Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode-Chapter 170

The knights stepped into the domain with calm and measured movements, contrasting the heightened tension that had built up earlier.

This approach was a direct order from the Knight Commander.

While the Knight Commander and the Saint had experienced such situations before, the Vice Commander and the rest of the knights had not.

Charging in recklessly with nothing but bravado in a place as dangerous as this was a recipe for disaster.

Particularly now, when nearly the entire Empire’s knighthood had gathered in one place, caution was paramount.

"Keep a close watch on the movements of the snowstorm!"

The Knight Commander shouted this order to the knights entering the domain.

Leading the column, the Vice Commander stepped inside and immediately called out as the snowstorm battered them.

"Commander! The snowstorm is rapidly concentrating toward our position!"

The meaning of those words was clear.

The Saint’s hypothesis had proven accurate.

The Lesser Divines created by the Greater Divines were powerful enough to maintain human-like forms. However, the fragments created by the Second Princess, who was only half-human and half-divine, lacked that level of strength.

And yet, perhaps that limitation allowed her to deploy them as a trump card to block the advance of any intruders into the domain.

The Knight Commander, hearing the Vice Commander’s report, wore a mixed expression—relief tinged with regret.

"You were right, Tanthan. Even these snowstorms turned out to be fragments of the Lesser Divine. Without the protective gear provided by the Princess, this operation would have been doomed from the start."

"In other words, with everything in place, this is our best chance to prevail."

Though it was not meant as a lighthearted remark, it still managed to provide a measure of comfort.

And perhaps it wasn’t entirely meaningless, as the Knight Commander nodded, regaining his stern composure.

"Yes. All that’s left is to keep moving forward."

Looking at the long line of knights still entering the domain, I reviewed what needed to be done once more.

The Vice Commander, Marenne, was the first to enter the domain. As the snowstorm battered her, she instinctively squinted against its intensity.

Was this what the Commander had meant by carefully observing the storm’s movements?

Thinking of how the Princess had gone to great lengths to provide these protective suits for such conditions, Marenne closed her eyes tightly for a moment.

Tanthan had uncovered this information.

If not for him, the Empire’s entire knighthood might have been wiped out.

"To the very end…"

"Vice Commander! The suits are freezing over!"

"…Are they restricting movement?"

"It doesn’t seem so."

"Then keep moving. These suits were drawn from the Furnace Armory. As long as there’s no direct bodily damage, there won’t be an issue."

Unlike her subordinates, who were visibly alarmed by the frost forming on their suits, Marenne let out a deep breath.

The suits were designed to protect the interior, not the exterior. Expecting them to be completely impervious was unreasonable.

Challenging the unknown inevitably instilled fear in people.

And as the team leader of this unit, Marenne knew that if she showed even a hint of panic, it would shatter the resolve of the others.

Resolving to stay composed, she pressed forward.

The sound of ice forming and expanding to the point of cracking echoed ominously.

It was accompanied by the fearful murmurs of the knights.

The pressure and stress they felt now were incomparable to any previous encounters with the Lesser Divine fragments.

"Steady yourselves! The Princess provided these suits despite the strain it caused her. Unless you deliberately remove them, nothing will happen!"

"Understood!"

Marenne’s words successfully boosted morale.

The suits, tightly sealed and reinforced, wouldn’t come off under any circumstances unless removed intentionally.

Ironically, the freezing process actually ensured that even the most extreme conditions wouldn’t cause the suits to fail.

Finally regaining their focus, Marenne’s team advanced in silence—until they saw something.

"…Hah."

Marenne let out a sharp breath, her heart momentarily freezing along with the air around her.

Quickly masking her reaction, she turned to face the knights, who were now eyeing her nervously.

"We’ve found the missing."

"What should we do?"

"Leave them for now. Expending our strength to rescue them could leave us vulnerable to the Giant of the Snowy Mountain. If that happens, saving them will be meaningless."

"Understood."

Despite her words, Marenne approached one of the frozen figures.

The man’s face was twisted in agony, locked in ice, and she gently brushed his frozen hair with her gloved hand, a sorrowful smile crossing her lips.

According to the Knight Commander, the knights trapped in ice still had all their senses intact, bound in their frozen state.

Imagining the terror they must have felt in those final moments—the moment they realized what was happening—Marenne couldn’t suppress a shiver.

"You did well. Just hold on a little longer. We’ll save you."

The frozen knight had once been a cheerful presence, maintaining morale alongside the Saint during tense moments.

Now, faced with the aftermath of failing to save him, Marenne felt old traumas stirring once again.

But thinking of Tanthan, who had saved her in the past, she clenched her teeth and forced herself to rise.

"Move forward!"

"Yes, ma’am!"

The streets were eerily quiet.

So quiet, in fact, that Marenne couldn’t help but wonder if things were going too smoothly.

Her instincts told her something was wrong—and those instincts were soon confirmed by a messenger’s urgent report.

"Vice Commander! The Candle forces have launched an attack at the entrance to the domain!"

Were they the remnants of the group they had failed to completely eliminate earlier?

Marenne clenched her teeth in frustration.

"Fall back and provide support!"

"Vice Commander! The wall—look at the wall!"

Just as Marenne was about to rush back and crush the Candle forces before returning, a knight’s shout forced her to look toward the domain’s walls.

"Damn it. Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

Descending from the walls was a grotesque horde of Lesser Divines—so numerous that the sight alone sent chills down her spine.

Their numbers seemed nearly double that of the torturer who had appeared before.

Apparently, the collapse of the Giant of the Snowy Mountain wouldn’t only spell disaster for the Candle forces.

"Knights!"

"Yes!"

"Do not falter!"

Seeing her knights hesitate in the face of the overwhelming numbers, Marenne immediately shouted to steady their nerves.

"This is the moment to prove your knighthood. It is time to show them that your grueling training has not been in vain! These are not Greater Divines—not even humans, unlike the torturer we faced before! You have no reason to fear them!"

Raising her greatsword high, Marenne’s voice carried authority and conviction.

Despite the snowstorm threatening to dim its shine, her sword gleamed brightly, anchoring the knights’ wavering spirits.

"This is the final battlefield! Only those prepared to face death will survive! And I, Marenne Burstian, will ensure that none of you die today!"

"Yes, ma’am!"

"Knights, advance! Show them your strength!"

"Uraaaaah!!"

Even as the grotesque creatures swarmed toward them, the knights surged forward, their armor and weapons glinting like rays of light piercing the storm.

At the center of their charge, Marenne leaped high into the air.

When her greatsword slammed into the ground, a massive shockwave erupted, scattering the Lesser Divines and clearing a path.

"Charge!!!"

And so, the final battle began.

*****

“Damn it! No reinforcements from the inside because of the Lesser Divines?”

The Knight Commander gritted his teeth, his frustration evident.

The chaos unfolding before him made the situation all too clear.

“Did you really think we’d just sit back and let you take down that Giant bitch?! Die here and now!”

The bandit leader who had previously fled had returned—this time leading a new group of marauders.

The knights reacted immediately, preventing any casualties, but the skirmish was eating up precious time.

And that was dangerous.

The longer this dragged on, the worse it was for us.

“This won’t do. Everyone, get up!”

The Knight Commander’s voice rang out.

The Hunter, the Second Princess, and Asti—everyone rose at his command.

The Knight Commander gave us a sharp nod, gesturing forward before breaking into a sprint.

He was clearly planning to send the core of our group straight to the center.

It seemed like our best option.

“Princess, get on my back!”

“Y-Yes!”

With the Princess on my back, I bolted ahead.

An ordinary human couldn’t have done this, but the Princess wasn’t entirely human.

Her half-divine body could regenerate, even if she was cut by a blade.

As the knights fought fiercely, the bandits noticed us.

“It’s Raydan Tanthan! Don’t let that bastard get inside!”

“Stop him!”

Breaking free from the knights’ attacks, the bandits lunged at us all at once.

“Shit!”

The Hunter cursed, raising her double-barreled shotgun.

But at this range, it was far from ideal.

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I braced myself, ready to throw the Princess to the ground and draw my sword if necessary.

Clang!

The sharp clash of swords rang out, almost deafening.

The Knight Commander had blocked the blows of multiple bandits by himself.

He turned to us, gesturing with his chin.

“Go! Now!”

“Commander!”

“No time for hesitation!”

He smiled, as if to reassure us.

“Make it a grand finale. I’ll be watching—let’s see how brightly your knighthood shines until the very end.”

This was the Knight Commander.

A man who wouldn’t die—no matter what.

I gave him a firm nod and charged forward.

The Hunter and Asti hesitated for only a moment, glancing between me and the Commander, but then followed without looking back.

Distance to the Second Princess: 300 kilometers.