Chapter 355 - Isolation (2)

The corpse rose to its feet. Its mottled red skin looked ready to burst, and stitches crisscrossed its body.

“Don't tell me... the Corpse Collector...?”

Amelia's murmur drew an involuntary sigh from me.

So you'd reached the same conclusion. When it came to necromancers in Noark, he really was the only one who came to mind.

'If an elite team really did sneak in here, there's no way that bastard would sit this out.'

Aveth Necrapethor. An Orculus criminal known as the Corpse Collector, specializing in fighting entire groups single-handedly.

My head was already starting to hurt. If even he was here, didn't that mean Noark was going all out?

'Ha, they said the rear hadn't been attacked once since that incident. Why did it have to happen the moment I got here...?'

I couldn't help grumbling, but there would be time for complaints later.

I immediately dashed forward and brought my hammer down on the corpse's skull. There was no need to bother using [Swing].

CRUNCH!

The corpse was crushed in an instant, blood bursting out of it. As a melee fighter, I had no choice but to get splattered...

HISSS!

Whew. Poison in the blood, too. Looks like it really is him.

“Are you all right?”

“Don't worry. I'm fine.”

I didn't even need the immunity bonus from [Spirit Form]. Vol-Herchan's +120 Poison Tolerance alone was more than enough to handle skin contact.

Well, it did itch a little.

“More importantly, it looks like things are getting started...”

As I muttered, feeling strange about my theory proving correct, I noticed Erwin standing frozen.

“... Erwin, are you all right?”

“... What? W-what did you just say?”

“I asked if you were all right.”

“Ah... Oh! Yes...”

She nodded, but her voice was still utterly vacant, and her eyes remained fixed on the mangled corpse.

“The Corpse... Collector...”

Ah, right...

Come to think of it, this was practically an encounter with her sister's killer. The Scholar of Destruction had killed Daria, but this bastard had played a considerable part in it.

Then Erwin asked in a trembling voice, “... Can we kill him?”

Could we kill him...?

I thought for a moment before answering.

“Maybe.”

Yes, if things went well, killing him was possible. But...

“Still, surviving comes first today.”

I made that clear. Losing something else by overreaching in pursuit of revenge would defeat the purpose.

I wasn't sure whether she accepted that, but Erwin stared blankly at me for about five seconds. Then she bit her lip and clenched her fists.

“... All right. I'll do as you say, Mister.”

Whew. Now I felt bad.

I walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder. I didn't know whether it would offer any comfort, but...

“Don't worry, Erwin. I'm the kind of bastard who can't rest until I've paid people back, too.”

“...?”

“I mean I've never once forgotten what they did.”

I'd started out trying to comfort her, but I meant every word.

The Dragonslayer, Ligar Vagos.

The Corpse Collector, Aveth Necrapethor.

The Scholar of Destruction, Velvev Luingenes.

I hadn't forgotten my grudge against them, either. I was simply waiting for the right moment. Yes, so...

“Just wait a little longer. It won't take too long.”

“... All right.”

Okay, that seemed to have steadied her.

“Emily, where did that fellow go, anyway?”

I flicked the blood off my arm as I asked where Assistant Adjutant Alex had gone. Amelia answered.

“He went inside the tent the moment the corpse fell from above.”

Hmm, had he gone to report to Raven? Then why wasn't he back yet? Corpses were still falling even as we—

“It really did turn out as you said.”

Well, speak of the devil.

I turned to find Raven emerging from the tent with Assistant Adjutant Alex. Her expression had darkened considerably in that short time.

“When command brushed it aside, I should have argued harder, at least...”

What was this? Regret wasn't like her. Nothing was more wasteful than dwelling on the past.

“More importantly, what are you going to do now?”

“Orders just came down from command. Every unit is to gather at the lake with all its personnel. They seem to intend to make a stand using the magic circles on the ships' hulls.”

Regrouping rather than fighting here, then. With the enemy's strength unknown, they seemed to have chosen the most conservative strategy possible...

“Then are we moving out right now?”

“No. We'll wait here briefly. I've contacted the mages in the Magic Corps. They should gather here soon with the explorers.”

Right, so we'd head to the lake once everyone arrived. Then we'd board the ships and activate the magic circles to buy time.

I wasn't sure it was a good plan. Still, it wasn't as though we had another option.

“Report our numbers.”

“Three confirmed dead, and two missing, whereabouts unknown!”

“Two missing... We can't delay any longer for two people when we don't even know whether they're alive. Let's move.”

As we waited, disposing of corpses, the corps' mages gathered with their explorer escorts. Now it was time to head for the lake.

「Allua Raven has cast the rank-seven support spell [Neutralization].」

The other melee explorers and I cleared a path with support from the mages and back-line explorers. The journey itself presented no obstacle. So far, all we faced were corpses. They couldn't stop a hundred or so close-combat explorers supported by dozens of mages.

But just as we were making swift progress toward the lake...

BOOOOOOM!

The ground shook with a roar like a nuclear bomb exploding. And...

“It appears the magic circles have been damaged.”

The magically dispersed fog began to form in the air again, obscuring our view.

Well, there was an upside. The alarm spell blaring like an emergency siren must have been destroyed, too, because it was much quieter now.

“What are you doing? Don't stop!”

Raven cleared the surrounding fog with wind magic, and we resumed moving.

Before long, we were close enough to see the blood-red lake with the naked eye. The mages summoned small boats and set them afloat.

That was when it happened.

“Board the boats one at a—”

“Aaaaaaagh!”

A man's scream rang out from the rear.

* * *

It was the dying scream of some nameless man. Not one person had been injured fighting the corpses on the way here, which made that scream sound especially loud in our ears.

Was that why?

Raven, who had been the first to start boarding, set her half-raised foot back down. Then she asked,

“... What's going on?”

“We're checking. It shouldn't be anything serious, so please go on ahe—”

“No. I need to know. Assistant Adjutant Halo, stay here and coordinate the others.”

Raven ordered someone else to board first. Apparently, she didn't want to hop aboard alone without knowing what was happening...

Wow, was this a military commander's sense of responsibility? I'd heard she was highly respected within the corps, and I could see why. She was a conscientious, dependable superior.

The problem, though, was...

“What are you doing? Come along.”

Our job was to stay close and protect her. If she didn't board, neither could we.

“... Where are you going?”

Raven's answer was brief.

“To the rear. I have a bad feeling.”

Hold on. If you had a bad feeling, wasn't running for your life the sensible response?

As that thought crossed my mind, another scream came from the rear.

“Aaaaagh!”

And then...

“Deputy Commander! We've identified the enemy!”

At last, word of the situation in the rear reached us. Surprisingly, there was only one enemy. But no one took the situation lightly. That one man's appearance was extremely well known in the city.

“... An elderly knight in dark-red armor?”

“Yes. We've also confirmed that he uses Aura.”

The Blood Knight. Born in Bifron, he had risen from soldier to knight before earning notoriety by murdering the previous commander of the Royal Knight Order. An Orculus criminal.

“Emily, do you know anything?”

While Raven spoke with her subordinate, I quietly slipped back to ask Amelia for information, but she had little of significance to offer. Apparently, he'd so rarely been active outside that their paths had never really crossed. She'd only seen him a few times at the lord's castle, and they'd never even spoken...

“Deputy Commander...! You must leave while they're holding him off!”

“No. If it really is the Blood Knight, our losses will spiral out of control.”

“But...!”

“No buts. If someone has to stop him, it makes sense for me to do it. Go aboard first.”

“...”

“That's an order.”

“... Yes, ma'am!”

The mage saluted, his face both worried and moved by Raven's orders.

It was an undeniably heartwarming scene. Or it would have been, if we weren't directly involved.

“With that in mind, Erwin, would you help me until everyone in the corps is aboard?”

Having finished persuading her subordinates, Raven made an earnest request of Erwin.

“We only need to buy a little time. After that, we can escape with Mass Teleportation magic.”

“Mass Teleportation...?”

Wasn't her school barred from learning that spell?

I muttered without thinking, and Raven answered without so much as looking at me, her eyes fixed on Erwin.

“I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to learn it. If I'd had it... there might have been another option that day, too. Of course... it's far, far too late now.”

“...”

“Please.”

At Raven's repeated plea, Erwin glanced at me. Apparently, she wanted me to decide...

“Why are you looking at him...?”

Seeing Erwin seemingly defer to me, Raven gave me a questioning look.

“I never imagined you'd even imitate that part of your relationship...”

Well, she seemed to have found her own explanation. Time was short, so I asked just one brief question.

“What if we don't come with you?”

“You'll face disciplinary action for violating military law. You'll never be allowed to participate in royal undertakings again.”

Uh, was that a threat? That wasn't what I'd asked, though...

“I asked what you'd do. If we refused to follow, punishment or no punishment, would you go alone?”

“Oh...”

Raven considered for a moment before answering.

“I couldn't manage alone. I'd probably go with some other explorers.”

Right, so not going wasn't an option. Somehow, she'd become stubborn about the strangest things. Though, to be fair, she'd never been entirely without an altruistic streak.

“All right. Let's go together, then.”

Once the decision was made, there was no reason to delay. The rear wasn't all that far away, after all.

When we reached the rear, where screams had been ringing out one after another, the first thing we saw was a mage sitting helplessly before a menacing Aura.

「Allua Raven has cast the rank-four auxiliary spell [Trajectory Interference].」

Instead of trying to block the Aura with some inadequate defensive spell, Raven used utility magic to alter the sword's trajectory itself.

WHOOOSH!

The greatsword swept over the mage's head instead of through his neck.

“Ugh...!”

The moment I saw that, I dashed forward and pulled the panicking mage out of danger.

“Th-thank you for saving... D-Deputy Commander?!”

“Raimond, you held out well. Leave the rest to us and lead the explorers back to the main group. That's an order.”

“... Yes, ma'am!”

The mage led the explorers away as Raven instructed. Surprisingly, our opponent simply watched us from a distance, his gaze somehow chilling.

'So that's the Blood Knight...'

I took the lead, covering my upper body with my shield, then faced him and gave him a quick once-over.

My first impression was that he was shorter than I'd expected. He couldn't have been much over 160 centimeters... Not that he looked remotely easy to deal with.

'What's with that presence?'

Even his frame spoke of a stocky, solid build. Combined with his own distinct bearing, it gave him an imposing presence despite his small stature.

But his voice was the worst of all.

“The Mage of Gold, Allua Raven.”

It went beyond a metallic rasp. There was clearly something wrong with his vocal cords. In that voice, he slowly continued.

“One of the targets, to be killed.”

With those words, he raised his greatsword in a businesslike manner.

Well, he wasn't paying us any attention at all, was he?

Watching the blood-red Aura befitting his epithet, I murmured,

“Erwin. [Spirit Form].”

“Which one?”

Which one did she think? There was only one to use against a knight.

“Rock.”

As I answered, Erwin's body turned translucent. And the moment we clasped hands...

「An earth spirit inhabits the character's body.」

I could feel the earth's power spreading through my skin in real time.

「Fire damage taken is reduced by half.」

「Water damage taken is doubled.」

「Poison immunity bonus.」

「Destructive actions receive a strong bonus when using blunt weapons.」

「Physical Resistance increases significantly...」

「...」

Whew, it had been a while since I'd used Elebaba (Earth) Mode.

「The character's Physical Resistance is 350 or higher.」

「Damage from puncture wounds is reduced by 50%.」

Anyway, that should have activated the second-stage carapace even without [Gigantification]...

“A meaningless, effort.”

Look at him, so full of himself just because he could use Aura. How was a tank supposed to live with this kind of treatment?

“Die, now.”

I grinned as the old knight closed the distance in an instant.

Who was dying? Why did he think I'd come trotting all the way here?

「The character has used [Impregnable Fortress].」

「The effects of [Evolving Carapace] are increased by a factor of 1.5.」

Knight Crusher. The epithet that had once been mine.

The day had finally come to show what it truly meant.