Chapter 201 ~ Frog in a Well

Holy Smite. 

A 7th tier spell that enveloped the target in a column of pure light and inflicted massive damage if they were evil aligned. 

A spell beyond mortals' capability. A spell that only the highest rankings of angels could cast. But as the "True Light", Yuuji was capable of casting an enhanced version of this spell. 

Holy Judgement. 

A spell which purifies and destroys all undead up to level 70 and deals massive damage to all undead, fiend, and those who were evil-aligned or have negative-karma. 

Enhanced by the passive of "True Light" which increases its effectiveness and damage, no undead here within a 40ft (~12m) radius would survive with their unlife. 

Unleashing this spell, Yuuji annihilated the massive horde of death and decay near the door. Then, he unleashed Holy Aura II: Fortitude, to calm the guards and give them strength for a moment. 

Yuuji approached one of the guards who had fallen on the ground and crawled back in fear, leaving a trail of liquid that had seeped into the earth. His face was ashen white as he looked up to him, though some colors were starting to return thanks to his holy aura. However, tainted blood of the undead still clung onto his hands, arms, spear, and armor, intermingling with the cold sweat he had perspired from the near-death experience. 

With one hand still holding Avalon, to Est's displeasure which she clearly expressed in his mind, Yuuji picked up the fallen guard from the ground with his other hand. 

A look of shock spread across the guard's face when he was suddenly lifted up from the ground so effortlessly, as if he wasn't an adult man with weapons and armor. 

"It seems we made it just in time. Thank you for holding on so far, brave soldiers. Leave the rest to us."

From simply being in his presence, fear had disappeared from their hearts as stalwart determination began to fill them, replacing it. 

Like a ray of light in the midst of a harsh, unending winter blizzard, the warmth and assurance his presence had brought made even some of them shed a tear. 

"T-Thank you for saving us, great adventurer!"

Yuuji simply nodded his head.

However, to Albert and the rest of the guards, the simple gesture of accepting their gratitude but refusing any further praise as if it was only natural for him to save them reverberated deep in their heart. 

Indeed, this was how a true hero they've only read in storybooks or heard in legends should react towards any praise for their heroism. With humility and grace. 

Yuuji looked towards the door. With the massive horde of undead annihilated by his spell, the situation was safe for now. However, the damage that had been inflicted upon the doors and walls were significant. 

If another wave of undead of similar intensity were to hit it, he wouldn't be surprised if it were to burst any second. In fact, even now, without any external forces acting upon it, its hinges were already groaning and its metal parts creaking as it was about to collapse from its own weight. 

"Sir, would you open the gates for us?"

All the guards froze in their spot upon hearing Yuuji's words. And Albert, who was asked this question by their savior, couldn't help but look at him in shock. 

He couldn't even begin to understand why his savior would ask for something so absurd?

"S-Sir, with all due respect, we can not open the gates! W-While you may have annihilated many with your spell, w-we've seen thousands more beyond it! I am sure they are marching here as we speak!"

The answer he received was as he expected. After all, opening the gates would mean that the flood of rotting corpses and the abominable beings of undead would enter the city to massacre all the living within. 

And without much time to explain the reality of their capability to wipe the entire horde of undead to the guards, who would have a hard time believing such unbelievable claims, Yuuji yielded.

"Very well. Then, please keep watch on the gates to make sure no undead slips through, and help evacuate the masses from the area."

"Eh? W-Wai–"

Yuuji moved past the guards, followed by Aika, Momonga, and Lupu. 

Then as they approached the gate, Aika waved her hand, letting it dance through the air as the ephemeral light of magic shined at the tip of her finger tips. 

Awe struck the guards when they saw the elegant, graceful gesture of the woman with otherworldly beauty before them. 

While most of her face was covered by a fox's mask, the little they could see convinced them that a face more beautiful than anything they've ever seen laid behind it. 

Just then, all of them snapped out of their daze when they saw all four were lifted up into the air, floating, and flew away and over the gates. 

Now all was silence.

They stared with open mouths and stunned eyes for a while, as though a typhoon had just swept past them. The first guard to recover spoke in a voice that trembled uncontrollably:

"Oi… do you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The sounds of the undead."

Even though they strained their ears to listen, they could not hear anything. It was as though a veil of silence had been drawn across the land. The constant sound of the undead pounding on the doors from just now was nowhere to be found.

They looked up to the sky, and saw rays of golden light shining from the heavens above, despite it being in the middle of the night. 

A heavenly light… A heavenly miracle…

"W-Who was that warrior…"

"I-I've never heard of him either… But calling someone with skills like that a copper-plate is too much of a joke. He should be one of those legendary adventurers with an Adamantite plate, right?"

Albert, along with the others quietly voiced their approval. Someone like that could not be a mere copper-plate adventurer. 

The beautiful woman in pure white robes as well. Even being able to cast the third-tier spell [Fly] was enough to make that caster a master. But casting a single spell which could give the ability to fly on four people at the same time… It was simply unheard of. 

They did not know what the other two were capable of, but at the very least, those two should be someone who possessed a plate made of the highest rank of all metals – in other words, a hero.

There was no other possibility. 

"We… Perhaps we just saw a party of legends. A warrior of light… and a pure white archmage. Heroes."

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With no outside prying eyes, Yuuji exchanged Avalon with Est, after much insistence from her. 

And now that she was finally wielded by Yuuji, the spirit sword sovereign couldn't stop glowing brightly. 

Moving through the seemingly countless waves of undead, a space of around 60ft (~18m) around Yuuji was void of any corruption and decay. His golden aura, which purified any undead it touched, created a space of purity and holiness that no creatures of death and decay could enter. 

Glowing with the gold, ephemeral light of Holy Aura IV: Peace which granted all allies with immunity to fear, confusion, insanity, medium recovery to both HP and MP, a medium increase to all stats, and cleansing all mid-tier curses and evil spirits, Yuuji advanced through the crypt at the forefront of the group with the rest following closely behind him. 

"[Aura Saber]"

With a swing of the delighted Est, a golden wave of divine energy that originated from beyond the stars and heavens erased the existence of hundreds of undeads in its wake. 

The divine energy of the one true "Light" did not discriminate against the type of undead. Skeletons, zombies, wights, ghouls, swell skins, corrupt dead, ghasts, organ eggs, everything was erased and purified equally. 

After a while, Momonga looked back towards the gate and double checked the distance between them and the doors to the graveyard to see if any guards could still see them. 

Having them see a small part of Yuuji's power was something they intended to do in order to further boost their popularity and legend so they could reach the Adamantite rank quickly. 

However, the following things Momonga intended to do to speed things up was not something that should be seen by them. 

After making sure no eyes – physical or magical – were watching, Momonga closed his eyes and imagined two of his dearest friends, and willed them to be. 

"Touch Me-san, Ulbert-san, will you please help me with the ads?"

Before them, the phantoms of the World Champion and God of Destruction appeared facing Momonga. 

The full plated warrior wielding a sword and shield gave him a thumbs up, while the goat headed magic caster in jet-black suit and velvet cape nodded. 

Without a word, the two disappeared from their spot. And a moment later, sounds of breaking bones, ripping flesh, and explosions resounded throughout the graveyard, returning countless undeads back into their graves. 

Yuuji smiled softly and turned to look at Momonga as he looked into the distance, as if he could still see the phantoms of his former guildmates. 

"Having Touch Me-san and Ulbert-san deal with ads… Isn't it a bit too overkill?"

Momonga chuckled at Yuuji's words. 

"It totally is. But, Ulbert-san will be happy with the destruction he could unleash. Though, Touch Me-san might complain a bit."

"Hehe~ He definitely will~ But, it'll make our job here much quicker!"

Aika giggled. 

"Well, I might do it quicker, but if I do, I might destroy this entire part of the city along with them~"

"... Please don't use [Meteor Swarm] here, Aika-san. You'll not only destroy this part of the city, but the entire thing. You'll also kill Nfirea."

"I know~ That's why I'm glad I'm not the one who has to do it~"

The group continued in their path. 

Soon, they reached a chapel at the heart of the graveyard. Several uspicious-looking fellows were standing in a circle in front of the chapel, apparently conducting some kind of ritual.

Black robes adorned their bodies, covering them entirely, and which varied in both texture and color. Their black head cloths hid their faces, only showing their eyes. While the wooden staves they carried had strange carvings on their ends. 

The only exposed face belonged to the man in the middle. His appearance was that of an undead zombie, and though Yuuji and Momonga knew that he was in fact alive from the anime, Yuuji and Momonga still confided in their divine sense and geass respectively to confirm it. 

He was well-dressed, or at least adorned in a better quality robe than the rest, and seemed to be concentrating on the black stone that he held in his hand. 

The wind carried whispered words to their ears. The voices in the air rose and fell in unison. It sounded like some sort of chatting. 

However, it didn't sound like a requiem meant to honor the dead. But some sort of dark ritual which blasphemed against the deceased. 

Yuuji and the rest did not hesitate to approach. And as they walked below the magical lights, the suspicious group of people noticed and took a stance. 

"Khajit-sama, they're here…"

The man at the center, the undead-looking man, glared at the fool who uttered his name before the enemy, before returning his attention to the holy paladin and his party. 

He winced as the black orb in his hand began to glow with unholy light in response to the pure divine and holy aura emanating from its natural enemy. 

"A cult of death doing a ritual in a graveyard… What an uncouth hobby."

"Hmph… I can say the same to you. But I'm not commenting on your hobby of licking the Gods' asses. Who are you anyway? Some paladin from the Holy kingdom?"

The man standing in the center of the circle, Khajit, asked as he looked at Yuuji with intense hatred. 

"I'm an adventurer on an assignment, looking for a missing young man… I trust you know who I'm talking about, even if I don't state his name?"

The other members of the group took a stance, confirming that they were not innocents dragged into the matter. 

"No armies… You're bad at lying, holy knight. While they may be weak to holy aura, it's impossible for you to break through the horde of undead that easily."

His eyes then shifted towards Aika, Momonga, and Lupu, closely observing them. Then, upon coming to a conclusion on his own, a lopsided grin appeared on his grim, pale face. 

"I see… It must've been an exhausting journey huh? You are better actors than you are adventurers."

Yuuji deadpanned in silence. Aika yawned. Momonga looked at the obvious bad guy and cultist with a confused expression, while Lupu held back a chuckle at the bizarre mental gymnastic the guy just did. 

"Well… You may think however you wish, Khajit."

"... And you are?"

"Oh that's right, I forgot to introduce myself. But perhaps, you can have your companion join us so we won't have to introduce ourselves twice."

Khajit looked coldly at Yuuji.

"What do you me–"

"Spare me the lies, Khajit. We both know none of your lanky, sunlight-deficient minions could kidnap even a little girl from the fortress city. There should be someone proficient in stealth amongst you. Though, I guess they must be hiding because they're cowardly by nature."

"Fufu~ Oh my~ Your praise honors me, your holiness~"

Suddenly, a female voice rang out from the chapel.

A young woman, clad in robes, with short, golden hair slowly emerged into the light, and every step she took was accompanied by the clattering of metal against metal.

"You…"

"Ahhh~ they found me out already, so there's no more point in hiding. Speaking of which~ I only hid because I can't use the [Conceal Life] spell~"

The woman grinned, in response to the somewhat angered Khazit.

While she was beautiful, the psychotic grin that reached her blood red eyes could easily scare grown men away. 

Yuuji, Aika, and Momonga could recognize who she was, even without using Momonga's geass. She was the one who once held the position of 9th seat in the Black Scripture – the strongest army and elite force of the Slane Theocracy – and stole the "Crown of Wisdom" from one of the Six Miko Princesses of the Theocracy before going rogue. 

"May I know your name? Ah, I'm Clementine. Pleased to meetcha~"

"Likewise. My name is Alexander. And these are my comrades. Lilith, Momon, and Lupu. 

"I've never heard that name before… how about you?"

"I haven't heard of it myself — and I've gathered information on all the highranked adventurers in the city, so how is it I've never heard of a Momon among them? Still, how did you know it was here?"

"A gathering of cultists. A massive dark ritual. Where else would someone need a person who possesses the talent to use any magical items desperately enough to kidnap them?"

"..."

Silence fell. But before long, Clementine's scoff echoed through the silenced night. 

"Pfft! Ahahaha~ You gotta give that to 'im, Khajit! It's true, after all~ You sure didn't think this through, huh~?"

"Damn you…"

Clementine narrowed her eyes, ignoring the glare of the old man, and looked towards the white gold paladin.

She threw open her coat, revealing what looked like scale mail which individual plates had mismatched components. However, despite everything solely lit by moonlight, Yuuji, Aika, and Momonga's excellent vision saw through the truth immediately. 

Those were not metal plates which made up the scale mail. They were countless adventurer plates. Platinum, gold, silver, iron, copper, even mithril and orichalcum. 

All these were the proof of all the adventurers Clementine had been killing, the trophies taken from her hunts. The innumerable vengeful groans seemed to haunt the metal plates' clinking. 

"Now then, we all know where this is going. So, who will accompany me for a little game tonight~?"

"Fufu~ How cute~"

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