The Paramere Subjugation Battle (7)
The Paramere Subjugation Battle (7)
It was about time to leave.
But the reason I still couldn't go out was because I didn't know what lay ahead.
I straightened my tattered priest robes. Since my body had grown so much, they didn't fit at all anymore.
My height had probably passed 180... or maybe I'd gotten even taller than that...
If I went outside, wouldn't I be treated like some pervert?
"...Tch."
For now, I wrapped the remaining priest robe around my waist. My upper body was completely exposed, but I just accepted it. It was a body hardened by training anyway.
A body gleaming like a marble statue was no different from a work of art. Enough that the elves kept sneaking glances and drooling.
"Hah... hah..."
"Why... does he get more handsome every day...?"
"He's almost at his prime appearance now..."
"Who would believe that body is sixteen...?"
The stares were a bit creepy. But it couldn't be helped. Since I'd packed so much food, I'd only brought one spare set of clothes. And even that didn't fit my body anymore, so I'd just wrapped it around myself haphazardly.
I stood up. All of Paramer was trembling for some reason. Had the time come?
The march of the Rotten Ones, starting from Paramer, to annihilate the entire continent.
Aris was a coward. A born coward, so even when the rotten army surged out toward the outer walls, Aris kept staying in the Clock Tower.
A child who wouldn't move until all humans vanished. But her continental conquest ultimately failed. The completed her was strong, but in the end, she was subjugated.
The Empire was not weak. Rather, it was strong enough to consider someone like her insignificant.
Even if I stayed trapped here, she would collapse within five years at the earliest.
But five years was too long. The food was also running out, and I had no more strength to hold on.
If I was going to leave, now was the right time.
I had to find an opening in Paramer, which had begun to move, and escape.
The key point was when to time my exit...
"The moment I open this... I'll be found out."
I glanced at the closed door underground. It was a door Aris had personally shut. Naturally, it was organically connected to Aris, and if I forced it open, she would notice.
The rotten army would immediately pursue me and try to kill me, since I hadn't become a wraith. The rotten army could practically be considered infinite. Unless dedicated magic and dedicated Holy Arts for destroying bodies animated by rotten souls were developed, they wouldn't die no matter how much you cut them.
If those things pursued me, I had no choice but to run. It would be like swinging a sword at an endlessly regenerating wall of flesh.
First... I had to somehow run to the treasure vault hidden in Paramer. If I ran at full speed, maybe I could manage it.
The problem was the elves behind me.
"Hmm..."
"Ahh..."
"My savior is looking at me..."
I'd beaten them a few times whenever I won our sparring matches to make them listen, but that had backfired.
Now they panted whenever our eyes met. They even subtly spread their legs.
What is this, they're not even bitches.
"What happened to the proud elves?"
The elves other than Flora answered.
"...Woof♡"
"This is insane."
Even if they were useless, I couldn't abandon them now. I rubbed my face.
One way or another, I'd grown attached. I'm human too. I am human...
Leaving those spaced-out idiots here would be as good as telling them to die. Besides, their marksmanship was definitely necessary. They'd certainly be helpful when operating the Magic Siege Cannon.
"Hah."
I'd been trapped here for nearly half a year. What season was it outside? Had late summer already arrived?
...It was time to make a decision. I would devise a perfect plan, then escape immediately.
"Flora."
"Yes...!"
I drew a map on the floor with my sword. I had memorized the entire route here. I'd seen the map several times in the game, and the actual terrain wasn't much different from the in-game terrain.
"I'll draw their attention. Go ahead and open the treasure vault. Remember. If monsters... I mean, if Ratten swarm in while you're taking this route, pull back immediately. Slip into the side path next to it."
"What if that's blocked too?"
"Go right. Here and here. You can get through via the buildings. You can manage that much, right? Summon a golem if it comes down to it. But don't overuse it. You won't be able to use it when it really matters."
"I'll keep that in mind!"
The elves' skill at handling spirits was quite excellent. An elf in perfect condition with arrows and spirits was comparable to the inquisitors I had trained.
On top of that, those guys had grown in their own way while accompanying my training for a while. If I just drew enough attention for them, they'd probably reach the treasure vault without much trouble.
One elf raised her hand.
"Savior... what about that spear we saw before..."
"Can't use it."
Contact with Beatrice had been completely cut off. After she returned to the earring, she had remained frozen. She was probably chattering away on the other side, but I just couldn't hear her.
The fact that Sun God Ra's Sacred Power had completely vanished meant that all the Sacred Relics related to that power had become nothing more than pretty junk.
The only hidden trump card I had left was the Demon Sword Surtr, which just yapped. That weapon that left me completely drained after using it.
I glanced over my Status Window.
[Zahard Balton] [Level: 71]
[Race: ???] [Class: ???]
[Class Unique Skills]
-Serpent God's Love: Serpent-God-related skills you possess grow rapidly.
-Serpent God's Grace: Your Sacred Power recovers rapidly.
-Serpent God's Blessing: You can handle the Serpent God's Sacred Relics without risk.
-Serpent God's Prayer: You are immune to status ailments.
[Apostle]
-Mixed Sacred Mark (A): Repels all Demonic Force. Can grant Sacred Marks to others. Subordinate priests become mixed, and some body parts may twist. (5/20)
-Mixed Divinity (A): Two divinities have mixed. Usage has become more difficult, and it is not detected by ordinary Sacred Power detectors. You can freely switch between the two divinities and change the nature of your Sacred Power as desired.
-Healing (A): Can perform healing and combat simultaneously. Can heal more wounds with less Sacred Power. As long as Sacred Power does not run out, combat can be sustained.
-Blessing (A): Status ailment resistance increases extremely, and composure can always be maintained. Physical abilities improve greatly, and Sacred Power temporarily increases greatly.
[Church of Naga]
-Yeongryeon (A): Seeps into shadows. Can move from shadow to shadow, and presence cannot be noticed except by those exceptional at detecting signs.
-Prayer of Scales (A): When praying, seeps into the surrounding environment for a certain period. Sound disappears from the sword, and physical abilities increase greatly. No sound is made even when moving the body.
-Venom Production (A): Can produce venom within the body that causes terrible pain. The deadly poison melts flesh entirely and causes intense pain.
-Serpent's Whisper (A): The appearance of an object seeps completely into darkness. Distance becomes impossible to gauge, and the object maintains its state even if external substances touch it.
-Erosion (A): Seeps into the mind and brainwashes another's mind. They do not wake except from certain stimuli, and it is maintained for a long time.
-Seeping Darkness - Sanajeh (S): The scales wished for it. I walked without sound. Blood flowed on the path carved into the darkness. Blood with no end in sight.
-Black Swamp - Favela (S): The scales wished for it. The two ends I pulled out were sharp. I was breathless. I slowly opened my mouth and devoured. O Naga. Watch over me.
[Shared Skills]
-Meat Cooking (B): Can make even meat that cannot be cooked delicious.
-Seafood Cooking (B): Can make even seafood that cannot be cooked delicious.
-Beverage Making (C): Can make delicious beverages.
A magnificent Status Window!
A truly magnificent result of effort! Raising weapon arts to S rank without anyone to guide me... that proved I'd shed blood and tears...
I had to complete the plan with this military strength.
Send the elves to the treasure vault first...
I draw attention, then join up later...
They hold out in the treasure vault they entered first, and after finding the Magic Siege Cannon...
Blast through the head of the giant Palace of the Rotten...
Then somehow tear apart and kill Aris, who's fallen into a groggy state!
"Phew."
The plan alone looked perfect.
Even though every single part of it was a problem.
First, it was important that I also somehow reached the treasure vault. The Magic Siege Cannon that Fer Bach had taught me about was important too, but the treasure vault contained "it."
The Sacred Relic originally meant to be obtained after defeating Aris. The purpose for which I had willingly come here.
If I could just obtain that, I might really be able to put up a fight. Because there wasn't just one Sacred Relic, but a whole two of them!
But even before obtaining them, there was a problem. While buying enough time for the elves to run, I also had to handle the monster that would slowly rise on my own...
Even if I obtained all the Sacred Relics, the odds of victory were barely 10%.
...No, honestly, even that was generous.
The only weapons I could use right now were the imperial steel weapons I'd brought in advance. Level 71. It was now a level where I could slightly contend with upper-tier powerhouses, but properly contending with Aris was out of the question.
With stats like this... maybe I could scuffle and grab Dimona by the collar or something.
...No.
Still, that guy had always been around the late 70s. It was too much for me right now. I'd need to level up a bit more here to contend. The number of skills I had was different too.
Why am I so weak?
...No, wait. It hasn't even been a year since I started, and being this strong is pretty damn impressive.
Anyway, I miss them. Everyone.
We'd gotten along pretty well, after all.
I smirked. I rose to my feet. I gripped my sword and exhaled.
Yeah. Let's go see them. I just have to go out and see them. What's there to agonize over?
Let's go have fun! Have fun!
"...Let's go."
It was a gamble.
But in life, a day without a single gamble would never come.
I placed my hand on the door. I looked back at the elves. Flora held her crossbow and took a deep breath.
"Savior. I have something to say before we go out."
"What?"
Flora lowered her gaze as if embarrassed.
"Um... if we get out of here..."
"Stop."
"Huh?"
I opened the door. The flesh blocking the door tore with a grinding sound.
"That's a death flag."
. . .
Aris raised her head. The outer wall of Paramer. She heard the sound of the rotten army that had poured out beyond it stirring.
Something was there.
"Pierre. Show me."
The demon mixed into the shadows turned on a screen made of flesh. Through the writhing, stretching bundles of nerves, the current state of the rotten army began to be displayed.
Aris tilted her head.
"...Hmm?"
Something was visible among the rotten flesh covering the earth.
A number that was a mere speck compared to her own army.
A scale that could be mistaken for a single fist when looking down from above.
A human army. People who would die in less than an hour, swallowed up.
But something was strange. Although the scale was certainly small, explosions were continuously occurring at the front line seen from above.
"......?"
They were being swept away.
The Rotten Ones were being pushed back and sent flying. Those reduced to powder in an instant scattered in all directions.
Aris's eyebrows twitched.
Few. They were certainly few, but the power they held seemed to be more than that.
A power annoying enough to bother her. On top of that, she felt something strangely disconnecting.
Rotten flesh struck by swords crumbled and fell away. Those who should not die were returning to nothingness and scattering across the ground.
"...Why?"
She could see something on the weapons they held. The weapons of the soldiers transmitted through the screen were dyed with a sacred white light.
That was it.
That was what was killing the soldiers.
That couldn't be allowed. The rotten flesh had to keep moving until everything was killed. They couldn't be produced infinitely. There was a limit to the souls Pierre vomited out.
"...Aris. I'll move."
Aris, who had risen from the rotten palace, suddenly felt something strange.
The human army was advancing toward Paramer even with their powerful weapons. Even though they had the strength to flee, they were sacrificing soldiers and coming toward her.
Why?
Aris tilted her head. Why were they trying to enter Paramer? There was nothing here but rotten lumps of flesh.
They'd probably all die before reaching here, so why...?
"...Huh?"
Aris whipped her head around. One flesh connection had been severed. That meant only one thing.
"...He didn't... become a wraith...?"
The Apostle of the Sun God, Zahard, had escaped.
The person who should have become a wraith by now, crying out only in hunger, had broken her seal and crawled out.
How?
Quite a long time had passed.
He should have no strength, so how had he broken her seal? The stolen power of Ra was definitely here.
Aris furrowed her brow. She glanced at the monster rising from the shadows.
"Pierre. Which do we deal with first?"
"......"
The monster raised its hand and answered.
"Okay. Got it."
Aris nodded. The Lord of the Rotten raised its hand.
With that, the colossal rotten giant surrounding Aris—the Palace of the Rotten—rose to its feet.
Clouds collapsed at the massive movement. Part of the outer wall was swept away and crumbled, and the sky was covered in black.
A body far too large to fit within the great city of Paramer.
Disaster itself began to move.
"I'll crush that army first. The Apostle of the Sun God who had his power stolen is just a scarecrow."