Academy (12): The Death Knight

Even magic hadn't been enough to break the enemy's momentum. The bombs had done their job—they'd blown a quarter of the undead horde apart and badly mauled another quarter—but the numbers that remained were still overwhelming.

At the front, Maximilian and Emma swung mana-charged blades, cutting down every undead that came at them.

"Damn it. Is this because of a high-ranking undead's command?"

For creatures that were supposed to be mindless, without will or intelligence, their movements were far too organized, efficient, and tactical.

I supported the front line with every spell I could throw.

"Thunderbolt. Fireball. Wind Blade."

Having an endless well of Holy Power was one thing. Casting magic was something else entirely.

"Don't push yourself!"

Sister Mary's voice rang out from behind me, and several arrows of light streaked past to pin the undead back.

"Miss Julian—skip the small spells! Hit them with something powerful! Something powerful!"

Maximilian's voice was urgent.

Ugh, what am I supposed to cast at a time like this? At least I had more options than I'd had against the trolls.

First priority: a spell that wouldn't catch our own people in it…

I dropped into a crouch and pressed my palm to the ground, then poured Holy Power into the earth. I kept spreading it, pushing my influence wider and wider through the soil.

"Earth Flip!"

The moment the spell took hold, the ground heaved as if struck by an earthquake. The stretch of earth I'd raised split the undead horde clean in two—and I wasn't finished. I wrenched the risen ground apart to either side and folded it over them. A wave of dirt and rock crashed down over the undead, sealing them in place.

Maximilian and Emma had fallen back the instant they saw the magic coming, so neither of them got caught in it.

"That should make things a little easier, right?"

The terrain itself had been turned against the enemy.

"Yes. Excellent judgment."

Even so, neither of them let their guard down.

"Here it comes…"

The presence that had been directing the horde from its center—the Death Knight—stepped into view.

From behind me I heard Investigator Liza say something. If that really was her father's body, this had to be agony for her.

The Death Knight raised its sword and thrust it forward. The undead buried in the earth began thrashing violently.

Don't tell me they're trying to dig their way out? The ones that had been behind the spell's reach closed in fast—only to be stopped cold by Maximilian's and Emma's blades.

The front line would hold for now. I turned my attention to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the undead still flailing in the dirt.

What spell do I need to lock them down completely?

Then it hit me.

"I'll drench you!"

I flung my hand up and shaped water with Holy Power—enough of it to flood the whole area—and dumped it over the earthworks and the undead trapped inside. There was so much that even Maximilian and Emma, still fighting at the front, caught some of the splash.

"Sorry!"

"It's fine."

I was already preparing the next spell. This one was harder. I needed to focus…

The moment I felt the water soak into the ground, I cast Freezing Magic. The damp earth locked solid, freezing the undead mid-struggle as they tried to claw free of the dirt.

"Yes!"

Every undead caught in the earthworks was sealed perfectly. Even the ones trying to scramble up over the frozen ground faltered. And the Death Knight—what was it doing?

I looked up. It was trading blows with Maximilian.

The Death Knight's sword was heavy and brutal. Its swings were so savage that Maximilian had been forced onto the defensive. Watching him look that precarious made my heart lurch.

"I—I have to help…!"

"Don't worry about me! Clear the surroundings first!"

How can he say that?! The Death Knight's blade was thick with deathly aura—sinister enough to make the air itself feel wrong. Maximilian was turning the strikes aside somehow, but one slip and he'd take a hit he couldn't afford.

Emma methodically cut down every undead that tried to close on him.

Watching her, I finally understood why he'd said it.

"Ugh…"

I swallowed the knot in my chest and moved to help Emma. Magic was hard to manage in the press, so I switched to my spear—and the undead were unmistakably faster than before.

I cast the Holy Magic Guardian's Shield, taking some of the blows on my body as I fought.

In a one-on-one I could have dodged or blocked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠everything… but there were simply too many of them. We'd already wiped out a huge number with bombs and magic—so why did it feel like there were more of them now?

I was about to charge a skeleton racing in from the front when something clamped around my ankle. I looked down. A zombie's arm had hold of me. I'd smashed its head in—I was sure of it.

I swung the spear first to stop the oncoming skeleton. A thrust would have handled a zombie easily; skeletons were another matter. I poured surplus Holy Power into my limbs and tried to shatter bone with raw force.

"Kh—"

Something seized my other foot. With both ankles pinned I couldn't shift my stance, and the spear became nearly useless.

"Tch!"

I blocked the skeleton's attack and tried to wrench free of the zombies' grip. Looking closer, I realized their flesh was regenerating—reconstituting itself.

I'd never seen that from any zombie I'd fought before.

"Is it because of the Death Knight?"

A commander's influence? I shoved hard at the skeleton clinging to me. The pain in my ankles was getting worse.

"Juli!"

Emma tried to cut her way over to me, but the Death Knight blocked her path. It was fighting Maximilian and still had the presence of mind to keep her in check… This was no ordinary monster.

Holy Magic was holding my defenses together, but I had no idea how long I could last……

Then, from behind, I felt a surge of intense Holy Power.

"Holy Territory—deploy!"

Sister Mary's voice. I was too hard-pressed to look back, but I could feel the Holy Power spreading through the air.

In that same instant, shrieks rose from the undead. The skeleton bearing down on me lost its strength, and the crushing pain in my ankles eased.

"This is…"

With every breath, the Holy Power hanging in the air flowed into my body. A spell that punished undead built of deathly aura while blessing our side…

I hadn't known Holy Magic like this even existed. It was astonishing.

"This isn't the time to stand around…"

With the pressure on my ankles loosened, I could break free. I drove power into my legs, tore myself out of the zombies' grip, and cast.

After watching them regenerate, I knew the corpses had to be destroyed completely.

I abandoned close combat and relied on magic, cutting down every undead that came near.

"Fire magic really is the best!"

I fell back hard until I was at Sister Mary's side.

"A-are you alr—ngh."

She tried to ask after me and then crumpled to her knees.

"Mary?"

"I-I'm fi… I used… too much Holy Power…"

The light had gone out of her eyes. Her face was deathly pale. Had she pushed herself past her limit casting that spell?

"It's all right now."

I poured recovery into her as fast as I could. It had no effect at all.

"I-I'm sor…"

Her strength finally gave out, and she toppled to the ground. I checked her in a panic.

Pulse steady. Breathing steady. She'd simply collapsed under the drain…

"Thank goodness…"

I could already feel the Holy Territory's effect beginning to fade. No more time to waste.

"Now I'm angry…!"

I still had plenty of Holy Power left. I hadn't spent nearly as much as I could afford.

If not now, when am I going to use it?

I should have made more bombs…

I pulled a gunpowder pouch from my bag, hurled it into the thick of the undead, and loosed a Fireball. The powder caught at once and fed the explosion, swelling the blast.

BOOM! The detonation slammed into my ears.

I ignored the undead still frozen into the earth and scanned for anything still moving.

"What—why do they keep coming back?"

Undead were rising in places that had been empty moments before.

"It's the Death Knight! It's raising the corpses in the graveyard!"

Of course it was.

"Leave this one to us—clear the area!"

Again?! But I understood. Maximilian and Emma were holding the Death Knight between them, and looking closer, they were slowly pressing it back.

They were fighting well. My job was to keep the rest of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠undead from interfering.

Whenever a new one clawed its way up, I burned it down with magic and kept Investigator Liza and Sister Mary covered.

And I watched Maximilian duel the Death Knight.

"He's strong…"

I'd seen him fight before. Never at full strength, though…

This had to be everything he had.

His footwork was sharp, his blade fluid. He caught the Death Knight's blows and turned them aside or slipped past them entirely. Superb technique. The only knight I really knew was the Instructor, and Maximilian was clearly stronger.

While he held the Death Knight's attention, Emma committed fully to the attack—striking from the flank or the rear the moment its focus locked on him. Their coordination was seamless.

Mana-laden steel was steadily carving through the Death Knight's armor and the death-aura-hardened flesh beneath.

The wounds were stacking up. None of them were fatal yet.

"So strong…"

"Father…"

Investigator Liza watched the fight with grief-stricken eyes.

"Maybe you shouldn't look?"

I offered it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gently. She shook her head.

"No. I'm going to watch properly."

What must she be feeling…? It looked too tangled for words.

Cornered, the Death Knight's blade erupted with deathly aura—a black corona of raw malice.

That could be dangerous…

I cast defensive Holy Magic just in case—not only on myself and Investigator Liza, but on Emma and Maximilian out at the front as well.

The Death Knight's sword, wreathed in surging death-aura, was merciless. Not a crude chop—precise, refined swordsmanship…

Maximilian must have decided he couldn't block it. He dodged.

The problem was what stood behind him: Investigator Liza and me.

"No—!"

He realized it a heartbeat too late.

Sword-light peeled off the swung blade and came screaming toward us.

"Father!"

Investigator Liza screamed and dropped to the ground.

I threw up every defense I had—Holy Magic layered with ordinary magic. A double wall. Please let it hold…

I watched the blade-light come and, in pure terror, squeezed my eyes shut.

KRBOOM!

I heard it tear the world apart around us.

No pain. I cracked my eyes open. The sword-light hadn't struck us at all. It had only destroyed everything in a ring around Investigator Liza and me.

I didn't understand what had happened. I looked at the Death Knight.

It was undead. A dead man. A monster under the influence of deathly aura, nothing more.

So why was it clutching its own arm with an expression of such raw anguish?

"Now!"

Anguish… and yet, somehow, relief. Tenderness. Gentleness. Peace.

The oppressive death-aura pouring off the Death Knight's body vanished. Emma and Maximilian did not waste the opening.

Mana blazed along both their blades as they drove them toward its neck. A perfect strike—call it a joint examination, even.

Their swords crossed through the Death Knight's throat, and its head went spinning into the sky.

It was an end hard to reconcile with the overwhelming power it had shown only moments before.