Volume 8 - CH 23

Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

『Arc Raratoia』

The battle between the undead army and the allied forces began at a high tempo, following the Dragon Kings’ area of effect attacks.

When the Dragon Kings bombarded the hundreds of thousands of undead, it was like what happened when a regiment of infantrymen fought jet fighters.

In-between watching their process, I moved from platoon to platoon casting 【Holy Protection】 on everyone to protect them from the death impurities.

Once I was finished casting magic on all the troops, I started participating in earnest.

Despite the Dragon Kings’ bombing runs and the efforts of the elves and the Blade Heart Clan, there were enough undead left to easily overwhelm our forces once they managed to reorganize themselves.

“Before searching for the pope, lets thin out the herd a little.”

“Kyun! Kyun!”

Ponta, who was coiled around my neck like a scarf, began waving her fluffy tail, almost as if she was excited at the prospect of battle.

After soothing Ponta for a bit, I transferred to the front lines and began unleashing area of effect magic where the undead were at their densest.

It was rather convenient that everyone in my line of sight was undead because that way I could unleash this type of magic without worry.

If the number of my allies were smaller, I might have used my Heavenly Knight skills, but after what happened at Delfuento’s capital, I realized that the effect they had on my immediate surroundings was too extreme for them to be safely used in group combat.

Besides, as Dylan said, if the Dragon Kings or I eliminated the undead by ourselves, the humans might band together in opposition to the new common enemy.

Therefore, they had to take part in defeating the undead here.

My main concern was tracking down Hiruku’s pope, the enemy’s leader…

Personally, I wanted to have a talk with him… he was apparently a person who ended up in this strange world like I did.

After annihilating another batch of undead with a【Whirlwind】spell, I looked around to see that Ariane, Chiome, Goemon and Furgas were leading a massive push against the undead forces.

Seeing the shift in the war, I removed my gaze from Ariane and focused on the Holy City.

“The tide of battle has already turned in our favor, let’s enter the city ahead of everyone else.”

“Kyun!”

Listening to me rambling to myself, Ponta barked in agreement and wrapped herself closer around my neck.

“【Dimensional Step】.”

I approached the city with several uses of my short-range transfer magic and proceeded to move atop one of the guard towers that lined the city wall.

Although Ferufivisurotte’s attack had caused a portion of the wall to collapse, the beauty and sheer scope of the structure couldn’t be denied.

Inside the Holy City, I caught sight of a few buildings whose height surpassed the city wall and the fierce battle the Dragon Kings waged against the undead giants.

The giants fired their black orbs at the Dragon Kings…… and every missed shot of the concentrated “death impurities” was leveling the surrounding buildings and corrupting the land. This city would be unsalvageable if that battle continued for much longer.

While I doubted that he would be lurking down there, I scoured the city for the pope from atop the wall as their ferocious battle raged on.

Before long, the giants fused into one being after the Dragon Kings gained the upper hand, with the new amalgamation becoming more aggressive, and the damage to the city continued to mount.

However, I noticed that the building behind the amalgamation didn’t even have so much as a scratch on it.

“Some sort of church……”

This conspicuous building, surrounded by bell towers, was a massive cathedral bearing the crest of the Hiruku religion.

Although it was just a hunch, I used 【Dimensional Step】to approach the cathedral by leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

The amalgamation was the size of a skyscraper, and the back and forth between it and the Dragon Kings had reduced the surrounding area to a wasteland.

Before this battle, Dylan had asked Ferufivisurotte and Williahsfim to minimize the damage done to the Holy City. Apparently, it was a request from King Asparuf, but it’d be impossible to fulfill that promise if things continued as they were now.

The amalgamation wasn’t an enemy you could face half-heartedly, the problems the restrictions placed on their offensive abilities only increased as the giant started changing.

If this stalemate continued for much longer, they’d be forced to use their full strength, but the city would be reduced to dust as a result.

Fortunately, the giant seemed focused on the two Dragon Kings and paid no attention to the person that suddenly appeared on the roof of a nearby building.

That will make it easy to break this stalemate.

The giants had been created out of the city’s inhabitants, as if they were some sort of abhorrent clay figures. I shuddered at the thought of a person from my world having done something like this.

Why would they take part in such unnecessary cruelty……

Although I had a rough idea about the pope’s character, I still haven’t spoken to him directly, and that was something I needed to do, even if the conversation devolved into a fight.

…… No, I already knew how an encounter with the pope would end.

To gather my resolve, I put all my my power into one of my most powerful spells.

「【Divine Purification】」

An orb made of warm, soft light gathered in the palm of my hands and gradually began to grow as I poured more of my magic into the spell.

This spell was obtained after acquiring the pope class and was capable of removing curses and abnormal status effects. Additionally, the spell did massive damage to undead and dark attribute users. Even though it wasn’t a combat oriented spell, it was perfect for dealing with the giant.

I used 【Dimensional Step】 to get into position next to the giant’s foot before thrusting the orb into its leg.

For a moment, the dazzling light blinded me as the swelled and filled the entire area.

『～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ugh!?』

The giant’s body was racked with convulsions and emitted the sorrowful moans of the deceased as the pits of hell seemed to open beneath its foot.

Eventually, the light faded and I got a good look at the empty space the giant’s leg used to be before it collapsed.

After confirming the situation, I left things to Ferufivisurotte and Williahsfim and moved to the church with  【Dimensional Step】.

Silence greeted me when I opened the large wooden doors.

The impact of the giant hitting the ground created a massive dust cloud, so I shut the door behind me.

Like the outside, the church’s interior was just magnificent. The walls and ceiling-high stained-glass windows were filled with religious paintings and depictions of events, and the architectural itself added to the church’s grandeur.

Each of my footsteps on the polished stone floor echoed throughout the building, alerting everyone that I was here.

“Kyun!”

Ponta’s heightened senses detected something so she gave me a warning.

Following Ponta’s gaze, I saw that a man wielding a large scepter and dressed in regal robes had appeared in front of the main altar.