The Former Holy Knight. Having Lost My Job and Childhood Friend, I Decided to Start a Dark Guild - Chapter 38

I knew right away they were no ordinary foes, given their level of swordsmanship. To be able to simultaneously parry the swords of both me and Lilith while protecting a comrade is far from normal.

And then, what’s this? What exactly is happening?

As I attempted to remove the helmet, the ground started rumbling like an earthquake had struck. There were no signs of magic being used. Instead, it felt like some bizarre skill had been activated.

“Lilith, be careful! I’m ashamed to say this as a captain, but I have no idea what will happen next!”

I shouted this and quickly moved away from the heretic clad in the Holy Knight’s armor. Despite having restricted their freedom with the holy spell “Gethsemane’s Prayer,” I hadn’t anticipated them being able to activate a skill.

The underground shook with a booming noise, and dust clouded our vision. Thinking they might use this as a chance to escape, I tried to ascertain the intruders’ movements, but they showed no sign of starting to move. It seems my holy spell still effectively restrained the heretics’ movements. What were they aiming for?

Then, “Captain!” I heard Lilith’s scream.

Turning around, I saw Lilith surrounded by something. Masses of stone and bone-like substances emerged from the ground, combining into one entity. It seemed not to be a creature with life but rather, probably, an undead. And then, more and more undead began to emerge from the ground.

While I was stunned, countless undead had surrounded me as well. The quickest solution would be to use a holy spell to wipe them all out simultaneously, but there was one problem. Activating multiple divine spells inevitably weakens the effect of the spell I had used earlier. Moreover, using an attack-type divine spell underground could also pose a danger to us.

“Lilith, we’re going to wipe out these undead all at once!”

I swung my sword at the undead before me. As expected, my blow, imbued with the maximum holy attributes, was extraordinarily effective against the undead. With each slash, the undead crumbled away. Lilith, too, was defeating the undead one after another.

“But this is endless!”

No matter how many we defeated, the undead kept spawning from the ground like bamboo shoots after the rain. I had faced necromancer sorcerers who controlled undead before, but I had never encountered one this powerful.

What could be the reason for such an exceptionally strong heretic to invade the underground of the giant stone castle? It’s all so incomprehensible. Nonetheless, there’s only one thing to do.

“Lilith! Use the holy spell to wipe out the undead all at once! Do whatever it takes to capture the intruders! Even if they become somewhat able to move, their movements should be dulled by the earlier holy spell!”

“Understood, Captain!”

A blast of holy attributes should temporarily eradicate the undead. I began to chant the holy words. The holy light shall annihilate the impure souls.

As I chanted, the undead relentlessly attacked me. I continued my chant while fending them off with my sword. No need to be so violent; I’ll calm you down soon. Your filthy souls will be purified by me, a Saintess. A loud voice echoed through the underground just before the chant was completed.

“Cecil! Behind you! Be careful!”

Confused by the familiar voice, I turned to find an exceptionally large undead brandishing its sword. Atop a gigantic warhorse was a headless knight. Could this be a Dullahan? The very creature that was said to be favored by a Demon Lord from the past.

Why does such a monster exist in this era?

In an instant, I parried the Dullahan’s strike with my sword and without missing a beat, slashed at the colossal Dullahan. Unlike the other undead, it wasn’t going down with a single hit.

Even as I engaged in combat, I focused more on the heretic than the Dullahan before me.

There’s no mistake. The one who just cautioned me was none other than the intruder donning the Holy Knight’s armor.

Above all…

(There’s only one person in this world who calls me “Cecil”)

Perhaps it was because my concentration had lapsed. The light illuminating the area weakened, and the cave became dimly lit.

After striking down the Dullahan, I immediately forgot about the battle and ran towards the intruder. If Leon had somehow ended up in a place like this, he would be in danger without the ability to use holy spells.

“Leon! I’ll save you now!”

I quickly tore off the intruder’s helmet.

(Eh…?)

The armor was hollow. There was no person inside. I looked around, but the intruder was nowhere to be seen. Could it be that I was outsmarted?

I was about to instruct Lilith to search for the intruder, but I noticed Lilith being overwhelmed in her battle with countless undead.

With no other choice, I activated the holy spell I had chanted. The next moment, with a thunderous noise and the area filling with dust, the pained screams of the undead echoed throughout the underground chamber.