Former General Is Undead Knight - Act 4-24 - Knight of Blood Mist③

Carved into the inner walls of the 『Tower of Rest』, there was depicted the legend of the Heins faith. Between the gaps in this legend were written the names of martyrs. Additionally, there was a spiral staircase that stretched all the way to the ceiling.

Johann ran up that spiral staircase.

However, the 『Knight of Blood Mist』 followed slowly from behind.

「Don’t you guys consider this place holy? You’re the shame of all priests. Come down obediently to fight me. Don’t disappoint me even more.」

The interior of the tower was quite simple. There was nowhere to place a hidden passage.

It was obvious that,  no matter what, one wouldn’t be able to hide.

That was why the 『Knight of Blood Mist』 didn’t chase after Johann in a hurry. Rather, he walks calmly while aware of the possibility of a trap.

「Summon your archangel now. Someone like you isn’t even a worthy opponent for me.」

The 『Knight of Blood Mist』 called out to Johann from time to time while following the latter carefully.

But Johann ignored him and kept running. It didn’t take too long for them to reach the halfway point.

「Make your decision. At the very least, you should be able to meet your god with pride.」

This time, Johann tossed a fireball from above toward the 『Knight of Blood Mist』.

That fireball burned one part of the staircase, destroying it.

Seeing the 『Knight of Blood Mist』 falter, Johann fired a second fireball at the former’s back.

The stairs in front of the 『Knight of Blood Mist』 burst apart, crumbling down.

Johann kept running as he pointed the palm of his hand at the『Knight of Blood Mist』.

The 『Knight of Blood Mist』 looked up at Johann.

「…So this is your aim all along.」

The third fireball was aimed at his helmet.

「If this childish tactic is your trump card, then you can start the countdown of your life, pitiful Great Sage. You are burning the names of your predecessors carved into the wall as you escape like a coward.」

The black-armored knight stepped on the crumbling staircase.

However, he jumped over the crumbling stairs and wall of fire, landing on the ground before him.

The stray fireball burned and destroyed the stairs of a different level.

「So, what are you going to do? I’m bored of this game of cat and mouse.」

After Johann confirmed that the 『Knight of Blood Mist』 dodged the fireball, he ran up the spiral staircase again.

The 『Knight of Blood Mist』 swung his greatsword, leaving a deep chasm along the wall. The wall crumbled down, making it possible to see the scenery outside.

「It’s time to give up and become one of the stains of this tower. Your flame might be able to penetrate this delrite, but it’s useless against me.」

Johann glanced down and looked at the black-armored knight, but he didn’t stop running nor did he reply to the other party.

The『Knight of Blood Mist』 fixed his grip on the greatsword.

「We’re about to reach the top, but you don’t seem to have any plans! Resistance is futile. I can take this slowly!」

The 『Knight of Blood Mist』 increased his speed and broke into a run.

He closed the distance at once.

Johann kept firing fireballs at his opponent.

But the black-armored knight kept running, deftly parrying the magic into the wall.

There was no way out.

They were about to arrive at the ceiling.

Johann increased his rate of fire.

He kept firing ten to twenty fireballs, dyeing his field of vision in a bright red color.

The stairs ahead of Johann crumbled due to all the fireballs.

Johann finally stopped when he reached the top of the tower. Then, he took a deep breath.

Rapidly shooting fireballs while running at full speed wasn’t an easy task, even for someone of Johann’s caliber.

After depleting his pool of mana, he had already begun drawing from his lifeforce.

The staircase was crumbling and scorched.

He was convinced that it should be enough to stop the 『Knight of Blood Mist』.

「…If Philipo and Matai are truly dead, then I have to survive at all costs. I have to help Cardinal Zebedai rebuild the inquisition squad from scratch. Even if I have to commit a sin by burning this 『Tower of Rest』 to cinders, it’s a necessary sacrifice to protect this kingdom. I have to survive for those who died.」

Finally, Johann spoke for the first time.

His cracked mask slipped from his face, fell to the ground, and revealed his bare face.

He heaved a sigh and then leaned his back against the wall.

「But… I see. I was sad, huh.」

Although his expression was the same as usual, tears were rolling down from the gaps of his sewn eyelids.

The 『Knight of Blood Mist』 leaped to the end of spiral staircase as Johann said this.

He stabbed his greatsword into the wall and used that to run along the wall instead of using the staircase.

「What a surprise. Are you actually unwilling to do this yet still force yourself? Well in that case, I won’t become a cruel demon. I’ll allow you to repent for the last time.」

「…I see, I still have some leeway, huh.」

Johann hoisted his arms as he spoke.

In just a moment, he deployed a huge, blazing magic circle.

「You… Still not giving up, eh?!」

「Heed my call and come from the realm of light! Archangel of Scorched Earth, Dantalion!」

The giant spirit appeared in the center of the tower.

It was a giant with six pairs of wings, holes on its three faces, and yet missing the lower half.

Its total height was 5 hein (meters).

「The actor has finally come out. But you should have done this sooner… You’re already reaching your limit, after all.」

Johann’s face and skin had already paled.

His lifeforce was draining by the second.

Overusing it without resting would result in the user becoming unable to lift even their finger—or worse, death.

「Surely, your attack might reach me in this confined 『Tower of Rest』. So that’s why you kept ascending without rest—just for this one chance. How amusing.」

The black-armored knight spoke with an interested voice.

Dantalion hoisted its hand toward the ceiling of the tower.

It was holding a scorching metal cross in its hands.

The hole on its three faces were glaring at the 『Knight of Blood Mist』.

「…Nope, that attack won’t hit. Archangel Dantalion is way too slow.」

Johann spoke slowly without even caring about hiding his emotions anymore.

「I know that. So what will you do? You guys carry the faith of this kingdom on your back. Do your best to resist the stage that we prepared.」

「Your kind offer makes no difference; the inquisition squad is a hated existence. Even if we vanish, it wouldn’t besmirch the dignity or faith of the Heins faith. Naturally, we also don’t expect salvation in our afterlife.」

「…Quite a lifeless fella.」

「I will go to hell after I die for sure, but I’ll drag you down with me! Although I have a mission to accomplish, it doesn’t really matter if I fail to accomplish my mission, as long as I can drag you down with me! I won’t allow more of your atrocities in the holy city!」

Dantalion stretched out its arm, locking its joints.

「No way, from the very beginning, you…!」

Dantalion suddenly raised its scorching giant cross, dropping it down at the center of the tower.

The tower cracked as it flared like a giant torch.

「I wonder what will become of your armor if it’s dropped from this height!」

The 『Knight of Blood Mist』 quickly ran out of the tower from the cracked wall.

And then, he thrust his sword into the wall.

In that way, he managed to drop down while using his sword to reduce his falling speed.

「Excellent. But this won’t be enough to kill me. Not that it’ll stop me from letting you try. I’ll at least remember your name.」

Johann clung to the back of the black-armored knight.

「You… How can you still move like that!」

「O Flame!」

The flames fired from Johann’s hand blasted the wall through which the 『Knight of Blood Mist』 stabbed his sword.

The blast threw both of them into the air.

The flames rained down on the two defenseless bodies on top of a pile of rubble.

===

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