The feeling of the knife cutting Ceraes's throat is similar to that of a knife used to dismember fish or beasts, but there is something unpleasant about it. There was no more light in Ceraes' eyes as he collapsed, and he seemed to have completely lost it.

"My Lord!

　Duvvleor's worry is troubling. You are far superior to me, so you should have a more detailed understanding of what just happened, instead of judging it as you see it.

No problem. It's just a scratch compared to my arm.

　No matter how much this man values his life and how much he cares for me, I'm not going to die with him.
　Ceraes thrust his spear at me one last time, but it didn't have the power to be a spear blow anymore. Even if she had, the demon claws on the back hem of her dress had been dug into the ground so that she could move backwards at any time.
　In the end, Ceraes' final blow only tore the dress at my chest a little, just a little deeper than the thin skin. Well, a wound is a wound, and it should have bounced back with the elasticity of my chest.
　I'm going to use magic to stop the bleeding first, and then I'm going to give priority to healing the left hand. The left arm is the only one that needs to be treated first and foremost.

"Mr. Purple. ......
"Thank you, Wolfe? I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this. If it had been Duvvlei, how many times would you have used the same method to take it easy on Ceraes ......?

　If all he had to do was launch a spear, Duvraeus could have done the same. You can change your body at will, so it would have been possible for you to do it alone. But I can tell you that of all the people here, only Wolfe could have used this power against my left hand.
　I asked Duvraeori to adjust his aim so that it would be accurate, and he was right. If that shot had missed and hit me in the torso or something, I would have been dead.

...... Yes.
Don't worry, the wound on your left arm will heal without a trace. I think I'll leave some on my right shoulder and chest for him to ...... stroke, though, don't you think?
"Oh, you're so tough .......
It's a bit of a hard compliment to take, isn't it?

　The left arm is too much, but the chest was wounded in a good way. I've always tried to refrain from taking advantage of his kindness, but even so, I suppose I could at least ask for compensation.

"Serraes-sama!

　I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it. It's not just Duvraeus, either.

"Serraes used the power of his spear to stop us all by himself, didn't he? I don't know if he was trying to protect you, but if you're going to run away, I'm not going after you.
"Shut up, you demon king! I'm sure you're not the only one. He is a true saint who is willing to get his hands dirty to protect the order of this world!
"I won't shut up. I'm giving you one last piece of advice, okay? I'm not going to shut up. I'm giving you one last piece of advice: don't let your emotions determine whether you take the body home or leave it here with us.

　Oh, I can't do what he does, I can only be a hater. One by one, Serraes' men picked up their weapons and turned their hateful gazes on me.

"Yes. Duvvlayori, handle this without emotion.
"As you wish.

　The magic spear has already lost its effect. Those who have not prepared a single countermeasure will not even be able to take a shot at Duvraeori. We don't need to focus on it anymore, let's focus on healing the wound. While doing so, all hostility will disappear without a sound.

"Well, even a demon lord is weak...
"Neillertes. I don't want to say this to make you feel better, but can you please not lump me in with substandard people like Heki?
"Heh heh heh. My king is the most powerful demon king in existence! By the way, I can help you clean up the small fry, if you want.
You'll enjoy it, won't you?
It's not like the stories of the past, but the gentle demon king.

　It's a good idea to take a look at the actual information on the web. As an enemy, he may not be willing to show mercy, but he will not be unnecessarily tormented either.

"I'm sure he did it, didn't he? It's a good thing, isn't it?
I thought you were going to let him go, though, didn't you?
Men like Serraes, even if they're hated, are necessary for the times. If my men wanted to carry on his will, I would have at least taken a look at them, you know?

　But Serraes' men were more interested in avenging him. They said they could not replace Ceraes, that they could not learn how to do it, even if they were prepared to get their hands dirty.

If he had such a capable apprentice and companion, Ceraes would not have had to go so far out of control.

　If there had been someone who had the same abilities as Ceraes, he might have been able to choose a more peaceful path. But this man had no one to consult. That's why he could only choose to act alone and join forces with people like Raheit and the others.
　There is no doubt that Ceraes was the one who hurt her, who tried to take her life, and who only directed his hatred at her, but there was something in the glint in his eyes that he showed in his last moments that I felt. Even if it was that of a blind man who had taken the wrong path, I could see some beauty in it.

It's okay, that's okay. People can feel value in others because of their scarcity.

　First aid had been administered, and by the time I looked up, we were the only ones left in the chapel. To tell you the truth, I wanted Wolfe and the others to go on ahead of me, but Duvraeus never leaves my side because of his nature. The only reason I'm on this team is so that I can use Duvraeus, my greatest asset.

Van, can you give me a shoulder? I've numbed the pain, but it's going to take some time before I can walk again, right?
Of course. Thanks for the duel.

　Taking Van by the shoulders, I made my way to the back corridor of the chapel. He said that of the three passages in the middle level, only one leads to the lower level. He said that he could not read who was guarding that route, so he wanted us to confirm it with our own eyes.

If this route is the right one, who will be able to fight Duvraeori, Wolfe, and Neelryates? It's more than enough, though, isn't it?
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. I'm not sure what to do, but I'll do my best.

　I'm sure this is the strongest of the teams that have gone in. If we can continue to reach the lower levels, it will be a decisive battle with the highest chance of victory. But my luck of the draw is .......

"......, who here has the best luck?
"Well, I'm the type of person who doesn't rely on luck, but on steady progress. ......


Woo, Wulfe, yes!
"I believe it was fate that brought me to ...... the Lord again. Luck is another--
"Can you at least make a joke that makes me laugh?

　I said it to try to lighten the mood, but it wasn't the right thing to say. It just froze the atmosphere.
　And with that awkward atmosphere, we found out the correctness of this route. We found a single path to the lower levels, which had been filled in spectacularly along the way.

　◇.

　Exploding undead are much nastier than you think. They keep regenerating due to necromancy and are always coming at you.
　However, it seems to be certain that Raheit's control is necessary to detonate the undead. It will stay within a certain distance and detonate the undead at the most appropriate time.
　Detection magic cannot distinguish between undead and humans, and visual confirmation is the only way to find Rahite. But--

There he is!
Confirmed ......!

　Even if you find a human being, you can't tell if Raheit is in their body or not. Even if you do capture them, they're just wobbling around like undead under the spell and are being played with completely.
　This catacombs is wide both horizontally and vertically, and it is designed to descend slowly. The people we have secured are bound with chains and strapped to the ceiling near the entrance to prevent them from being damaged by the explosion, but we don't know how many more are left. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and how you can use it.

"Oh, my God! It's a bit sluggish, isn't it?
My compatriots can tell at a glance if it's Raheit or not. ......
There's no way I can juggle that guy, nor do I want to!

　As for me, I'd like to know how to understand their emotions, but that's irrelevant right now.
　There has been no direct attack from Raheit yet. He has kept his focus solely on observing the distance between us and the undead and detonating them. However, if we become distracted, he will at least attack us directly with magic.

I'm going to use the wards of Lakra to prevent explosions and the chains of Exdoik to collect the hostages one by one. That's a solid plan.

　I hear a different voice again, but I'm pretty sure it's Raheit speaking. I look in the direction of the voice, but I can't make a decision because he seems to be hiding in the midst of a crowd of undead. In fact, if he hides behind the undead, it would be difficult to even detect him visually.

You can't make it sound like I didn't do anything! I've been trying to break your necromancy for a while now!
I've been trying to break your necromancy for a while now..." "I've been learning necromancy techniques from Yugra, and I don't expect to win against you. That's why I'm fighting in such a messy way.
"Well, you use necromancy with your senses. That's why you can't handle other people's souls well. You remind me of the time Yugra snickered at me.

　Rahite doesn't give individual instructions to the undead. He's just letting them all attack the same moving target. It is also much slower than the undead used by Ao.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it'll be enough to buy you some time. ...... Area, set.
What are you--?

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before. There was some sort of transparent crystalline material rising up from where they had been. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. I've heard that it's a one-pointed technique, but it seems to be able to generate it over a certain area as well.
　The undead that are flung away are coming towards you faster than you can move on foot. Should we use the chains to flip them off? No, if we let them escape, they'll be blown up in midair and the wards won't be able to protect us in time.

"La la la la! Larger wards in front of us!
Yes, already!

　The undead flying at you will all crash into the wards that Lakra has deployed and fall to the ground. It's certainly a surprise attack, but as long as Lacla's wards are in place, it's still ineffective. There is no point in sending the undead flying through the air. ...... No way!

Point, set. This is my own analysis, but it seems that Lakra can't deploy more than one ward at a time, right? If that's the case, how about this kind of shaking?

　The first of the undead swarm was sent flying into the air at a quick speed. The first one flew not towards us, but towards the hostages strapped to the ceiling. Lakra also noticed this and tried to reattach the wards to the hostages, but...

"Area, set. Now, which one do you want?

　As before, a ranged undead shot toward us. What this means is a simultaneous bombing attack on our side and the hostages' side. The timing of the detonation is probably exactly the same, so that if one side is warded, the other side will be defenseless. The detonation itself may be instantaneous, but the sensation of flying debris is in seconds. It's impossible to put them on alternate sides.

"Please don't lick me!

　The action Lacla took was to put up a single ward. The wards are deployed in a perfect position to knock down the undead that are approaching both the hostage and our side. The large wards consumed a lot of magic, but Lakra managed to distort the shape of the wards so that they consumed the least amount of magic.

I'm not going to take it lightly, though I could lick the bitterness out of it.
"Aah! Rakura, look out!

　I felt a magic buildup underneath Lacla's feet. I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.

"Exdoik!
"No problem. It's not a problem. His goal is to break the shape of the wards that Lakra has deployed. It seems that the blasting of the undead that forced the two choices was itself a decoy.

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before. But if you can change it into an unspecified shape, as you have done now, it will be a flat warding, not a three-dimensional one. If this is the case, magical attacks from blind spots will be able to pass through.


　The point, the area, that Raheit was talking about, is another trap to get our attention. They're trying to anticipate our next attack and use it against us.

"Oh, too bad. I thought I had one down.
I thought I killed one of them." "What else can they do but attack insidiously?
I'm just trying to be as effective as I can with all the elements.

　There's no need for Rahite to be in a hurry just because he failed in his current ambush. Even if he repeats his current actions, Lakra will have to continue to protect several targets at a distance.
　If all the hostages are kept close to Lakra, she may be able to protect them all, but it is obviously dangerous to keep a puppet man awake beside her.

...... "Ao, any longer and you will be forced to choose one or the other.
"...... Yes. I would have preferred not to use it if I could have, but I couldn't think of a better way to deal with it.

　Ao and I had talked in advance about when to use the trump card. That is, when we judged that it would be difficult to deal with the situation with our own abilities alone. If you think about it a little longer, you might be able to come up with a better idea, but it's too late when it's too late. What is required in this mid-level battle is to break through faster and with less sacrifice.

I'm sorry I didn't provide you with a way through.
"Don't apologize. Don't apologize. I've been in your shoes, and it stings.

　This is enemy territory, and we can't let the skeletons under Ao's command hide in the ground beforehand. Darr'Agestia was also forced to leave it behind, saying that it was impossible to enter the ruins due to its size. But Ao said he would still fight with me, and his compatriot advised him to have a trump card.
　At first, he thought of using a unique class of skeletons and ghosts that existed in the Quama demon world, but he decided that he needed a strength other than combat power since his strength was far inferior to that of the Daluagestia.
　Ao was at a standstill, and his compatriot offered him a way out. However, it was a hesitant act for both Ao and his compatriots. It was to team up with humans and let Ao, who lived as a neutral party, use the power of Annihilation again.
　I remembered the three undead, Grest, Taves, and Wafroy. They were enhanced versions of the knights, kings, and other undead who were said to have had a great influence on Ao's life. But they had already been freed from Ao. If they were to be used again, they would have the same fighting power as a unique class of demons, but they would have no other strengths.
　However, when Ao heard the name of the target presented by his compatriot and the reason, he decided to use his power. As a result, Ao gained a powerful power in a sense. This undead can be a trump card, especially in this situation. .......

I'm sure you've heard of it. I'm sure that's what the man has in mind for you. Please use it. I was hoping to crush a trick or two out of him.
I'm glad to see you're welcome. --Come on, let's go.

　Taking the skull as a catalyst from his luggage, Ao used the power of Annihilation to create the undead. In the end, it's a matter of time before he'll be able to get the job done.

What the heck, I'm on after all. And what the hell is this scene? A necromancer is your enemy?

　It's the second time I've heard this voice, but it still feels strange. The undead may take human form, but they are still monsters. This undead is an example of that, and despite its hideous appearance, it can speak with surprising fluency.

"Yes. I'm Rahite, a man who once worked for Scarlet and hid out as a priest in Medicine.
"Oh, ...... that's ...... awesome. It's good, it's pretty good. I was going to spit on him and wait for a compulsory order if it was someone I didn't know, but not if it was him. I'll help you out with some extra motivation.

　His flesh was rotting all over his body, and he was wearing a mask of specialness prepared by Ao on his face. The only remnants of his human form are his costume and his arms.

The man is ...... not ...... at all.
I'm sure you're not the only one. It's just that ...... smells like it, and it sure looks like it. It's been a while since I've seen you. You took care of my arm last time. I'm sure you're right. I'll make you pay for that as well, Rahite.

　The name of the undead is ...... Dokora, Dokora-Ketta. I'm not sure what to make of that.