Keith had only one task in this battle:

Capture the demon alive.

Capturing was always far more difficult than killing. But this dungeon had already consumed two Demon Archdukes.

And under Ian’s orders, Keith had learned exactly how such creatures were meant to be “captured.”

“Keep it alive. Immobilize it.”

The problem, however, was unique.

For creatures with limbs, you could simply cripple them.

But what were you supposed to do with a snake?

Ian already had the answer.

“Nail it to the ground.”

Tear through the hardened outer hide. Expose the vulnerable flesh beneath.

Then pin it down.

Keith’s role was simple:

Break the armor.

Peel away the serpent’s thick exterior and expose the nauseating flesh hidden underneath.

And Keith excelled at exactly that.

His holy sword carved into the immobilized target.

“Too shallow.”

— HSSSSSS!

The serpent writhed violently across the floor. The spinning snails attached to its body were shredded apart instantly.

Keith didn’t spare them a glance.

This was a graveyard.

Every section of Ian’s so-called “field dungeon” possessed its own distinct properties.

And what existed in graveyards?

Pale hands burst from the earth.

The dead seized the serpent from every direction. Its slick, toxic flesh twisted violently against their grip, slippery and corrosive, yet unable to fully break free.

But the undead did not feel pain.

Even as flesh dissolved and bones melted away, the ghouls continued fulfilling their role without hesitation.

And through the opening they created—

“[Liquid Property Manipulation]!”

The tower mages cast their spell in unison.

The toxins dispersed from the serpent’s slime, reverting into shadowy fluid. From within it, fresh spinning snails emerged once more.

CRACKLE!

The attacks weren’t lethal.

But they continuously hindered the serpent’s movement.

Compared to the enormous Demon Archduke, the creatures were no more than insects.

Yet insects could still bind a giant.

“How clever.”

Ghouls climbed over the spinning snail shells and crawled onto the Demon Archduke’s body.

— HSSSSSS!

A violent blast of slime erupted outward, obliterating every creature clinging to him.

Keith remembered Ian’s briefing.

“The second close-range attack pattern is a shockwave. I’ll handle that part, so don’t worry about it.”

“And when Nameita joins the fight, jump onto the serpent.”

Right on cue—

A white-bearded dwarf carrying a shield taller than himself charged forward.

“Come on then, you overgrown worm!”

CLANG!

The serpent lunged with terrifying speed and swallowed the dwarf whole.

But the dwarf reacted even faster.

He jammed his shield sideways between the serpent’s jaws, preventing them from closing.

And that shield was no ordinary piece of dwarven equipment.

Its surface had been coated entirely in silver—specially prepared by Ian himself.

SIZZLE!

Burning flesh crackled loudly.

Acrid smoke poured from the serpent’s mouth.

— HISS!

The rotting serpent violently spat the dwarf back out.

Though the dwarf’s armor had blackened from corrosion, he himself remained unharmed.

“Can’t even swallow properly? Pathetic excuse for a snake!”

“That dwarf really has no talent for provoking people.”

Despite Ian’s criticism, the taunt worked {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} perfectly.

The Demon Archduke’s attention shifted entirely toward the dwarf.

Keith stomped down hard.

Following Ian’s advice, he had changed into lighter armor before the battle. Though he could move even in heavy plate, the burden still slowed him down.

Now, freed from that weight, his body felt almost weightless.

He moved as though he had grown wings.

Using the corpses still lodged in the serpent’s flesh as footholds, Keith launched himself upward.

BOOM!

As the dwarf confronted the serpent head-on, Keith landed atop its back.

The serpent immediately sensed the weight and thrashed violently.

“Now!”

Even amid the chaos, Keith heard Ian’s voice clearly.

His master’s orders cut through the battlefield.

CREEEAK— 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Massive gates opened.

A horde of Hawkros stormed into the field.

Creatures with eagle heads, bear paws, and lion bodies.

The beasts hurled themselves directly at the serpent with suicidal force.

BANG!

Blood exploded outward.

The Hawkros died instantly upon impact—

But the serpent did not emerge unscathed.

Individually, they were insignificant compared to a Demon Archduke.

But numbers mattered.

And they targeted weak points with terrifying precision.

Eagle beaks tore at the serpent’s eyes.

— HSSSSSS!

The serpent convulsed in agony.

BOOM! BOOM!

Its tail smashed into the floor and ceiling like a natural disaster. Dust and debris rained down from above.

Only Keith maintained his footing.

Standing atop the wildly thrashing serpent like a knight mounted on a maddened warhorse, he calmly endured the violent motion beneath him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Every strike of the serpent’s body obliterated everything nearby.

Ghouls exploded.

Hawkros burst apart.

Humans and beasts alike were reduced to mangled heaps of flesh.

The rain of arrows ceased.

The ghouls stopped regenerating.

The spinning snails were wiped out.

The wolves and Hawkros were massacred.

Corpses littered the battlefield.

Scattered flesh and shattered bones writhed unnaturally across the ground before slowly pulling themselves back together.

But they did not return to life.

The dead rose again.

Red light glowed within their eyes.

The Demon Archduke had seized control of them.

This was a graveyard.

Not a place meant for the living.

A domain transformed by the power of a great demon.

“T-That’s the Demon Archduke...”

— HSSSSSS!

The serpent raised its enormous head.

Terror spread instantly among the soldiers. Some forgot even to draw their bows.

Others collapsed into prayer.

“Oh no... we’re going to die...”

“Please... save us...”

But Ian remained completely calm.

Because he had been waiting for this exact moment.

“Keith.”

Standing atop the serpent, the knight heard his master call his name.

It was his turn now.

Keith looked down.

The battlefield below writhed with corpses.

Soldiers in armor staggered beside them.

“Disgusting.”

Keith hated all demons equally.

But some sins were beyond tolerance.

Those who defiled the dead...

Those who violated the order established by God...

Imagining his loved ones suffering even after death made it feel as though his chest was being torn apart.

Such things should never exist.

A strange heat burned behind Keith’s eyes.

“This is bad.”

He immediately understood the cause.

Too much exposure to demonic energy.

Repeatedly forcing holy power through his body to oppose it had pushed him beyond his limits.

He had fought continuously without proper rest.

He needed Ian’s grace.

Even holy missions required preparation.

Before the battle began, Ian had asked him:

“Can you still handle it?”

At the time, Keith thought Ian was asking whether capturing the demon was possible.

But that wasn’t what he meant.

Keith was Ian’s follower.

If Ian ordered him forward, he would gladly throw himself into hell itself.

“He was asking about the curse.”

At the time, Keith believed he could endure.

Perhaps he had been wrong.

His body was already warning him.

He could no longer continue overexerting himself indefinitely.

Yet—

He still had strength left.

“This curse reacts to emotions...”

The hatred boiling inside him caused the burning in his eyes to intensify.

Negative emotions strengthened the curse.

But how was he supposed to suppress hatred like this?

Then Ian’s gaze met his.

Among the terrified soldiers, Ian stood out clearly.

Pale skin.

Dark eyes filled with unwavering strength.

Those eyes stared directly at Keith.

And somehow, Keith could almost hear Ian’s voice again.

“When that thing’s health drops below half—or rather, once its stamina falls low enough—it’ll summon reinforcements.”

“You mean the demons under its command?”

“No. It’ll raise the corpses. Don’t worry about those. Just focus on what you need to do.”

Ian was holding something in his hand.

Small.

Round.

“A pearl...?”

Drip.

A single drop echoed through the sealed cavern.

At first, it resembled morning dew.

Then another drop fell.

And another.

Soon, a thin drizzle became a torrential downpour.

SHHHHHHH—

Rain poured across the battlefield.

The resurrected undead collapsed beneath it.

The serpent’s polluted bodily fluids could not withstand the cleansing rain and washed harmlessly onto the ground.

The corpses animated by demonic power crumbled back into dirt.

“Ah...”

Keith understood.

As Ian said—

There was no need to worry about the surface.

The true target lay beneath it all.

Keith reached behind his back and drew out his weapon.

Three separate rods bound together.

With his holy sword still hanging at his waist, he assembled them together.

CLICK. CLICK. CLICK!

A massive spear took shape.

Longer than a Holy Knight’s height itself.

A weapon designed for momentum.

For killing blows.

Keith lowered his stance and sprinted.

Then he leapt.

His body seemed to defy gravity itself.

A streak of brilliant light pierced through the serpent’s body.

— KYAAAAAAK!