-black sky.

The fortress was lavishly decorated with banners bearing the emblem of old Feralante, making it the most alien sight Arkus had ever seen.

“Is it a dragon? Am I seeing things? Or can fortresses really fly through the sky?”

Ogreson also stared at the aerial fortress with surprised eyes.

The airship floating in the sky came as a great shock to both Arkus and Ogreson.

But the shock didn’t end there.

“…!”

Arkus’s eyes bulged as if they might pop out.

The massive fortress was intimidating on its own, but from behind it, beneath where smoke was billowing like clouds, wings made of flame unfurled.

To be precise, this was Vacheslav releasing all his incendiary weapons like flares, but to Arkus who didn’t know this fact, it appeared quite different.

“…An angel.”

“What?”

Ogreson asked with confusion at Arkus’s murmur.

“An angel, I say! Sir Dominic has become an angel!”

Arkus shouted with a voice full of emotion.

If anyone else had been around, they would have looked at Arkus with disbelief upon hearing his voice, but unfortunately, there was no one else here at the moment.

The Demon Lord had massacred all parties as he passed through.

“An angel, you say?”

Ogreson looked at Arkus incredulously.

However, Ogreson secretly thought that Arkus might be right.

This was the Hall of Warriors, the afterlife, and it made some logical sense to think that Sir Dominic, the most warrior-like, had become an angel according to the White Raven’s will.

“Look at that form! A flying fortress spreading wings of fire. This is completely understandable when you consider Sir Dominic’s deeds in Feralante!”

Arkus spoke with extreme excitement.

“Lady Alice… no, she’s a Comtesse now. Anyway, according to the Margrave of Feralante, Sir Dominic is like a fortress of a man. Stubborn, headstrong, and when he holds up his shield, nothing can break through. This matches the image of that aerial fortress. And according to legend, the angels of the Hall of Warriors spread burning wings to incinerate the adversaries of the White Raven. Seeing this, that must be Sir Dominic!”

Arkus’s logic would have been ridiculed as full of holes by anyone knowledgeable, but interestingly enough, his conclusion turned out to be correct.

Though the process was completely different, he had correctly guessed it was Sir Dominic.

“This is no time to waste.”

Arkus knelt down on the spot.

“Now that I know Sir Dominic is an angel, I must change from the prayers for saints I’ve been reciting to prayers for angels.”

After murmuring “White Raven who watches over us from heaven, and His angels and saints, look upon me,” Arkus began to recite a prayer about Sir Dominic.

Normally, Ogreson would have said something to such an Arkus, but looking again at the unfolded wings of flame, he secretly agreed with Arkus’s words.

“Sir Dominic… has become an angel.”

Arkus secretly made the sign of the cross.

As he muttered a makeshift prayer beginning with “Feralante’s guardian saint… no, guardian angel Sir Dominic. I have witnessed your greatness with my own eyes—”

…

While the two were making the sign of the cross and praying, there was another person, an evil monk making a wicked sign of the cross.

“That was a close call.”

Gregory looked down from the hill with a creepy grin at those who had arrived at the hill.

“…I apologize, Demon Lord.”

“!”

It was the Demon Lord and the Chief of Staff.

Gregory’s neck was in the Chief of Staff’s grasp, and it was clear that with just a little more pressure, Gregory’s neck would snap like a twig, but the Chief of Staff simply couldn’t apply that force.

[A party has reached 1000 points!]

[Jugashvili, Vacheslav, Gregory, and Sir Dominic’s party has claimed victory.]

[Shortly, all personnel will be moved to the Story Mode lobby.]

A system window appeared before the Chief of Staff’s eyes.

What this system window meant… was that the game was already over.

“I truly apologize, Demon Lord.”

The Chief of Staff bit his lip in frustration but apologized to the Demon Lord again.

He thought the Demon Lord’s disappointment would be greater than his own frustration.

There was no upset.

Sir Dominic’s party was the winner of 4-1.