Chapter 321: Khajiit

The corpse pit.

Pfft—pfft—

Khajiit lay among the corpses with dull eyes and dilated pupils, his heart beating slowly.

The sky-high stench emitted by the surrounding rotting corpses and the thunderous roars of magical collisions coming from outside were all ignored by Khajiit.

With so many rotting corpses, there should logically be a massive number of flies and mosquitoes, yet there was not a single insect in this area because the negative energy here was too dense.

Any life that entered here would only be corroded!

His already gaunt, skeletal body was now left with only a thin layer of skin.

The depths of Khajiit’s eyes were gradually covered by a layer of gray.

Am I going to die again?

His consciousness gradually became blurred; the erosion of negative energy had long since riddled his body with holes, and the so-called transformation into an undead was simply impossible to succeed.

In a trance.

A gentle, blurred face appeared in the last remnants of Khajiit’s consciousness.

Who is it?

I cannot see clearly at all.

So familiar.

、

、、、

So... it is Mother.

、、、、

Darkness completely enveloped him.

Boom—

The terrifyingly vast negative energy and death aura of the entire corpse pit, as if a drop of water had fallen into a frying pan of oil, boiled over and exploded, then, like a dragon drawing water, surged into Khajiit’s body at a violent speed.

Khajiit’s body was rapidly corroded; in the blink of an eye, his internal organs and skin vanished completely, leaving only a skeleton frame.

The seemingly fragile bones, under the constant infusion of negative energy, became solid and rugged at an extremely fast speed, transforming toward the physique of some kind of beast.

Wisps of pus-like yellow and green haze emerged from every bone, gradually wrapping around his entire body.

"Mother can never be resurrected."

"Then let us drag all the living—into death together!"

"Roar!"

A self-muttering voice that seemed to come from the abyss drifted from the corpse pit.

Having fled from the battlefield earlier.

The gray-robed mage, who feared the Dominion Authority, was currently guarding near the corpse pit, staring intently at the two figures fighting high in the sky.

"Ahahaha, as expected of the leader."

"To be able to contend with such a powerful angel, this is no different from the Demon Gods of 200 years ago."

The gray-robed mage’s face was full of worship:

"No, the legendary Thirteen Heroes might not even be as strong as the leader!"

Suddenly.

The gray-robed mage felt a chill throughout his body, widened his eyes abruptly, and looked behind him.

Click!

Crack!

The sound of bones rubbing against each other gradually came from the depths of the corpse pit, becoming clearer and clearer.

An undead beast, nearly two meters tall and resembling a horse, shining with green and yellow haze, crawled out of the corpse pit.

"This is..."

The gray-robed mage’s pupils shrank, his body trembled, and the thought of fleeing instantly surfaced in his mind.

However!

His body could not move.

The gray-robed mage seemed to have been affected by some kind of negative status effect, standing stiffly in place.

An invisible ripple surged out from this undead.

Bang!

The gray-robed mage’s eyes rolled back, his life force dissipated, and he turned into a corpse that fell to the ground, kicking up a circle of dust.

This powerful magic caster who had stepped into the "Realm of Heroes," a power that belonged to the national foundation of any country, had died silently.

In an instant!

The yellow-green haze undead’s aura surged, and it swayed gently as it stepped over the gray-robed mage’s corpse, heading toward the center of the battlefield.

There was a large amount of living aura there; it wanted to bring death to everyone.

Above the sky.

The holy, massive figure and the magic caster were chasing and fighting in the air, leaving the humans and demi-humans on the ground stunned.

The scene before them.

Was enough to become a part of an epic, to be sung by countless bards.

Divine officials and holy knights looked up with their necks craned; being able to witness this with their own eyes, a thought of good fortune actually arose in their hearts.

"God!"

"The legendary Demon Gods and Thirteen Heroes were probably just like this."

A divine official from the [Sunlight Scripture], looking at the majestic and powerful figure of that highest-tier angel, suddenly knelt on the ground, praying piously with both hands.

Captain Nigun had been imprisoned by magic and was unable to dodge the "Pale Fire" magic attack, resulting in his death, though his corpse was barely protected by members of the Scripture unit.

" 'Free Will' Tang."

"This guy."

Kelart and Remedios had already converged; they looked at each other in silence, yet their eyes shone with an unusual luster.

As the two people known as geniuses of the Holy Kingdom, and the right and left hands of the first Holy Queen, both Kelart and Remedios were extremely proud people at heart.

But at this very moment.

Kelart and the other knew clearly that the battle before them was not something they could intervene in, nor could they even assist.

"Kelart, that item..." Remedios suddenly spoke.

"No."

"Although its power is great, it is not suitable for individual combat like this." Kelart hesitated for a moment and shook her head.

"I never expected that in this disaster caused by the undead, everyone's hope would end up being pinned on an adventurer."

Remedios looked toward the sky, gripped the holy sword in her hand, then slowly loosened it, complex emotions rising in her heart.

Of the two powerful enemies, the "Death Knight" was indirectly eliminated by Tang Zheng, and now, even the leader of the most terrifying [Zuranon] was also to be dealt with by this guy.

It really is indescribable!

At this very moment.

Whether human or demi-human, all were closely watching the battle high in the sky.

Everyone was very clear that whether the Dominion Authority controlled by Tang Zheng could defeat the leader would truly determine whether they could win.

"God, please protect Captain."

Enri clasped her hands together in front of her chest; she had never believed in gods before, but at this moment, she hoped with utmost piety that the legendary god could descend.

Protect everyone, protect Captain.

Click...

The strange aura on Enri’s body actually showed signs of gradually collapsing at this moment.

Just when everyone’s spirits were tense—

Terrified, panicked sounds came from the very front of the demi-humans.

"What kind of undead is this!"

"Kill it."

"Why are you all standing there without moving."

"............"

"Dead, everyone died for no reason!"

The atmosphere of panic spread rapidly from the direction of the demi-humans, and the entire demi-human force gradually became restless.

The two Ten Greats, "Seven-Colored Scales" Gokushu and "Beast General" Hektowis, were actually unable to suppress this feeling of panic.

"How are these demi-humans..."

Hearing the commotion coming from the front, Remedios looked up with an angry expression, and the next moment, her expression froze on her face.

It was seen.

A large number of demi-humans had no ability to resist, falling to the ground in patches like harvested wheat.

And the cause of all this.

Was a skeletal undead, about two meters tall and resembling a horse, its entire body emitting a pus-like yellow and green haze.

Wherever this undead passed, the demi-humans could not even resist before standing stiffly in place, and then dying with no breath left.

A bizarre scene.

A chill rose through Remedios’s entire body for no reason: "What is that!"

"Soul Eater?"

"Why, why is there a Soul Eater here!" Kairet’s light blue pupils dilated, her fingertips trembled, and she nearly screamed.

Both "Death Knights" and "Soul Eaters" were known as legendary undead; since she had to deal with a Death Knight, Kairet had naturally flipped through ancient texts, thus indirectly learning about the other type of legendary undead.

This was a type of undead that greedily devoured the souls of the living, and legend had it that they had once appeared in an orc city on the Central Continent.

It caused the deaths of over 100,000 people, turning the entire city into a ruin known as the "Silent City."

To combat this kind of monster, one needed at least the ability to cast third-tier magic; otherwise, even looking directly at such a monster was difficult, because the opponent would spread a power called "Fear."

"Remedios..."

Kairet’s neck went stiff.

"What’s wrong?" Remedios drew her holy sword.

"Run!"

"Run quickly!" Kairet’s face turned pale; she turned around and roared at the top of her lungs, completely losing her composure:

"Holy Paladin Order, Priest Order, everyone retreat!"

Remedios was stunned; she had never seen her younger sister lose her composure like this.

The emotion of panic spread through the entire battlefield like a plague!

The demi-humans located at the front, who were also the most numerous, were the first to collapse, fleeing toward the rear in unison.

There were terrified screams everywhere.

The dust kicked up by the fleeing demi-humans, the human and demi-human corpses littering the ground, and the remains of undead that had been converted after dying long ago.

"Everyone..."

Enri stood where she was, at a loss, staring blankly at the chaotic, disorderly, and panic-stricken battlefield before her.

She was right in the center of the battlefield.

Enri suddenly felt a sense of insignificance she had never felt before: "Life is truly so fragile."

"Enri, leave quickly!"

The Dryad rushed over from behind, grabbing Enri’s arm, wanting to take her away.

"No."

Enri gently pulled her arm away and suddenly smiled slightly: "The Captain is still fighting, how could I leave."

"The Captain will not be in danger..."

The Dryad spoke quickly, her gaze filled with terror as she looked ahead; she could vaguely see the silhouette of the Soul Eater already.

Wait!

The Dryad’s heart suddenly skipped a beat; she looked down at the hand that had been shaken off—since when did Enri have such strength?

"Miss Dryad, do you know? I just prayed to the gods with the utmost piety, only to find that the only thing responding to me was my own voice."

Enri blinked, her dark brown pupils revealing disappointment, yet also flashing with a different kind of brilliance:

"I am just a farm woman from a frontier village."

"From the very beginning, I knew how vast the gap between me and the Captain was."

Enri raised her hand, gripped the chestnut-gold three-strand braid resting on her chest, and looked up at the holy figure fighting in the sky, her eyes filled with longing:

"But until now, I discovered that this gap is even larger than I imagined."

"Because those high-and-mighty nobles, the Captain of the Paladins, and legendary powerhouses like the Ten Greats of the demi-humans can now only look up at the sky or flee..."

The anxious expression on the Dryad’s face grew more intense; she felt like she was going to go crazy.

No!

It was Enri who had gone crazy.

What on earth was this brat doing!

Looking at the demi-humans and humans fleeing for their lives around them, and the Soul Eater that had completely appeared in their field of vision, the Dryad broke out in a cold sweat, wishing she could abandon Enri and run away immediately.

But if she did that!

The Master would surely kill her, and her sister’s life would be forfeit as well.

"What on earth are you trying to do!" The Dryad’s voice became strained; she was now considering whether to defy the Master’s orders, knock Enri unconscious, and drag her away by force.

"I don’t know..."

Enri muttered to herself, her brown pupils looking at the Soul Eater in her field of vision, which was emitting a yellow-green haze:

"I want to close the distance between myself and the Captain."

"I want to be of help to the Captain."

"I want... everyone’s lives should not end here."

Enri turned her head to look at the anxious Dryad beside her, smiling as she pursed her lips, tears still wet at the corners of her eyes:

"Miss Dryad, I feel like I can be of help now."

Whoosh—

A gust of wind blew past, fluttering the dirty, slightly torn hem of Enri’s skirt.

Enri bent down and picked up a longsword from the ground.

The Dryad’s pupils inexplicably constricted, and she took a step backward.

Remedios and Kairet, who were retreating, were stunned as they looked at the two people—Enri and the other—standing motionless in the center of the battlefield in the distance.

"What are those two doing? Are they crazy!"

Above the battlefield.

Tang Zheng and the Alliance Leader, who were in the midst of a fierce battle, also noticed the scene on the ground.

"Soul Eater? It actually succeeded!"

"Kajit, hahaha, you are worthy of being my top student." The Alliance Leader was clearly somewhat surprised, and then he let out a triumphant laugh.

"Priest, you have already completely lost!"

"Do you know what that is? That is a Soul Eater, a legendary undead even more terrifying than a Death Knight."

The Alliance Leader did not let any opportunity pass and began to strike; he had already noticed that the Dominion Authority was slowing down, and the feathers on its wings showed signs of dissipating.

"Kajit?"

He had not expected that the Alliance Leader would even manage to produce a Soul Eater; judging by the other party’s words, it was Kajit who had converted it.

If it truly was a Soul Eater, then basically everyone present would have to die.

In the game "Yggdrasil," one would only be hit by instant death once in a few hundred times against a Soul Eater, so the threat was not great, but in this other world, the influence of such an instant-death aura was continuous.

The stronger one’s strength, the lower the probability of the check, but without instant-death resistance, once the check passed, death was certain.

Tang Zheng immediately controlled the Dominion Authority, intending to launch a magic attack at that Soul Eater first.

"I won’t let you succeed!"

The Alliance Leader, who had been suppressed all along, finally seized the initiative and immediately moved to intercept.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate!

In the center of the battlefield below.

Boom—

A brilliant white light suddenly condensed out of thin air.

Enri held an ordinary longsword with both hands, white light flickering in her brown pupils, as if she were talking to herself or asking for something:

"Everyone, please lend me your strength!"

Everyone?

The Dryad took another step back, subconsciously glancing at her surroundings.

Hum—hum—

Shining radiance, like dense fireflies, floated up from the battlefield and converged from all directions toward the blade in Enri’s hand.

The sudden scene caused everyone’s movements to pause.

This white light was not a power of the holy attribute, but a pure "Positive" attribute that no one had ever felt before.

"Enri? What on earth is happening?" Tang Zheng was the most bewildered at this moment.

Hum—

The attribute panel vibrated.

『Skill "Heroic Moment" discovered, requires special class [xxxxx], current conditions... failed...』

『Information acquisition failed...』

『Skill information acquisition—"Heroic Moment": Borrow the power of fallen companions to temporarily gain a physical attack attribute bonus, raising it to the same level as the highest physical attack value among the enemy and allies』

『Skill "Heroic Moment" discovered, requires special class [Hero · Believer (Unique)], no current class, skill acquisition failed, requires 3 skill points』

『No prerequisite high-tier class, skill acquisition failed, requires 6 skill points』

『No prerequisite mid-tier class, skill acquisition failed, requires 9 skill points』

『No prerequisite basic class... [Genius] converting... [Genius] conversion failed, this prerequisite basic class does not exist, requires 12 skill points』

『Do you wish to consume 12 skill points to forcibly acquire this special class?』

『Conditions for class acquisition not met, when acquiring special class—class degradation』

『Reminder! This class is a "Unique" class』

『Please choose whether to take the class?』

Dense lines of class information appeared on the attribute panel.

"Enri... Hero class..."

Tang Zheng was uncharacteristically silent; with just a single thought, he could obtain this power.

A completely independent, special "Hero" class.

Through the information revealed on the attribute panel, Tang Zheng could clearly perceive the power contained within this special class.

"A Hero, is it."

In a trance, Tang Zheng seemed to feel a certain will contained within the class; he suddenly understood why Enri had obtained it, and knew with absolute clarity.

By relying on normal means, he would absolutely never be able to obtain this class.

A "Hero" is never born powerful, but is a kind of will and choice, a confidence that leads from weakness to strength!

This is the will and choice that belongs uniquely to Enri!

"Haha."

Tang Zheng, situated within the body of the Dominion Authority, suddenly laughed; since transmigrating to this world, he had never been this genuinely happy.

It was as if, while walking along a desolate and lonely road, someone had suddenly been able to keep pace.

"It is a power that belongs to you, Enri," Tang Zheng smiled brilliantly:

"No."

"Class change failed!"

(End of chapter)