He knocked down two skeleton soldiers and blasted away a magic sigil with Divine Arts. Gret still hadn't figured out what was going on when he was swept along into the northeastern tower and down into the basement—
The basement was far larger inside than it had seemed from the outside. As Gret followed the winding staircase down, he had already spotted three piles of skeletons and two heaps of unidentified things that looked suspiciously like zombies. He went another half-turn down and entered a hall, when a sharp rush of wind suddenly bore down from above.
"Watch out!"
Someone cried out behind him. Gret instinctively darted right, but the person behind him charged forward, wrapped him in their arms, and tackled him to the ground. They rolled twice before coming to a stop. A muffled thud sounded overhead, and another shadow came crashing down.
"Aaargh—"
"Ow!"
"Wally, watch out!"
The world spun. Gret shook his head, finally managing to piece together what had just happened:
When they'd entered the hall, an enemy had appeared overhead and dived at him from above. Since it had come from up high, he hadn't reacted in time. Thorn the archer had tackled him out of the way, while Wally the Shield Warrior raised his shield to block the attack. He hadn't managed to stop it, though, and had crashed down on top of Gret, shield and all...
Shouts and cries of pain rose all around them. Amid the commotion, Priest Donald's furious voice rang out with startling clarity:
"Roman!"
"On it!"
The Roman Knight called back, raised his sword, and charged from the depths of the hall. He moved so fast he nearly left an afterimage. If Gret hadn't known he was a person, he might have thought a tyrannosaurus had just come charging at them.
Gret scrambled out of the way. Crouched behind a shield, he watched the knight swing his longsword and engage a winged, hideous creature. Blade clanged against claw, sparks flying everywhere.
"What the hell is that thing?"
Wally, the Shield Warrior standing in front of him, muttered under his breath. Gret rubbed his eyes once, then again. At last, he recognized the monster from the game and sucked in a sharp breath.
"Now that's one hell of a big one!"
The lizard-faced creature, with hooked claws and a pair of batlike wings, looked exactly like a gargoyle from his memories!
Taking a closer look at the situation, Gret saw Priest Donald across the hall, surrounded by a small group of warriors, while the fighters on the outer perimeter were busy cutting down lesser monsters. It was obvious that the battle had already pushed deep into the hall. As for how the gargoyle had ended up by the entrance, and why the Roman Knight had charged in from that direction—
Gret decided that circumstances were against him. He'd put it aside for now.
The knight was indeed quite formidable. His sword flashed as he fought the gargoyle to a standstill. At the other end of the hall, the temple guards were huffing and puffing as they hurried over. Two massive shields spread apart, with two spearmen advancing step by step behind them. It looked as though they were about to trap the gargoyle between them.
"That thing's done for!"
The little freckled boy poked his head out from behind Gret and grinned. Gret pushed his head back down.
"Don't let your guard down. Stay hidden!"
Before he'd finished speaking, the gargoyle bared its jagged teeth and let out an ear-splitting shriek. It was so piercing and awful, like the sound of nails scraping against glass magnified a hundredfold, or a file rasping directly against their eardrums. Gret reflexively clutched his head, his face twisted in pain.
"Why are you screaming so loud? You're a gargoyle, not a banshee..."
At the sound of the shriek, the warriors advancing with their shields and spears all faltered, their faces contorted in pain. The gargoyle seized that opening, spread its wings as wide as it could, and leaped into the air!
"Watch out!"
"Stay alert!"
"It's trying to escape!"
Shouts rang out across the hall. The temple warriors all raised their swords and drew their blades, while the fighters in Gret's party instinctively went on alert as well.
Wally, the Shield Warrior, bent forward slightly and raised his shield in front of Gret;
Raymond, the spearman, shifted his stance and angled his spear upward with both hands;
Thorn, the archer, gripped his saber and moved to Gret's left, ready to shield him from the gargoyle's attack at any moment.
As for Gret, he grabbed the little freckled boy behind him with one hand and strained to rise onto his tiptoes, staring fixedly at the monster from behind the shield—
The gargoyle reached the peak of its jump and began beating its wings. Before it could change direction, a brilliant beam of white light suddenly shot from the other end of the hall and slammed into it!
Though it was only a beam of white light, it struck with tangible force. The gargoyle jerked to a halt in midair, white smoke billowing from its body. The spot hit by the beam was immediately charred black. Seizing the opportunity, the Roman Knight leaped up and swung his sword.
Gret whipped around.
He looked toward the source of the white light. At the other end of the hall, Priest Donald stood tall amid the warriors, his golden hair flying. In the firelight, he shone as if surrounded by a halo.
The priest of the Spring Goddess was utterly focused, holding both hands before him, his palms and thumbs forming a triangle. The fierce beam of light had shot from thin air at its center—
So this was an offensive Divine Art?
A level-three priest in this world could already unleash attacks this powerful!
Gret was secretly astonished. Not far away, the Roman Knight had already brought the gargoyle down, hacking off both its wings with two swift strokes. The warriors swarmed in, their spears and greatswords striking from all sides, and soon they'd chopped the gargoyle to pieces.
The Roman Knight sheathed his sword and turned toward the priest. As he passed Gret, his gaze drifted lightly over Gret's face, seemingly deliberate, seemingly not. Gret shivered for some reason. Just as he was about to take his leave, Priest Donald turned toward him and smiled, beckoning him over.
Gret was deeply reluctant, but he dragged his feet as he approached them. At the end of the hall, he heard a temple guard reporting to the priest:
"My lord, look. There's another door here—"
Before he could finish, a streak of black light suddenly flashed across Gret's vision!
Gret lurched to the left. This time, the movement was much faster than when someone had tackled him earlier. He was absolutely certain someone had yanked him aside—possibly even to use him as a meat shield.
The force that had pulled him didn't steady him. Gret lost his balance and fell straight to the ground. Before he could get up, a bloodcurdling scream rang out beside him:
"Aaaah—"
It was the Roman Knight!
Gret's hair stood on end. Though he suspected the knight meant him harm, he had to admit that Roman was the strongest among them. If he was screaming like that now, then his opponent—
Gret propped himself up on his elbows and struggled to look. To his surprise, the fearsome attacker wasn't human at all. It was a beautiful big cat, pure black except for its snow-white paws and its white chest and belly, as if it were wearing a white scarf.
The big cat darted around the Roman Knight, leaping with astonishing speed. The knight roared again and again, but his longsword kept missing. Each time the cat sprang at him and flashed its claws, a spray of blood burst from the knight's body.
Gret could see clearly that every one of the cat's attacks landed on the Roman Knight's joints: his wrists, ankles, shoulders, elbows, and knees. After a few exchanges, the knight fell to the ground, blood pouring from several wounds. He couldn't even get back up.
The big cat leaped into the air. It moved too fast for the naked eye to follow. All they saw was a streak of black light rising through the hall, bounding over several people's heads and charging straight at the priest.
Priest Donald went deathly pale. He clasped his hands together and murmured a prayer, as if preparing to protect himself with Divine Arts. But just then, a voice reciting an incantation rang out from the hall's entrance. Its final syllable rose sharply, and a ring of black light burst outward!
The priest froze from the impact. The big cat seized its chance, knocked him to the ground, and clamped its jaws around his throat, growling softly.
The black light swept across the hall. Gret had just managed to get halfway to his feet when a chill ran through his body and he collapsed again. Two or three dozen warriors in the hall, along with Young Priest John, went down in a heap like wheat before a scythe.
Before you continue