Chapter 75

Chapter 75 - Dungeon (3)

The pirates still embraced their plunder and couldn't abandon their greed up to the last moment. Because of that, there was a lack of space, so they met death faster.

"Uurgh. There are people still al..."

Slash!

Eugene's army stomped around over dead pirates and finished off any survivors.

Looking at the gruesome sight, the priests of Lasta Monastery did the sign of the cross and prayed.

"Please protect the souls of those brave ones so the smell of blood may disperse."

It was for the souls of the relief army who stained their hands with blood on their behalf.

Even after the siege army was annihilated, the monastery was still in danger.

"Since it is you, you should be able to sense the sinister aura inside there, right?"

"Yes. It wasn't to this extent before battle initiated..."

Marbas and Eugene sensed an evil aura leaking out from the monastery.

"Plunder is collected later."

Eugene quickened his pace to the fully open castle gate.

"We swept all the pirates, couldn't we enter slowly? We have things to take in overflowing amounts anyway."

"Shut your mouth and move."

Only a minority in Eugene's army knows about the monastery's dungeon. Everyone felt bewildered but quietly followed orders.

"What, you don't think the priests will lay a finger on our plunder, right?"

"That's, yeah."

Their belief that the loot would be as they were even upon return lightened the mercenaries' footsteps.

* * *

Lasta Monastery's interior had an atmosphere closer to a barracks, befitting a dungeon sealing ground. Every priest possessed the body of a trained warrior.

Silver weapons were hung on weapon racks installed everywhere on the walls and hallways.

Everything in the monastery presumed battle against evil enemies. Not external enemies, but the danger they harbored inside.

Tap tap.

Rex tapped a silver sword twice with his finger, slightly lifted it to gauge the weight, and returned it.

"It's a plated sword. The content ratio is high too."

"Can you know that so simply?"

"Of course, Sir Knight. When plundering, if you want to pick up something that makes money compared to its volume, you must be able to gauge its value on the spot."

A genuine plunderer was differently wired indeed.

"Anyway, with this much, it's understandable they run it closed off."

Apart from weapons, Rex admired the silver ornaments seen everywhere. All of them are symbols harboring religious meaning.

"Silver contains the power to drive out evil spiritual energy just by its existence. Placing them here and there unleashes power equivalent to a barrier just doing that."

In one place of the monastery, a large, square stone tablet was erected. Judging by the names engraved densely, it seemed to be a memorial monument.

'It shall be remembered until the day the world ends.'

That is the phrase written on the memorial monument.

"It seems they are people who died fighting monsters that came out from the dungeon."

"No. If it were that, it would have at least been sublime."

At Eugene's question, Marbas made a complicated expression.

"A long time ago, warriors of faith gathered and formed a large-scale expeditionary force."

"Did they go on an expedition to the holy land or something?"

The priests of today consider shedding blood over the holy land as the extreme of foolishness.

However, in the past when there was no flexibility and fierce fanaticism overflowed, there were a few major religious wars.

"The target they tried to conquer was something more terrifying and futile."

"No way."

Unless one was a fool, one could figure out the place the expeditionary force headed to given the atmosphere.

"In the old days, there was a lack of understanding about the mysteries of the world. Pits pierced towards the underground. Watching evil beings come out of there, what do you think the religious order thought?"

"They must have tried to purify it in the name of God."

"The summoners of the time unanimously urged them not to. Saying those pits are no different from natural disasters, so sealing them is the best."

Marbas sighed.

"The advice was ignored, and a large-scale expeditionary force departed under the name of a holy war. Knightly orders and priests descended down the deep hole."

"The results would be obvious without even looking."

"Most went missing, and the extremely small number of those who returned alive all went mad."

A pit digging endlessly into the abyss. One can obtain neither glory nor wealth there. Only evil existences and darkness endlessly continue.

It was the reason why among knight's epics where all sorts of monsters appear, only dungeons aren't mentioned.

* * *

"Welcome, brave warriors. I am the Abbot of this place, Benedict."

Thud!

A noise heard as soon as the greeting ended. The Abbot had a tense face despite the big victory.

"Please forgive us for not coming out to meet everyone. Beyond the seal door is unusual."

The seal door blessed by a saint a long time ago is tied with iron chains. The holy aura felt from it had weakened.

Thud!

The door shook as if it would break.

Clatter.

The chains trembled as if they couldn't endure the terrifying thing contained inside.

"..."

Eugene's subordinates realized the situation wasn't over without any particular explanation. Chatter stopped and everyone caught their breaths.

"It has never been like this before. But suddenly from a little while ago..."

"Evil is fated to be drawn to greater evil. The grudge hundreds of pirates had while dying got sucked in here. It must have weakened the seal and called forth the evil existences lurking in the deep."

'Is this because of me?'

Eugene's expression hardened while listening to the conversation between the Abbot and Marbas.

"It's not your fault, Sir! If you hadn't executed the pirates anyway, those bastards would have entered the monastery and broken the seal door. Believing there would be treasure inside."

Andrew hurriedly defended Eugene.

"It is as Sir Andrew said. It was only a matter of time before it became like this since the seal is old anyway..."

Thud!

Crackle!

Marbas's words were buried by the sound of the seal door getting destroyed. Everyone felt the chill of death flowing out from the door crack.

Bang!

Finally, the door swung wide open.

Dozens of existences wriggling in the darkness stepped into the monastery. It's the lowest rank undead, Wights.

"Oh, God!"

"No!"

The monks, who had been ready to fight with firm expressions, were astounded.

Because the Wights were wearing the same attires as them. Same for the weapons they held and the religious symbols hung around their necks.

"It's the expeditionary force that left under the name of a holy war in the past."

Did he somewhat expect it? Marbas spoke calmly.

The Wights barely rotted even though hundreds of years or more passed since they died. It must be due to the chill of the afterlife filling down in that deep place.

"Geueoeok-."

"Geureureuk-."

The growling ringing from vocal cords with no vitality. The faces of the priests who had valiantly faced far more dangerous battles distorted.

The true ending seniors of faith recorded as sublime sacrifices faced. That was merely dead ones who had degraded miserably contrary to what they've learned.

"Shoot!"

At Eugene's order, bolts and arrows rained down like hail of steel.

Because they were subjected to close-range fire in a narrow space, the Wights couldn't hold out and collapsed one after another.

Geuuu-.

However, Wights continued to pour out from the pit.

Critically, a pair of pupils burning red in the darkness. It was exuding a pressure of a different dimension.

"Damn it! It's a Death Knight!"

Even the mercenaries who were calm in front of Wights screamed.

The surcoat painted with a religious symbol on a black background is torn and frayed here and there, being no different from rags.

The iron armor was rusted and damaged, but the mercenaries sensed they wouldn't be able to pierce it no matter how much they attacked.

Because even those who don't know mysteries could feel the magic of hell exuding from the armor.

"This can't be."

Andrew muttered with a horrifyingly distorted face.

A Hospitaller Knight in the same attire as him had fallen into the worst monster and was staring at a distant junior.

* * *

A knight is an existence who stays closer to death than anyone else. A few spiritually sensitive ones often catch a glimpse of the mysteries intertwined with life and death amidst desperate struggles.

If this kind of knight dies harboring a strong grudge, they sometimes refuse death based on the enlightenment of their lifetime and rise again.

The Death Knight born like that became a disaster for all life.

"Damn it. We didn't bring silver arrows."

Since Rex and the tribe warriors presumed an ordinary pirate subjugation, they were in a state of preparing a multitude of regular arrows.

"They're coming! Hold your shields upright!"

"Fetch them all!"

While the frontline mercenaries fought the Wights, the rearline mercenaries swept up the silver weapons hung all over the monastery.

"W-Wait!"

At the sight of the monastery's treasures being looted by outsiders' hands, the priests snapped to their senses.

"See here! Those are our monastery's..."

"Since you folks are spaced out so much, shouldn't we at least step forward?!"

The priests were at a loss for words and bit their lips.

"Do not lunge at the Death Knight. I will deal with that guy."

The aura it exuded was beyond the Guardian Knight he fought last time. Eugene intuited that if the mercenaries lunged at it, a mass death would occur.

Thwack!

"W-What kind of crazy strength...?!"

The mercenary who received the mace swung by a Wight with his shield staggered. If the comrade next to him hadn't protected him immediately, it would have been dangerous.

"They're not ordinary Wights!"

"Those without silver swords fall back!"

Even receiving support fire from the tribe warriors, the combat priests and mercenaries fought strenuously.

"Look at those guys' forearms! They're thicker than ours!"

For normal Wights, low-ranking soldiers or refugees were the main ingredients.

However, the guys lunging at them right now are warriors who participated in the holy war. Everyone is heavily armed on top of a strong physical body.

If it weren't for Marbas's support, multiple casualties would have already occurred.

"Pitiful dead ones. Follow my guidance. Go find the last piece of memory in your souls!"

As Marbas completed the spell, the Wights who were swinging weapons at the vanguard flinched.

Eyes that flashed with hatred for the living survey their own bodies.

Tang!

Clang!

The weapons held in their twisted hands dropped to the ground.

"Uuuuu-."

"Ueooh-."

The Wights grabbed their heads with howls full of agony. Some knelt down and overlapped their trembling fingers, making a praying posture.

Thump.

Flop.

A significant number of the Wights hit by Marbas's magic collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.

"I temporarily revived their memories of when they were alive as people of faith. The most dangerous enemy lies within oneself."

Turn Undead.

The magic that destroys undead who returned from death is divided into 2 types.

One is what high priests use, which is a simple way of eradicating evil with holy power.

On the other hand, summoners used the souls of the undead in reverse. Appealing to their conscience and beliefs during their lifetime so they collapse on their own and rest in peace.

The power is unstable compared to the high priest's method, but it unleashed the best effect in a situation like this.

"Excellent, Summoner!"

The Abbot nodded at the Wights reduced to half. Unlike blasphemous magicians, a summoner was always a reliable ally to monks.

However, it didn't work on the Death Knight.

Shuak!

The guy swung his sword and cleaved the magic pouncing on him.

"The guy is moving!"

"I'm looking."

Eugene hadn't participated in the battle and was only paying attention to the Death Knight all along.

The guy surveyed the Wights collapsing everywhere, then slowly did the sign of the cross. Only the motion was the same, inside it was full of only praise for evil.

"Why does an evil existence do the sign of the cross? Your duty is already over. Do not disgrace God any longer."

Whether the Abbot shouted or not, the Death Knight didn't stop his hand. The evil energy rapidly swarming in accordance.

Rumble.

The silver ornaments all around shook remarkably as if an earthquake happened.

Clatter.

Wriggle wriggle.

At the sight of the collapsed Wights trying to resurrect, Eugene charged without hesitation.

The silver blade of Final Autumn flashed like a glint.

Clang!

The etherium sword containing monstrous strength held a power that even the Death Knight could not look down on.

Flop!

Thump!

The corrupted sign of the cross was cut off, and the resurrecting Wights collapsed one after another.

The strongest knight among the living and the strongest knight among the dead.

Both are swinging swords, but the sound produced when they clash had surpassed the bounds of swords.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Whichever side, it holds a power that would split an ordinary person in one strike if hit.

"No one approach! You'll only be a hindrance!"

Eugene yelled at Hind, Andrew, and the tribe knights trying to plunge in holding silver swords.

The place isn't wide, and Wight corpses are scattered everywhere, so body movements are hindered.

Since it's hard to surround him, 1-on-1 situations will occur frequently. The risk of the knights dying in battle is too high.

Bang!

The sword the Death Knight swung struck Eugene's iron shield hard.

The pitch-black evil aura the rusted sword engraved on the shield was washed off immediately.

'The effect of holy water and benediction works.'

The shield soaked in holy water blessed by the Abbot displayed powerful protective capabilities.

The number of attacks was several times higher for the Death Knight. Because unlike Eugene, who has a stamina limit, it was an enemy who didn't know fatigue.

However, as all the Wights were cleared out, the tide of battle tilted.

"Aim for the joints!"

The moment he heard Rex's shout, Eugene tactfully backed away. Instantly, arrows soaked in hastily made holy water poured down.

Scattering myriad blue sparks, the Death Knight was battered all over his body.

In that opening, Eugene poured out fierce attacks. Every time the etherium sword blade passed, the magic of hell broke down and the armor turned into rags.

[Krar-.]

The Death Knight, who had distanced himself completely, raised his sword high and exploded evil energy.

Since fighting alone shows no chance of winning, it's his calculation to resurrect the Wights fast even if overdoing it.

"Damn it!"

The mercenaries got goosebumps at the sight of the heavily armed Wights they barely struck down standing up all at once.

"Have mercy. Bestow the warmth of the Lord to those who cannot repent themselves!"

However, the monks' united prayer phrase scattered the evil power dwelling in the undead.

Flop.

The Wights standing up fell flat again.

And the Death Knight, who revealed an opening from using too much power, allowed a strike to Eugene.

Slash!

The etherium blade severed the Death Knight's right arm.

However, the enemy is a supreme monster possessing both the apathy of the undead and a knight's combat skills.

In that situation, it rather kicked off the ground and tackled Eugene.

"Ugh!"

The two tangled into one mass and rolled over and over. Fortunately, the one who took the mount position was Eugene.

He instantly tried to stab the Death Knight's neck with the sword held in his right hand.

Grab.

The Death Knight caught Eugene's gauntlet holding the sword with its one remaining hand.

However, it didn't seem to know that the opponent had beaten several to death with a shield as well.

Bang!

The shield's edge stamped on the Death Knight's face. A loud noise rang and blue sparks flew.

The blessing residing in the shield converted part of Eugene's monstrous strength into a spiritual strike and delivered it.

[Kyaaa-!]

The Death Knight still didn't let go of the hand holding the sword, as if still scared of the etherium sword.

"Alright. Let's see how long you can hold out."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Eugene excitedly beat with his shield. The unholy breastplate and helmet began to dent pathetically.

Crunch!

Then at some point, as the helmet was completely mashed, the Death Knight drooped limply.

Eugene felt the corrupted soul dwelling in the armor tangibly scatter.

* * *

"It is a truly great victory!"

When Eugene slowly stood up from his spot, the monks had tears in their eyes.

It was a sight that went beyond simply a knight and a monster fighting.

Life and death.

Good and evil.

This feeling of witnessing a scene where spokespersons of opposing extremes fight and light triumphs.

The priests drew the sign of the cross, and a considerable number of warriors joined them. It was difficult to deny the sensation that God loves and is with them.

"The rumors of you I heard at the Knight Order headquarters weren't exaggerated, but rather understated. Thank you for saving the soul of a suffering senior."

Andrew also approached and expressed deep gratitude.

"It isn't over yet."

Receiving their thanks, Eugene pointed to the collapsed entrance.

A great victory was achieved, but a more important task remained. He had to seal the destroyed entrance again.

"Leave it to me from now on."

Patting Eugene's shoulder, Marbas stepped forward.

He glared at the pitch-black tunneled hole. While others seemed to feel a chill from that hole, Marbas felt as if an unpleasant heat was drifting from it.

"I will sever it from the world forever."

Apart from his debt to Eugene, goodwill to the monks, and contribution to the world.

Leaving all those aside, it was a hole he wanted to block tightly even if just for personal grudges.