A horde of countless undead.
At its center stood a necromancer whose entire body was made of bones.
Lich Amvadium cried out in a sharp voice.
"Go forth! Immortal Legion! Now is the time to dye this world in darkness!"
-"Kekekeke!!!"
-Clack! Clack!
Under Amvadium's command, the undead charged forward at terrifying speed.
Exuding an evil aura, they flashed eyes filled with greed and bloodlust as they raised the weapons in their hands high.
Rusted greatswords and
rotted wooden staves and
bows made of bone.
Gripping weapons brimming with curses from the dead, they raced toward the Holy Knights who still stubbornly held their ground, obeying their master's orders.
Leading this procession of the dead,
Lich Amvadium twisted his bony lips into a sinister smile of dark glee.
'Kuhuhu... This is just the beginning. With this, I'll repay decades of grudges and make this world mine! For now, I'll play along with those church bastards, but soon enough...'
In the past, Amvadium had been executed for researching forbidden magic.
The resentment from that time still burned fiercely in his heart, reborn as a lich through the magic he had cast just before death.
He would have his revenge on this nation that had dismissed his efforts and skills, condemning him unilaterally!
On the foolish children frolicking idly,
on lovers whispering sickening sweet nothings with warm smiles.
Soon, wails of despair would pour from all their mouths.
Thus, Amvadium savored thick anticipation and ecstasy as he envisioned the hellscape unfolding from the death of this pathetic band of Holy Knights.
But then...
"Hm?"
A sudden hot sensation began to spread.
At first, he thought it was just the sun's rays.
However, the heat rising so rapidly was too intense to dismiss as mere sunlight.
It went beyond mere warmth, now feeling like it would cause burns.
Confused and bewildered by this, Amvadium halted and looked upward.
And.
Right after.
Amvadium's mind, filled moments ago with joy and madness,
was instantly overcome with bewilderment.
"W-What... is that...?"
Something plummeting directly above him and the undead.
A colossal entity radiating monstrous heat that melted the undead alive in an instant.
For a moment, he thought the sun itself had fallen from the sky.
But no.
It wasn't the sun, nor was it some massive fireball.
It was an absurdly enormous mass of holy power.
And to the undead, it was a calamity far more horrific than the sun itself.
-"Gaaahhh!!!"
-"Kieeeek!!!"
The undead vanished into ashes in an instant before this overwhelming force hurtling down at them.
The thousands of undead he had painstakingly gathered for this day were annihilated in a single moment.
And Amvadium himself was no exception.
"N-No! Th-This... can't... happen!! Guh! Haaahhh!!!"
His bony body, rapidly disintegrating as it was engulfed by holy power.
What in the world was that thing?
Why had it appeared here, of all places, at this exact moment?
Amid questions, confusion,
and despair,
Lich Amvadium vanished without even putting up a fight.
In his final moments, what entered his eyes were countless eyeballs.
A gaze so terrifying it instilled fear even in him, the lord of corpses—a horrific being of unimaginable dread.
Meanwhile, the one responsible for instantly wiping out the army of death that would have brought great calamity.
The existence endlessly emitting holy power to control its descent as it landed on the earth.
Seraphim felt a faint odd sensation upon landing and tilted its head in mild puzzlement.
'Hm? I thought there was a ton of stuff down here? Must've been my imagination.'
*
Having landed safely on the barren plain without incident,
a human woman stood before me at the center of the empty wasteland.
A Holy Knight with golden blonde hair and blue eyes,
quite beautiful even by my current standards.
But regardless of her looks,
I felt considerable bewilderment at this unexpected encounter, and honestly, considerable joy at meeting a 'living intelligent being' after so long.
Though my sense of loneliness had become extremely faint, it wasn't entirely gone,
and the joy of encountering someone was definitely still there.
Moreover, the faint holy power emanating from her body—weak compared to mine but unmistakable.
As proof of her being a typical Holy Knight, it stirred an instinctive sense of closeness in me as an angel, amplifying the familiarity.
Feeling these emotions,
I gazed at her using the countless eyes attached to my body.
👁️ EYE OF TRUTH 👁️A divine spell learned in heaven, one of the powers inherent to angels. Pierces through to see the true essence of the target.📛 Name: Eva Gillion💼 Job: Holy Knight Captain⚖️ Karma: +200
That might sound grandiose, but in reality, all it revealed was her karma value (good/evil alignment), job, and real name.
But even that was hugely important for someone like me, whose insane appearance was perfect for misunderstandings.
Based on this info, I racked my brain on how to approach this Holy Knight before me...
Eva Gillion—or whatever her name was, it was just begging for nitpicks—as I pondered how to start talking to her.
Then...
"W-Who... are you...?"
She asked in a trembling voice.
Even though I'd clearly told her not to fear, her face plainly showed raw terror.
Once again, I was struck by the importance of appearances.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and answered her question first.
[I am the Great Seraph Seraphim, servant of the exalted one dwelling in the highest heavens. Holy Knight Eva Gillion.]
"! H-How do you know my name... Ah... I-I see. Y-You... are an angel... You answered my prayer... and saved me..."
This woman Eva, looking bewildered yet somehow convincing herself.
There seemed to be some weird misunderstanding, but before I could question it, she spoke first.
"Th-Thank you so much. To answer my prayer like this... A-As expected, the Lord truly watches over us always."
[Of course. He always watches over you. Never forget that, remain faithful to His commandments, and do not neglect your prayers.]
I honestly had no idea what prayer she'd made.
But hey, good things are good.
No need to shatter this innocent woman's illusions, so with some generic motherly advice like "listen to your mom and eat well," I prepared to leave.
Personally, I wouldn't have minded chatting more, but I had a feeling prolonging it would lead to annoying complications.
But then...
"U-Um...! A-Angel... no, Seraphim...!"
The next moment, Eva called out to me in a desperate voice.
Hearing the earnest plea in her words, I halted my ascent and looked at her again with the countless eyes on my body.
[What is it?]
At that instant, her face twisted as if she might burst into tears, her whole body trembling.
As my curiosity grew about what could make her so anxious, she finally spoke.
"Th-That is... I-If it's possible... Could you save the people here? M-My comrades...?"
She forced out the plea in a quivering voice.
Now I understood why she'd seemed so uneasy.
Other Holy Knights, whom I'd belatedly noticed.
I had no idea exactly what happened, but they clearly looked like they'd fought fiercely and collapsed.
"I-I know it's an shameless request! B-But... please... I beg you. If you can, please... save them! I'll give everything... e-even my life if needed, please..."
Tears streaming down her face, Eva dropped to her knees on the ground, bowing her head.
Watching her, I thought for a moment.
It was true I felt a slight affinity for her.
But separate from that, whether to grant this favor was worth considering.
I'd already done her a huge favor earlier.
I didn't know exactly what it was, so exploiting it felt off, but this was different.
Nothing in the world is free,
and you maximize what you can use.
Even as a Great Seraph now. Maybe because I was human in my past life,
or perhaps seeing heaven in ruins had made my very nature more worldly—who knows—but I had no qualms calculating gains and losses.
In that regard, I quickly decided.
Let's squeeze maximum benefit from this situation.
Fortunately, none of the humans collapsed here were 100% dead.
Reviving the truly dead would be impossible, but
for me, versed in all sorts of divine magic, healing those injuries was no big deal.
[Very well. I shall grant your request.]
"Ah!"
[However, you must take responsibility for your words.]
"R-Responsibility...?"
[Did you not say with your own mouth that you would offer everything? Can you truly follow through?]
"!..."
At my words, dense bewilderment clouded Eva's face for an instant.
She had said it herself, but it was still something she'd hesitate over.
Essentially signing a slave contract, how could she not agonize?
Of course, if she refused, I was willing to give a little... discount.
With my current power, saving a few near-death people was trivial.
If I could generate profit with this power anyway,
creating a stepping stone in this world would be enough.
However.
"I... I understand."
She spoke in a trembling voice.
Surprised by her quicker-than-expected decision, I asked,
[Are you sure?]
"Yes, I... I offer it. My body and soul... everything. Please... save my comrades!"
Her face resolute as she spoke.
In response, I (though I have no mouth) smiled in satisfaction and told her,
[I shall grant what you desire.]
*
Holy Knight Captain Eva.
She was someone who felt no fear in most situations.
Even at the young age of 21, she had been through every hardship imaginable.
She had crossed the brink of death multiple times and fought life-or-death battles against monsters several meters tall.
The terror of death was as familiar to her as an old friend.
However.
Even Eva
could not deny the clear emotion she felt in this situation...
Pure, unadulterated fear.
The being before her eyes, possessing an enormous size and horrific form.
This colossal entity, easily over 100 meters tall, staring at her with countless blinking eyeballs—it was terror incarnate.
If her courage had been just a bit less.
If this giant hadn't just annihilated a massive undead horde without saving her.
If it weren't emitting such clear holy power right now.
If it hadn't spoken non-hostile words like "fear not" from what seemed its mouth.
And above all, if her comrades whose lives hung in the balance weren't collapsed around her.
She probably would have given in to this primal, instinctive fear and fled on the spot.
Feeling her heart might pound out of her chest, Eva mustered her best to speak to it.
Its response came in a voice that sounded utterly majestic,
introducing itself as the Great Seraph Seraphim and calling her name.
It made Eva's heart sink even further.
What was this monster that it knew her name?
Could it really be a demon from legend?
No, that didn't match—this holy power and the feat of sweeping away the undead.
Nor could it be a divine messenger or angel from scripture... its appearance transcended alien and delved straight into horror.
No answer came no matter how she racked her brains with her knowledge.
Plagued by deep confusion, Eva still managed to express her thanks to it...
And then pleaded with all her might.
To save her comrades.
She'd offer everything. Please save her comrades' lives.
Suppressing the fear in her heart, she made her choice.
She resolved to become the slave of this monster, be it angel or demon.
In response, Seraphim stared at her with its dozens, hundreds of horrific eyes and said,
[I shall grant what you desire.]
With those words, intense light poured from Seraphim's body once more.
As it enveloped her completely, devouring everything around,
and as a bizarre peace it brought seemed to swallow her soul,
Eva lost consciousness.