Chapter 64: The Return of the Doom-Grade Death Knight

Chapter 64: Dungeon (2)

Blue Flame.

A member of the sect 'The Burning Ones' and one of the Five Great Saints of the Order.

The Five Great Saints were all monstrous beings. Even the Master Class, known as superhumans, were mere children compared to the Five Great Saints.

Demian had fought and defeated all of the Five Great Saints.

If asked who among them was the strongest, Demian would unhesitatingly choose Blue Flame.

Blue Flame was that remarkable. Even Demian remembered him as a dangerous opponent.

Agnes was Blue Flame's direct disciple.

A direct disciple referred to the immediate successor. Agnes was one of the few who received direct teachings from Blue Flame.

'I wonder...'

Agnes must have died in the previous purge.

The fact that Demian, a Holy Knight, did not know Agnes was proof of this.

That's why he was curious.

What kind of talent did Agnes possess?

"I will dedicate this battle to the Lord."

Blue flames began to spread across Agnes's armor.

The blue flames exploded. In the blink of an eye, Agnes reached the front of the flesh golem.

Consecutive explosions.

The explosion that started from her elbow pushed her fist forward. The accelerated fist struck the flesh golem's chest.

The golem was slammed into the wall with a metallic sound.

Agnes moved again. With another explosion, she appeared behind a different flesh golem.

Two consecutive strikes hit the flesh golem. Blood spurted from its mouth.

'Already, she has perfectly mastered Blue Flame's combat techniques.'

The Holy Knights of the sect 'The Burning Ones' could wield powerful flames to burn the impure.

However, Blue Flame used this power in a slightly different way.

The power of the Burning Ones did not harm its wielder in any way. Explosions were no exception.

Blue Flame invented a fist technique that used explosive force to accelerate.

'Straight attacks are easy to read, which is a disadvantage...'

However, Blue Flame's fist technique displayed overwhelming speed and power that overshadowed this disadvantage.

Before long, all the flesh golems were lying on the ground. Agnes turned to Demian and said,

"Sir Demian, it's all over..."

At that moment, Demian suddenly lunged at Agnes. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and spun around.

At the same time, he kicked out behind him. The flesh golem that was about to attack Agnes was kicked away.

-Screech!

The flesh golem was pushed back. It glared at Demian with a murderous look.

-Screech!

-Screech!

Other flesh golems also rose and let out eerie cries.

They were unharmed by the shock, thanks to their sturdy armor.

"Even after taking the power of the master, they are still unharmed..."

Agnes muttered in disbelief. Soon, a murderous look appeared on her face.

"Sir Demian, please watch. This time, I will burn them all to ashes."

Blue flames began to burn across Agnes's body.

It seemed she intended to pour divine power to reduce the flesh golems to ashes.

'She has talent, but there are still too many shortcomings.'

Demian clicked his tongue.

If she could fully utilize the power of the Burning Ones, she could burn these flesh golems to ashes in one go.

But the dungeon expedition could last for an unknown duration. She couldn't afford to waste her strength now.

"Sir Agnes, calm down."

Agnes's talent would be a great help to the Order.

For her growth, Demian gave her a piece of advice.

"Quantity is not important. Density is what matters."

Demian summoned his aura. The holy sword was enveloped in aura. A blue mist rose more intensely than usual.

-Screech!

A flesh golem charged at Demian. It was the one he had just kicked.

"Raise the concentration of your divine power. Imagine lava, not fire. Use your divine power so thickly that it can flow."

Demian swung his holy sword. The armor that had withstood Agnes's punch split like paper. The flesh golem died instantly.

"Did you see that?"

Demian turned to Agnes. Agnes looked at him with wide eyes.

"Sir Agnes, you can do it too. Remember what I said and try to follow it."

Encouraged by Demian, Agnes clenched her knuckles. Blue flames gathered around her knuckles.

The flames subsided. A crimson light gathered in her fist.

Agnes moved. She charged forward and struck the flesh golem.

The armor of the flesh golem shattered like a cookie. The core inside crumbled and burst.

A faint smile appeared on Demian's lips.

To learn so quickly. Indeed, she had the talent to be Blue Flame's disciple.

Perhaps she could even reach the Master level.

'I'm glad I joined the purge team.'

Watching Agnes drive the flesh golems back, Demian felt greatly satisfied.

* * *

The purge team engaged in several more battles after that.

As they continued to advance inward, a spacious area appeared.

"Hmm? The path splits into five?"

Margareta pointed ahead. Five entrances were carved into the wall.

"It seems the real dungeon is starting now."

Gammal glared at the five entrances.

"I will have the soldiers take a short rest. Prepare the food. Margareta, Sanus, come with me. We need to discuss this."

Gammal said this and turned around.

"Why is he suddenly acting like the leader?"

Margareta looked at Gammal with a displeased expression.

"Well, he has always liked to take the lead."

"You seem to know him well~?"

"I don't know him well. I just know because he always acts like this."

"Margareta~ come with me~."

Margareta followed where Gammal was heading. Sanus followed behind.

While the 2nd-grade Holy Knights discussed, the soldiers began preparing the food.

They started carrying out dried meat, bread, and other foods.

"Sir Demian, I will bring your food."

Before Demian could move, Agnes spoke up.

"There's no need."

Both turned their heads toward the source of the sound.

Dionysio of the sect 'Mixed Blizzard' stood there with food in his hands.

"Here, take it."

Dionysio handed the food to Agnes. She took it and briefly expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you."

"I'm bringing it because you're my sister."

With that, Dionysio turned around.

Before leaving, he glared at Demian with a fierce look.

He still hadn't forgotten his defeat from the other day.

"Sir Demian, here you go."

Agnes divided the food and gave half to Demian. Demian chewed on a piece of dried meat and asked,

"You seem quite close to that Holy Knight."

"Are you talking about Dionysio? When he was still a regular Holy Knight, I helped him a few times."

Agnes began tearing the bread with both hands.

"He always talked about joining the Burning Ones. But he ended up joining the Mixed Blizzard."

A hint of regret was evident in Agnes's voice. They seemed to have been quite close.

Demian and Agnes focused on their meal without saying a word.

While eating the bread, Agnes kept looking toward the inner part of the cave.

Her face was calm, but a strange flame burned deep in her eyes.

"Why are you chasing the necromancer?"

Suddenly, Demian asked.

All Holy Knights hated necromancers. They were beings who defied the gods.

But Agnes's hatred seemed different. It seemed more personal.

"...To ask about personal matters so easily. Sir Demian, you are quite heartless."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it wouldn't be right to hide it from you. You came here for me. ...And I received important teachings."

Agnes took a sip of water from her canteen. She looked somewhat troubled.

"Do you know how the necromancer first became known to the world?"

"I believe it was after the incident where an entire large village was turned into an undead lair."

"That village was my hometown."

Demian was taken aback by this surprising confession.

He hadn't expected there to be any survivors from that village.

"I still remember it vividly. It was the day my brother finally returned home."

Agnes sighed and continued.

"My brother was a Holy Knight, just like me, a member of the Burning Ones. He was one of the most promising Holy Knights."

Agnes's talent was exceptional. Her brother was likely a great Holy Knight as well.

"I loved listening to my brother's stories. That day, I was pestering him to tell me about the mission he had been given by the Order."

Agnes's expression softened slightly.

"Suddenly, screams were heard from outside. My brother rushed out. I followed him without knowing anything... and saw it."

Monsters were swarming from outside the village.

They were neither human, monsters, nor animals, but were killing the villagers.

"Perhaps my brother realized that he couldn't do anything with his own strength. He put me in a large box in the house."

Agnes's relaxed expression hardened again.

"He gave me something to hold. Later, I found out it was a silver holy relic specially issued by the Order to protect capable Holy Knights."

Young Agnes crouched in the box, trembling with fear.

All she could see were the faint glimpses of the outside world through the cracks in the box.

"Screams continued from outside. Cecil from the house next door, Uncle Obel from across the street... all familiar voices. Then, finally, my brother's voice."

Agnes's hands, holding the food, began to tremble slightly.

"I remained trapped in the box, not knowing if my brother was alive or dead. I was hungry and thirsty, but I couldn't leave. I remembered my brother's plea to stay inside until someone opened the door. When I was about to lose consciousness... the door of the box opened."

The Order's purge team had arrived.

After dealing with the undead, they found Agnes during their search of the village.

After that, Agnes was under the protection of the Order. It wasn't until she had fully recovered that she learned the truth about what had happened in the village.

It was suspected to be the work of a necromancer.

And Agnes was the only survivor from the village.

Agnes turned to Demian. Her eyes were dark and gloomy, like a dried-up well.

* * *

"Are you enjoying your meal?"

Margareta returned after a while.

"I discussed the future plans with Gammal. There are five entrances, so we're considering splitting the team to enter or checking each one thoroughly."

Margareta took a bite of dried meat and chewed.

"What was your opinion, Sir Margareta?"

"I suggested splitting. The entrances are small, and the passages are narrow. It would be too cramped if we all went together."

Despite seeing how strong the flesh golems were, Margareta casually suggested splitting the team.

It was probably due to her confidence.

A 2nd-grade Holy Knight of the sect had the right to be that arrogant.

"Sanus agreed with me. Gammal wanted to enter together, but with both Sanus and me suggesting to split, what could he do?"

"Then, has it been decided that we will enter separately?"

"Probably. If the team splits, your role will become important. You're the strongest after us."

Margareta raised one eyebrow.

"I'm glad you're here. Thanks to you, there have been no casualties, and we've been able to conserve our strength."

The flesh golems that had blocked the entrance were no ordinary foes. If Demian hadn't been there, there would have been casualties.

The same went for the flesh golems with armor. They had the ability to hide, and if not for Demian, the team might have suffered significant losses.

"Continuing to rely on you..."

Suddenly, Demian sensed something. He stood up with his holy sword in hand.

"What's going on?"

Margareta asked, puzzled.

At that moment, eerie sounds began to come from the five holes.

The purge team immediately stood up and drew their weapons. The soldiers and Holy Knights looked at the entrances with tense expressions.

From each of the five entrances, a flesh golem emerged.

Each had four long, monkey-like arms and a snake-like lower body.

All five were tall enough to touch the ceiling and emitted a dense, suffocating black magic.

"They're not easy opponents."

Margareta licked her lips and muttered.

"Agnes, Demian, stay back. We need to deal with these."

Agnes grabbed the lump of metal at her waist.

Seeing this, Demian was shocked.

'What, that's a knuckle?'

He thought it was a blunt weapon for bashing. But