This wasn't like the Eye of the Glacier, where a passage was barely wide enough for four people.
This was practically an open field.
The area the frontliners had to defend had expanded, but the number of frontliners had decreased.
‘, Jun, and Goblin.’
We were the only pure tanks left.
And Jun couldn’t even fight properly because of his crippled leg.
Therefore…
‘Puta Rikerburn, Kaislan, Raviyen, Alia.’
The lee damage dealers ford a scattered line, barely a wall.
But we couldn’t complain about it.
We had chosen the best possible option.
Now we just had to see the outco.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
A black fog spread across the battlefield, engulfing the area.
It was the black mage’s doing.
The fog had a debuff effect, but the real purpose was probably to obscure our vision.
‘Visibility is about one ter.’
My senses sharpen as my vision is limited.
And then…
[Grrrr!]
Undead monsters erge from the darkness, their teeth bared, their claws outstretched.
They were summoned by the priest from Karui.
Their numbers were useless in the narrow passages of the Eye of the Glacier, but not here.
Crack!
I swing my hamr, pushing back the approaching monsters.
And then…
[Mister…!]
Erwen’s warning, coming from her spirit form, pierces through the chaos.
Swish!
A sharp blade slices through the darkness, aiming for my neck.
Clang!
My reaction is slower than usual due to the limited visibility, but I manage to block it with my shield.
But at that mont…
Whoosh!
A white light erupts from my chest, where my heart should be.
I’m montarily confused, but I quickly realize what’s happening.
「Periton Eriabosti has cast [Unquenchable Light].」
It’s one of the priest’s buff skills.
In the ga, it only increased your ntal Power, so it wasn’t very useful…
But…
‘She’s using it to improve visibility? Clever.’
I can’t help but chuckle.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
The white light emanating from my chest pushes back the darkness.
My visibility increases to about three ters.
But the shadows remain.
I can barely see Sven Parab and Alia on my flanks.
But…
Clang!
Even though their faces are hidden in the darkness, their hearts are glowing brightly.
Like fireflies dancing in the night.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!”
I parry the incoming blades, swing my hamr blindly, and keep track of the lights around .
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
The lights flicker and dance erratically, a testant to the intensity of the battle.
They might be easy targets for the enemies hiding in the darkness…
But they’re also beacons of hope for us.
Proof that my comrades are still alive and fighting.
「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Focused Fire].」
Arrows pierce through the darkness.
「Benjamin Orman has cast [Moon of Purification].」
Light particles rain down from the sky, healing our wounds.
But as ti passes…
Stab!
My body is covered in wounds.
Six, the female leader of the Rose Knights, speaks.
“…You’re much weaker than before.”
Well, I can’t use [Iron Fortress] now.
Even with Elental Barbarian (Earth) activated, my Aura Resistance is significantly lower.
And…
I don’t have the Strength bonus from [Gigantification].
I can’t use my only attack skill, [Swing], or my occasional crowd control skill, [Eye of the Storm].
But…
I’ve said this countless tis.
“So what?”
I grin and say,
“Kill if you think I’m weak.”
“…..”
“I won’t fall.”
Or rather, I’ve decided not to fall.
In a battle like this, the one who stands last is the victor.
“…Are you relying on your priest?”
Well, she’s not wrong.
I wouldn’t be able to endure this without the constant healing.
But…
‘Why is she smirking?’
She’s trying to provoke .
She wants to show an opening.
That’s why she’s talking so much. The icy woman wouldn’t be wasting her breath if she wasn’t trying to get a reaction out of .
The problem is… it’s working.
Whoosh!
I swing my hamr again.
But the doubts and anxieties persist.
Where are the others? I expected more enemies to focus on . I thought it would make things easier for my comrades.
"Aaaaargh!!"
I hear a scream, piercing through the cacophony of battle.
"Bjorn Yandel, you're the last one."
Whose scream was that?
"I learned my lesson back then. You don't fall easily."
An enemy? Or an ally?
I don't know.
But...
"So I hope you won't fall until then—"
I force myself to calm down.
I can't just rush over there and check.
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
I can only trust my comrades and do my job.
_______________________
The Archbishop who had taken him in as a child had said:
[You have no parents now. Your only parent is Tovera, the glorious sun.]
[Secular attachnts are aningless to the Agent of God. Abandon your human heart.]
[From now on, your na is Jun.]
Jun, the forr inquisitor of the Tovera Church.
The day he abandoned his surna, Arsene.
From that day forward, he lived as a beast, an Agent of God.
[It's sothing you have to do. You're a man, aren't you?]
He suppressed his desires with prayers.
[Ah, it hurts...!]
[You still have a human heart.]
He endured torturous training every day.
[You can rise again. As long as the sun shines upon you.]
He wanted to break, but the warmth of the sun forced him to heal.
By the ti he reached adulthood, he was no longer human.
He had no doubts.
He just followed the church's orders, serving God and the world.
But...
'Why...?'
There was no specific reason.
It was an ordinary day.
The sky was cloudy, but the sunlight was warm.
But that day, as Jun Arsene looked up at the sky, a question arose in his mind for the first ti.
'Am I righteous?'
It was a question that ca too late.
He still didn't know why he had that thought. Maybe it was because of the family of three he had seen on the street, their happiness so radiant.
But one thing was certain.
His life as a beast had ended that day.
[...W-what?! How could you betray us?!]
He resigned from his position as an inquisitor and returned to being an ordinary priest.
And then he beca disillusioned with the church.
He didn't hate God.
He had felt God's presence for the first ti when that question had appeared in his mind.
His faith had actually beco stronger.
'I... was wrong.'
He was filled with regret, not anger.
The weight of his sins, committed in the na of God, finally crushed him.
He couldn't live an ordinary life anymore.
But that made him desire it even more.
That's probably why...
[I have one last request for you.]
Jun Arsene accepted the final mission from the Archbishop... no, the Cardinal now.
It wasn't a mission to fra innocent people, but a mission to save the world.
He thought it would be a form of atonent.
And ti passed...
Kwaaang!
And here he was.
"Punishnt."
Maybe this was his punishnt.
For distorting God's will and being used by those with wicked hearts.
Yes, he had thought that way at first.
But now he could say it with confidence.
If this was really his punishnt...
"You... are wrong."
It was wrong.
Even if it was the one who had saved him from a life of sin.
This... wasn't right.
"Aaaaargh!"
"H-how did they get here?!"
The lights in their hearts are extinguished.
The lights of those who wanted to move forward.
Swoosh.
His right leg, refusing to move, as if to prevent them from escaping.
Swoosh.
He drags his leg, stumbling forward.
One step at a ti.
Swoosh.
He realizes sothing.
It might sound like a joke...
Swoosh.
But those who want to move forward... can move forward.
No matter the situation.
'If it weren't for that man... I would have never known.'
He hears a voice behind him.
"Jun! W-what are you doing?!"
Periton Eriabosti.
The woman who had lived a bright and righteous life, unlike him.
The woman who was determined to survive for her beloved child.
And she wasn't the only one.
"Barhatun Wiar!"
The bearded mage had a loving wife.
「Gruold Aldidi has cast [Nullify].」
The old man had a grudge to settle.
「Titana Akuraba has cast [Bloodsucking Spike].」
And the dwarf had a noble cause.
He rembers what Puta Rikerburn had said before the battle.
[This is depressing. I'm probably the most insignificant one here.]
He was wrong.
Among the eighteen survivors... no, even among the original thirty mbers...
The most insignificant one was...
No, it was definitely...
'...'
Jun finally understands his role.
"Co this way!"
He was born with only his parents' nas.
He beca an inquisitor.
He wandered through darkness and arrived here.
All those experiences...
"I'm just doing my duty."
It was all for this mont.
It was a revelation.
His mind clears, his fear vanishes.
He no longer sees this as a trial.
His crippled leg is a necessary sacrifice.
"There's a frontliner here."
"He can't use his leg."
"So that's why he's here?"
"Eliminate him."
They charge towards him, their auras blazing.
Jun raises his shield.
Clang!
Two daggers pierce through his shield.
And...
Stab!
They pierce his lungs.
He doesn't feel any pain.
For the first ti in his life, he's grateful for the torturous training he received as a child.
「Jun Arsene has cast [Divine Avatar].」
Divine power surges through his body.
He feels invincible.
He roars.
It might not be a paladin's cry, but...
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
He's already committed countless sins, so he might as well enjoy this mont.
"We have to help Jun!"
The priests, mages, and archers in the backline unleash their skills, trying to protect him.
But Jun Arsene's life is fading fast.
Clank.
His shield falls from his grasp, his tendons severed.
Stab, stab, stab!
Daggers pierce his body.
He doesn't even try to block or dodge.
He just focuses on staying upright.
The Rose Knights exchange puzzled glances.
"He should be dead by now."
"...Why isn't he falling?"
"We've already wasted three minutes. Finish him off."
Their attacks intensify.
Stab!
Blood pools at his feet, his vision blurring.
How long has he been standing here?
He's lost track of ti.
The faces of his enemies are a blur.
But one thing remains clear.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
Lights flickering in the darkness.
He's there too.
Bjorn Yandel.
He must be doing his job, moving forward.
"Clan..."
They were talking about forming a clan when we get back to the city.
He hadn't said anything back then, thinking it wasn't his place...
"It sounded fun."
It would have been.
Even if the royal family, Noark, and all those who abandoned us beca our enemies.
Stab!
A dagger pierces his heart.
Jun Arsene realizes.
His fla has been extinguished.
"..."
"..."
Silence.
His vision fades to black.
The flickering lights in the distance beco distant specks.
And then...
Swaaaaaaaaaaa!
Darkness recedes, and the world is engulfed in light.
A warm, comforting light, as if welcoming him ho.
"Heh, heh..."
Jun Arsene smiles.
Even if this is just a hallucination.
Even if it's a false hope.
"Save ... from my wanderings..."
He prays.
Not for punishnt, but for forgiveness.
"Embrace my weary soul..."
He has finally found peace.
_______________________
There's no strategy, no tactics.
Just a desperate struggle for survival.
Kaboom! Slash! Stab!
Explosions, the clash of weapons, battle cries, and screams fill the air.
The chaotic battle continues for minutes, and then...
Swaaaaaaaaaaa!
The black fog that had enveloped the area begins to dissipate.
The black mage couldn't have run out of mana already...
'Did soone kill him?'
Well, I'll find out soon enough.
The fog clears, and my vision returns.
The first thing I see is a woman with a frown.
And...
'When did he get there?'
lend Kaislan, the knight, is fighting in the distance, surrounded by enemies.
A robed figure lies dead at his feet, his head severed.
'Good job, Kaislan.'
I look around.
There are no casualties among the frontliners.
But they're all injured.
Raviyen is the worst.
She had boasted about her punching skills, but she's been battered and bruised without her sword.
'Good, no one's dead yet.'
What about the backline?
That's where I heard the scream.
'I think I heard soone shout our ancestor god's na.'
I'm not sure.
The battle was too chaotic.
Tadat.
I seize the opportunity and check the backline while the woman is creating distance.
It's a massacre.
Three Rose Knights are standing in front of the backline.
"..."
And a body lies on the ground.
My heart skips a beat, but I quickly realize it's a Rose Knight.
And...
'Jun protected them.'
Jun is standing in front of the backline, his body a shield.
I rember our conversation before the battle.
[You want to hide in the backline?]
He didn't like my suggestion.
But he reluctantly agreed after I told him that the real battle would be in the city, that I would need his help then.
But...
'He couldn't even walk properly, and he fought until he was in this state...'
I sigh, looking at his mangled body.
He's covered in blood, there's barely a spot on his body that's unscathed.
He must have made a decision.
That this wasn't the ti to be cautious.
'The backline would have been wiped out without him.'
I feel a wave of relief mixed with guilt.
Thanks to Jun's sacrifice, the backline was able to kill one of the Rose Knights—
Thump!
But then I notice sothing strange.
"Why..."
Jun is standing upright.
Even though he's not holding his shield.
But...
"His light is out."
Unlike the other mbers, his heart isn't glowing.
My heart pounds, but my mind quickly reaches a conclusion.
He's dead.
"...!"
I'm not the only one who notices.
The Rose Knights realize it too and charge towards the backline.
But their daggers don't reach their targets.
Clang!
Alia, who had been watching the rear, intercepts them with her clone.
But...
Stab!
She's stabbed in the back.
It snaps out of my daze.
'...I was wrong.'
I had been focusing on defense, thinking that if I endured long enough, we would win.
My active skills were sealed, after all.
I thought it was best to play it safe and be a at shield.
But...
[Mister...!!]
Was that really the best option?
Was that all I could do?
I had thought I was doing my best.
But now I know better.
The paladin, who couldn't even walk properly, had fought until his last breath, protecting his comrades.
And even in death, he stood firm, blocking the enemy's advance.
You can only say you did your best...
When you've done everything you could.
Clench.
I make my decision and give Erwen an order.
"Erwen, change your elent."
Earth elent, specialized in defense, will only increase our casualties.
So...
[What? To what?]
As soon as I tell her the elent I want, a change occurs.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
Not water, not fire, not earth, not wind.
But Erwen's main elent, the one that earned her the title of Blood Spirit Marquis.
「Character's body is imbued with the Darkness Spirit.」
A dark aura envelops my body.
Elental Barbarian (Darkness) Berserk Mode.
「All Resistance stats are fixed at 0.」
「Holy Resistance is fixed at -200.」
「Darkness Resistance is fixed at 800.」
「Abyssal Blessing bonus.」
「Character gains immunity to all status effects.」
「All attacks gain an unavoidable hit bonus...」
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