20 Nineteen: The dark side of the world (1/2)

With his blessed sword, he cut down the undead bears that were attacking him with their huge, black, hairy arms.

The army of the dead looked like an avalanche. They were probably the pitiful offspring of the magical beasts that had originally inhabited this forest.

The abilities of each and every one of them had been over-enhanced.

The flesh of its arms was chipped off as it swung its claws down, and drool mixed with blood spilled from its wide open jaws. The way it came at him, disintegrating his body, was just like a demon that had risen from hell.

Senri knew.

It was all the power of the abominable necromancy.

But that's not enough to stop the Knights of the End.

The light energy Senri and the others control, the power of blessing, keeps the darkness away.

In a sword, it is the power to cut through the darkness. In armor, it is the barrier that keeps death at bay. When activated, it increases your physical abilities. Thus, the Knights of the End are able to oppose the Dark Ones who wield extrahuman power in human form.

Is there a necromancer?

No!　d*mn, you can't control the undead from a distance like this!

My friends are out of breath, killing the Fleshwild that is constantly attacking us.

Light and dark. Positive and negative. The chemistry is in our favor. So the necromancer fills the gap with numbers.

The undead, strengthened by the necromancer at the cost of their soul's decay, are deepening the abyss.

Even the Knights of the Apocalypse, who are accustomed to cleansing the undead, have trouble with them.

”Senri, should we back off?　These things will destroy themselves if they have enough time.

I'm not backing down.

No. I knew you'd say that!　That's why you're a first-class knight candidate!

I'm a first class knight candidate!” Senri replies immediately, and Lefley smiles deeply as he sweats.

There's still room for improvement, but the wear and tear is intense. I can see the blessings of my friends being drained away.

The blessings of the Knights of the End are vast, but they are not infinite. When they are depleted, there is no way to protect oneself from the Dark Ones. Senri is not fatigued at all, but Lufry and the others have only a tenth of the blessings that Senri has.

The undead that were attacking them now were lowly. Senri thought as he cleansed the wolf pack as if he were breathing.

A second level necromancer is as close to the Dark Lord as you can get. I don't think they'll end up being just an army of flesh and blood.

We need to preserve Lefley's power. At the very least, it was part of Senri's mission to bring them back alive.

I'll take care of it all at once.

”What?　No, no, no, Senri. These people are still out there.

That's what Master would do.

He didn't hesitate.

Grasping in both hands the weapon he had been given when he became a second-class knight, a sword made of precious holy silver, Senri prayed.

He thrust the sword into the ground. He gathered the blessings that had filled his entire body into the tip of the sword and exploded it at once.

The pure positive power that had not been converted into destructive energy became a wind of light that diffused around her.

”Soul Release”.

There was no destruction. The bodies of the bear undead who were about to swing their mighty arms down, and the pack of wolf undead who had been incessantly pouncing on their comrades without regard for their deaths, collapsed without a sound and turned to dust.

The undead that had been attacking them without pause did not even have time to scream as they vanished as if they were just an illusion.

Senri watched them go with an indescribably sad feeling.

Soul Release is the most basic purification spell. It is the power of the demise knight of the demise knight that fills the abyss of the undead with positive energy spread over a wide area and gives them rest.

It is nearly impossible to defend against, and there is no more powerful technique than this for dealing with large numbers of low-ranking undead.

The silence returns. The stagnant air is purified. Nevira whistles happily as she shoulders the mace she's been wielding.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I've been able to purify that many undead at once. ...... You're a second-rate knight.

I've decided it's better to be worn out.

He pulled his sword out of the earth. He grasped the palm of his hand several times to check the condition of his body. He nodded his head without moving an eyebrow.

I'm not sure what to make of that. That is why Demise Knights first learn the art of manipulating weapons in order to reduce the wear and tear on their limited blessings.

However, the amount of blessings Senri possesses is the seal of approval of a first-class knight.

He had released so much power at once that he felt a slight weariness, but it soon disappeared.

I can still fight. I haven't lost even ten percent of my strength yet.

Her purple eyes keep looking beyond the forest. There are still souls affected by the darkness. We have to save them.

It's okay. No problem. Horus didn't expect us to attack. We'll finish him before he can regroup.

Senri's words were met with a serious nod from his companions.

§§

The house was easy to find.

We pried open the locked gate by force and went inside.

Inside the fence. There was a thick scent of death in the large garden. But the only sign of the undead was inside the house.

Perhaps this is where the Fleshwolves that attacked earlier have been roaming. Senri scowled as he thought for a moment of the dead wolves running around the garden.