A chance encounter led to a breakdown—and then a shift into combat.
Everything was unplanned and utterly against his wishes.
Cursing inwardly as though he’d been abandoned by the angel of fate, Verdel fixed his gaze on the girl—the witch—slowly closing the distance.
"Damn it! Everything was going so well! This is the worst!"
"I agree completely. I, too, had no intention of doing something like—"
"Loose arrows!"
Without waiting for the witch to finish, Verdel’s command sent a volley of arrows flying from the mercenaries.
Over a dozen arrows, drawn to their fullest, surged toward the girl.
But the tentacles that stretched from behind her deflected every single one.
Displaying reaction speeds impossible for a human as if it were nothing, she—oddly—smiled with evident delight.
"...Hoho, no mercy at all. I like that sort of thing. I love it."
"Tch! Dodging that effortlessly?!"
"V-Verdel, sir… a witch?"
Arrows were useless. They wouldn't even serve as a distraction, let alone inflict damage.
Sensing all too keenly that the opponent was no ordinary foe, Verdel turned his gaze to the panicking Ronius.
Perhaps he had mistaken the girl for a heretical priestess or something similar. He might have been perceiving her as merely within the realm of humanity.
Regretting that he should have shared his own concerns a bit more, Verdel delivered a concise explanation about the witch—now far too late.
"The Saintess issued a divine proclamation, and the authorities designated her a catastrophe-class monster. Only two have been confirmed so far. This one is likely the third! She’s the cause of the Northern Province turmoil—you know what that means, right?!"
"That… that can’t be…"
"…………"
Witch.
The words Verdel spoke underscored the girl's extreme danger.
The ongoing turmoil in the northern provinces, showing no signs of subduing. And the catastrophe blamed as its cause.
Ronius likely never imagined the world-ending crisis the Holy Kingdom was so desperately concealing would manifest before him in such a form.
The girl continued to sway her tentacles rhythmically, her eerie eyes fixed upon them. Her attitude was almost as if she were saying, "Come, I'll play with you."
Escape was not an option.
With attack speed that even the high knight Verdel could barely handle, the witch directed her fangs toward Ronius.
The absence of any room to turn his back was painfully clear.
"We're going all at once! Mercenary Company, you're out of your depth here! Fall back to support!"
Verdel roared, and Ronius raised his sword.
Both had experience hunting magical beasts.
Their bodies housed genuine technique against inhuman threats.
The Holy Knight's combat blessing shielded them from fear; all that remained was to shatter the enemy with every fiber of their being.
"Synchronize with me, Ronius! Haaaaaah!"
With a deafening crack, Verdel's footing erupted, followed by a thunderous dash.
Ronius sprinted in pursuit.
The battle against the Calamity Witch now truly began.
...The mercenary company could not perceive that instant.
It was an exchange of blows that far exceeded their dynamic visual acuity.
The only moment one could catch was Ronius leaping toward the girl, yet even that speed defied common sense.
That a high-ranking holy knight would boast monstrous combat prowess was a famous tale often recounted by bards more than philosophers, but seeing the fact with one's own eyes was enough to twist one's expression into shock.
Yet there was an anomaly present that surpassed even their power.
"You're slow. And powerless."
The holy knight's full-power attack was caught and nullified, and the girl still had a composed expression on her face.
The two holy knights' swords were intercepted by the tentacles from the girl, who had taken a defensive stance, crossing to guard.
A defense that outpaced the attack speed of a high-ranking holy knight.
That seemed to signify that their strength was no match for that witch. However—
"No, I think we might actually manage this!"
"Hmm?"
With a splash of purple blood, a single tentacle tumbled to the ground.
The two holy knights leaped back in a single bound, retreating so as not to be showered by the falling spray of blood.
They watched the severed tentacle twitch on the ground as if it were alive, then lifted it to eye level to examine the cut surface.
The girl, called a witch, furrowed her brow in mild annoyance.
"I suppose you could call it a divine retribution formula through divine protection... A special attack and increased defense against evil attributes. This is why units from good civilizations are so unfair, isn't it?"
"I don't get what you're sayin', but we ain't missin' this chance!"
Another burst of speed. And a slash.
Two shadows moved simultaneously. The timing of their convergence was perfect.
Just like the time before, blood spurted into the air once more.
"Hmm. You can cut me, then."
The second tentacle was severed.
But Verdel and his companions showed no sign of halting their assault.
Skimming through the blood-spray with bestial agility, Verdel slipped in from a low angle. The girl directed two of her remaining four tentacles toward him, aiming to impale.
Yet the fatal thrust was effortlessly parried by a distinct, circular sword stroke.
Being forced into close combat had reduced the tentacles' acceleration.
Seeking to seize the advantage, the girl felt irritation rise within her at the unique, rotating swordsmanship—each swing imbued with a sacred quality.
"How about this?—Tch!"
A shadow fell over the girl's vision.
Instantly sensing the threat from above, she lashed her remaining tentacles upward without even looking.
A delayed impact and a cracking sound followed.
Three tentacles remained.
Now it was the girl's turn to leap back and create distance.
"Now! Loose your arrows!"
"I underestimated the holy knight. This one is difficult."
With fewer limbs, the girl moved her tentacles more frantically than before, batting aside the arrows.
Their coordination was flawless.
Verdel, with his superior combat prowess, pressed the attack fiercely, while Ronius struck at the openings.
The mercenary company held back, relying on ranged attacks.
If they could simply destroy the remaining tentacles, victory seemed assured for them.
But their opponent was a bringer of catastrophe.
The malice harbored within is bottomless.
"Then how about this approach?"
"What!?"
Seeing the tide turning against her, the witch changed tactics, extending tentacles to both sides.
By the time Verdel hurried to shout a warning, it was already too late.
"Uwa!" Two small cries rang out, and two captured party members were lifted before the witch by those tentacles.
"I like humans. They're weak, fragile, and their tribal bonds make them perfect shields."
"S-stop it..."
"Hush now."
"Ughh!"
The tip of a tentacle pierced into his throat.
The captured party member trembled violently, but he still did not appear dead.
It was a typical tactic, but highly effective.
It was something these Holy Knights could never have imagined.
Contemptible actions brought an involuntary flush of anger to Verdel's face. But he reined himself in, not wanting to be ruled by passion.
This was a provocation. Clouded eyes would mean missing the chance for victory.
One must not expect human morality from the wicked. They were beings far outside the scope of understanding.
In truth, she was visibly enjoying herself, shaking the suffering party member to display to all.
"You demon!"
"Ronius! Don't move rashly! Curb your anger! She's only taking hostages because she's exhausted! We go together!"
"Oh! Here they come! What about the shields? Shall we kill them? That's right, they're merely mercenaries, hardly worth anything, are they?"
The two mercenaries used as shields shortly thereafter erupt in sprays of blood and perish. Yet Verdel's resolve, which did not hesitate in this place, should perhaps be praised. In truth, it was an attack that seemed to say he would not let their deaths go to waste; the witch's tentacles aside, he had even managed to inflict a single scratch upon her body.
"Two more... Once I chop off two more of those disgusting appendages, we win."
"Yes, Verdel."
They had already seen through the witch's tactics. The conclusion was now imminent, and the time for their order to strike down evil was at hand. A single scratch adorned her white, beautiful cheek—unbecoming of a being of darkness. The Calamity Witch could indeed be killed. That gave them a hope named victory.
"Let's go! Don't let your guard down—"
The final moment was arriving. The final moment when everything would end.
"Oh, I forgot to mention."
Strangely, as if she had just remembered, the witch gave a light clap of her hands. And with a carefree smile that truly reminded one of a child, just before the blow she launched could shatter her own skull, she impaled Verdel with countless tentacles.
"...My strength, to put it simply, is on the scale of a legion. To speak in terms of ordinary armed soldiers, you'd need to gather roughly five thousand for this to even be a conversation. Also, this part here is free refills."
Countless tentacles sprouted from behind her.
Verdel twisted in bitter regret, realizing how naive his assessment had been—how utterly he had been played from the very start.
Impaled by multiple tentacles through his abdomen, he understood his life was reaching its end. In a final, desperate act, he grasped one of the writhing appendages and coughed up a spray of blood.
"R-Ronius... escape...!"
"V-Verdel... sir..."
"Run... now...!!"
Tilting her head slightly, the girl pierced Verdel's skull.
The Holy Knight gave one massive, shuddering spasm and then fell silent.
His body thudded to the ground, already a husk—a grim testament to his life being extinguished forever.
"Now then, it is your turn next, Holy Knight Ronius. He was dispatched swiftly, but I’m afraid you will not be so fortunate."
Countless tentacles swayed and writhed around her.
As if declaring she would kill him now, as if showing him utter despair.
There was no longer any path to victory.
With Verdel gone, Ronius couldn’t even hope to sever those tentacles.
Despair began to seep through the mercenary band.
If Ronius fell, their turn would surely come next.
Understanding this, one mercenary screamed in raw terror.
"Hiii!! Hieeeee!! — Abbeeee!"
Driven by fear, the man hurled away his bow and attempted to flee—only to be effortlessly skewered by tentacles bursting from the ground.
The girl glanced briefly in that direction, then returned her gaze to Ronius.
Escape was pointless. Despair gripped every soul.
Yet only Ronius felt a chill of wrongness at her gestures.
Why would the girl go out of her way to target fleeing survivors?
Come to think of it, she had aimed for horses and messengers from the start.
A small suspicion began to form, piece by piece.
In that condensed moment of clarity, the answer struck him.
"Everyone scatter! Let at least one survive to report this!"
"This is troublesome... But it cannot be helped."
Panic was clearly written on the witch's face.
Simultaneously, Ronius understood his theory was correct.
Just as he had predicted, the girl turned countless tentacles toward intercepting the escapees.
With thudding impacts, they drove into the ground with the sharpness of iron spears.
Shrieks echoed as fleeing squad members were pinned through their mouths.
And in this very instant, Ronius wagered everything.
"O God! Grant me the power to smite evil!"
Calling down divine power once more, he charged at the witch with all his being.
With attention diverted to disposing of the mercenary squad, the girl's defenses were thin.
He barely deflected the remaining tentacles scrambling to intercept and closed into her embrace.
A split-second exchange of blows. Then the goddess of victory smiled upon him.
The counterattack from the remaining tentacles was already too late.
With the resolve to end everything in this one strike, and to avenge the fallen Verdel, Ronius brought his sword down.
—Clang.
A harsh metallic sound, and the sight unfolding before his eyes.
Ronius gripped his sword with trembling hands as it threatened to slip from his grasp.
"Why… why!?"
"That was surprising. I commend you."
"Why you of all people!?"
"—Could it be… how can I wield a holy knight's sword blessed by the divine ceremony?"
All her tentacles sealed, the Calamity Witch had been cornered.
Yet she had picked up Verdel's sword from the ground and blocked Ronius's attack.
It was common knowledge in the Holy Kingdom, an immutable fact, that the wicked could not use weapons blessed for holy knights.
But as if such common sense meant nothing, the young girl now held Verdel's sacred sword.
For some unknown amusement, the giggling girl spun in a circle, flourishing the sword and taking her stance.
That movement perfectly mirrored the motions of the Holy Knight Verdel she had witnessed in this very battle.
"The techniques of the holy knight who fell there. The accumulated training, the honed skills. I stole them when I killed him."
The thought "Impossible!" gripped Ronius.
Stealing an opponent's abilities was in itself the height of abnormality; to claim one could also steal their holy divinity was beyond comprehension.
To be imitated and plundered by the wicked.
If the absolute, unique radiance of the gods could be so easily defiled, then what, truly, was justice?
Ronius could do nothing but tremble.
He had realized that the more of his men were killed, the more powerful this Witch became.
"It appears Holy Knight Verdel was a fighter worth one unit. Perhaps he was born under a star meant for great deeds. A shame your recklessness got him killed just now."
The screams of the mercenaries who had been too slow to escape echoed through the air.
The meaning of ignoring the stunned Ronius to deal with the mercenaries was clear.
She was defiling his pride.
Every last shred of it as a Holy Knight.
"I can feel his sentiment alongside his Holy Sword Technique. 'If I die here, what will happen to Ronius? What will happen to his family, his wife Marcia, and his daughter Mina? The mercenaries have families too. What will happen to them? I cannot die. I must never die.' He was a very brave, very noble man."
"You lie! Such lies!"
Ronius screamed, all composure lost.
Those were indeed the names of his beloved wife and daughter.
His dear wife and daughter. He had mentioned them to Verdel only once.
Verdel, whom he had secretly dismissed as too brutish for a Holy Knight, had worried about their well-being to such a degree. He had possessed such a noble soul.
Ronius cried out, half in tears, utterly pathetic.
At the despair that the soul and memory of that great man, the noble pride he had held, was being stolen by the evil before him and toyed with.
"What are you thinking now? Compared to him, who possessed the caliber, the strength, and above all, the nobility befitting a senior knight, what could you, a petty thing, possibly be thinking?"
"A... a mercenary who escaped will surely bring word of this to my country. They will send a holy army to strike you down... His will shall never be extinguished!"
Her plan had been partially successful.
The Witch's tentacles, which had been sent to intercept the fleeing mercenaries, had failed to kill all several dozen people scattering in every direction.
She did not know how many, but some had undoubtedly escaped the fangs of her madness.
Ronius had been certain—that person would surely inform them of this predicament...
"Oh, that? — This should be fine now."
A dull thud resounded as the tentacle was driven into the ground once more.
At the same time, something resembling a scream carried from a distance.
He hurriedly looked around, but there was no sight of fleeing mercenaries.
Yet from her tone and actions, he arrived at the answer to what had just transpired, and his face went deathly pale.
"...What? Th-That's impossible."
"Hm? Did I say I couldn't reach that distance? I don't think I said that."
An attack that could strike beyond the edge of vision. Understanding that all hope had been crushed, Ronius gripped his sword with trembling hands.
"Well then, shall we? I'll be using the sword of the Holy Knight Vale—the one you deemed unfit and dismissed."
The fluid, circular motion of her stance as she readied the blade was unmistakably Vale's technique itself.
=Message═══
Muddy Atou has acquired a new ability through unit defeat.
"Holy Sword Technique"
-Equipping a blessed blade becomes possible.
-When a blade is equipped, the following abilities are granted.
Attack power against evil-alignment units ×1.2
Defense power against evil-alignment units ×1.2
───