I could have chosen any class, but I chose the most perverse one

The undead blades rise into the air, ready to strike.

"N-no!" Welze screams, paralyzed by fear, tears streaming down her face.
Her wide, terror-filled eyes can’t look away from the swords descending toward them.

But Kanna Merfal is not ready to surrender.

Despite the spell crushing her, despite the terror gripping her heart, she finds a spark of strength within herself. Her sweaty, trembling hand grips the mace even tighter.

She had renounced Chand for Strauss, stripped of her divine protection for submitting to the man she loves, but she will still be a light in the darkness.

Or at least she will be a guide for her companions. They are her responsibility.

She is still a cleric, a former venture, but above all, she is an expert in exorcism, a scholar well-versed in battling necromancy.

She has failed many times by not recognizing the deceptions and curses of Strauss. She thought she was better than she is.
Despite all her studies, she still has so much to learn.

But even at the cost of her life, she cannot afford to fail here.

Not like that time when Ivanhold died.

There is no room for regrets now.

With a cry, Kanna raises her mace and channels all her energy into one last desperate act of magic.

[SANCTUARY OF WILL]

A brilliant aura begins to expand from her body, enveloping the battlefield in a purifying light. The magic spreads like a wave, creating a sanctuary of light that repels the darkness of the Lich. The protective field surrounds Kanna, Luysia, and Welze, extending towards them like an energy shield against the shadows—an impenetrable dome of protection.

The skeletons within the field are instantly destroyed, reduced to dust by the power. Their swords, poised to strike, shatter before they can touch the warriors, while the Lich's dark spell is dispelled, scattered like mist in the sunlight.

The women rise to their feet, stunned but alive.

Welze and Luysia gaze at Kanna with eyes full of gratitude, knowing that without her, they would have been doomed.
The light shines around them, pushing back the advancing skeletons that continue to flood the battlefield.

This is the same high-level spell previously used by Azherie’s Servant, the dwarf Eykad Kzordodror.

Kanna cannot use it with the same ease, as it requires immense concentration and a substantial amount of MP, not to mention great skill. Without the support of a deity, it becomes even more challenging.

She wasn’t sure she could pull it off, but she’s glad she left no stone unturned.

Kanna looks at them with determination in her eyes. "I won’t let him harm you," she says resolutely. "I’m still a professor, and I will fight to my last breath to protect you, my students."

Her words instill courage in Welze and Luysia, and the three women brace themselves for the next wave.

"We need to stop the flow of skeletons," Luysia says with the resolute tone of a warrior who refuses to surrender. "Even if they're weak, their numbers will overwhelm us."

"They keep coming out of that gate... it doesn’t matter how many we take down," Welze adds.

Kanna nods.

Her mind quickly flips through the vast knowledge she’s accumulated over the years from studying old tomes and exorcist reports on demons and curses. Successfully performing the [SANCTUARY OF WILL] has reinvigorated her spirit and boosted her confidence. Her knowledge could be the key in this battle, she thinks.

Perhaps there’s something that could work...

"I know a ritual that could seal Ques’s necromantic magic, but I need time. You’ll have to keep them off me."

Luysia grips her halberd firmly. "We’ll buy you that time."

Welze, still trembling, finds her voice. "I-I’ll help!" she exclaims, despite the uncertainty in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Ques watches the scene with a twisted grin, angered by the unexpected power of the cleric. He sees the danger she poses and decides to intensify his assault.

With a wave of his skeletal hand, the Lich infuses dark energy into some of the skeletons, enhancing them and making them more lethal. The empty eyes of the undead glow with a malevolent light as they charge toward Kanna, driven by a furious frenzy.

"Kill her!" Ques commands.
His earlier arrogance begins to waver as he realizes that the cleric is potentially a serious threat to him.

Kanna feels the increasing pressure, but she refuses to be intimidated.
She has a dual task: casting protective and healing spells while also focusing on the ritual. It’s a daunting challenge, but she knows she can’t afford to fail. She’s exhausted, but she’s the only one who can do it.

Luysia positions herself to protect the cleric, ready to face the enhanced undead.

The former paladin charges into the fray, each strike of her halberd lethal, slicing the empowered skeletons in two.

Welze, determined, raises her staff and unleashes her fire magic.
She doesn’t know how long she can keep going. Her magic points are draining fast.
But she cannot allow them to reach Kanna.

[RAY OF FIRE]

A beam of fire crashes into the skeletons, burning them completely. The magical flames consume them rapidly, and some explode into a rain of shattered bones.

But despite their efforts, the skeletons keep coming, relentless, like an unstoppable tide.

Kanna slowly kneels, trying to steady her breath and ignore the exhaustion and her wounds. She must focus.

The ritual magic she is about to invoke requires absolute precision and a deep connection with the sacred power that remains in her, even after being forsaken by the goddess Chand.

With her hands, she traces a magic circle in the dust of the ruined temple, her fingers leaving glowing trails of sacred energy. Each movement is slow, deliberate, and filled with purpose. Sweat drips down her forehead, but she cannot afford to make a single mistake.

She can feel the hatred of the goddess, her disdain, as though Chand is trying to prevent her from accessing these powers. An interference that Kanna ignores, knowing Chand no longer has dominion over her—for better or worse.

The ancient words of the ritual form an incessant rhythm in her mind, a sacred chant guiding her, but she needs time.

"Just a few more minutes," she thinks. "I just have to hold on for a few minutes."

Around her, the battle rages.

Luysia moves like a tiger, swinging her halberd with masterful precision, cutting down one skeleton after another. Each strike is precise and deadly, but even so, the number of enemies seems endless. The skeletons empowered by Ques advance, faster and stronger than before, their rusted weapons glinting ominously as they close in en masse.

Her muscles burn from the effort, but she doesn’t stop.

Welze focuses on maintaining the steady flow of her spells. The fear hasn’t left her, but the sense of urgency is stronger.

With each new skeleton that approaches, a jet of fire erupts, consuming the bones with a deafening crash. However, the sweat on her face, the exhaustion in her eyes—everything speaks of an imminent collapse.

[RAY OF FIRE]

Welze’s magic repeats like a mantra, but the mage's MP is depleting quickly.
Her hands begin to tremble from the effort, and the stream of fire weakens as the skeletons continue to advance.

"I can’t do it anymore!" she cries out in desperation.

*SWISH*

A skeletal archer, hidden among the ruins, launches an arrow that strikes her in the leg.
She screams in pain, collapsing to the ground as blood begins to stain the earth around her.

Kanna immediately casts [HEAL] on the mage while struggling to maintain her concentration on the ritual. She feels as though she's about to collapse from the strain.

Even the professor is reaching her limit.

"Kanna! How much more time do you need?" Luysia yells, fending off a wave of skeletons with a powerful strike as they try to surround her.

The cleric grits her teeth.

The magic circle in front of her is almost complete, but every second feels like an eternity. Her mind is focused on the ancient words flowing from her lips, but she can hear the footsteps of the undead closing in, and the voices of her companions shouting in the chaos.

Beyond that, she feels a malevolent aura settle directly upon her.
She can sense the dead gaze of the Lich. It’s an unpleasant feeling, as if he were breathing down her neck. Ques is watching her, and he knows exactly what she’s trying to do.

The enemy is no longer laughing.

"Do you really think I'll let you finish your pathetic ritual, cleric?" he shouts with disdain. His terrible voice reaches her, but Kanna refuses to be intimidated.

Ques summons spheres of dark energy that sizzle, streaking toward Kanna like deadly bolts. Necrotic blasts, filled with malevolent energy, head straight for her.

*BOOM*

The first one flies over her head, striking the floor and unleashing an explosion of stone fragments and dust.

Kanna doesn’t stop, continuing to trace the intricate lines of the magic circle, but the explosions grow closer. Her eyes shine with determination, even as sweat runs down her forehead. She must finish the ritual, no matter what.

*BOOM*

Another explosion roars behind her, causing her to stumble. A piece of debris strikes her side, and pain shoots through her like a sharp stab, but she cannot falter.

Welze, injured but standing, tries desperately to defend. Her fire magic is the only thing holding the skeletons at bay, but every necrotic blast that gets near Kanna makes her flinch.

Her attacks are still effective, but Welze is running out of energy. She can feel her magical reserves dwindling rapidly, and the trembling in her hands makes it difficult to maintain concentration.

*BOOM*

Another necrotic explosion strikes the ground right next to Kanna, sending her crashing to the ground. The cleric grits her teeth, her body wracked with pain.

Kanna lifts her face, her vision blurred by pain and exhaustion, but her eyes still hold a steely determination. She won’t let it end like this. She must protect herself; she must finish the ritual.

Her hands tremble as she traces the final line of the magic circle, but it’s not enough. She can’t rely solely on the seal, not with that dark power threatening her.

With a jolt, Kanna summons the spell that might be her only salvation. Not to protect everyone, but to protect herself. The only way to survive and complete the ritual.

[SANCTUARY OF WILL]

Kanna bites her tongue to stay conscious. Blood fills her mouth, the metallic taste and the pain keeping her awake.
The magic flows from her body, but this time it doesn’t expand to protect the battlefield—no. This time, Kanna directs all of the power onto herself, forming a small protective shell around her.

*BOOM*

Ques’s dark energy explodes against the [Sanctuary of Will], but it cannot penetrate the barrier. The necrotic spheres crash against the shield with violent shockwaves that shake the barrier.

Kanna doesn’t give in. She clenches her fists, bent over herself, focusing on maintaining her defense.

Her body is exhausted, her mind fatigued, but she knows if she loses concentration for even a moment, everything will be lost.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

The barrier shakes with every impact, but it holds.

Her companions nearby are wounded, exhausted, overwhelmed by endless waves of skeletons. They won’t last much longer.

*BOOM*

Another hit, another blast of dark energy explodes against the barrier, shaking Kanna. The protection begins to waver, cracks forming along its surface, signaling it won’t hold for much longer.

"I must... hold on..." she whispers, her hands trembling.

The circle glows, the light growing in intensity, ready to fulfill its purpose.

“By established order, it is decreed,
Life and death are bound, indeed.
What’s unholy, cast to dust,
In shadowed realms, decay and rust.”

Ques, enraged, increases the speed of his attacks.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

Even as Kanna's body gives way, even as the barrier cracks, she continues.

“We, the keepers of secret light,
Stand firm against eternal night
Thou shalt not pass, thy fate is sealed,
To realms where darkness is revealed.”

The final words of the ritual finally escape her lips just as they were written in that ancient tome, and with one last whisper, the magic circle activates.

[SEAL OF UNHOLY]