Chapter 93 – No Safe Place in Hell (3)

Busy dodging tentacles, I didn’t immediately notice that the safe zone had collapsed.

The safe zone collapsed when the octopus started attacking me.

Though I stopped the octopus monster’s attack, unfortunately I couldn’t prevent the safe zone from collapsing.

As I heard later, the holy artifact was already damaged beyond repair. When the holy artifact broke, the safe zone disappeared too.

The monster attacking me now wasn’t because I cut its tentacle.

It was because the safe zone collapsed.

The safe zone collapsed achieving the lich’s goal, and the magic the lich cast on the monster was broken too.

Since the octopus monster originally targeted me, now with the magic broken, it could only target me.

“Damn!”

As the holy power gathered in the safe zone dissipated, wind blew inward.

Wind contaminated with death energy.

Thanks to that I learned the safe zone had collapsed, but I couldn’t go help people.

Because the octopus monster was only chasing me.

If only the safe zone hadn’t collapsed, this would have been the situation I wanted, but now it was extremely troublesome.

With the octopus monster following behind, I couldn’t go to my party members, and with the safe zone collapsed now, I couldn’t leave this place with the octopus monster following as originally planned.

In the end I had no choice but to face the octopus monster here.

“Ah, the holy artifact broke.”

Yerim looked at the black ashes in the shape of a cross lying in her open palm.

These ashes were the wooden cross, the holy artifact that had been emitting holy power until just now.

After continuously emitting smoke, it finally turned to ashes.

Crash!

The cracks filling the sky disappeared with the sound of breaking glass, and the holy power filling the atmosphere quickly vanished.

Simultaneously as the holy power disappeared, black fog gradually pushed in from the north.

Looking at the black fog, Yerim muttered.

“I heard death energy couldn’t be seen.”

Hoffman who approached beside her answered her words.

“It means it’s that dense. At this level ordinary people would become undead within tens of minutes.”

Hoffman who was frowning looking at the black smoke beside her immediately drank holy water he had set aside.

He took out another bottle of holy water to give to Zahina and Yerim but put it back in his bag.

Because both of them waved their hands.

Yerim was a cleric with holy power so naturally didn’t need holy water, and Zahina could protect her body in death energy enough to create a small mobile safe zone.

But only these people could be fine in front of the approaching death energy.

Ordinary people in the safe zone couldn’t survive in such dense death energy.

Though not properly knowing this fact, other people realized the safe zone had disappeared seeing the sky. Naturally people struggled to survive.

“According to Sir Knight’s orders, since the safe zone collapsed, seems it’s time to run…”

Hoffman looked at Yerim while nocking an arrow.

Contrary to Hoffman’s words, Yerim sat on the ground carefully putting the ashes gathered in her hand into her inner pocket.

After putting all the ashes in her pocket, Yerim opened her mouth.

“You know I can’t go. People are coming. I can’t abandon those people.”

As she said, people were running from the south.

At the front were the young awakened one and people who had headed south earlier, and behind them were people who had stayed in the safe zone.

Seeing the two groups mixed, both seemed to be coming here.

At the very back of the hundreds of people running here were Seo Eun and Jaeha.

Seo Eun was leading and running with lagging people, and Jaeha was throwing undead following behind people with superhuman strength.

Hoffman sighed seeing people running here with undead following behind.

“Well, that’s how it would be. Clerics think the same.”

Hoffman had expected Yerim would say that.

Clerics always tried to save people.

Moreover, having received help several times himself because of that good deed, he couldn’t ignore Yerim’s words.

“As Sir Knight said, forming a party with a cleric is troublesome indeed.”

Hoffman stood beside the sitting Yerim and drew his bowstring.

“I’ll protect as much as possible. But in the worst situation, I’ll forcibly take you as per Sir Knight’s orders.”

“Yes. Still please help until the very end. Sister Zahina too.”

Zahina was already silently using her ability while standing on the opposite side from Hoffman.

She was blocking the approaching black fog, death energy by sending wind northward.

Seeing Zahina using her ability, Hoffman clicked his tongue softly.

“We’ll get scolded by Sir Knight.”

At Hoffman’s words, Yerim pouted while drawing up holy power.

“But I’m disappointed. Saying to run away right when the safe zone disappears. I didn’t expect Sir Knight to say such things.”

Hoffman shook his head at Yerim’s words.

“That’s what a party leader should naturally say. As a knight too that’s natural.”

“But what about other people?”

“We can’t save everyone.”

Yerim closed her mouth at Hoffman’s words.

Because his words were the right argument.

Still, seeing Yerim full of dissatisfaction, Hoffman pointed north.

“Plus even saying that, Sir Knight hasn’t given up yet.”

Roar!

In the north Hoffman pointed to, the octopus monster was still rampaging.

Though the safe zone collapsed, the octopus monster neither pushed in here nor moved from that spot while frantically swinging its tentacles.

Thanks to that even after the safe zone collapsed, undead weren’t approaching from the north.

Of course, undead were gathering from everywhere except the north.

Though not looking like an army without the lich, their disorderly gathering toward here was enough to make even Yerim’s heart drop.

But seeing the rampaging octopus monster, Yerim immediately pulled back her protruding lips.

Because one person was visible between the octopus monster’s sweeping tentacles.

Like a fly moving between fly swatters or a flea, one person was jumping between the giant tentacles.

It was the blonde knight wearing protective clothing instead of armor.

He was launching his body and continuously swinging his sword between tentacles that would be fatal just from a graze.

Every time he swung his sword, black smoke rose from the tentacles and octopus monster’s main body.

Even in such a dangerous situation he was fighting the octopus monster.

Yerim’s eyes sparkled again seeing that sight.

And holy power burst from her hands.

“Like Sir Knight, I’ll try my best too.”

Actually the knight hoped his party members would quickly run away, but unfortunately the party members didn’t know his mind.

Whoosh.

Holy power burst from Yerim’s body with closed eyes.

Wind rose around Yerim’s body.

Hoffman admired seeing her hair swaying.

“This level of holy power was rarely seen even in our world, truly amazing.”

It was holy power strong enough for ordinary people to feel.

The holy power pushing even air spread in all directions and contacted the black fog, death energy.

The death energy that had kept pushing through Zahina’s wind stopped advancing after hitting Yerim’s holy power with sparks.

Crackle!

Sparks filled the sky.

Sparks spread in a dome shape.

While sparks flew, outside the dome gradually darkened with black fog.

As if showing the world had ended, the ground was covered by black fog like that.

But black fog couldn’t invade inside where sparks were flying.

Yerim’s created holy power blocked the death energy.

A safe zone over a hundred meters in radius was created centered on Yerim.

People poured into that safe zone.

People who had run from the south.

People who ran with scared faces tumbled to the ground upon entering the safe zone Yerim made.

Everyone had run desperately.

People who entered the safe zone tried approaching Yerim and party members while gasping for breath.

Because everyone realized who had made this small safe zone and where was safest.

But they stopped in place seeing the bow Hoffman held. Hoffman’s bow was aimed at approaching people.

Pushing through people stopped like that, Seo Eun and Jaeha came forward leading people.

All the people they brought had skin turned pale.

They gasped for breath and could barely walk.

They were people who ran at the very back, people exposed to death energy longest.

Seo Eun ran to Yerim holding a child.

“Th-the people, look at the child. You can heal with your power right?”

Yerim who was concentrating to maintain the safe zone opened her eyes wide hearing Seo Eun’s words.

She jumped up and grabbed Yerim’s arm.

“More urgent than others, sister is more urgent!”

It was as Yerim said.

Seo Eun was palest among the pale, and struggling most among those struggling.

Seo Eun who ran at the very back was most contaminated by death energy.

To Yerim’s eyes, Seo Eun seemed likely to die faster than the child she held.

When Yerim pushed holy power into Seo Eun’s arm, her pale skin gradually returned to normal.

Her struggling expression also gradually relaxed.

The child she held was the same.

But the safe zone she was spreading wasn’t.

When Yerim focused elsewhere, the temporarily created safe zone swayed severely.

“Aah!”

“No, I don’t want to die!”

People screamed seeing black fog and sparks approaching.

People resting far away urgently threw themselves inward, and others approached beside Yerim.

Seeing that sight, Seo Eun tried to pull out Yerim’s hand.

“I’m fine now, so you can stop now.”

“No. Death energy remains. If I stop here you’ll quickly weaken.”

Yerim gritted her teeth.

The swaying safe zone stabilized again.

Seo Eun’s face gradually returned to normal too.

Instead Yerim became drenched in sweat.

Though thinking she had somehow stabilized the safe zone like that, unfortunately that wasn’t so.

Roar! Shriek! Growl!

The real reason she created the safe zone charged in.

It wasn’t because of death energy that a safe zone was created here or that she created a safe zone.

It was all to block undead.

But the safe zone Yerim made was too small.

A small holy power zone barely hundreds of meters.

Seeing hundreds of people gathered in that space, the undead couldn’t stay still.

The undead jumped into the safe zone not caring about their bodies burning.

Hoffman shot his bow and Zahina fired her gun.

Though the young awakened one and Jaeha threw burning undead outside, there were too many charging undead.

Undead gradually pushed inward, and it became increasingly difficult for Yerim to maintain the safe zone.

Sparks gradually decreased, and black fog kept pushing in.

People screamed, and some people were even bitten by burning undead.

A hellish sight.

Yerim looked north, but the knight seemed busy dodging the octopus monster’s tentacles.

Looking around, no one who could help was visible.

Seems the knight’s words about fleeing early were right after all.

When Yerim was discouraged like that.

Above Yerim’s head, a small hole was created in empty air.

A small hole rippling like water.

Another world was reflected in the rippling hole.