The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 165

EP.165 Dark Wizard and Arch Lich (2)

Necros was counting the gold coins handed to him by Sharia. This brief moment granted the Holy Knights a short window of time.

“Goddess, what is this sight before me…?”

Holy Knight Rynell sighed at the scene unfolding before his eyes. Upon ascending the Silent Mountains, they were confronted by none other than hideous undead. And not just a few, but a massive legion.

Skeletons made of bare bones and ghouls with decaying, rotting flesh. In front of them stood a skeleton exuding an aura of death and a being clad in a blue robe.

“Sir Rynell, the aura is incredibly malevolent. These are no ordinary undead.”

Another Holy Knight, Drakon, spoke up from behind. Drakon had only recently become a full-fledged Holy Knight. Until recently, he had been a trainee, and this was his first mission as an official Holy Knight. Unfortunately, he had encountered the worst possible situation on his first mission.

The aura emanating from these beings was far from ordinary undead.

“…It might be a Death Knight and an Arch-”

“Enough.”

Rynell cut Drakon off. He had already suspected as much. It was clear that these two beings were not mere undead.

‘This is a disaster.’

Just as Drakon was about to say, those beings were indeed a Death Knight and an Arch-Lich. No, it was certain.

‘Why is this happening…’

Rynell had ascended the mountains for an investigation. It was to look into the disappearance of priests and Holy Knights in the Silent Mountains. Originally, the Order had dispatched an envoy for the investigation, but the sudden appearance of the Seven-Star Calamity had resulted in most of them losing their lives. The White Order had suffered a painful loss.

Ideally, the Order would have pressured the Sael kingdom by bringing up the calamity, but Queen Elena’s exploits had spread across the continent.

Princess Elena of the Sael kingdom defeated the calamity!

This rumor had elevated Princess Elena to the status of queen, and people rejoiced, claiming a new saintess had been born. With Queen Elena being regarded as a saintess, the Order could no longer treat the Sael kingdom lightly. Even though the queen’s official coronation had not yet taken place, and the Order had not officially declared Queen Elena a saintess, it was unavoidable. Even within the Order’s upper echelons, there were murmurs that Queen Elena should be treated as equivalent to a saintess.

In such a situation, the resumed investigation also had to be mindful of the kingdom. Instead of a large envoy, only a small group of Holy Knights was dispatched to the Sael kingdom and the mountains. The current investigation in the mountains was led by Rynell and consisted of a total of seven Holy Knights.

Even with their small numbers, they were not overly concerned. They had qualitatively different forces compared to the previously missing Holy Knights. Moreover, no one would dare to touch the Order. The moment anyone did, they would not be able to survive anywhere on the continent except in the demonic lands.

But it was a complacent thought. Who would have thought monsters would appear? Of course, they had anticipated encountering monsters in the Silent Mountains. However, they had not expected the monsters to be of a five-star level.

“Sir Rynell, perhaps we should attack instead.”

As Rynell stood there in a daze, Drakon suggested once more.

“Look at them. There are humans among the undead.”

In the direction Drakon pointed, there were figures who seemed to be wizards. They also exuded an aura of death, indicating that they were dark wizards.

“Sir Rynell, have you ever heard of such a situation? This is too strange! Those vile dark wizards must have summoned these creatures as sacrifices!”

“Yes, you have a point.”

Drakon’s opinion was valid. The simultaneous appearance of both a Death Knight and an Arch-Lich was unheard of. While such occurrences might be possible in the demonic lands, which humans had not conquered, this was near the entrance of the mountains. If such situations were frequent, would the Sael kingdom have remained unscathed?

Rynell also thought the current situation seemed contrived. It made more sense to believe that the dark wizards had summoned the monsters, as Drakon suggested.

“……”

However, regardless of the cause, the fact remained that this was a dire situation.

‘If they can summon a Death Knight and an Arch-Lich, they must be high-ranking dark wizards.’

They might even be apostle-level dark wizards attempting to resurrect the evil god. Rynell suddenly recalled Eclipse, the organization formed by dark wizards in the past.

‘Could it be that Eclipse has resurfaced?’

Eclipse was a group of dark wizards with the goal of resurrecting the evil god. They were ruthless and evil beings who abandoned their humanity for dark magic. However, Eclipse had disappeared a long time ago. Their activities had ceased entirely at some point, leading the Order to gradually lower their guard until they no longer paid attention to them. Holy Knights only learned about Eclipse as a historical group during their training.

“Drakon, the enemy is likely Eclipse.”

Drakon looked shocked at Rynell’s words. The organization he had only read about in books before becoming a Holy Knight was now appearing before his eyes.

“N-no way, could they have disappeared for this day…?”

Eclipse hadn’t ceased their activities. It made more sense to believe they had been acting covertly to resurrect the evil god. And now, they had summoned a Death Knight and an Arch-Lich.

“Yes, they must have offered massive sacrifices to summon those beings.”

“……”

Drakon was enraged by Rynell’s words. Were the beings summoned by the dark wizards ordinary monsters? There were two five-star entities. How many sacrifices had been offered to the evil god to summon them? Surely, the missing priests and Holy Knights were among those sacrifices. Countless innocent lives might have been lost to the dark wizards. This meant that innocent lives had been taken by the dark wizards, something that could not be tolerated by those who served the goddess and wielded the sacred sword of the Order.

With an angry expression, Drakon began to channel his holy power. A faint white light enveloped his sword.

“Hold on.”

Rynell shook his head and stopped Drakon. He understood that Drakon, having just become a Holy Knight, was full of youthful vigor. However, the reality was different. If they couldn’t read the situation, they would face a meaningless death. Even with just one of either the Death Knight or the Arch-Lich, their chances were slim. With both present, there was no way to win.

“Everyone, listen carefully. Maintain formation and slowly retreat.”

Rynell gave a quiet command.

The best option now was to gradually distance themselves and flee.

“The priority is to get out of here and inform the Order of this!”

“Ugh… Understood.”

Drakon reluctantly sheathed his sword and began to slowly retreat. Though his anger surged, he knew Rynell was right. With their current strength, it was impossible to confront those beings. It was wiser to retreat and later summon the Holy Crusade.

Drakon slowly backed away, glaring at the detestable undead legion. The undead and the dark wizards appeared loathsome to him. Most of all, his gaze was drawn to the Arch-Lich, who was recording something nearby. The Arch-Lich was an undead wizard. The thick book it was writing in was undoubtedly a grimoire filled with dark spells.

‘It must be full of vile dark magic,’ Drakon thought to himself as Necros diligently continued to record.

– One should not judge by appearances alone. This is a mistake as an inspector. Remember that even the poor can possess gold coins. –

Necros was reflecting. He vowed to become a better inspector, taking today’s lesson to heart.

“Clank.”

Necros nodded as he finished his recording. Having earned some money, it was time to move on to the next task. He noticed the Holy Knights gradually retreating.

“Clank!”

At Necros’s gesture, the ghouls and skeletons charged towards the Holy Knights.

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***

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As he raised his hand, a wave of death engulfed the holy knights.

“Creatures of darkness are attacking! Everyone, prepare to defend!”

At Rynell’s command, the retreating Holy Knights halted and formed a defensive line. Ghouls, running so fast that their decayed flesh wobbled, and skeletons, clattering as they moved, charged towards their targets.

‘Damn it…!’

Rynell despaired as he watched the approaching undead legion. It wasn’t fear of death that troubled him. He was willing to lay down his life for the goddess. However, the number of undead was overwhelming. Initially, he thought they could somehow escape, but that was an arrogant assumption.

‘At this rate, we’ll be surrounded.’

The ghouls and skeletons were already spreading out around the Holy Knights. If this continued, everything that happened in the mountains would be buried and forgotten. The moment of decision had come for Rynell. Including himself, there were seven of them. At least one of them had to escape.

Who should it be? The answer was clear from the start.

“Drakon! Run to the kingdom with all your might!”

Rynell called out to Drakon, who had only recently become a Holy Knight. Even if one person escaped, the remaining six would have to buy time. Drakon, who had been a trainee until a few days ago, wouldn’t be able to hold off the undead for long. Therefore, Rynell decided to send the youngest, Drakon.

The only fortunate thing was that the distance from here to the Sael kingdom was relatively short. A little time would be enough to escape.

“If you reach the capital, find Deputy Commander Riana! Tell her that Eclipse has resurfaced!”

Most importantly, the Sael kingdom had Riana, the deputy commander of the Holy Knight Order. Additionally, the renowned Inquisitor Jeremia, known for her prowess within the Order, was there. If Drakon could just escape, he could request reinforcements.

However, Drakon protested.

“…What? What are you saying? I am also a righteous Holy Knight. I will stay here until the end!”

“Get a grip!”

Rynell shouted at Drakon. There was no time left.

“Drakon! This is an order! If you truly serve the goddess as a righteous knight, inform the Order of everything happening here. Do not let our time be wasted!”

Bang-!

At that moment, a Death Knight appeared and struck a Holy Knight with its shield. The armor the Holy Knight wore shattered.

“Aaagh! Goddess!”

Simultaneously, ghouls pounced on the screaming Holy Knight. They viciously bit and tore, quickly ending his life.

“……”

“Drakon! Go now!”

Rynell slapped Drakon’s cheek. Only then did Drakon come to his senses, tears welling up as he bowed his head.

“…Thank you.”

His gratitude was brief. If they had more time, perhaps it would have been different, but now even a thank you was a luxury. Drakon turned and ran.

Seeing the youngest running, Rynell poured all his strength into the fight.

‘Now There are five left.’

Just a little longer, even a few more minutes, and it would be enough. Even if they couldn’t win, just distancing Drakon from the undead would be a success. But that thought didn’t last long.

Bang-! Bang-!

Holy Knights burst apart without even having the chance to scream. Skeletons charged and exploded simultaneously.

“Brother!”

But it was already too late. Where the skeletons had exploded, only bloodstains and gruesome remnants were left.

“Arch-Lich…”

It was the Arch-Lich’s skill, ‘Corpse Explosion.’ They had been so focused on the undead that they had neglected the Arch-Lich. Now, Rynell was the only one left.

“Is this the end…?”

No, it couldn’t be. He had to buy more time. Drakon needed to safely descend the mountains and inform the Order.

“Goddess, grant me the strength to withstand this evil.”

Rynell poured all his holy power into his sword. He squeezed out every last bit of his remaining strength.

“Ugh!”

He had overexerted himself. Yet, ignoring the blood spilling from his mouth, he channeled all his strength into his sword. His heart burned with faith in the goddess. In this moment, he was the embodiment of justice itself.

“…….”

A brilliant light emanated from the sword. It was a powerful force unlike anything Rynell had ever felt before. This was the end. He prepared for his final strike as the sword of the Order.

“Goddess, I offer all my strength! Have mercy on this lamb and deliver us from evil!”

Rynell’s shout was like thunder. It felt as if the goddess’s blessing was with him, and a holy aura enveloped the surroundings. Rynell swung his sword with all his might.

“Let all my strength drive away the evil!”

This was his final struggle. It was a strike imbued with the conviction of Holy Knight Rynell. A life-defining blow for justice, for his comrades, and for the goddess!

Bang-!

A tremendous roar shook the forest. A blinding flash filled the woods.

“Did I… defeat them?”

It was an attack with all his might. He had never felt such divine power before. He was confident that the ghouls and skeletons were obliterated by his attack.

“Perhaps the goddess has answered my prayer.”

The aftermath of using such immense power left Rynell extremely fatigued. Exhaustion struck his entire body. He weakly lifted his head. The forest was still filled with white light.

“Ha… I hope you survive…”

He would now go to the embrace of the goddess.

All that remained was for Drakon to safely deliver the news to the Order. A bitter smile appeared on Rynell’s face. But then…

Thunk-

A sword pierced Rynell’s heart.

“……?”

As the holy light dimmed, Rynell’s body began to collapse. What was happening? In front of his bewildered eyes, the figure of the Death Knight appeared. The light that had filled the forest faded away.

“!”

From the beginning, he hadn’t expected to defeat the Death Knight and the Arch-Lich. At the very least, he thought his recent strike would eliminate the skeletons and ghouls. But it was all an illusion.

“Why…?”

It had been a powerful strike.

“Why!”

It was an attack made with desperate prayer to the goddess! Yet, it hadn’t inflicted a single injury on the undead legion. Rynell felt utterly defeated.

“……”

His gaze fell on the shield embedded in the ground. Was that what had blocked his strike? But everything remained a mystery.

??? ??? ???? ?? ???? ??? ???? ?? ? ??? ??? ?????. The shield looked ordinary, just a maid’s outfit fluttering on it, nothing special.

“……”

Was this really the end? His faith in the goddess, his struggle for justice, and all the time he had spent as a Holy Knight felt invalidated.

“Ugh…”

His heartbeat slowed. Despite the excruciating pain, only one thought occupied Rynell’s mind.

‘Were all the time and faith I invested for nothing?’

His conviction crumbled, and justice was trampled.

‘Was everything I dedicated truly meaningless?’

He felt hollow. His blind faith in the goddess shattered in his dying moments.

“Heh… Haha.”

Rynell laughed. What was the point of it all? There was no hope in that laughter. Only despair and disbelief. Negative emotions consumed him.

‘Goddess! Are you not watching over us?’

A single tear rolled down his cheek. It wasn’t a tear of sorrow but one of realization. The world was darkness itself, and light had never existed. The goddess he had believed in and the justice he had pursued were all illusions. The truth was the brutal reality unfolding before his eyes.

Rynell’s eyes trembled.

In his eyes, madness, despair, and anger were all mixed. Eventually, darkness consumed him. The Holy Knight’s end was not marked by conviction but by regret and disbelief, and he closed his eyes. From the sword that had pierced his heart, a dark aura began to rise.

“……!”

The Holy Knight, filled with disbelief and having turned his back on the world, opened his eyes once more.

– Holy Knight ‘Rynell’ has evolved into Chaos Holy Knight (★★★★). –

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***

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Drakon ran with all his might. Even as his breath grew ragged and his legs weakened, he kept running.

“I must… I must tell the truth!”

He had to inform the Order that the dark wizards’ group, Eclipse, had reappeared. It was a crucial mission. And to ensure that Rynell and the other Holy Knights’ deaths were not in vain, he continued to run. Fortunately, there were no undead chasing him. It meant they were successfully buying him time. He almost cried but held back.

As Drakon continued to run, trying to escape the forest, he suddenly encountered someone.

“Brother, where are you rushing off to?”

A figure clad in Holy Knight armor appeared in Drakon’s sight.

‘Were there more investigators?’

He was momentarily puzzled, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Brother! Something terrible has happened! Dark wizards have appeared over there!”

Drakon shouted, informing the other of the current situation. After all, the other person was also a Holy Knight of the same Order. The more people who knew, the higher the chances of informing the Order.

“Well, that is indeed serious. It seems urgent; let’s move to a different location.”

The other nodded with a peculiar expression and began to introduce himself.

“Ah, my name is Eric. I work solely for the great one.”

The person Drakon met was named Eric, a Holy Knight controlled by a Banshee.

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