CHAPTER 121

They woke up Laficel, who had been sleeping, armed themselves, and Karnak's group quickly dashed out of the lodging building.

The temple had already become a scene of chaos. The temple servants, gripped by fear, were panicking.

"Ahhh! It's the undead army!"

"Monsters are closing in!"

In contrast, the priests and soldiers of the Saisha Temple remained relatively calm, trying their best to stay composed and respond to the situation.

"Everyone, arm yourselves!"

"Get to your positions!"

The priests raised their wands, and the soldiers grabbed their spears and swords, donning their armor.

Even the acolytes, too young to fight, were preparing holy water from the holy water reserve to use against the undead.

Karnak scanned the surroundings.

'Where is Alius? And Priest Belton?'

Neither was in sight. They must still be in the dungeon.

'I need to assess the situation first.'

The group swiftly moved toward the outer wall of the temple.

As with most castles or mansions, temples were typically built in elevated places to be looked up to. This Saisha Temple was also on slightly higher ground than its surroundings.

As they approached the wall, a middle-aged priest stood guard and questioned them cautiously.

"Who are you?"

It was understandable for him to be on guard since unfamiliar faces had suddenly appeared.

Fortunately, there was someone nearby who recognized Karnak's group. One of the soldiers who had accompanied Priest Belton while escorting Remike's group spoke up.

"They are darkness hunters from Hatoba of the Seven Kingdoms."

"Now that you mention it, I recall hearing about some guests arriving this afternoon."

The soldier continued with the introductions, evidently familiar with Karnak's group.

"Lord Karnak is a 6th Circle mage. These two are Red Knights."

In a situation like this, strength mattered far more than titles or status. The middle-aged priest's face visibly brightened.

"Saisha's grace be upon you!"

Among the Saisha Temple's allies, there were a few aura users and high mages of the 6th Circle or higher.

However, all of them had left for distant lands. This was a peaceful territory, after all.

At present, Karnak's group was the strongest force they had.

"How is the situation?" Baros asked.

The middle-aged priest's expression darkened.

"It's not good."

In the distance, countless monsters and undead forces were slowly advancing.

The sky was filled with evil energy and an aura of malice, while cold air spread across the ground like mist.

Amidst it all, the dead continued to march forward, step after step.

A gloomy sound echoed from all directions.

Uhhhhhh….

Uwooo….

Their numbers were considerable. A rough estimate put them at several hundred.

The priest let out a sigh of despair.

"I don't understand why they're doing this."

"We captured a group of cultists earlier today. They've likely come to rescue their comrades," Karnak explained.

The priest looked confused.

"You're telling me they managed to assemble such a massive army in less than a day?"

"That's the terrifying power of necromancy."

Gathering hundreds of soldiers isn't something that can be done overnight.

You'd have to send messengers to their homes and villages, wait for them to gather at the assembly point, and after that, organize units and distribute weapons.

Even in the fastest scenario, it would take at least a week.

But for an army of undead?

It only takes a few necromancers to make a few calls.

Once notified, the necromancers would raise corpses from graves.

Unlike living soldiers, who are difficult to control, the undead follow orders without question, so there's no need to organize units or anything of the sort.

If the call was made in the afternoon, they could easily gather and start marching by midnight.

'Even considering that, they seem to have gathered quite quickly…'

Among the undead army, there were also several living people, aside from the necromancers.

Most of them were ordinary people in everyday clothes, armed only with spears or swords. Some even carried farming tools like pitchforks or flails.

'They must be cultists who were hiding in this territory. Their forces are much larger than expected.'

The distance between the undead army and the temple was rapidly closing.

The middle-aged priest turned to Karnak's group and pleaded.

"We are preparing to cast a holy barrier to prevent them from advancing. Could you break their momentum in the meantime?"

"Understood."

Leaving the spot, Karnak's group moved along the outer wall, searching for an optimal location to engage in battle.

As they watched the steadily approaching undead horde, Karnak clicked his tongue.

"What's with these necromancers strutting around like they've done something worth bragging about? Such shameless people."

"Isn't that precisely what necromancers are like?" Baros shrugged.

"You used to pull the same kind of stunts back in the day, young master."

In his past life, Baros had often fought at the frontlines of undead armies, swinging his sword while following Karnak.

Even in Trist City, it had been similar.

Karnak glared at him.

"I only did it because it was necessary."

Necromancers often used large-scale attacks to instill fear, but that was always after carefully weighing the risks and benefits.

"What good could possibly come from launching such a massive assault in a situation like this?"

No matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to mind.

No sane necromancer would ever do something like this, whether they're a necromancer or not.

"But those guys did," Karnak muttered in disbelief.

"I can't even begin to guess what they're planning."

***

At the center of the army of the dead, filled with zombies, skeletons, and all manner of monsters, two men in black robes, wearing skull necklaces, were commanding the army.

One of the men, staring off into the distance at the Saisha Temple, asked, "Are you really sure this is a good idea?"

A middle-aged man responded seriously, "How can you doubt the words of Tesranak, Sephedes?"

This man was Lehane, the bishop of the Grenthal Diocese of the cult.

"Under the watchful gaze of Tesranak, everything will proceed smoothly."

His voice was not just serious but solemn, which made Sephedes frown.

'I'm not doubting Tesranak's words, I'm doubting your judgment!'

Of course, he didn't dare say that out loud.

In front of a far more powerful necromancer, honesty wasn't exactly a recommended virtue.

Instead, Sephedes muttered under his breath, "We could have just handled this discreetly using people…"

Lehane, sharp as ever, caught the small murmur.

"Handle it? How can we, who serve the righteous god, stoop to such vile plots as the heretics do?"

Lehane chastised Sephedes with a stern tone.

"Those who walk the righteous path must always be forthright. Surely, you wouldn't abandon your fellow believers?"

Normally, yes, you'd abandon them. That's how a proper secret cult operates.

'But I can't exactly say that to this guy's face.'

Frustrated, Sephedes sighed internally.

He had joined the cult of the Dark God to become a powerful necromancer. Honestly, faith wasn't his highest priority.

On the other hand, Lehane was a devout believer in Tesranak. His loyalty had earned him a higher rank and made him a stronger necromancer than Sephedes.

Lehane truly believed.

He believed that if they waited long enough, a new world would open.

When asked when that day would come, the cult of the Dark God would give this teaching:

–When the day comes, all believers will realize it on their own!

To Sephedes, that sounded like a vague and evasive answer.

If they specified a date and nothing happened, the believers' faith would be shaken.

However, even the cult of the Dark God had overlooked one crucial detail.

There are surprisingly many people in the world who genuinely believe, "My understanding is everyone's understanding, and what I feel is what everyone feels."

When the news broke that the cult members hiding in Gallant Mountain had been captured by the Saisha Temple, Lehane saw it as a revelation from Tesranak.

He believed that this was the moment to start a rebellion and change the world.

Why?

Because he felt that way! Because he had received a spiritual revelation!

'This must be the enlightenment Tesranak spoke of!'

In reality, it was likely that Lehane had unconsciously hypnotized himself due to his desperate waiting. But in any case, Lehane genuinely believed.

He believed that now was the very day Tesranak had foretold.

Without a word to Sephedes, he activated the communication device, rallied the cult members, summoned all the monsters, and raised all the corpses they had hidden away to form an army, marching them straight toward the Saisha Temple.

By the time Sephedes realized what was happening, it was too late to stop it.

'Damn it, I thought no sane person would ever pull off such a crazy stunt…'

But then again, zealots aren't sane, which is why they're zealots.

To make matters worse, Lehane believed he was completely sane and that the rest of the world was the one that was out of touch.

The problem was that even Sephedes had underestimated the extent of Lehane's zeal.

After all, they worked in a decentralized organization, so they rarely met face-to-face.

You can't really understand someone's nature unless you see them often, right?

A decentralized organization is great for keeping secrets, but it's full of disadvantages in every other aspect.

While Sephedes was consumed by his despair, Lehane was still overwhelmed with excitement.

"Though we have hidden in the shadows because of our weakness…"

He raised his voice boldly amidst the overwhelming aura of death that was spreading all around them.

"The time has come to reveal the true teachings to the world with pride!"

At his command, the undead army quickened its pace toward the temple.

As Sephedes gazed at the distant Saisha Temple, his mind raced.

'There's no turning back now.'

Fortunately, the powerful mages and aura users who were supposed to be their allies were absent from the temple. This gave them the upper hand.

'First, I need to wipe them all out and erase any trace of this... then...'

His thoughts stopped.

Then what?

How was he going to explain to the empire that a massacre suddenly took place at a perfectly intact temple? And how would they possibly deal with the imperial army and the Evil Slaying Brigade that would undoubtedly come afterward?

No matter how hard he thought, there was no answer. All it brought was a headache.

'Let's just focus on getting through tonight. If we can't annihilate the Saisha Temple here, there's no point worrying about what comes after.'

***

Karnak and his group had positioned themselves atop a large outer wall between the temple building and the stables.

From this spot, they had a wide view ahead, making it easier to cast spells, and there were symbols of Saisha to the left and right that could provide cover if needed.

In the distance, cultists armed and chanting the teachings of the Dark God were approaching.

"Death is but a new beginning..."

"Fear not, for there is nothing to dread..."

"Tesranak has opened the way, so we follow with joyful hearts..."

Serati, tense, drew her sword.

"It's starting soon."

The swarm of zombies and skeletons had already drawn within several dozen meters.

A captain on the temple side shouted out orders.

"Fire the arrows!"

The arrows were all soaked in holy water.

As the sacred energy struck the undead, explosions rang out in all directions.

Boom! Boom! KABOOM!

But the effect wasn't great.

There were simply too few arrows compared to the number of undead.

"The new world is about to open..."

Lehane began muttering in a singsong voice.

"And we shall be its vanguard!"

Suddenly, the speed of the undead surged.

All at once, they began charging toward the temple at terrifying speed!

"They're coming!"

"Saisha, protect us!"

Hundreds of corpses and skeletons slammed into the outer wall of the temple.

KUUUUUNG!

A fierce battle erupted.

Ominous roars and desperate screams echoed throughout the temple.

"Kraaaah!"

"Ahhhh!"

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