Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Water Magic Armor

Due to the attack by the Holy Knight, the higher-ranking Greater-class demons such as the Goblin King and the High Orc, along with others, were desperately trying to hold them back.

However, their opponent was a Holy Knight who could easily slaughter higher-ranking Greater-class demons.

One by one, their comrades were being killed, and they were gradually being cornered.

Goblin King, who always reported to Shu, was inwardly anxious but devoted all his efforts to stopping the Holy Knight. He used his subordinates, Goblin and High Goblin, as well as the intermediate-level Hobgoblin, to strike at the Holy Knight with crushing force and waited.

Their boss, Shu Arklight.

"These numbers are troublesome."

"What should we do, Mr. Zamus?"

"We have no choice but to persistently crush them."

Zamus Shurif, the Holy Knight who took on the role of leader in this investigation, swung his halberd and slew the demons one after another. Among the Holy Knights of Irdana, Zamus was considered the most experienced and reliable man.

He not only had formidable combat skills but was also competent as a commander, earning much trust.

"We'll take down that Goblin King first."

Due to Goblin King's command, the extermination wasn't going well. Therefore, Zamus decided that they should deal with the individuals leading the demons first.

While swinging his halberd, Zamus gave instructions to his fellow Holy Knights.

"I'll be the shield. You defeat the Goblin King with your magic. The fifth tier of the wind element should be sufficient."

"Understood. I'll begin the incantation."

His fellow Holy Knight extended their right hand and started the incantation. As they did, a pale blue magic circle appeared and gradually grew more complex and larger. Meanwhile, Zamus swung his halberd like a storm, blowing away the demons.

Zamus's halberd was not a magical weapon but a regular one, so he couldn't infuse it with much magic power. Enveloping an object with magic power was not only inefficient but also difficult.

However, even if it was just a regular weapon, it didn't matter.

Zamus firmly protected his comrades until they completed their magic.

"Zamus, we're ready!"

"Good, go for it!"

"Fifth-tier wind magic: Air Cutter!"

A mass of compressed pressure was launched towards the Goblin King, known as the Little Demon King. This magic was a technique that sliced through its target by striking it with a cluster of thin air. The phenomenon of severing was caused by molecular destruction due to pressure, so it was not an impossible occurrence even for gases.

And the magic-controlled "Air Cutter," known as the Wind Blade, had enough power to cleave a living being in two.

However, the goblin underlings, known as Little Goblins, sacrificed themselves to protect the Goblin King. A single weak hybrid Weed-class goblin alone wouldn't serve as a shield, but with dozens of them, the power of the "Air Cutter" would diminish.

The Goblin King was protected at the cost of its subordinates.

"Surprisingly, it has higher intelligence than I expected."

"What do you mean, Zamusu-san?"

"Perhaps there is a superior being than this one. If it is being controlled by a powerful higher-ranking species, there is also data indicating that monsters gain a certain level of intelligence."

"I see."

It had been foretold from the beginning that a strong monster would be born. Even if it wasn't the "King," it was natural to assume that there would be individuals of considerable power.

"Let's defeat this one quickly. It would be troublesome if the commanding species managed to escape."

"Understood. We'll use area magic this time."

Once again, while Zamusu mowed down the groups of Little Goblins, High-level Little Goblins, and Mid-level Hobgoblins with his Halberd, his allies employed a tactic of casting magic.

The Goblin King, aware of the danger of magic, desperately ordered its subordinates to charge. However, these kinds of monsters were no match for Zamusu.

"Next, I'll shoot!"

"Alright, go for it!"

"Fourth-tier Flame - Gupya!?"

"Huh!? What happened!?"

Just as they were about to unleash their magic, a comrade screamed, causing Zamusu to instinctively turn around. There, he saw blood splattering everywhere, and what appeared to be the scattered remains of a comrade who seemed to be a Holy Knight.

At the same time, he noticed Shu standing there.

"Wh-who are you!"

"I'm your enemy."

Shu unleashed consecutive spells without any hesitation: Weight Amplification, Acceleration, and Movement Magic. In an instant, he stood before Zamusu, taking advantage of his surprise.

He released a blow enhanced by his weight and acceleration, simultaneously amplifying the impact and sound with vibration magic.

Zamusu burst from within.

"Alright..."

Indeed, he could defeat a Holy Knight if he caught them off guard. He confirmed that his attack power was more than sufficient.

However, Shu felt something strange when he saw the scattered remains of Zamusu.

(The blood is transparent... No, is it water?)

A cold sensation ran down his back, prompting him to swiftly move away from there. Utilizing acceleration magic, he escaped towards the location of the Goblin King, a small demon king, using high-speed movement that resembled gliding over the ground.

In that instant, a small whirlpool of water appeared where Shu had been just a moment ago. It seemed to rotate with considerable pressure, as the debris caught in it shattered into tiny pieces.

Gradually, the whirlpool weakened and took shape around the area where Zamus's white holy knight uniform lay. It transformed into a humanoid figure, donning a white uniform, becoming Zamus, the holy knight who was supposed to have been shattered and blown away.

Presumably, it was a manifestation of magical armor.

"So, there's such a thing as magical armor..."

"I was surprised that you attacked so suddenly. Are you human? Why are you siding with the monsters?"

Zamus, unaware that Shu was a spiritual-type monster, posed the question.

However, Shu was on the verge of clicking his tongue due to his failure to defeat Zamus in a single strike.

(A transforming type of magical armor, huh? I've heard it's common for them to borrow the forms of animals or possess entities, but I never expected there to be a type that can transform into inanimate objects.)

Zamus's magical armor was undoubtedly of the transforming type. However, the ability to convert one's body into water was unheard of. It could be Shu's limited knowledge, but regardless, he considered it a troublesome situation.

"The surprise attack just now... It seems it wasn't an accident. I don't know why a human would ally with monsters, but since you've killed my comrades, I cannot forgive you. For the time being, I'll have to capture you."

"If you can."

Shu attempted to target Zamus with "Divide Line," a range divider that slices through the air, but it seemed that even utilizing decomposition magic in the extremely thin region had no effect on Zamus's watery form.

Zamus himself appeared to understand that something had been done to him, but he merely tilted his head, showing no signs of being affected.

"Have you done something to me?"

"...It's a troublesome ability."

Being transformed into water meant that there were no vital points.

Honestly, Shu had no strategy to overcome the current situation.

(...I'll hold him back. You all, run away, Goblin King.)

(But, Shu-sama...)

(Just go!)

Shu telepathically commanded the Goblin King. At first, the Goblin King hesitated, but soon he gathered his subordinates and scattered in various directions... or so it seemed. Only the Goblin King remained, determined to stay no matter what.

Observing this scene, the holy knight Zamus narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong? Did they abandon you?"

"I don't know."

"...Did you let them escape? Well, it doesn't matter. The order has changed. First, I'll capture you. The crime of siding with evil monsters is heavy."

In an instant, the two disappeared from the scene.

Shu used acceleration and teleportation magic, while Zamus engaged in a combat that appeared blurred to ordinary eyes due to his enhanced body.

***

Iris Silverbullet, who participated in the operation as a Holy Knight, was exterminating the escaping monsters at the edge of the monster village.

"It's the Thunder Shot of the Third Tier of Wind!"

A lightning bolt ran from the magic circle formed at the tip of her right hand, scorching the fleeing pig-like orc. Iris, who had already been promoted to Rank A, possessed high-powered magic even if it was the Third Tier.

She had completely charred and killed the middle-tier orc.

"As expected of you, Iris."

"No, it's all thanks to the support of my senpai."

Iris was working together with a senior female Holy Knight in a pair for the extermination. In this monster village extermination, twenty Holy Knights were divided into pairs or groups of three. Unforeseen circumstances could arise, so they never dealt with the situation alone.

They were paired based on their compatibility, so sometimes it would be a group of three.

And Iris was a rear-guard type who used magic.

It was appropriate for her to be paired with a frontline Holy Knight. This senpai Holy Knight had a tendency to go berserk and would charge forward, ignoring her own injuries. Therefore, Iris, who could also use healing magic, was suitable for the role.

"Senpai, I'll heal you."

"I'm counting on you."

Iris used healing magic by her senpai's side.

By the way, there are only two types of healing magic: recovery and barrier. Since the effectiveness varies depending on the user, there are no ranks for it.

The healing prayer transmitted the magical power and formed a complex magic circle, healing the senpai Holy Knight.

"It seems the extermination is complete around here. It's almost finished in other areas as well."

"I can hardly sense any magical power. I think the signal flares will be launched soon."

As Iris applied the healing, she mentioned that, and a small fireball exploded in the sky a little distance away. It was a signal flare created by flame magic.

The signals were predetermined based on their attributes, and flame meant gathering.

"The signal just went up."

"It seems they've defeated the commanding individual of the village. Let's go."

"Yes, understood."

Iris and Senior Holy Knight nodded at each other and headed towards the location where the signal flare had been fired, aiming to reinforce their bodies. Along the way, they also found houses of burning monsters, but they ignored them all. For the Holy Knight, monsters were absolute enemies, so their hearts did not ache even when committing such a massacre.

This was because they had been taught that it was normal since childhood.

Among the demon and boar-demon-type monsters, almost half were Weed hybrids, followed by low-ranking Lesser-class, middle-ranking Middle-class, and high-ranking Greater-class. However, it was rare for such a large number to form a settlement, indicating that the leading individual was a powerful monster.

And the fact that the signal flare had just been fired meant that they had killed it.

Iris was curious about what kind of monster had united the settlement.

(I've never seen a Disaster-class calamity before. I'm a little excited.)

It was insensitive, but she couldn't help thinking such things.

It was common for monsters to evolve from Weed hybrids to Lesser-class. And there were also a considerable number of middle-ranking Middle-class monsters. The discovery of high-ranking Greater-class monsters occurred more than once a year.

However, Disaster-class calamities were truly rare.

One reason was that the Holy Knight quickly exterminated the danger, but it was not something commonly seen. In the worst case, one might never see it in their lifetime.

That's why Iris was looking forward to it with a mix of fear and excitement.

"Hm? Iris?"

"Oh, Iris-chan, you're safe too."

"Seniors!? Yes, I'm safe."

"Hey, I'm here too. Why are you only calling out to Iris?"

Along the way, they also met another pair of senior knights and joined forces, running toward their destination as a group of four.

Cute and capable of using light magic, Iris was popular among the Holy Knights, especially with the senior knights who often paid attention to her. Many people would throw her unwanted and lustful glances, so she didn't particularly feel happy about it.

Anyway, they continued running through destroyed villages, with monster corpses scattered around and flames rising in various places until they reached a slightly open area.

That was the location where the signal flare had been fired, and in the central area stood Zamus, the leader of the operation.

Zamus impaled the Goblin King, a small demon, with his halberd in his right hand and captured someone with a human-like appearance using his left hand, which had transformed into water.

"Hm? You've come."

When Zamus turned around, the figure of someone imprisoned in his body became clearly visible.

It was a person Iris recognized.

"...Shu-san?"

"......Iris."