CHAPTER 38

Hours had passed since the end of the war in the underground plains, and the elves were gathering and burning even the smallest body parts they could find.Fingers, hands, and countless feet lay scattered, their owners unidentifiable. Giants took two full hours to burn, and the sheer amount of equipment filled the fifteen-kilometer path from the entrance of the caves leading to the Demon King's altar. Ice elves and dwarves hurried to finish their tasks as quickly as possible, eager to return to the warmth of their homes.

Alfred, Jacob, Tom, Jerry, Richard, Alexander—different names, yet whether they had families waiting for them or not, fate made no exceptions. A flash of light exploded beside the altar.

Hazard appeared, unfazed by who would stand against him now. The pride of an undead was always their most dangerous enemy—and their most faithful companion. Over time, Hazard had realized this but could never overcome it. Days and weeks passed, and he only grew more aware that as he became stronger, the undead curse of pride within him deepened. Eventually, finding no cure for it, he decided to embrace it in a way that would ensure his own survival. Now, with the terror of his rival dead, there was no need to keep his trump cards hidden.

As he arrived, thirty mares and Honko stood at the center, while five hundred elves, young and old, stopped their work and turned to stare. But their gazes didn't last long—soon, their heads swelled and burst.

Honko, standing beside Hazard, heard the elves' screams as they fled, and the tiny, slimy mouth beneath his eye curled into a grin. The thought of getting his hands on those enriched dark gems drove him mad with excitement. He was so lost in his greed that he failed to notice a mare behind him, opening its mouth wide enough to swallow him whole.

Jagged, yellow, saw-like teeth spun within shifting black gums, reaching the perfect size in mere seconds.

Hazard, while examining the Gate of Terror, injected his mana and sent one last message to Honko.

"If you thought I was the only one who could kill you… your soul will burn in hell—if they even let you in."

Honko snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Hazard's voice, turning to ask what he meant—but all that awaited him was a massive maw that consumed him in one bite.

"Now that you've eaten him, I hope you'll let Cerberus go…"

Hazard glanced at the most gluttonous mare, who belched loudly after noisily chewing up Honko. Then, mimicking Hazard, it raised a thumb in approval. He didn't believe it for a second. Instead, he activated the still-intact gate—an ancient, special structure now under his control—by infusing it with mana.

"If there are any enriched dark gems, they'll be of more use to me than to you."

The portal activated. Hazard had never expected them to leave it intact, the very foundation of his entire gamble. Meanwhile, Markins Elgota was drafting a long letter about his victory, the triumph of his champions, and the acquisition of the long-forgotten ancient teleportation gate. He anticipated great rewards and gratitude from a powerful recipient. But had he foreseen that the same gate would not bring him rewards, but rather an army hunting down his weary, war-torn soldiers, he would have regretted his greed and failing to destroy it.

Hazard sent a mental command to his liches, an effort that drained a considerable amount of mana, then turned his gaze to the mares, who played with their prey.

He watched as a lord-rank commander, born into nobility due to his talent and potential, spent years training at the academy, married into an aristocratic family that had appointed him as one of their knight-commanders, and had two children with his beautiful, kind wife. Now, at fifty years old, two mares, in their humanoid forms, gripped him—one by the arm, the other by the leg—pulling him in opposite directions.

"He's about to tear apart…"

And so he did. The display of warlord-level strength sent the mares into a feeding frenzy. Abyssal creatures devoured like wild beasts, especially when their prey had been vanquished in battle. Their abyssal instincts overwhelmed them, and they fed as they always had.

Hazard felt no pity for the dying ice elves and fleeing dwarves whose desperate screams echoed for help. He kept his eyes locked on the portal, waiting for what he had anticipated.

Elite hellcats emerged.

Towering two meters tall from head to toe, four meters long, their massive bodies boasted sharp fangs, powerful claws, and thick muscles flexing beneath their black and crimson fur.

Hazard stepped aside as the army of hellcats poured through like a flood. Their overwhelming numbers momentarily dimmed the portal's light. Alarmed at the possibility that only a third of his forces would make it through, he injected more mana into the gate to sustain it. But then, he felt his body growing weaker—drained from losing so much mana.

It reminded him of the dangers of using Eternal Undeath. But the wounded, humiliated pride of the undead disregarded all fear and caution. Now was the time for revenge.

The undead curse of immortality, bound to their pride, allowed no other path—only vengeance and restoration.

As a hundred thousand hellcats stormed through, Hazard became so drained that he had to summon a lich from the portal.

The lich appeared, finding only his master on the ground. The hellcats and mares had already spread out, seeking out every last enemy.

Hazard stared at the lich, uneasy about what he had to do, but he had no choice. He placed a hand on its skull, drawing in its miasma mana, and slowly rose from the ground.

The lich's flaming eyes met his master's until they flickered out, and the creature crumbled to ashes.

"May your soul find its way into the cycle of reincarnation."

Then, Hazard followed his army, listening to the distant sounds of battle and tracking the trail of blood. Soon, he reached the surface—a wintery forest with towering trees.

From there, he gazed at his army. They were all staring at a massive city in the near distance, illuminated by the moonlight in the cold night sky.

"What are you waiting for?"

Hazard's voice rang out, and the elite hellcats—intelligent enough to understand that attacking a city of such magnitude without orders was unwise—grinned at the sound of their master.

They readied themselves to leap toward the distant city as they heeded Hazard's command:

"Show them the disgrace of annihilation! Take no prisoners! Spare no one!"