Ch.77Full-Scale War (4)

“No way… I didn’t expect you’d use the monster wave.”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh as I realized the Apostles’ strategy.

It was something I couldn’t ignore, regardless of whether their plan succeeded or not.

‘Could they really choose who to possess at will…?’

I still didn’t know exactly who the Evil God could possess, how many, or how it worked. Nor did I know what price had to be paid for such acts.

But one thing was certain.

If the Apostles started exploiting this, truly many calamities could occur.

‘Just like now.’

They wouldn’t have attempted this without prior experiments, so it might have happened several times already.

When I first fell into this world, it seemed the Goddess had the advantage over the Evil God.

I thought so because of the existence of fairies who could identify Apostles and how the Apostles were being hunted down like rats.

‘No. If you think more deeply, it’s definitely not an advantageous situation.’

Just looking at what happened in the Dwarf Kingdom, the Apostles had completed their preparations long ago.

We were just trying to clean up after them belatedly, and we were certainly not in a superior position.

‘To be even equal in the upcoming battles, I need to handle this situation as best I can today.’

I needed to destroy not only the old man before me but also the secret weapon supposedly given by the Evil God to even speak of equality in future battles.

So I gripped my sword tightly as I looked at the old man.

“Hmm? Despite your shock… I don’t see much despair, young women. Do you still have something up your sleeve?”

“Reading emotions used to be my specialty, so it feels strange to be read so easily.”

I responded smoothly to the old man’s sharp guess while sharpening my senses.

I had an almost certain intuition that the old man would no longer engage in leisurely conversation.

And my prediction proved correct.

CRASH-!!!

Vargan, the Dwarf King who had been motionless as if dead until just now, charged at me wielding an axe as large as his body.

‘That axe is ridiculously heavy…!’

I immediately raised my sword to block Vargan’s axe, but even so, one knee nearly touched the ground.

I tilted the blade diagonally to deflect the axe, then created some distance to keep both Vargan and the old man in my sight.

“I’ve felt it since you destroyed one of this old man’s masterpieces, but your reactions are certainly quick. You’ll make a fine Death Knight.”

“The way you talk, it sounds like someone promised to become a Death Knight.”

“Promises can be made starting now. Even if the process is somewhat violent.”

No sooner had the old man finished speaking than other Death Knights began to reveal themselves one by one.

A giant white rabbit beastkin over 2 meters tall with a massive crossbow, appearing from the top of the building.

A dark elf with two daggers, crawling out from the old man’s shadow.

A muscular human male who appeared after blasting away the dwarves blocking his path.

Including Vargan, four Death Knights, each at least S-rank adventurer level, gathered before me.

Especially Vargan, who had been a king of his race, was an exceptional existence even compared to the other three, so I couldn’t let my guard down.

The one fortunate thing was that most of them had no consciousness.

Except for one.

“Kahaha! So Bianca died! I told her repeatedly she should train her body instead of using that strange Snake Sword!”

“Be quiet, or I’ll confiscate that protein… or whatever it is again before you behave.”

The muscular man, presumably a martial artist, spoke like a human just like the woman with the Snake Sword I had defeated earlier.

Judging by his strangely gym-bro-like vibe, he seemed to be an Apostle similar to the one I had just defeated.

‘What’s the difference with having consciousness?’

Is it because he’s an Apostle, or is it about cooperation?

If what I was thinking was correct, this was definitely information I could use.

As I continued my vigilance calmly, the old man began speaking with a slight smile.

“Don’t be so tense, we’ll start easy.”

“You’re quite skilled at lying.”

Of course, I snorted at the old man’s words that seemed meant to reassure me.

Though the old man spoke as if kindly, I knew his true nature included a twisted pleasure in crushing others’ hopes.

“Indeed, you’re quick-witted. It’s good that you understand quickly… but in this case, it might not be to your advantage.”

Seeing my amused reaction, the old man looked at me with cold eyes as if his mood had been spoiled.

That was the last expression I would see from him.

“Well then. Show me your capabilities before becoming a Death Knight by struggling with all your might. And it would be better to fight far away so as not to interfere with my work.”

“Y-you heard him!! Time to move!”

The muscular man responded to the old man’s words by punching me and sending me flying.

-BOOM!

Thanks to that, I was launched from the Succession Hall and crashed into the wall of a building.

‘What a brute.’

Thanks to my defense, I didn’t take major damage, but it wasn’t a good situation.

I wasn’t sure how long I could even hold out against those Death Knights, let alone defeat them.

‘I’ll have just one chance to strike with my hidden dagger… damn it.’

I had hoped to think more calmly with the distance created, but it seemed I wouldn’t have that time.

CRASH!!

Not long after I was embedded in the wall, arrows were shot at me.

And these were arrows that could easily pierce through the outer wall of a building, coming in a barrage.

RATATATATATA!!!!

Though it was archery, the rate of fire was comparable to a machine gun, and in an instant, the building I was stuck in had long since become a honeycomb.

‘This is impossible in my current state.’

My judgment was quick, and so was my action.

I immediately changed my ice-attribute mana into aura. Then my body filled with more vitality than I usually felt.

Physical enhancement through mana was possible, but this proved that it was inferior to aura.

However, I didn’t have time to fully appreciate that vitality.

“…”

“Don’t forget about me!!”

Because Vargan and the muscular man had already approached and were attacking me.

I didn’t have the ability to block both of their attacks simultaneously. So I guided the direction of their attacks.

CRASH- CLANG!!

In Vargan’s case, since he had no consciousness, his movements were closer to instinct, making him not too difficult to manipulate.

The result was a success, as one could see.

“Ugh…!! This is why I hate fighting alongside these unconscious guys!”

The man, part of whose arm had been cut off by Vargan’s axe blade, glared at Vargan with blazing eyes.

The man looked like he was about to hit Vargan, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

“If it weren’t for that old geezer!”

The man nervously kicked the ground, then grabbed his dangling arm with his other hand and joined the cut surfaces together.

Then the wound healed cleanly as if it had never existed.

‘Regenerative ability?’

After his regeneration was complete, the man charged at me again. And matching his action, Vargan also began to move again.

This time, as if determined not to fall for the same trick, the man was visibly conscious of my movements.

If I tried the same tactic, I’d be countered by the man.

‘He’s irritable, but not a fool.’

I chose to retreat rather than defend, and at that moment, the dark elf revealed himself from my shadow.

SLASH-!

Though it was certainly a surprise attack, it wasn’t very threatening to me who had been prepared.

I moved my legs to avoid the dark elf’s attack, then brought my sword down on the opponent as they tried to escape.

“Indeed… being unconscious makes you a bit foolish.”

“That’s not entirely wrong!”

If I hadn’t known about the assassin’s existence, I might have been caught, but I was already aware of this dark elf.

In such a situation, when they weren’t all revealing themselves at once, it was easy to predict the timing of an ambush.

The real problems here were Vargan, who was threatening even without consciousness, and that conscious man.

“But can you handle this!”

A sudden abandonment of defense for a physical charge.

Having just responded to the dark elf, I didn’t have ample time to dodge.

And even if I counterattacked immediately, it was uncertain whether I could kill him in one strike.

So naturally, I chose to defend.

CRASH-!

I felt like I’d been hit by a dump truck as I was sent flying into the interior of the building in an instant.