The Battle of Semec (4)

The career paths of boys and girls who awaken to holy power are different.

Most girls become healers or priestesses, but for boys, while some do become priests or healers, it’s rare, and most become cathedral knights.

Upon becoming cathedral knights, they receive training against the enemies of the Celestial God, represented by the undead, and after completing this training, they are dispatched to cathedrals based on their performance and assigned to knight orders for duty.

And among these, the Crusader Order is where knights who are particularly excellent in performance, outstanding in martial arts, upright in character, and devout in faith are assigned.

Directly under the Inpula Church Territory and not existing in other cathedrals—officially, that is the Crusader Order.

Although the Inpula Church Territory is just a city, the reason it’s recognized as a major force in the vast empire of the Capatia human species is due to the existence of this Crusader Order.

Groooo…

With a peculiar sound, the Celestial God symbols began to flicker wildly around Scarlet.

This is called their own blessing used by the Crusader Order, where holy power materializes to create sacred symbols.

Each symbol is imbued with the blessing of the Celestial God.

With each flicker, physical abilities increase dramatically, regeneration ability is enhanced, physical defense is strengthened, continuous damage is dealt to surrounding hostile entities, psychological defense is enhanced, agility is increased, skill is improved…

Something that cannot be passed on to others, only usable on oneself.

That was frantically flickering and shining around Scarlet.

“I report to the Celestial God that there are enemies here.”

Scarlet took a step.

With a thud, the morning star swung simultaneously became a golden flash striking down the dead, and the shield became another siege hammer smashing through the enemy lines.

“The Celestial God looks down upon the earth and commands to eradicate the wicked things.”

With the sound of bones breaking, skeletons and zombies were swept away.

Buooooo…

The corpse giant approached with thunderous footsteps, letting out an incomprehensible roar.

Just as the meat club raised high seemed to block out the sky, it came slashing down through the air.

“As the Celestial God protects me, I am not afraid.”

Along with Scarlet’s prayer, the meat club came down with a thud.

However, it failed to achieve its goal, striking Scarlet’s surrounding barrier once before bouncing off.

“As the Celestial God finds it unsightly, I shall drive it away.”

Every time the morning star struck, chunks of the corpse giant’s flesh burst off as if it were a joke.

Scarlet’s morning star swept away the dead rushing in from around with the shield, while bursting the corpse giant’s flesh.

Under that force, the corpse giant finally lost its balance and teetered.

“To those who oppose the Celestial God, an eternal rest like hell.”

Scarlet’s morning star shattered the corpse giant’s head in one blow.

The scattering brain matter, flesh chunks, and blood clots couldn’t even splatter near Scarlet’s armor.

And watching that sight, Ludvik also quietly observed before curling up the corners of his mouth in a smile.

“Good, I don’t know who it is, but they’re not an enemy!”

Just then, receiving the Saint’s blessing shining down, the light spear once again emitted radiance.

Gripping the spear shaft with both hands, Ludvik leaped once more.

“Why are there so many?!”

“There were always this many!”

Even while shouting, Alec kept swinging his hammer while sweeping away the dead rushing in with his shield.

If it had been a sword, it might have already chipped. That’s how many there were.

“But they’ve decreased a lot!”

Even though Yona shouted, Alec couldn’t hear properly.

“Kairoc! Are you alright!”

At James’s shout, Yona turned in that direction.

A zombie was clinging to Kairoc’s shoulder, sinking its teeth in, and another was biting into his side.

Even so, Kairoc, who had been fending off the dead pouring in from the front, raised his double-headed axe but suddenly staggered.

“Kairoc!”

As soon as James threw his dagger and clung on to peel off the zombies, Kairoc let out a deep groan and fell to his knees.

Although he didn’t collapse completely by supporting himself with the axe shaft on the ground, Kairoc, whose stamina was already nearly depleted, was no longer in a condition to continue fighting.

“Alec, help!”

They couldn’t leave him here like this.

The dead were swarming all around, and although Bigrin had been maintaining a protective barrier since earlier, preventing direct attacks, it was limited to just Yona.

“Yona, Yona… Are you hurt anywhere?”

Kairoc’s eyes, which had always been glittering, turned towards Yona. Though she had always teased him for having vertically slit pupils like a reptile, those eyes had felt affectionate when looking at her. But now, the light in those eyes had faded considerably.

“I’ll heal you, I’ll heal you!”

Yona shouted as she pulled on Kairoc’s body. But it was actually unreasonable for her strength alone to pull Kairoc, and James was too busy fending off the rushing dead to help Yona.

“Alec, Alec…! Help…!”

There was a sob mixed in Yona’s voice. She couldn’t do it alone. She couldn’t do it by herself. No matter how much Yona struggled to pull Kairoc, trying to drag him to a slightly safer place, Kairoc didn’t budge.

“Why are you crying now?”

“Move, you lizard bastard… Move, just a little back…”

Even so, Yona kept pushing holy power into Kairoc’s wounds.

Although the wounds weren’t fatal, the effect of the corpse poison was too great for Kairoc to be so weakened.

The corpse poison that flows in with each wound has a great negative effect on the living, but Kairoc had endured until now with his innate robust physique as a lizardman.

“Aleeec, help, help…!”

Kairoc might die.

Just the thought of it made Yona feel like her throat was closing up.

Adventurers always live with death.

Yona wasn’t unaware of this. It had been the same when Alephry was said to have died, when Carlson died, and it wasn’t strange in this world for a comrade who had been camping next to you just yesterday to have their head blown off today.

So it shouldn’t be strange even if Kairoc dies. But Yona didn’t feel that way. The thought that Kairoc was dying, it seemed impossible to her. A stifling feeling where her chest wouldn’t calm down and her throat felt choked up.

“Yona! Are you alright?!”

Alec came running belatedly. His shield was also covered with chunks of dead flesh and bone fragments.

“Help me move Kairoc…!”

Yona strained to pull Kairoc. Kairoc, who was limp, was breathing but seemed to be losing consciousness gradually. The corpse poison was spreading, and if it further invaded, it would become truly dangerous.

“Yona, calm down. Calm down.”

Amidst Alec’s patting, Yona gasped for breath.

Grabbing Kairoc’s arms together with Alec and pulling, they managed to drag him under James’s cover.

Only after dragging him to a place where at least they didn’t have to worry about attacks from behind, with their backs to a fairly large rock, could Yona finally examine Kairoc closely.

A large wound on the shoulder, and on the side too. There were many small wounds besides these. Places where red blood had flowed and stopped, and traces where blood had been contaminated by corpse poison and turned purple.

“Kairoc, Kairoc…! You can’t die…!”

Yona completely unwrapped her holy cloth.

The efficiency would be much better with the holy cloth wrapped, but now was not the time to consider efficiency.

Taking a deep breath with a hiss, Yona concentrated on her lower abdomen.

There wasn’t much holy power left, but it was still okay.

After doing this much, call James and retreat.

Yes, that should work.

Yona grabbed the wound on Kairoc’s shoulder with her bare hands.

It was a deep wound, enough for her fingers to sink in.

Kairoc had fought even with such a wound.

If I had been hurt like this, I would have surely sat down and cried loudly.

Yona thought this as she repeatedly purified the corpse poison from Kairoc’s shoulder.

“You bastard!”

Even during this time, Alec kept sweeping away the dead with his shield and crushing their heads with his hammer.

Because there were comrades behind him, Alec couldn’t retreat.

Kairoc, a comrade who had journeyed together for quite a long time.

And Yona, with whom he had spent even longer.

He couldn’t allow those two to be disturbed.

Finally, even James was pushed back, and the four people were gathered here with their backs to the rock.

Kairoc, who was now barely breathing weakly after receiving treatment while lying down, and Yona, who had scraped the bottom of her holy power.

Alec, whose shield was bent and crumpled in various places but still firmly held, gripping his hammer tightly.

James, clutching his half-broken arrow shaft, his eyes fierce as he looked around.

But the dead surrounding them numbered more than ten times their group.

‘…Hah.’

Yona looked up at the sky.

I guess it’s all over now.

I shouldn’t have taken this kind of request after all.

I guess it’s true that life is more important than money.

Then Yona witnessed something strange.

She saw something flying around wildly above her sight, slightly obscured by the rock.

“To those who oppose the Celestial God, an eternal rest that is never peaceful—!”

Along with a resounding shout, sounds of explosions, crushing, and breaking echoed from all around.

Looking closely, what was flying around were zombie arms and legs, skeleton bone fragments, ghoul nails, and corpse giant heads.

“To those who insult the Celestial God, an eternal rest like hell—!”

The resounding shout was getting closer and closer.

Finally, when it seemed to have come right nearby, someone jumped down from the rock and stood in front of them.

Shining silver armor and shield, and a morning star held in the right hand.

Even from behind, clearly visible was the holy power overflowing from the face area and dispersing into the air like misty breath.

“May the path the Celestial God walks be only the path of glory—!”

The morning star emitted light.

Each time it did, the dead were swept away as if struck by a massive iron mass.

Yona could only blankly watch this sight.