Chapter 38
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Emma, atop her horse, spotted that Monster standing on the distant castle wall. Strangely, she couldn't sense any magical power, though she had heard rumors that it possessed the ability to conceal its magic.
"......This time, I will defeat it."
Nine thousand infantry, one thousand cavalry, fifty Holy Knights, along with the Saint, the holy swordsman, and a handful of adventurers.
Emma didn't want to think that even with these numbers, they couldn't win against their opponent.
However, it was also true that some soldiers were growing complacent due to the overwhelming difference in forces. They thought it was ridiculous to be so intimidated by just a single Monster.
Even so, Emma believed that deploying such a large force was not a mistake. That Dark Lich possessed power worthy of such a response.
"That is truly a dangerous Monster. And ...... Claire."
Beside the Dark Lich stood Claire, who was once a comrade-in-arms. More than a month had passed since they were separated, and Emma wondered if something had changed—or if nothing had.
Claire had apparently played a significant role in the battle against Ceres, but was that of her own will, or was she being controlled?
(......If Claire is being manipulated, I want to free her. Emeralda should be able to do it. But ...... even if we free her, in the end ......)
The Undead cannot live within human society. They are incompatible with Holy Knights. Even if freed from brainwashing or control, Emma would still have to kill Claire.
(......If regaining freedom only leads to death, would it be happier for her to die before reclaiming herself ......?)
As Emma wrestled with her thoughts, Emeralda, also on horseback, spoke to her.
"Emma. Don't make such a dark face. I'm sure ...... things with Claire won't turn out so badly. I have a feeling."
"......Won't turn out badly, you say? We have no choice but to kill Claire ......"
"Emma. Calm down. It's okay. I'm sure it'll be okay."
Emeralda fixed her gaze on the Dark Lich standing on the castle wall.
What did Emeralda feel when looking at that figure? Did she see something other than a terrifying Monster?
While Emma pondered, the frontline soldiers began their magical attacks.
Their attacks flew toward the Dark Lich, but suddenly a black circle appeared, swallowing the magic whole.
"......What is that? Absorbing all magic like that, it's not ordinary magic ......"
Following that, the Dark Lich unleashed an immense amount of magical power, visible even from a distance.
It seemed intent on wielding magic that would normally require the combined efforts of a hundred mages, all by itself.
"What absurd ......!"
Countless Magic Circles appeared beneath the castle wall. From them, Skeletons emerged one after another.
"Their numbers don't even reach five thousand ......? But at this rate, our numerical advantage won't mean much ......!"
Each individual Skeleton might not pose much of a threat. However, the same could be said of the infantry. A strategy of overwhelming with numbers didn't seem very effective.
"Tch. Those Skeletons, they even regenerate ......?"
Skeletons shattered by the mages' magic were reviving one by one. Soldiers that come back to life even after death—their threat was not as it appeared.
"Emma. I will fight too."
"But ...... Emeralda-sama, you're already maintaining the defensive barrier ......"
Maintaining a defensive barrier to protect ten thousand soldiers was an immense burden. Adding attacks on top of that was difficult ......
"I came here to fight."
Emeralda raised her holy staff and unleashed Purifying Light toward the Skeletons.
With a single strike, she purified over a hundred Skeletons, but the enemy numbers were still vast.
Emeralda released Purifying Light a second and third time. Emma could see that Emeralda was rapidly becoming exhausted.
"Emeralda-sama! Please focus on defense! Just blocking the dangerous Dark Magic of the Dark Lich is enough! Leave the rest to the soldiers!"
"But ......!"
"Even those Skeletons must have a limit to how many times they can revive! If they were created by magic, they can't possibly have infinite regeneration!"
Emeralda still tried to fight. Emma leaned slightly from her horse and forcibly lowered Emeralda's staff.
"Defending against the Dark Lich's attacks takes priority over purifying the enemy. If that thing is allowed to attack freely, even this number of soldiers will be defeated in an instant."
"......I'm sorry. My strength isn't enough ......"
"You're doing more than enough."
"Really ...... is that so ......?"
From the front, a shout rang out: Monsters are coming too!
Emma looked and saw a modest number of Wolf Monsters emerging from the castle gate.
"So it can control Monsters as well ......? It doesn't seem to be the same magic as Marionette ...... It looks like they're simply under its domination ......"
There was no telling what would come next. One thing was certain: the prior information that the enemy's main force consisted of just three was no longer reliable.
"Just how many roles does it intend to play on its own!?"
Soon after, the Skeleton army clashed with the infantry units.
Each enemy wasn't particularly strong. However, against Monsters that regenerated even after being defeated, the soldiers struggled to fight effectively. Situations where enemies they thought they'd defeated revived and struck them down were occurring frequently.
The front lines grew chaotic. Screams rang out often. ......Likely, casualties had already begun to emerge.
(......There were stories that it avoided killing, but when cornered, perhaps it can't afford to hold back. Sending an army might have been a mistake ......)
Some of the Holy Knights were positioned at the front lines, and those members fought well. Realizing they couldn't defeat the enemy, they gathered them in one place and used earth magic to bury them underground, among other tactics.
However, the Holy Knights, being too small an elite force, couldn't turn the tide of battle on their own.
"......Over there, is that the holy swordsman and his companions?"
Besides the Holy Knights, Aquell and his group were also making an impact. It seemed they weren't focused on annihilating the Skeletons but rather on breaking through this area with their comrades to strike down the Dark Lich.
'I am Aquell, the holy swordsman! With the blade of justice blessed by divine protection, I shall surely vanquish that evil Monster!'
Before the battle began, Aquell had declared this boldly. And indeed, he possessed the skill to back up those words.
If the enemy were just the Dark Lich alone, perhaps they could have defeated her.
(......Even if we let them charge recklessly, Gilka is on their side. Aquell, who specializes in Monster extermination, should be at a disadvantage against her. There must have been a more effective way to fight ...... But in a way, this could serve as a good diversion ......)
Emma glared at the Dark Lich, who stood calmly and composed.
(......How long can you maintain that composure? Assassins should be secretly approaching as well. Our blade is steadily closing in on you.)