Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: The Approaching Great Catastrophe (2)
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Beaton Count had a splitting headache.
'What in the world is going on?'
A moment ago, darkness had swallowed the sky.
The darkened heavens had lost their stars, and in their place, countless red dots appeared.
Beaton Count knew well what that ominous portent meant.
The problem came next.
'Ah, it's already...!'
An uninvited guest appeared beside the Count.
It was a being shrouded entirely in darkness.
The moment the Count faced it, his entire body stiffened.
He wanted to run right then and there, but his body wouldn't obey. Breathing became difficult, and his mind filled with fear and anxiety.
Still, the Count mustered every ounce of strength to endure.
He felt like he was in real trouble if he lost focus even for a moment.
'What the hell is that thing?!'
As soon as the unidentified being appeared, the knights collapsed. They toppled to the floor like puppets with cut strings.
"......"
The fallen knights weren't breathing.
They were already dead.
The Holy Knights from the Church side met the same fate.
The clash of swords from moments ago felt like a fleeting dream.
It had all happened in an instant.
'Could it be the Empress of Darkness...?'
It was a famous tale, so the Count suspected the Empress of Darkness first.
The 7-star entity from ancient times that had nearly devoured the continent.
Above all, hadn't Beaton Count himself witnessed the anomaly just moments ago?
It matched the signs he knew perfectly.
'...Has the catastrophe truly been revived?'
He wanted to turn his head right away and confirm it with his own eyes.
But he couldn't.
The darkness emanating from it felt like it controlled even his breath.
The Count didn't possess divine power as high as the Church's priests. He was close to an ordinary human.
Yet it had killed Holy Knights instantly.
If an ordinary man like him turned his head here?
He'd die on the spot, no doubt.
The Count wasn't mad enough to risk his life in a situation like this.
'Fine, whether it's the Empress of Darkness or not, what does it matter?'
Even if it wasn't her, it was undoubtedly something on par with her.
But why was it leaving him alone?
That was what puzzled Beaton Count.
The being had massacred the knights and Holy Knights. Yet he, standing right beside it, was unharmed.
Was it deliberately sparing him?
It was a reasonable suspicion.
'Could this be another one of the Church's traps...?'
But the Count soon shook his head.
The Church seemed clueless about what had just happened.
Even Titan Priest had taken a hit, his face twisted in agony.
Just looking at Titan Priest's reaction proved they hadn't known.
- You filthy bastard! Have you truly betrayed humanity?!
Titan Priest had certainly shouted that.
But now, the priest's face was filled only with despair.
Gerard Captain, who had insisted on fleeing to the priest, had also gone limp and frozen in place.
'So it wasn't the Church's trap...'
If it had been, Titan and Gerard wouldn't have reacted like that.
Unless all those reactions were an act, in which case they'd be horrifyingly talented liars.
'I misjudged them.'
He'd thought the Church was framing him as a heretic to swallow the kingdom.
But that wasn't the case.
At least one misunderstanding about the Church had been cleared up, belatedly.
But the misunderstanding about Beaton Count remained unresolved. He'd insisted he was innocent, but that damned priest wouldn't listen.
- Shut your filthy mouth!
The Count was going mad at Titan's refusal to hear him out.
He had never betrayed humanity.
He hadn't made a pact with that demon-like thing or summoned it.
He could swear it on the heavens.
But they wouldn't believe him.
In the end, the Count gave up trying to explain to them.
His focus was no longer on the Church.
He decided to concentrate solely on escaping the current situation.
'Can I even survive this place?'
Getting out of this hellhole was the top priority.
The silver lining was that the monster still showed no intent to kill him.
'Why, though...?'
It gnawed at him.
Like Titan Priest said, had he really summoned it? The doubt crept in.
He vaguely recalled hearing somewhere that demons appear in response to desperate pleas.
'It doesn't matter either way.'
He decided to believe that.
'Let's check once.'
Gathering his courage, the Count turned his head.
"Kuh!"
His throat burned.
The oxygen flowing into his windpipe dwindled in an instant.
'Damn it!'
Just turning his head was excruciating.
The Count's face flushed red, and bloody tears streamed from both eyes.
"Please."
He forced his mouth open with all his might.
"P...lease spare... me..."
Fortunately, the monstrous being granted his wish.
The ominous aura soon receded, allowing him to breathe through his mouth.
"Hah... hah."
"Count! You think you'll get away with this?!"
But Gerard Captain had witnessed the monster sparing the Count.
Gerard was convinced the Count had summoned it.
"Count, we declare you a heretic—"
But those became Gerard Captain's final words.
Slash—
Red lines slashed across the captain's body.
Moments later, blood gushed as his body fell apart in pieces.
"......!"
The monster had sliced Gerard Captain to ribbons in an instant.
One second.
No, less than that.
In that time, the monster had killed Gerard Captain.
Titan Priest snapped to his senses at Gerard's death.
He picked up the captain's sword from the floor.
"Urgh! How dare you to the Church—"
But Titan Priest couldn't finish his words either. Like Gerard, his body shattered into pieces.
The few knights and Holy Knights who had barely clung to life were also torn apart.
It all happened in an extraordinarily short time.
Blood from the corpses soaked the banquet hall.
The Count was the only survivor.
"......"
The Count was deeply shocked by the monster's overwhelming power.
But the shock didn't last long.
'Yes, this is my chance...!'
He saw a glimmer of hope that he might survive.
In the end, the monster hadn't killed him.
Wasn't he the only one still alive?
He even felt the monster pulling back its power.
'...I can see it with my own eyes!'
He could finally make out the monster's hazy form.
But he couldn't keep looking.
Even a brief glance sent terror crawling up his spine.
The monster the Count glimpsed wore pitch-black armor of darkness, as if it had crawled from the abyss.
"Kuh!"
This was the limit of what the Count was allowed to see.
Pushing further would end with more than just bloody tears, he sensed.
Though brief, the Count didn't miss the sword on the monster's back.
'That was definitely a sword, right?'
A glimpse revealed a jet-black sword strapped to its back.
The Count's heart was strangely captivated by that blade.
'......'
Why did that sword stick in his mind?
He didn't know.
But a desire to possess it welled up within him.
'Yes, there's no going back anyway.'
He'd come too far.
His eyes, once filled with despair and fear, now gleamed differently.
The monster could kill him anytime but hadn't.
In other words, he himself was safe.
If he could harness that monster, being branded a heretic was nothing.
'The Church will have to bow to me instead.'
He could swallow not just Sail Kingdom, but the entire continent.
The Count's deliberation didn't last long.
If he could gain that monster's power and the sword...
He was prepared to do anything for it.
His eyes changed completely.
"Ah, my new master—!"
With eyes mad with desire, he knelt before the monster.
"I offer my body and soul to you! I shall obey and swear fealty only to you!"
He pledged in the posture of utmost fealty to his lord.
"So please... please grant me power! I stake everything to follow your will!"
Beaton demonstrated his loyalty with utmost sincerity.
Impressed by the Count's pledge, perhaps?
The monster approached and handed him something.
At the same time, the darkened sky returned to normal.
The skeleton horde charging at the knight order crumbled quickly.
These weren't ordinary knights—they were the royal knight order.
Mere 1-star skeletons were nothing before them.
Overwhelmed by the knights' firepower, perhaps?
The remaining skeletons began retreating.
In response, a high-ranking knight shouted,
"Don't pursue! Maintain formation!"
Normally, they'd give chase, but the princess was in the procession now.
The knights held their shields and kept their line.
But the next development was the problem.
From between the retreating skeletons, one being slowly revealed itself.
It wore a robe—not an ordinary monster.
As it drew near, its true nature became clear.
"Lich...!"
One of the royal mages cried out.
A lich was an undead monster that wielded magic.
Proving it, the lich held a tome in its hand.
Undoubtedly a book filled with vile dark magic.
"It's a lich! A lich has appeared! Protect the princess, everyone!"
A lich was a 4-star monster.
Worlds apart from the 1-star skeletons moments ago.
At the mage's cry, the knights heightened their vigilance.
Then the lich opened the book and began writing something.
"The lich is trying to use magic!"
The lich's terror lay in casting spells from range.
"Fireball!"
One mage unleashed an attack spell at the lich.
The fireball shot toward the lich at high speed.
The lich slowly raised a hand.
And blocked the incoming fireball.
The mage panicked at how effortlessly the monster deflected it.
Having blocked the attack, the lich continued scribbling with its hand.
What tremendous dark magic was it preparing?
"Cast shields before the lich attacks!"
The mages swiftly shifted from offense to defense.
"Shield!"
They deployed shields in preparation for the lich's assault.
But nothing happened.
'What?'
The robed monster's hand was still moving.
'Maybe it's not magic after all.'
Even so, just in case, the mages kept their shields up.
This wasn't the time to conserve mana.
Then.
"......!"
The sky darkened.
Red dots appeared in place of the stars in the dark sky.
"......!"
The knights fell into chaos.
Lennon was no different.
"It's dangerous, Your Highness! We must return to the palace at once!"
Lennon shouted to Princess Irena.
But the princess's voice was calm.
"Sir Lennon, even if we return to the palace, will we be safe?"
"But this is clearly a catastrophe—"
Princess Irena raised a hand, cutting Lennon off.
He fell silent at her gesture.
She had a point, after all.
If that portent signaled a true catastrophe, there'd be nowhere to flee.
'Is this the duty of royalty, then.'
Lennon admired Princess Irena's composure.
She must be scared and trembling too.
It was only natural for a human.
Yet she showed no sign of it, standing utterly still.
Even during the battle just now, she'd remained calm.
'As if she knew in advance.'
Of course, she couldn't have actually known.
What was certain was that Princess Irena was striving to fulfill her responsibilities.
Lennon felt proud to serve such a princess.
Still, as her guard knight, he had to ensure her safety.
If he wasn't pulling the knight order back, he needed more allies to aid her.
"Then we must conscript the adventurers in the kingdom!"
"Do as Sir Lennon says."
Princess Irena approved his suggestion.
Adventurers normally didn't meddle in national affairs. But in times of crisis, that changed.
And this wasn't just the kingdom in peril—the entire continent was.
Lennon asked a mage to use communication magic.
He issued a conscription order for adventurers in the princess's name to the guild.
As Lennon busied himself, Princess Irena kept gazing at the sky.
'Is this the power of the Great One?'
Irena continued admiring the sky.
Celia's power was impressive, but the Great One's was on another level.
She didn't know the exact power, but she was certain this situation stemmed from the Great One's abilities.
'To even handle a 7-star catastrophe...'
It was truly astonishing.
Princess Irena's body trembled.
It was reverence and awe for a being of overwhelming power.
She smiled faintly. Her heart eased a bit.
With help like this, things wouldn't go wrong.
Everything happening now was like a scripted play anyway.
Irena just had to follow the plot.
Unlike Irena, who knew the story, the knights did not.
The knights and mages felt immense terror and fear at the crisis.
Had an ancient catastrophe truly returned?
If so, why?
Would the continent perish?
Endless thoughts and worries bred fear.
As these persisted, mistakes began to happen.
"I-It’s that bastard’s fault! He must’ve summoned the catastrophe!"
A knight up front shouted.
Indeed, the anomaly coincided with the lich writing something.
The knight charged with sword in hand.
Whether he died here or the world ended in catastrophe, death was death.
Better to bet on even a slim chance of survival.
"If we take him out, things will go back to normal!"
"Stop!"
Someone tried to halt him, but couldn't fully intervene.
"Just kill this fucker!"
He raised his sword high, aura flaring, and swung down at the monster before him.
Clang—
But the sword rang out clearly and bounced off.
"Wh-what?"
His attack hadn't worked.
"Hiiik!"
Only then did terror hit the knight. He turned to flee.
"Gah...!"
A bony hand burst through his chest.
"What is... this..."
The lich's hand had pierced his torso.
The knight died on the spot.
But it didn't end there.
The knight's corpse began melting on the ground. Flesh and organs liquefied, leaving bones that slowly floated into the air.
A royal mage muttered in horror,
"It's not a lich...!"
The floating bones assembled into a skeleton.
A skill no ordinary lich could use.
[Corpse Resurrection]
It was unmistakably an Arch Lich's skill.
"Not a lich! It's an Arch Lich!"
Complete misjudgment.
Only then did they realize the gravity.
The knights wavered, morale plummeting.
But this was the princess's moment to step up.
"Everyone! Don't panic! We still have hope!"
Princess Irena shouted with all her might, encouraging the knights.
"Someone will come to our aid! He will vanquish that wicked Arch Lich."
At her cry, Maru stepped forward.
But the knights eyed Maru with distrust.
His gear looked inadequate against an Arch Lich, no matter how you sliced it.
Leather armor on his body, yet an iron helmet on his head.
A mismatched getup.
Could that guy really face an Arch Lich?
But no fool voiced their doubt aloud.
He had come to help the princess. Mocking him would betray their honor.
Regardless of the knights' thoughts, Maru ignored them.
He simply advanced, sword raised.
And muttered softly, for his ears only,
"Snap—"
(Judgment of Light.)
White light enveloped the sword Maru held.
"Divine power!"
Holy power wrapped the blade.
The holy power grew steadily.
Soon, an overwhelming surge of it erupted, filling the street with blinding light.
Maru swung the holy power-clad sword. A massive wave of it shot toward the Arch Lich.
Everyone shut their eyes against the exploding radiance.
The light was so intense it blocked their vision.
Maru didn't miss that moment of blindness. He dashed forward.
His target: the Arch Lich Necros ahead.
"Snap."
(Go.)
Skeleton Holy Knight 'Maru' spoke first.
"Snap."
(Got it.)
Arch Lich 'Necros' replied.
Their exchange was simple and clear.
Even Maru's potent holy power couldn't subdue Necros, naturally.
They were allies from the start—no need for subduing.
Necros nodded and slowly vanished.
No one saw Necros leisurely retreat.
The street brimmed with Maru's holy power. The sacred light blocked all sight.
After Necros disappeared, moments later.
The holy light filling the street began to fade.
By the time everyone opened their eyes, only Maru with his sword remained.
Lennon was stunned by Maru's nonchalant demeanor.
'...Just how powerful is he?'
Above all, the Arch Lich was gone.
'Did he really take down the Arch Lich?'
By all appearances, Sir Maru had eliminated it.
He knew from the princess that Maru had once been a Holy Knight, but he hadn't imagined this level of prowess.
'To vaporize an Arch Lich with holy power alone...!'
In one strike, no less.
Lennon paid his respects to Maru's strength.
In truth, it was just a blinding light show to cover Necros's escape, but no one knew the truth.
"Ah! The sky!"
And the darkened sky returned to normal.
"A miracle!"
The knights cried out.
The Arch Lich dead, sky restored—it was a miracle indeed.
The knights and mages on site were moved.
Cheers erupted from behind the knight order too.
- Wooaaah!!
They were people fleeing skeletons.
They'd hidden behind the knights and witnessed everything.
Not just them.
Others drawn by Maru's holy light had gathered.
Some in the cheering crowd began praising Princess Irena.
"Long live Her Highness the Princess!"
"The princess is our hero!"
Above all, hadn't she ordered the evil monster's defeat herself?
Though Maru slew the Arch Lich, she was the one in command.
Praise for Princess Irena spread outward.
"Long live the princess!"
New arrivals joined in chanting her name.
"Long live Her Highness!"
For the praising crowd, one hope emerged.
Princess Irena truly cared for her people.
She hadn't fled the grim situation but stayed to protect them to the end.
What would the kingdom be like under such a leader?
The people dreamed of a happy future.
"Long live Her Highness! Long live! Long live!"
Their hopeful cries showed no sign of stopping.
Perhaps it was a desperate wish to ignore the trials ahead.