Chapter 84: The Ultimate Weapon Against the Undead (02)

Bwoooong!

As I swung the Mana Saber menacingly, the skeletons recoiled, feeling threatened. But soon, without hesitation, they charged at me.

Slash!

Although I could easily slice them in half with one strike of the Mana Saber, they attacked me in a staggered manner, creating a coordinated assault that would have been dangerous for a typical swordsman unable to recover their blade in time.

However, my weapon was a Mana Saber. With no weight to the blade, a slight twist of my wrist was enough to change its direction.

Thwack-thwack-thwack!

A few quick swings of the Mana Saber were all it took to keep the skeletons at bay. Their rusted iron weapons and jagged bone fragments, which they tried to use to stab me, melted or burned away the moment they touched the blade.

Clatter... clatter...

The skeletons tried to overwhelm me with sheer numbers, but each wide swing of the Mana Saber disrupted their ranks, rendering them no real threat.

- "Sir Knight, you're amazing!" -

'Well, this is nothing...'

Knights have always been exceptional, but modern knights are trained to surpass even the capabilities of regular soldiers, making them a force that ordinary troops cannot contend with.

In previous battles, no matter how strong someone was, they could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. However, knights have evolved to counter such tactics.

Equipped with Mana Weapons capable of piercing any defense, wearing armor that can withstand devastating attacks, and possessing unmatched speed that makes them impossible to surround, knights are now a superior force. Numbers alone cannot bridge the gap in power.

That is what defines the knights of our kingdom.

Skeletons, leveraging their lack of fear and relentless attacks to intimidate or exhaust regular soldiers, were no more than mere obstacles like branches or shrubs for a knight-class warrior.

Crack!

The skeletons kept coming, but I pushed forward, cutting them down as if harvesting wheat with a scythe. Such fragile, brittle bones were incapable of stopping me.

"You useless creatures! Even if you were knights or soldiers in your past lives, you're worthless now!"

The necromancer's words weren’t entirely true. The skeletons were not useless—at least not in their prime. The requirements and equipment for knights had changed, making them inferior in the current battlefield. If they had living bodies and fought me with solid weapons, I wouldn’t last even a few exchanges.

Slash!

Of course, skeletons were weak enough to shatter with just the machete I held in my left hand. Now, with the machete in my left and the Mana Saber in my right, I was dual-wielding and cutting down skeletons as I advanced.

"Fine... I’ll show you my full power!"

Black ghosts surged like waves, rushing toward us.

If each of those ghosts represented a soul the necromancer had collected, the number of trapped spirits was unimaginable.

There were far too many to handle with just the Mana Saber. But I had no intention of dealing with them by swinging my sword.

Swish!

From a paper bag in my possession, cookie crumbs began reacting to the black ghosts, radiating a brilliant light.

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I tore the bag open with my fingernails and lightly tossed it forward. As the contents spilled, dazzling light burst forth, spreading in all directions.

Just as a glorious dawn drives away the darkness, the black ghosts were forced to dissipate under the holy radiance of the sacred crumbs, which carried the blessing of a saintess.

'If I eat those, will they explode in my stomach like this?'

I firmly decided never to consume anything the saintess gave me. While I was having these thoughts, the thick clouds parted, revealing the bright sunlight of dawn and the rising morning sun.

"What? Did I stay up all night? My sense of time was right after all."

The ghosts crumbled into fragments under the sunlight, vanishing like dust. Meanwhile, the skeletons emerging from the ground fell silent, returning to mere corpses buried in the earth.

'Ah... my heart feels a prickling warmth. It’s like my body is healing.'

The mana used for necromancy left a tingling sensation on my tongue, but after scattering the saintess’s cookie crumbs, the surroundings transformed into a sanctified ground. The area seemed blessed, and the ghosts found solace, passing on with radiant joy.

- "Ah... Lien... What have I done? I’ll go on ahead and wait for you... You all, rest in peace now..." -

- "Finally, freedom..." -

- "We’re no longer bound..." -

Lien’s father, along with the servants and maids of the estate, ascended peacefully, leaving this world for good. Now, only two people remained at the scene: me and Lien’s mother, the necromancer.

"You're alive, so I suppose you're not undead?"

"Wh... why... is this happening..."

"The mana from your necromancy has been forcibly purified by divine power, but you won’t die. In fact, your body will probably become much healthier."

"My magic... the necromancy I gathered to save my daughter... all of it, gone... I am..."

She sank into despair, attempting to dig her nails into her neck to take her own life. However, the divine power coursing through her body healed her wounds instantly, making even suicide impossible.

"......"

Click.

Though it seemed unnecessary, I placed mana-sealing handcuffs on her and restrained her on the spot. No matter how healthy her body had become, someone of her age and without the aid of necromancy wouldn’t be able to escape. Besides, the remnants of the black ghosts that had covered this area earlier would inevitably draw the attention of nearby necromancers or wizards. They could handle her once they arrived.

"Mana from necromancy was detected in this area, so I came to investigate. Are you alright?"

A thin-faced necromancer in a black robe arrived, their face concealed. I pointed my Mana Saber at them and asked, "State your affiliation."

"I’m with the criminal investigation agency. I was stationed in the nearby village with orders to assist any knights that arrived."

After glancing at their badge and confirming their affiliation, I lowered my weapon. It seemed they were indeed sent to support me but had taken a different route and arrived later than expected.

"Understood."

Although it’s standard to declare one’s identity, the mission itself was classified, so I didn’t need to disclose that I was part of the Magic Knights. The necromancer seemed to grasp the situation well enough and approached after confirming I was a knight.

"Here. The illegal necromancer has already been restrained."

I handed over the custody of Lien's mother, the illegal necromancer, to the authorized necromancer.

"Phew... What in the world happened here?"

"In the process of capturing this illegal necromancer, I used an item directly blessed by the saintess at the temple."

"This level of divine power... Even the central temple doesn’t have something this powerful. It’s remarkable. My necromancy is on the verge of breaking."

Honestly, even I hadn’t expected it to be this potent.

"At this level, it’s practically an artifact-grade item. The divine power lingering here will last for a while."

Indeed, the residual divine energy in the area left a tangible tingling sensation. It seemed it would persist for at least a few days.

"Then I’ll arrange for the immediate transfer. Thank you for your efforts."

After handing over custody of the illegal necromancer, I turned back. There was still one more matter to address.

On the altar lay what remained of her—the last vestige of this place.

'Did Lien ascend too quickly, consumed by the explosion of divine power nearby?'

"A lady who chose the right path over her resurrection. May you rest in a better place."

Touching the body, which should have decayed decades ago, I felt the warmth of life—proof of her unnatural preservation, fueled by twisted obsession and maternal love.

"......Grrrrr..."

From my bag, Shuru and Mollang poked their heads out, glaring at me with expressions that said, You’re not seriously considering something weird, are you?

"What’s with those looks... Come on, even I wouldn’t stoop that low, no matter how desperate I am!"

Admittedly, the divine power coursing through my body had boosted my stamina, and certain... reactions were undeniable. Seeing her body now, fully corporeal and beautiful, instead of her previous transparent state, I couldn’t deny she was stunning.

"Ugh... so cold..."

A completely unexpected voice reached my ears.

Shuru and Mollang stopped glaring at me and turned their attention to the source of the voice. I did the same.

The voice didn’t register earlier because it wasn’t heard through my ears but resonated with my soul. Now, her clear, melodic tone echoed directly from below me.

"It’s glowing all around, so it must be heaven... but why is it so cold here?"

Green eyes, familiar from her translucent form, scanned the surroundings before meeting mine.

"Huh? Sir Knight, why are you here?"

"I should be asking you that question. Weren’t you supposed to have ascended?"

She had been right beside me when the saintess’s divine cookie exploded, so I assumed she had been forced to ascend without even leaving a final word. And yet, here she was, inside that body.

"Could it be..."

I placed my hand on her chest, feeling for a heartbeat.

'Revival... that’s impossible.'

Resurrection is beyond even divine authority. Not even the first saintess, regarded as a demigod, could bring her lover back to life.

At most, necromancers could preserve a body, preventing decay and preparing it to host a spirit. That’s likely all this was—a body treated to prevent rot and make it easier for Lien’s spirit to enter.

The necromancer had intended to sacrifice others to give life to Lien, but she refused. The subsequent battle led to me using the saintess’s blessed cookie, which unleashed immense divine power.

'Thanks to the divine power, her body is brimming with vitality.'

Indeed, she shivered, complaining of the cold, and her body temperature, though warm now, was gradually dropping. She wasn’t alive. Her spirit was bound to a dead body temporarily infused with divine energy, creating a semblance of life. Over time, as the divine power faded, the body would begin to decay.

Was she essentially a divine-powered zombie?

"Even in this state, I couldn’t ascend... Is something wrong with me? This body hasn’t come back to life, my heart isn’t beating, and I don’t feel short of breath even though I’m not breathing..."

"Well... this isn’t my area of expertise."

"Maybe..."

Her gaze shifted downward.

In my haste, I had only hastily belted my pants, and the divine power-enhanced vigor had left a noticeable... bulge.

"Perhaps it’s because I’m still a virgin..."

"...What?"

I had no idea how she arrived at that conclusion, but she seemed fixated on the idea.

"Sir Knight."

"Surely there’s another explanation! Maybe we should consult a necromancer or a priest who specializes in this—"

"My body is still warm... Would you like to try?"

"Yes."

Ignoring the judgmental star es from Mollang and Shuru, I avoided their eyes and muttered to myself.

'Well... everything’s best when it’s fresh, right?’