Ch.373Chapter 373 – The Cursed Ones (1)

‘Ominous.’

I thought as I stepped back slightly from the black energy that Somnus had begun to emit.

It was an energy that felt unpleasant and ominous at first glance.

I couldn’t understand how Somnus could smile so peacefully while surrounded by it.

And instinctively, I realized one thing.

‘I mustn’t touch that.’

Especially those with greatly reduced lifespans like me, or Sia who, despite not showing it, had internal injuries—we absolutely must not touch it.

Though I was clearly seeing this energy for the first time, my mind seemed to recognize what it was.

Perhaps, as Yuto and Pia had told me before, the dragon’s consciousness was sending me a warning.

But while it warned me about its nature, no clear knowledge of what it actually was came to mind.

I could only sense intuitively that Somnus was doing something that should be impossible.

“What on earth is that?”

I muttered quietly.

And Chris, who had somehow approached my side, pointed his stone staff at Somnus and said:

“It’s a curse.”

“A curse?”

“Yes. To explain briefly, it’s a special technique where negative emotions are channeled into magic or sorcery…”

Chris glared at Somnus.

“…I’ve never heard of an individual gathering and amassing curses like this, forming them into a mass. With that much curse energy collected, it’s strange his body hasn’t rotted away already…”

“So he’s not ordinary, is what you’re saying.”

Normally, people wouldn’t think of getting involved with curses.

People like Somnus clearly had a different way of thinking than ordinary folks.

“We shouldn’t touch it, right?”

“You absolutely must not touch it.”

Chris said quietly, then turned his gaze slightly to look at me.

And he cautioned me:

“There are many curses that can shorten lifespan or make wounds fester. That man surely possesses such curses.”

“So patients shouldn’t touch it.”

Sia, who had returned to our side after practically shoving away the giant, said self-deprecatingly:

“…He’s truly sincere about doing things others would hate.”

‘He’s saying he won’t be taken down easily.’

Like Sia, in my case, if I were to be afflicted by a curse that shortens lifespan, it would be practically instant death.

He knows this, which is why he’s presenting that as his trump card.

I truly thought this was the dirtiest possible use by the dirtiest possible user.

While I was thinking this, Sia, who had been glaring at Somnus, said:

“…Is that man really human?”

“If he shows just a little more opening…”

Sia and Chris exchanged glances.

The two of them seemed to have noticed something that others hadn’t.

I was about to demand an explanation, but—

“Well, I don’t think we need to give you too much time for chitchat, do we?”

Somnus swung his arm with a nonchalant voice.

Soon the black energy extended like a whip and was swung toward us.

“‘Protect the young lambs.'”

Chris immediately summoned a golden shield.

And looking at the black energy being wielded clearly as a weapon, he said:

“He’s not just emitting it. He’s controlling it with precision.”

“This is getting troublesome.”

If there were no distinction between Pia, I would have shown some restraint to avoid harming the former saint’s brain, which seemed to be of some importance to Somnus.

But as Chris said, that was clearly Somnus’s weapon.

Hearing those words, Sia shouted behind:

“Fight while being careful of the curse!”

“It’s my turn to step up.”

Though faint, I could clearly hear the voice.

I saw Kara raising her stone staff high, gathering holy power.

And while she was chanting something, the black energies extended like tentacles, as if to stop her.

Just as Chris turned his staff backward and Beatrice put her hands together to prepare a defense—

“By the way, I can use other weapons just as easily in this state.”

With that gentle voice, stone spikes suddenly began to emerge from the ceiling.

Soon the spikes fell as if they had a will of their own, targeting people.

They particularly aimed for Chris and Beatrice.

“Like I’d let anyone touch them!”

I quickly swung my halberd and changed it to a shield to protect Chris from the stone spikes.

Beatrice swung her chains to intercept the stones.

“I’m not nice enough to let you intercept them so easily.”

While we were blocking the spikes, fireballs that seemed to have been launched by Somnus came flying in.

I immediately deflected them with my shield, but the fireballs split into fragments and began bouncing around as if they had a will of their own.

And the stone spikes all exploded at once.

“Damn it!”

I shouted while protecting Chris from the explosion.

Chris trusted me and didn’t break his concentration, summoning a shield in time to protect our companions from the whip of curses, but Beatrice, who didn’t receive proper protection from behind, was slightly delayed in intercepting Somnus’s tactics, and part of the curse invaded inside the defensive line.

“Miss Beatrice!”

“…Fall back!”

Beatrice began to duck down without hesitation, trying to approach where the curse was.

And as if someone had given prior instructions, there were people who rushed out even before Beatrice.

“Finally, it’s our time to act! Become shields, holy knights!”

Kurs and the holy knights raised their shields, surrounding the rear line.

Soon, faint golden holy power emanated from the shields, forming a wall that began to block the curse.

However, I could see cracks forming in the wall not long after.

‘They won’t last long.’

While Chris could easily block it, the holy knights’ level seemed insufficient to withstand Somnus’s curse masses.

The time they could hold out was at most a few seconds.

But those few seconds were enough.

“‘I create a sanctuary for fading lives.'”

During those few seconds, Kara’s chant succeeded.

A defensive barrier made of golden holy power spread out with Kara at its center.

Though smaller in range compared to the sanctuary Chris had created, the dome-like barrier formed around the people in the rear line and fixed its shape there.

The golden holy power began to circulate continuously.

It seemed that curses could no longer exert power within that area, as the curse whips that entered or touched that domain began to decompose and disappear instantly.

“You think we’d succumb to your curse?”

“I merely lashed out as a threat, but the results are too disappointing.”

Somnus said, not seeming particularly regretful.

I spoke to him:

“Isn’t your hidden trump card being neutralized too easily?”

“That is a bit disappointing. I thought I’d get to see at least one or two people suffering after being touched by the curse. I thought it would be enough to bind your feet, you who agonize even over discarding trash.”

Somnus spoke plainly.

While I glared at him for calmly talking about watching others get hurt, Somnus said serenely:

“But curses can be used in this way too.”

Somnus emitted the black energy toward the test subject.

Naturally, being outside our protection range, the test subject was exposed to the curse.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Have you ever heard the saying about fighting poison with poison?”

Somnus said with a smile.

“Curses basically only have effects overflowing with malice. But if handled well, they can be made to exert even stronger power. For instance…”

Somnus smiled gently.

“Curses of immortality that prevent easy death, curses that enhance physical abilities at the cost of reason, curses that turn arms into swords, curses that turn bodies to stone, curses that cause hard scales to grow on skin, and so on.”

Soon the test subject reappeared from within the curse.

“…My God.”

Chris groaned.

The giant’s body that reappeared had changed in many places.

Scale-like growths covered his body like armor, and in places, the scales had turned to stone, making him even more massive.

And one arm had transformed, with a huge sword protruding as if the bone had been altered.

The fact that he was trembling as if about to go berserk was just the cherry on top.

“I don’t have a proper name for it. Ah yes, shall we call it the Cursed Knight?”

The name seemed fitting because of the scales and stone that formed armor-like coverings.

Through the gaps in the scale armor, red gleaming eyes could be seen.

After saying this, Somnus spoke to the Cursed Knight:

“Go and kill them all.”

-“GRRRRRRRR!!!”

The Cursed Knight, who had been making threatening dog-like noises, was unleashed.

In an instant, he reached where I was and swung his bone greatsword at me. I pushed Chris, who was still beside me, slightly backward while extending my shield.

With a loud crash, my arm felt quite numb.

‘…So it wasn’t just talk about getting stronger.’

He had become even stronger than before because of the curse.

I had to defend by deflecting attacks rather than blocking them head-on.

However, the creature was also paying the price for the recent collision.

-CRACK.

The bone greatsword broke.

No matter how enhanced it was, the bone greatsword wasn’t sturdy enough to withstand a collision with a holy relic.

‘If he has no weapon, this should be manageable.’

Just as I thought that—

A bizarre sound came from the creature’s arm.

It sounded like bones breaking and immediately mending.

And instantly, the broken arm began to grow.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

A greatsword, even larger and more massive than the one he had just swung, appeared on his arm.

He began to swing his arm again, and this time, instead of blocking, I immediately ducked to avoid it.

The sound of his greatsword cutting through the air was terrifying.

‘…Has he gotten even stronger than before?’

I suspected that not only had his appearance become more grotesque, but stronger bones had grown from his arm.

However, before I could dwell on that suspicion further, silver blades of holy power began to fly in, just like before.

And I saw Sia landing beside me, cutting and breaking the swords.

“It seems that arm gets stronger each time it breaks.”

“Somnus and the former saint seem to be trying to support him from behind.”

Somnus had taken to the air again.

Like before, he was creating spheres of magic and holy power, but this time he was also creating spheres of curse.

And he was smiling gently.

“He’s definitely plotting something.”

“Yes.”

It was clear that he had brought out something he hadn’t originally intended to use and was scheming something.

“I’ll handle the Cursed Knight. Can you deal with Somnus and the saint?”

“Somnus won’t let us split up and deal with them individually.”

I quietly said to Sia, then added:

“…Even at this moment, he’s probably thinking about how to attack our rear.”

Just as Idea had done, he would surely target the rear line, which was relatively easier to penetrate.

Though I hated to admit it, Somnus was also excellent at handling magic.

We had to keep in mind the possibility that he might suddenly make the Cursed Knight appear in the rear line or attempt similar tactics.

‘That’s probably why Beatrice isn’t stepping forward.’

Though she would want to tear Somnus’s face apart more than anyone, she clearly stayed behind to be able to respond as much as possible if Somnus suddenly tried to catch us off guard.

She was likely being as cautious as possible, not knowing what else Somnus might be planning besides simply sending in the Cursed Knight.

‘More than that, he definitely will.’

This was his research facility.

The possibility of Somnus having cards up his sleeve that we didn’t know about was very high.

“In the end, those most vulnerable to curses have to face the cursed ones.”

“Want to retreat?”

“You jest.”

Sia said with a smile.

“Let’s go, Kei. Christina.”

Sia raised her sword and said:

“Let’s make sure to plant our weapons in that damned face.”

“Yes.”

“Have you formulated a plan?”

I could see the Cursed Knight crouching down.

The former saint’s brain was glowing.

Somnus was spreading the cursed energy like wings while smiling gently.

“It would be impolite to keep you waiting too long. Shall we begin?”

The moment Somnus finished speaking—

The Cursed Knight kicked off the ground and began charging at us.

+

Kei and Sia fought against the Cursed Knight.

Chris supported the two while blocking attacks from Somnus and the former saint.

Sometimes I caught glimpses of Kei changing his weapon to a bow to interfere with those two.

Watching the fierce battle at the front line, those in the rear line remained vigilant, looking for opportunities to provide support.

“…Sera, would you draw your sword for contingencies?”

“I’ll prepare it.”

I saw Sera taking out a sword from a book at Eve’s request.

It felt like they were ready to use all their strength.

Looking at them, Kara turned her head to Beatrice.

“I’ll hold here. Go to the front and fight.”

Kara said while blocking Somnus’s occasional curses.

“Go now. Lead the battle to victory.”

“That’s a nice thing to say, leading the battle to victory.”

Beatrice spoke lightly.

However—

“But I can’t go now.”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes and said:

“Why not? If you go now…”

“That’s probably what he wants me to do.”

Beatrice said quietly.

“He’s not simply targeting the rear. He has some scheme.”

Beatrice glared at Somnus.

As someone who had considered him her archenemy for a long time, she could tell.

“…He’s clearly planning something while buying time.”

Beatrice said quietly, noticing that Somnus kept looking toward Chris or the rear line.

She felt certain that he would directly target whichever side showed weakness.

‘His scheme is…’

When facing a mage, the important thing is to identify the opponent’s cards.

A mage who has lost his cards is defeated.

So while protecting the rear line, Beatrice tried to deduce Somnus’s cards using the knowledge gained from the research facility.

And suddenly she looked at Kara.

‘Oh no.’

Kara wasn’t in danger.

But—

She had forgotten about what they had discovered in this research facility.

‘I was too distracted by the abnormal method of cursing.’

Realizing her mistake, Beatrice immediately turned her head to warn Eve.

And Eve also looked urgently at Beatrice.

“Miss Beatrice, Miss Kara, below!”

“Damn it!”

Beatrice quickly pulled Kara aside.

And the next moment—

A spear emitting holy energy pierced through the floor where they had been standing.