The Ancient King's Army

I looked at the knights and the king.

If what Iefuda had said was true, they were dead.

And yet they existed before us in physical form.

Their presence was overwhelming.

Perhaps when the king was revived, the knights who had sworn loyalty to him gathered under him once more.

"Knights, I thank you for your unwavering loyalty through all these long years."

King Izard said this and raised his golden sword. The knights followed suit, presenting their own blades in salute.

It seemed like a sacred sight, even in this hellish world.

"When I first found the underground chamber, I thought that bastard was hiding his heart or some weakness down there… but in a way, something even greater was sleeping there. He couldn't handle a king who wouldn't stay dead, so he sealed him away down here."

"I'm surprised. I never expected anything like this. To be honest, I thought we were out of options."

"We couldn't have done this alone. Your dumb luck is the real deal. With this, there's no way we can lose to that monster."

King Izard approached with his knights in tow.

The king now cut an imposing figure, and just standing before him made me tense.

King Izard firmly grasped Yohane's hand.

"I thank you again for giving us the opportunity to avenge ourselves. Citizen of the Kingdom."

"No, it's nothing… I'm glad I could be of help."

His blazing red hair reminded me of Princess Tianis and Lady Anatia. And Duke Baroba as well.

It was the symbol of the Deiancle royal house.

"But King. I can tell you and your knights are no ordinary bunch, but the enemy is a fallen god. We searched the castle but found nothing. What are you planning to do?"

"We once faced the same problem and were annihilated. But after much deliberation in that place, I arrived at one conclusion."

King Izard raised his right index finger and pointed upward.

"What if this world itself is the enemy? The artificial structures look real on the surface, but when broken, flesh is revealed. The ground pulses and blood flows. This place is the monster's body itself. Therefore, we need only destroy everything. Buildings, the monsters nesting within, all of it. Then the main body will have no choice but to show itself."

"… I wouldn't have thought of that, but I agree, King. Makes sense when you put it that way. If prey started thrashing around in your belly, you wouldn't be able to keep your cool."

"Indeed. We must remind him what he swallowed. For now, let us make our way to the surface."

He raised his golden sword high and gathered his power. Golden light gathered into the blade.

King Izard released it toward the ceiling.

The light became a pillar that punched through the ceiling and shot into the sky.

A large hole opened, revealing the red sky.

But it no longer felt as terrifying as before.

One of the knights rotated a grappling hook and threw it upward, hooking it onto the surface and securing it.

He then climbed up smoothly and prepared a rope ladder.

Following the knights and the king, we climbed the ladder and escaped the underground.

The surface was still the same, a world of dark red blood-soaked earth that wore on anyone who looked at it.

Perhaps having heard the noise, a Giant Pig came charging at us.

I thought even elite knights would struggle against such an opponent, but they showed no sign of faltering.

The largest knight among them took up his great shield and stepped forward.

He slammed the shield into the ground and received the charge.

"Hmph!"

There was a massive collision, but the knight didn't budge.

Without being overpowered, he stopped the Giant Pig's charge completely.

When the charge failed, the pig opened its mouth, about to release a blood mass at the shield.

But before it could, three knights thrust their spears at the pig with blinding speed.

The human faces sewn onto its body screamed, but the knights showed no mercy, driving their spears deeper until they pierced through.

And just like that, the pig monster fell.

… They took down that terrifying pig in an instant.

What incredible skill and coordination.

So this was how strong trained knights could be.

I caught a glimpse of a strength different from Azu and the others.

I couldn't believe these people had once been wiped out.

The pig's corpse slowly began sinking into the ground.

But King Izard ordered one of his knights to stop it.

Using fire, they burned the ground, and the scorched earth could no longer absorb it.

"We kill the monsters and deny them to him. That way, he'll have no choice but to become a naked king. Holy water would make this even more effective, though."

"We have some, but not enough for all the monsters… wait, hold on."

Right on cue, I heard Elza's voice again.

It was fainter than before, so the connection would probably fade soon.

"Can you prepare some water?"

"Of course."

One of the knights produced a barrel and filled it with water magic.

"Elza, turn the water in this barrel into holy water. Don't worry, you can do it."

I could sense her hesitation through the connection, but I pushed through anyway.

Nothing to lose by trying.

The water in the barrel glowed faintly.

Proof that it had been blessed and become holy water.

While we were at it, I had her bless the king and knights as well.

They weren't undead. The blessing worked on them without issue.

"Splendid. You have an excellent priest among your companions."

"Yes. She's my pride."

The connection with Elza was cut shortly after.

From the looks of it, contacting her again wouldn't be possible for a while.

When we poured holy water on the pig's corpse, the flesh dissolved and bones crumbled to ash in an instant.

Extremely effective.

One of the knights suddenly nocked an arrow and fired it into the sky.

A Bat-Man was struck by that arrow and fell to the ground.

Apparently it had been approaching without us noticing.

Every knight with a bow took up an intercepting stance, and at the same time, a swarm of Bat-Men bore down on us.

"We shall handle the fighting. Pour holy water on their corpses. I'm counting on you."

"Understood."

With a cup of holy water in hand, the large-scale battle began.