The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices - Chapter 82: Skeleton Holy Knight (4)

The dungeon monsters keep offering sacrifices – 082

EP.82 Skeleton Holy Knight (4)

The skeleton that appeared in the forest shocked everyone.

‘What’s its identity?’

At the same time, everyone present had the same thought.

A skeleton wearing a maid outfit.

It was a horrifying combination.

The problem was compounded by the unusual aura emanating from that skeleton.

The ominous aura emanating from the sword it held was dominated by the power of darkness, yet at the same time, a familiar aura was also felt.

‘No way…’

That aura, if one belonged to the Order, was the source of the sacred and sublime power known to everyone.

Yes, it was undoubtedly divine power.

But that divine power was being felt from that undead.

Including Vice Commander Riana, all the Holy Knights realized this fact and were astonished.

It was too confusing.

A skeleton suddenly appearing wearing a maid outfit, holding a sword full of dark energy in one hand, yet paradoxically, a divine power was felt from the skeleton’s body.

Even if they were to report the current situation to the Order, it would surely be rejected as absurd.

It was a situation that simply made no sense.

Regardless of their reactions, Maru, wearing the maid outfit, nodded slightly.

The current appearance was orchestrated by Celia and she quite liked it.

Maru pondered again what Celia had said earlier.

“Sir Maru, listen carefully. If you go out from the beginning, you won’t be able to have a dramatic effect on the other party.”

Celia said so while dressing Maru in the maid outfit.

When Maru removed the maid outfit from the Death Knight’s shield, the Death Knight sobbed, but Maru was unaware of the reason.

Anyway, Celia also suggested another opinion.

“We’ll send skeleton soldiers to the other party first to test the waters.”

This is a way of warning the other party that something big is coming.

The important thing here is that Maru must never move or speak first.

Celia emphasized the last point.

She said never to move first.

That was the true display of composure and dignity to the other party.

At that time, she even gave examples by pointing to Death Knight and Arch Lich, asking if they looked dignified.

Then Maru had an epiphany.

Maru remembered well what Celia had said.

And when the opponent approached, Maru sent out the skeleton soldiers prepared in advance.

“Here too, you shouldn’t send all the skeleton soldiers at once from the beginning! It’s very important. You should send them out little by little at first.”

Celia’s words fit perfectly from start to finish.

Look at their expressions now.

Are they not shocked to see his appearance?

Maru remembered Celia’s words well and planned to use them later.

Thus, a brief stalemate ensued between them.

The Holy Knights observed the eerie skeletons wearing maid outfits, and Maru, as Celia advised, didn’t make the first move.

And soon after that.

“Everyone, take your positions!”

The first to break the silence was Vice Commander Riana.

Regardless of the opponent’s strength, their task was simply to carry out their mission.

With over twenty people, could they not take down a single undead?

At the same time, Riana had another thought.

‘Was that creature the mastermind?’

There was a possibility that priests or Holy Knights who had gone missing might have lost their lives at the hands of that creature.

At the same time, it was likely that even the royal family of the Sael Kingdom knew this fact.

‘How dare they thrust their sword at the Order.’

The Sael Kingdom had made a foolish judgment.

If they were to defeat the bizarre creature before them, they would surely teach the Sael Kingdom the power of the Order.

“Maintain formation and pressure the enemy!”

With her command, the quiet forest turned into a battlefield of collision.

It was a battle between the Order’s Holy Knights and the holy skeletons in maid outfits.

The Holy Knights swung their swords imbued with divine power but were blocked by the skeleton’s sword.

“Kuh…”

Conversely, even when divine power was directed at him, the skeleton dark knight remained unfazed.

The divine power flowing from the skeleton’s bones was unaffected by any attacks from the Holy Knights.

“Tick!”

Maru, too, knowing this fact, became slightly more proactive.

The maid outfit provided by Celia.

It reduced damage received from divine attacks by 90%, she said.

Although the divine power that wasn’t neutralized seeped into Maru’s body, it didn’t matter.

Despite being undead, divine power actually made Maru feel good.

Maru’s stat, divine power.

Even though it was Grade E, it prevented the Holy Knights’ attacks from taking effect.

Maru didn’t mind either way, but the Holy Knights wore defeated expressions.

Even as they shouted various divine spells and approached their opponents, it was to no avail.

Their swords were blocked by the monster’s sword imbued with darkness, and the spells imbued with divine power were inexplicably useless.

“Why? Why aren’t our attacks working!”

One Holy Knight exclaimed in confusion.

But they were the swords of the Order.

Even in difficult situations, they must never yield.

Despite their confusion, they didn’t stop trying to find the skeleton dark knight’s weakness.

“Push harder! Deliver even stronger blows!”

Riana’s command came relentlessly from the middle.

Hearing her cry, the Holy Knights delivered even more powerful blows, but they couldn’t inflict any damage on the skeleton.

No weaknesses seemed apparent no matter what they tried.

Only then did the Holy Knights exchange glances with each other.

Confusion was evident on their individual faces.

In the brief gap when the Holy Knights ceased their attacks,

Maru raised the sword high.

And felt the flow of the sword.

It was instinctual.

Knowing how to wield the sword.

Light began to emanate from the demon sword Maru was holding.

Around the black sword, which exuded a fierce aura, divine power rose.

“Tick!”

(Judgment of Light!)

The demon sword swung towards the Holy Knights.

The ominous and divine energies combined, dealing significant damage to the Holy Knights’ formation.

“Kuk!”

“Urgh!”

Fortunately, no lives were taken.

Only black blood trickled from their mouths.

But even so, it was hard to call the current situation fortunate.

The attack a moment ago was definitely not to be taken lightly.

Shadows fell over their faces.

In someone’s eyes, even the eyes trembled.

Their resolve was shaking as much as their eyes.

‘Should we flee?’

After all, this mission was unofficial.

Would there be no major repercussions if they fled?

Rather, wouldn’t dying here mean be a dog’s death?

Conflict arose.

In their minds, loyalty to the goddess coexisted with the sweet voice of the whispering demon.

But victory was likely to lean towards the demon.

Of course, Vice Commander Riana also noticed this fact.

The momentum had already shifted.

But what was her role as the Vice Commander?

In a situation like this, shouldn’t she boost the morale of her allies?

“Tsk.”

Riana clicked her tongue briefly and pulled out an artifact from her pouch.

“I didn’t intend to bring this out…”

The artifact was made of leather, but it had turned white as it was imbued with divine power.

“False faith will never prevail against us! O goddess, grant me strength!”

Riana immediately tore the artifact apart.

“Grant me the authority to cleanse that impious thing that dares deceive the goddess!”

Instantly, the forest was bathed in white light.

====

***

====

“So, they’re Holy Knights, huh?”

Celia raised the report.

It contained information about adventurers disguised as Holy Knights coming to the dungeon, and Maru would be facing them.

Since there was nothing else to do, I watched Maru’s battle through the smartphone screen.

Watching the battle, it was indeed an excellent choice to imbue Maru with divine power.

The attacks of the Holy Knights didn’t affect Maru, who possessed divine power.

It could be seen as the undead’s weakness being compensated for.

Moreover, with Maru wearing the outfit, the result became even more flawless.

“…You’re wearing the maid outfit quite well.”

At least Maru seemed to suit it better than Death Knight.

Well, that was settled, and now it was time for Maru to slowly end the battle.

As Maru swung the demon sword, the Holy Knights began to fall to the ground.

However, their determination was definitely remarkable.

Seeing them rise again even after falling, Maru couldn’t help but think they were truly formidable.

As Maru prepared to finish them off, raising the sword high,

“…”

One person in the center activated an artifact.

Instantly, the dark forest turned white.

“What’s this?”

But that wasn’t the issue.

– Maru (★★★★) gains the Divine Mark (A) trait. –

“Divine Mark?”

And it was even an A-grade trait.

I immediately brought up Maru’s status window.

<Maru>

Grade: ★★★★

Race: Skeleton

[Traits]

Agile Movement (F+)

Divine Mark (A)

[Basic Information]

Health: B-

Attack: B+ (adjusted to +1 level due to demon sword)

Defense: C

Magic Power: C

Divine Power: 0 (adjusted due to Divine Mark)

[Skills]

Knight’s Oath (S): Lee Kang-hyun (activated)

Judgment of Light (B)

Huh…

As soon as this trait appeared for Maru, the divine power disappeared.

The divine power disappeared just because of this trait.

What kind of ability could cause that?

I immediately touched the trait.

– Divine Mark (A): Grants divine mark to enemies, making them targets of divine wrath. This mark inflicts continuous divine damage on enemies and maximizes damage from divine attacks. However, it only activates on those who do not believe in the existence of the goddess.

Reading the description, it was an incredible trait. In reality, it was a debuff.

“…This is a disaster, isn’t it?”

I never expected such an artifact to exist. Even when I was in the Order, the information granted to me was extremely limited, so I never thought such a trait would exist.

Most importantly, Maru was in immediate danger. The Holy Knights also realized this fact and rushed towards Maru.

Fortunately, Maru could withstand it with the maid outfit he was wearing, but it couldn’t be ignored forever.

At this point, it seemed like Celia’s help was necessary. Thinking so, I read through the trait once again.

“Granting a mark… Maximizing divine damage…”

And most importantly,

“Those who do not believe in the existence of the goddess.”

The trait was explained to only affect those who did not believe in the existence of the goddess.

Unfortunately, since Maru was an undead monster, it was safe to assume he had no belief in the goddess.

Even Maru possessing divine power was because I enchant him.

“Enchant?”

Come to think of it, there was a way.

Traits and skills obtained from three sacrificed Holy Knights. Among them, I had used the skills, but there was one trait I hadn’t used.

– Goddess Faith (D): Trait. When the loyalty and faith of a follower towards the goddess become excessive, this Trait manifests.

Although it was a Grade D trait, it manifested when there was excessive loyalty and Goddess Faith.

If I had only this, there might be no need to call Celia.

“But is it okay to enchant this trait for Maru?”

What would happen if an undead believed in the goddess?

Above all, Maru possessed a skill.

It was ‘Knight’s Oath’.

“Hmm…”

But the dilemma didn’t last long. Maru on the screen was gradually being pushed back. There was a risk of Maru being annihilated first.

– Do you want to enchant the trait Goddess Faith(D) for Maru (★★★★)?

– Once enchanted, this ability cannot be reversed. –

I immediately touched the enchant.

– An error has occurred! –

– The skill ‘Knight’s Oath (S)’ and the trait ‘Goddess Faith(D)’ are conflicting. –

– The higher-ranked skill ‘Knight’s Oath(S)’ absorbs the trait ‘Goddess Faith(D)’. –

– The skill ‘Loyalty as a Holy Knight (S+)’ is applied. –

– The Divine Mark(A) trait of Maru (★★★★) is deactivated. –

Fortunately, the debuff trait disappeared. But the alert didn’t end there.

– Dispatch Maru (★★★★) to the special mission dungeon ‘Nest of the Evil God’. –

– The special mission has been successfully completed. –

– As a reward, Maru’s transcendence ticket is given. –

– Skeleton Dark Knight Maru (★★★★) transcends to Skeleton Holy Knight Maru (★★★★★).–

– There is a significant increase in divine power. –

====

***

====

The Holy Knights, who had been pushing with all their remaining strength, stopped in their tracks.

“…?”

Something was off about the Skeleton’s condition.

“What’s happening?!”

Riana shouted.

The undead, who had been unable to exert any power just moments ago, was undergoing some kind of change.

“This can’t be!”

The ‘Divine Mark’ imposed on the opponent using the artifact was disappearing.

“Attack quickly! Squeeze out every last bit of strength!”

They had to settle the match before the mark completely vanished.

Otherwise, all their efforts would be in vain.

Riana also rushed towards the opponent with her sword.

“We’re running out of time! Finish it quickly!”

And soon, the mark placed on the Skeleton disappeared completely.

“…”

But that wasn’t the end of the problem.

The undead was absorbing the divine power unleashed by the Holy Knights.

“Ah…?”

The body of the Skeleton Dark Knight was changing.

Gradually turning gray, it soon transformed completely into white bones.

No, it wasn’t just white, it shimmered with a subtle radiance.

“Ah…”

In the presence before them now, beyond the familiar aura of an undead monster, they felt an overwhelming sense of holiness.

“They… they are… the Goddess…”

Beyond the familiar aura, they sensed a vast holy power. They had just witnessed a miracle.

At the same time, they realized that the being before them was no mere undead monster.

“…The envoy of the Goddess has descended!”

Though a dark aura still emanated from the sword he held, its significance was clear. This was undoubtedly the envoy sent by the Goddess to punish them for their greed.

Tears flowed from the eyes of the Holy Knights. Some even knelt down in prayer.

Amidst the spectacle, only Riana shouted.

“Snap out of it, everyone!”

She shouted as she lifted the Holy Knights who had fallen to the ground.

“A monster like that can’t possibly be an envoy!”

But no one paid attention to her words. They were all completely out of their senses.

With lips tightly pressed together, she looked at the Skeleton being hailed as the envoy.

Then, she grasped her sword.

If her subordinates couldn’t do it, she would have to do it herself.

A skeleton with a maid uniform fluttering and a sword in hand.

She slowly stepped forward, keeping her eyes on the being hailed as the envoy.

It had to be done in one strike. She put all her strength into her hand.

As she raised her sword, the shining Skeleton spread its bony arms as if beckoning her into its embrace.

It was too beautiful.

How could such a holy and beautiful being exist?

The sword slipped from her hand.