The Protagonist Appears Late (2)

Normally, even late at night, Neveiria should have been far from darkness thanks to the magically sustained streetlights and the bright glow of countless shops. Yet at this moment, the city had become a scene straight out of hell.

"May the Hand of Curia be with us...! All buffs!"

"Begone, foul creatures! This is no place for the likes of you!"

"We can do this! These things are weaker than they look!"

"Maybe we've gotten stronger?!"

From the ruins of the lord's castle, utterly collapsed by a massive impact, an endless tide of undead poured forth. The Curia Knights swung their swords with furious roars, desperately trying to prevent the undead from spreading across the entire city.

"Everyone, stay sharp! If even one point is breached, we'll never be able to hold them back again!"

"Yes, Your Eminence!"

For roughly five minutes, the Curia Knights had been barely holding the line through the overwhelming difference in numbers, the narrow exit from which the undead emerged, and the overwhelming physical prowess granted by Sacrifice.

Krone Liapil, who had been watching from the sky as his undead were continuously destroyed by the Curia Knights, finally spoke.

-I was keeping an eye on things just in case, but to think it would only amount to this much! The Curia followers I faced before my sealing were far more troublesome! You've grown soft and pathetic, adapting to this peaceful era! My resolve to never let my guard down feels almost laughable now!

He burst into booming laughter while floating in the air, mocking the Curia Knights.

-Shall I lend a hand?

Krone, who had been preparing magic to create variables in the stagnant situation, suddenly erased the magic circle he had been forming, as if an amusing idea had struck him.

-I'll show you something entertaining.

He manifested four additional arms and created four separate magic circles. The circles quickly merged into one and settled over the entrance from which the undead were emerging.

"Your Eminence! The demon is casting magic!!"

"Can we interfere?!"

"Impossible! We're already overwhelmed just dealing with the undead!"

"Four overlapping magic circles at once... What kind of spell is he using...?"

Though their hearts screamed to rush out and stop Krone Liapil, no one could move while they were locked in a precarious tug-of-war against the undead alone. Meanwhile, the undead began passing through Krone's magic circle. Those that emerged now bore an unknown mark upon their foreheads as they charged toward the Curia Knights.

Assuming it was some form of physical enhancement magic, the knights tightened their defenses even further.

Guoooooh!

"Kuh...! Huh? Th-there's not much difference!"

"Same here! It doesn't seem like an enhancement circle!"

"Don't tell me he's just toying with us..."

"That can't be. Using a quadruple-layered magic circle as a prank? It must be some powerful spell..."

Just before Bishop Kilhug could finish speaking, a knight's sword cleaved through the neck of a marked undead.

Watching from above, Krone grinned.

BOOOOOOM!!

The undead's body swelled at an incredible speed before exploding, scattering chunks of flesh everywhere.

"Kuaak!!"

"Kuaaaah!"

The powerful explosion at point-blank range instantly shattered the knights' previously unbreakable formation.

"Wh-what is this...!"

Knights near the exploded undead were instantly afflicted with multiple debuffs from the flying chunks of flesh.

Fortunately, the debuffs afflicting dozens of knights quickly subsided thanks to Sacrifice's resistance effect. Though their formation had been briefly thrown into chaos, it soon stabilized. However, for that single moment, a single undead had nearly collapsed their entire line.

"An explosion...?! Don't tell me every undead ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from now on will explode like that?!"

"Damn it! They're just disposable fodder that doesn't care if they die!"

"Fine by me! We've got nothing left to lose either!"

"Focus, everyone! We are under the blessing of the God of Curia! Debuffs are of no consequence!"

Though initially shaken by the sudden change, the knights quickly regained their composure upon realizing the threat was not as severe as feared.

-Kukuk! As expected. I have no choice but to acknowledge the power of that 'Sacrifice.'

BOOOOOOOM!!

Another massive explosion rang out from one side of the defensive line.

BOOM... BOOM-BOOM... BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!

Explosions continued as the knights could not afford to leave any undead standing. While the Curia Knights empowered by Sacrifice could withstand the impacts, it was like a constant drizzle soaking through clothes. Explosions rivaling high-grade explosives relentlessly battered them, while the disease infection carried by every piece of undead flesh—thanks to the effect of Necropolis—hindered their movements.

"Kuh...! We can't be pushed back!!"

"There are too many...!"

"The priestess still hasn't escaped! Hold on!!"

Thinking of Lily Cubus preparing behind them, the knights endured. Over ten minutes had already passed.

Impressed by how well the knights were holding out, Krone Liapil glided through the sky and addressed them.

-How desperate you all are. Though your end is nothing but ruin.

"Silence, vile demon!!"

-Vile, is it... Well, I'll grant you that. I am a demon, your enemy. Labeling anything that opposes your sense of justice as evil is one of the easiest ways to live in this world. But while I may be vile, I am not as cruel as Curia.

"What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden!"

-It is no nonsense. Do you know what your end will be?

Krone Liapil looked down at Bishop Kilhug, who met his gaze squarely.

-You already know. And so do I. I saw it plenty before my sealing. That 'Sacrifice' your Curia followers use.

At Krone's gesture, one undead trampled over others and charged straight into the center of the knights.

-It is quite the powerful ability. It amplifies both physical and magical prowess, grants strong resistance to debuffs, and imbues all attacks with holy attributes. But of course it would be strong—you're throwing away your lives... How cruel. How tragic.

The undead that leapt into the knights' midst failed to land even a single effective blow before its head was severed.

-Sacrificing one's own life to save others.

The undead exploded from Krone's magic, Sacrifice.

-A body unable to withstand the holy power filling it triggers a massive holy explosion.

The undead's body vanished completely, leaving not a single trace.

-The explosion of holy power deals lethal damage to undead. Moreover, since no corpse remains, necromancers like me cannot replenish our forces. It is the ability I least wish to face. However... to the knights, the damage was far too insignificant.

-That is all it amounts to. Once you die, it will mean nothing to me. A mere two or three hundred holy explosions. The undead you are currently holding back will all perish without exception. But what about the rest? The tens of thousands of undead still emerging? What will you do?

"We do it to protect! Even if we cannot defeat you and all these ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠undead, if we can buy time for others to fight you—!"

-Meaningless.

Krone Liapil cut off Bishop Kilhug with a firm declaration.

-I know the humans in this city are gathering in one place. So what? There won't be many among them capable of fighting like you. It is nothing more than a final, futile struggle to extend their lives by a little. If they had abandoned resistance and fled instead, perhaps one or two might have escaped.

"...Even so, I have no regrets."

The eyes of the knights and Bishop Kilhug still burned with unyielding pride and unwavering conviction.

"We will certainly die here. But it will not be a meaningless death. No matter how tragic, it will not be a cruel end. Rather, we feel only gratitude toward Curia for granting us this opportunity."

No one was swayed by the demon's rhetoric. If anything, it only stoked their fighting spirit further.

"What god would bestow upon their lambs an ability that guarantees death? Curia must be in pain. She must be sorrowful. Yet because she respects and understands our will, she has granted us this power. The power to protect those we love!"

Watching them, Krone Liapil shrugged and shook his head.

-As expected, Curia's followers think differently from the start.

Having received the exact reaction he anticipated from Bishop Kilhug and the knights, Krone lost interest. Fifteen minutes had now passed.

"Uwooooh!!!"

"Swing your swords until the very end, even if it's just one more!"

"Let's go, comrades!!"

"This is our full power~!!"

Light began pouring endlessly from the knights' bodies. Abandoning their formation, they charged straight into the undead. In response, the undead bit and clawed at them ferociously, but to the knights, even fatal wounds no longer held meaning.

"Divine judgment upon the wicked!"

"Die, demon!!"

"I loved you, Priestess~!!"

"Please take care of the rest!!! Priestess Cubus~!!"

Flash~!!

Neveiria, darkened by Krone Liapil's power, was suddenly illuminated by the holy light erupting from the knights' bodies. The radiance was so intense that no one could open their eyes. Gradually, the light faded, and nothing remained where the Curia Knights had stood. They had vanished completely. No explosions or debris were left behind— even the ground they had stood upon was gone, leaving only a deep crater. The undead they had been fighting disappeared along with them.

...Uwooooh...

Yet countless undead still remained—those outside the range of the holy explosion. Roughly eighty-eight thousand of them.

-Whether a death is meaningless or not is ultimately decided by the victor. Self-sacrifice is nothing more than selfish satisfaction that ignores those left behind.

Krone stood unharmed, apparently unaffected by the holy explosion.

-Your actions were nothing but meaningless deaths. You failed to protect what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you sought to protect.

He brushed the dust from his body while gazing at where Bishop ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kilhug had been.

-Seeing that brought back old memories. I got a little sentimental.

-Shall we resume the festivities?

Having suffered no significant damage from the Curia Knights who had risked their lives to stop him, Krone turned toward the Curia temple where Neveiria's citizens had gathered.