The Extra's Rise-Chapter 391: Vryndall (5)

'I can't use Erebus's Domain,' I thought, mentally cataloging tactical options. My current limitations meant the Domain would only function with a single person in my vicinity—a weakness I'd need to overcome eventually, but irrelevant to the immediate situation.

I charged Evolvis with Purelight, the blade glowing with divine energy particularly effective against the corrupted miasma. After bracing for one final spell impact against our shelter, I prepared to counterattack.

"Stay close to the center," I instructed Rose. "Counter their spells if possible, but don't expose yourself."

She nodded, reaching into her pocket to withdraw a single blue rose—the physical focus for her Gift, Paradox. The flower seemed to shimmer between states, simultaneously vibrant and withered, its petals both opening and closing in impossible contradiction.

As another blast struck our shelter, I launched forward, shattering the Bone Armour from within. Fragments exploded outward, momentarily disorienting our attackers as I activated God Flash.

The technique carried me instantly behind the nearest Priest—a tall figure in the characteristic dark robes of the Umbravale Covenant, face obscured by a bone-white mask etched with forbidden symbols. Before he could register my presence, Evolvis cut through his defensive barrier and into flesh, Purelight searing the wound to prevent regeneration.

He collapsed with a strangled cry, but I was already moving toward the second Priest, who had begun chanting a complex incantation. Dark energy gathered between his raised hands, coalescing into a sphere of concentrated corruption.

The spell launched toward me, but midway through its trajectory, it suddenly reversed direction—striking its caster with full force. The Priest's shields buckled under his own attack, creating an opening I immediately exploited.

I glanced back to see Rose smiling faintly, her blue rose glowing with paradoxical energy. Her Gift allowed her to invert cause and effect in limited circumstances—turning attack into self-harm, defense into vulnerability.

The final Priest—the mid Integration-rank threat—proved more capable than his companions. He summoned a barrier of interlocking hexagons that shimmered with malevolent purpose, then launched a barrage of miasma spikes that forced me to dodge rather than advance.

"Arthur!" Rose called out, her voice steady despite the danger. "Left flank, three seconds!"

I trusted her insight implicitly, shifting my position accordingly. The blue rose in her hand pulsed with energy as she activated her Gift once more.

The Priest's barrier suddenly inverted, its protective function reversing to become a prison instead. The hexagons collapsed inward, constricting around their creator with crushing force. The momentary distraction was all I needed.

God Flash carried me through the faltering defensive grid. Evolvis, still wreathed in Purelight, struck with precision at the junction between shoulder and neck—a killing blow delivered with surgical efficiency.

As the final Priest crumpled, I scanned the surrounding area for additional threats. The botanical gardens had emptied of civilians, most fleeing toward designated emergency shelters, though the sounds of combat echoed from various points throughout the city.

"That was... efficient," Rose commented, approaching with careful steps. Her Gift had taken its toll; using Paradox required precise timing and concentration, each activation draining significant energy. Despite this, she remained composed, her breathing only slightly elevated.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, quickly checking her for injuries.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. But the city..." Her gaze turned toward the center of Vryndall, where plumes of smoke now rose from multiple locations. The initial explosions had given way to a more systematic assault, with flashes of combat visible in several districts.

I was about to suggest we regroup at the hotel when Rose suddenly froze, her attention fixed on something beyond my shoulder. I turned to follow her gaze and felt my blood chill.

A group of citizens was approaching from the main thoroughfare—but their movements were wrong. They walked with jerky, uncoordinated steps, some dragging limbs at unnatural angles. Their faces were vacant, eyes glazed over with a milky film that obscured any hint of consciousness or recognition.

"They're not... themselves," Rose whispered, instinctively stepping closer to me.

I studied the approaching figures, noting the distinctive bluish veins visible beneath their pallid skin and the total absence of normal human reactions. They showed no fear, no awareness of the danger around them—only a mindless, inexorable advance.

"Zombies," I confirmed grimly. "The Umbravale Covenant has deployed a mass conversion spell."

This was worse than I had anticipated. While I'd known Vryndall would fall, the use of civilian zombies suggested a level of cruelty beyond even what the historical accounts had detailed. These weren't simply the walking dead—they were citizens forcibly transformed while still alive, their consciousness suppressed as their bodies were conscripted into the Covenant's unholy army.

"But that's forbidden magic," Rose said, horror evident in her voice. "Even the darkest necromantic practices draw the line at forced conversion of the living."

She was right. Traditional necromancy, for all its morally ambiguous applications, maintained strict boundaries around consent and autonomy. What the Covenant had done violated not just ethical codes but fundamental magical principles—a corruption of the natural cycle that Vakrt and other legitimate necromantic organizations universally condemned.

"The Umbravale Covenant doesn't recognize those limitations," I explained, already calculating our options. "They view moral constraints as weaknesses to be exploited."

The first wave of revenants had noticed us now, their shambling progress redirecting toward our position. Though individually weak, their numbers would quickly become overwhelming as more converted citizens joined their ranks.

"We need to reach the hotel," I decided, taking Rose's hand. "The other students will be gathering there, and we'll need to coordinate a response."

Rose nodded, her initial shock hardening into determination. "There should be a direct route through the commercial district, assuming it hasn't been overrun."

As we prepared to move, I cast one final glance at the fallen Priests. Their presence so early in the attack confirmed what I had feared—this wasn't a random raid but a coordinated assault designed to cripple Vryndall completely.

The city's final night had begun, and despite all my foreknowledge, I wasn't sure if I could change the outcome that history had already written.

"Stay close," I told Rose, Evolvis still glowing with Purelight as we moved toward the garden exit. "This is just the beginning."