Chapter 5

"What, what, what are you doing, you guys!! Do you even know where we are?!"

Suddenly, a beautiful brown-skinned girl appeared in front of the "Warriors of Light."

She was wearing a tight black light armor, almost like a bodysuit, and had a short bow on her back and a kunai in her hand. Her body was also strapped with various throwing weapons.

This was Liz, the new "Warrior of Light," an assassin and a dark elf.

She had deliberately dirtied her silver hair and smeared her beautiful face with charcoal, but she was still a beautiful girl.

Liz then—

"What's wrong, Liz? You seem so flustered, what happened...?"

"Yeah, you should calm down first. Where's 'Nyarlathotep'?"

"Besides, you smell really bad...!"

On the other hand, Manack and the others showed no sense of crisis despite Liz's stern appearance.

With a stern expression, she ran up quickly and grabbed Manack by the collar...

"You idiots!! Why are you making so much noise in the territory of monsters? Are you stupid? Do you want to die? What are you thinking? He's already noticed us!! ...Oh, just hide, everyone! The Four Heavenly Kings 'Nyarlathotep' is coming!"

"Wha...?"

"Huh...?"

Thud... Crack, crack, crack, snap.

From the direction Liz had run from, through the dense low shrubs of the swamp—

*Whirrr...* *Splat...*

An eerie scream echoed.

(—No way... He really came!)

Guenn was confused, and Manack and the others were panicking.

"What the hell! This voice, this sound!"

"This magic... This evil aura...!" Regina's expression turned grim, and it was clear that something was seriously wrong.

Then,

*Thud...* Suddenly, behind Liz, a massive presence appeared—

*Splat...*

"Ah!?"

In front of the three idiots and Regina, who had turned pale—

Indeed, what appeared was— a wall??

"Hey... There's something there!"

Manack and the others finally looked up at Guenn's voice.

"A, a wall?"

"What the hell is this?!"

Indeed, at first, it looked like a wall.

It was so huge... and overwhelming in mass.

...But it was different.

*Whirrr...* *Splat...*

It had a face,

It had a body,

And it held weapons!

—It was a nightmare come to life.

"No way..."

Manack stared up at it in shock.

Liz had already arrived, but she was so out of breath that she couldn't even speak.

She barely managed to get into a battle stance, and then Ambus shouted!

"The Four Heavenly Kings... the poisoner 'Nyarlathotep'!"

His voice clearly revealed its identity to everyone.

Then,

*Vroooom...*

The air shook with a roar, and everyone's life force was drained!

"Ah...!"

"Ah...!"

"Ah...!"

"Ah...!"

Manack just screamed and frantically grabbed his weapon!

But Ambus forgot to raise his shield,

And Sheila just trembled, gripping her staff.

Even the usually composed Regina...

"J-Just kidding, right? There's no way we can beat this—"

"This is impossible—!!"

Sheila fainted and even wet herself.

*Thud, thud, thud!!*

"Ah! Is this Nyarlathotep?! Is this the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings?!"

Even Cardinal Regina, who was supposed to be skilled in purification, understood the power gap just by seeing the Four Heavenly Kings.

Yes, the overwhelming power difference—

"Impossible..."

The "Warriors of Light," who had been so confident, were now trembling in fear of Nyarlathotep, the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings!

*Grrrr, whirrr...*

But it was no surprise.

Because his appearance was truly worthy of being one of the Four Heavenly Kings, a symbol of evil!

Nyarlathotep, who was spreading poison as he approached, had the appearance of a giant lizardman.

No, more like a dragon...!

*Roar...*

*Vibrate, vibrate, vibrate...!*

With thick limbs and a spiky tail, his body was covered in thick scales, and his head had no visible eyes—

—instead, it had something like thick armor.

"He's armed!"

And his weapons were two spears and a trident in each hand, and a morning star-like iron ball on his tail.

Furthermore, his body was covered in silver scales that reflected magic, and he stood at a height of 5 meters—

This was Nyarlathotep.

In a safe zone out of reach of humans.

His head constantly spewed poison, breaking the will of those who saw him.

This was the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army!

The weakest, the poisoner 'Nyarlathotep.'

*Splat...* *Whirrr...*

Every time he breathed, a strange odor filled the air.

"Wow, that's a strong smell."

"Ugh...!"

While Sheila was retching, Nyarlathotep appeared majestically and looked down at the "Warriors of Light."

*Whirrr...*

"Huge...! Damn it! Liz brought us a real problem...! We might have been ambushed, damn it!"

"Hey, what do we do? Do we fight?!"

Cursing, Manack asked Ambus, who had turned pale.

"This isn't good. ...Hey, Regina! Set up a barrier immediately! We need to regroup—"

Despite his foolishness, Manack quickly prepared for battle and faced the Four Heavenly Kings.

He judged that they were at a disadvantage after being ambushed and decided to regroup.

However,

"Impossible! A barrier can't just be set up like that! It takes time!"

Regina's special skill, the secret technique of the Holy Church— "Sanctuary Barrier."

It was an invincible shield that blocked evil and provided temporary healing, but...

"What?! You boasted about it being invincible!"

"Of course, it takes time! But... if Ambus can buy us some time, perhaps...!"

Regina suggested that Ambus, the tank, buy them time to set up the barrier.

To which,

"Right! Go, Ambus!"

"Y-You're crazy!! Physical attacks are one thing, but poison— *gasp, choke*!"

*Thud...* *Thud, thud, thud...*

*Pfff...*

A thin mist had appeared around them.

This was—

"Poison!! He's spreading his poison!"

Regina quickly made a makeshift mask with a handkerchief. Ambus, who had inhaled it, was foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

"Ambus?! You're a tank...!! But, this is bad!!"

*Bang...*

Finally, Ambus rolled his eyes and passed out.

"Damn it! Before the battle even started! Heal this creature's impurity... Detoxification spell—!"

*Paaah...*

Regina cast the detoxification spell and healed Ambus, but this was before the battle even began.

There was no way they could fight properly...!

*Pfff, pfff...*

*Thud...* *Thud, thud, thud...*

Nyarlathotep approached without caring whether Ambus was being detoxified or not, as if deciding which one to prey on first.

Finally, Nyarlathotep revealed his full form!

"I'll take care of this with my magic!!"

"Right! Go, Sheila!"

*Ziiiiii...*

Magic gathered in Sheila's ominous staff.

It was a high-level lightning spell, Multi-Thunderbolt, but—

Finally, Guenn shouted!

"No, Sheila! Magic against that—"

But in this party, no one listened to Guenn.

Manack, the leader, said,

"Hehehe! He's the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings! Let's take him down with our power!"

He clenched his fist in determination...

Go, Sheila! And—

"Okay!! Haaaaa! Multi-Thunderbolt!"

From the little Sheila's staff, *Ziiiiii...* a dazzling light burst forth and *Pshaaa...* pierced Nyarlathotep's body!

"We did it!"

In an instant,

Nyarlathotep's massive body disappeared in a white light, and his silhouette wobbled.

"Good job, Sheila!!"

"Amazing!!"

Manack and Regina praised her enthusiastically.

And finally, Ambus, who had just regained consciousness, looked around dazedly for Nyarlathotep...

In the thick smoke from the explosion, he said,

"Did we... get him...?"