Hey everyone. I was planning on releasing this sooner, but it ended up being much harder to write than I thought it was going to be.
The overall feeling I wanted was “epic”, though I don’t know if I was successful in achieving it.
The chapter covers many different perspectives and sometimes makes jumps chronologically. Please let me know if you get lost reading it.
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--Edward’s Perspective—
I’m facing an unknown enemy.
Though it looks like a skeleton, one of the lowest forms of undead, it is just a disguise. There isn’t any other explanation.
The skeleton. It is the most common form of undead. They normally roam in groups and can sometimes evolve into more powerful undead, but a common skeleton is at the bottom in terms of strength. Even the lowest ranked adventurer could overpower a group of ten. This is why when one lone skeleton was spotted approaching the caravan, I thought nothing of it; and let Greg, my subordinate, handle it.
The result was not as expected.
Greg ran towards the skeleton and swung his sword in a perfect line, intersecting with its neck. A clean kill. Or so I thought.
The skeleton didn’t even move to dodge it, which was to be expected considering the skill difference; but when the sword came into contact with its neck, instead of shattering the bone and decapitating the skeleton, it had no effect. Instead, it sounded as if he had swung it at a rock. A loud clang rang out and not even a scratch had been left on the bone.
That’s not possible. I’ve trained Greg personally. He is a first rate swordsman, focusing more on strength than agility. In terms of power, even my swing would lose to his. Yet this low tier undead was completely unharmed…
The skeleton grabbed hold of Greg’s wrist, catching it in its grasp, he was unable to escape as the skeleton mercilessly ripped him apart. I watched in shock. How could this happen? Even if we are beyond the borders of the Empire, this strength is too strange.
If it were a skeleton that had evolved into a Lich or Death Knight, I could understand; but it would have a completely different appearance. This thing, without a doubt, has the appearance of a normal skeleton.
That is when I decided; that the undead in front of me must be a high class demon disguising itself. With cold sweat running down the back of my neck, I ready my sword.
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--Edwin’s Perspective—
“We are being attacked from the back!”
Someone behind us is running and shouting. I recognize the voice, it is Dalton.
Again…
We have been attacked multiple times since we’ve entered the forest. Every time it happens, we have to fight with everything we have. The beasts in this forest are ridiculous… I’ve lost three men so far. I turn to face him.
“What is attacking, and how many?”
“Sir, it’s a skeleton. Greg spotted it, him and Edward are currently fighting it.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. Just a single skeleton huh? Greg and Edward should be more than enough to handle it.
Just then, I see movement from my peripheral vision. Miss Fairfield of the church has jumped off the carriage and is running off towards the fight.
“Miss Fairfield, wait!”
I call out to her, but she doesn’t acknowledge me, and continues to run. I’ve noticed she has become anxious lately, but I didn’t think it was to this extent…
Seriously, how am I supposed to protect this troublesome girl…
Thinking that, I turn to my subordinate sitting next to me.
“Cliff, round up everyone and make sure they are prepared for battle; then meet me at the back carriage.”
“Sir… even for a single skeleton?”
I smile wryly.
“It can’t be helped. She is the idol of the people. If I allow her to get hurt out here… I won’t have a future when I return.”
Cliff nods and climbs down from the carriage. Raising his voice, he proceeds with rallying the adventurers. With a sigh, I jump down and head for the back of the caravan.
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--Takke’s Perspective—
A man is running at me with a sword. His eyes betray his sole intent to take my life. He is moving at a speed I previously thought impossible for humans.
I watch him close the distance. My reaction speed feels like it has dulled. My mind is clouded. Deep inside me there is a fire that is growing larger and larger, and I am unable to suppress it. All I want to do is rip this man apart.
He comes within range and swings at me.
I ignore the sword completely and reach out my hand to grab him… but I am unsuccessful.
This guy is much more experienced than the other. Although the strike from the previous man and this one are about the same in power, the man in front of me slices at an exaggerated angle. He uses his momentum to dodge my hands and maneuvers around my body, putting himself in my blind spots while connecting his attacks.
How skilled. Though his sword does no damage when it makes contact with my body, without being able to touch him, I can’t do any damage as well.
Realizing the stalemate, he jumps back, putting some distance between us.
“As I thought, you are no normal undead.”
He says this with a loud voice, seemingly confirming something.
“W..what is it?”
A surprised voice is heard from our surroundings. We both turn our heads and look at the owner of the voice.
A young girl. She is wearing a white dress with pink ribbons decorating it. The dress has long sleeves, covering most of her arms; and the bottom of it hangs below her knees. She has blonde hair pulled into two long pony tails reaching half way down her back. Her eyes are a calm and clear blue, as if the sky itself was trapped within. Her skin is so white, it’s likely she would receive a sun burn even in this dimly lit forest.
She looks at me with wide eyes, holding an expensive looking staff in front of her. The staff was almost as tall as she was, and the top of it held various precious gems of several different colors.
“Ah Miss Fairfield, perfect timing. This guy seems to be a powerful demon. I’m not sure why it has this appearance, but the power it possesses is without a doubt that of a high level demon. How about it? Your magic can take care of it right?”
Hmm, it seems they are acquaintances. For such a young girl to be involved with criminals… don’t think I’ll overlook it just because you are a child.
“Ah, uh, y-yes! It shouldn’t be a problem… no, in the face of the Gods, all evil shall be exterminated!”
The girl looked confused, but somehow resolved herself… Gods huh? What kind of demons do these people worship...? The rising rage within me suddenly burns wildly. Is it directed at this girl? I feel like I’m losing something… or forgetting something. Wasn’t I angry about the three men abusing that cat girl? Even if this girl is an accomplice… no, this is something different.
The man smiles at the girl.
“Great, I’ll keep it distracted, you attack.”
“U-understood.”
Hey, is it really okay to just tell me your plan like that? I wonder, do they think I can’t understand them?
Like that, the man once again rushes at me, while the girl behind clutches her staff and mumbles to herself with closed eyes.
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--Christina’s Perspective—
What is this? The prey I’d thought was stolen from me is calmly taking Edward’s blows as if they weren’t even there. He ignores them completely, focusing solely on attacking him.
I don’t understand… Edward is a first rate swordsman and a high ranking adventurer. If you consider only combat prowess, he is above everyone in the caravan. Yet this single skeleton is shrugging him off as if he weren’t there…
It’s abnormal.
I stand there watching the unbelievable exchange for a few moments, then Edward suddenly pulls back.
“As I thought, you are no normal undead.”
Huh? It wasn’t an undead? No, I mean, when you think about it, it’s obvious that’s not the power of a skeleton. But what is this? I’ve never heard of a monster change its appearance before, at least not to this extent.
I give voice to my inner thoughts.
“W..what is it?”
They both turn and look at me. I look into the dim blue lights, deep within the skeleton’s skull. There’s an uncomfortable feeling and I can’t look away… I begin to feel anxious.
“Ah Miss Fairfield, perfect timing. This guy seems to be a powerful demon. I’m not sure why it has this appearance, but the power it possesses is without a doubt that of a high level demon. How about it? Your magic can take care of it right?”
Edward’s voice snaps me out of it.
“Ah, uh, y-yes! It shouldn’t be a problem…”
I answer back, regaining composure. That’s right, why do I feel anxious? I have the power of the Gods supporting me. I was just a little surprised at the abnormality of the situation. Even if it is a high demon, it won’t be a problem. I continue in a voice full of confidence.
“In the face of the Gods, all evil shall be exterminated!”
He says that he will distract it while I attack with holy magic. I nod and begin chanting.
I close my eyes and focus all of my concentration on the flow of my magic power. I bring it out of me and as it is circling around my body, I bless it, turning it a brilliant white. From here I begin with barrier magic.
As with all holy magic, a holy barrier will only effect demons and undead. If Edward is going to fight with the skeleton, then it would be best to restrict its movements first.
Finishing the spell, my magic disperses and a thin yellow light surrounds Edward and the skeleton. It is a relatively small barrier, about the size of a single story house. Immediately, the skeleton’s movements are dulled greatly, and Edward’s attacks are even able to stagger it.
As expected, it’s strong…
Normally a holy barrier would completely eradicate lower tier undead and demons. If a normal skeleton were to be caught in one, it would immediately turn to ash.
Without delay, I switch to an attack magic called [Smite]. It is the most basic holy magic attack, all priests are able to cast this. However, the closer you are to the Gods, the more purified your magic power will be; and the more purified your magic is, the more damage it does to “dark” beings. As the one closest to the Gods, the attack power of my [Smite] is on the level of 3rd tier holy magic. Or so I’ve been told.
Calling upon the Gods, I once again bless and purify my magic power. I hold my staff in front of me and target the skeleton. Like that, the magic once again is dispersed and a sharp blade, forged by a holy light, cuts through the skeleton.
Holy magic has the special ability to purge all things “dark”. When an undead or demon are hit with the magic, from their wounds, holy flames burst forth and consume their entire body. With the barrier up, I could have just wait for the skeleton to slowly succumb to the holy power surrounding its body. Attacking it was overkill. That’s why, having successfully landed an attack in its already weakened state, I relaxed and waited for the holy flames to envelope its body.
…!
[Smite] had hit the skeleton’s ribcage, drawing a line through several of its ribs. The bones had almost been cut clean in two. Receiving the attack, it staggered back, seemingly in pain. The holy fire burst from the cut like it was supposed to, but immediately after, a pitch black ooze shot out from within the bones.
Tsk.
It covered the holy flames completely. Bubbling and sizzling from the heat. More and more of the stuff, as if it had a mind of its own, crawled out of the bone and threw itself on the flames. In no time at all, the holy fire was smothered completely and went out.
Having extinguished the flames, the ooze soaked back into the bone and the cut that was made closed itself back up, as if it had never been there at all.
To be able to extinguish those flames, even in a holy barrier. It’s at least the level of a high demon, or possibly a demon lord? If that’s the case, I can’t let my guard down. But that attack just now definitely damaged it. Its movements have become worse and its attention is on me now. It sees me as a threat.
It walks in my direction, but every time it takes a step Edward knocks it back. Even without the barrier it couldn’t touch him, with its surroundings coated in holy power and having just taken that attack, it’s not even a threat anymore.
Thinking this, I prepare to cast more attack magic, when I hear footsteps behind me.
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--Edwin’s Perspective—
I run to the back of the caravan.
When the last carriage comes into view, I notice a holy barrier.
That child… she didn’t need to go that far on a simple skeleton…
Just as I’m reprimanding her in my mind, I see a bright flash. No way... did she just use [Smite]? Wasn’t it just a single skeleton? It should have been killed when the barrier was erected…
I come within range.
Huh? The skeleton is standing within the barrier. What’s going on? And that [Smite] just now… don’t tell me she missed?
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Confused, I approach Miss Fairfield.
“What’s the situation?”
“Commander, don’t be fooled by its appearance. This guy is a demon with considerable power.”
Edward calls out while engaging the demon(?). It is slow and clumsy, and he easily avoids all of its attacks. However, Edward’s attacks at most, only make it lose its balance, staggering it back a couple of steps. I never thought I’d see a skeleton overpower a first rate adventurer… I guess it’s true that its real identity must be a demon.
“I have damaged it with [Smite], with Edward keeping it within the barrier, if I keep attacking, it will fall.”
Miss Fairfield says this with a hard expression, then goes back to preparing holy magic.
Wait, does that mean.. she didn’t miss with smite? To survive an attack from Christina Fairfield, the pride of the church, and within a holy barrier…. just how strong is this demon?
“Commander. We have arrived.”
Cliff announces his and the other’s arrival.
“Good. Although it looks like a skeleton, the enemy is a high ranking demon. Stay vigilant. Miss Fairfield has already put up a barrier and slowed its movement. We will surround it and keep it inside as she attacks with holy magic.”
“””Understood!”””
The adventurers respond in unison, then take positions around the undead. A few of them stare in amazement when Edward swings his sword at it with all his strength, only to have it stumble back a step or two. The rest are on guard. Cliff and I join them as well.
We alternate teams of three. We are used to this kind of fighting from the monsters that have ambushed us. As the first team attacks with Edward, [Smite] cuts through the skeleton. It cracks the skull in half, splitting it down the middle. That’s when I see it close up. A black ooze erupts from within the skull and douses the flames, extinguishing them in a matter of seconds. As soon as the flames are put out, the ooze returns to the skull, and as if made of liquid, the cut open skull seals itself back up as if nothing happened. The sight sends chills down my spine.
The adventures engaging it stop their movements in fear.
“Fools!”
I rush in as the skeleton moves to grab the stalled adventurer in front of it. Just when its fingertips reach him, I swing my sword down on its arm hard from over my head. My hands go numb for a second, as if I had just tried to cut stone. The skeletons hand is forcefully pushed down and I shove the adventurer out of the way.
I notice the others around me. They’re wary.
“Hey what was that? It’s completely fine?”
“It extinguished ‘God’s flame’!”
“Monster!”
“It can’t be killed!”
Some of the adventurers are calling out in scared voices. Aren’t you supposed to be men? Well, there are women too…
“Listen up! Its movements are dulled. It’s not a threat. Every time it receives an attack, its movement speed drops. If we keep it up, we can kill it with little effort! Cliff, Edward!”
“”Sir!””
We form a three man team and keep the skeleton at the center of the barrier. Every time it is hit, its movements become worse. Seeing the three of us overpower it, the others regained their confidence and everyone kept it surrounded.
We continued like this for a while until finally the skeleton stopped moving.
It had just been hit and instead of regenerating, it just stood still as the black ooze stained its bones without seeping back in. The dim blue light in its eyes grow darker and darker until it could no longer be seen.
With that, the mood lightens, and there are even a few cheers, though no one completely lets their guard down yet. After all, it is still standing. Then, suddenly, the atmosphere becomes heavy. The surrounding air gets dense and it’s hard to breathe.
“Get bac--!”
I hear Miss Fairfield scream something, unconsciously my body jumped back. And then, in front of me, hell had unleashed itself upon the world; and at the center of it stood the king of the dead.
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--Takke’s Perspective—
The first time I was hit with that girl’s magic, was the first time I felt pain in this world. When she created a barrier, it just felt like my body became heavy. It was like an anime I used to watch as a kid, where the characters increased the gravity of a room to train in. But when she attacked me with that magic, it felt like someone had ripped open my soul. A piercing pain, much greater than when I was stabbed, spread throughout my entire body. This was followed by fire. It was as if someone had lit my entire body on fire.
[Detecting holy magic]
[Resolving… Releasing ‘Dark Aura’]
[Holy magic extinguished. Repairing…. Repair complete]
I hear a faint, toneless voice…. No, it’s more like messages that appear in the back of my mind.
Like that, the pain completely disappears. Holy magic… that girl is dangerous. I look at the girl and begin walking towards her. But my body is heavy, even heavier than before, and the man’s blows are starting to have an effect on me. Every time I gain some ground, the man hits me with his sword and I stumble backwards, losing what little distance I gained. Even if I focus on the man, it is impossible to beat him. I have no spells, and even if I called my undead, this girl would kill them instantly.
I grab at the man wildly in frustration, only to miss and be hit by his sword. Then, things get worse.
More humans showed up and ended up surrounding me. Every time I lunge at one, he would jump out of the way and others would knock me from the side. Then I am struck by the holy magic, and experience that searing pain again. The first time I was struck in front of them, they hesitated. Not missing that opening, I tried to reach out to one of them, but an older man knocked my hand away.
Unable to even move from the center of the barrier, I can only wait for the attacks to come in.
The process repeats itself over and over. I try to move, I get pushed back, the magic hits me, the mind numbing pain, the messages. Over and over.
My mind starts to go numb. My vision is getting blurred.
I look at the ground.
I am standing on lush green grass. …huh? Why am I wearing shoes?
I stare down at my shoes for a moment, I feel like I shouldn’t be wearing them, but I can’t think of a reason why I find it strange.
I look up, I’m on top of a grass hill, there is flat grassland as far as I can see, surrounding me.
…. How did I get here?
I look around. It is a peaceful scene, the overgrown grass dancing in the breeze. I take in a deep breath. Breathing… It somehow feels nostalgic…
Suddenly my heart grows heavy. The pain in my chest causes me to collapse to my knees.
I feel a weight in my hands. When I look at them, I see I am holding a girl. She is older, maybe in her 40’s, she smiles at me with red cheeks. She is of the beastmen tribe. She has chestnut colored hair and fur, with slightly darker colored patches of fur scattered across her body like freckles. She is dressed in leather armor.
I’ve never seen her before, but I feel like I know everything about her. I look at her with a confused face.
She laughs. It is gentle, and full of warmth. This feeling when I see her… I love this girl.
Closing my eyes, I grab at my chest with one of my hands, trying to sooth the pain. When I open my eyes again, the girl in my arms has changed. Her eyes no longer hold any light. Her face is distorted. Looking down, I can see she is covered in blood. She has been stabbed several times.
The pain in my chest flairs again. Growing stronger and stronger. I look up.
The grass is all dead, I can see fires burning high in several places. There are several thousand soldiers, all holding swords and spears.
It was them.
They killed her.
My heart thumps wildly in my chest, I tighten my grip on the girl in my arms.
They would follow him even after his betrayal. What fools.
I’ll kill them, I’ll kill him and anyone who follows him. No one will save you, no one will help you. Pray to your Gods, call them down. To those Gods who took her away from me, I’ll make them suffer a fate worse than death.
These thoughts consume my mind. I can no longer discern if they are mine or someone else’s.
The army lets loose thousands of arrows, which disappear into the night sky. As I look towards the stars, I close my eyes, and my conscience fades to black.
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Deep within the forest north of the Empire’s northern most border, a battle is taking place at the back of a caravan.
Twenty warriors are surrounding a single skeleton. They are fighting within a holy barrier. Just outside of the barrier is the priestess Christina Fairfield. She is continually casting holy magic, attacking the skeleton at the center of the warriors.
They have been fighting like this for several minutes.
Suddenly, the skeleton at the center stops moving. The blue light at the back of its eye sockets goes out. Thinking that they have won, the warriors breathe a sigh of relief. However, deep within its eyes, a light begins to brighten. This light is a deep red. Looking at it, the red seems to spread out in all directions and paint the entire world in blood. If you looked into these eyes, it would mean certain death.
The air around the skeleton becomes heavy. As if it were a pool of liquid over a speaker, it vibrates and pulsates. The air reeks of death and is difficult to breathe in.
Small cracks begin to form on the skeleton, spreading and branching out like dead trees.
The priestess in back, with a premonition of disaster, calls out.
“Get bac--!”
As she says this, one of the warriors is already jumping back, escaping the ominous aura surrounding the skeleton.
In an instant, the holy barrier breaks, and the bones of the skeleton shatter. From them bursts forth a dark black liquid. The liquid surrounds the skeleton, reforming the bones that were broken in black obsidian. The ground under the skeleton’s feet is covered with a black, tar-like substance. Some of it comes off the skeleton, forming a dark black mist around it. The fog was so dense, you could no longer see the figure of skeleton within.
The entire area was coated in a thick bloodlust. The minds of the warriors surrounding the skeleton were thrown into chaos. Several of them fainted on the spot, while the ones who didn’t, stood there with shaking legs, unable to move.
The blackness around the skeleton spreads. Everything it touches turns black and is brought into the world of the dead. The unmoving warriors surrounding are slowly covered by the expanding darkness. The ones who are closest to the skeleton had fainted, and their entire bodies are consumed by the black tar. As if controlled by strings, they rise back up in an inhuman way. Though they were humans just seconds ago, they now had faces devoid of flesh and are covered in black. In the back of their eye sockets is a blood red light.
They let out a hollow roar and attack the ones closest to them. They lunge at them, biting into their necks and ripping them apart. When the blackness reaches the new corpses, they are converted into undead and join the attack on the living.
Half of the warriors have already been converted. The remaining ones have collapsed in terror, messing their pants.
The area smelled of piss and death.
The man furthest from the darkness had not lost himself, but couldn’t move. He stood there with trembling legs, unable to draw his sword.
As if brought forth by the Gods themselves, a brilliant golden light comes down from above. The light envelops the black fog completely, vaporizing all of the converted warriors. Narrowing itself and becoming more dense, the light begins centering over the skeleton.
The black sludge combines with the fog to shield the skeleton from the light. Like that, the light pushes and is pushed by the darkness, both vying for control over the other. The black liquid begins wrapping around the light, crawling its way up, surrounding it. Then, the light narrows itself into a small beam and penetrates the black ooze completely, illuminating the skeleton beneath.
The skeleton bursts into flames.
As if being sucked into a black hole, the liquid around the skeleton quickly rushes back into its body. As the fire burns, the ooze bubbles and melts, dousing the flames until they are put out.
Eventually, the light finally goes out, and the blackness around the skeleton settles.
The battlefield is silent for a moment, and then there is the sound of something hitting the dirt.
The priestess fell to her knees, looking at the skeleton with wide eyes.
Shaking, the skeletons body began to move. As it did, the blackness covering its bones, crumbled and fell, revealing the white beneath. Its red eyes fade, replaced by the original blue.
Suddenly a giant black wolf leaps over the surviving warriors and runs toward the skeleton. Leaving no time for people to react, the skeleton mounts the wolf and rides out of the circle of people. It stops by the back cart, grabbing the hand of the demi-human girl inside. It lifts her onto the wolf, and like that they ride down the dirt road.