By Zephyria 
Surprisingly, pushing through the many zombies was smooth.
At first, I thought I would be the one to break through the path, just like when I escaped after fighting through a horde of trolls. I only thought about running fast, keeping pace, without looking back, my heart boiling.
But it wasn’t like that at all.
Elvin and Leon took turns at the front. They occasionally blocked the monsters pushing forward with their strength. I stayed in my position just behind them to the right, standing idly and only dispatching zombies within arm’s reach.
“Michael! 800 meters ahead!”
“Yes!”
Then, whenever Marianne indicated a target, I would stomp on the ground and leap high into the air.
Kwagagagagag!
And I would hover in the air five paces ahead of the party, striking down with my sword to prevent any harm from reaching them.
Even though I tried to strike as straight as possible, the energy inevitably spread the further it went. The ground I passed over was left with a narrow, fan-shaped gouge. The zombies in front of me, whether humanoid or monstrous in form, were cleaved, crushed, and exploded.
Once the path ahead was clear, the entire party would immediately pick up speed, running to the end of the cleared area and forming a circular formation. I would guard the party’s rear, chasing after them, and then rejoin my position.
The remaining members were divided into three groups, considering each other’s strength and compatibility, to take turns fighting the monsters. Benjamin and Rubel also participated in combat during this time. I maintained the Hip-Circlet for a set period, waiting for the next command.
Since we were walking while conserving our strength, not fighting too many monsters, we had some leeway. I would steal glances at the children’s swordplay techniques and offer a few pieces of advice.
Those on break would chew on dried rations or jerky. Even without an appetite, they ate to survive, their eyes keenly scanning their surroundings as they ate. Those resting helped those fighting, but only to the extent of their remaining energy, without overexerting themselves.
We repeated the cycle of walking as if on a stroll, then shooting forward, and then walking again as if on a stroll.
Occasionally, if Marianne showed signs of fatigue, Benjamin or Giselle would take turns carrying her. The rest showed no signs of exhaustion.
Honestly… it was comfortable.
This is why you absolutely must keep smart people by your side.
I once again etched this already known truth deeply into my mind.
Two days passed like this, and Marianne’s commands began to change slightly.
“This time, it’s 957 meters. Give it one shot!”
“…What’s with the seven?”
“I calculated it down to the third decimal place to adjust my distance perception. Can’t you do it?”
“I will.”
Kwagaga… gak!
At first, I would strike about fifty meters further than Marianne indicated. I was impatient, wanting to cut down all the zombies in front of me at once.
But I didn’t do that anymore. I had learned that expending too much internal energy only prolonged the wait until the next swordplay.
Now, the margin of error was within 1 meter. After repeating the same task for two days, I could now perform my part even while thinking about other things.
Around this time, Ruben also became able to sever the limbs of monsters with a single sword stroke, rather than multiple chops. He couldn’t produce Sword energy, but he achieved a similar effect by delicately cutting the knots between the skin’s grain. It was a very commendable and impressive feat, and I praised him greatly.
Then, another three days passed.
We walked in the same manner, and I struck with my sword in the same manner, yet I was breaking into a sweat. I don’t feel the cold or heat easily. If I’m like this, it’s natural for the others to be exhausted, and our progress slowed due to fatigue.
Marianne, clinging to Benjamin’s back like a slime, groaned.
“We’re going to cook alive if this goes on much longer. I didn’t hear anything about the ground heat being this high…”
“Well, until about three years ago… it wasn’t this bad.”
“That’s strange… I thought the Sanctuary of the Sun didn’t move, unlike an Oasis, so why?”
The mercenaries’ flustered answers were of no help. The Sylphs constantly pushed the hot air outwards, making it somewhat bearable.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
As the party approached the Sanctuary of the Sun, the monsters’ ferocity intensified, as if in a final act of defiance. All sorts of creatures attacked with bared claws and furious roars.
The Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins that were originally present generally bore a Magic Circle somewhere on their bodies. It was clear evidence of Black Magic. Most zombies, however, did not have Magic Circles. I argued that this must be the Demonic Cult’s sorcery.
I also saw humanoid monsters that differed from the zombies I knew. Marianne called them Ghouls. While zombies had a hard surface, Ghouls were half-rotted and mushy, making them extremely repulsive.
Blood Corpse Fiends occasionally sprang out from among the monsters. In such cases, we would stop altogether, eliminate the Blood Corpse Fiend first, and then move on.
Most Blood Corpse Fiends possessed skills comparable to a Sword Master, but they were generally unintelligent. We defeated them without much difficulty using a similar method of deception as when we dealt with the Cigarette Man’s zombies.
Elvin was at the front, and Leon was taking a break. The party was now chewing jerky not to survive, but to stay awake. Leon, who had been chewing dried rations, suddenly grabbed Marianne and asked something out of the blue.
“…By the way, about that Black Magic that raises monsters. Can’t you use it on four-legged beasts?”
“Huh? Uh… I suppose you could? They say it can even control rat corpses, you know. Why?”
“Does it cost a lot of money?… No, that’s not it. Didn’t I mention it before? Near here, there are Orcs…”
“Ah.”
“Orc variants? Orc Jiangshi? There are many of them, but I don’t see the Gray wolves they used to ride.”
Ann, who was walking beside them, chimed in, pausing her drink.
“Animals like that are the first to notice anything strange. Didn’t they know and run away first? It was the same with that Oasis before. Living things don’t want to die.”
Ann gestured with her chin. At the tip of her chin were countless zombie monsters with cloudy eyes, attacking without regard for their own lives.
“No matter how I look at it, those don’t look alive. If I were an Orc, I would have run away quickly.”
“Do they even have anywhere to run to…”
“Sigh, let’s worry about ourselves. Just ourselves.”
Hugh Benson’s whistle cut off the remark.
“Rotate.”
“Yes!”
“Roger!”
Variants.
The Troll variants… seemed to be alive. Some individuals would flinch and retreat when their arms were cut off. I didn’t suppress the rising question and immediately asked Marianne.
“Weren’t the black monsters that swarmed from the Yuil Mountains also called variants?”
“Ah, that and this use completely different mechanisms. So… the Trolls you saw back then were living creatures that had an excessive amount of Contaminated Mana poured into them through Black Magic. Since monsters have resistance to Contaminated Mana unlike humans, it’s like brainwashing? That’s how they were made.”
“Hmm.”
“Now, you’re just carving Magic Circles onto dead bodies to make them move for a specific purpose. They don’t breathe, they have no biological reactions. The ones here are almost like Golems.”
“Which one is more expensive?”
“If I had to say… these zombies here would be more expensive? The Yuil Mountains Troll variants also seemed contagious. But I don’t know the materials used, so don’t ask me.”
Indeed, at Sierren’s Magic Tower, Contaminated Mana was collectively referred to as Contaminated Mana.
It wasn’t uncommon for the same word to be used with multiple meanings. Since they were still unknown entities, it was a name given as proof that if it looked strange, it was indeed strange, and I accepted it.
“Enough, it’s 735 meters.”
“Yes.”
Kwagagagag!
In any case, I finished my task.
How much further did we go? As the sun began to set, steam rose from the path we walked.
The sky, which had cooled before the ground, was pitch black, and the moons embedded in it, as always, raced each other on their paths.
Counting zombie limbs was now familiar during the time it took to count stars, but it was natural to feel sleepy at night. It was a time when everyone swallowed yawns and rubbed their eyes.
Swoosh… Swoosh… Swoosh…
Even though it was a dark night, a shadow fell from above.
If the First Goddess’s head statue were standing whole instead of just its head, would it be about this size? It was so colossal that such a thought crossed my mind.
As it approached, the thing blocking the light was thick, with two branches extending to the sides, and a red flower at its very tip.
Several people, startled while cutting down zombies, fumbled their attacks and were helped by those next to them. Even as we almost reflexively cut down the monsters surrounding the party, we couldn’t tear our eyes away from that colossal thing.
It was a Makrir.
“…Does that, does that also… have Black Magic infused in it?”
“I don’t know!”
“Are you crazy? That thing is like, 120 meters tall.”
“You mean kilometers, right?”
“Do you think so? Meters!”
“Should I… should I lie down?”
“With this many zombies, how? Just hold on! I’ll try to do something.”
The bewildered voices of the children and mercenaries exchanged rapidly.
Marianne quickly canceled a Memorized spell and began drawing a Magic Circle in the air with her staff. It was a Shield. Then, Enhance, Stack, Enhance…
Hugh Benson also lowered his stance, drawing a longsword in one hand and a sickle in the other. He was preparing to leap.
I stepped forward ahead of everyone else. The walking Makrir was said to hunt prey by shooting thorns, so I intended to create a sword barrier around the party and somehow deflect the thorns shot nearby. I had to deal with both the Makrir and the zombies, so I was incredibly busy.
Then, the Makrir slowly raised its right branch from bottom to top.
Instantly, the sand began to churn. The zombies that had been charging at us began to melt and disappear from their legs.
“Eek!”
“Oh my!”
Young screams, whose source I couldn’t even identify, erupted.
I gritted my teeth. I gathered all my energy. It’s just a cactus, so should I cut off its roots? Or should I aim for the more suspicious-looking flower? Or perhaps summon lightning and roast it thoroughly…
At that moment.
[You’ve come sooner than expected.]
…A voice, familiar in its method, echoed in my ear.