"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck...."

I could literally feel the ground shake with every step that guy takes. He's slow, but-

"Desist your cowardly attempts at running and fight properly, Swordsman!"

"Shit!"

He lunged at me with one of his massive arms and it nearly tore off my head! Oh my god, this is fucking insane!

"[Fireball]!"

Another one of those will slow him down, probably.

I dashed behind one of the large trees and watch him- Holy fucking shit, he just destroyed half of the forest. Okay, okay, time to run.

Part of me wanted to roll around him to dodge his attacks, but a part of me is telling me that at some point he'll turn into some large fleshy thing that will instantly one shot me. In fact, I think he can one shot me right-

"I shall have your head for this mockery."

I rolled forward just in time as the tree splintered and shot out tiny, sharp pieces of its trunk.

This guy towered over me and I wanted to just book it out of here. His sword alone is as tall as me and the hands that held that weapon could crush my face easily. Thankfully, he was still trying to pull out that massive sword from what remains of that tree.

"Catch me first! [Ice Spikes]!"

I didn't spend a single second of my time to see if that spell would hit. I was already running deeper into the forest when I heard something hit that armor of his.

Okay, so magic's basically useless on him or at least my magic is. I'll probably die if I try to fight him head on, and I'll probably die if I try to fight him like this. There was a roar, an angry one, from the direction I came from and I could hear trees being felled one after another as the ground began to rumble beneath me.

That's not good.

[Detect Enemy] is going off like crazy right now while I was dashing through the increasingly sparser trees. Just outside this small forest is a bunch of Undead waiting for me while a large enemy is chasing after me from behind. The choice now would be to fight through the Undead, or face off Nehuet.

I chose to make a quick turn to the left to reach the adventurers.

"Tch, let's see if you can see a thing in thist mess! [Fireball]! [Fireball]! [Fireball]!"

Taking a page out of Maria's book, I began to throw fire everywhere around me. The trees started to catch on fire quickly and soon enough, it was like I'm running through Hell itself right now.

The night sky was soon illuminated by a large column of fire and smoke as the forest began to burn to cinders. In the middle of the hellscape, a large shadow walked through the blazing inferno while he crushed trees and burning logs as he chased after me. His eyes burned hotter than the flames itself and I could see them peering at me from behind the curtain of smoke.

But I couldn't give him any more attention. Right after I escaped the forest, I found myself surrounded by a handful of Skeletons and Zombies. They were easy to fight off, but they were slowing me down with their numbers.

"Excuse me! Make way!"

I yelled out as I slashed at the bodies in front of me. They fell quickly, but their hands still tried to grab at my legs. Some tried to bite me or dive at me from the side, but I managed to dodge or parry most of them. Most.

One of the lucky bastards managed to claw my arm before I struck him with my sword.It wasn't that deep, but it made my left arm hurt everytime I raised it to shield myself. Still, I managed to make my way to where the fighting was heaviest.

The adventurers have formed a tight circle while the Undead swarmed them from all sides. It was clear they didn't fight like a proper army; competitions here and there, arguements and fights between rival parties and groups, and some are just unsure of what to do. But they were holding up pretty well against the massive mass of rotting flesh trying to claw its way onto the mages, archers, and healers in the center of the formation.

"Everyone! Form up! We need to bring down the Undead's numbers!"

An adventurer yelled out just as he cleaved a Zombie with his battleaxe.

"Where's the other adventurer groups?! Our flank's open!""

"Ours too!"

I pushed my way through the intense fighting while the adventurers around me formed into a tight perimeter. I was looking for Zel when I was grabbed by a Dwarf and nearly beaten to death with his hammer.

"W-W-W-Wait! I'm with Zel! I'm with Zel!"

"Hmm?! Oh! Yer the boi in 'er party. Nearly bashed yer skull in! Pard- Hold on."

The Dwarf shoved me aside before bringing down his hammer with a thunderous slam on a Zombie. Everyone around got splattered with the Zombie's blood and gore and they glared at the Dwarf responsible.

"Pardon me for that. If yer lookin' for them, they're facin' off that Dragon over there!"

He pointed with his large finger at a large shape being bombarded with spells and arrows. The Dragon roared as one of its wings froze over before being bombarded with bright explosions.

"Yup. They're there alright."

The Dwarf nodded before turning his attention back to the battle.

"Die under the hammer of Buven!"

I could hear the sound of bone and felsh being torn apart behind me as I ran towards the violent lightshow.

The Undead Dragon bellowed and howled in anger as it tried to crush the four adventurers beneath it. I could see lightning crackling around a familiar face while she destroyed large chunks of the Dragon. The Dragon was clearly targetting her, but Zel was keeping it at bay with her swordsmanship.

"Ehlri! Start shooting its eyes! We need to buy some time for at least a few more minutes!"

"S-Sure!"

Streaks of green flew cut through the air and found their mark on the Dragon's bare skull. Bones cracked and small shards rained down below.

"[Fireball]!"

Everyone's eyes turned to me as a ball of fire shot out from my palm. It didn't do as much damage as Maria's [Fireball] but it did distract the Dragon long enough for Zel to back off to a safer distance.

"You guys alright?"

I ran up to them while the Dragon was distracted. They all shot me a look of surprise as I approached.

"Y-You're still alive?"

"Yeah. Wait, what do you-"

"Arthur, we need to buy some time for Olivia to finish casting, We'll take care of the Dragon over there, you go help Jin defend Olivia from the Undead."

Zel's eyes turned to the Dragon as one its fingers fell to the ground. It snarled menacingly despite the absence of lips and its empty sockets flared with green flames as it began to move forward.

"You sure you can handle it?"

"We don't need to handle it. We just need to hold it off."

Maria's eyes began to glow as magical circles formed around her. Everyon took a step back as the shapes grew more bright and intricate.

"Behold! I am Maria Blackflame! My flames shall burn your soul to cinders, Undead! [Hellfire]!"

The Dragon roared and charged forward, only to be blasted by a scorching hot pillar of flame. The Dragon roared and tried to push back against the wall of flames that Maria summoned, but it only burnt its sides in the process.

Everyone watched as the flames turned blue and danced with each flick of Maria's hands. She looked like a conductor with her staff while she commanded the flames before her with a grace to her motions. My eyes were glued on the girl when she suddenly flicked her staff with a sharp snap and the roars of the flame drowned out the Dragon's howls. She was sweating profusely as she controlled the fire with extreme precision to prevent the Dragon from escaping its infernal prison.

"Ehlri! Give me your bow!"

"Eh?!"

She clutched her bow tightly and I groaned.

"Just do it!"

I grabbed the bow from her hands and notched an arrow into it.

"[Snipe]! [Snipe]!"

Two arrows flew through the air and downed two Undead trying to sneak up on Jin. She turned around in surprise before glaring at me.

"I'm going to protect Olivia. You guys sure you-"

"Yes! We can handle this! Go now!"

"Okay. Good luck then."

"H-Hey! My bow! My bow!"

Ehlri shouted at me to give her bow back while I ran towards Jin. She jumped nimbly to avoid a dozen Zombies that tried to pounce on her before sticking knives into their heads.

"Jin! [Sweeping Dash]!"

I could hear the Undead groan as my sword cut through the shambling corpses in front of me.

"So you outran that monster."

"Yeah. But he'll catch up soon enough. What's she doing?"

Jin threw some more knives at the Undead while I hacked away at the Skeletons that charged at us.

"She's gonna cast [Greater Purify] on the entire area. We need to fucking- Get off me! We need to hold this guys off for her."

She slashed at the two Zombies on her sides before jumping backwards to put some distance between her and the countless Undead.

"Arthur! I'll protect Olivia's rear and flank. You take care of those charging from the front!"

Before I could say anything, she was already jumping around the Undead's attacks as she weaved through the countless bodies.

I grumbled as I watch the Undead around me... hesitate? No, they're avoiding me. The soulless bodies formed up around me as they stared with their empty eyes. It felt creepy, but at least they're not moving around so much anymore. It made life easier as I went from one body to another, driving my sword through them while I tried my best not to think so much about it.

It was still a creepy experience. Everytime I thrust my sword into a Zombie's head, it just feels like old leather. No, it feels like something dried out while others just felt mushy and soft. Sometimes, a bunch of insects would crawl out and I would gag a bit in my mouth, but none of the Undead tried to lift a hand against me. But man, the smell is so shit! It smells so putrid and disgusting.

"Jesus. This is horrible."

I mumble to myself as I lopped off a Skeleton's head.

"Hey! What the fuck is happening there?"

Jin lodged a dagger down on a Zombie's head before pulling it out swiftly. I just shrugged my shoulders and continued killing more of the Undead. Her expression turned into that of annoyance as she watch me effortlessly kill a few dozen Undead.

"Tch! Why don't-"

"I'm done! I'm done!"

Jin was interrupted by the cheerful Archpriest as she suddenly pointed her staff at Jin.

"Hold on, there's a few behind you."

"W-What are-"

She wasn't even able to finish her sentence when Olivia blasted her with the usual attack of bright light. The attack was quick and the Undead behind Jin disappeared without a trace while the poor Thief was clutching her eyes while she rolled on the grass.

"Damn it! Warn me before doing that!"

"Ehehe, sorry! Anyways, ehem."

Olivia stuck her staff onto the ground before clasping her hands together. Jin was still scowling at her while she rubbed her eyes.

The ground around the Archpriest began to glow. A few adventurers looked on as well as the holy light swirled around her like a gentle wind. It felt as if I was looking at a saint, a beautiful saint in the midst of a miracle. In fact, I think some of the Undead have turned their attention towards the Archpriest with a hopeful expression on their faces.

"Illyria, Protector of Humanity, answer your devout follower's prayer. May you lead the souls in the darkness into your arms. Cleanse the taint of evil from them and give them the rest they deserve. [Greater Purification]!"

The light surrounding her flew outward and washed over the entire battlefield.

Just like that, the Undead disappered.

The fires were all put out by other adventurers while I watched Maria resting her head on Zel's lap. Jin was poking at the ashes of what was once Nehuet's Dragon while Ehlri was rushing around trying to help the injured adventurers. It was a miracle no one died tonight, although a few nearly did but Olivia and some Healers managed to heal them back up.

"Uhuuu~ My mana's drained..."

Her weak moans only earned her a pat on the head from Zel.

"At least you leveled up 20 times from killing that Dragon."

"T-True... But the migraine's making me feel uncomfortable."

"Maybe it's just Zel's rock hard thighs."

The Knight glared at me for a moment while I was looking at my Adventurer's Plate. I thought she was just gonna tell me that I'm being rude but then she threw a twig at me.

"Ow."

"Hmph! Tis rude to call a lady- Forget it! Why are you even standing around here?"

"You're starting to sound like Jin, you know?"

"S-Shut- Gah! Fine! You want to rest your head on my lap as well? Is that what you want?"

I could see Maria chuckling despite her migraine while Zel patted the spot beside her angrily. I scoff and take a seat beside her as well.

"I think it's already past midnight."

"Mhm."

"...It seems so."

The three of us sighed as we watched the people calmoring about or drinking from the alcohol rations. I could spot Olivia as she drank ale with the Dwarf I saw earlier.

"Ale? Wine? Water? I have all three."

"Thanks, Ehl- Oh. It's you, Jin."

Jin's eyes narrowed as she placed down the tray with three mugs in front of us. She looked like she was drinking a glass of milk, but I'm not sure.

"What? I heard from Ehlri that milk is good for the bones."

So it is milk.

"It is good for the bones, but I don't think it promotes growth."

Her ears turned red while Maria pointed at the mug of water.

"I-I don't need to grow! Idiot! Strong bones help me roll and jump around."

"Nah. You're just making excu..."

The brief flash of steel made me bite my own tongue.

"Anyways, what level are you now?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm already Level 33. Leveled up 7 times."

Jin nodded her head proudly.

"Learned a few Skills actually. Although they're not really flashy ones."

"Really? I only leveled up 5 times actually."

While those three talked about levels, I pulled out my Adventurers Plate and stared at it for a while.

"10 levels... I gained 10 levels."

Good. Pretty good, if I do say so myself.

There's quite a few available skills available now, but I didn't want to be too hasty. The cool ones sounds nice though and maybe I should spend some points on those. I was hovering on the idea on picking a skill that boosts my defense for a while, but in the end I settled for a Skill called [Quick Strike] that costs only 2 points.

I turned back to them to find Zel taking off her breastplate to reveal a chainmail vest with a simple white shirt underneath. Maria's now resting on Jin's lap instead while Zel fussed over a gash on her shoulder. Everyone winced at the sight of her wound, but Zel was barely fazed by this. Although I wouldn't be surprised if she's just hiding her pain. It looked pretty nasty.

"Sorry. A Skeleton managed to get the jump on me."

"T-That looks pretty painful."

"I agree."

Everyone stared at the open wound as Zel tried to clean it with water. Jin was about to call Olivia over when I walked over to Zel.

"[Heal]."

"!"

"W-Wha..."

The wound closed quickly to everyone's surprise. Zel poked at it a few times before moving it a bit.

"Healing Magic? You could... You could use Healing Magic?"

"Yeah. I think I learned it from Olivia."

"Really? Interesting."

Zel smiled as she suddenly dropped to the ground and sprawled her arms out on the soft grass.

"Y-You could use [Heal]!"

"[Fireball] as well!"

The two began to shout loudly. I rolled my eyes and sat back down.

"I could also use [Snipe] and a few other things as well. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. For now, I want to sleep and laze around after that battle."

They groaned at me as I looked around for my drink.

"Ah! There it is!"

The mug of ale lay just outside my reach. I was about to stand up and pick it up when I felt it.

The ground shook a bit. Just a bit. I waited for a few more seconds but it stopped.

"Must be some people fighting over-"

The ale in the mug moved. Its surface sending out ripples with each passing moment.

It was more pronounced now. Everyone went silent as the rumbling became louder. With each second, everyone slowly grabbed for their weapons as the thunderous steps grew much closer. Zel frowned and immediately put on her breastplate while I drank the ale in one go.

"I smell something burnt. Did someone burn anything?"

"Shut up, Olivia. Can't you-"

I̴̖̫̫̊͊͆̌̏ ̵̫̹͕̮͙͝f̶̤͂̔͗̚̕ḯ̷̢̹̌̓̃͝ǹ̵̜̓́̕͠a̵̼̋̆͑͋̑l̴̫̹͕̗̊̍͌ͅl̶͉̟̀̉́̒ÿ̷̧͍̬̺́ ̶̣͚̣̙͒́̿̕f̸̘̻͇̍̓̎̆͗ỏ̸̞͕̬̑͌̾͝u̸̩̺͇̳̒̀̎̚͝n̶̨̝̿͑̏̑ḑ̷̼̪͉͈͂̂̊͗̕ ̵͚̦̫̪̃͝y̶̧̞̰̲̭̌o̵͈͙̪̓̓ǔ̵̧̜͛͗͛,̶̡̖͈̱͖̇ ̵̺̝̊̈́S̶̮͎̔w̵͔̮̳͍͗̈́͛o̸̳̝͙͕̅͂r̷̭̩͓̲̩͋ḍ̶̼͋̔̎͌͠s̸̮̓m̶̡͚̫̤̠̂a̶̪͖̺͑͌̏͜n̷̝̟͐͋͒̀̚

What felt like an immense weight being dropped on my shoulders made me drop to my knees. The pressure from the direction of the voice crushed everone and everything as we saw the giant shape crest over a small hill. There was still smoke coming from his glowing hot armor.

"N-Nehuet!"

The massive armor glowed bright orange in some places as he walked over to us. It looked like he wasn't affected by Olivia's attack, but bits and pieces of his armor fell from him as he walked.

Chinks and cracks were now visible across the surface of his massive armor, but ripples of green magic crackled and spewed out of the gaps like wild lightning. His already black armor was charred on some places, but I guess he's fire-resistant since it didn't look like the intense heat barely bent or melted any part of his body.

"H-He's not dead!"

"We can see that, Jin! How is he still-"

"I shall rip your soul from your body with my hands."

His words sent chills down my spine as I watch him drag the massive sword behind him. It lef a large gash on the ground as his silent gaze flared in the darkness of his helmet.

"Archers! To-"

"Ĭ̷̫͔̣̽̽̓̕ ̸̼͙͗̈̂̊͠s̶͓̓̈h̵̟̩̩͕͗͊̑͒̚a̴̩̰̟͛͂͜l̵̘͗̏͑̕l̶̹̃͐͒͗̚ ̷̧̥͍͍͔̿̽͠n̶̬̮͖͂̄ͅo̴̤̮͖͋ṯ̶͙̤̖̤͒̋ ̴̮̈́̓̔ä̵̤̬̘̤͜l̸̫̉̄ļ̷̦̹̣̬̽͝ȯ̷̳w̶͕̘̲̽͊̾̀ ̷̛͍̦̮͚̾̔̈̿f̵̛̛̳̭̫̫̈́ļ̷͎̳̉̇̍͘i̴͓̼͕͂͌̀̔͠m̴̠̲̔̎ŝ̸̬̥̮y̴̛͈̑͒̇ ̴͙̈́̍a̶̦͖̟̬̽͠r̴̺͔̅ŕ̵͔̕o̶͓̫̔̌͋w̴͉̭̄s̵̺͝ ̷̛̹͜t̴̬͍̉͂̏̈́͌ỏ̸̼̩̜ ̵̳̊̎̐͜h̴̙͈͊̓̾̈́̕ỉ̴͚̋̐̒n̶͍̻͖̊͆̀́͝d̸͙̄̈́͘̚e̵͎̤̣͕͊̆r̴͈̈ ̵̘̘̲͚̈́͜͝m̵̲͆͆̕ͅe̶͇̤̞͉̽͑.̷̰̳͙͍̂̈́̃̓ͅ ̷̗̩̃̽̔͆͂"

The adventurer crumpled to the ground while he clutched his head. The other archers to his sides dropped to the ground as well while they moaned in agony.

He was now looming over the three of us while huffs of steam and smoke escaped his helmet. I could feel everyone look at us helplessly as they watch Nehuet drag himself forward with a loud creak before lifting his sword.

"M-Maybe we can talk-"

"No."

He spoke with a blank and slightly miffed tone.

"I have determined that you are to be exterminated immediately. You are not just a threat to my Master, but also... an extreme annoyance."

Before I could retort, snap back at him, or just flip him off, I saw a streak of green cut through the air and I forced my body to dodge to the side.

Stone and dirt exploded everywhere and the force of his attack made the ground ripple as my foot nearly got sliced off by his sharp blade. It missed by just an inch but it clipped off the tip of my left boot. For a massive and slow body, he moved rather quickly without losing the devastating power of his blows.

I rolled to the side in an effort to ddoge another attack that never came. I felt like I needed an estus flask for this fight, but I don't think there's such a thing in this world and I don't think it would do me any good.

Nehuet was massive, he moved slow, but he attacked fast. Really fast. I could easily bombard him with [Fireball] or [Snipe] but I don't think it'll do me any good. I watch as Zel slowly backed away with the others to a safer distance while Nehuet cast a dismissive glance towards them.

"You sure you won't chase after-"

I had to stop mid-sentence to dodge another attack from Nehuet. This time, it was a thrust aimed directly at my chest. I could hear Nehuet scoff as he immediately twisted and flicked his wrist to swipe at my head.

He missed but he managed to slice off a few tufts of my hair.

"I shall deal with the Archpriest later. The rest are unimportant."

A few of the adventurers glared at Nehuet for his rude dismissal of them. He glared back and everyone slinked back at the sight of his blazing red orbs for eyes.

"So it's me and Olivia you're aft-"

"Do not talk and do not dodge. You are throwing off my aim."

His tone was cold, concise, and direct. Just like his next attack.

There was no warning, just a flash of green and steel as it curved down towards me. I jumped to the side and rolled as three more attacks nearly got me.

"That's the point, isn't it?!"

I yell out as I finally met his swing with my sword. The instant our blades met, I released my grip on my sword and ducked. The metal bent and twisted before being thrown out of my hands while I scrambled to safety. But I was still clutching something.

"Arthur! Your sword!"

"Huh?! Oh, shit."

Maria was pointing at the handle of my shortsword. The blade is mostly gone and only a few inches of it remained.

The ground shook once more as Neheut took a massive step forward, arms outstretched behind him as his gaze bore down on me. Moments later, the sword he was holding over his head came down like green lightning and thunder. Everything beside me exploded as bits of rocks and green magic bounced everywhere while I rolled around on the ground.

There waas another swing, this time I tried to block with my shield and my Skill [Block] but it barely did anything to soften up the blow. I heard the sound of wood breaking and splintering, then I felt my bones cracking and snapping painfully but-

"F-Fuck!"

Nevermind. I couldn't take it like a man.

Nehuet's sword almost hacked off my arm if it wasn't for a few knives to his eyes. The red flames were snuffed out and he took a step back to get the knives out of his visor. He growled in annoyance while I busy casting [Heal] on myself. There was chink in the ground and I saw two broken knives sticking out of the ground and I heard Nehuet's growl behind me.

"This is not fair!"

I yell out at him before rolling out of the way to avoid another quick attack.

"Life is not fair. It has always been... unfair."

Nehuet thrust his sword forward and it grazed me by the side. I rolled away, clutching my side as it bled. I threw an [Ice Spikes] spell at him before casting [Heal] again.

The fight was, well... one-sided. I'm just buying everyone time to run, help, or just do something honestly. I grit my teeth as I threw as much spells that I could muster at him to put more distance between me and that damn sword of his. It wasn't doing anything, and Nehuet could see that. Those eyes of him flared up as he suddenly charged forward, his arm cocked back ready to to thrust them into me again.

"[Earth Sha-"

"İ̴͈n̴͔̼͋̐͂t̷͕̝̔͂͒e̸͜͠r̸͚̝̙̃f̵̜͛͂ë̶̗̭̹́r̷̪̲͚͝e̶͈͔̦̓̓ ̴̡̜̦̈́a̵̧͘n̵͚͈͈͆̚d̵͖͖̩̉́͠ ̷͙̹̗̋̓̚I̴͈̿ ̶̢͒́͆ͅs̷͈̪̹̑h̴͈̦̥̓̉ä̸̛͓l̴͉̻̣̾͂l̷̩͊̃ ̸̯̃r̵̲͖̈́û̸̮̪͇̌̾n̸̻̊ ̶̞̟͠ȳ̸͎̄͝ö̷̥̙͒̋ṷ̵͈͐ ̴̱͛̆̾t̷̪̞̎ḧ̵̠́r̴̫̲̤͗͠ọ̸̅̕ư̴̦̝̈͠g̴̳̱̯̈́ḩ̴̼́̇ ̵̥̯̤̀̄w̸̘̒͊̅ȋ̵̼̽̂ť̵̲͓͉̃ȟ̸̨̳͒͆ ̸̩̃̎m̵̻̈͋̂y̴̰̱͎͆̓ ̴̦̎͝b̴̮̀͌̇l̸̢̠̜̔̓̕a̴͎̩̥͆͋d̴̪̯̊ê̷͖̗̬"

Maria dropped to the ground and Zel extended a hand over her protectively. There was a scowl on their faces as they watched me tumble and roll from side to side. I can see them arguing with each other, but I couldn't look at them any longer or else I might find my head off my shoulders.

Black mist shot out from a portion of Nehuet's shoulder after I threw a rock at a crack I saw. He glanced at it and shrugged it off, but I notice his right arm's now moving more slowly and it was creaking a bit louder now with each motion. Despite this, he suddenly swung his sword in a right swing that left a giant scratch on my chestplate.

I tumbled to the side to avoid another slash before raising a finger at Nehuet. His eyes narrowed at me as I shot a [Fireball] straight at his helmet. It covered his head with bright flames while I glanced around at everyone. No one wanted to intervene, or they're probably too afraid to face off against-

"Enough tricks. I will end this. Now."

Nehuet lifted his sword and I could feel a sickening pit in my stomach.

I raised my sword, or its hilt I guess and readied myself to [Dash] the moment he did anyhting funny. My senses are tingling as runes began to glow on the flat side of sword while green magic swirled around his body. His eyes changed color as well, the bright red light gradually turned into the same color of green as the magic that spun around him.

Then, Nehuet smiled.

I didn't see it, he had no mouth or lips to do it since he's just a walking set of jet-black armor but I knew...

He smiled at me.

I clicked my tongue and tried to dodge whatever it was the fucker was trying to do, but he did nothing.

"G̸̡̝̩̀̓͑͠o̴̖̒̓̎̆͘͝͝o̴͖̜̙͊̌͘d̶͙̲̋̓̂͑͂͘͝b̵̲̩̭̂ȳ̸̛̯̤̬̓͗̔̎͠ḛ̸̝͍̬͝,̴̳̑̍̎̓̈́̈́̚ ̸̙̔S̶̮̪̖̋̅̀̕w̴̝͍̱̖͊̃̑͊̍̕͝ͅơ̵̯̺̘͗̍̐͝r̶͖͍̿̈́͆̂̍͗͘ḑ̸͍̰͚̱̐̂s̵͙̬̉́̚͠ḿ̵̢̢͉͓̮̯̂̓̚ä̵̹̩̦͚̝̰́̂͌̽̐n̵̰͚̜̂̀"

"Arthu-"

"[Unique Skill: Unseen Death]"

He just swung his sword and I didn't even hear Zel finish my name. I just saw the world go sideways and...

Everyone watched Arthur's body cumple to the ground lifeless. Zel dropped to her knees while she watch Nehuet point at Arthur's corpse. She didn't want to see what would happen next, but she couldn't pry her eyes away from it either. She knew, everyone knew, the world knew what always happens whenever a body dies in front of a Lich or a Necromancer.

"Z-Zel! We need to fucking-"

"I will not risk any of you from ending up the same as him."

The Knight snapped at the Thief beside her. She didn't mean it, but she couldn't help it either.

"Rise. Rise and serve."

Everyone watched the corpse anxiously. Ehlri was even pointing her bow towards her former friend's head as she waited for it to do something.

But nothing happened.

Even Nehuet seemed anxious at this point. He eyed the corpse wearily and debated within himself if he should just leave it alone.

His gaze suddenly turned towards the Elf shaking heavily from afar. Ehlri let out a yelp and dropped her bow.

"Take your bow and fire it at his back."

"E-Excuse-"

"D̴̜̣̹̪̦̠̂́̅̽͝ĭ̶̬͍̎̓̌̍̒d̴̢̦̜̈́̽͠ ̵̞̜̪̔I̷̧̿̾̾͂͗͝ ̴̢̙͔͖̟̣̣̅͛ş̴̡̢̛͚̜̙̠̄t̵͎͌̈́͒̀́u̵̢̘̠͚͗̈̾̊̎̆͝t̶̢̜͔͉̳͊t̴̲̖͍̼̍̈̆͆̔e̷͇͈͙̞̺̍̿̓͛̑̎r̵̡̜̣̟̟̠̖̈́̓̊?̸̠͉͑̾̈̊̌"

"Eep! R-Right away!"

She aimed an arrow somewhere where it wouldn't hit anything vital. If he was still alive that is. Ehlri didn't want to do it. It was still Arthur's body but-

"Do it now. Now!"

The sudden and booming command made Ehlri's grip falter, but he arrow flew straight and true. There was a wet thud as an arrow embedded itself on Arthur's side.

There was no movement.

"Stop! Stop! Stop this!"

Olivia shoved her way through the adventurers and aimed her staff at the imposing figure.

"I-I will not let you do this to my friend!"

The crimson orbs that floated within the void of Nehuet's helmet dimmed and narrowed at the defiant Archpriest. More cracks appeared as he turned his body towards her. The joints of his legs creaked under the weight of his body as he slowly stepped forward.

"You... You are also a threat that must be purged."

"[Purify]!"

Light shot out of Maria's staff and it blasted Nehuet's shoulder wide open.

"One more step and I'll send you to Illyria myself!"

Smoke shot out of from Nehuet as he staggered back from the attack. There was a large, open gash that ran down from his shoulder down to his elbow with smaller cracks splintering from it like a spiderweb. He glared at Olivia, but something black began to ooze out of his wound.

"Everyone! Form up! Mages! Priests! Assist Olivia!"

His silent gaze turned towards the figure that barked those orders. He was no adventurer, but he knew everyone there by their names. The unlikely commander that began to organize the large group was a receptionist, the head receptionist to be specific but a receptionist no less.

"Rupert!"

"Shut it, Olivia! Everyone that uses melee weapons, I want you to form a wall!"

g̷̨̤̺͕̫̜͎̞͍̟̳̼̣͌̄̈́̄r̶̢̧͚̰̙̺̭͓̣̦̬̤̮̻͊́͊̈̌̈́̔̎͒́͐͊̚͘R̴̬̪͛̇͛̌̀̀̎͂̀̕͝R̸̢̨͚͍̫͕͙̙͚͈̩̤̗̰͋̑̂͊͋͋͌̓̾͑͐̎́̑a̶̧̙̞̖̭̲̞̹̬͖͈̱͐̀̽a̸̡͕̼̠̤̗̹̼̒̌̈͌̈́̊̈̇͛̽́̂̚͠á̴̧̻̮̯̀̀̃͑͘Ą̷̣̞̘͌͐͒̌̾̌̓̔͊A̷͇̰̞̥̩͖͍͓̥̠̲̟͒̈́́͊͐̌̄͑̀̄̉̀͜A̵̧̲̲͈͙͈̝̘̍͜A̸̧̨̖̭̘̲͔̎̓́̽̉̋A̷̻̦̞̓͂̆̈̄͂̀͛͝A̵̝̪̦͇͓͌̀̂͊͒̐͛̎͆̍̾͒̕ǧ̴̬̪̈́̂́̓̈̃͋͘͘ģ̸̩̹̲̮̟̞͇̦͓͎̾̉̏̚g̸̘̍̍̊̀͑̉̔́̋͒̏̕H̷͉̫̤̺̪̥̼̜̣͓͎͍̭͊͌H̴̻̻̲̜͉̪͓͇͖̩̪̮̿̆̾̈́͒͗̒͊̃̐̍́̕̚h̶̙̝̠͔̘̪̋̃̈́̑̈́h̴̦̱̘̻̫̟̯̥̿͒͛̊̏͌͝ͅH̸̛̤̭̳̟̲̯́̇̅͑̋̏̓̈́̂̌̕̕͝ͅh̶̡̠͙̩̐̾͐̂̆̽̍̒̀̔͋̌̊̽̊h̶̲̲̦̯̓̋̏̉̉H̶̞͂̄̅̒͑͆̇̈́̿̈́͑̓̚͘͝H̷̤̲͖̙͐͌̎͗̿̋h̴̛̫̻̙̝̏̓̄̒̾̓͂͑̈́͘̚h̷̡̨͚̫͕̭̭̱̙̘̜̺̻͑̀͑̃̊̊̿̎͝ͅ!̴̨̢̞͎̣̯̬͇̬̦̲̺̭̄͌̽̔̈́̒́̿̚͘͝

A literal earth-splitting roar came out from within Nehuet's helmet as his eyes blazed in fury. The ground around him cracked and split open as he suddenly thundered forward, his sword swinging wildly all around him.

"Y̵̙̬̠̜͎̦͑̊̈́̚ò̷͕̂͊̏Ú̸͔̘͓̳̰̗̀̉ ̶͍͇̩͎͎̮͋͗͌̅̓̄l̸̡̲̬̊́̐̅͘͝Ǫ̵͔̳̞͖͚̿͌́͆͝͠t̵̢̧̡͉̙̄͋́ ̴̤͙̓̚a̷͍͝R̶̢̥̼̣̃̀E̸͈̩̬͑ ̵̥̖̭̯̒n̷͍͕̈́̋n̶̢̼͈̘̙̒̈̔̈Ő̶̠̖̩̏̽ọ̸͚̟̾̋͛͗ţ̷̠̎h̵̳͙̬̟̤͘ͅï̴̮̈̿̾N̷̮̘̹̈́͆̿̒̕g̸̢̨̡̦̾̃̓͋̔!̴̦̩͈̣̰̫͗͑͗͂͑͝"

"Shit! Duck!"

Jin threw herself around Olivia nad tackled her to the ground. A splitsecond later, the spot where she was just standing at exploded in a flurry of green and black magic. Arrows and spells rained down on him, but it did not do anything other than fuel his wrath.

While arrows bounced and shattered on his armor, while spells of all kinds broke on his body, he raised his massive arm and pointed a finger at a small group of mages in the distant. His eyes flared like wildfire as another spell covered his face with a layer of ice.

"[Death's Gaze]."

They fell to the ground and the spells they were preparing instantly ceased.

"It's an Instant Death spe-"

"[Insanity]."

Another group collapsed but they began to writhe and scream incoherently. They weren't dead, yet, but a few of them began to beg for it while Nehuet pressed forward.

"I will not be stopped by some low-"

"Knife attack! Knife attack! Knife attack!"

"Insignifican-"

"Too slow!"

Jin hopped around, barely dodging the swipes Nehuet threw at her. But the Knight suddenly swung his upper body around in an effort to grab her legs to rip it apart.

"[Hallowed Ground]!"

"GrraAAhaasdacaa̷̦̰͍͊d̴̦͂̎a̵̠̭̯͛r̷̼̾̀r̸̛͓͙̩a̶͉̎̀͝r̸͍̝̂̚a̴̩̒ĝ̵̫̓͜͝f̸͕͊̍̾a̷̩̫̾̄͝r̴̦͎̈́̽ą̵̢̿h̶̻̠̹͌!!"

Nehuet flailed around wildly while Zel stood before him defiantly. Olivia casted [Hallowed Ground] and made the area around Zel emit Holy Magic that boost her defenses while it damaged Nehuet. There was a bestial howl from underneath his helmet and his eyes bored down on the girl in front of her.

"I am Ezelia Weiss Lockhart! I challenge you to a [Duel] between Knights!"

Zel's drew her sword and envoked a powerful Skill. Nehuet glared and clutched the handle of his greatsword tightly. [Duel] means that this noble would be able to keep up with him for a few minutes and that infuriated him. He was about to end it quickly when the girl's image blurred.

Everyone watched the confident Knight as she ran her sword through Nehuet's legs. The sound of cracking metal whipped through the air and everyone grimaced as they saw the legs of the warrior crack violently. He fell forward on one of his knees and the girl saw her chance.

"Peri-"

"F̵̼̘͓̾̾̐̊̕o̸̝͈͓̯̻͆͊o̶̦͑̾l̴̛̫̺̱̐̓̅"

The orbs in his helmet swivelled around and his glare met the girl as she tried to swing down her sword from behind. She froze mid-swing and immediately dashed away.

"Shit! Everyone! He's gonna use-"

"[Aura of Despair], [Aura of Demise], [Field of Rot], [Drain]."

Death. Death himself appeared before them as the armored Wraith rose from the ground. He could feel the life drain out of those caught within his gaze and he found his strength once more. Those that stepped to close perished from his magic, and those that tried to cast their spells was drained of their mana. He was simply Death itself, and all that resisted will know of it.

Nehuet did not laugh, nor did he find joy at the fear directed towards him. He simply held his sword tightly...

And cut down a dozen men that tried to stop him.

"It's a mess down there."

"I know! I know! Just send me back already!"

"Shut up! I'm working on it!"

"Well work faster!"

Illyria clicked her tongue while I watch the carnage unfold in front of me.

"Are you sure you can res-"

"Yes! I can revive them! I can revive those idiots that are fighting down there! And I will revive you, okay?"

Illyria's focus shifted back to her hands while she poured her focus into preparing something. I glance back at teh portal in front of us. He's rampaging in the midst of all the bodies and I think Jin is-

"Arthur! Stop staring at all of this and focus!"

Illyria snapped harshly. I jump back a bit in surprise.

"That Knight is gonna get herself killed any minute now! We need to this now or never!"

Sweat trailed down my back as I glance at the dead body lying on the ground. It was mine, and it had two arrows sticking out of it.

My party is in bad shape now. Zel's fighting Nehuet alone while Jin was being carried away by Olivia after getting punched by Nehuet. She was coughing up blood pretty badly, but Olivia managed to stop it right away. There was so much shit going sideways and so horribly wrong that even Illyria didn't want to see all of it.

"A-Are you sure-"

"Your body's gonna be in perfe- Fuck! No!"

Illyria shoved me aside and stared in horror as Nehuet roared triumphantly. He's now standing over Zel, his sword raised over his head. The [Lightning Bolt] Maria shot out did nothing while he laughed.

"Fuck! It has to be now!"

"What do you-"

"Take out those arrows before you fight!"

I glance back at her as I once more fell through the portal.

"Are you sure this would work?!"

She gave no response.

"I won't let you-"

"Silence! I am done with this troublesome flock! I will rid the world of your annoyance!"

Nehuet's hand was a blur and he pushed all of his weight forcefully on that swing. But Zel too was a blur, but she didn't get out unscathed. She gripped her side tightly to stop the bleeding, but it was deep.

"Zel!"

"Maria! Take care of Jin! I'll try to lead him awa-"

"You will all perish!"

Nehuet struck Zel with the back of his hand. The loud crack of metal on flesh resonated across the battle as Zel went flying through the air. She landed badly, and her body rolled a few times before finally stopping. She could feel her arm bend in the wrong direction and the pain of her lung being punctured by a few of her ribs.

The armor behemoth dragged his sword behind him, the orbs in his eyes flared and danced wildly as he stared at the bleeding Knight. The runes began to glow once more and the dark magic contained within surged once more.

This strike will be the last, he was sure of it. This girl will-

"[Firebolt]!"

The spell was weak, he didn't dodge nor block it. But something else hit him and made him lose focus.

His sharp words and cusses echoed from behind Nehuet's back and the Dreaded Knight knew instantly who it was. If there was still veins in his head, they surely would've ruptured in anger. But there was no living flesh beneath his armor, only the dark soul of what was once a Knight.

"Thanks for the heal, Olivia!"

The voice resonated deep within Nehuet's helmet. It struck more than the arrows that Elf girl shot at him.

"Did you miss me, you fucking-"

Nehuet tuned out the rest of his taunts, the lights that served as his eyes dimmed and his thoughts became muddled. His body groaned in protest as he slowly turned towards the Swordsman with an arrow sticking out of his back. He couldn't believe it. He refused to believe it. It was impossible for anyone to be revived after that spell. His mistress herself said so. It is the perfect spell to kill any and all Heroes sent by the Gods.

It was the perfect Death Spell.

"I̸̛̞̖̝̙͍̐͋m̸̫̩̌̿ṕ̸̡̤͍̝͓̼͒͆͘͜͝õ̸̡͕̞̝̰͖͉̕s̵̡̡̘̙̞̹̣̒̚ş̵̡͔̻̟̘̎̽̆̀͘̚i̷̞͛͗̋̃ͅb̸̨̛̛͖̰̰̭̤̍̃͐͛̾l̶̯̇̐͌̔͆e̷̡̝̤͓͙̟̊̏̏͑̉"

An emotion he thought he finally supressed long ago bubbled up to the surface of his soul. An emotion Nehuet thought distracting and a mere hindrance in combat. It was the same emotion he felt back then, more than a century ago.

Anger

"How many times do I have to kill you?!"

The Swordsman grinned at him. Nehuet wanted to rip those smug lips out of his face as he slowly took a step forward.

"As long as Illyria's in a good mood, I don't think I'll die anytime soon!"

He was weak. So weak. Compared to him, he was nothing more than an ant crawling on the ground. Something so weak shouldn't be alive after he killed it. But here it was, the ant that he trampled on earlier, laughing and taunting him to charge at him.

He could feel something swirling around his chest as his eyes blazed in anger. The Swordsman had no sword, his mana is nearly drained, but he still dares to face the mighty Nehuet?!

"Ī̸̬̰̊n̷͔͌s̶̖̻̳̉ȏ̷̡̟̞̈́l̴̞̲̻̓͋ę̵̭̼̔̌̕n̶̝͝t̴͔̘͛͋ ̶͕͎͊͋̕͜f̶͈̺͕͂̈́̄o̷̧̯̩̎͠o̵͈̼̝̽͑͛l̶̡͇͆͐̉.̵͖̹̈́ ̷̱͂I̷͍̠͉͐ ̶̲̖̅͗̂w̸̜̼̄́͂i̷̬͙͛̐l̴̠͓̀̾l̷̥̣̑̽ ̸̱̂̊̓r̸̩͓̔̚ͅi̴͈͋͘p̵̨͊̏ ̵̛̫̹̈́̊y̷̤̭̙̓́o̷̢͇̚ų̴̩͚̂̑̒r̶̹̉̈́ ̴̗̊s̶̛̗̄ò̵̢̖̱̔͝ȗ̷͙͉̟l̵̖̝͑ ̵̧̻̦͊͐̅ď̶͓̲̟̀̀r̵͇̂̊ǫ̶̝͑̌m̷͛ͅ ̴̮̈́y̶͔͚͑̈́̚͜ó̵̹ụ̴͒̏̄ṟ̷̋ ̸̜̥̔̚ḇ̴̓ͅō̶̞̫̽͛d̵͖͚͊y̵̢̋ ̴̝͂͜a̴̛̬̔n̷̻̲̟͋͋̀ḍ̸͆̍́ ̸̰͕̀̊͘f̵̨̬̌̿̿e̷̬͝a̵͙̱͗̌s̴̙̮͚͐͑ṭ̸̞͈͒͝͝ ̶̥̱̌̏̌ų̴̓͑p̸̂́̂ͅő̶̢̼n̸̟̩͕͋̄̕ ̷̩͗͠i̷̧̜̍ͅt̵̙̂.̷̪̈́̚"

He himself didn't think those garbled words didn't even sound right. But he didn't care. Nor did the Swordsman.

He was still laughing.

"Come and do it then!"

Something snapped in his helmet. It wasn't the arrow that broke on his head, but something inside him.

Nehuet roared out and charged his blade with the strongest Skill he knew. He knew if he casted it, it will tear this very region asunder and death will inevevitably claim it. But he didn't care. He will cleave the very earth itself just to see this pest destroyed.

He could see the Swordsman flinch for a moment as he raised his sword above his head. The magic burned as bright as a sickly midday sun and it almost blinded those who stared directly at them, but Nehuet could see the Swordsman's expression.

He was still smiling.

The force of the blow had his entire weight and all of his anger behind it. He was sure that there will be nothing left of this damned pest once he cleaves his skull in two.

But before he could swing it down, it was already too late.