CHAPTER 44

"Why should I serve the Apostle of a god who ruined my life?"

Hazard didn't know how to respond to the epic-ranked being standing before him, nor how to save himself from its wrath. However, after a moment of patience, something came to his mind.

"Hahaha! You're standing against me with your current level of power? It's time to kneel!"

With that, he stripped the Death King's command over his forces, watching as his power regressed to Warlord Rank 2.

"Kneel now!"

However, the Death King remained standing. Even with his power diminished, he didn't move an inch, as if the only key to his motion was an answer from Hazard.

"Damn it! From now on, I'll never summon a Warlord-rank entity again!"

Hazard knew he couldn't control such a being by force. Releasing someone with terrifying potential for growth was not in his best interest. Still, he hesitated for a moment, his eyes flashing with a realization.

"Nameless King! I never volunteered for the God of Destruction's plan! I didn't become his Apostle by choice! And I won't lie to you, nor will I treat you like a king, because I can summon multiple kings like you! My plan won't end with the Forbidden Mountain either! To survive and grow stronger, I might even wipe out this entire planet from my enemies—just like that god-killing octopus you mentioned!"

If he had lungs, he would have taken a deep breath. Finally, his opponent moved, raising his sword in the stance used by Italian Crusader knights.

"Your honesty is a fitting answer. But a king will never kneel or bow unless defeated by a stronger king! Fight me! The victor shall decide the fate of the other!"

With that, he charged at Hazard, slashing downward. Hazard, with his enhanced perception surpassing that of ordinary humans, quickly summoned the Reaper's Scythe to block the attack. However, the force behind the strike forced him to redirect it instead, leaping upwards and spinning his scythe to target his opponent's neck. But his enemy was no ordinary foe. The Death King swiftly stepped back, executing a perfect spin, channeling tremendous kinetic energy into his colossal fifteen-meter-long sword as he swung it toward Hazard.

"Damn you!!!"

Hazard knew he couldn't block the strike. With most of his skills on cooldown and inaccessible, he placed his scythe in front of him. The impact produced a shattering sound, cracking the weapon and deflecting the sword just enough to sever all of Hazard's wings.

"You!!!"

The realization that he was yelling like a third-rate villain in the middle of battle only fueled his rage further, making the fire in his eyes burn even brighter.

"If not for this damned Eternal Resurrection effect…!"

Dodging the Death King's rapid, heavy strikes, his anger grew with every passing second. But his fury was useless against the calculated swordplay and immense battle experience of his opponent.

"Your movements are too open!!! You're too slow!!!!"

The Death King's words were sharper and deadlier than a viper's bite to an undead who had just suffered such humiliation.

"I'm a king, not a warrior! You'd better prepare yourself!"

The Death King sneered—he understood what those words truly meant.

"So, in the end, you're just a coward!"

With that, thirty undead mares, the Grand Undead General, and other zombie Warlords joined the battle. However, Hazard, who had stepped aside to assess his severe injuries, cursed his opponent under his breath.

"Prepare yourself for what's coming—"

He had to cut his sentence short because he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The Death King roared, unleashing green flames that engulfed his enemies. But this was no ordinary attack. Hazard instantly lost control over the undead he had resurrected, their black eyes turning an eerie shade of green.

"Oh, shit!"

A massive bat Warlord, a colossal two-headed hellhound Warlord, and three ice elf and half-elf Warlords now stood against the thirty undead mares and the Grand Undead General. Meanwhile, the Death King flanked them from the other side.

Hazard, regaining his mana, checked his skill, which was now ready for activation.

With that, two identical clones of himself appeared, unleashing a devastating chain of domain skills in succession.

"Die!"

A barrage of negative energy projectiles and various elemental attacks—including holy attacks, which dealt the most damage to the undead—rained down upon the Death King, forcing him back fifty steps.

Seeing the now-hostile zombies, Hazard let the undead mares destroy them. He knew he couldn't reclaim control over them, nor could he resurrect them a second time.

With the Grand Undead General by his side, Hazard launched into a ferocious battle against the Death King, aided by his clones.

The Grand Undead General's sword dance, combined with his flowing silver hair, was far more mesmerizing than the colossal Death King's movements. However, he wasn't powerful enough to match his opponent. His sole purpose in the battle was to find and expose a weakness in the Death King for Hazard to exploit.

"You will not defeat me!"

Sensing that the undead mares had finished their task and that no more zombie corpses remained, Hazard grew even more enraged. Now, with his forces freed, he intensified his attacks with greater force than ever before.

The battle against a Rank 2 Warlord had dragged on so long that Hazard was now terrified of the Death King's monstrous potential. Yet, in the midst of their clash, he failed to notice the awakening of a certain sorceress.

Hajna, regaining consciousness through unbearable pain, opened her eyes to see blood pooling around her. The sounds of magical explosions and devastating attacks drew her attention to the battlefield.

A fifty-meter-tall undead giant in shattered black armor stood against Hazard and his two five-meter-tall clones, alongside a fully armored swordsman—whom she recognized as the Grand Undead General—and thirty undead mares.

"What… happened…?"

Then, she remembered—her patrol during the unusual crisis, her conversation with Queen Morgan, and... the grievous injury that had left her with no hope of survival.

"No, Morgan is coming now!"

She struggled to stand, attempting to fly toward Hazard to warn him of an impending danger. However, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed torn white, bloodstained fabric.

Her mind raced through possibilities. Then, her gaze fell upon a distinct white magical broomstick lying near the tattered clothes.

"Morgan… lost?"

Her eyes snapped back to Hazard, just in time to see him sacrifice one of his clones to block an attack, then hurl a massive boulder at the Death King.

"Just die already, damn it!"

With that, her gaze locked onto their enemy—an entity unlike anything she had ever seen. Unlike previous Warlords, this one didn't make her tremble at the sight of its power. This realization prompted her to check her own strength.

"I… I evolved?!"

Her hands trembled as she grasped the significance of her breakthrough. Something monumental had propelled her to the Lord Rank. Whether it was Queen Morgan's kiss, which had flooded her with magic in an attempt to enslave and empower her, or the excess energy coursing through her from whatever liquid was in her stomach—she wasn't sure.

"Lord Rank…"

Gripping the legendary magic broom in her hands, she smiled despite her quivering lips. She was eager to test her newfound powers with the same staff once wielded by the greatest Witch Queen.

Little did she know that she would soon surpass that title.

If only she knew that one day, the army of witches under her command would cast their shadow over entire continents, and that with their laughter alone, they would inject terror into the very soul of every planet they set foot upon.