Chapter 725: Mutual Slaughter (2)

The corpses attacking this city right now.

Each and every one of them was a zombie that had evolved enough to possess reason.

Even an ordinary zombie was threatening enough, because it could imitate the combat ability of its host from life.

The fact that it had lost reason was clearly a fatal flaw, but after even a little evolution, it amplified the host’s abilities even further and became dangerous enough to rival the host from when they were alive.

And if it evolved further from there, it became incomparably more dangerous than its living host had ever been.

They were monsters that must have driven this country, grotesquely focused only on military strength from the start, into ruin.

Beings that had seized the bodies of those monsters, undergone evolution, and even gained reason.

Those powerful enemies, who were clearly certain to possess far greater strength than their hosts had in life, were.

'They called it the chancellor, right.'

Falling to a single strike from that shabby goblin.

That number.

Even if our unit’s elites came here, they would certainly have been difficult enemies to handle.

Even if awakened at the squad leader level rushed them, they would have been enemies that could eventually be eliminated, but would have taken a considerable amount of time.

And yet they collapsed in an instant.

'That prince kept roaming outside with the other zombies.'

Only then did I realize it.

'But that goblin didn’t.'

That bastard had not merely been playing the role of our guide.

Just as they had said, to those zombies, we...... the chefs, were extremely important existences.

And those bastards must have been aware of the possibility that enemies could invade their city.

'It was protecting us.'

That bastard’s position was chancellor.

It was funny that those worms were imitating human ranks, but.

If it was a chancellor, then by the standards of any country in history, it was a position close to the very top.

So that we could be protected no matter what enemy invaded.

They had stationed one of the strongest among their own group by our side.

I had only vaguely thought it would be strong, since I had never seen it directly.

But that strength was beyond my expectations.

A power probably comparable to Ariella when she had just become a count.

'There’s someone that strong among the zombies.'

No.

It was not only that bastard.

There were many invading monsters.

Even so, the battle was continuing.

It was not simply because the average combat power of the zombies in this city was higher.

Far away.

I could see gray-black energy.

A wave of corpses surging in.

At the largest and thickest part of that wave.

An energy standing firm at the center of that giant tidal wave.

And when that energy surged once in a massive motion.

FWAAAAASH!!!

“......!”

That corpse tsunami, which had been so enormous.

Was erased in an instant.

Ssssak.......

A chill ran over me.

It was not simply because I feared that strength.

The chancellor called that being prince and treated it with deference.

A chancellor with power on the level of a great noble among vampires, following and offering loyalty with perfect courtesy.

Of course an existence like that would possess such power.

But at the same time...... it was also far too unnatural.

'It has only been about two years since those zombies appeared in this land.'

I had seen many powerful monsters.

But most of them were beings that had built up strength in their homelands before flowing into this world.

By contrast, those zombies were bastards born in this land.

The first-generation parasites that had initially infiltrated this world had already reached the end of their lifespans and vanished.

Most of them were beings born in this land, who had painstakingly seized host bodies and built up their strength.

They were probably not even two years old.

'And yet individuals with that kind of power appeared in just two years?'

Even the existence of something like that chancellor appearing within two years would be shocking.

But that prince was showing power beyond even that.

The Green Mane tribe also matured into adults in two years, but even they would not be capable of growth so absurdly outside the standard.

Even awakened would never have been able to grow quickly without the System, the legacy left behind by the one who had once ruled this world.

But those things were zombies.

There was no way they would try to coexist with humanity. If anything, they were a species that would use humans as hosts and reproduce.

They should not be receiving the System’s protection, yet they were displaying that much power.

'No matter how steeply a species can grow, that’s impossible through ordinary means.'

In other words.

'There’s something...... that prince and the chancellor haven’t revealed.'

Hidden behind that power.

There was definitely something I did not know.

***

Srrrk.......

“You may...... come out.”

“.......”

“Good heavens. What in the world is suddenly happening?”

When the monsters outside disappeared.

The two chefs who had been inside the building looked out the window in confusion.

They had curled up at the sudden commotion, and now they looked at the corpses overflowing around them with bewildered eyes.

Meanwhile.

The chancellor turned its head and looked up at the sky.

'Among humans, are there individuals who can fly through the sky as well?'

A human floating in the air.

The chef they had brought here was reflected in its rotting pupils.

Originally, that man was also a target for protection.

It would have been proper to launch itself toward him immediately.

......Srrrk.

The chancellor tucked its worn stone knife back into its chest and thought.

'......If things had gone wrong, I nearly failed the mission His Highness gave me.'

The monsters it had cut down.

Since it had beheaded them all with a single strike, it looked calm on the surface.

But the reality was a little different.

The difference in strength had certainly been clear.

It had also been confident in its own victory.

Even so.

'That presence earlier.'

The gaze it had felt from far away, right before it swung its knife.

The...... enormous will contained in that gaze.

The chancellor had possessed reason for less than a year.

But through the memories of the goblin that had been its host, it possessed basic knowledge.

That was why it could also understand what the emotion it had just felt was.

'Fear.'

Fear of death.

The man far away.

The killing intent he had held while looking at it and its other kin.

The fear caused by that had shaken the tip of its blade.

If it had not succeeded in regaining control of its mind in that instant, those monsters would have charged in with their bodies cut in half and torn into the chancellor’s body.

'A chef.'

Watching that man move farther away.

It looked at the two chefs hiding inside the building with its help.

'He may be a more threatening existence than I thought.'

And.

After looking at the two of them for a moment, the chancellor turned its head again.

There.

'I can only hope His Highness can handle that chef well.'

Another wave of corpses was surging in.

***

“Follow this kitchen knife.”

“......Yes.”

There were many things bothering me, but.

For now, I decided to continue what I had to do.

After that, I headed to the buildings where the hostages were being held, and succeeded in getting several more hostages out.

'There are more survivors than I expected.'

Each building had anywhere from ten people at the low end to nearly fifty at the high end.

I had already evacuated several groups of hostages, but there were still places left to go.

The problem was.

“They’re already this far?”

On the way to the next building.

I saw the form of a monster running near it.

'It seemed like they were holding them off well just a moment ago.'

I clicked my tongue and looked up at the sky.

The other zombies in the city were defending to some extent.

But the existence blocking the greatest number of monsters was that one bastard they called prince.

“What the hell is that guy doing......!”

But now.

That gray-black energy, which was emitting the greatest presence on the battlefield......

'......What are those things now?'

Was facing off against other corpses.

Ones suppressing that energy.

[Ingredient Appraisal (Enhanced)]

[Corpse of a Red Sea Lamia]

[Corpse of a Ferocious Ogar]

[Corpse of a Soul-Eating Ghoul]

[Corpse of the Red Beast Laior]

[Corpse of a Splitting Devourer]

A fish-like monster, a gigantic giant, a translucent mist-like form, a massive beast, and even a mass of squirming flesh.

Five monsters...... no, zombies.

They were pouring attacks at the prince, who should have been holding back that wave of corpses.

I frowned as I looked at the status windows floating before my eyes.

'It’s hard to get information on these zombie bastards.'

What was exposed on the surface was only their host.

The parasite, their main body, was hidden inside.

Thanks to that, it was difficult to grasp information through [Ingredient Appraisal (Enhanced)], which only activated when I saw the actual object.

I could identify the changes that had occurred to the host to some extent, but in the end, it was difficult to learn the essence of the main body.

Even so, one thing was clear.

'They’re strong.'

Those five felt somewhat different from the other evolved forms I had seen so far.

If I had to classify them...... they were the same kind of existence as that chancellor.

BOOOOOM......

In reality.

Those five were fighting evenly against that gray-black energy.

Against the prince, who had been so overwhelmingly powerful.

I realized it instantly.

'Those five are the leaders of the invading zombies.'

If the prince was the ruler of the zombies in this city.

Then those bastards were probably the chiefs of the zombies carrying out this invasion.

'The prince’s side still has the upper hand.'

Just how strong was that prince?

Even against those five, it was maintaining a certain advantage.

But that was only true for the moment.

I recalled the fight between the grand duke and Ariella from not long ago.

The difference in power between Ariella and the grand duke had been large, but by mobilizing her bloodkin, Ariella had been able to engage to some extent.

Existences that possessed mighty power.

Even if there were weaklings who normally would not be a match for them.

In a duel between beings with such great power, whether or not those weaklings provided assistance created a huge variable.

-Graaaaaaaaargh!!!

The wave of corpses digging deeper into the city.

Those bastards were in the same position as Ariella’s bloodkin.

They would eliminate all the other zombies inside this city, then help those five attack the prince.

'......No. Whoever wins that fight is none of my business.'

If the prince I had been negotiating with died, gathering information would be delayed.

But that was no reason for me to side with the prince.

All I had to do was take the humans and escape.

'To do that.'

The monsters had reached near the place where those hostages were.

Inside the building, I could feel the humans drawing up mana as they looked at the zombies.

-Graaaaaaaaaaargh!!!

The monsters approached the building.

In front of that building, one zombie was blocking the invaders.

I thought the prince’s words about protecting the hostages had not been entirely false, but.

FWAAAAASH......

It was still only one.

It was eliminated by the invaders in an instant.

And the wave of corpses began to threaten even the inside of that building.

And as I watched that.

Shiiing......

I drew my kitchen knives.

Two were in my hands.

The rest......

BOOOOOM!

Through the [Assistant Chefs].

They surged toward the enemies before I did.

***

[You have gained experience.]

-......!

-Krrk.

Kitchen knives with no traits or skills.

The only ability they possessed was a single stat copied directly from their master.

Thanks to that, there were many aspects of the skill that made it rather ambiguous for combat use, but.

[You have gained experience.]

[You have gained experience.]

If the master’s stats were anything but ordinary.

That alone could be enough.

[Force-Feeding]

Watching the Assistant Chefs cut down the enemies.

I poured mana into the military uniform pocket on my thigh.

One dish inside it seeped into my body.

[Temporarily, you have acquired Trait - Mental Language!]

Then.

I began to hear the voices of the monsters that had been screaming.

-Eliminate the traitors.

And.

When I heard those voices, I could not help but frown slightly.

Those monsters were certainly letting out tremendous roars.

-Eliminate them.

-Eliminate them.

But the voices coming from them were far too emotionless.

'They feel a little different from the city’s zombies.'

Listening to the emotionless voices of those bastards.

I, too, held kitchen knives in both hands and launched myself into their midst.

-We are under attack.

-Eliminate the traitors.

Then.

The zombie bastards also seemed to recognize that I was the owner of the kitchen knives slaughtering their kin.

They surged toward me with tremendous force.

But, naturally.

Slash—!

Starting with the bastard that charged at me first.

They merely turned into “experience,” one by one.

'I can see their weak points.'

Thanks to [Combat Power Measuring Device], I could see the locations of their main bodies clearly.

The advantage of being zombies, where they were fine as long as the main body was intact even if their limbs were torn off, had no effect on me.

They were certainly existences that could be called powerful enemies, but there was no reason the current me could not deal with them.

-Krrk......!?

Slash!

I swung the kitchen knives in both hands and cut down the enemy.

-Kuhaaargh......!

FWAAAAASH......!

I withdrew the swung knife and drove out my elbow.

-Kkrrk.......

BAM!

With a kick I threw while changing my stance, a large hole opened where their main body had been.

-Strong.

Not long after the battle began.

I felt their minds begin communicating.

-Not ordinary traitor.

-Strong individual...... prince, kin are handling.

-What is that thing?

-Weapon is short blades. Is it the Sword Demon the kin warned us about?

-Denied. Sword Demon is smaller and more frail. That one is.

And.

Only after corpses had piled up like that did those bastards confirm my appearance.

-Human.

And in that instant.

-It is a human......!

From the minds of those bastards, which had shown no emotion at all.

-A human is with the traitors......!

A massive emotion called anger.

Began bursting out.