novelraw Chapter 66
Chapter 66
Ch.66 Find the Seal Stone!
—Kyaahhk!
—Kyaah!
—Woof! Woof!
“What is it? Has the enemy appeared?”
Alarmed by the chaotic noise outside, I sprang into action.
I grabbed the nearest coat, stepped out of the tent—and froze.
“What the—?!”
Hundreds… no, thousands of penguins surrounded our tent.
“Hans, what’s wrong? Wh-what are those?!”
Selena, who’d followed me out, stared in shock at the writhing mass of penguins.
—Kyaaahk!
At that moment, one penguin lunged at me while I was off guard.
“Damn it!”
—Thud!
Its surprisingly heavy weight knocked me over.
The penguin perched on my chest, trying to stab me with its sharp beak—but I twisted my head aside, dodging the attack.
I drew Equality, aimed at the penguin’s head, and pulled the trigger.
—Bang!
With a loud crack, its head burst open. I shoved the limp body aside.
Was Selena okay?
I frantically scanned the area.
Up front, Selena was buying time by fending off penguins.
What’s going on? Why did they appear so suddenly?
Caught off guard by this unexpected ambush, I hastily cast holy magic over myself, switched Equality to shotgun mode, and fired wildly.
—Bang!
—Bang!
Penguins hit by Equality collapsed instantly without even a chance to resist.
“Selena, fall back!”
“Got it! Thunder Arrow!”
Worried she might get hit by stray pellets, I told her to retreat—but overwhelmed by the sheer number of penguins, I ended up using Levi’s Dagger to cast Corpse Explosion.
—Boom!
Though the technique packed serious firepower, it couldn’t wipe out the teeming horde all at once.
What should I do? Should I raise them as undead instead of using Corpse Explosion?
I needed time to think.
“Bone Shield!”
Massive grayish-white bones encircled us, blocking the penguins’ advance.
“This should buy us some time.”
—Gyaaaahk!
—Kyaaahk!
Outside the bone barrier, the penguins shrieked grotesquely. Even after firing Equality repeatedly, their grating cries continued.
“Ugh… I only grabbed my sword…”
In her haste, Selena hadn’t had time to bring her sword.
I reassured her with a gentle pat.
“It’s fine. I’ll handle this.”
While mowing down attackers with Equality, I simultaneously reanimated dead penguins and buffed them.
“Kill every living penguin!”
—Kreeeek!
The surviving penguins panicked as their fallen comrades rose to attack them.
To maximize my undead army, I selectively shot the living ones.
—Bang!
—Bang!
How many shots had I fired? My trigger finger began to numb.
Soon, the tide turned—the undead penguins began a one-sided slaughter.
As their numbers grew, spreading like a contagion, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This should be over soon.
“Selena, are you hurt anywhere?”
Confident the situation would resolve itself, I turned to Selena.
“I’m not hurt… but it’s so cold…”
She hadn’t even grabbed an outer coat in her rush. I took off my own and draped it over her.
“Here, wear this for now.”
“Huh?”
When I placed the coat over her small shoulders, Selena suddenly ducked her head and mumbled in a tiny voice,
“Thank you…”
“It’s nothing.”
Though I said that, the memory of that frantic moment made my back damp with sweat.
That was dangerous—really dangerous.
Without holy magic, I was barely different from an ordinary person.
Even with holy magic, I couldn’t possibly stand against a proper knight.
No matter how much holy magic enhanced my body, it couldn’t match someone who trained daily through sheer physical discipline.
I realized then—I needed swordsmanship to truly boost my physical capabilities.
Because this level of strength wouldn’t stand a chance against the King of the Dead.
The deafening noise finally ceased—had we eliminated all the penguins?
But the stench of blood from hundreds, maybe nearly a thousand corpses, made my stomach churn.
Staying here was out of the question. We’d have to move the tent.
We quickly packed up and left.
“Ugh… I still smell blood in my nose.”
—Kweh! Kweh!
The penguins trailing behind our dog sled let out unpleasant cries.
“Same…”
I’d never smelled blood this thick in my life.
The image of snow drenched crimson would be hard to forget.
We kept moving until the air cleared, then pitched our tent again on a suitable snowfield.
“Hah… so heavy.”
As I set up the tent, penguins watched me with curious eyes.
One tilted its head left and right when our eyes met, sparking a sudden, plausible idea.
Could I get them to help?
Just in case…
I took out Levi’s Dagger and ordered the penguins to help set up the tent.
They waddled over to where the tent poles lay scattered and lifted the poles—which to them must’ve seemed like building columns.
“Oh?! It actually works?”
I cheered inwardly—if those heavy metal poles didn’t need hammering in by me, that was a huge relief.
But my joy was short-lived…
—Thud.
Was it because they had no hands?
They couldn’t properly drive the poles into the ground.
Logically, you couldn’t hammer frozen earth barehanded.
Normally, you’d use a mallet—but these penguins couldn’t wield tools like humans.
Well… at least they lifted them. That was something.
I’d just have to hammer them in myself.
After tidying up the mess, I finished pitching the tent.
Thus passed a thoroughly chaotic night.
***
Bright daylight filtered through a forest with an eerie atmosphere.
Sunlight pierced the dense canopy, illuminating patches of sparsely grassed ground.
There, twenty priests and nuns lay gagged and sprawled on the earth.
Behind them stood a massive crowd—hundreds of people chanting a name in jubilation.
—Cardinal Davinus!
—Cardinal Davinus!
A handsome man in his thirties stood at the center of the priests.
He raised both hands, calming the crowd.
“The time has finally come! Our god shall personally look upon us!”
Dressed in black priestly robes embroidered with lavish golden thread, he had thick black hair, pale skin, and sharp eyes that left a strong impression.
“Our Lord has given us a command.”
He spread his arms wide.
“Now, praise Him!”
As he finished speaking, a haunting melody from a music box echoed through the air.
~O Fair One who judges all alike,~
~Let us enter His embrace. Death shall save us all.~
~Make us one.~
The somber tune and funeral-like lyrics deepened the chilling atmosphere.
“Now! The time is here. Let us offer these false god-worshippers to our Lord! Then He shall show us the way!”
A robed man shouted.
The gagged men and women thrashed desperately, trying to escape.
Watching them, Davinus approached a man in white priestly robes.
“Are you afraid?”
—Uuuh! Uuuh!
Seeing the man tremble and sob, Davinus smiled coldly.
“Compared to our brothers and sisters you’ve killed, this is nothing.”
Davinus’s eyes gleamed with vengeance and bloodlust—as if savoring this cruel slaughter.
“Praise Him, all of you! Praise Him so our Lord may accept and devour these offerings!”
As the crowd’s praise swelled in response…
White, thread-thin strands began emerging from the priests’ and nuns’ eyes, noses, mouths, and ears.
Splitting into dozens of filaments, they rose like smoke into the sky.
“Ooh! Our Lord is feasting upon them! Praise Him with all your might! Pray fervently for His return!”
~Fear not death, for death is a tender father.~
~Death is not an end, but union with all.~
As his voice rose, the prayers transformed into a collective chant.
Above, the white strands danced and swirled high in the sky.
The onlookers watched, eyes glazed with madness.
It was a truly grotesque scene.
“O Lord! Father of all death! We humbly beg You to accept our offering and return to us!”
At that moment—
—Found it!
A faint male voice echoed through the clearing.
For ten years, this ritual had been held regularly—yet never before had such an odd voice been heard.
“Ooh… O Lord! O Death!”
Hearing the voice of his god, Davinus looked skyward, raising both arms high.
“May our Father descend here! To burn the accursed and restore justice to the world! For peace and rest! O True Father—not the gods who abandoned humanity—return to Your original world!”
The clear sky gradually darkened.
As if swallowed by shadow, the world plunged into sudden darkness, startling the followers.
—Look! The sun!
—Huh?! What’s that?!
A black shape eclipsed the sun.
Slowly, it consumed the solar disk—until the sun was completely obscured.
As the total eclipse took hold, panic spread.
—What’s happening?
—Seriously!
—No one said there’d be an eclipse!
Some skeptical followers murmured quietly, but Davinus ignored them and cried out,
“Ooh! Brothers! Sisters! He is coming! He is coming!”
Dark, dry clouds crackled with lightning.
—KABOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning flashed down—and Davinus suddenly…
—Thump.
Collapsed limply.
Though not struck by lightning, his fall shocked the fanatics.
—What’s going on?
—A cardinal collapsing during the ritual?! What’s happening?!
—Cardinal Davinus! Are you alright?!
This sacrificial rite was a long-standing tradition—yet a priest collapsing mid-ceremony was unheard of, sending everyone into terrified tremors.
Attendants rushed to Davinus’s side, checking his condition.
—Cardinal, wake up!
—Cardinal?!
Shaken by hands gripping his shoulders, Davinus opened his eyes.
“Death… Death Himself appeared before me and showed me His welcome! And He gave me a command!”
Davinus shot upright.
Surveying the crowd, he raised both arms and declared in a thunderous voice,
“He shall return soon! Prepare to welcome Him! By His command—find the Seal Stone!”
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