Episode 991 The Prelude to Death (1)
The disputed territory between the Kingdom of Ronia and the Lower Beastmen Tribe, to the southwest.
Both sides have continued a prolonged engagement without significantly undermining their national power. As time passed, the scale of the battlefield gradually shrank.Large-scale all-out offensives involving thousands against thousands or tens of thousands against tens of thousands, fought with their backs against the wall, were a thing of the past.
In the wake of macroscopic peace, ethnic conflict between them had long since degenerated into a political tool, losing its original significance.
Why throw oneself into war?
Since deciding it was up to the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Ronia and the chiefs of the lower beastmen tribes, even those dying in the conflict zones dared not raise any questions and simply shed blood and sweat.
but.
It was obvious what we had to fight for now, even without hearing the answer.
“rotation!!!”
The warhorse slowed and leaned to the side. The knights of the Kingdom of Ronia, armed with spears and shields, spurred on once more.Rough breathing echoed inside their helmets. A putrid stench numbed their noses. Entrusting themselves to their horses, they strengthened their entire bodies with Qi to the fullest.
Tension reaching its peak.The heavy weight carried on the spearhead.
Now is the time.
“impact!!!”
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
A cavalry unit composed entirely of knights struck the undead forces from the flank. The lesser undead, like thorns in the side, were trampled and crushed by the horses’ hooves and spears, as if scraping away flesh wrapped in pus.Bone dust and chunks of flesh clung to the armor protecting the horses’ heads and bodies.
A path is created in an area surrounded by corpses, following the Knights’ route.
The interim knight commander shouted.
“Good, good! The wall on the left flank has thinned! We will immediately flank and join the strike force!”“Yes!”“On the signal, form a dense formation………”
Whoosh!
A flying arrow pierced the Knight Commander’s neck. His head dangled. The Commander’s body staggered before he fell from his saddle.The knight standing right behind him glared and spotted the sniper.
“Hollowbone……!”
This is the first undead creature discovered in the conflict zone. It is a skeleton that hides its presence and targets the living with arrows of deception.Its danger level is Mithril grade, at least when ambushing.The creature was named by the Adventurer’s Guild branch of the Kingdom of Ronia.
There were more than a few undead creatures that I had never seen or heard of before. It felt as if the world of the dead had arrived.
Haluubon vanished hideously from within the ranks.Now, anger outweighed fear.
“The commander has been killed by a Hollowbone sniper! Stein of the Knights of Lotte will take command! All, into a dense formation!”“Dense formation!”“Dense formation!”
The warhorses that had swept through the enemy lines closed the distance between them and moved toward the retreat route at the rider’s command. As they turned their backs after narrowly grazing the undead, ice and fire magic chased after their heads.
“The magic is close. Their wizard order is right ahead! Just a little further… …!”
Stein squeezed his eyes shut, exposing his defenseless back. Boom! Just as the light of elemental magic descended, allied magic blocked the enemy’s offensive.
The fact that the Wizard Corps is clearly visible means that the enemy’s front line has been pushed back as far as it can.
There are incomprehensible elements, but the odds are high.
Miracel, the commander of Delharun’s Royal Guard Division who had advanced south with Mauler, drew his single-edged straight sword—the Backsword—and aimed it straight ahead.
“Annihilate!”“Waaaaaaah!!!”
A roar that shakes the air.
As soon as the magical barrier created by the Larian Magic Tower’s unique magic item vanished, a strike force composed of beastmen and humans advanced past the knights who had shattered the left and right flanks.The human side received a miracle of light from the clergy of the Ruas Theocracy in the Kingdom of Ronia.
Kwaaaaang!
Thousands of troops clashed head-on with a force of death that outnumbered them. Walls of corpses crumbled. After a battle that dragged on for dozens of days, the number of lower-tier undead had been reduced to about 20%.
Finally, the true nature of the undead main force, which had only been partially exposed, was brought out.
The undead airship moves.In response, the Allied airship also accelerates.
The Allied airship approached the Undead airship with amazing piloting skills, glancing right past it. At the same time, a unit consisting of adventurers, beastmen, Eon, and mages from the Magic Tower boarded the enemy’s deck.
“Secure the cockpit and the engine room first! Make sure these crazy corpses don’t pull any stunts!”“Elder Lich, destroyed!”
Whenever things went wrong, the Undead executed strategies that humans would never dare attempt, such as ramming airships directly into the ground.Just think of the strategic value.As a result, the Allied Forces suffered considerable damage before they even realized it. You could say the Undead deliberately exploited a loophole in common sense.
“However, they merely possess strategy and tactics; they are not sophisticated. No matter how much they take the form of a military, it means they are ultimately nothing more than a variant.”
At first, I was so flustered and confused that I was helpless against it, but now that we are prepared, there is no reason for us to be at a disadvantage!
Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!
Larian Magic Tower.Zentir Magic Tower.Magic Tower on the Volcanic Island.Helion Magic Tower.
The envoys who had been conducting scheming activities in the Kingdom of Ronia to support Eon’s judgment of commandments commanded a unit of mages and launched a magical bombardment from four directions.It was truly an ironic situation that those who harbored hostility toward Mauler ended up helping the kingdom instead.
No… I guess there’s no need to insist on the Kingdom of Ronia anymore.
The Lower Beastmen Tribe and the Upper Kingdom of Ronia collapsed together. For the fear of death had seeped not only into instinct but also deeply into their hearts.
Corruption is close.
The beastmen and humans who were fighting the high-ranking undead changed their expressions.
“……Chief.”“Your Excellency, Duke Reduel.”
A significant proportion of the fallen who succumbed to death were high-ranking officials. They were individuals who valued their own lives more than the dignity of the human body or the lives of others.One might wonder who wouldn’t do the same, but there are certainly not many who can kill hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of people, including family and subordinates, simply to ensure their own existence.
A giant wolf drops acid.
[It is a pathetic struggle. This situation is merely a part of death. Since you cannot win in the end, join forces. There is a place for you.]
The Duke, having regained his youth, rested his sword on his shoulder like a knight from a fairy tale.
[Hahahaha, why are you bound when this body, destined to die when its short lifespan is over, is merely a shell? If you would just accept it, you would understand. What eternal life is. If you offer countless sacrifices, you might be able to remain in human form like me.]
The fallen ones starting to appear on the front lines.
Duke Leduel, a cousin of King Ronia, had piled up a mountain of corpses so high that it was difficult to gauge his own military prowess.The chieftains took byproducts from the corpse of the Lower Beastman chieftain and used them to decorate their bodies. The Lower Beastman chieftain resisted corruption to the very end before being killed by his close associates.
Can I win? Even if I can win, I might die. Then what good would it do? Doesn’t it matter what happens to the world without me?
A moment of hesitation holds back the anger.The survival instinct suppresses the wildness.
While battles were raging around them, time seemed to have stopped here.Humans and beastmen were drenched in sweat as they faced the fallen beings intoxicated by ecstasy. In the midst of this, a Black Tiger beastman stepped forward, smoking a tobacco stick.
He asked.
“What happens to the money if I become undead?”
[money?]
I mean currency.
Duke Leduel laughed heartily.
[Of course it will become useless! Having shed our human flaws, we can enjoy everything! Money will turn into scraps of paper and vanish into history.]
The rising scent of tobacco.
The Four Powerhouses of the Central Continent───A wildness flashed in the Black Beast’s eyes. There is no mercenary who would not be angry to hear that the money they have painstakingly saved is going to be wasted.
My money is trash.
Frenzy
The black beast’s body bulged, emitting a wildness of a different caliber.
[That is… … the current Beast King’s. No way?]
Immediately after the corrupted chieftains realized the true identity of the Black Beast, a roar shattered their eardrums, and its sharp claws became slashes that split the horizon.
Whoosh!
The upper bodies of the unsuspecting Fallen were cleanly split open.Some of the chieftains were injured and recoiled.Only Duke Leduel managed to draw his sword and block the blow.
I’m looking forward to settling the accounts.
A black beast plucked a half-smoked homemade tobacco and swept across the battlefield. If the Fallen are powerful, then there are national-level forces and extremes in the world.
Kugugugugugu… … !
Miracel, gripping a backsword in her right hand and a thick blade mounted on her left forearm, led Delharun’s Royal Guard Division and pushed back the front line.
Kagagagagagagagagagagagang!
Sparks flew as the swords of Miracel and Duke Reduel clashed. The exchange of blows intensified, reaching a point where it was impossible to follow them with the naked eye.A blade slicing the Duke’s hair, a strike shattering the surface of his armor, and the Duke’s powerful downward strike, deflecting attacks like a true undead.
Boom!
Duke Leduel, who had been constantly pushed back since being caught off guard and deprived of the first move, soon pushed her away and laughed softly.
[Are you impatient? To think the enemy commander would personally charge right into the middle of the enemy lines like this. To think I wouldn’t even be able to hold out for that—]
Crunch!
Grave’s short sword pierced Duke Reduel from behind. He opened his eyes wide at the sight of the sword protruding from the center of his chest.
[When, later?]
While hiding from the Black Hour, which had been usurped by the Darkmoon, Grave Ludworth lived as a mercenary in the shadows of the magic city.Among the commissions he frequently handled were quite a few assassinations of the powerful.
[This, one trapped in growth… … !!]
Shut up and get lost.
In the front is Delharun’s second-in-command.In the rear is Eon’s seventh phase.
Miracel’s backsword smashed the Duke’s sword and severed his forearm. Grave’s dagger severed Duke Reduel’s nape.Boom!Miracel’s subsequent kick completely severed the Duke’s head from his body. The old nobleman who had sought eternal life knelt and perished.
“Wipe out the traitors!”“Haaah!!!”
[To think you squandered the opportunity to choose.][Ignorant and foolish!]
The higher-ranking forces that had followed them finally began to crush the enemy’s higher-ranking forces. The life force of the living invaded the center of the undead.
Kugugugung!
The wizards sank an undead airship at the end of a magical battle. The burning ship plummeting from the sky adorned the background.
“…The forces are on the verge of collapse, yet they aren’t moving at all.”“They might be thinking about how to break through this situation.”
Grave and Miracel gazed at the undead standing still on the hill. The inside of the helmet, where the face was exposed, was shrouded in deep darkness. Itwas more agile than a Death Knight, a higher-ranking undead, but slightly taller.
Or they have no interest in winning.
This is the second time I’ve seen that undead.
It was that guy who pierced the neck of Rateon, who was trying to protect Cain.Even if he was off guard, the fact that a skilled fighter like Rateon allowed a vital spot showed just how strong he was. He must be a ‘special individual’ commanding the entire undead army.
[… … .]
The Undead took no action even after witnessing the scene of so many being slaughtered. They simply looked down at the battlefield from the hill,as if they were observing.
Grave narrowed his eyes and cast his gaze beyond the undead. The prosthetic eye replacing his left pupil expanded his field of vision.
Far away… …a massive rift existed behind the forces of death.
The Gate of Death
As expected, I felt strangely nothing, but this must surely be the cause that instigated the corruption and turned the southern part of the Eastern Continent into this state.I must close the gate. I don’t know how, but access is the priority if I want to find out anything. Otherwise, the southern part of the Eastern Continent will perish.
So, we must get rid of the commander first.
“I’m aiming for the blind spot.”“You are shameless, having trespassed into someone else’s territory. Still, I’ll take the lead.”
The moment Mirasel controlled her breathing and tilted the Backsword, an earthquake occurred. The battlefield swayed once again from the vibrations, which had already repeated several times.
*Sigh*
A Mithril-grade adventurer with a long slit on his forehead gasped for breath.
“Your Excellency Grave, another anomaly…!”“It wouldn’t be surprising if something happened. We must eliminate the enemy headfirst…”
The ground vibrated again.The frequency increased.The magnitude was also slightly larger than before.
What is it this time?
Boom! Boom! Boom! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Boom
The ground was in turmoil.
Unable to withstand the aftermath of the earthquake, the conflict zone begins to crack little by little. Miracel lowered her upper body at the sensation that her center of gravity had shifted for a moment.
yet.
Kwagwagwagwagwa… … !
The earth was thrown into turmoil. The undead lost their balance, and the provisional coalition opposing them could not continue the battle and retreated immediately.Even the air trembled, enough to make the mages maintaining
Something is coming.From the edge of the northern horizon!
[Destiny Destroyer.]
The undead spoke. An evil voice echoed within.
[retreat.]
As the undead vanished as if melting away, the formation of the undead army loosened. The ones out of control let out monstrous screams.
Regardless, most of the Allied forces’ attention was focused on the north.
──────!
The Thunder Spear of Destruction triggered a chain of explosions upon impact, tearing through the continent. Grave held his breath as he witnessed the scene of overwhelming destruction.
His Majesty has returned.
I could only see the afterimage of a lightning strike, so I couldn’t confirm the true form, but it was undoubtedly him. However, when I followed the afterimage, it looked like he was fighting someone.
“Ugh, aaaah!”“My, my ears……!!”
Although it was roughly several kilometers away, the aftershock caused by the collision of lightning and something redder than blood affected the Allied forces.
Blood flowed from the nasal cavity and eardrum.In severe cases, bleeding occurred in the eyes.
The low-ranking soldiers lost consciousness. Miracel frowned. Grave gritted his teeth, feeling as if his insides were violently shaking.
“To think I’d be on equal footing with His Majesty like that? Just who on earth is the opponent… No, more importantly.”
Grave suddenly remembered the last words the undead had left behind.
‘Destroyer of Fate, could that be referring to His Majesty?’
* * *
Some have a happy destiny.Some have an unhappy destiny.Some have a hopeful destiny.Some have a desperate destiny.
Verden unintentionally stole the fate of everyone.
The shadow of a pessimistic future fell over those who had been guaranteed a life they wanted to live again. Beings who should not have died due to the power of fate lost their lives in an unexpected event.Even the infinitely innocent had to bear the price of the destruction committed by Verden.
Recognize your responsibility.
Even if you advance endlessly to achieve your ideals, you must not forget your responsibilities. You must remember why you came to pioneer the path of destruction.The manifestation of the path of destruction, which annihilates enemies by destroying itself, is the product of such resolve.
Space, Annihilation.
Crackling!
[Interis]’s lightning strike used space itself as a conductor to spread destruction. Far from avoiding it, Hythril burrowed in and surged upward. Itwas a gale-like lightning strike.The moment the energy and magic residing in [Silendar] and [Interis] met, a soul-shattering repulsive force attempted to push them away.
The light flashed.
As the sacred sword of the Kingdom of Ronia was severed, a lightning mark was etched onto Hisril’s upper body. It felt as if her entire body was being destroyed. Holding back the blood that had risen deep into her throat, she twisted the light sword violently in the midst of it.
Crunch!
The tip of the light sword dug into [Einber], pierced Verden’s internal organs, and slipped out. Soon, the fallen Hythril rose from the crater.
“Haa, haa…….”
She let out a breath.
Verden, having descended to the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and shifted his gaze.
“Is that the Gate of Death?”“That’s right… that is one of the Nine Gates. It’s time now.”
Hisril threw away the hilt of the sacred sword and gripped the light sword with both hands.
Shall we wrap this up soon?
* * *
The bottom of the Hiaremar Inland Sea.
The roots of the World Tree trembled, and the bark slowly crumbled away. And from that tiny crack, a light shone.
The old king began to break the seal.
