Chapter 267

KABOOM!

The sword strike, imbued with a golden aura, exploded against Qiongqi's body.

CHIIIIIIK—

Black smoke billowed from the dead Qiongqi's body.

Zeke gripped his sword and charged forward to end it completely.

Just then, the ground heaved, and a monster shot out from below, blocking Zeke's path.

KYAAAAAK!

It wasn't a beast-type monster, but a giant insect-type monster resembling an ant.

‘Damn it!’

Zeke swung his sword and sliced the monster in two with a single blow.

But that wasn't the end of it. Monsters continued to erupt from the ground.

Zeke took Bahamut out from his inventory, gripped a sword in each hand, and cut down the monsters.

KR-CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

However, even as black smoke rose from the dead Qiongqi's body, the sound of bones setting could still be heard.

Zeke looked at the charging monsters and took a step back.

‘I have to deal with that thing, fast.’

Zeke put on Agamemnon's Mask, plunged both swords into the ground, and focused the power of purification.

He planned to unleash all the power of Agamemnon's Mask to perform a Great Purification.

First, Zeke deployed the Sacred Brazier and unleashed a barrage of Maces of Light at the monsters.

KRA-KA-KOOM!

Dozens of lightning bolts of light poured down on the monsters.

Zeke then activated the power of the Great Purification.

WOOOONG!

A golden aura erupted from his body and simultaneously spread out in all directions.

KIIIIIIING—

The two swords Zeke had planted in the ground resonated, and the power of purification swept through all the surrounding monsters at once.

KEEEEEEEK—

The monsters touched by the power of purification writhed in agony and spewed black smoke.

KAAAAAAK!

A shriek also erupted from the dead Qiongqi.

However, upon hearing the shriek, the agonized monsters swarmed around Qiongqi's corpse, piling on top of it like a mountain.

Before long, Qiongqi's corpse was hidden from view by the other monsters.

‘Are the Four Perils even capable of something like this?’

A monster that commands other monsters. To call it just another monster, there were too many unique traits.

Zeke gripped his swords and unleashed the power of the Great Purification even more strongly.

WOOOONG!

A golden light formed a ring and rose into the air. The ring gradually widened, scattering a brilliant shower of light.

A moment later, the ring vibrated as if it were exploding and then dispersed.

PASHING—

The golden ring carried the power of the Great Purification and spread throughout the island's entire forest.

At the same time, a shower of light spread out and drifted through the area.

Zeke concluded the Great Purification skill and stood up.

He then approached the spot where the monsters were piled up.

They had formed a mountain with their bodies to protect the Qiongqi, but they could not escape the power of the Great Purification.

Since his companions weren't around, Zeke unhesitatingly unleashed Gluttony on the mountain of monsters.

TSUTSUTSU—

A black shadow rose up and swallowed the piled-up monsters.

After absorbing the monsters, Zeke felt that something was wrong.

‘There's no message saying I've absorbed the Qiongqi.’

Zeke quickly spread his energy sense to scan the surroundings.

However, he couldn't feel any trace of Qiongqi.

Zeke withdrew the shadow and inspected the spot where the monsters had been.

“Damn it!”

There was a hole in the ground.

***

“Your Highness, it’s time to eat.”

Clone entered Arina's tent with a greeting.

She placed a bowl of warm soup in front of Arina, who smiled and shook her head.

“Clone, I’m fine. I’m not hungry yet.”

Clone sat down in front of her with a worried expression.

“You don’t need to blame yourself so much. If you hadn't held them back, Your Highness, no one would have made it out safely.”

Although Clone comforted her with all her heart, Arina’s expression remained dark.

It was because she believed her poor judgment had nearly endangered not only her companions but also the children of Lubern.

She looked up at Clone and said,

“Clone, the truth is… I think I was deluded into thinking I was strong after inheriting the light magic.”

At her words, Clone shook her head and said,

“W-What? Your Highness is strong! And more beautiful than anyone! And elegant… Anyway, you need to cheer up, Your Highness!”

To Clone, who was an orphan, Arina was like a mother.

Back when the Rose Knights were being chased by the Holy Kingdom, living from one dark alley to the next, Arina, despite being blind, took in orphans, fed them, and raised them.

That was why every member of the Rose Knights treated Arina like a mother and was loyal enough to do anything for her.

When Arina held out her hand, Clone went to her and rested her face on her lap.

Arina stroked Clone's head with a bittersweet expression.

Outside, Clone was rough and unrestrained, but to Arina, she was still like a young child.

Arina said to Clone,

“Clone, I want to entrust the Rose Knights to you.”

At her words, Clone's head snapped up.

“W-what, Your Highness? What are you talking about?”

“I intend to step back from the front lines and focus solely on teaching the children. I will entrust all the knightly duties to you, Clone.”

At that, Clone vigorously shook her head.

“That’s absurd! The Rose Knights are a holy order that follows the God of Light. To us, you are our only God of Light, Your Highness.”

Arina smiled and said,

“I am not the God of Light. You know that well, Clone.”

Arina took Clone's hand and said,

“Clone, this is something I have been contemplating for a while. I want you to lead the Rose Knights and follow Sir Zeke.”

At that, Clone's eyes widened. “C-Captain Zeke, you mean?”

“As you may have already guessed, Sir Zeke also carries the bloodline of Lubern. In fact… he can wield an even stronger power of light than I can.”

She touched her eyes and said,

“The truth is, it was Sir Zeke’s power that healed my eyes. He… possesses the power of miracles, literally.”

Clone was stunned by Arina’s words. She had always thought Arina’s eyes had recovered when she inherited the power of light. To hear that Zeke had actually performed a miracle to heal them was nothing short of shocking.

“Your Highness, I…”

“I saw how much you enjoyed training with Sir Zeke’s knights. I’m only saying this now, but actually… armor suits you better than a nun’s habit, Clone.”

Clone looked bashful at Arina’s words.

In truth, she had been surprised to discover how much joy she felt training with the knights of the Black Sword Knights and demonstrating her capabilities as a knight.

Indeed, she had already reached the peak of a Blue Knight and was on the verge of the Red Knight realm.

Even without systematically learning a mana cultivation method, Clone already displayed skills far superior to other knights, relying solely on her instinct and talent.

Arina patted her shoulder and said,

“There’s no need to rush your thoughts. After you’ve had enough time to think, we can discuss it…”

It was then.

Arina’s keen senses picked something up.

She shot up from her seat and shouted,

“Clone, ring the bell!”

Hearing Arina’s words, Clone immediately ran outside and rang the warning bell.

DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!

As the bell signaling danger rang, everyone in the camp tensed up and assumed a state of alert.

“To your positions!”

The dwarves remaining in the camp stood before the anti-monster weapons they had assembled from the equipment and arms they had brought.

Richmond led the undead legion, Kaiman the Dragon Warrior unit, and Gurab the Shark Dragon unit, all standing guard.

However, the enemy emerged from a completely unexpected place.

KIRRRRRK!

Insect-type monsters burst through the ground beneath the camp.

KEEEEEEK—

Despite their sudden appearance, the knights soon charged calmly toward the monsters.

“Chahat!”

Felix, Aster, and Diego each led their knights to engage the monsters that had entered the camp.

KWACHIK!

The monsters began to be pushed back by the knights' composed response.

In that opening, the Rose Knights also attacked the monsters from the rear.

“Die!”

CRACKLE!

Clone swung her mace, wreathed in the Punishment of Light, at the monsters. With every swing of her mace, monsters fell dead.

Nerissa and the Fish-man Youth Corps also caught the emerging monsters with nets and killed them instantly by piercing their heads with harpoons.

“Whew, what are these things.”

“Brother! You won't kill 'em by stabbin' like that. Put some muscle into it!”

While the others were fighting the monsters, Arina went up to the watchtower.

This was because the ominous feeling she had sensed was not coming from beneath the ground.

Before she knew it, Sion had approached her side and asked,

“Lady Arina. Why did you come up here…?”

Just then, Arina's eyes widened as she saw something flying from the sky and shouted.

“Enemies are coming from the sky!”

RUMBLE—

A black swarm of insect-type monsters was approaching, each carrying a beast-type monster.

Arina extended her hand toward the sky and gathered the power of light.

WOOOOONG!

Storm clouds gathered, slowly beginning to cover the sky.

KRRRRRRRUMBLE—

And soon, flashes of white light sparked within the gathered storm clouds.

Arina clenched her fist and shouted, “Heavenly Thunder!”

The highest-tier offensive magic of the light element, which had disappeared when the Lubern dynasty's line was broken, was unleashed.

CRACKLE!

Bolts of light began to strike down from the storm clouds.

KRA-KA-BOOM!

With a great thunderclap, the bolts of light rained down on the incoming monsters.

KEEEEEEK!

The insect-type monsters carrying the beast-type ones were struck by the descending Heavenly Thunder and plummeted to the ground.

SPLAT!

The monsters that were struck by the bolts of light and fell were smashed into pulp.

Those among them that managed to get up with their strong life force became fodder for the waiting units of Richmond, Kaiman, and Gurab.

URRRRRRUMBLE!

As the giant bolts of light struck down like divine punishment, the flying monsters could no longer approach and tried to turn back.

It was then.

Something came flapping its wings, breaking through the lightning.

WUUUUUU!

The Qiongqi, now much larger than before, spread its wings wide and shrieked at the monsters that were trying to retreat.

At that, the fleeing monsters changed direction again and charged toward the camp.

At a gesture from Arina, the Heavenly Thunder struck down fiercely once more.

KRA-JIIIIIK!

Half of them were struck by the lightning and fell, but the other half continued their advance.

The Qiongqi behind them would snatch any monster that turned back, stuff it in its mouth, and chew it up, leaving the monsters no choice but to charge forward.

KEEEEEEK!

The monsters that had finally reached the camp released the beast-type monsters they were holding. Beast-type monsters rained down from the sky.

KRRRRRRRR—

With their tough bodies and regenerative power, the beast-type monsters immediately got up and charged at the knights who were fighting the other monsters.

“You bastards!”

Nerissa shouted coarsely, summoning a Water Spirit to wipe out the surrounding monsters.

KEEEEEEK—

As the sea serpent-shaped Water Spirit coiled around the monsters and threw them aside, other monsters rushed toward Nerissa through the opening.

Woooong!

A light shone in Nerissa’s eyes, and then water materialized from thin air, wrapping around her body. At the same time, the swirling water engulfed the approaching monsters, drowning them.

The Fish-man Youth Corps cheered as they watched Nerissa’s ancient spell.

“The Chieftain is so cool!”

“That’s our Chieftain for you!”

The Qiongqi, which had been observing the attack from the air, ground its teeth as it saw the humans fighting back better than expected.

Its plan was to break the humans' formation, petrify them, and then devour their souls, but things had gone awry.

The Qiongqi had planned to absorb souls here, replenish its power, and then leave the island for a larger land.

Paying no mind to the annihilation of the monsters it had sent, the Qiongqi immediately turned around.

It intended to keep attacking the humans to drain their strength and tire them out, striking when they were weakened. Although it had grown stronger, it couldn't be careless with so many humans.

Just as the Qiongqi was about to turn back, planning to strike again later, it felt something flying toward it.

Krrrrrr—

The Qiongqi made a displeased expression as it felt the presence of the human who used that strange power that suppressed its own.

The Qiongqi spun around quickly, opened its mouth wide, and spewed a powerful jet of petrification smoke at the human.

FWOOOOOSH!

A smoke, darker and thicker than that of the dead Qiongqi, filled the sky.

Qiongqi believed that no matter how strange the human's power was, he would not be able to avoid this smoke.

But it was then.

CRACKLE!

A bolt of lightning shot toward Qiongqi.

KIIIIK!

The Qiongqi hastily swerved to avoid the lightning.

From within the smoke, Zeke, clad in Hercion and riding Bucephalus, emerged.

SHLAAAAK!

A chain shot out from his hand and wrapped around Qiongqi's body.

KEEEEEEK!

The Qiongqi, caught in the Soul Sealing technique, thrashed wildly to escape the chain, but the more it struggled, the tighter the chain constricted around its body.

A brilliant golden aura flared from the sword Zeke aimed at the Qiongqi.

Simultaneously, that light merged with Bucephalus's lightning.

KRA-JIIIIIIK!

The golden lightning exploded against the body of the chain-bound Qiongqi.