Chapter 67: Feast of the Dead (3)

Chapter 67: Feast of the Dead (3)

However.

"Huh?"

The moment the tip of his sword touched the zombie's flesh, a squishy feeling was transmitted to the hilt and his hand.

The soldier certainly cut the zombie. But it was shallow. The blade was hindered by muscles so strong that it was hard to believe that they were rotting beneath the skin. The blade dug in slightly, but stopped without going any further.

Instead, the foul juices corroded the metal, rapidly rusting it.

"Quick, pull back the sword! It's going to be scrap metal soon!"

"Y-yes!"

From the rebuke of the captain, he snapped back into his senses and moved away from the monster.

"A mere zombie is able to talk! Undead with the ability to talk are a higher grade species of zombie!"

The captain's shout made the soldier realise his mistake.

Zombies usually could not speak. They might groan and moan, but they were unable to speak any meaningful words. The fact that they still had enough intelligence to understand language despite their rotting brains was a characteristic of a superior species.

"Leave the wheat that we were taking, huh? These undead must be repeating what they have done as farmers before when they were still alive. .....Tch! So these guys are Revenants!"

"Re-Revenant?"

The word "Revenant" meant "one who revisits" in Arquellian. Literally, they were undead that have the habit of returning to the place where they reside before dying and repeat behaviours similar to when they were alive. A revenant was hostile to anyone who interfered with its behaviour.

Of course, such specialised knowledge about monsters was not available to a conscripted soldier. The captain spared no time in explaining to his ignorant subordinates.

"All you need to know is that it's a strong zombie!"

As soon as he shouted, he made a slash on the hand holding on the former farmers leg. Then he helped his cowering subordinate up.

"Come on, get up you fool!"

"I-I'm sorry! But, my feet are so cold"

"You've been exposed to the miasma! Remove your pants, its soaking up the decomposing liquid. If you don't hurry, your legs will rot too!"

"Ahhh!"

The middle-aged man of small stature, displayed decisiveness that belied his appearance and usual behaviour as he ordered his men.

Having escaped the dreaded zombie, the soldier put aside his usual disdain for the captain and obeyed the captains orders.

The captain shouted loudly, threatening the enemy with his sword while protecting his soldiers behind him.

"Gather! Gather together! Get into a tight formation!"

The commander's shout overpowered the moans of the zombie and the other soldiers shakened murmurs. It was a brilliant display of leadership from a small man who was thought to be only interested in looting.

The soldiers, who had been agitated by their sudden appearance, regained their composure after the captain's explanation.

"It also has a weakness! They cant attack where their arms and legs cant so once weve gotten some distance, theyre as good as dead. It's also vulnerable to fire, as death-defying creatures usually are. It's easy to burn them up. And above all, they're more reluctant to leave their territory than normal zombies! They won't be able to leave their area for long!"

"So you think if we can get out of this field, we can escape?"

"Or if we make it outside of this village."

Revenants had strong attachments to the places where they once lived, due to their habit of copying the lives they had before they died. Troubling as it was, the feeling of remorse amplified their resentment and helped to strengthen their abilities with negative power. But on the flip side, it kept them tied to one place.

From the looks of it, these revenants were former village farmers. If that was the case, their range of action was probably limited to the village at best.

"That's why. If they get close to you, try to fight them off, but don't pursue them, and make it your top priority to join up with our allies. Understood?"

"Y-yes!""

Responding to the captain's orders in unison, the soldiers began their escape.

"Leave it......!"

"Hey, there! Why are you still carrying that in your hand? It's a burden and the enemy is attacking us for it! I ordered you to make escaping our top priority!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Run, you fools! If there's one thing you're better at than these rotting corpses, it's a head that can listen to orders and your rat-like ability to run! If you don't have that, then you can leave your head here!"

Ahhhhh!

It seemed that their commander, despite his usual behaviour and appearance, was a man who could be counted on in such a critical situation. He calmly gave orders, took the lead in eliminating the enemy, and led his men to regroup their allies with success.

However, it still did not come without a cost.

"Leaveeee it......!"

"Yikes! Theyre coming from here too!"

"Let go of me, you monster! ......Arggggh!!!!"

As the soldiers retreated, a new group of zombies sprang up in front of them, as if it had been waiting in ambush for them. The soldiers who were unfortunate enough to be within arm's reach were suddenly caught and brutally torn to pieces.

That's not all.

"Ooooohhhh......!"

"AARRGGG......"

As the dead fall victim to monsters, they too rose as new monsters. Some turned into zombies whose flesh decomposed at an unnaturally fast rate while others into skeletons stripped of their flesh and reduced to bones. They attacked their former comrades in an attempt to get them to join the dead.

The captain escaped the wheat field with the survivors, and as soon as he reached his allies, he shouted at the top of his voice.

"Escort unit! Are the mages here?!"