(Are those… the Templar Knights?)

From what I can see from here, about eight Knights clad in all-white cloaks lay incapacitated in the street.

(I’m sorry for those two that went ahead of us, but we can’t let go of this opportunity!!)

“…”

【Activated：Erase Presence (Medium)】

Blazer, who has been running alongside me, seems to have the same idea and instantly hides his presence and disappears from the roof and into the alleyway.

(Soar! Whirlwind!!)

After confirming his position, I covered my feet in whirlwinds and jumped towards the white-masked monster from the roof! 

“Guruaoooooon!!”

【Activated：Battlecry】

“!?”

I guess it was a bad idea to activate the Hellhound’s Roar which enhances the base capabilities of Kobolds while launching my surprise attack since it allowed the white-masked monster to turn his body to the side to evade, and my leg, which was aimed at the back of his head, cut through empty air.

“Gauh!” (Tsk!)

I passed over Alvesta’s shoulder and landed forward, pulling out my scimitar just as I faced the guy who was caught off-balance with the attack. With the centrifugal force of that motion, I slammed the hilt of my curved blade into his mask!

“Aa……h, giaaaaaaaaah!?”

Alvesta moved backward, covered his mask with his left hand, and screeched.

“Garuoaaan!” (You’re not going anywhere!)

“Giiiiih, aaaaah!!”

I tried to cut my way into him with the curved blade I pulled out, but he caught it with the reddish-black blade that sprouted from his right arm and immediately drove his knee into the pit of my stomach.

“Guoh!?”

In the time that I recoiled from the attack, the white-masked monster quickly jumped back and thrust his left arm towards me as he stepped further back.

“S-strike down… my enemies, continuous Light Bullets.”

“Vooooh!!” (Uoooh!!)

Of the two light bullets that flew towards me with a slight time gap in between, I was able to dodge the first bullet with a half-turn. But seeing that it was impossible to avoid getting hit by the next bullet, I crushed it with my whirlwind-covered left fist.

FWOOM…

Although I avoided a direct hit to my body, my left fist was burned by the Holy Light and the smell of burnt flesh wafted through the air.

“Ugah, garuuah!!” (Ugah, you shit!!)

Enduring the pain, I threw my curved sword towards Alvesta’s mask before he could fire more Light Bullets.

“I-it’s a hopeless struggle!!”

But the moment he turned to keep the spinning projectile from hitting his upper body, something happened!

A Black Longsword suddenly extended from the darkness of the empty alleyway!

“Wha!?”

“Guruooaaah!!” (You’re finished!!)

Following the tip of the sword was the tall, skinny Kobold who leaped out of the alleyway with a roar while holding the Black Longsword horizontally. The thrust did not miss its aim and smashed Alvesta’s mask with a loud crack.

“GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAH!!”

With a scream, the white-masked monster jumps back and lashes out like a madman, scattering his blood screen everywhere. He desperately covered his face with his palms, but fragments of the mask spilled out of the gaps…

“…!!!”

Blazer, cautious of the blood spray, gives up the chase and retreats to my side.

The tall, skinny Kobold’s fur had turned a slightly reddish-brown, and the black hairs on his back were gone. Furthermore, his limbs seemed more powerful and supple than they did just a moment ago, and his slightly elongated tail is filled with a magic power that is hard to describe.

“Gauh, garuuu…” (Tsk, the cut was too shallow…)

Blazer, who muttered to himself, did not notice that his figure had changed, but there was no time to point it out.

“Guruo voruaaaaan!” (Let’s end this here!)

As I stretched to my full height, grabbed the Mechanical Bow Baroque and aimed, while Blazer, who was next to me, also activated his Gauntlet’s contraption and deployed the small Crossbow that was integrated into his glove, but…

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

Screaming as he turned around, Alvesta ran as fast as he could. Just as we thought that he was going to escape again, the fellow who caught up to us a few seconds later due to his huge body frame jumped out from the corner of the alleyway!

“Voruaaaaah!!” (This is as far as you’ll go!!)

“Uaaaaah!?”

As Ax swung out the Duel Shield with his thick, muscular arms, it connected and resounded with a cracking sound, shattering the white mask into pieces.

“Uh——uhhh—-AAAAAAAH!!”

The black-clothed monster, who had lost his mask which was the source of his existence, covered his face with his hands as he glared at Ax through the gaps of his fingers as his body melted into a viscous mulch and crumbled away.

Only the black robe, the fragments of the mask, and a large pool of blood remained on the street….. And like that, the poor priest who was trapped in his delusion finally went to sleep.

……………

………

…

“Wafuh, voaan?” (Hmm? I’m here again?)

By the time I noticed it, I was at the top of the Silver Spiral Staircase. Earlier, I couldn’t even remember, but now I had the memory of having climbed up to this point. Unlike before, I did not hear any blessings or congratulations, but a strange silence filled the air. 

Instead of the usual white, a shiny red and black powdery snow fell from the upper levels and onto the big blue Kobold. It was the remnants of the soul of the one who had passed on just a moment ago. Within the Tree of Life, that soul had been freed from the delusion that bound it.

“I just didn’t want anyone else to experience the tragedy of the despair I once felt. So I wanted to prove that miracles don’t just happen conveniently and that it is up to each of us to overcome our difficulties….”

The former Priest, Aleph, does not turn to talk to anyone in particular but instead talks to himself.

“Because I became a half-immortal, I became obsessed with that twisted delusion and took many lives…”

The lone Kobold responds to his monologue even as it climbs up the Spiral.

“Woruan kyuoaah, varuouru gauaruu.” (I don’t really understand complicated things, but I don’t need either despair or tragedy.)

It’s what I hate the most.

“Waoguruu guruaah, guruo wafaoaan.” (That’s why I’m going to get stronger so that everyone can smile.) 

“…I see. That’s such a wonderful thing. If it’s you, then…”

He could not hear the last word, as Ax had already arrived at the next level and his awareness had become enveloped in a silvery light as he returned to reality, submerging everything that happened here into the depths of his consciousness.

……………

………

…

“…Wafuh.”

Under the moonlight, the hulking Kobold’s fur instantly changed color as he stared at the pool of blood and the white debris left on the street. The fur from a part of his chest to his jaw had turned white, while the rest had remained blue… and his eyes glowed the same shade of crimson as the blood that was spilled on the ground.

Name: Ax (Male)

Race: Kobold

Class: Kobold Paladin

Skill: Slash Resistance, Impact Resistance, The Strongest and Weakest Shield (Cannot be used continuously/ Can be granted to others), Blood Malady (Elementary/Affects Humans)

Title: Crimson Knight

Weapon: Royal Soldier’s War Axe 

Armament: Duel Shield

“Vaoruaaan, gurua…” (It’s finished, isn’t it, Leader?)

“Wafu.” (Yeah.)

I let out a breath and pointed out the change in Blazer as well.

“…Kurua woan, guruugao aon.” (… By the way, Blazer, look at your arms.)

“Wafi!? Kuruoau voruoaaan!!” (What the hell is this!? My fur color changed!!)

And this time, his surprised voice echoed throughout the Royal Capital of Selkram in the middle of the night.

Name: Blazer (Male)

Race: Kobold

Class: Kobold Garm

Skill: Erase Presence (Medium), Luck+ (Small/ Continuous), Leg Strengthening (Small/ Continuous), Flaming Claws, Zantetsuo (The tail that houses the resentments of the severed)

Title: The Hound of Darkness

Weapon: Black Sword (Main) Crossbow Gauntlet (Auxiliary)

Armament: Leather Armor