Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 164

Episode 164: Viola of the White Bone (2)

As we passed through the entrance to the ancient ceremonial hall, the sound disappeared.

A desolate place with only cold darkness and old dust floating around. I thought that there would definitely be undead or warlocks guarding this place, but contrary to my expectations, there was no one.

Not only was there no sound of rats, but even the common bugs were nowhere to be seen. The moss on the ground was black and dead.

Still, there was no lowering of guard.

The White Knights led by Kalia.

The Knights of Gloss and Bishop Ronanderk.

And to Verden.

The Corpse Glory Expeditionary Force continued to advance into the darkness without letting their guard down.

At that moment.

───Whaaaaaaaaaah!

“……!”

An unprecedented wave swept through the entire ceremony in an instant.

An ominous sensation ran through my skin. It was a familiar feeling to some. It was the same aura of death that I felt when I witnessed the Commander's Orb right before my nose.

Bishop Ronander frowned.

“It’s a much stronger energy than when we tried to purify it. How could such a change occur in a few days… I just can’t figure out what they’re up to.”

“Still, it seems certain that there is a Commander’s Orb in this ritual room.”

That means the glory of the corpse is here. And the black magician who destroyed the parish.

The bishop raised his staff high.

<Blessing of Light>

<Sincere>

The miracle of the Luas Church was felt by all members of the punitive force.

The warm light will protect their spirit and keep their will, and the light that surrounds them and disappears will block the infiltration of evil spirits.

The number of times it can be used is once a day. The time limit is approximately two hours.

The miracle's effect is powerful, as it has one limitation. The Knights of the White Knights, including Kalia, were amazed and touched their own bodies filled with warmth.

Verden also clenched and unclenched his fist. Then he tilted his head.

'… … ?'

Something is strange.

The miracle was delivered properly, but I didn't feel anything special. No, to be honest, it was exactly the same as usual. Compared to when I received a blessing from a priest in the past, the effect was actually weaker.

'It's clearly a stronger miracle, but how can this be?'

That too is a miracle of the bishop.

It's not like I blocked the divine power with magic power.

Verden had never heard of a miracle of the Luas Church failing to work on a human being in the absence of any resistance.

An incomprehensible phenomenon.

But before any serious doubts could arise, the punitive force began to set out again.

What's important now is to subdue the glory of the corpse.

Verden shook off his thoughts and took a step forward.

* * *

As we continued to advance while maintaining the ranks of the punitive force, an open space appeared.

A place filled with artificial structures. It feels like the center of a ceremony hall.

Looking around, I saw that one of the pillars had collapsed, and the three remaining pillars supporting the ceiling were also cracked.

There is a risk of collapse.

But the situation right in front of me was more difficult than those facts.

“The road diverged…….”

There were two staircases on either side leading down to the basement.

I tried to use my magic sense to figure out the structure of the passage, but the inside of the ritual room was filled with the energy of death, perhaps because of the waves just before.

Even with the first-tier magic power detection, it was impossible to judge what was right in front of my nose.

A situation where you have no idea where each passage leads or what is underneath.

“What should I do?”

“Hmm… It’s hard to choose.”

Gloss scratched his chin at Kalia's question.

Should we split our forces? Or should we just pick one path and move forward together?

Both had clear advantages and disadvantages.

If you choose the former, you'll be able to find them faster.

However, there was a risk of being defeated individually. There was a strong man who had destroyed the parish, so it was difficult to divide the forces.

Choosing the latter can offset the disadvantages of the former, but it takes a long time.

Plus, if you assume you've chosen the wrong path, you might give your opponent time to escape.

It would be nice if both passageways led to the same place… … .

Kalia and Gloss.

Although they were both excellent commanders who had been running the Knights for many years, they could not help but have concerns.

At that moment, Verden declared.

“I’ll take the right aisle.”

“……?!”

Bishop Ronander and Gloss turned their heads in surprise.

“Ah, no, you’re going alone… Don’t you know about the warlock who brought the parish to that state? I admit that you were able to come this far thanks to your abilities, but even so, I can’t help but think that you’re arrogant.”

“That’s right. It’s not right to act alone in this situation.”

I don't know if I should split the power in half, but I'm alone.

I tried to understand it, but no matter how much I thought about it, it was a reckless decision that I couldn't understand.

“…….”

But unlike them, Kalia, Vespa, and the Knights of the White Knights were silent.

I had already experienced powerful magic and absurd magical powers in the tomb, so I couldn't unconditionally consider that attitude to be a bluff.

Kalia, who had been lost in thought for a moment, asked.

“Are you okay?”

“What……!”

“Youngae Kalia?”

Bishop Ronander was speechless and Gloss was embarrassed.

Kalia ignored their reactions and looked straight at Verden. Her image was reflected in the walls glowing with magical energy.

“No problem.”

“Understood. Then I’ll leave the right passage to you. Good luck, Asher.”

Kalia's permission was granted.

Verden answered with a small bow and stepped into the right passage.

The back of him disappearing down the stairs.

Soon even the sound of footsteps that had been heard softly became distant.

* * *

"her……."

Bishop Ronander, who had been watching the scene with his mouth open, shook his head. Gloss also had a similar reaction, as he did not understand Callia’s judgment at all.

“You don’t have to worry so much. Asher is a much more powerful wizard than we imagined.”

“But it doesn’t make sense to send him alone. The other party has a black magician who has clearly reached the level of magic and has destroyed the parish.”

“It’s not too late, so wouldn’t it be better to send knights to guard you now?”

Both of their thoughts were valid.

It was so reasonable that there was no room for rebuttal.

But in Kalia's opinion.

“……If you do that, it might actually become a hindrance.”

“Huh? Are you bothering me?”

“No. Anyway, since Asher has left, we should also leave now. We can have a leisurely conversation later.”

Kalia approached the left passage.

Ultimately, Bishop Ronander and Glos, having failed to persuade her, had no choice but to follow her choice.

Thump, thump.

As I went down the stairs, the passageway appeared again.

Unlike the upper floor, the evil aura became more intense as I hurried my steps.

Not even a slight breath could be heard from the punitive force, whose senses were on edge.

At the end of the passage filled with tension, a small hall appeared. On the other side of them was an entrance through which the energy of the Commander's Orb flowed out.

Perhaps it was connected to the place where the glory of the corpse was hidden. However, they could not step down rashly.

“Undead…….”

There was a group of armed undead throughout the hall.

They all have skeletons protected by iron armor.

A spear, a two-handed sword, a one-handed sword, a bow, a shield, and even a staff and a wand. Each of them was holding their own weapon. A heteromorph that had escaped the lower undead and belonged to the middle undead.

They were lined up like an army.

The number is approximately 70.

In contrast, the number of knights and holy knights was only about 20.

A difference of more than three times.

But more importantly, there was someone standing tall between them.

Kuung… … Kuung… … .

A giant knight appeared among the undead.

A gigantic creature that is a whopping 3 meters tall, despite having a hunched back.

A solid plate armor covering his entire body from head to toe. In one hand he held a bizarre Zweihander that was taller than a person.

Sweat formed on Bishop Ronander's forehead.

“I never thought that after magicians, you would even be serving monsters like that.”

A superior undead that inspires fear in those who see it and spreads death to the living. Death Knight.

Two blue flames flickered between the helmets.

Vespa, the commander of the White Knights, took up his sword.

“I never thought I would see the Death Knight in my lifetime.”

“Me too.”

Naturally occurring undead are rare in the first place.

This is because several conditions must be met. In general, people who live in sunny areas often do not witness the undead from birth until death.

This applies not only to lower undead, but also to mid-level undead.

However, high-level undead such as elder liches and death knights, whose danger level was at the Mithril level, were not beings that could be met even if one wanted to.

Even if you met one, most of them would not survive. That's how threatening the Death Knights were as a mutant.

But there are more than just articles here.

Here are those who claim to be the natural enemies of darkness and agents of light.

“Warrior of Light! Defeat the darkness that lurks before us!”

Light emanated from the stone that Bishop Ronander held.

<Holy Warrior>

A light that illuminates the darkness.

A warrior of light wearing golden armor appeared inside. As light emanated from the golden sword raised by the Holy Warrior, the undead in the battle line hesitated.

“With noble light.”

The Gloss and Paladins who had prayed took the lead.

For them, armed with divine power in body and mind, there was no such thing as fear.

───Whaaaaah!

At that moment, the ominous wave I had felt earlier swept through the entire room once again.

Then the death knight leaned forward and grabbed the Zweihander with both hands.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Death Knight charged forward, his voice cracking with ferocious morale. A group of undead followed behind him.

“Destroy the undead!”

The knights who had shouted also started running.

The warrior of light leaped into the sky and landed on the horde of undead, and the Knights of the White Knights followed suit, their fighting spirit burning to the max.

Kalia, who strengthened her body with electricity.

She suddenly stood next to Gloss, jumped up, and raised her white sword. At the same time, Gloss swung his sword with all his might from bottom to top.

Kwaaaaang!

Two swords clashed powerfully with the Death Knight's greatsword.

That signaled the start of the expedition.

* * *

Verden walked alone in the darkness.

As we descended down the collapsed stairs into the basement, the ominous atmosphere grew stronger.

The Commander's Jewel is below this.

Verden was convinced.

As we finally exited the passage, a vast space appeared.

A ruin covered in darkness.

On the wall were the remains of a statue with only legs, and there were rusted and broken iron bars scattered all over the place.

I don't know what kind of place this is.

But one thing is clear. At the end of the ruins, there is a passage leading underground. Judging from the aura of the Commander's Orb below, it seems that the passage on the right that Verden chose was the correct one.

'Or both passageways lead to the same place.'

Anyway, if you go down those stairs, you'll find the place where the Commander's Orb is.

But there's something to do before that.

The reason why Verden came here alone without anyone else.

I turned my gaze and quietly checked the black hour compass.

The needle was responding more violently than before. It was pointed straight at the center of the hall. Soon, a shadow fell from the ceiling.

A doll that landed in the hall without a sound.

A woman with short, dark gray hair tilted her head as she looked straight at Verden.

“What, are you alone?”