Zombie Apocalypse 2
Zombie Apocalypse 2
The lull in the fighting lasted only a moment. As the knights and heavy cavalry immediately surged in, the pirates resisted with desperate fury.
Even as bloody combat erupted on all sides, the pirates before Eugene did not budge.
The warhorse and the knight before them were far too large and imposing — too terrifying to charge at.
Grrrrrr-.
Might's mouth gaped open, and his savage breath washed over the pirates' faces.
Goosebumps rose in unison across their grimy necks. It felt as though the beast was eyeing not only their flesh, but the very souls cowering within.
"Aaargh!"
One pirate, driven by terror, swung his scimitar blindly, but he had misjudged the distance entirely and cut only empty air.
The instant counterblow from the flail landed with the sound of a watermelon bursting. The nearby pirates' faces were splattered red as Eugene's section of the line joined the battle.
'The added height really does make things easier in so many ways.'
His warhorse had already been massive, but now that it had grown to 1.3 times its former size, the entire battlefield lay within a single sweep of his gaze.
"Enemy deserters on the right flank! Concentrate fire there! Knights, wheel and break through the right flank's side after the volley! The rest of you, hold the line!"
Eugene's voice resonated across the field, shaking it to its core. Even as he reaped the pirates' lives, his eyes never stopped tracking the movements of his forces.
"Fweeeet!"
Just then, a warning whistle cut through the air. It was the kind of whistle that compressed what, where, and how something was coming into a single sharp note.
"Don't worry. I see everything."
Ting!
An arrow bounced harmlessly off Eugene's shield. The pirate who had fired it — a hidden bowman who had loosed a surprise shot from a shortbow — had already been spotted.
The pirate archer, his ambush having failed, spat curses in an Eastern tongue and dropped his stance. He likely intended to vanish among his comrades, but it was futile.
Thunk!
A moment later, an arrow flew in from above at a diagonal and punched through the top of his skull.
It had come from Homi, who had planted a foot on Sandy's back and risen to a full standing position to loose a direct downward shot.
"Hmph!"
She had even risen onto her tiptoes to secure the maximum possible angle. The sight of her shooting in that posture was like watching a dancer descended upon the battlefield.
Having thus punished the one who had dared aim for her lord, Homi immediately dropped back into her seat and loosed three more arrows in rapid succession, held at the ready in her tail.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
"Grk!"
"Hrk!"
The heavy cavalry cheered as the few mounted pirates who had been trading blades with them toppled from their saddles, arrows buried in their temples and throats.
That precision. That absurdly rapid rate of fire. They did not need to look to know whose work it was.
"Eugene's Echo!"
"Eugene's Echo!"
The heavy cavalry, their morale soaring, roared the rallying cry in unison as they charged.
Eugene's Echo was the epithet for Homi. On the battlefield, any foe who dared shoot an arrow at her master was repaid with certain death in retaliation.
With the heavy cavalry's charge, the volleys of arrows from the tribal warriors, and the knights rampaging across the field added to the onslaught, the lightly armored pirate infantry were cut down like rotten sheaves of straw.
Naturally, the one reaping the most lives by far was Eugene.
"Aaaargh, run!"
"Get back to your position! Desertion in the face of the enemy is death..."
The veteran pirate who had been bellowing at his fleeing comrades froze, his eyes bulging.
"Wh-what— what is that?!"
If the rest of the field was a battle, then the area around Eugene was a slaughterhouse. His martial prowess was immense, but the nature of his weapon left pirates' bones and flesh scattered around him as if a butcher shop had been set up on the battlefield.
Those pirates who slipped and slid on the blood and entrails that had once constituted their comrades could not even think of rising. Crawling on all fours, wriggling between the legs of their fellows in a desperate scramble to flee — the scene was sheer pandemonium.
"Out of my way! I said move!"
"Ghk!"
Some pirates, in their desperation to escape, even went so far as to stab the comrades blocking their path.
All of this was the result of the fiercer attacks Eugene was able to unleash thanks to Might, who could now fully withstand his master's strength.
"What is that warrior?!"
"A heretic! It's a heretic champion!"
Every time the giant knight swung his arm, a black whirlwind rose and the heads of their allies burst open. Beneath him was a monstrous warhorse the likes of which they had never seen in their lives, baring its teeth.
Some of the pirates fell under the delusion that an agent dispatched to the mortal world by an evil god was slaughtering them.
"...!"
Even the armed priests' eyes wavered at those words, leaving Eugene utterly dumbfounded.
'Did I rampage a bit too hard? But all of this is to minimize our own casualties.'
In pitched battle, nothing was more effective than crushing the enemy's morale early on by attacking with enough brutality to seem almost savage.
"Pull yourselves together! Are you being swayed by the words of pirates? That is no heretic — it is the knight who has come to our aid, I tell you!"
Only after the seasoned priest's sharp rebuke did the others nod, looking abashed.
The pirates in the fan-shaped zone before Eugene had all already fled. It was time to hit somewhere else.
After sweeping his gaze across the field for a moment, he spotted five heavy infantrymen who had formed a defensive formation with large shields.
Unlike the pirates, who were mostly lightly armored, these men wore thick armor and carried massive shields, making them stand out. They appeared to be local mercenaries who had thrown in their lot with the pirates.
"Might. Over there. There's no spearman among them, so we're charging straight in."
No sooner had Eugene's command ended than Might let out a roar and charged.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
"On the flank! The flank!"
One of the mercenaries holding the line screamed at the sight of the charging, heavily armored knight.
That scream aside, the rest were apparently seasoned men. They immediately set their shield wall and leveled their blades toward Eugene.
And then, with a sound like the earth sundering, the massive bulk launched itself skyward.
"Huh?"
The five mercenaries, who had never considered pointing their forward-facing shields up toward the sky, stared blankly at the space above their heads. Into that space descended four iron-hooved pillars.
Crunch!
Crack!
Might crushed two mercenaries beneath him as he landed from midair.
At the same time, the shaft of Eugene's flail and the edge of his shield each accounted for two more.
"H-huaaaagh!"
The lone surviving mercenary fared no better when it came to getting off a proper swing of his blade.
Boom!
Might's rear kick shattered every rib in the man's body, sending him tumbling across the ground for a long distance.
Eugene laid into the front rank of enemies with his flail, striking at whatever came within reach.
"Any who retreat will be summarily executed!"
"What are the spearmen doing? I told you to skewer him!"
The pirate officers cut down those fleeing the line and scraped together the men bearing polearms, sending them forward. The measure was actually effective.
A spearhead thrust by someone scraped across Eugene's steel boot.
Crack!
The offending spearman was promptly struck down by Eugene in retribution.
'The increased height isn't all upside.'
He had intended to block with his shield. But the height difference had allowed the spear to slip in below it.
However, since he wielded a large flail, there was no issue on the offensive end. If anything, it worked to his advantage.
The blow was delivered from a higher position, which meant that the force of gravity acting upon the flail's steel mace-heads was all the more devastating.
Furthermore, where before he had glimpsed one, occasionally two, heads in his field of view, now he routinely saw two or more.
Bang!
The pommel of the flail shattered the forehead of a pirate in the front rank, even as the third mace-head pulverized the shoulder of a pirate in the rank behind.
When he swung it laterally, the first and third mace-heads each hammered the skull of a different pirate.
It had become far easier to find the right angles for striking multiple targets.
"Castle Lord! If you go in too deep, it's dangerous!"
None of his subordinates doubted Eugene's strength, but there was a sense that he had driven too deeply into the heart of the pirate formation.
That was because desperate pirates from the crumbling formation, as if making a final gambit, were charging at him with spears gripped in both hands.
If they thrust from all sides while the charge was stalled, even a knight would be in peril.
"Protect the Castle Lord!"
"No need. Each of you, hold your own positions."
Eugene had not charged in thoughtlessly, drunk on Might's prowess.
He had already thoroughly grasped Might's ambulatory capabilities while running him through the forests and shores of Samur.
Thump!
Might, who had seemed to dip down for a moment, sprang backward in an explosive leap.
The heads of the pirates who had been charging in to surround him all swiveled in the same direction.
Crack!
One of them had his skull shattered mid-leap by Eugene's downward smash of the flail and crumpled to the ground.
'What an absurd warhorse.'
Rex, who had glimpsed the scene from the corner of his eye, shook his head in disbelief.
No matter how well trained a horse was, the structure of its legs made effective backward movement difficult in real combat. That was precisely why cavalry became drastically vulnerable when their charge stalled and they became entangled.
And yet, the World Charger had overcome that weakness by using its monstrous leg strength to leap straight backward.
"The captain is dead!"
At last, not a single commander remained to threaten deserters with execution. The pirates began fleeing in all directions.
But showing their backs against cavalry was not a particularly wise choice.
The horn of victory rang out, and the battle began to turn into a hunt.
* * *
"Thank you! May God's blessing be upon you, brothers!"
"You have brought righteous punishment down upon those wicked wretches. You have acted as the executors of God's will."
So dramatic had their rescue been that the monks were showering them with effusive praise, quite uncharacteristic of cloistered brethren.
"I am Eugene Meyer. I am glad we were able to arrive in time."
The monks' faces grew even more favorably disposed.
"The Bonyard's Beast Slayer!"
"The Heretic Judge!"
Those Eugene had faced until now—mercenaries, nobles, secular knights—had spoken mainly of his achievements as an All-Conquering Knight.
But for those who served God, the feats of vanquishing wicked heretical sorcerers and the demonic beast that had crawled up from hell shone far more brilliantly.
"Did you also come to subdue the pirates at the Apostolic Council's request, Sir?"
The most experienced-looking of the priests asked as their representative.
An army cost money simply by existing. A knight leading a force of this size could not possibly have acted on faith and a sense of justice alone.
"That is not the case. Are you aware, by chance, that the Apostolic Council has hired the Black Hand Mercenary Company?"
"That sort of negotiation isn't part of our mandate."
The priest shook his head.
"The seas have been particularly thick with pirates this year, so mercenaries were hired on a large scale. The Black Hand Mercenary Company are warriors we trust above all others, so I expect they must have taken a contract."
Like the seasoned leader he was, he glanced toward the tribal warriors waiting in the rear and spoke well of them.
"Just as you say. The Black Hand mercenary unit dispatched here was supposed to meet us nearby, but we lost contact. We couldn't simply wait, and while searching the area we came upon the priests."
"I'm sorry. We would gladly repay you, but we know nothing."
"The sentiment alone is more than enough. Still, how did you come to be attacked by pirates?"
From the circumstances, it was clear the priests had been deliberately targeted.
But armed priests were precisely the kind of opponent pirates most wished to avoid in this world.
They lived in holy poverty and had no wealth worth plundering, yet their combat prowess was exceptional, and their fanatical devotion to their god made them fight to the death.
A sensible pirate would raid a defenseless farmstead or rob a merchant caravan laden with goods long before attacking a company of priests.
"...May we speak freely?"
"He is a life-saving benefactor and a knight who stepped forward out of honor. To conceal anything from such a man would be a breach of our duty."
"True, but he is still an outsider..."
"Enough. The very fact that we're whispering amongst ourselves is discourteous."
Even as they murmured among themselves, Eugene waited without the slightest change of expression. His honorable bearing shamed the priests.
"The pirates were after the holy relic we carry."
"A holy relic... you say?"
Among the clergy, those possessed of powerful faith and upright souls sometimes displayed astonishing miracles.
Objects that such individuals used over long periods in baptisms, worship services, and exorcisms likewise came to bear miracles. That was what people called a holy relic.
"If it's a holy relic, no wonder the pirates lost their minds over it."
They were treasures beyond price, the kind of thing money could not buy at any sum.
"I heard just touching one absolves all your sins."
"I heard you don't age if you keep one on your person."
The mercenaries each chimed in with a rumor they had heard about holy relics.
At their excessive reaction, the priest gave a benevolent smile and waved a hand.
"It is not a true holy relic. This is a replica."
"What?"
"They can even replicate such things!"
Marbas and Varda were twice as astonished as they had been upon first hearing the priests carried a holy relic.
"After decades of study by the Apostolic Council, results have only recently been achieved."
Several priests carefully brought forward a securely sealed chest.
"Oh!"
The three mages could feel a sacred mystic force emanating from within.
"Impressive as it is, were there not those who opposed such research?"
"Of course there were. A holy relic is a treasure beyond all other measures. During the research process, some relics have weakened or vanished entirely."
The aged priest held up an emblem symbolizing the order to which he belonged.
"That is why this research has been carried out solely by the pro-research orders among those that make up the Apostolic Council."
"A remarkable act of devotion. The decision cannot have been an easy one."
"It is the conviction of the pro-reform orders that if we hoard treasures and wrap them away, evil will ultimately prevail. Doctrine must remain immutable, but the means of protecting the people must evolve."
When Eugene gave a respectful nod, his subordinates bowed their heads as well. They did not do so merely because their lord did.
It was because they felt genuine admiration for the nobility of sacrificing their own treasures without recompense in order to safeguard the people in this perilous world.
"May the blessing of God be with you all."
At their bearing, the priests also smiled kindly and made the sign of the cross.
The countless hardships they had endured during the research. To meet souls who acknowledged and offered comfort for those struggles was a simple, profound joy.
"This replica holy relic is a prototype."
The aged priest pointed in a single direction. It was toward the place where smoke had been rising in the distance ever since the Wandering Castle's descent.
"There are many villages nearby that have suffered tragedy at the hands of pirates. We have confirmed the grim news that even the undead have risen there."
'So it was not a forest fire, but villages burned from pirate attacks?'
It was a harsh world where the weak always lived with tragedy as their companion.
"Please! Please spare me!"
"Then cough up something useful!"
"Aaaagh!"
Brutal interrogations and executions were taking place on all sides, but the priests did not so much as blink.
Priests were those who would willingly take even the foulest of the sick into their arms and soothe them with God's love. Yet those who had strayed beyond the bounds of decency they did not even treat as fellow human beings.
"It is a twofold mission: to grant peace to the unfortunate dead, and also to test the replica holy relic."
As the Otherworld drew closer to the mortal plane, spiritual calamities became that much more common.
Even massacres of a scale that would normally never give rise to the undead were now causing corpses to rise.
"We shall accompany the priests as well."
"Truly?"
"This too is a bond forged by fate. We wish to lend what small strength we may to your good work."
Searching for the vanished Black Hand mercenaries with Eugene's unit alone would be a protracted, tedious undertaking. No matter where one went, forging connections with local powers was always the simplest and surest path.
"God's grace upon this noble knight."
"I will make sure to report your honorable conduct."
The armed priests, every last one of them, clasped their hands together in prayer with visible joy.
"What is the size of the village?"
"It would be around forty households. No ghouls have been sighted."
Given the fighting strength of the armed priests and the replica holy relic, it was a threat they could well handle.
After treating the wounded and performing the appropriate rites to ensure the dead would not rise, they immediately resumed their march.
* * *
The armed priests were all infantry, but their rigorous conditioning allowed them to keep pace with the cavalry.
Having come to face the undead, they were all armed with maces and flails. In the earlier battle with the pirates, more than one or two skulls had been shattered by those very weapons.
"What a magnificent warhorse."
The priests gazed at Might with admiration. His sheer bulk was one thing, but the ferocity and otherworldly aura that even horse barding could not conceal struck the clergy with particular intensity.
Yet because the horse was ridden by the knight who had so valiantly routed the pirates, even Might seemed cloaked in a favorable light.
"We shall arrive shortly."
The smoke drew ever closer, until a thoroughly ravaged village came into view.
Sniff, sniff.
Homi and Might flared their nostrils, reacting with keen sensitivity. Compared to the dense scent of blood, a stillness so heavy it was almost frightening hung over the place.
"Not even the insects or birds are making a sound. The undead must have risen."
The aged priest spoke with conviction.
That the sounds of scavengers were absent from a place over which a tide of slaughter had passed. It meant something abnormal was lurking here.
And sure enough—
"Screeeech!"
The moment they drew near the village palisade, a shriek rang out as the presence of intruders was detected.
A sound made with human vocal cords, yet a savage voice that no human could ever produce.
The armed priests made the sign of the cross as one and raised their weapons. The sealed chest was opened, and the aged priest brought out the holy relic.
Once outside the chest, a still denser mystic force exuded from it. Even as a replica, the aura of purification it bore was truly powerful.
"Leave this to us. This holy relic will not vanish after a single use."
The aged priest stepped forward, the relic in hand.
Eugene nodded, but signaled his subordinates with his eyes to be ready to intervene at any moment.
Squelch, squelch, squelch!
The sound of footsteps charging fiercely over sodden ground.
"Grrk!"
Before long, a hideously twisted monstrosity burst forth.
Desiccated hide and half-rotted skin.
Sharp claws.
Eyes utterly devoid of a soul.
Pustules sprouting all over its body.
It was a pitiable sight, one that could find no rest even in death.
'Something's strange.'
Eugene, sensitive to the energies of the Otherworld, sensed something jarringly wrong with the charging foe. If it were a wight, he ought to have felt at least a trace of its characteristic malevolent aura, yet he sensed none at all.
Sniff, sniff.
Homi, too, sensed the strangeness. Not the faintest odor of decay rose from the attacking creature.
"Eternal rest unto this lost and corrupted soul..."
Flash!
As the armed priest intoned the prayer, the holy relic emitted a sacred radiance that swallowed the charging monstrosity.
"Grrk?!"
And yet the creature burst through the corona of light completely unaffected and lunged at them. Just before the startled priest was struck—
Thud!
The flail Eugene swung shattered the thing's arm and flank, sending it hurtling away.
"Grrk... cough...!"
The way it struggled to rise again despite its horrifying injuries was clearly far removed from anything living. Yet it was no undead either.
"Mushrooms?"
What he had taken for rotting pustules all over its body were, on closer inspection, round fungal growths.
Though shattered ribs had pierced through its abdomen, the bleeding was not severe. Blood did flow, but it dripped thick and viscous as sap.
As the mercenaries recoiled in revulsion, enemies began pouring out from deeper within the village in earnest.
"They're coming! Battle formation! Priests, fall back. The holy relic has no effect."
All of them were monstrosities with bark, blades of grass, and mushrooms clinging to their bodies.
They did not possess the undead's characteristic hatred of the living, but came charging with a ferocity closer to that of wild beasts.
"Rex. Have you ever faced foes like these before?"
"It's a spirit."
The answer came from Varda.
"The scent of a forest spirit wafts from them."
"Then fortune smiles on us. If Varda-nim steps in..."
In Eugene's army, there was a presence more dependable in such matters than ten thousand soldiers.
"No. Even if it belongs to the same mysteries of the forest, a Forest Spirit is not a being I can control."
Twitch.
Varda's long ears stood straight up toward the sky. It was the reaction she showed when enraged or deeply tense.
"Forget your honeyed fairy tales! Of all the spirits in this world, the most cruel and dangerous is the Forest Spirit!"
Varda shouted to the entire army.
Out of respect for Eugene's authority, she had always kept to her position as an advisor. Never once had she bypassed Eugene in battle to issue a direct command to the troops.
At this, the first breach of that rule, every soldier tensed and tightened their grip on their weapons.