Chapter 398: Horror Ends.

Chapter 398: Horror Ends.

"Don't allow the unholy beast time to recover! Charge in! For Solaria!"

A platoon of knights, their armor adorned with the symbol of the sun, valiantly rushed forward to confront the menacing creature. Behind them, a smaller group of priests chanted sacred incantations and summoned golden spears of radiant light. Each priest extended their hand, directing the beams of divine energy toward the approaching monstrosity.

The creature, despite its injuries and being greatly outnumbered, showed no fear and continued its relentless charge, undeterred by the combined might of the knights and priests. The battle between light and darkness had started and the monstrosity utilized its many tentacles against the attackers. They collided with the many heavy tower shields the knights were holding. Some of them held strong while others were punctured through by the strange appendages that turned into fleshy drills.

“Fire! Give support to the Paladins!”

A secondary group, consisting of more than a hundred men, advanced from behind the formation of Solarian paladins. Upon receiving the command, archers swiftly responded by releasing a volley of arrows that ignited into flames as they descended upon the menacing creature. The night sky was illuminated with the fiery arrows as they rained down, an effort to weaken the beast and wear it down over time.

Although the creature was a high-level threat, the accumulated damage from these ranged attacks would gradually take its toll. The strategy was clear: to deplete the creature's health and stamina from a safe distance, whittling away at its formidable strength. Once the creature had been weakened, the final assault could be launched, bringing an end to the menace that had terrorized this wedding ceremony.

The men's shouts reverberated, and the creature responded with high-pitched shrieks as its body endured relentless blows. Despite its attempts to shield itself with numerous tentacles, the creature was clearly running out of time. It had clung to life through the incomplete transformation ritual, but now its condition was rapidly deteriorating. Black sludge oozed from its main body, bubbling up to release noxious gas as it started to die.

“The Unholy creature is wavering! Now is our chance!”

Some of the holy knights recognized that the creature was nearing its end. While patience was an option, the monster's many tentacles still posed a threat to their allies. The black fumes emanating from its body were not only poisonous but possibly cursed as well. It was wiser to put an end to this swiftly to prevent further casualties. Thus, from within the group of Solarian knights, a small squad of five stepped forward. They were all adorned in distinctive golden armor, their radiance serving as a symbol of their faith and power.

Their armors emitted a radiant light and were enveloped by an aurora of divine energy. The instant they entered the range of the dark cloud that had formed, it disintegrated before their holy radiance. Two individuals, each wielding a large shield, surged forward and absorbed the brunt of the monster's attacks. Their shields endured a barrage of strikes from the creature's appendages, and though they were bent in some places, the two paladins pressed on with their charge.

Following the shield-bearing paladins, three swordsmen stepped forward, each wielding a different type of blade. These swords were swiftly enveloped in a golden aura, which they used to deliver divine retribution to the unholy beast. With each swing, they managed to dislodge tendrils and tentacles, steadily advancing toward the monster's damaged core, which continued to radiate corrupt abyssal energy.

Despite its weakened state, the monstrous creature remained fiercely determined. It refused to yield and instead continued to defend itself with unrelenting tenacity, launching counter-strikes against the golden knights who dared to confront it. The battle between the abyssal creature and the sun knights continued to rage on as their shouts covered the entire area.

...

While these valiant efforts were unfolding, a different scene was taking place nearby. In a spot that the abyssal creature had once occupied, a man wearing damaged runic armor was clutching another individual. Beneath them, a small pool of blood had formed, originating from a dismembered arm that had now turned completely obsidian.

“How is he?”

“I don’t know, he lost a lot of blood, and this wound... it’s not healing properly, it must have been some type of curse.”

“Bernir...”

Roland shifted his gaze to the side where Bernir's severed hand had landed. Amid the creature's onslaught, the exoskeleton had been damaged in many places, and with it, Bernir's hand had been severed around the middle of the forearm. Roland had been forced to further amputate the remaining portion due to the spread of a strange corruption. The leftover hand had now turned pitch black, bubbling up and transforming into a dark sludge before his eyes.

His armor had been mostly destroyed but he had enough mana to reform enough of it to continue supplying emulated holy mana to the afflicted spot. Even after the secondary cut the corruption was only halted thanks to the quick intervention from his part. It seemed that a person like Bernir who did not possess any type of combat class and a weaker body, was highly susceptible to being injured by that monster. Roland himself had been cut in a few places but his body was somewhat able to resist the corruption and along with it, he had gained a new resistance type.

Abyssal Corruption Resistance

Passive Skill L2

Raises resistances to abyssal corruption.

This form of damage was likely unique to the Eldritch Horror he had confronted, perhaps specific to other corrupt abyssal creatures as well. It was possible that Bernir had acquired this skill, but lacking a sufficiently high vitality stat to support his body's recovery, it proved insufficient to counteract the affliction. He had now lost his right arm, and his livelihood as a blacksmith could be in jeopardy. However, he was still alive, and his weakened heart was gradually regaining strength.

“His life shouldn’t be in danger but we need to get out of here, that thing is still there.”

......

“... Finally those Solarian bastards are gone... you’ll need more than that to kill the great Kovak!”

Unbeknownst to everyone involved in the incident, a strange creature emerged from a hollowed tree. At first, it appeared to be a shriveled person, but its lack of a lower body soon became apparent. Instead, the creature sported something akin to spider legs, enabling it to silently and swiftly crawl through the environment.

“Damn fools ruined the whole mission! It will take me years to recover all those lost undead and my body...”

Kovak, the necromancer, mumbled to himself as he navigated through the forest. The Eldritch Horror he had summoned had been defeated, but he had survived. During the chaos of the battle, he managed to shield his head and make his escape. Fearing retribution, he remained hidden in one of the trees for several nights until the Solarian presence had diminished.

“I used up most of my mana to conceal myself but it was worth it! I need to get back to the Arch-Priestess!”

The spider's head disappeared into the night, stealthily making its way towards freedom. Everyone was too preoccupied with the aftermath of the Eldritch Horror and damage control to notice that Kovak had survived. The necromancer chuckled to himself as he hurried through the trees, feeling a sense of security. It would take some time, but eventually, he could find refuge in one of their secret temples.

Freedom was within reach, and if he made it out, he could reveal the truth about their true enemy, Wayland the Knight Commander, to the cult. Soon, their armies would descend to capture the irregular and extract all his secrets into the open. It became clear that he was the one capable of affecting their relic and their cult wouldn’t shy away from turning this whole island upside down to get him.

“Oh? What is this? Quite the ugly creature...”

“What?”

Suddenly the necromancer felt a shift in the environment. He could feel that some magic was used but in his current state, he couldn’t really do anything about it. Someone was there, watching him and he wasn’t sure of their location just that he needed to quickly escape. His form shifted into the shadows as he tried to hide himself in the tall grass and behind the trees but the sensation of being watched never went away.

Kovak pressed on with his escape, but it seemed as though he was traversing the same location repeatedly. In his weakened state, he couldn't quite comprehend or resist the spell that had ensnared him, but he was certain that he had been caught in some form of illusion. At last, when he halted, an individual emerged. They were enveloped in an aura of blue flames, clearly directed at his current form.

“Tired of running? Good choice, now what should I do with you...”

The person asked, their voice sensual and alluring. Soon her form emerged to present the angered necromancer with his enemy, an alluring woman with several tails and large fox like ears. The flames behind her flew forward to surround the undead spider head, not allowing it to escape.

“Stop! Stay your hand! I’m sure we can make a deal!”

“Oh, you want to make a deal?”

The woman chuckled while pointing out with her finger, the blue flames moved closer to the necromancer’s squirming head.

“Stop! Do you want wealth? Power perhaps? The cult can make all your wishes come true! I will form a binding contract with you now!”

“A contract?”

“Yes!”

“Sorry... but I don’t make deals with your kind~”

The woman smiled before directing her attention once more to ignite the flames, targeting the grotesque creature's head. At the instant the flames made contact with the small monster, Kovak's long life came to a close. His agonized cries and screams went unheard by anyone, and before long, he was reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes on the ground.

“Hm... Maybe I should have captured him instead or given him to the Church?”

She asked herself while looking at the pile of dirt on the ground. However, soon she just shook her head to affirm that her decision now was the right call.

“No, trusting these monsters is never a good idea, it’s better this way...”

Soon her form vanished from the forest and the scenery that was clouded in illusion and silence returned to normal. The encroachment on this territory had finally ended and no cultist had survived, the woman here made sure of it.