Chapter 80 – Surrounded (2)

After confirming the octopus monster was coming south, we headed back to the safe zone.

Having cleared all the very few zombies that had come up the railway while going north, the return journey was safe and leisurely.

With no need to watch surroundings or worry about zombie attacks, Yerim seemed to become more thoughtful instead.

“We were told to look for Jin-su too, but traveling by railway like this, there’s no way to search.”

Since I had no intention of searching anyway, I hadn’t paid attention to it.

I just shrugged at her words.

Yerim didn’t seem to have brought it up for any significant reason either.

When I shrugged, she continued with a different topic.

“But we didn’t see it directly this time either. What if people don’t believe us because we didn’t confirm it with our eyes?”

It certainly wasn’t wrong.

Even if we had seen it directly it would be hard to believe, but saying we confirmed it through death energy, no one would believe us.

Naturally, ordinary people couldn’t sense death energy except when materialized like fog.

Most people in the safe zone probably didn’t even know what death energy was.

Though I understood Yerim’s worry, honestly I didn’t care.

“Can’t help it even so. We couldn’t risk more danger there.”

If we approached within visual range, the creature would likely sense us too. Then it would surely rush toward us.

We couldn’t risk that danger while out scouting.

Moreover, today’s reconnaissance wasn’t actually for reporting to the Apostle.

This reconnaissance was for our party. Advance scouting for our party’s survival.

Actually, all reconnaissance since coming to this world had been for me and our party.

With no undead interfering in between, return was very quick.

Though we’d gone much further than other times, when we returned to the safe zone through the underground passage via the marshalling yard station, the sun was still high.

As soon as we left the building connected to the underground passage, we had to frown.

“I heard every day is new in this world, but this isn’t changing daily, it’s changing every few hours.”

As Zahina said, though barely half a day had passed, the safe zone’s atmosphere had changed again.

No people were visible on the streets.

People’s presences could be felt inside buildings and in the southern safe zone.

Their presences were filled with terror and anxiety.

The terror in their presences wasn’t the civil war anxiety from yesterday, but a more primal fear.

Fear of death, fear of the dead.

But the real change wasn’t something like traces of fear floating in the air.

Flames were rising in the southern sky of the safe zone.

Flames blooming from empty air.

People inside buildings would be watching those flames now.

But our eyes saw more than they did.

Behind the flames blooming in empty air, the southern sky was dyed black.

“My goodness, that’s all death energy right? It’s definitely the death energy we saw yesterday. But to think it’s this close…”

As Yerim said, the black energy spreading from the southern sky was death energy emitted by the Demon King’s army.

The death energy spreading behind the flames wasn’t far away like yesterday.

The death energy was being emitted from right in front, not even hundreds of meters away.

Right in front of where the death energy was spreading, Hoffman spoke while watching the flames blooming in empty air.

“The Demon King’s army has moved. As expected, they seem unable to enter the safe zone… Are they trying to surround it?”

Though the death energy was spreading in all directions, it couldn’t enter the safe zone.

Death energy that contacted the safe zone’s boundary burned away on the spot.

Flames forming a semicircle in empty air.

To people who couldn’t see death energy, it would look like fireworks or magically created flames.

Without the death energy, it would be quite a sight and a clear demonstration of the safe zone’s power,

But people seemed to find it hard to feel reassured seeing that sight.

Because those flames were spreading in all directions.

Of course, we could see not just the flames, but the death energy itself spreading.

The death energy that started from the south was spreading sideways, encircling the safe zone.

Death energy spreading like that meant, as Hoffman said, the Demon King’s army was surrounding this safe zone.

Still, party members’ faces showed some relief seeing the sparkling flames.

“The encirclement is a problem… But seeing they can’t enter the safe zone, there doesn’t seem to be an immediate problem.”

Though Yerim let out a relieved sigh at Hoffman’s words, I shook my head.

“No, there is an immediate problem.”

Though the safe zone was blocking death energy and undead well as expected, it seemed unable to stop people’s actions.

I raised my hand, pointing to the southern sky where death energy was rising.

“Right now, people are gathered at the southern boundary there.”

Absurdly, people’s presences could be felt from the south where death energy was pouring out.

Though people were hiding in buildings too, many people were gathered at the safe zone’s boundary.

Just why were they gathered there?

“Was there a militia in this safe zone? But even inside the safe zone, ordinary people wouldn’t be much help…”

Both I and Yerim shook our heads at Hoffman’s words.

“I haven’t heard about any militia.”

“Militia? Though people took turns standing guard, we never gathered people to fight zombies.”

Since everyone knew ordinary people couldn’t handle undead, there was no way an army would be formed with such people.

“Then what is it? Sir Knight wouldn’t have sensed presences wrongly.”

Like Hoffman’s bewildered face, I didn’t understand either.

If so, there was only one thing to do.

“We need to check right away.”

I led the party members and rushed south.

While running, I heard Hoffman clicking his tongue.

“Well, with accidents constantly happening inside, it’s useless even bringing important information from outside.”

Running through empty streets, we could quickly reach the safe zone boundary where people were gathered.

As sensed through presences, people were gathered at the boundary.

And there was an undead legion there too.

It was an absurd sight.

Though I had seen and experienced safe zones in the other world, I had never seen such a sight.

No, I had never thought I could see such a sight.

The scene before my eyes was truly surreal.

Like the death energy spreading in the sky, an enormous number of undead were gathered outside the safe zone.

Zombies and skeletons, corpse golems visible between them, and even ghosts people couldn’t see.

The undead legion filled the road outside the boundary and covered the residential area beyond.

It was the Demon King’s army, seen after a long time, almost welcome.

Though impressive in numbers and force just to look at, having seen the Demon King’s army many times, that wasn’t what surprised me.

What surprised me were the people gathered on the opposite side.

Over a hundred people were gathered in front of the Demon King’s army filling the road and residential area.

Though those people were inside the safe zone boundary, to be able to stay out here seeing so many undead,

I seemed to have underestimated this world’s people too much until now.

Hoffman arriving behind also gaped seeing the scene I saw.

“Religious fanaticism is terrifying.”

The people gathered in front of the undead weren’t looking at the undead.

Though they were facing south, they weren’t looking at the undead legion but at the Apostle standing in front of the undead.

Absurdly, the Apostle had even prepared a platform and was shouting to people from atop it.

We heard the Apostle’s sermon and learned why they were here.

The Apostle shouted with all his might, hands spread toward the Demon King’s army.

“I brought you all here to show you God’s grace directly!

Look. At these children of Satan before us. These corpses hideously transformed by death.

Though they gained power from Satan to move on earth, look! Are they not unable to trespass this land at all!”

As the Apostle’s words grew louder, people’s trembling increased too.

From here, they almost looked moved by the Apostle’s words.

But we could tell that wasn’t the case even without seeing their expressions.

The people here had been forced to come out.

Though some might have followed out of faith in the Apostle and God, ultimately everyone was now trembling in fear.

Though the Apostle with holy power might not know, people weren’t moving not because of his sermon but because they were terrified.

The safe zone blocked death energy, but it didn’t block people’s fear.

And it couldn’t block bullets either.

“I created this sanctuary with grace bestowed by God to protect you all!

You don’t know how foolish those who oppose me are!

I am God’s apostle! The only saint who creates and protects this sanctuary!”

It was when the Apostle’s sermon reached its peak.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out from far away.

Simultaneously, blood was seen spraying from the Apostle’s body on the platform, and his body fell below the platform.

“Damn!”

I clicked my tongue and launched myself toward the platform.

I had made a mistake.

I should have dispersed the people and dragged the Apostle inside as soon as I saw this.

Though I knew they had guns, I wasted time at this unexpected sight.

Had I been influenced by this world? Though there were plenty of excuses, this was an uncharacteristic mistake for me.

“Kyaa!”

“Help!”

“Everyone run!”

“Mommy! I’m scared!”

And the people bound by fear were shocked free from their shackles.

The people who had believed in and followed the Apostle’s words here fled frantically, leaving behind the Apostle who had fallen to the bullet.

Even belief in the sanctuary’s safety was useless before fear.

Moreover, now that the subject of that belief had fallen, people could think of nothing but running away.

And while people were fleeing, another gunshot rang out.

But unlike before, this bullet couldn’t pierce a person.

Clang!

Instead the bullet ricocheted off my shield. I had blocked in front of the Apostle in time.

The Apostle I checked after blocking had a hole blown through his stomach.

It was a wound that would have killed an ordinary person earlier.

Though the Apostle had tremendous holy power, survival seemed difficult.

Even when Yerim ran over and treated him, as expected the wound wouldn’t heal easily.

The Apostle who had been desperately enduring finally fainted.

Rumble.

The holy power surrounding the safe zone shook greatly.

Turning my head suddenly, I saw a skeleton opening its mouth in a big grin.

Though it looked like an ordinary skeleton like the others, I could tell.

It was the lich.