Chapter 307: Skirmish (2)

< Skirmish (2) >

Deep within the northern mountain range, now Auterica's most forbidden zone, in the fortress of death, the Undead Castle, practically the Demon King's lair…

…a woman sighed involuntarily amidst the hustle and bustle.

"What's going on now?"

She was Siana, a succubus from the demon realm, who had become a high-ranking executive of the Immortal Army. She paused and looked around, sighing again. The Undead Castle was in a state of disarray. Their ruler, the Immortal King, had left with the army's elite forces, creating a management vacuum, resulting in an excessive workload for the remaining high-ranking executives.

'Olivia is on another mission and nowhere to be seen. With the others gone, the work keeps piling up!'

Currently, only she, Banshee Queen Olivia, and Archlich Dwell McCain, who managed the lower-ranking undead, remained in the Undead Castle. It was practically empty compared to usual.

If the Hero's party attacked now, they would be vulnerable, but Siana wasn't worried.

'There are plenty of expendable pawns. If that happens, I'll just grab the important things and run.'

The Undead Castle was merely symbolic. It wasn't a strategically important structure. As long as the Immortal King was safe, they could easily rebuild it anywhere.

Still, she had to fulfill her duties to avoid being reprimanded by the Immortal King upon his return.

'How did I end up like this?'

She shook her head, managing to suppress a sigh this time. Having a handsome and charismatic superior wasn't bad, but she was dissatisfied with the lack of progress towards her personal goals due to her focus on the Immortal Army's affairs.

'I thought it would be easier to find it with their help… Where is it?'

She, a succubus, had joined the clandestine organization, Oath of the Heavens, for a reason. While the revolutionary had approached her first, she had joined because she had her own agenda. She had asked Olivia, in charge of intelligence, for help, but seeing how busy she was every day, she couldn't bring herself to press the matter. How could she, when Olivia was working tirelessly, with almost no rest?

"Argh! This is annoying! Let's finish this quickly and go relieve some stress."

She snapped and resumed her brisk pace. She was only able to endure this thanks to her stress reliever, former Crown Prince Simon. Without him, she would have lost her patience long ago.

'I should have just gone with them. To rampage and let off some steam.'

Although combat wasn't her specialty, she wasn't weak. She was confident she would have been more helpful than most of the executives.

But the Immortal King Hans had his reasons for leaving her behind.

Deep within the northern mountain range in the northeast of the Ion continent…

…a fierce battle for survival was taking place.

Kaboom—!

A violent storm erupted, uprooting trees. Two opposing forces clashed repeatedly, flashes of lightning and thunder shaking the area. Despite the short time since the battle began, the surrounding land was already devastated.

It was fortunate that the location was a remote mountain range. If it had been a populated area, an entire city would have been destroyed.

But amidst the chaos, Hans stared intently at his opponent, the Heavenly Wealth Society Master. Although he didn't have actual eyes.

"So that's why you were so confident. You've certainly grown stronger since we last met in Japan."

[Heh heh, you're weaker than you were back then. Try harder.]

"…Hmph, if you insist."

Their fight was strangely quiet yet dazzling, as neither the Society Master nor Hans were typical martial artists. A battle of attrition, with their auras constantly expanding and clashing, vying for dominance.

Rumble—

Flash!

The arrogant angel's sunset-colored energy, emanating from his flapping wings, devoured the black darkness, while the wicked demon king's dark abyss, rapidly traversing space, consumed the reddish light.

It was like the primordial chaos of creation myths, a battle of light and darkness, a clash so high-level that even those who craved power could only observe in awe.

'…I'm losing. I wouldn't have lasted this long without the executives' support.'

And amidst this apocalyptic scene…

…the elite undead, carefully selected to support Hans, were being decimated.

[Graaagh!]

[Scatter! You're dead if you get caught! Focus!]

[Spell formation, coordinate analysis, magic amplification complete. Activating.]

Despite the devastating storm and the relentless barrage of divine power, they bravely threw themselves into the fray, creating even the smallest openings for their king.

When he clashed with the Society Master in Japan, he had been trapped in a separate dimension-like space, facing the crushing force of spatial collapse from all directions…

'…Compared to that, this is much better.'

While there were many factors, such as preparation and location, the support of his subordinates played a significant role. Undead had clear weaknesses due to their nature, but they also had advantages.

They were already dead, so they didn't fear death. They didn't tire or require sustenance, and—

Thump—

—the death energy permeating the area pulsed, resonating with the scattered undead fragments on the ground.

Rustle—

Swish—!

The fragments, already filled with death energy, began to coalesce, reforming their original shapes. Even the undead that had been completely shattered, beyond resurrection, returned to their original forms, their missing parts replaced by prepared materials. As if reversing time.

It was a secret art defying the natural order, possible only for the Immortal King, ruler of death, and his undead followers.

'This only works if some part of the body remains.'

That was why, despite constantly resurrecting his subordinates, the number of those permanently lost was steadily increasing. He tried to prevent complete annihilation using the death energy of the abyss, but…

"Haa, as resilient as cockroaches."

…his opponent wasn't a fool.

A pillar of light erupted from the sky behind him, striking the gathering of liches.

Kaboom—!

The pillar of light, a carefully crafted attack, covered a vast area. The fate of the undead caught in its path was obvious. Even Archlich Kelipha, one of his high-ranking executives, was among them, but his regret was brief.

'I expected casualties.'

Achieving his objective was paramount. He seized the opportunity while his opponent was distracted, quickly immobilizing him with his energy.

[Kuoooo—!]

[Kyaaaaa—!]

And at the same time, two black beams descended from the sky.

Rumble—!

Death breaths from the Bone Dragons, Entracio and Heratos. The concentrated essence of destruction, filled with immense death energy, converged, engulfing the immobilized Society Master and striking the ground.

"…Tsk, disgusting."

But even that large-scale attack didn't inflict significant damage.

Whoosh—

The dust and debris scattered, and the Society Master flapped his white wings, scattering the black remnants of death energy, as if brushing off dust. As if it was nothing to him.

'Indeed, this isn't enough.'

Even with his power restricted, the advantage of his attribute couldn't be easily ignored. The Society Master, regardless of the source, was a user of divine power, so he had to suffer some damage.

'But destructive power isn't everything.'

The immense death energy contained within the death breaths had filled the surrounding area with a sticky, black energy. A battlefield more favorable to Hans.

"This is interesting."

As the battle resumed, intensifying…

…after exchanging a few blows, the Society Master, having triggered a landslide by destroying a distant mountain peak, spoke in his strange voice.

"You seem to have prepared thoroughly since I first arrived. How did you know I was coming? Or was this your base of operations?"

His question was understandable. He had infiltrated the surface silently, without any noticeable signs or presence, after tearing through the seal of the abyss. It was probably a technique he had honed while traversing dimensions.

But in Auterica, his arrival had been detected almost instantly.

'And it's rare for someone to greet him with such a large force, prepared from the start.'

Judging by his words, this seemed to be the first time. How could he have anticipated that not only would the Saintess, beloved by the Main God, sense his intrusion, but all factions, regardless of affiliation, would be prepared to greet him?

[Heh— Well? I happened to find you while I was out hunting. I guess I was lucky? Heh heh!]

Of course, Hans had no intention of answering his question. He chuckled and spread his arms wide.

"…Tsk, well, it doesn't matter. I'm getting used to the restrictions of this world. Let's end this."

Perhaps offended by his attitude, the pressure emanating from the Society Master intensified.

Goooo—

While it didn't affect Hans much, it was a considerable burden on his already strained undead subordinates. Almost a third of his forces had been completely annihilated, beyond resurrection, and most of the remaining forces were severely weakened after multiple resurrections. Even the Bone Dragon Heratos was so heavily damaged that he had to be urgently recalled to his heart.

Considering that most of them were elite veterans who had survived the Great War, the losses were significant. If the losses continued, the very existence of the 'Immortal Army' would be at risk.

'Let's see. This much should be…'

Hans assessed his opponent through 「Eyes of the Abyss」. He couldn't get detailed information due to the Society Master's high level, but it was enough to gauge his general condition.

'…Good. He's definitely not in optimal condition. His energy recovery rate has dropped significantly. He seems quite fatigued.'

It was a natural consequence. He had faced considerable resistance. And the damage Hans himself had sustained already surpassed the time when Heinrich's holy sword pierced his heart. If the fight continued like this, he would eventually lose, but there was no need for that anymore.

[You're more impatient than I thought. How about we have a little chat?]

"Ha! Don't be ridiculous. Now?"

[Heh heh, I won't force you if you don't want to. I suppose I've kept you for too long.]

His words had a subtle meaning. The Society Master, sensing something amiss, narrowed his eyes, displeased.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through the area, and the scattered undead and their fragments turned into black smoke and were absorbed into Hans. An emergency retrieval spell for the undead, created for this very purpose.

"Sigh, running away again?"

[Running away… Perhaps?]

"I told you. I'll finish what I started on Earth, here. Do you think I'll let you escape again?"

As he finished speaking, a strange energy began to seal the surrounding space. It wasn't complete yet due to the lingering death energy, but it was only a matter of time before he was trapped. It seemed designed to prevent him from recalling himself, as the containment was much stronger than he had anticipated.

[Heh heh— It seems you've misunderstood.]

But there was one thing he needed to correct. This wasn't escape. It was…

「Individual Convergence」

…just clearing the way for the other guests waiting in line. A considerate gesture for busy modern people.