“This is going to be a pain…”
[Diz!]
But at that moment, Akane, who had been binding one of the bandits, called out.
Diz turned to see a new undead soldier appear beside the fallen Rose and pick her up.
She had thought the area around Rose had been cleared, but Diz frowned and immediately raised a hand.
“【Thunderfire】”
The magic unleashed was fierce and precise, aiming to strike the undead soldier without harming Rose.
[KAKA——This is intense! This is tough!]
——But the undead soldier blocked the magic with a blade it held.
Even though it was blocked, the thunder continued, shattering part of the undead soldier’s body. But it wasn’t a fatal wound. Moreover, the damaged parts of its body began to repair themselves.
“An undead soldier… no, an undead knight.”
This one was clearly different from the others, speaking fluently. Diz prepared to unleash another thunderbolt, but——
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAA——]
“…No good.”
As the Starving Skull’s power was about to be unleashed, Diz gave up on the pursuit. Seeing this, the undead knight picked up Rose’s body and leapt out through the giant hole in the ceiling made by the Starving Skull.
[Should we chase!?]
“No, we can’t half-ass it. You focus on binding.”
[Got it!]
Diz smiled at Akane’s energetic response, then turned her gaze to the Starving Skull and raised the battered sword.
“Let’s hope this lasts at least one more time…!”
[KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!]
Facing the incoming blast of light, she didn’t retreat a single step and immediately swung her sword.
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“【——】”
Ur, standing in the barrier with the passengers behind him, watched as her sword sliced through the light unleashed by the Starving Skull. The trajectory of her sword appeared black, and as if swallowed by that blackness, the destructive light was cleaved apart, bypassing the barrier at Diz’s feet.
But even the residual shockwave caused the barrier to shudder and scream.
“Eeeeeek…!”
“Oh, Zeuradia, the sun god… ……!”
“Stay calm! Don’t move!!”
To those on the verge of panic, Ur and the passengers endured steadfastly within the barrier. The storm of light and sound subsided only after about ten seconds.
“……! What happened……!?”
As the sounds of destruction faded and Ur raised his head, the massive Starving Skull was nowhere to be seen beyond the gaping hole. Only the starry sky remained, as if it had never existed. However, the scorched surroundings and the remains of the charred undead soldiers were starkly present.
At the very least, there were no enemies around anymore. As soon as this was confirmed, the barrier dissipated.
“Sir Ur!”
Shizuku flew toward him. She lunged at him in her exhaustion, and he struggled a bit to support her.
“Let go, let go… Well, I guess we managed…?”
“Yes, but…”
Shizuku gazed at the dozens of passengers she had protected with her barrier, her expression pained. Ur understood the reason.
“It hurts… it hurts…”
“Mom… Mom!”
Shizuku had protected the passengers, but they were not unharmed. Even before Ur and the others arrived, they had been in terrible shape. Driven by the undead soldiers, they had been forcibly herded into this hall. Some were bloodied and wailing, while others clung desperately to their unmoving family members. It was a scene of chaos and despair.
“What are we supposed to do about this…?”
“I can still use healing magic, but…”
Shizuku’s expression darkened.
The reason was clear. Her magical capacity had its limits. Considering she had maintained the barrier to its utmost, she likely had only one or two uses left. It wouldn’t be enough to heal everyone. Moreover, if she tried to heal even one person in this chaos, the injured would swarm her, potentially causing more injuries in the confusion.
“Are you two alright?”
Amidst this, Diz appeared before them. She looked terrible. To draw the attention of the bandits, she was in her undergarments, and her body was covered in soot, likely from deflecting the earlier heat ray. It was almost miraculous that she had escaped with only that.
“Diz—”
“Lady Diz Gran Phoenix!”
There were countless things Ur wanted to ask, but before he could, one of the passengers rushed forward. The man, looking utterly exhausted, clung to Diz and shouted.
“Please, I beg of you!”
“Rejected, Rubus.”
But before he could even finish his plea, Diz immediately cut him off.
“You’re going to ask me to go rescue Rose, who was taken away, aren’t you? Rejected. It’s foolish to venture beyond human territory at night without any preparation.”
“But if we don’t act now…!”
“First of all, I can’t prioritize her over the people here. Rejected.”
With merciless logic, Diz shut him down, and Rubus, already pale, slumped in defeat. Even Ur, who had no connection to the situation, couldn’t help but feel pity. But Diz ignored the man and turned her attention to Ur and Shizuku.
“We don’t have time to sympathize with him. Ur, clear the area and make space. Shizuku, prepare for treatment.”
As Diz moved to ascend the makeshift stage, Ur quickly draped his coat over her.
She exhaled lightly and addressed the passengers.
“Listen!”
Her voice was sharp and strong enough to cut through the chaos. The passengers momentarily forgot their pain and focused on Diz on the stage.
“Some of the Island Devouring Turtle’s crew have also been injured. As a Gran rank of the Temple, I will temporarily take charge here. Everyone, follow my instructions.”
The Gran rank—third in the hierarchy of the Temple, the organization that connects spirits and humans and manages the world.
The authority of this role, which guides and governs the world, shone like a beacon for the people.
“Those among you with knowledge of magic, raise your hands.”
Diz continued. As instructed, those among the passengers who knew magic raised their hands. Shizuku did so, and Ur hesitantly followed suit.
“Now, those who can use healing magic.”
Ur lowered his hand. Many others did the same. Only a handful, including Shizuku, kept their hands raised.
“Now, those who can use resurrection-level healing magic.”
At this, no hands remained.
It was an expected result. Resurrection magic—the pinnacle of healing magic, capable of pulling someone back from the brink of death—was one of the most powerful and difficult spells to master. Diz seemed to understand this, muttering “Of course” before raising her head again.
“From now on, we’ll separate the injured. Those with minor injuries will be treated without magic, so move aside. Those who have lost a lot of blood or are immobilized by pain will receive healing magic. Do not move them from their spots.”
At Diz’s clear instructions, those who could move nodded and began to act. Diz efficiently assigned tasks, separating by gender and race.
“Lastly, those who are unconscious or in critical condition.”
At this, many froze, holding their breath.
Being on the brink of death outside human territory, where there were no healing facilities, meant inevitable death. To make matters worse, whether due to the bandits’ actions or not, the Island Devouring Turtle had drifted far from the city-state of Alto. It would take time to return or for help to arrive.
Everyone had a vague understanding. They wouldn’t make it in time. They couldn’t be saved.
Families holding their unresponsive loved ones trembled as they stared at Diz.
“Bring them all to me.”
But Diz, facing their anxious and fearful gazes, calmly made this declaration.
Fortunately—if one could call it that—despite the undead soldiers wreaking havoc and blasting a hole in the ceiling, the hall had not collapsed. They were able to treat the unconscious injured without moving them.
“Originally, this hall was designed to serve as an emergency shelter.”
“It was a stroke of luck that the hostages were gathered here.”
By the time the sky visible through the hole in the ceiling began to turn blue, the chaos had somewhat subsided. Amidst this, Shizuku continued her healing efforts, even as she ran out of magic.
“……Alright, please rest now.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“I’m glad you’re safe, Pilot.”
Shizuku was now treating the Island Devouring Turtle’s pilot, who had fortunately sustained only minor injuries. By now, the rescue efforts had progressed enough to attend to even those with light injuries like his.
Once the knights from the satellite city-state of Alto arrived, things moved quickly.
“The bandits must have been afraid that killing me would doom the Island Devouring Turtle… But I’m truly sorry for the trouble caused to the passengers. I can’t thank you enough.”
As the bandaged pilot groaned, Shizuku smiled gently and comforted him.
“No, we just happened to be here and were able to help… But the true credit goes to—”
As she said this, Shizuku glanced back. There,
“Ur, secure his body. Make sure he doesn’t move.”
“Understood.”
The golden girl was still engaged in life-saving efforts.
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