Episode 199

The Lord of the Dead looked around. The immortal legions he so prided himself on were throwing themselves at the colossal Great Wall. However, the humans’ resistance was not to be underestimated. Arrows blackened the sky as they rained down on the hordes of the dead charging toward the wall.

― KWAGWAGWANG!

Of course, arrows were not particularly effective weapons against the dead. But the situation was different when there were enough to fill the sky.

― Grrraaaaah!

Arrows burrowed into the death knights’ armor like porcupine quills. Not even the dazzling movements of a Death Fear could evade all of the arrows.

“Mages! Take your positions!”

Moreover, showers of magic rained down from beyond the Great Wall, cast by the mages. The dead, already slowed by the arrow storm, could not dodge the overwhelming barrage of spells.

― Fwoosh!

Flames erupted from their decaying flesh. Some mages’ wind spells tore the bodies of the dead to pieces.

Yet, the power of the immortal legions was not so easily exhausted. They pressed forward relentlessly, enduring the rain of magic and arrows with their entire bodies.

And finally, the horde of the dead reached the walls of the Great Wall.

The first to scale the wall was a Death Fear.

― Grrrrr!

With an eerie scream, the Death Fear crawled up the wall in an unnatural manner. The members of the Watch hurled spears at the creature.

But the creature ignored the torrent of spears as though they were nothing. Its body was so tough that of all the countless spears, only three or four actually pierced it.

Of course, not all Death Fears could charge ahead without injury.

― Krunch!

At last, a single spear pierced through a Death Fear, penetrating out the other side, and the creature tumbled down. Even though it was already a corpse, its eyes trembled as it fell, impaled on the spear.

The spears thrown from atop the wall by soldiers and knights embedded themselves so deeply into the ground that only the shaft was visible. Considering that the ground here was nearly permafrost-hard, this indicated the tremendous power behind those throws.

That was only natural, for they were all imbued with Erich’s power, sheathed in a white aura. Each one of their throws was like that of a Swordmaster. Although only a limited few could fully wield that power, and so not every throw was as strong.

Either way—

Soon, fearsome volleys of spears rained down on the dead charging toward the wall.

Those who burned their own life force manifested power far beyond the ordinary, and many of the dead struck by the spears became incapacitated.

― Krunch! Krrk!

So much so that even the heavily armored death knights were rendered immobile when struck by some spears! The powerful bodies they so boasted about now meant nothing before the white aura.

However, even this could not stop the legions of the dead, who would not die unless beheaded. Some were struck in the head and destroyed, but most were not, so there was no reason for them to stop.

Yet, regardless of their will, the advance of the immortal legions met real resistance.

Specifically, the dead impaled everywhere by spears blocked the path of those behind.

Moreover, the commander atop the Great Wall had anticipated this from the beginning and devised a strategy accordingly, so there was no confusion even with this unexpected development.

― KWADANGTANG!

The massive gate of the Great Wall suddenly opened. Led by knights waiting inside, countless soldiers poured out.

“Crush them all!”

“For the Empire!”

With shouts, the knights charged the dead. The force of the knights, infused with white aura, was incredible.

The dead were swept away like autumn leaves in the wind. The soldiers following behind formed a tight formation and smashed the skulls of the dead with the tips of their spears.

― Grooooooo!

However, when the relatively unscathed death knights moved to the front, the knights’ charge was halted. With overwhelming strength, the death knights pulverized the knights.

“Aaaagh!”

Screams erupted everywhere. Most of the knights had never properly used aura before, and so they could not achieve a complete victory in this final battle with the dead.

― Grrrk!

Death Fears’ eyes darted quickly. Herding their subordinate dead, they-nimbly slipped into the gaps between the death knights, pushing forward to the front lines.

The plan was to break through before the dead in the rear became incapacitated from arrow and magic and spear fire. Now that the gate was open, it was an opportunity.

Three Death Fears worked together, breaking through a single point and mowing down knights and soldiers alike.

“Stop them!”

“Don’t let them pass!”

The Death Fears’ tentacles sliced through their shields like loaves of bread, and they broke the formation in a flash. Somewhere, it was as if the chilling laughter of the Lord of the Dead could be heard.

But—

― Screeeech!

A blue sword aura cut through the air, beheading two Death Fears in a single stroke. For a Death Fear, who moments earlier had skillfully dodged all attacks, this was shocking.

The creature realized what was happening only when it heard the explosions behind it.

That sword aura cutting them apart was blindingly fast.

The owner of the sword was none other than a grand lord, cloaked in a crimson cape emblazoned with a golden dragon-emblazoned crest and wearing red armor.

-……!

His sharp eyes, burning bright with purple will, gazed down at the battlefield with proud composure.

He was acclaimed as the very best among the Empire’s swordsmen and a victor of countless wars of conquest—the strongest Krupp in history.

That was none other than Grand Duke Krupp.

***

Erich wore a faint smile.

‘I hadn’t expected it, but he truly came.’

His father, Grand Duke Krupp, was a practical man. He had no reason to come himself, but upon hearing the summons of the Empire, he must have judged this as a crisis for the entire continent.

Being as practical and rational as he was, his ability to assess danger was also extremely quick.

Erich breathed a sigh of relief. He had hoped the Great Wall would hold until people became accustomed to aura, but the might of the immortal legions was greater than expected.

If they hadn’t opened the gates themselves, the wall likely would have been breached within half a day.

However, with an overwhelming force at the level of Grand Duke Krupp guarding the gates, there was every reason to feel assured.

If Erich’s memory served him right, Grand Duke Krupp’s might was said to rival that of Mikhail.

‘It’s a relief Father arrived just in time.’

Meanwhile—

The Lord of the Dead glared at Erich with eyes burning with hatred. Judging from the current situation, nothing was going according to his will in any direction.

On top of that, Erich’s party, having cleared their surroundings, was one by one joining the encirclement of the Lord of the Dead.

― You’ve resorted to tricks.

“We call successful tricks strategy.”

― Pitiful.

The Lord of the Dead began to draw up black energy. The ominous aura was so intense that even Hrung-ga and Ungrim winced. The dark energy, as if it could swallow everything at any moment, was terrifying in itself.

Erich glanced at his companions.

‘They won’t be killed in one blow at least.’

He could hardly ask everyone to fight the Lord of the Dead directly. Splitting the creature’s attention was good enough.

― Phwit!

The black aura shrouding the Lord of the Dead trembled. Behind him, even the red energy clouding the sky seemed to disperse under the force of that blow. Beneath it, Mikhail stood, his eyes burning with a navy hue, having just finished his attack.

The Lord of the Dead stretched out his hand.

Immediately, black energy swelled and twisted into various monstrous shapes, then attacked Erich’s companions from all directions.

― KWAGWANG!

Yet Erich deflected every one of the attacks. Unlike when all the attacks had been aimed at him alone, this time he could parry them.

Next, Erich, deflecting the dark aura with his sword, ignited a white aura and clad himself in the form of an avatar.

― KWAAANG!

The blade Erich swung slammed directly into the Lord of the Dead. A tremendous roar and explosion followed.

Erich cautiously assessed the effectiveness of the attack.

‘One layer? Maybe two?’

With some luck, he thought he could break through. Sensing Erich’s output, the Lord of the Dead’s eyes narrowed.

― Hmm!?

― KWAANG! KWAGWANG!

The Lord of the Dead staggered. He was beset from all directions by simultaneous attacks. For the most part, these attacks broke through his black aura and struck back.

Barnes’s spark.

Frederick’s ice.

Mikhail’s dimensional slash.

And not only Hrung-ga’s wind, but also Ungrim’s powerful blow.

Hit all at once, the black aura of the Lord of the Dead wavered dangerously. Then, with narrow eyes, he glared at Erich.

It wasn’t hatred for him personally, but rather a profound loathing for the human race itself. Erich could see that in the Lord of the Dead’s eyes.

Perhaps to him, the notion of humans—creatures as insignificant as bugs—resisting with all their might was profoundly offensive.

‘No—maybe…….’

Perhaps, worn down by this never-ending, eternal battle, the Lord of the Dead was exhausted too.

Was that why?

― Tsst.

The Lord of the Dead withdrew the black energy that had been swirling around him. Erich was secretly astonished.

‘He’s discarding his means of absolute defense?’

Erich had believed that the only way to win this battle was to break through that black energy. That’s what he had been working toward all along.

And yet, the Lord of the Dead had suddenly withdrawn that aura on his own.

It was as if a warrior, facing his final battle, had removed his own armor. Of course Erich was startled.

However, the Lord of the Dead stared at them all with dry eyes. He turned a gaze burning with hatred not at any single person, but at all of them.

Erich spoke to him.

“Is this suicide?”

― Suicide?

The dry lips of the Lord of the Dead curled up. His smile was chilling.

Then, the Lord of the Dead raised a hand cloaked in concentrated black energy. It was so black and deep it felt as if it would swallow everything into its depths.

The Lord of the Dead answered.

― You have no worth. I’ll return you to the slaves your instincts have made you.

― Krrrk!

The Lord of the Dead’s body twisted. The sound was so grotesque, even Erich flinched. The creature’s contorted form soon began to reveal something black and monstrous.

The power born from the black sphere it had absorbed.

― Krunch! Krrrk!

Bones warped and muscles tore. A new skeleton rose in their place.

Everyone stared in shock at the Lord of the Dead as he completed his transformation, his body swelling ever larger.

― Grrrrrrrrrr

A colossal, black—

A black dragon with decaying flesh appeared.

—

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