Episode 1096 Front Yard Battle (3)
The utopia I have dreamed of.The reality of compromise.
What will you choose at the crossroads of possibilities?
* * *
The glory of the corpse of that era sacrificed its life to break the seal of the ancient king.
The fourth servant caused the Bone Dragon incident in the Republic of Beldirn and died while fighting against the Divine of the Magic World and the Sky-Slicing Swordsman.
The third servant was judged by the Saint on the eastern continent after spreading a plague throughout the world.
The second servant was captured by the international community and executed by the World Union leader in Gargant.
The first servant forsaken even the opportunity for resurrection himself, awakened the great corpse, and was martyred along with the destruction of the island in the Hiaremar Inland Sea.
And so the ancient king returned.
An overwhelming morale, akin to the power of a god, revived the servants. Those who had died leaving behind parts of their bodies regained life.With the exception of the first servant who could not be resurrected, and the second servant whose soul was recovering, the servants of each era returned to the continent.
Finally, the glory of the corpse achieved its purpose.
The current third servant—Landerk of Manyeon—lifted his chin as if in prayer. With his eyes closed, he quietly moved only his lips.
Ah! Sacrifice!
Those who loved the light sent joyful applause at the death of the servants,as if pouring out a curse.
I don’t even expect understanding.
Even if one cries out desperately, only those who are awake can reach the truth.The ignorant and foolish will helplessly face the truthless world that will unfold anew from now on, as the boundaries of death crumble.
“Hahahaha…….”
Landerk wore a faint smile, arrogantly savoring the sun groping over his eyelids and the sunlight pushing through the crevices of nature high above,waiting for the ancient ceremonial hall of the Xerion Empire, sealed off for nearly 800 years, to open.
“Mr. Landerk, we have a problem.”“I’m listening.”“The door… there are signs that it was opened.”
Landerck straightened his head, his expression hardening.
It is even a recent one.
The dark mages who were preparing to break the seal stepped back from the gate of the ritual hall. Landerk crossed between them and approached the gate.
The seal on the ritual chamber is based on a black magic circle.There are three ways to break it.
First, physical force.Second, purification of light.Third, dark magic.
The entrance was not physically damaged, and the remnants of the black magic circle remain clearly visible, so the culprit is not a crazy grave robber carrying a siege weapon-class item or a cleric of the Luas religion.
‘Then, someone of the Glory of the Dead… … ?’
It is a strange thing.
The glory of the corpse heading toward ritual sites across the continent was due to the command of the ancient transcendents. Since the servants each had different destinations, there was no way they would mistake the location.Therefore, it was only normal for Landerk and his party to arrive at this ritual site first.
“Hahaha, an uninvited guest with an invitation.”
Kugugugugu… … .
As Landerck ran his hand across the entrance, the ritual chamber began to open. The interior was filled with dust. And… … traces of an intrusion were conspicuously left on the dust.Were they those of an adult woman?There were footprints going in, but absolutely no footprints going out. It could be a deception, but the possibility that an intruder is still inside cannot be ruled out.
“Since it is virtually a single path from the entrance to the ritual hall, move while keeping your distance from one another and spreading out your curtains. Do not let this stranger get out, by any chance.”
Landerck took out his staff. The other black mages also took out their respective magical weapons and, following his command, swiftly entered the ritual hall.
The space where no light entered swallowed them up and kept twitching its mouth.
The gate of an ancient ritual hall that is temporarily closed.
Just before that, Verden also entered.
Bang──
* * *
Has the noble sun ever shown mercy to those who are withering away?It merely shines on everyone equally.
Light does not represent goodness.
Even the Luas religion, which worships the Goddess of Light, is not without its flaws or innocence. Greedy and corrupt individuals can rise to high priesthood. This is because even they are human beings who enjoy the light.
Luasism imposes offerings for miracles under various rational pretexts.The more desperate the desire, the greater the spending.
Who could refuse the bishop’s proposal, even if he demands offerings several times greater than those in other regions? To the local residents, the bishop is simply a miracle to be grateful for.To voice mere complaints is considered an insult to this miracle, making it no different from an act of betrayal against the community by the residents.
The parents, who were not well-off, sold almost all of their belongings to treat their child’s illness. Afterwards, the father died in a carriage accident while working excessively, and the mother fell ill and eventually died.The bishop proposed 7.8 million elk as a donation to treat the mother’s illness.
The child was left alone.
The young child remembered the face of the bishop who made the sign of the cross toward his deceased parents as if annoyed, expressing only a truly perfunctory mourning.
The child left the region.
The boy learned black magic.
The man returned to his hometown. The son, who had returned as a plague of his own accord, consumed the old, fat, and prosperous bishop with gangrene, causing him to rot while still alive.
Massacre of many bishops.Massacre.The dangers of sorcery.A deep connection with the glory of the corpse.
Not long after, the Luas Cult bestowed upon the man the alias and notoriety of Manyeon, placed him on a list of targets for execution, and secretly tracked him down.
Footsteps, footsteps… …
The dark mages advanced while maintaining the
The Empire’s ritual halls were built across the continent, starting with the first and second servants who served the ancient king 800 years ago, and are primarily used to exorcise the undead or for special magic.
This is an altar for the mighty undead.
The floor, engraved with a black magic circle of a level that even Landerck could not dare to attempt, was magnificent in scale and principle at a glance.
The strange intruder was there.
“The presence of a sorcerer… yet the amount of magical power is strangely faint. It feels discordant, as if someone else has donned that shell.”
Late 30s.Blood-stained clothes.Untidy hair.Looks exactly like someone who has been murdered.
Landerck spoke while staring intently at the extremely suspicious woman.Magic power was infused into the staff aimed forward.
“Who are you to dare covet the Empire’s assets?”“How does it feel to be resurrected, Landerk?”“My name…….”
Landerck paused. It had been decades since he had immersed himself in the glory of the dead. He had spent a considerable amount of time as the third servant as well.He was not so insensitive as to be unable to distinguish the mannerisms of those close to him.
“Luneska?”
As he muttered the name of the second servant, the black mages panicked and murmured.And understandably so, for she had been executed by the hateful Verden, and fragments of her soul were in the process of being recovered in the Empire.Although the circumstances made it hard to believe, Landerk was already convinced.
The familiar look in a woman’s eyes.I don’t know about anything else, but that cannot be faked.
Landerck immediately lowered his cane.
“How could you… and on top of that, be inside such a pathetic corpse? I am currently restoring you by storing a part of your soul as animus. Wait, surely not.”
Landerck is also very well aware of what kind of magic Lunesica pioneered.
“Did you split your own soul before execution? That act tantamount to self-destruction?”“It’s convenient that I don’t need to explain. Just as you thought.”“To think you succeeded in doing that all by yourself. I feel compelled to commend your achievement.”
Landerck showed genuine admiration, then slowly aimed his cane again.The corners of his mouth slowly drooped.
“But Verden is not such a careless transcendent being. Even in the realm of souls, there is no way he would have given anyone a chance to escape from that execution being broadcast live by artificial golems.”“Do you think so?”“Since that dark red magic was the execution tool, the already low success rate must have decreased exponentially. Shattering a soul against such odds cannot be explained without a miracle.”
Landerck does not believe in that kind of miracle.
“Have you defected, Lunesica?”
Landerck concluded that Luneska had received help from Verden. Otherwise, there was no way her soul could have escaped from that terrifying execution ground.
I told you you’re quick-witted.
The corpse of a woman possessed by one of Lunesica’s five fragmented souls placed her hand on her hip.Though her appearance was different, Lunesica was Lunesica.
“But I did not defect. Rather, it was the Xerion Empire that betrayed us.”“What…?”“Arkhand will not complete the immortal world we desired. From beginning to end… everything was just a pleasant lie.”
Landerck was taken aback by the unfamiliar eyes filled with sorrow in Lunesica. It was a series of bewilderments. Lunesica did not address the former king as “Your Majesty.”
There is another way.
Lunesica held out the back of her left hand.
Honor me again.
A quiet silence descended.
One of the founders of the Glory of the Dead is ordering the betrayal of the Great Dead. Faced with this incomprehensible situation, the dark mages belonging to the Glory of the Dead did not know how to react and just stood there, cautiously watching the situation.
“Serve me again…… Hahaha.”
Landerck let out a hollow laugh.
“The Glory of the Corpse has finally achieved its intended purpose by dedicating a full 800 years to resurrecting the Great Corpse. In the process, many dark mages, including myself, volunteered their sacrifices. And… the time has finally come to obtain the fruits.”
He kept flicking the tip of his cane as if pointing a finger.
“But are you telling me to abandon all of that? To give up everything we have built and take the long way around? To even betray the Xerion Empire? You know better than anyone just how mighty the Great Corpse is…!”“…….”“Don’t you think we have come too far to turn back now? We are almost at the end, and listening only to your words when I alone cannot handle them… The very fact that you speak such words at this point is beyond the shock of defection; it makes me feel nauseated. There is a limit to even betrayal.”
Landerk narrowed his eyes.
“Because the intention to divide the Xerion Empire is dazzlingly clear.”
As Landerck cast his gaze, the four dark mages assisting him activated their magic circuits as if they had been waiting. Hostility was directed at Lunesica.
“Even she, having rebelled against the former King, deserves to be executed.”“Give up everything? That’s ridiculous.”“I apologize, Second Servant.”“Ha, in the end, you are no different from the minions of light who reject the immortal world. To think you tried to deceive me with such pathetic lies……!!”
The reverence for the second servant could no longer be found among them. There were only new servants captivated by the old king.
That is what they say.
Landerck strode closer. Holding his cane sharply, he closed the distance. He stood alone before Luneska, looking as if he were about to execute her at any moment.
Lunesica still held out the back of her left hand without answering.
This is my answer.
Landerk’s staff draws menacingly close to her head. With her soul shattered and her body lost, she cannot bear him.Even with simple magic, a single fragment of Lunesica’s soul would leave the continent.
At that moment.
Landerck suddenly smiled and lowered his staff. And—he took Lunesica’s left hand and lightly kissed it.
“You must not confuse ends with means.”“L-Lord Landerck?”“Quiet.”
Mado
“I have no hobby of conversing with traitors.”
A wind carrying the plague swept past the unsuspecting black mages in an instant. Resistance failed. Their bodies trembled as spots began to appear on them.
Aaaaaaaah!!Ugh… …!
The corpses, whose living tissues have necrotized, collapse. The things that were part of the glory of the dead beneath the robes have shed their solid form and turned into blood.
“The immortal world is our goal, and the ancient king is a means to achieve it. Yet, to be so consumed by the means that you turn your back on the goal—what else could that be but betrayal?”
Landerck didn’t even glance at their traces.
“As always, I will follow you. You who instilled a purpose in me.”
Lunesica did not doubt Landerck’s actions from the beginning.His loyalty, that is.
“Of course I should.”“But to think you would turn your back on the former king… It seems your heart has had a major change since I last saw you. I think there is much to hear, but before that, please tell me this first.”
Landerck asked firmly.
“Is Verden our ally?”“More than that.”
It was not Lunesica’s answer.
The gazes of the two servants turned in the same direction. As its presence grew stronger in the darkness, a gray figure appeared in the ritual hall.
Landerck glared in shock and immediately took a step back.
“B-Verden…?!”“What? Why are you here? Where is the World Alliance?”“I came by because I had some spare time. I was planning to intervene if we ran into difficulties with persuasion.”
One of Lunesica’s soul fragments heads to the Xerion Empire, where it makes contact with the transcendents of the Glory of the Corpse and sows the seeds of division.The remaining four soul fragments are scattered across the continent, inhabiting corpses and secretly building an undead force using the Xerion Empire’s ancient ritual grounds.
However, if the Glory of the Dead happens to visit the ritual hall, Lunesica will appease him according to her judgment to further spur internal division.
This was the outline of the division plan.
Following the Luas Church and the Dark Warton Magic Tower, the atmosphere changed drastically with the appearance of a transcendent being, who was practically the greatest enemy of the Glory of the Dead.
Verden stood in the center of the ceremony hall.
“I have inherited the glory of the corpse.”“……Inheritance?”“If you will follow Lunesica Anternoa, obey me.”
Verden clutched his hand wearing the gray gauntlet.
Mado
The life-destroying demonic path activated the ritual ground. His magical power took the place of the sacrifice. A dark purple energy coalesced in the air through the altar.
“This is……the first servant’s magic……?”
Landerck stared blankly into the air.
A powerful force drastically shortened the time.The ritual ended in an instant.
thud.
The undead wearing a twisted crown reversed the sword held in both hands and knelt on one knee. With its head bowed, it expressed its intention to submit to Verden.
[I greet the master.]
It was a very difficult entity to handle, requiring either physical overpower or dark magic, but the creature served Verden without any of those processes.
Landerck, who had been swallowing his saliva unable to understand, soon met Verden’s eyes.
Verden looked down at him and said.
“I will give value to your death, Landerck.”“……!!”
Before Landerck was judged by the Saint, he had a conversation like this with Verden.
Was your death worth it?
It was a question from Verden to Landerk, who was surrounded by the Transcendents after spreading the Blood-Crying Plague knowing he would be killed.
To this, Landerck replied as if to show off.
It finally gained value.
The memory of that time flashed through his mind. Landerk’s mouth dropped open. Then, feeling an indescribable emotion, he burst into laughter,as if a sudden realization had struck him.
“Hahahahahahahahaha!”
Landerck, having burst into laughter, tossed his cane aside. Luneska nodded toward him with her arms crossed.
thud!
Manyeon’s Landerk immediately placed his hand on the cool floor and bowed his head.
“I will obey, Your Majesty.”
The third servant of the era, capable of spreading a plague across the entire continent once prepared, has found a true master today who will kill him worthyly.
* * *
Now, a few days after the outbreak of war.
The Southern Eastern Continent Suppression Legion trampled and pushed back the undead with truly massive firepower.With the Master and the Oath-soldiers standing at the forefront of their respective battlefields, it was difficult for ordinary undead to even hold them back properly.
At this, the forces from the sect advanced.
The undead of the Apocalypse, symbolizing war, rides a Bone Dragon to the Master’s battlefield.The 6th and 8th Commanders of the Xerion Empire, Luerin, go to the Oathbreaker’s battlefield.
[… … .]
Luerin gazed up at the sky and shot an arrow.The unpleasant stare vanished.
* * *
“……I have a good feeling.”
Yurion sensed that the surveillance magic item he had sent near the Gate of Death by taking a long detour around the battlefield had been destroyed. Itwas one of the national assets, having been specially commissioned by the Artisan Magic Tower.
“They are coming in earnest. It looks like two undead that resemble a commander are heading toward us.”“Should we delay the activation of the Ancient Artifact?”“Thinking of taking out the Empire’s top forces with something like that is a steal. Get ready to detonate it right in the middle of enemy territory as soon as it is ready.”
Yurion felt his body fully loosened as he single-handedly defeated over thousands of undead.
I will take charge of the commanders.
