Chapter 1249: Evil God's Trust

Perhaps in an attempt to pin us down, the knights launched several attacks at Fran.

We had to dodge the burning lasers unleashed by the former Carmine Flame Captain, Rob’s halberd, the Blood Maiden’s red mist, as well as the Dusk Rain’s red arrows.

We knew a lot about them thanks to the intel Kranzel obtained from captured spies, as well as what we heard from the Red Knights. There were six orders of Red Knights, and the captain of each wielded a relic that is the symbol of their division.

First, the Red Sword of the Red Sword Knights.

Second, the gun-shaped relic Carmine Flame.

Third, the Cardinal Flag, a banner with the ability to enhance legions.

Fourth, the Blood Maiden, a gauntlet with powers for slaying vampires.

Fifth, the Dusk Rain, an enchanted bow with anti-army capabilities.

Lastly, the Vermilion Eye, which apparently enhances the wielder’s sight and other parameters.

All of them aside from Cardinal Flag and Vermilion Eye have direct offense capabilities.

That said, we’ve faced most of them already, so we knew how to deal with their attacks.

I spammed purification magic to nullify the red mist, while deploying multiple anti-flame barriers. This combined with Marle’s protection should allow us to contain two of the threats.

Next is the red arrows, but there’s not much I can do but deflect them with a combination of wind magic and telekinesis. It seems the archer was focusing on the power of their arrows rather than the number, since they needed to avoid hitting their allies. That’s fortunate for us, since dealing with less arrows is easier.

「Whoa, whoa! You’re still unscathed, despite getting targeted by so many relics? Fuhahaha! Girl, you must be some kind of monster!」

Apollonius laughed with glee, but the other captains seemed somewhat frustrated. They had enough free will to display such emotions.

However, we couldn’t afford to let ourselves get carried away. The only ones currently attacking us were the six former Red Knight Captains.

Meanwhile, King Yuvel and Oldona were simply observing us. There were also two other Red Knights who had yet to act.

None of them had relics for some reason, but that doesn’t mean we can underestimate them. They’re likely former Red Knight Captains from even further back in history.

And they were clearly looking for an opening to strike.

（We can’t lose! I’ll protect Klimt no matter what!）

『Urushi! Focus on distracting the ones who aren’t fighting!』

（Woof!）

We’ve managed to hold our own against Apollonius and five Hero Zombies, but they were clearly not serious yet. Any further reinforcements would put us at a huge disadvantage.

Someone needs to distract them. If only we could further split up their forces, but we simply didn’t have enough allies.

Or rather, I suppose there was another guy we could call upon.

『I guess this isn’t the time to be complaining about annoyances! Come forth!』

「Fuhahaha! Eternal thanks to my god for summoning me! I have been observing the situation from inside! Leave those two noble-looking ones to me!」

『Alright.』

「Please.」

「Urooooh! By the command of my god and the cat-eared priestess, I will fulfill my mission!」

Yuvel and Oldona seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of the sinister ghoul. Especially since he let loose an eccentric shout before charging at them.

Judging by the looks of things, he should be able to stall them for a bit.

Upon summoning Avenger, I was reminded of another strategy we could employ.

These Hero Zombies contained a dense chunk of evil energy. This “data reproduction” thing likely utilized the power of the Evil God Fragments. Which means I might be able to manipulate what was making them up.

That being the case, could I seize control over them like I did with Avenger? It seemed possible.

Unlike before, I now had Evil God’s Trust. My domination ability should be even stronger.

『Might as well give it a shot!』

「Nn!」

I activated Evil God’s Trust, and began feeling the flow of evil even more strongly than when I had Evil Conquest. My ability to manipulate it improved as well.

That said, our enemies were even more formidable. A minor bit of interference wasn’t nearly enough to take control over them. Moreover, I couldn’t afford to dedicate my full attention to the task while in the middle of combat.

I continued trying to interfere with the evil energy while desperately keeping up with Apollonius and the other knights. However, splitting my concentration caused me to fail.

「It seems you are attempting some sort of trick, but can you really afford to focus on something else right now?」

「Kuh!」

「Yeah! Apollonius isn’t your only opponent!」

The moment Apollonius’s halberd shattered our barriers, we got shot by Carmine Flame.

The laser charred Fran’s arm, causing it to emit smoke.

It even managed to penetrate Marle’s protection. Such powerful heat could only not be blocked, only weakened.

I immediately healed Fran’s wound, but taking a hit disrupted Fran’s balance and forced her into a defensive stance. Nevertheless, Fran delivered a few counterattacks into the gaps in the knights’ coordination, but Apollonius evaded all her attempts.

Fran’s attacks were backed by brutal speed and the perfect timing, but Apollonius’s top-tier defense proved to be as formidable as his destructive power.

I considered playing a trump card to finish them off quickly, though I quickly threw away the idea. The fatigue would put us at a huge disadvantage if any of the knights survived.

It might be a good gamble if we knew what we were up against, but the knights hadn’t even gotten serious yet. We couldn’t afford to act recklessly.

Dammit! If only there were fewer of them…!

『Huh?』

I sensed people approaching from both the north and south. I guess the north means enemy reinforcements?

However, my assumption was quickly proved wrong. We soon recognized the familiar presences coming at us from the north.

（Amanda! Forrund!）

『They’re okay!』

What’s more, they were followed by the presence of several hundred troops. They must have sensed the battle taking place and came to scout it out.

While I’m glad they turned out to be safe, I’m even more happy to see some very welcome reinforcements.

On the other hand, the ones from the south seemed to be a bit problematic. It was Sibylla and Madred. They won’t join the enemies here… right?