The Protagonist Always Appears Late (1)

"What's going on... What in the world is happening?"

Lily Cubus stood frozen before the horrific scene unfolding before her eyes. The sudden explosion that tore open the mansion floor. Countless undead pouring out in a frenzied torrent. And finally, the demon soaring freely through the sky, unleashing magic in every direction.

'I can understand Tiasia suddenly ignoring the knights and smashing through the ground. If she's going to her master, that makes sense. I can also understand Lord Richard losing sight of Arty. He's been retired for so long that breaking through an adventurer party alone would be difficult—I knew from the start that was an unreasonable request... But in the end, that only makes it harder to bring Ju Joyeon to my side. There's absolutely no reason for a situation like this to occur.'

The undead rising from the ground were clearly the hundred thousand she had created with Evil Resurrection. Yet her commands, as their summoner, had no effect whatsoever. Instead, the holy knights—her supposed allies—along with Lily herself, were now under attack by the undead.

"Priestess! Priestess! You must come to your senses! The undead are in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rampage!! You need to run!!"

"Ah, milord..."

During the battle with Rion's party, Lord Richard had sensed something was wrong with the appearance of the undead and left them behind to find Lily.

Krone Liapil's mad laughter, amplified by magic, echoed throughout all of Neveiria.

"But still! A whole five hundred years! I was sealed away for five hundred long years because of that damned window! Because of the Curia and its followers!! Because of you!!"

Krone Liapil's expression twisted into something vicious as his gaze locked onto Bishop Kilhug standing beside Lily Cubus.

"You servants of that bastard! Today will be the last day you set foot on this land!! Today, I shall annihilate the Curia Order!!"

With Krone Liapil's roar, a pitch-black aura erupted from his body.

'Mana...? No, that's not it. What on earth...'

The aura pouring from Krone Liapil's body in the sky began to engulf not only the ground where Lily stood, but the sky itself. More precisely, the very space that was Neveiria was being completely overtaken.

"C-Cognomen?"

Lily Cubus struggled to make sense of the incomprehensible situation.

****

A pure white space. Four gods gazing down upon the world below.

"Heehee~! A sudden intrusion by a demon commanding an army of a hundred thousand, right in the middle of a clash between two inexperienced Dominators~! I love it! Ah~ I love this!"

Hyundai beamed with delight as she watched the scene unfold.

"How are they going to stop Krone Liapil now that his seal has been completely broken? If they fail here, the demon invasion of the middle realm will surely begin again."

Mado maintained a calm facade despite sharing a similar sentiment.

"That's not what's important! Aaah...! Arty... What do we do... Please... Please don't let her get hurt...!"

Ino, unable to hide her anxiety over Arty's perilous situation, was praying despite being a god herself.

"Mado! That's it, right? The Cognomen you mentioned before!"

Muyeop tugged at Mado's clothes, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Cognomen was definitely a system that existed in the magic world, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Well, there aren't any notification windows, so most mages don't even know when the ability activates."

"You can explain it now, can't you? What exactly does this Cognomen do? Is it different from a title?"

Muyeop stared at Mado with barely contained excitement, finally able to resolve a question that had been bothering him.

Mado exchanged a glance with Hyundai before nodding and speaking.

"Titles are earned through 'one's own actions.' They're relatively easy to obtain by doing something for the first time or performing a special deed, which is why they usually come with minor or limited effects. But a Cognomen is the 'existence as perceived by others.' In other words, it's an identity."

"Identity... what did you say?"

"Identity. The meaning of existence. Selfhood. A Cognomen is the one and only 'other name' that represents a being. Something unique that only one person possesses. That's why a Cognomen's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ability grants special power solely to the one who bears it."

Hyundai added her own explanation to support Mado's words, and Muyeop began to understand bit by bit.

"Oho~ So that Cognomen called Necropolis grants that demon a special ability just for him."

"That's right. Before he was sealed, Krone Liapil was an incredibly powerful necromancer who created endless numbers of undead. That's why his Cognomen is Necropolis—'City of the Dead.'"

"Unlike titles, Cognomen effects aren't simple. Since they don't consume mana, you could even call them phenomena."

"Hmm... This is getting more complicated. So what exactly is the ability of that Cognomen?"

"You'll see when it happens."

At Hyundai's curt reply, Muyeop stopped asking questions and turned his attention back to the world below.

****

Neveiria, the great city once centered around the Curia Order. It had been a splendid metropolis filled with beautiful and ornate architecture, highly developed even by the standards of the magic world.

But now, that city had transformed into a 'City of the Dead.'

Countless tombstones and graves rising from the earth. A thick, gloomy fog so dense that one could barely see twenty or thirty meters ahead. The sound of the dead sobbing from every direction.

Effects so broken they could only be called cheating, all triggered by a single Cognomen.

"Hoh~? I don't know what it is, but this is a delightful miscalculation!"

Having confirmed the exact effects of his Cognomen through the notification window he'd never seen before his seal was broken, Krone Liapil smirked like a villain who had discovered a loophole in the law.

****

While Krone Liapil was distracted by the notification window, Lily—who had managed to collect her thoughts—issued orders to Bishop Kilhug and Lord Richard.

"That demon must be the one sealed within the Order's holy relic. I don't know why the seal was broken, but since he holds a grudge against our Order, he'll prioritize targeting us."

"If he's the demon sealed in the holy relic... then it must be Krone Liapil, the worst necromancer in history, known as Necropolis. In that case, what should we do, Priestess Cubus?"

"...There's only one thing we can do. We have to defeat Krone Liapil. Bishop, give the knights the order to use Sacrifice."

"Sacri... fice."

Bishop Kilhug, who usually responded with immediate agreement, stared at her with a hardened expression before finally nodding.

"They understand how dangerous and critical this situation is. I'll relay the order right away."

Bishop Kilhug turned and headed toward the knights who were fighting the endless stream of undead pouring from the mansion's basement.

Watching his retreating figure, Lily called out to Lord Richard next.

"Lord Richard, while the knights hold back the undead from spreading throughout the city, please gather ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠everyone in the city to the Curia Temple. We'll fight the demon there."

"You're not going to run, Priestess? There are a hundred thousand undead alone. And a demon whose seal has been broken... Even if the city's population is larger, most are ordinary citizens. I believe fleeing offers the highest chance of survival."

"No. As I said earlier, running is impossible. That demon won't let us escape. Rather, now—while we still have forces capable of fighting—is our best opportunity. All we can do is deal with the demon before the number of undead grows any further."

"...Is that the method with the highest probability of survival for you, Priestess?"

"Yes. It's the best chance we have, slim though it may be."

"...When will you move, Priestess?"

"Soon. After I say my final farewells to the knights."

"...Understood."

Lord Richard didn't waste any more time and ran toward the scattered adventurers and guards nearby.

"All guards are to gather the citizens immediately!! Assemble everyone at the Curia Order!!"

Confirming the notification, Lily trusted that Lord Richard would handle things properly and made her way toward Bishop Kilhug and the knights.

The knights and bishop had already finished their discussion and wore resolute expressions.

"Everyone, I'm sure you've already heard from the bishop."

"Yes, Priestess. We have always been prepared."

"To be able to defeat the Curia Order's long-standing nemesis and save the priestess! What a blessed life this is!"

"This moment is the final moment I've always wished for!"

Just like Bishop Kilhug, the knights—who had already reached the seventh stage of brainwashing—showed not a shred of fear despite being told they would face over a hundred thousand undead and a demon.

Watching them, Lily felt a slight pang of guilt and looked at them with a sorrowful expression.

"...I'm sorry. Because of my incompetence, I've forced you all into a deadly situation."

"Priestess, please don't make that face. We have always been ready to risk our lives for you."

"It's a shame we won't be able to spend more time with you, but if it means you can live longer, I'll gladly throw away my life!"

"My life exists solely for Priestess Lily Cubus!!"

The knights' morale had already surpassed its peak just from seeing Lily Cubus.

Lily looked toward Bishop Kilhug, who was preparing for battle alongside the knights.

"...Bishop Kilhug."

"Yes, Priestess Cubus?"

"...Thank you for everything until now."

"Hahaha. The time I spent with you was truly enjoyable for me as well."

"I... enjoyed it too."

"Hohoho. I speak from the heart, Priestess Cubus."

At Bishop Kilhug's final words, Lily looked at him in slight surprise. He simply offered his usual benevolent smile before leading the knights toward the undead.

"It seems you'll have to spend your final moments with this old man, knights. My apologies."

"It's an honor, Bishop."

"Besides, the priestess will be watching over us. I'm sure everyone feels the same."

"I have no intention of yielding the chance to show our finest selves, Bishop."

"Hahaha, then this old man shall support you all so that you may shine brilliantly."

The knights and Bishop Kilhug laughed and joked even as they faced the tsunami of corpses rushing toward them.

From behind them, Lily made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her final request.

"[Everyone! Please do your best!!!]"

With hopeful smiles, the knights and bishop recited the Curia Order's ultimate holy magic.

"[The mercy of Curia is endless!]"

"[That endless mercy shall finally lead to self-sacrifice!]"

"[For you alone! I shall burn this body to ash!]"

"[Sacrifice!]"

Kwaaaaah!

A massive pillar of light pierced through the darkened sky and rained down upon them.

Effects on par with the broken power of Krone Liapil's Cognomen.

Yet it was an ultimate technique that guaranteed death once its effects wore off.

"We will never let you reach Priestess Cubus!!"

"We shall annihilate every last undead here!!"

"Everything is!"

"For Priestess Cubus!!"

The two hundred Curia knights, prepared for certain death, clashed with the hundred thousand undead.