Chapter 26 – The Order of the Heroic Spirits

Shouji smashed the brick walls with a hammer and then hopping into the treasure room as an intruder, the floor was surprisingly bright.

It was a dazzling white light source Flash Rock.

He looked around quickly searching for the enemy shadow, but there was no sign of anyone moving. The cold air drifting through the air passed over his hot cheeks and neck.

There was even a strange chill in the air of the place, as if Ice Rock had been embedded.

「…… It’s not the treasury house……?」

There is no treasure chest filled with golds and silvers treasures as he would expect to find.

On the contrary, he was startled.

It’s because there was a huge tree towering over him, with vegetation sprouting all around.

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When Shouji plucked the tubes using his fingers out of curiosity, he saw that they were filled with a light yellow pigmented liquid――it looked like raindrops.

「Shouji, how is it?」
「It looks like a cemetery…… Although I called it that, but the coffin is brand new…… it’s strange. Are the roses artificial?」

Bando followed slowly, slithering along with his hands on the stone wall.

Lorelei, who had peeked out under Bando’s armpit with sparkling eyes, shouted loudly.

「Wow, this is amazing! What is this, this is truly a beautiful garden! Is this scenery a treasure or something that kind of development!? I don’t hate that kind of romance!」

The gang stepped into the garden one by one. Doldo and Stark followed, a bit surprised at the strangeness of the place, and then each gave their own impressions.

「It’s beautiful, but it’s kinda chilly…… it’s a little…… creepy that the plants and trees don’t move」
「Well, we are robbing a grave, originally. It’s this sort of things. We can enjoy the scenery later, let’s try to find valuables immediately…… What’s wrong Quikk?」

Shouji was shifting the coffin to check the contents, but Stark noticed that something was wrong and called out to him.

Next to him, Bando looked into it too, and they gave each other a knowing look.

「Bando, this thing…… It’s that, right?」
「Yeah…… We’ve seen something that I don’t really like to see. I had a bad feeling about this when I saw the mixture of recovery white fluid and transformation yellow fluid. It reminds me of my military days」

Lorelei was in a bad mood at the their private talk.
She put one hand on her hip and thrust a finger at her other hand.

「You two, you can convince yourselves as you please, but you have to explain it to us, too. I don’t want to go near a dead body because it might traumatize me」

Shouji straightened his back and stepped away from the coffin.
In the opened box lay a human woman, too bloody to be called a corpse.
She was wearing a priestess robe, her arms folded and her eyelids closed.

The head of a tube was put in her mouth, constantly feeding her with a potion.

「It’s a Zombie-Potion」

※　※

「『O wind, fall down! Gust, change and hit the enemy limbs!』」

A powerful spell was chanted from the sky above. The gusts of wind created by the ghost magician leaping over the Haunted Land rang out and closed in. The number of colorless rotating blades formed by the magic was seven. Each one of them was powerful enough to slice through a thick stone wall.

Kielnir put both his hands on the ground and rolled to the side to avoid it, but it followed him closely. He had no choice but to crush the mysterious magic with his special 『Rupture』.

He used too much power on the way, his legs and feet are heavy with fatigue.

「Haha」

The ghost laughed dryly even though his attack had failed.

Even though his body was translucent, he flew around the roof of the house nimbly. The opponent was a jester wearing a clown hat. But it also unleash incredibly powerful magic.

「You!」

As soon as he released 『Finger Flash』in desperation, the ghost magician jumps backwards in the air and flew to another roof. Like a falling leaf, it was easy to avoid. It knows how to see retreat, and it knows how to use martial arts, which is frustrating. Moreover, perhaps because it’s riding the air currents that he has summoned, it’s leaping power is several times greater than normal.

「When Milut-san was still alive, he was an S-rank magician, as you can see from his slender figure, he was more agile than an elf. Although he gets carried away easily, but his abilities are well known」

A ghost in a gorgeous knight’s outfit appeared beside Alistia as she spoke.

He sprinted quietly. His footsteps do not make a sound, and his steps are undisturbed, he demonstrate his polished movement. He rush as he draws his sword smoothly. The exquisite sword’s line leaves a trail and slides into his neck.

Kielnir took a ready stance to intercept it―― But he kept one hand free and secretly shot a 『Finger Flash』at the feet of the ghost knight. He jumped and dodged the shot just in time. As if nothing special, the ghost knight retracted his hand and turned his cloak in the air, perhaps as a distraction, and came at him with a sharp horizontal sword..

He quickly guarded himself with his holy sword. He put his hand on the sword frame to support it, and engaged in a stalemate. He was about to lose in terms of power, so he slipped the blade. They faced each other―― On the second bout. Both sides tried to take advantage of each other’s opening and try to stab at each other, but Kielnir’s deadly sword only went through the side of the ghost knight’s neck.

The ghost knight who jumped into his arms was more skilled in movement than him.

The tip of the enemy’s blade did not penetrate Kielnir’s body armor. The sword was turned upside down and the hilt hit him with a thud. While his internal organs receives the shock wave of the strike through his armor, his face turned red with shame.

Of all things, he was being taken lightly.

Even so, a handicap is a handicap.
He jumped back in retreat and tried to get some distance between him and the formidable enemy, but that was a mistake. The wind blade pierced his back. He was hit from the back by a blade with magic power, and his body was shaken. The oxygen was blown out of his lungs. His feet lifted slightly and he felt like he was about to collapse.

It did not penetrate him. Was this also intentionally? Or had the holy seal engraved on the armor surpassed the magic?

His flesh was not severed, but it took all his willpower to recover.

He gripped his sword that was about to fall tightly, and keep the ghost magician checked with his invisible blade. He deliberately turned his head in the other direction and pretended to showed an opening to see if the ghost knight in front of him would react, but he was silent, the ghost knight pointed his sword at him with a cold look. He was not in a hurry to come after him.

He was going to give him a desperate counterattack, but the enemy has surprisingly maintained his reason and composure.

It’s not like the wraith, which is covered with hatred and turned into a ghost.

There was a thick fog around them.

The white haze obscured the lines of buildings and scenery, gradually reducing visibility. The miasma was spreading. Is the field gives power to the dead?

An uneasy feeling surged within him as he felt himself becoming isolated from the real world. Sweat trickled down his back. It does not mean that he has already lost.

「Ugh, kuh…… No way! I am struggling against a mere ghost……」
「No, it’s not something to be depressed about. This Giltia-san here is a former knight’s instructor. After his death, he was awarded with a medal and was counted as a Holy Knight」

The shocked Kielnir, was astonished and shouted as he shook his head in denial.

「There is no way something like this could happen! How could such a noble person be involved in your evil deeds!?」
「I think it’s normal, isn’t it because there’s a reasonable rewards?」

There was a sound of chains scraping. When he realized, something wrapped around his left arm. He could felt the weight of a spirit body. His arm was hung up and his freedom was sealed. He braced his foot and tried to make sure it could not take his freedom away. The thrower was an old-fashioned Viking. A bearded dwarf wearing a two-horned helmet and animal skin armor.

「This is the captain who used to live in the Van Hard Islands. He was famous for his pirate industry, so he can control his strength perfectly. Please don’t worry」
「Kuh, ah…… Can you tell me what kind of trick it is? I thought it was just priest wraith at most……」

When Kielnir asked, Alistia put her hand on her cheek and pretended to think, but then shifted her eyes toward the crypt.

「Kielnir-sama, have you ever thought about what happens after you die?」
「Not much…… I think」

Strictly speaking, he try not to think about it. Because it’s pointless.
It is beyond his control and there is nothing he can do about it.
If he lose his body, it is over.
That is what death is.

「It’s a difficult subject for the living. Because we are living…… But, for the dead it’s a pressing problem. “Next one” may be a worm to be crushed by a shoe. Or maybe it will be a farm horse that will have to suffer for a long time. If all goes well, perhaps you will be the fifth son of a farmer―― Becoming an powerless, weak, and sickly existence―― I who have done a lot of good deeds in my life? How could that happen? Even though it was the God’s arrangement? The moment you thought about it, your mind goes wild」
「What are you trying to say?」

The three hooded wraiths broke through the white mist and revealed themselves. A dry bone hand was dragging the woman. They were members of『Torch The Blade』. Was her name Sherika? Kielnir still remember her from his memory. She was an ice magician.

She was either dead or unconscious, she did not even move a muscle.

Alistia gently patted the woman’s abdomen as she was being suspended by the three wraiths.

「She may not look it, but she’s pregnant. It’s probably only about seven weeks old…… It doesn’t have a human shape yet, and it’s heart might be beating soon. But, I can’t be careless. It’s also possible for something to go wrong somehow…… Now then, when will God give this embryo in her belly a noble soul?」

The calm tone on her voice was cold and chilly.
He felt a horrible sensation run through him, as if his skin was covered with insects. He even felt nauseous.

The combination of a dead person’s desire for reincarnation and a pregnant woman.
Out of all things, no, there is no way she will do something crazy like that. Even if he had thought about it, it was not a good thing to do.

To reach into that realm―― would be unforgivable, wouldn’t it?

「I can create a void. Just a few moments before God blessed the birth of an infant. It was a discovery. It’s possible for other souls to enter」
「That’s…… !」
「After some experiments, it was done. Therefore, in order to truly save the dead, I promised to reincarnate their souls. I want to be a person again, and if possible, a beautiful and talented one. You can be reincarnated as a wonderful person with exceptional abilities and robust qualities. Those who have lived unhappy, unequal lives will not be able to resist this temptation. And no one have more regrets than the departed spirits, especially in the present world….. I have decided to save those poor people. The birth of life is a blessing. And isn’t the baby is innocent if the content is changed slightly?」
「It’s enough. I’ve had enough of your blasphemy」
「Is that so? I am saving the lives of women who were originally destined to die in the dungeon. Because of my rule, the death rate has been reduced greatly. Because the monsters now have a reason to let people live. All that’s left is for them to excrete themselves without suffering or pain, just for relief. Ah!」

He cannot let them live―― He have to destroy them.

Justice fired him up. Kielnir, who mustered up his energy using his willpower, cut off the spirit’s chains using his 『Rupture』power.
In addition, the invisible blade was flung at the neck of the surprised dwarf. The neckless body collapsed, and fall down on both knees.

The other party is no longer a human.
She is a fiend who has strayed from humanity.

He want to tear her into pieces right now.
Even if it’s against a legion of heroic spirits, there is no way a person who is alive now will be defeated.

「Woahhhhhhh!」

Kielnir face upwards and roared.
He blew a small, formless blade into the sky wildly. The sound waves hit against the rock walls and reverberate . The descending small blades fell like rain. It resound loudly..

If he wanted to, he could turn anything as his medium.
It was called 『Rupture』because it can cut at will. No one can see through this secret skill. In fact, the enemy was unable to avoid it, and they were being attacked from above.

He was aware that the hostage cannot be cut, but the dead should not be able to resist it.

However.

「I see….. It’s an interesting technique, but it’s a bit weak」
「Wha-」

The number of knights in the divine barrier is increasing.

They formed a platoon and lined up in a row. A knight stood out in the center of the line with a daunting pose. His face was obscured by a bull’s helm, but he was a large man wearing an armor with craftsmanship allover. Kielnir cowered in fear at the unperturbed intimidation. His spirit rank was more powerful than the knight he had fought just now.

His throat trembled and he took a step back.
He could see at a glance why his attack had been blocked.

He was the same as him.
An opponent with the same nature as him.

「He is Kielnir-sama senior. The honorable Guardian Braver-sama. I heard that he was defeated by the Beast King, but he wants to challenge him again. His name is」
「It’s fine even if you don’t tell me」

A light-hearted voice ripped through the dark despair.

The ten or so ghost knights that were in front of Alistia were all beaten at once and crushed to the ground. It was because of the sudden pressure that came upon them. The spirit body was twisted and crushed into a pulp. The destructive force was so great that it created a crater in the ground that looked like it had been excavated.

The ghost knights who were beaten to a pulp could not stand.
They made a steamy sound, and stretched out their trembling hands on their final moments as if to ask for help, then disappeared.

The Lord of Destruction was twirling in the air. Her golden leg armor glittered.
The woman lands while circling around.
Her side-tail, tied on one side, fluttered as it grazed the tip of Kielnir’s nose. He wanted to say something, but he was so overcome with emotion that his mouth just gasping and he could not say anything.

『Gravity of Braver』Leschia Winter.

When she finished her landing splendidly, she raised her eyebrows, folded her arms and made a thoughtful look.

「Alistia-san. For my disciple’s growth, I’ve been listening to you while nodding off in the shadows, but…… I don’t think I like that kind of thing. And so, I will declare that you are evil」

Perhaps the ghost knight is not her trump card.
Alistia was surprised, but she kept her demeanor neat and composed.

「I’m sure there are a lot of people who would love to be your child, Karma Legs-sama. Do you have any intention to try to sacrifice yourself for the sake of salvation? If you submits obediently, I will send you home after you have given birth to three children of the next generation’s heroes. I will also give you a reward, though it’s from the ancient time. I think it’s not a bad deal」

Leschia was amazed at the offer and clapped her hands with a snap.

「Wow, what a high treatment! But you know what…… Me, too. I know how you feel, just a little. Because there were a few members of my group die, too. I want to apologize for not being able to protect them, and I want to see and talk to them again….. There are times when I wish they would be reborn as human beings somewhere else. But I’m sorry. When you die, you have to end it. If you had a hard time when you were alive, go meet the God and ask to have mercy on you. Yes. It’s sad, but I think that’s the way it is. So whether it’s the heroic spirits or not, I will kill every last one of them!」