Ch. 120

Chapter 120: The Black Mage’s Desperate Struggle

Vairif Crotinuda. Dreaming of becoming a free Black Mage, he had been captured by the Demon King and turned into a vassal, and he stroked the goosebumps rising across his skin.

A shiver ran through him.

The battlefield projected through the undead was terror itself.

Gigantic aura cleaved through the world, and splendid magic exploded like fireworks.

The undead were reverting to their original forms at a rapid pace.

“Strong.”

An exclamation befitting an empire escaped him without thinking.

He was afraid because he knew that blade would ultimately be turned toward him. At the same time, a thrill ran through him.

Those ones, those imperial elites, that spine-chilling hero!

What if he could kill them with his own hands, as his undead? What if he could turn them into undead?

The Demon King was not wrong.

This was the opportunity to most clearly prove the value of the undead he had created over more than a dozen years—his own value.

“They said there are imperial royals as well.”

He did not know exactly which royals were present, but there was no way the Demon King would lie.

“If I kill even the royals….”

The empire would be thrown into total chaos, and the renown of himself and his undead would rise even higher. Even if the enraged empire formed an assassination force, by then he would escape the gorge with the Demon King’s help.

Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine. His mouth watered.

“I’ll face you properly.”

He closed his eyes and focused his mind. In an instant, the wills of thousands of undead surged in. His head throbbed.

But that only stirred Vairif’s fighting spirit even more.

If it was not at least this much, there was no thrill in bringing them down.

If it was the empire, then naturally it should be capable of this much.

Vairif quickly grasped the enemy’s strategy.

They placed the hero at the front and smashed through the undead behind him like an awl. This charge was their core.

“That aside, he really is an incredible bastard….”

The connected undead were being destroyed in real time. Even watching from beyond, it sent shivers through him.

Dimensional interference power made the demonic energy lodged in his heart tremble with unease.

Vairif manipulated the undead.

A head-on battle had no answer. He had to circle to the flanks and gnaw away at those supporting them.

Skeleton archers positioned atop the gorge loosed their arrows. Crude arrows made of bone, empowered by demonic energy and gravity, transformed into sharp weapons.

“There are undead up above too!”

“Block them!”

Magic arrays deflected the arrows. They were not perfect, and some soldiers fell.

“Climb up and deal with them!”

Some knights ascended the gorge with the help of mages. What they faced, however, were headless corpses and the Death Knight commanding them.

“…A Death Knight?”

“It’s a Dullahan!”

Charging atop skeletal horses, they struck before the knights could even form ranks, sending them tumbling down.

The Death Knight order did not slow, racing along the sheer cliffs of the gorge.

Two knight orders, riding a razor’s edge as if about to fall yet not falling, slammed directly into the humans’ flanks.

“Kyaaaah—”

“Hiiiiiing—”

“Watch the sides!”

A section collapsed. The soldiers’ screams shattered into their last words.

A knight whose body had been tempered and packed with countless souls hurled a blade of vengeful spirits.

It shattered armor and carved through living flesh. Hot blood was not enough to warm the chill of souls colder than bitter frost.

“Grrrraaaah—”

The Death Knight roared.

The headless knights answered their commander’s thirst.

Demonic energy surged explosively. It gnawed at mana and bared its fangs toward the intruders.

“Out of the way.”

Dudududu—

Hooves shook the earth.

Two groups of knights that had split from the vanguard wheeled to both sides. They collided head-on with the bloodthirsty Death Knights.

“Kwaaang—”

The Death Knight’s body lurched. Skeletal horses screamed, and the bodies of the Dullahan were flung aside.

“Trash corpses.”

Black Lion Knight Order. The black lions of the Osrian Ducal House roared.

The Black Lions, split in two, advanced while crushing everything. The Death Knights clashed with the Black Lions’ commander and vice-captain.

Kwaaang—

In the initial collision, it was the Black Lions who seized the upper hand.

Black aura surging nearly two meters high split through demonic energy and killing intent, aiming for the core of the Death Knight.

—How dare you?!

The Death Knight spat out a grotesque voice. With movements bordering on divine technique, it maneuvered the skeletal horse to dissipate the impact and widen the distance. Toward the aura targeting its heart, it spewed demonic energy.

In an instant, dozens of sword strikes followed in succession. Death Knights, Dullahan, and Black Lions intertwined like snakes, each driving their blades toward one another.

Thus, the Black Lion Knight Order was pulled into a frontal engagement.

And that clearly slowed the rate of advance. It weakened the supporting momentum from the rear.

“It’s going according to plan…!”

Watching it all through the eyes of the undead, Vairif trembled with ecstasy.

Though he would lose two Death Knights and a hundred Dullahan he had painstakingly created, he had already resolved to pour everything into this gorge anyway. They were fulfilling their role perfectly.

“That guy. It’s definitely that Bal… what’s-his-name.”

The undisputed strongest hero on the continent. Though his memory had grown hazy from being cooped up in the gorge living among corpses, he was someone whose name had resounded even before Vairif entered the gorge.

“So the imperial royals really did move after all.”

He had roughly expected someone of at least that level to come.

Vairif set into motion the undead he had devoted the longest and greatest effort to.

Kugugugugu—

From among countless white bones, a gigantic head surged upward. Red killing intent flickered within its hollow eye sockets.

A neck, a body, short arms and legs, and wings made of bone revealed themselves. The massive frame, nearly fifteen meters in length, resembled a dragon.

“…A Lesser Bone Dragon?”

The imperial army faltered.

“Khhehheh.”

Vairif let out a laugh.

A lesser dragon.

Though it bore the name dragon, it was not a true dragon. However, as the pinnacle among drakes—the closest imitation to dragons—it had once been the master of central Hapstrain.

After long, fierce battles and effort, it had now transformed into an undead. Yet it had lost little of the abilities and power it possessed in life—or rather, they had been altered and grown even stronger.

It could be said to be the greatest source of Vairif’s confidence.

The Lesser Bone Dragon opened its mouth. Wind gathered between the jaws that held nothing but black bone.

The demonic energy of the gorge rippled. The core of the Lesser Bone Dragon swelled like a balloon.

“Die, all of you!”

From somewhere underground, along with Vairif’s roar.

A breath that devoured everything was unleashed.

*         *         *

At a glance, the massive frame was enough to make one mistake it for a dragon.

“Your Highness, you must take cover!”

The escort knights shouted to him.

But he dismounted from his frightened horse and began to run.

“Your Highness!”

The knights followed after him.

“Where do you think you’re running?”

He stabbed the heart of a fleeing, terror-stricken soldier.

“Keuhk…!”

The soldier’s blood soaked his armor.

“I gave the order. Advance and bring me the Black Mage’s head.”

Then.

“Shouldn’t you obey it to the very end? Who gave you permission to run away!”

The gorge resounded thunderously with a roar imbued with mana.

Everyone trembled at his fury.

That was when—

“We will follow Your Highness’s command!”

Someone’s shout swallowed the soldiers’ fear.

Just one man.

The great hero advanced forward. Dismounting from his frightened horse, he kicked off the ground with his own two legs.

At the same time, everything was unleashed from the dragon’s maw.

A black flash flared.

The sky was stained black.

White bones caught in the aftershock were reduced to powder and vanished.

Even so, the black trajectory that did not lose its momentum struck directly into the humans’ front line.

Someone collapsed on the spot.

Someone hid their body behind a rock.

Someone wrapped themselves in aura.

Someone tried to save the imperial royal even at the cost of their own body.

And someone expected to witness the hero’s miserable end.

But.

There was no impact, no explosion.

Flash—

A blue dawn light rose within the darkness.

Illuminating the dark, it advanced toward the storm. A gigantic sword of light cleaved through the tempest.

─────!

It was as if it were a great hero from legend.

As if driving out evil and proving justice.

As if protecting the kingdom and proclaiming the age of humankind.

Becoming the sole torch within pitch-black darkness, it lit the night.

The darkness split apart.

All the crushing pressure meant to extinguish the flame was torn asunder.

At the end of it stood a dragon.

Spitting out darkness.

Destroying the world.

A demonic dragon revealed its presence.

The storm, sensing the hero’s existence, grew even fiercer.

In proportion, the hero’s sword shone ever more brilliantly.

Piercing the center of the storm.

It dug in even deeper.

Past the gaping maw.

Advancing straight down the throat.

Kwa-kwa-kwa—

The breath weakened.

The demonic dragon screamed.

Its massive body writhed as it resisted.

“Return to the place where you belong.”

For that was His Highness’s command.

Kraack—

There were no further screams.

The gigantic body collapsed.

*         *         *

“Cough…!”

Vairif spat blood.

As the connection with the Lesser Bone Dragon into which he had poured his heart was severed, demonic energy surged back. The rampaging demonic energy made it feel as though his heart were being forcibly squeezed.

“That’s impossible…!”

Yet the pain to his mind was far greater than the pain to his body.

It had been a masterpiece forged over fifteen years.

He had feared no one.

No matter that it was the empire.

No matter that it was a hero.

He had been confident of victory. Especially since he had grown even stronger after receiving elixirs tainted with demonic energy from the Demon King.

So why.

“…So easily?”

The process had not looked easy by any means. But the result was.

The Lesser Bone Dragon was dead.

Unable to defeat a single hero, its core had been shattered.

The fifteen-meter giant had fallen, and the hero trampled the corpse and roared to announce his victory.

“…You bastard.”

The Black Mage who had lost fifteen years raged.

Blood trickled down from his crushed lips.

“No matter what happens, at least you…!”

But by what means?

With his final bulwark shattered, there was nothing left.

No—was there really nothing?

“…….”

His eyes were stained with madness.

It was a waste. Even if the Lesser Bone Dragon had been destroyed, its remains were still useful.

The bones that had fallen at their hands could be gathered again and reused.

Was it right to give up all of that?

“Of course it is!”

Even losing everything he had gathered over fifteen years was better than failing to avenge the Lesser Bone Dragon.

Vairif bit down on all ten fingers, drawing blood.

Closing his eyes, he drew a ritual and focused his mind.

“Disappear together with the dragon you destroyed.”

As demonic energy running rampant beyond control surged, Vairif retched and spat blood.

At the same time, the bones filling the gorge began to react to the demonic energy all at once.

*         *         *

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—

It was an enormous explosion that shook the entire gorge.

“What is this…?”

Before the question could linger, a shockwave made of demonic energy swept through the gorge a beat later.

“Sir Hillan!”

“If it’s that direction, it’s the center of the gorge! Something terrible must have happened!”

“From now on, charge toward the center at full speed!”

“Elder brother, we should clearly find out what’s going on—”

“What do you mean, what’s going on? Brother must be fighting the undead. If we stay like this, we’ll lose the Black Mage’s head! If it bothers you, come slowly. I’m going ahead.”

The Second Prince began running, leading his troops.

The Third Prince had no choice but to follow behind.

“Lord Pale.”

“I don’t know either, so don’t ask.”

“Is that really so?”

“I’m more curious than anyone.”

It was true.

‘What in the world is happening?’

Berje bit his lip.

From the moment he felt the explosion, he had been sending signals to Vairif, but there was no response.

He had a bad feeling.

That something had gone wrong.

And that thought was never wrong.

What they encountered upon reaching the center of the gorge was a massive crater.

“…I’ll kill you! How dare you…! How dare you!”

Inside it was the First Prince, rampaging as he clutched the Black Mage by the neck.