28 Chapter 28: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

"W…what?" Kureha stammered, watching the four titanic zombie knights and their evolved, armored steeds in dismay.

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," I repeated with a shrug. "Don't tell me you've never heard of them before. It's a Biblical reference."

"I know what they are!" Kureha snapped. "I'm asking how you managed to summon something like them?"

I shrugged. The four zombie knights and their corresponding horses had taken on new, vibrant colors. Even their weapons had transmuted into terrifying shapes to match their current power and statuses.

The first knight was now adorned in white armor, riding upon a horse that was equally as pure and unblemished in color as his master's armor. Raising a lance in one hand and bearing a regimental standard in the other, the knight named Conquest strode forward confidently. The zombies that had been cut apart were slowly being revived once more and piecing themselves back together in grotesque new forms, flocking to his large, banner. If they were living, their morale would be boosted, but in death, that morale was transformed into near-immortal tenacity.

The second knight wore crimson armor, the rusty surface the color of blood. His horse also sported equally terrifying fur, almost as if it was bleeding perpetually. The bloody knight who earned the title of War wielded a curved, gleaming sword the color of rust, which glowed with undeniable power – power that he had accumulated over countless battles. His sheer presence and the murderous aura he emanated appeared to mark him out as a one-man army.

The third knight was clad in entirely black armor the color of night, riding on a shadowy horse whose fur seemed to squirm and shimmer creepily. Unlike the other two knights, this knight was completely unarmed – at least not with conventional weaponry. All manner of insects were buzzing around him – flies, locusts, millipedes, scarabs and beetles – crawling in an unstoppable wave. The eerie knight known as Famine slowly trod forward, swarms of bloated insects flooding ahead to devour foes amidst countless trashing wings and limbs.

The fourth and last knight was a gigantic skeleton equipped in minimal greying armor. Riding atop a skeletal horse that was covered in similar gray armor, the skeletal knight carried a massive scythe that was almost as large as him, curved cruelly into a perfect crescent. Wherever the knight called Death walked, death literally followed. What little grass in the devastated soil withered and decayed, turning as gray as the armor on the two gigantic skeletal figures.

"You…what the hell are these?! What the hell are you?!"

On one subconscious level, she recognized that the foes in front of her were no ordinary undead. My Thousand Astral Graves had done something to them, metamorphosed them into existences beyond any monster that dwelled in Restia. Existences so powerful that even the revered hero known as the Sword Saint feared them on an instinctive level.

I merely smiled in response and shrugged.

"We are your enemies. I'm an avenger, come to take revenge on you…and all the other heroes to repay you in full for everything you did to me."

"…!"

"You said earlier that the strong has the right to bully and kill the weak, and the weak has no choice but to succumb and die, right?" my smile grew wider. "I'm merely subscribing to your philosophy. How do you feel, now that you realize how deluded you were to believe yourself as one of the strong and look down on the supposedly weak? How does it feel to finally comprehend how just truly weak you really are?"

"Shut up! I don't believe I can't destroy these freaks of yours!"

Drawing her magical energy desperately, Kureha plunged her sword into the ground and cast Holy Holocaust. A brilliant flash of light suffused the entire place, engulfing the remnants of the forest in white, holy light. The recently revived zombies vanished, unable to withstand the sheer power of Kureha's ultimate spell despite the buffs they received from Thousand Astral Graves. The insects swarming around Famine were obliterated as well.

"Wow…"

Despite conjuring Dark Barrier, I was buffeted by the powerful spell that shattered my defenses and devoured me in an agonizing cacophony of light. I stumbled back, my body smoking. If it weren't for the additional defenses of Redwood Robe, I would have been completely erased by Kureha's ultimate spell.

That was how terrifying Holy Holocaust truly was.

"Ugh…"

I raised my hand as my Regeneration kicked in. My Redwood Robe was beginning to repair itself, restoring its multiple protective layers almost immediately. Suddenly, I understood why I only suffered such light and superficial injuries when fighting against Kureha despite being completely overwhelmed by her in terms of sword skills.

My Redwood jacket had saved my life countless times, the multiple defensive layers serving as a buffer to soften and vastly reduce the power behind Kureha's strikes. Each of her attacks were supposed to be fatal, aimed at a vital point, or packed enough power to obliterate whole parts of my body. Yet, the worst I received were cuts and grazes. Even her kick, which should theoretically be strong enough to demolish a thick, concrete wall, should have broken my spine and pulverized my internal organs. Yet all I did was fly about.

I had completely forgotten about the insane defensive buff my Redwood Robe had bestowed upon me. A chill ran down my spine when I realized that I would have died several times over if I hadn't been wearing my Redwood Robe.

It also explains why my Regeneration rate has remained so fast. It's not only because my special ability has "leveled up." it's also because my Redwood Robe has reduced the damage I had taken so drastically that they were all minor wounds. That's why they could heal so quickly. I didn't even take any major damage in the first place!

I dusted off my Redwood jacket, silently uttering a word of thanks to it before focusing my attention to the battle at hand.

Kureha's Holy Holocaust had indeed devastated the battleground and took out a lot of my tombstones, but I casted Thousand Astral Graves again to replace the gravestones that I had lost. As I did so, the shadows once again crossed over the remains of my Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and casted them into darkness.

They instantly began to pull together and regenerate. Within seconds, they were fully restored and riding their monstrous steeds. Swarms of insects flocked toward Famine while the dead rose around Conquest.

"No…no way."

Kureha fell to her knees. That Holy Holocaust, while a devastating spell, was a double-edged sword. She had just spent most of her strength in her attack and was now exhausted. It was clear she couldn't just throw out another one of those ultimate spells again. At least not in the near future.

"How…how…?"

"They're undead, like me." I shrugged almost callously as I gazed at her coldly. "It's no surprise they can regenerate too."

"Just what the hell are you?!" Kureha screamed.

War swung his sword, too impatient to wait any longer. Kureha, true to her status as the Sword Saint, was able to block his blade easily. However, crimson energy crackled around his sword and blasted her at pointblank range.

"Gaaaah!"

Kureha shrieked as she was lifted off the ground and thrown clear. She landed and rolled, tumbling helplessly as she desperately flailed to arrest her slide. She managed to roll to her feet, looking up as War bore down on her again.

"Saint Strike!"

War smashed her ranged spell aside with brute force, deflecting the holy lance of energy to one side. He continued riding toward her and swung his sword. Unable to duck in time because she had chosen to launch that spell, Kureha parried the blow.

However, the momentum of his strike lifted her off her feet and sent her hurtling through the air. She tumbled through a canopy of trees, breaking branches before crashing down amongst tangled roots, crying out in a muffled voice as pain shot through her body.

"I…I don't believe it…that monster overwhelmed me in strength?"

As the Sword Saint, there were few things in Restia that could match Kureha in physical strength. Yet, she was clearly overpowered by War. She could scarcely believe it. War, probably buoyed by his victory, circled his horse around and charged at her.

I was suddenly reminded of the time when Kureha did the same thing against me less than thirty minutes ago.

Kureha didn't seem to remember, however. Growling, she accumulated holy light into her sword and raised it high into the air. The divine beam surged out of her blade and pierced the heavens. Yelling, Kureha swung her massive Divine Destruction down and obliterated War.

Or almost did. Though only an arm was left, the crimson gauntlet shook and vibrated, beginning to regenerate from almost nothingness.

"What the hell is that?" Kureha whispered, staring at the vanquished remains of her foe. Before she could ponder much on the subject, however, she found herself being swarmed by countless insects that were pouring out of the forest. She shrieked, trying to swat them away. "Get off me! Get off me! Aaaaah!"

Famine slowly rode toward her, directing his endless swarms of locusts, flies and beetles at the struggling Sword Saint. Kureha tried her best to bat the offending bugs away, but she was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. She desperately swung her sword, cutting a deadly swathe through the hordes of black, bloated bugs, but it was like cutting a river with a knife. There were far too many of them, and they were too tiny for her sword to cleave through.

Her sword wasn't the appropriate weapon for a disgusting, revolting army such as this.

"Ah…aaaah! No! Get off me!"

Even though Kureha didn't seem all that hurt by the sheer number of insects, the damage she suffered was psychological. The insects, as persistent as their snapping mandibles and clawed limbs were, couldn't pierce through her divine defense. However, that didn't stop Kureha from being horrified as the insects crawled all over her, entering her clothes, squirming into her ears, swarming into her nose and mouth to suffocate her…

With a scream, Kureha desperately unleashed a second Holy Holocaust. As I suspected, her ultimate spell was weakened this time, lacking the sheer power and ferocity of the first one. It was enough to annihilate the insects around her. Heaving, with tears streaming down her eyes and snot dripping from her nose, the traumatized Kureha gave a yell before she swung her sword at the nearby Famine. Unlike War, Famine didn't possess much martial skill or strength, and he easily came apart under Kureha's slash.

But that didn't kill him off.

In the next instance, Famine's form began squirming and shifting, the two halves of his body seeming to teem with countless bugs. Right in front of Kureha's horrified eyes, Famine's body melted away into clouds of flies before reforming into a single entity. Letting out a terrified and disgusted shriek, Kureha fell back and unleashed a single Saint Strike that disintegrated most of his body. The wriggling mass of Famine's remains began to reform and regenerate, but it would take some time. For now, Kureha was free of his revolting clutches.

However, now it was Conquest's turn.

Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

As she stumbled away from Famine's writhing form, Kureha suddenly found herself surrounded by enhanced zombies that had been rallied to Conquest's banner. While the buffed zombies were more ferocious, stronger and faster than before, they were more in line with the enemies Kureha was familiar with. Almost as if she was relieved, Kureha spun around in a deadly whirlwind of death and destruction, slicing the zombies to pieces and cutting a swathe of blood and gore in her path. Her sword lashed out, carving a bloody path out of the ring of undead soldiers, and she charged straight at Conquest, who responded with a joust.

Spear met sword and Kureha found herself flung off her feet. Flipping her body around, she planted her feet against the trunk of a tree and got ready to spring herself back at the undead commander. However, she found herself suddenly surrounded by hordes once more.

"!"

Kureha slashed through the reanimated zombies, which had been revived once more by Conquest's banner to fight under him. Kureha struggled and cut through them with her peerless sword skills, but the tenacious zombies continued to resurrect under the banner and persistently threw themselves at her again.

Conquest had won most of his wars through a bloody battle of attrition.

Realizing that she wouldn't be able to last at this rate, Kureha decided to get to the root of the problem and launch herself at Conquest once more. Unfortunately, her intentions had been read through by his brilliant tactical mind, and he commandeered his undead puppets to serve as meat shields to bar her path. Kureha desperately hacked and cut through the mass of powered up zombies, her sharp, elegant swordsmanship slowly turning rough and desperate. Where once her strikes lashed out with precision, they were now gradually becoming sloppier, her sword used almost like a blunt club to bludgeon her enemies out of her way instead of cutting them into pieces. Kureha fought against the endless tide of undead, frustration growing inside her when she discovered that she was no closer to Conquest than she was at the beginning.

Howling, infuriated, Kureha switched her tactics and retreated a little. Throwing a bunch of zombies off, she jumped back to widened the distance between herself and her foes. As tactically astute as Conquest was, he was still a zombie and his intellect had been dulled somewhat. Furthermore, Minamoto Kureha was the Sword Saint – she didn't achieve her title with just her sword skills alone. She also possessed a flexible tactical nous that allowed her to adapt to any combat situation. If cutting her enemies apart one by one didn't work, then she would just blow them away with magic. She might be spent, but if she could pull it off a third time…

"Holy Holocaust!"

She obliterated the surrounding zombies. Before Conquest could revive them, she was already charging at him, her blade crackling with magical energy.

"Saint Strike!"

The holy beam lanced through Conquest's shoulder, sending him spinning from his horse. The white knight dropped to his knees, but quickly got up and planted his standard on the ground before raising his lance to parry Kureha's strike. They exchanged several furious blows, sparks flying as sword hammered against spear.

Conquest managed to successfully block Kureha's first few attacks, memories of his former self as a skilled knight vaguely retained in his undead brain. But as experienced in combat as he was, his opponent was the Sword Saint.

Kureha's attacks came faster and harder, her movements growing more precise with each passing second. In mere moments, she began to overwhelm Conquest and pressure him back. Even as more zombies rallied to the standard and crawled toward her, she stomped on them with her legs before they could fully reform, halting their resurrection. Turning back to the cornered Conquest, she unleashed a powerful strike that sent him flying.

"Divine Destruction!"

With a single swing of her sword, Kureha finished off the hapless zombie knight, turning him into molten metal and slag. However, before she could crow in triumph, she spun around in reflex to parry Death's strike.

Metal sang as the crescent-shaped scythe collided with Kureha's blade. The two closed in on each other, locked in battle, and then Kureha sprang away. Death rode his horse closer, twirling his scythe before he launched another attack.

"You think a skeleton like yourself can match me in combat?" Kureha sneered as she parried his strike before sending a riposte that gouged out a chunk of his greying armor. As before, Death was being outmatched in close combat like Conquest. No. Even with that terrifyingly shaped weapon, Death was inferior in terms of martial prowess.

Kureha easily beat him back, her flawless swordsmanship overwhelming him one-sidedly. She was delivering an onslaught of short, swift strikes that pierced through his large, unwieldy weapon and punctured holes in his brittle bones.

Within seconds, Death would crumble.

However, Kureha had failed to take into account one important thing.

Death had swung his scythe at her, forcing her to parry the deadly, crescent-shaped blade with her sword.

Clang!

"…?"

Kureha watched dumbly as her sword snapped – the legendary sword forged for the sole purpose of serving the hero, the Sword Saint herself – and fall uselessly to the ground. Blinking, she raised her broken weapon to defend herself from another slash, but…

Flop.

"…eh?"

Kureha stared at the bloody stumps that were her hands. Blood was gushing out of rotting skin. Rolling next to her feet, still clutching the broken remains of her legendary sword, were her arms. But their skin were withering, growing wrinkles before turning gray and decaying.

"Impossible?"

I smiled to myself. The aspect of death was absolute and inevitable. None could escape it. None could conquer it. Death and decay were a part of life, just as integral to the natural cycle as birth and growth.

It didn't matter if you were a legendary hero, blessed by the goddess to save the world. Death would still come and claim you eventually.

"Ah…"

Kureha's voice cracked as she looked up at Death. For the first time, she saw him for what he truly was.

The grim reaper, come to collect her soul.

The scythe swung downward.

Kureha's head rolled, detached from her shoulder, and even as blood spurted from her severed neck like a fountain, her body toppled over lifelessly.