Chapter 16: Chaos in the Royal Capital – Part 15
“I’ll take care of this! Fortify your defenses!”
I drew the Immovable Fortress Wall and took my stance before the Dullahan.
The headless knight, shrouded in a sinister aura and wielding its spear with precision, exuded an undeniable presence of strength just by standing there.
“Here comes the Divine Light!”
In the distance, I heard Freinir’s voice, and the entire arena was enveloped in radiant light. Although the use of Divine Attribute magic was now exposed, it was no longer a concern since Freinir had made up her mind to use it. More importantly, many lives were at stake in this moment.
The light of the Divine Halo began to fade. I had worried that its effect might be weak against an A-Rank monster, but it seemed to have an impact on the Undead. I could see the aura surrounding the Dullahan visibly weaken.
“Come at me!”
Using the Provoke skill, I drew the attention of the Undead steed, which neighed and instantly shifted into a charging stance.
The knight charged forward, but perhaps due to the effects of the Divine Light, its movements were surprisingly sluggish. Nonetheless, I had no time to blink before the crimson spear was upon me.
The Dullahan’s spear collided with the surface of the Immovable Fortress Wall. It seemed to have sensed my defensive capabilities in an instant and slightly altered its trajectory. If it had charged straight at me, it would have been over.
As the Dullahan passed by me, it came to a sudden halt, using the Honshin skill to defy inertia and pivot for another assault.
I shifted my shield aside and unleashed a counterattack with a Shockwave aimed at the Dullahan. I held back to avoid involving the spectators, focusing the effect to a narrow range.
Even so, the impact was sufficient. The armored knight stumbled as if it had collided with something, losing its balance.
I dashed forward, closing the distance, and swung my mace down from above. The overwhelming force shattered both the knight’s armor and its steed into a spectacular explosion.
“Whoa!?”
A knight nearby let out a scream that was more akin to a cry of astonishment.
Looking over to Larni and the others, it seemed they were also reaching a decisive moment. Karma sliced through the steed with her great sword, and Larni’s Mithril Sword cleaved the unbalanced armored knight in two. The holes in the armor were likely due to the magic cast by Sfenia and Shizuna.
Gandrois and Meldoza appeared to be handling their situation well. The question remained whether this was truly the end…
“Don’t come over here! Garsonia, step forward! I’ll support you!”
A shrill voice rang out from the stands—it was Lady Mirannera.
It seemed another Dullahan had appeared, timed perfectly to catch us off guard. I sprinted toward that direction.
Before the headless knight stood Lady Mirannera and Garsonia, with Cardinal Holwood, who had collapsed in shock, supported by the priests behind him. To the side were His Majesty the King and the Royal Guard Knight, Lord Harsivil.
A short distance away, Freinir and Mariane were present, with Freinir already in a state of Mental Concentration.
Garsonia was closest to the Dullahan, but despite holding his sword, his face was twisted in fear.
“…Why does this always happen in front of me!? It’s not fair… Why do I always have to face such incomprehensible enemies!?”
The boy was clearly trembling all over, and it was evident he was not in a state to fight.
The Dullahan silently closed the distance.
“Ahhh! Gah…!”
Garsonia swung his sword as if propelled by instinct, only to be deflected by the knight’s spear and sent flying.
His attack lacked any skill or technique; it appeared he had merely panicked and charged forward.
“Garsonia!? No way, no way!?”
It looked as though the Dullahan would pounce on Lady Mirannera, but Lord Harsivil intervened just in time. He threw his spear, forcing the Dullahan to evade. Of course, the thrown spear arced back toward Lord Harsivil.
“Begone, Undead!! Holy Light!”
Lady Mirannera unleashed the Holy Light spell. It seemed she possessed the Dual Magic skill, as two beams of light pierced the Dullahan’s chest, but they only left two small holes. While Holy Light was supposed to be effective against Undead, it appeared that even an upper-tier A-Rank Undead had some resistance.
“Why isn’t it working at all!? This is ridiculous…!”
Lady Mirannera stood frozen in disbelief.
At that moment, the Dullahan, though somewhat weakened, charged forward on its steed.
Lord Harsivil threw his spear again. The Dullahan twisted its upper body but did not halt its advance.
“Eh!? Wait…!!”
The full force of the steed’s charge struck Lady Mirannera, sending her petite frame flying. Thanks to Lord Harsivil’s support, she avoided a fatal blow from the spear, but she must have sustained significant damage. If only she had fled without using magic… but that was hindsight.
The Dullahan, having knocked Lady Mirannera aside, turned its steed’s head toward Freinir.
Almost simultaneously, Freinir’s voice rang out.
“I’m coming, Divine Punishment!”
A pillar of light suddenly enveloped the Dullahan as it prepared to charge. The light seemed to descend from the heavens, appearing instantaneously to the human eye.
This was the upper-tier skill of Divine Attribute Magic, the Divine Spirit Magic spell known as Divine Punishment. Although it was a single-target attack, it wielded immense power against Undead.
Shigyaaaahhh!!
When the light dissipated, the Dullahan had vanished without a trace. A single strike had taken down an A-Rank Undead; this was undoubtedly one of the pinnacle spells for dealing with Undead.
I surveyed the surroundings, confirming that no additional monsters had appeared. Garsonia and Lady Mirannera were receiving treatment from the priests, and they seemed to be responsive, so it appeared they had not lost their lives.
I made my way over to Freinir.
“Thanks to you, Freinir, the damage was minimal. That last spell was impressive. Against Undead, you’re unbeatable.”
“Thank you. However, it is all thanks to you, Soushi-sama, that I was able to gain this power.”
Freinir looked up at me, cradling her staff in both hands.
Her usual manner of speaking prompted me to gently pat her head, saying, “The power you wield is yours, Freinir.”
“But Soushi-sama, in the end, we’ve revealed both Divine Attribute Magic and Divine Spirit Magic.”
“This time, it couldn’t be helped. Besides, I feel like we don’t need to hide anymore. We’ve become A-Rank adventurers, and our names are becoming known. After this incident, the church won’t be able to act too strongly against us.”
“Even so, there may still be complications. Because of me…”
“That is absolutely not your fault, Freinir, so don’t worry about it. If anything happens, I’ll handle it properly. I won’t let you face anything you don’t want to.”
“Yes, Soushi-sama.”
Freinir looked up at me with a somewhat dazzled expression.
As we exchanged words, I noticed Lady Mirannera, her clothes tattered, limping toward us. Despite having received treatment, it was impressive that she could still move after sustaining such damage. However, the scowl on her face suggested she wasn’t here for a pleasant conversation.
“Hey! What was that magic just now? How can Freinir use such magic!? Oh, it must be because of that staff! That staff should rightfully belong to me! With that staff, I would definitely surpass you!”
It seemed Lady Mirannera was just as incapable of facing reality as Garsonia, if not more so. Perhaps it was due to the adults surrounding them, but there were limits to such delusions.
As I stepped forward to admonish her, a figure approached from behind Lady Mirannera.
A middle-aged priest clad in lavish robes. Though his cheeks were gaunt, he bore the dignity of someone in a high position. Moreover, his eyes seemed to hold a resolute will unlike before.
“Mirannera, stop this at once. The magic that Lady Freinir just used is Divine Spirit Magic. It is a skill that manifests only in true Saints. No matter how many staves you switch, you will never be able to wield such magic.”
The Cardinal spoke, gazing at Freinir with deep emotion, and then let out a heavy sigh.