As I turned back, stumbling and turning like forcing a rusty screw, zombies were rushing toward us like a herd of cattle once again.

“Aaaah!”

“That ah ah ah!”

“Gruh… that ah ah!”

“Eeeeeeek!”

Whether the bait meat had no effect or not, the zombies, emitting more ferocious screams than before, were running terrifyingly toward us.

‘This is insane!’

What the heck is going on? Weren’t the spirits supposed to buy us as much time as possible?

‘Furthermore, we haven’t even run out of the artifact’s effect, and they discovered us?’

Unbelievable!

“This is unbelievable…”

Ruth’s expression turned more earthy than mine.
He was so shocked by the fact that his ambitious mobile defense barrier had been breached that he almost fell over. Fortunately, Emily and Rose, who were running alongside him, supported him, preventing any accidents.

Even in the chaos, the faces of the zombies appeared vividly as if they were in close-up. Upon closer inspection, strange red patterns seemed to emerge on their foreheads.

“That… it seems familiar for some reason.”

It seemed similar to what he saw on the zombies that exhibited strange behavior when destroying the secret passage.

At that time, they seemed to be equipped with some form of intelligence. However, this time, they displayed unbridled physical abilities, as if forcibly driven into a state of frenzy.

Indeed, the thighs of some zombies seemed to have pushed too hard, resembling a ragdoll with all its stuffing burst out.

“Grooooan!”

‘Ugh.’

Some of the zombies at the forefront had red stains on their mouths. It seemed like they were the ones that followed the bait and devoured chunks of meat.

“Graaaaah!”

“Eek! Don’t follow us! You creatures!”

‘The drugs must have kicked in!’

Considering that the pig and beef we bit into, thinking it was human, were just past their expiration date! From the zombies’ perspective, it might have seemed like a vegan feast had arrived. Although they couldn’t resist the temptation of the meat, the blood smeared on their teeth must have been from biting humans.

“Grrraaaa! Aaaaah!”

“What the hell, why are they so fast!”

Perhaps, because they had only had a taste(?) of the meal, the zombies seemed to be enraged.

There was no way they could understand emotions. Zombies that didn’t know anger seemed to be infuriated.

There was nothing scarier than the sight of their blood-stained teeth clashing together.

“Eeeeeek!”

A scream burst out involuntarily.

To the right of Benedict, who was running, two spirits suddenly appeared.

They were the spirits responsible for taking the bait.

“Eeek! What’s happening!”

Waving my arms in protest, the spirits flapped their greenish wings, seemingly indignant.

【We did our best!】

【Those zombies rushed at us like a starving pack of wolves for ten days straight, day and night!】

【They are insane!】

【They’re crazy for human blood. If they have something to eat, they’ll run faster than an animal!】

【They were faster than our maneuvers!】

【Even though they didn’t recognize us, they felt the terror of being devoured!】

There was no time to comfort the sobbing spirits.

“Then provide some support fire! Like last time, create a defensive barrier to keep those things from getting any closer!”

Otherwise, I’ll tear off your wings!

The zombies were so fast that they could compete with track and field athletes. It was terrifying how they relentlessly pursued us without any buff-like magic.

【The defensive barrier has to be created when Ben is concentrating…】

“Now is not the time to argue about that! Shut up and hurry! We’re going to die at this rate!”

As the purest beings in this world, listen because it’s urgent!

【Ah, got it!】
Commanding the spirits rather than asking them, they hurriedly moved upon my somewhat absurd request.

【Ben! Please request it from us!】

【…Sturdy wall, protect us.】

As Benedict uttered the inexplicable command, the emerald wall I had seen in the air before appeared, firmly planted between the zombies and us. While it didn’t seem as robust as the one I had seen before, it looked like a solid, smooth, and elastic wall, reaching a level comparable to high-rise buildings, making it seemingly impossible to cross easily.

With multiple walls swiftly descending, the zombies hesitated for a moment.

‘Alright!’

Zero found this situation fascinating and chuckled.

「Unbelievable. I’ve never seen a human giving orders to the spirits like that! Usually, if you do that, you end up turning into ashes in the hands of the spirits. You must be lucky to curse at me and get away with it, considering I’m in charge of you.」

‘I don’t know, man. What do I know about that stuff!’

Is that even a factor on the scale at the crossroads of life and death?

Just about ten steps. No, five steps.

The distance to the castle gate was just that.

‘Almost there…!’

As I eagerly reached out my palm, about to touch the cold sensation of the castle gate, Zero roared with astonishment.

“What’s that!”

Zero exclaimed in an astonished voice.

Turning around unintentionally, I witnessed a shocking scene unfolding.

“This, this is insane…”

A zombie was leaping over the thin and long spirit’s defensive barrier like a frog.

And in an instant, that creature was about to land with its mouth wide open towards our group.