Ch.376Chapter 376 – The Cursed Ones (4)

The ominous aura began to lose its momentum.

Somnus hastily started to gather his curse.

However, in just a moment, Chris’s divine power was erasing Somnus’s curse.

‘…I forgot.’

According to Beatrice, the pendant had a powerful defensive spell that would take the price in one’s place.

That pendant was now shattered.

The pendant had absorbed the instant death curse that Somnus had cast.

The pendant that Diana had received from her daughter and passed on had protected Chris.

I remembered Sia’s subtle remark that I had missed something important because I was swept up in anger.

“…Indeed.”

I felt pathetic for letting my anger override my reason.

Even so, I looked at Somnus with a sneer, feeling grateful to Chris for surviving and to Sia for protecting her.

“It seems you’re the one who received divine judgment after all.”

Though Somnus continued to deny it, Chris was undeniably a god.

The one who spoke of divine judgment had received divine judgment himself.

I found that fact somewhat amusing.

Naturally, Somnus, being the subject of this irony, wasn’t pleased and wiped the smile from his face.

He slightly twisted his fingers as if unable to contain his anger.

“How dare you mock me…”

He spent a while suppressing his rage alone.

As if responding to his anger, the Curse Knight and Valkyries also began to hesitate.

Meanwhile, Chris quickly returned to our side.

Then, Chris spoke to me apologetically.

“I-I’m sorry… I deliberately… to make a gap to dispel his curse…”

Chris stammered, not knowing what to do.

“If that curse remained active, it would definitely threaten you or the others, Kei. So I prioritized that…”

“Being alive is enough.”

I gently placed my hand on Chris’s head as I spoke.

“Thank you for staying alive, Chris.”

“…Yes.”

As if momentarily forgetting that a battle was about to break out, Chris’s face turned slightly red.

After smiling gently at her, I called for Beatrice and Chris.

“Beatrice. Chris.”

“What?”

“…Listen carefully.”

I gave them one instruction and one request.

Meanwhile, Somnus seemed to have succeeded in controlling his anger, as he brought his silver arms together and smiled benevolently.

“…Well, fine. These things happen.”

Though he said this, his arms were trembling slightly.

Still, Somnus maintained his smiling face.

“This will be different from before.”

Emitting a clearly weakened curse and strengthened silver divine power to compensate, Somnus began to fly toward us.

The Curse Knight started running, and the Valkyries began to fly again.

All of Somnus’s remaining forces, except for the Saint whose mind was essentially neutralized by the Divine Chaff, charged toward us.

And as Somnus launched a sword of silver divine power and Sia cut through it with the aura of the Demon King, a chaotic battle broke out.

I stepped on and deflected the spear of the first approaching Valkyrie, while Beatrice pulled her chains with both hands to block the greatsword wielded by the Curse Knight.

Chris blocked the curses and divine arts that Somnus launched, and a Valkyrie was thrown to the ground after blocking the sword that Sia swung.

Even during the chaotic battle, Somnus occasionally attacked Chris and me, but we either blocked the attacks with sacred relics turned into shields or avoided them by using the Valkyries as shields.

And whenever Somnus tried to make a move, Sera’s tools would fly in with perfect timing, or Kara’s support would arrive.

“Worthless things that can only hold me back…”

“How does it feel to be hit while being held back by those ‘worthless things’?”

Somehow, Sia had reached Somnus.

Immediately, Sia swung her greatsword, and Somnus blocked it with his curse whip.

“How insolent, King of the Abandoned. I really don’t like you.”

“If you dislike me so much, why not try to eliminate me with all your power? Ah, but that would be difficult for you.”

Sia spoke with a triumphant expression while looking at Somnus.

“That so-called God King is someone who insists he’s omnipotent when he’s not.”

Somnus’s expression changed.

“How dare you doubt the omnipotence of the God King!”

“If he were truly omnipotent, shouldn’t my comrades who interfere with him and I, the Demon King, have been eliminated long ago?”

Soon, Sia pushed Somnus back with her sword and kicked him in the waist using her leg.

“When someone doesn’t do something without reason, it’s usually because they can’t, don’t you think?”

Sia immediately lowered her stance to pursue Somnus.

A Valkyrie jumped into Sia’s path to block her pursuit.

While Sia kicked away the Valkyrie, Somnus regained his composure and began firing magic and divine arts at Sia.

“You will pay for the sin of mocking me!”

“You’ve already forgotten your position. Your facade is starting to peel off.”

Sia mocked Somnus as she flew toward him.

The Curse Knight and the remaining Valkyries also jumped in to protect him, but they left openings—the Valkyrie to Beatrice and the Curse Knight to me.

“‘Protect the lambs!'”

A golden shield appeared, protecting Sia from Somnus’s attack.

Without slowing down, Sia continued to pursue Somnus and shouted.

“Your chess pieces are starting to show their limits!”

“…You vermin…!”

Somnus shouted, bringing his hands together to prepare his next move.

But at that moment.

Two pieces of paper were floating around Somnus, seemingly launched without notice.

“Connect!”

With Sera’s cheerful voice, the two pieces of paper began to connect with light.

The lines of light bound Somnus’s body and one arm like a rope.

Perhaps due to weakened concentration, the magic Somnus was preparing was canceled.

Sia swung her sword at the defenseless Somnus.

Sia cut through both Somnus and the ropes binding him, creating a wound on his body on top of the previous injury.

Somnus curled up, clutching his body in pain.

Then suddenly, he shouted with anger visible on his face.

“Do you think I’ll fall so easily?!”

Somnus’s silver arm changed shape.

The arm made of silver divine power transformed into an awl-like shape.

Then, with a speed uncharacteristic of his usual self, Somnus thrust the awl at Sia.

“Tch…!”

Perhaps because it was right after swinging her sword, Sia found it difficult to immediately take a defensive stance.

She clicked her tongue and quickly twisted her body.

But because Somnus was faster than she expected, the thin tip of the awl pierced through Sia’s waist.

Looking at the bloodied awl, Somnus shouted.

“If your Demon King power was at full strength, you would have blocked this much, but it seems too much for a body that’s been reduced to rags…!”

As if determined not to let Sia escape, Somnus approached her.

The awl began to sink deeper.

“At this close range, support will be difficult.”

Somnus shouted while gathering divine power in his other arm.

“You can neither dodge nor block. Come with me…!”

“I don’t mind the enthusiastic invitation.”

Sia grinned slightly despite suffering from the piercing wound.

“But I must decline. I still have much to do.”

After saying that, Sia immediately moved her hands.

One hand grabbed Somnus’s shoulder.

The other grabbed the arm that had pierced her body.

Then she gripped Somnus tightly.

“Now you can’t escape.”

“Such futile resistance…!”

“This is not futile resistance.”

Sia smiled at Somnus.

“Unlike you, who looks down on others and trusts no one but yourself, I have people I can trust and rely on.”

“What?”

“Is that beyond your comprehension?”

Sia laughed.

“In short, you’ve underestimated us too much.”

As Sia finished speaking, that moment arrived.

“Gravitational Field!”

Beatrice, who had gathered enormous magical power in both hands, brought them down toward the ground.

Immediately, purple magical power began to spread from her, forming a spherical area.

One Valkyrie, the Curse Knight, and Somnus were all included within it.

And the moment Somnus’s expression changed.

As if crushed by overwhelming gravity, the enemies around began to kneel on the ground.

-“Grrrr…!!”

“When did you…!”

“We’ve been fighting all this time.”

Beatrice looked up at the surprised Somnus and smiled.

“The helmet gave instructions. To gather magical power for one decisive moment.”

Beatrice smiled fiercely.

“Because you’re exceptionally arrogant, you’d definitely show a critical opening. And Sia said she would definitely draw it out.”

“…How insolent!”

Somnus, who barely protected himself from the gravity field using magic, shouted.

In response to his voice, a Valkyrie who was fortunately outside the range began to jump toward Beatrice.

Silver energy surrounded the Valkyrie, perhaps to neutralize the gravity field.

“While casting such a powerful spell, you can’t move. I can handle someone like you easily, mad dog…!”

“That’s not wrong.”

Beatrice smiled.

“But one of you isn’t enough to deal with me.”

“Such bluffing…”

“It’s not a bluff.”

Beatrice smiled fiercely.

“We have a commander who knows exactly what’s going to happen next.”

The moment Beatrice finished speaking.

Eve suddenly appeared beside the charging Valkyrie.

Throwing off a cloak that seemed borrowed from someone, Eve swung her sword at the Valkyrie, who had been focused only on Beatrice, and the Valkyrie collapsed to the ground after being hit.

“…What trickery is this…!”

“You, you excessively ignore others.”

Eve said calmly.

“If you had at least properly looked at Kara and the Holy Knights, you would have seen them lending me a cloak with an invisibility divine art.”

Somnus widened his eyes and looked back.

He saw Kurs without his cloak and Kara glaring at Somnus.

“…Worthless things…!”

“You should be more concerned about your life now.”

Upon hearing Eve’s words, Somnus immediately looked around in surprise.

“Let me tell you one thing.”

Eve said without even giving Somnus a glance.

“You cannot block Kei’s attack.”

“…Test subject…!”

While Eve was speaking, Somnus finally spotted me.

Me, who was falling toward Somnus using the ropes formed by the papers Sera had thrown toward the ceiling.

He tried to turn his body to avoid me, but he was already firmly held by Sia.

Even if he wanted to use magic, Somnus had no leeway as he was busy neutralizing Beatrice’s gravity field.

His curse was also weakened due to Chris’s dispelling.

What he could rely on was predetermined.

Soon, immense divine power erupted from Somnus, forming a silver barrier.

“Try to pierce through this…!”

Somnus, with a flushed face, shouted as he deployed the silver barrier.

“It’s impossible to break through a barrier made by the God King’s power with a dying body that hasn’t even unleashed the dragon’s power!”

“Not if I’m alone.”

I didn’t care if Somnus was listening.

I changed my weapon to a halberd and gripped it with both hands.

Below me, Chris was extending both hands toward me.

Golden divine power gathered in the halberd.

The gathered divine power dyed the halberd golden.

Noticing the divine power, Somnus glared at Chris.

“Fake goddess…!”

“You look down on everyone, and that’s why you’re cornered at the critical moment.”

I gripped the golden halberd.

“Let’s see if that paper-thin barrier can block this.”

“Damn test subject…!!”

Somnus lost his composure.

After giving a small smile to such a Somnus.

I swung the halberd, using the speed of my fall.

Just before being caught in the attack, Sia separated from Somnus, and a golden barrier enveloped Sia protectively as Somnus’s barrier shattered without even momentarily blocking the golden halberd.

The silver barrier couldn’t withstand the halberd infused with Chris’s divine power.

“…You creatures who should have just followed orders… constantly disrupting the plan…!!”

“You should understand what ‘noise’ means.”

I quietly answered Somnus’s rage.

“Noise is a sound that stands out alone without harmony. A fitting word for someone like you who looks down on everything.”

I applied pressure to the halberd and continued.

“It’s time for you to quiet down, noise.”

The halberd cut through Somnus.