Saint's Death (Part 2)
Saint's Death (Part 2)
The Sacred Artifact was stored surrounded by a barrier.
The light emanating from the barrier was so intense that its exact form was difficult to discern.
One of the holy knights checked the state of the Sacred Artifact and let out a sigh of relief.
"What a relief. It seems the Demonkin haven't reached this place yet."
"It's dangerous!"
"Huh?!"
A shadow fell over the holy knight's head, and a massive black hoof appeared.
The hoof descended to crush the holy knight outright.
KOOOOM!
The moment that vicious strike hit the ground, the entire underground area shook with a violent tremor.
If Pia hadn't flung herself to push the holy knight out of the way, they would have been reduced to a pulp.
According to Melanie's memory, that holy knight was supposed to die from this ambush.
— Kihihihihihi......!
A Nightmare, several times larger than an ordinary specimen, revealed itself from the shadows of the wall.
It was a powerful variant, akin to Aatan, one of the Sirens known for its immense size.
"Agh......!"
The Nightmare raised its hoof again, aiming for Pia who had fallen to the floor.
Lili caught the descending hoof with both hands, blocking it.
— Kihi......?!
"Guh, ughhh......! Pia! Get up quickly!"
Lili withstood the crushing attack from the Nightmare's overwhelming bulk with a monstrous strength unbelievable for her slender frame.
Pia quickly got to her feet and swung her sword at the leg of the Nightmare that Lili was holding.
However, the Nightmare's body dissipated like a shadow, and Pia's sword sliced through empty air.
"Huh?! What's going on......?!"
"Our attacks aren't working?!"
While Lili and Pia were flustered, Melanie calmly assessed the situation.
'That's an illusion.'
From the moment they entered this space, everyone had been ensnared by the illusion cast by the Nightmare.
If Lili had Awakened as a Cleric-class, she could have easily dispelled it.
But Lili was currently a Boxer, and the skills of the remaining holy knights weren't reliable.
【Black Swamp's Lash】
The ground was covered in black mud, and a whirlpool of mud began to churn in the center of the room.
Dozens of black tentacles stretched out from the whirlpool, spreading out and wildly sweeping in all directions.
Soon, one of the tentacles grabbed onto something in the empty air.
"There! The Nightmare's main body is there!"
— Kihihihik?!
The form of the Nightmare that had been attacking Lili and Pia moments ago vanished, and the Nightmare caught by the tentacle was revealed.
The holy knights threw spears of light, and Pia swung her sword to slash at it, but the attacks weren't enough to deal significant damage to its massive frame.
"Tch......! This thing's body is too big......!"
"It's okay! If we keep attacking like this, it'll die eventually!"
The Nightmare would soon create another illusion and hide itself again.
Melanie thought that without the ability to dispel the illusion, they had no choice but to repeat this process: she would locate its position, and the others would attack.
"Hahp!"
At that moment, Lili, who had slipped underneath the Nightmare, threw a punch upward.
— KUHEEEEK?!
The Nightmare's ribs shattered, its chest visibly caving in.
Its organs must have ruptured, as a gush of blood erupted from the massive black horse's maw.
"Melanie! Now!"
"Huh? Uh......!"
Melanie, momentarily stunned by Lili's unbelievable strength, snapped back to attention at her call.
Thanks to Lili, a large enough opening had been created for Melanie to use one more spell.
【Black Swamp's Predation】
A higher-tier spell of <Black Swamp's Fang>, which summons a form resembling an alligator's maw.
A sharp, agile maw filled with pointed fangs revealed itself from within the black mud.
Its upper and lower jaws, large enough to rival the Nightmare's bulk, snapped together like scissors, shearing through the Nightmare's chest.
— KIHIEEEEEEEEK?!
The Nightmare, mortally wounded, collapsed to the floor.
Lili immediately jumped onto its head and smashed its skull until it was completely pulverized.
"Die! Die!"
Pia, who had witnessed Melanie and Lili's immense power, looked at her own sword with a disappointed expression.
Her strength wasn't enough to inflict proper damage on that giant Demonkin.
The holy knights watched in awe as Lili's fists pummeled the Demonkin, sending chunks of flesh and bone flying everywhere.
But that was short-lived; they soon realized something was wrong and their faces turned pale.
"Brothers! The succubus is gone!"
"The Demonkin infiltrated this far, but they didn't even touch the Sacred Artifact!"
"Dammit! Could it be a diversion?!"
"The Saintess is alone with the citizens! It's dangerous!"
[They catch on quickly. What fools.]
'Don't be like that. What can we do, the story is just written that way.......'
The holy knights began scrambling back the way they came, and Melanie's group followed them out of the underground.
The altar was completely different from how they had last seen it.
The marble floor was so soaked with blood its original color was invisible.
The brutally murdered bodies of the citizens were piled high, replacing the altar.
And in the middle of that horrific scene, the Saintess, drenched in blood and tattered, was staggering.
"Saintess?! Are you alright?"
"Everyone...... was looking at me...... with those eyes...... Ahaha......!"
"S-Saintess?"
Saint Hilda was laughing brightly, as if genuinely happy.
As she was someone who rarely showed emotion, the holy knights felt a strong sense of dissonance.
"Saving all life equally......? Humans are nothing but trash enslaved by desire...... Why should I......?"
"Saintess? What are you saying?"
"Do you know how ridiculous I was......? In a world with nothing but ugliness, I acted like a Saintess, pretending to live in some other world......!"
"Me, Melanie? Why is the Saintess acting like this?"
"......She's under an illusion from the succubus."
Salome hadn't killed the Saintess outright but had continued to torture her.
She made the people who seemed to believe in and follow the Saintess confess the sinister thoughts they had hidden.
She shook the Saintess's heart by claiming people didn't truly respect her with pure faith.
The betrayal by the people and the powerlessness of being unable to protect those being killed before her eyes broke the Saintess's spirit.
The succubus wormed her way into that crack.
"L-Let's knock her out first! If we leave her in this hallucinatory state, who knows what she might do..."
At Pia's words, the holy knights immediately rushed toward the Saintess.
"I've been waiting for this moment!"
At that instant, Salome, who had been hiding in the ceiling, dropped down toward the Saintess.
Lili, Pia, and the holy knights all froze in shock the moment they saw Salome.
"Succubus?!"
"Kyahaahahahaha!"
Salome burst into a crazed laugh.
This very moment was the climax of the tragedy she had planned.
"I could have killed you long ago, but do you know why unnie kept you alive?! Huh?!"
She wanted to kill the Saintess right before the eyes of those who thought they could save her.
She wanted to watch them break, failing to protect the Saintess just as their hands were about to reach her.
She wanted to witness that most beautiful and dramatic moment where hope is instantly overturned into despair.
That was the only reason she had toyed with the Saintess without killing her.
'Do you know how I felt when I first saw this scene?'
[Hm?]
Watching Saint Hilda's body being torn by Salome's claws, Melanie felt less sadness and more sheer disbelief.
Why on earth was the protagonist just standing by and watching the ambush happen?
Even if they didn't notice the ambush, the protagonist's skills should have been more than enough to respond.
It was the same right now.
Lili's reaction speed wasn't slower than Salome's, yet she was just observing the Saintess's crisis.
Melanie, too, for some reason, found her body stiffened and unable to stop Salome.
This, too, was Sephemo's forced plot development.
If the protagonist properly utilized their abilities, they couldn't create a shocking scene, so at critical moments, the protagonist is made to blankly watch the events unfolding before their eyes.
'The one writing this world's fate gives the enemy absurd escape abilities, makes allies make incomprehensible decisions, and stiffens my body at decisive moments to forcibly create crises and a dark atmosphere. I wanted to test if I could handle all of this.'
[I see. And, what's the conclusion?]
'I can't persuade my allies with my words, so that's unavoidable...... but the rest seems possible.'
【Black Swamp's Predation】
The Hermit's main specialty is tracking skills, but it was also a class with considerable expertise in trap-type skills.
Melanie had set up a spell in advance before leaving the altar.
Even if her body was stiff, activating an already-placed spell wasn't difficult.
"Huh?!"
The black swamp spread out, and a giant maw revealed itself from within it.
Salome, who had been dropping down toward the Saintess, found herself thrown into that maw. She desperately tried to slow down, but it was already too late.
"I could have killed someone like you long ago. Do you know why I kept you alive?"
"W-wait! Stop!"
The long, pointed upper and lower jaws clamped together, gripping Salome's waist like chopsticks.
The sharp fangs dug into her beautiful skin, and Salome screamed in pain as her flesh was torn.
"KYAAAAAAAK! It hurts, it huuurts!!!!"
"......I wanted to see your laughter twist into agony in an instant."
"How dare! How dare a wretch like you! Me, the Chosen One of the Demon God! AAAAK! Let go of this!"
"......Huh?"
The Saintess, freed from the illusion as Salome was subdued, blinked and looked at the struggling succubus.
"You're not killing me...... What are you doing over there?"
"Eek! You, who were just taking it until now, are you mocking me?!"
"No...... I was supposed to die here, by your hand......?"
The Saintess looked bewilderedly at the maw holding the succubus.
Following the unpleasant magical energy of the black swamp, she realized it was Melanie who had cast the spell.
The Saintess began walking toward Melanie with a hollow expression.
"You...... what are you doing right now?"
"......I saved you, Saintess-nim."
"No, no...... I'm supposed to die here right now. You all were supposed to just watch."
[What is it, what is that Heavenly God's wench saying?]
"Saintess-nim, why are you acting like this?"
"Everyone, move aside!"
The holy knights tried to stop her, but the Saintess roughly pushed them aside and approached Melanie.
Melanie watched the Saintess approach with a dark expression on her face.