A golden giant stood towering over the earth.
The holy knights couldn’t help but exclaim in awe at the sight.
The people of the Castle State only knew how powerful the Pope was through fairy tales and stories.
But now, witnessing this power firsthand, their amazement was unending. To think that divine power could be used to control such an enormous form.
The priests, too, were astonished by this unexpected application and stood transfixed, gazing upward at the giant.
It seemed all the rumors about the Pope losing strength were nothing more than falsehoods.
As these words spread, the murmurs among the Holy Knight unit began to die down.
Even those who had lost their fighting spirit at the appearance of the Leviathan gritted their teeth and picked up their dropped weapons once more.
“The His Holiness the Pope has moved forward! Why then do all of you wish to retreat?”
“Do you not feel shame before the Goddess? Lift your heads and face the enemy with courage!”
With that cry of rage from a holy knight, even those paralyzed by fear raised their heads once more.
Kal, who had been lost in grief over Yurph’s sacrifice, closed his eyes tightly, then opened them, taking hold of his spear.
Since it was better to slay the monster first rather than let Yurph die in vain.
Though the fog spread around them, making it difficult to see each other clearly, they could not sit idly and accept defeat.
The priests began bestowing blessings on the people to counteract the effects of the Leviathan’s Forgetfulness Incense.
Though their consumption of divine power had increased far more than before, smiles of hope blossomed on their faces.
“Will you really retreat just because it’s called the Leviathan? Do you even know how many of our brothers and sisters this thing has killed?”
“Those who wish to flee, do so now. We don’t want cowards as our comrades.”
As these harsh voices circulated, the people picked up their weapons and rose.
The knights of the Black Raven Knights also walked forward with smiles on their faces.
Even though they could barely see a step in front of them, they knew that Abel stood beyond the fog, confronting the Leviathan.
In spite of facing a Disaster-grade monster, determination flowed from their eyes, and Abel gave a satisfied smile.
“You’ve been raised well, no doubt.”
Now was the time to begin their counterattack.
“First, let’s clear away this bothersome fog.”
As he extended his hand, a massive magic circle began to form on the ground.
Even as an immense amount of mana was consumed in an instant, there wasn’t the slightest change on Abel’s face.
Given the vast amount of mana at his disposal, it was but a small consumption.
Huuuuu…
A powerful magic so potent that those sensitive to mana could feel queasy began to take shape.
A light so brilliant it could blind began to emanate from the completed magic circle.
In the blink of an eye, the gray fog that had covered their vision disappeared.
To remove the fog so easily with a single magic— the Pope was duly impressed by Abel’s skill.
He knew Abel had reached the level of a Grand Magus, but he didn’t realize he had grown this strong.
Was that powerless boy he once saw truly the same individual?
“What are you all dazed about? It’s time to show the Pope’s power.”
“Ho ho, understood. Let’s go.”
Responding with a laugh to Abel’s urging, the Pope stepped forward. It felt like his heart, which he thought had grown weak, was beating violently for the first time in a long while.
His spirit, dulled by age, had become razor-sharp after seeing what happened to Yurph.
His aging body, though not fully restored, was now serviceable enough. There was no longer any reason to stand by idly.
The Pope extended his gaunt hand, causing the giant to lift its arm.
The giant clenched its fist and swung it toward the suppressed Leviathan.
Kwaang!
Kwooooooo!
With a tremendous sound, the Leviathan began thrashing about. The flapping of its fins was so wild it caused the earth itself to tremble.
Because of this, the knights had difficulty approaching and were confined to sending strikes from far away.
Watching this, Abel extended his hand again.
Many magic circles were drawn in the air, and from them came white chains that pierced through the creature’s body.
The taut chains immediately immobilized its movements completely.
“The Duke has bound it! Push forward!”
“Cut it and tear it apart! Just because it’s a Disaster-grade monster doesn’t mean it’s invincible!”
Led by Arin’s shout, the knights began launching attacks toward the Leviathan.
Green flames like waves began to engulf the Leviathan, emanating from Arin.
Beside her, Pee was exerting all its strength to spew flames.
Seeing this, the knights and holy knights glanced at each other and nodded.
“Brothers! Let’s go!”
“Right, let’s go!”
“Follow the captain! There will be penalties for the last to arrive!”
The roar that spread was loud enough to shatter eardrums. Once again, their morale soared high without any signs of falling.
Encouraged by this, both the holy knights and knights began attacking the Leviathan without reservation.
Even as it tried to resist by exhaling fog, the blessing from the priests ensured they took almost no harm.
Though using so much divine power was difficult, hope was evident on their faces.
Kwaang!
Once more, the giant’s fist headed toward the creature.
The Leviathan, which had been continuously wailing, now emitted only shallow cries, its awareness fading.
Just as the extermination was progressing smoothly, an engraving visible only to Abel began burning red in his eyes.
“Fall back!”
Sensing impending danger, he immediately ordered the knights to retreat. The knights and holy knights, moved by his authority, quickly obeyed.
Even those formidable warriors could feel the unusual threat radiating from the Leviathan.
Grrl…
Pssstt…
A spark flew, and a thick golden aura began to envelop the Leviathan.
The knights and holy knights couldn’t see this, but to powerful figures like the Pope, Abel, and Arin, its form was clear.
“Hmph. Weak trick.”
“Ha, what a joke.”
The Pope scoffed and swung his arm again. Simultaneously, the giant crossed its arms and struck downward like a hammer.
Kwaang!
With the sound, dirt and dust scattered everywhere. Yet there was no expected wail of pain—only a grating sound resonated in the area.
Whoooom…
Once the dust settled, the Leviathan was revealed.
It looked more like a zombie puppet held by invisible strings than a living creature.
“Tsk, persistent.”
Abel clicked his tongue and raised his staff once more.
§
Boom!
A resounding crash shook the interior. Outside, Abel and the extermination team were undoubtedly attacking the whale.
The most urgent task for me now was to save Yurph.
“This place is really filthy.”
The smell was so putrid here that it made me want to retch. If I had eaten breakfast, I might have vomited instantly.
Even now, barely past the entrance, the stench was this unbearable. Inside, it would be worse.
Sighing once more, I moved forward. Sibley, standing nearby, asked me as if confirming something.
“Maintaining the wind for breathing, right?”
“Of course.”
With his arms crossed, he emphasized his warning.
“Remember, breathe lightly. Otherwise, you might inhale the fog spread inside.”
“And what would happen if I did?”
Curious, I asked Sibley, who sighed in response.
As if reluctant to say it aloud, he paused for a moment before answering me.
“If you inhale this fog for three hours or more, you’ll lose all your memory.
“You’d just become an empty shell, meekly becoming this whale’s prey.”
“That means Yurph…”
Trailing off, I murmured, and Sibley nodded.
“We need to find her as fast as possible. Three hours isn’t a long time.”
Even though he tried to act casual, it was clear from his voice that Sibley was also worried about Yurph.
I felt the same way, so I had to hurry my steps.
“Got it. We need to hurry.”
Grrl…
Not having taken many steps, something appeared aiming for me.
Among them were a few humans dressed as clerics. With vacant stares, they slowly rose and looked toward me.
They were very similar to the zombies often described in tales. It seemed they were the empty shells devoid of all memories.
“Ho hoh…”
Laughing mindlessly, they charged at me without hesitation.
Swinging my rapier, I cut off an arm, but they paid it no mind and continued to lunge toward me with their mouths wide open.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I eventually beheaded them.
With a creaking sound, they fell, causing me to grind my teeth unconsciously.
I was still not used to the feeling of slicing through flesh.
And I didn’t want to get used to it, either.
“Really?”
A voice suddenly seemed to reach me, making me instinctively turn my head.
The voice that had previously helped me resist mental interference.
However, no matter how much I looked around, I could not find its source.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s the voice I heard before…”
“I… I didn’t hear anything.”
Upon hearing Sibley’s reply, I inhaled deeply, deciding to focus on finding Yurph.
Right now, rescuing her was more important than investigating the voice.
The moment I was about to move, the hollow eyes of one of those who had fallen caught my eye.
Momentarily hesitating, I finally tore the cross hanging around their necks.
“Want to return it?”
“Yeah. I want to do this, at least.”
I placed the crosses into a leather bag and continued forward.
Even while in a rush, I believed this small gesture of comfort to the dead was worth it.
