Chapter 75: Sanctuary of Restful Purification — Final Battle (1)
Chapter 75: Sanctuary of Restful Purification — Final Battle (1)
Evening, as the crimson sunset faded.
In the northeast direction of the temple, a force that could hardly be called numerous had gathered.
The Holy Knight order stationed at the Sanctuary of Restful Purification.
The Torch of Purification.
The name could be interpreted rather violently, but in truth they were sincere individuals who had voluntarily followed the Saint to this harsh post.
“Arteine will protect us!”
The commander, second only to the Saint in ability, raised his sword high and stirred everyone’s fighting spirit.
“We shall never fall!”
A roar.
A blazing shout.
Barely forty Holy Knights raised their voices with fierce determination.
《How noisy!》
All of them had rejected worldly glory and come here solely to assist the Saint.
Naturally, such stubborn fools shouted loudly.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, our expedition quietly prepared for battle.
“My heart’s pounding….”
—Stay calm!
Pendrick, the super-genius swordsman, trembled while gripping Astrimia’s hilt tightly.
Perhaps it was thanks to the countless realistic sparring matches over the past week.
For a level-3 swordsman, he was beginning to show a strong fighting spirit.
“Whew.”
Bartimir was stretching his body noisily.
The bandages around his hands were already removed, but just as I had advised, he held a long strip of bandage loosely in his hands.
“I hope we achieve good results.”
Lucius, who had chosen to fight alongside us, carefully polished his bell while speaking.
“Arteine is protecting us, so surely this hardship—”
“Yeah, yeah! Enough with the obvious stuff, sleepyhead!”
The demon interrupted the serious encouragement speech midway and slung an arm around the priest’s shoulders.
After a week of healing us during sparring sessions, he had grown fairly close to our expedition.
“…Please let go.”
“Let’s go! Let’s do our best!”
Lucius frowned deeply, but Bartimir simply raised his fist cheerfully toward the sky.
Being that carefree before a major battle was almost a talent.
“Sir Kar.”
The bright-toothed Holy Knight Valentin called out while maintaining his sword alongside the youngest knight, Ilia.
“Yes, Sir Valentin.”
“If the Saint remains alive, the labyrinth truly won’t reset, correct? What if—just in case—your deduction is wrong?”
Considering ominous possibilities was a good habit.
Living in constant anxiety helped one develop ways to prepare for the future.
I smiled faintly.
“Then we can all take a pleasant trip through the rift of time and space. I’ll serve as the tour guide and show you the famous sights.”
“…I thought you were going to say we should trust you and not worry.”
“Anyone who says ‘trust me and stop worrying’ is usually a fraud.”
《Question: Do you not frequently say people need not worry?》
Swish, swish.
“I’ve noticed you keep waving your hands in the air. Why do you do that?”
“It’s a hobby. Cheerfully waving my hands for no reason.”
“…Ah. I see.”
Valentin looked down at his sword again.
Just as we calmly continued preparing for battle while listening to the noisy Holy Knights—
“Siblings who have made this noble decision.”
Saint Seraphina walked forward through the center.
She wore pure white armor across her entire body.
Despite being a priest, her posture and steps were as steady as any Holy Knight.
“The time has come.”
In her left hand was a white buckler.
In her right, a pure white spear.
Both were holy relics.
The armor itself was also a sacred relic.
The Saint, armed with three relics, raised her spear toward the sky.
“Arteine is watching over us. The one who protects all will shield us, so we will not fall.”
She must have spoken these same words in the original history.
Arteine probably tried to protect the real Seraphina by consuming immense faith.
But as history showed, the result was annihilation.
This labyrinth, however, would end differently.
Because I would make it so.
“…They are coming.”
The moment Seraphina spoke quietly, the enemies appeared beyond the horizon.
“So many….”
Lucius muttered blankly.
There were indeed countless enemies.
A sea of non-living soldiers composed of golems and puppets surged forward.
At a rough estimate—ten thousand.
“…I feel uneasy.”
—Ahh!
“That’s way too many.”
The Moon Expedition expressed tension in different ways.
It was the natural reaction.
Anyone who felt nothing while facing such a tidal wave of enemies had something wrong with their brain.
Wow. So many golems.
“Be afraid.”
Seraphina stepped forward.
“Fear their strength, their durability, their overwhelming power. Fear is not shameful. It is the instinct of survival present in all living beings.”
Fear was not something to overcome.
“Just do not be devoured by it. Accept it as an ally and advance.”
Fear was merely a companion warning of danger.
“I will lead the front.”
She raised her buckler.
Whoooosh!
A radiant light like sunlight spread across the battlefield and dyed the ground pure white.
“Please shelter us.”
[Immaculate Earth].
A 9th-tier mystic that dramatically increased the allies’ physical abilities, recovery power, and mystical rank.
—Enemy detected.
Flying scouts from the monster army approached—golems with wings or propulsion devices on their feet.
“Glory to Arteine.”
Seraphina threw her spear.
The sacred relic Segia.
A weapon that pursued and pierced enemies on its own.
Crunch!
Crack!
The white spear flew through the air, shooting down golems.
—Powerful enemy detected.
—Requesting support!
The flying golems immediately fled.
Segia returned to its master’s hand.
“I want a weapon like that….”
Bartimir stared at the spear with sparkling eyes.
Meanwhile, the monster army drew close.
Battle-specialized golems.
Labor units, service units, household constructs, information-processing dolls.
Even dolls created for vulgar desires.
Each one possessed independent intelligence.
“The time has come.”
Seraphina glanced at the Holy Knights and volunteers behind her, then struck the ground with her spear shaft.
“Forward! Glory to Arteine!”
“Glory to Arteine—!!”
The Torch of Purification charged forward with astonishing speed under the blessing of Immaculate Earth.
“Let’s go, Bartimir!”
“Let’s go!”
Bartimir immediately sprinted forward with me on his back.
Then he leaped upward.
Crunch! Crunch!
He ran across the heads of golems and puppets.
His extraordinary physical ability came from absorbing numerous negative concepts over the past week.
Temporary superhuman strength and speed—but it would last for hours.
From his shoulders, I extended both arms forward.
I activated my trump card.
Crackle!
[Black Thunder Transformation — Bloom].
My arms turned into black lightning and swept through the golems.
—Sy, sys, system error.
—Fa, fatal malfunction.
—Guh.
Even a slight brush of lightning caused mass malfunction.
Their mana cores and circuits—the mechanisms driving them—were damaged by the current amplified by Immaculate Earth.
Golems could not withstand lightning.
Crackle!
“As expected.”
I spread my shoulders proudly.
“I’ll burn them all.”
Pendrick ran forward behind Captain Kar, who rode on Bartimir’s back, while calming his trembling heart.
—O stars!
Astrimia’s blade shone with faint starlight aura.
An energy that ignored over thirty percent of defense.
Even the golems from the future labyrinth were sliced like tofu.
—Abnormal enemy detected.
—Priority elimination.
All the golems began focusing on them.
Pendrick forced a confident smile.
Showing fear would not weaken the enemy’s attacks.
And he had a reliable pillar.
Crackle!
Black lightning raged across the battlefield.
Kar’s mystic.
In the Library of Sin, that lightning had been terrifying.
Now it was reassuring.
—System malfunction.
—E-error.
—Damn it.
Every time lightning struck, golems froze or malfunctioned grotesquely.
Electricity directly targeted their mana cores and circuits.
Electricity was dangerous to humans too.
But it was even worse for non-living machines.
“Bartimir, throw me like a spear now. Like a berserker!”
At that moment Kar gave an unbelievable order.
“…Alright!”
Bartimir hesitated briefly.
Then grabbed the half-elf by the chest and crotch and hurled him forward.
Kar spread his arms like an eagle and flew as lightning into the enemy horde.
Crackle!
Black lightning erupted like a fountain, sweeping away nearby golems.
“……”
—……
The two lovers fought silently for a moment before chuckling.
“What kind of strategy is that…?”
—Seriously….
Ding.
Lucius rang his bell calmly.
“Still… it is admirable. He is drawing their attention while constantly disrupting their movement with lightning.”
Indeed, the golems now prioritized Kar as their target.
A reckless act meant to create openings for allies.
Sometimes shocking in its brutality.
Yet it made them grateful to have such a captain.
“Let’s help him.”
—Okay!
Whoosh!
Star-lit aura surged like waves.
“Oh yeah! This feels great!”
Bartimir joined them and swung the bandage in his hand.
Hardened demonic energy coated it.
Slash.
Golems were cut apart.
“…Huh?”
Bartimir blinked.
Then shouted happily.
“The Moon Expedition is moving out! Let’s help the captain!”