#138
The Undead King’s Ravaging (2)
Whether they participated as representatives or were brought along as bodyguards, not all the strong individuals present in this conference hall were involved in the fight.
For example, the Empire’s Master stepped forward due to the nation’s prestige, but the Archmage beside him retreated under the pretext of protecting the Crown Prince.
And among those who refrained from getting involved in the battle and simply watched…
“Ugh— Shouldn’t I join in as well? If those folks are defeated, it would be the end for us too. Ah, but Laforey asked me to stay here…”
Cecily Greenwood, a newbie High Elf from the Elven Kingdom, was also present.
Having become a High Elf, she had recently evolved her Water Spirit to a high level, becoming stronger rapidly, but she still struggled due to a lack of time.
Laforey, aware of this, sent her to the barrier to watch over things while he stepped forward alone.
Ka-thrum!
Wheeoo—
The superior spirits summoned by Laforey were three in number.
Intense golden lightning struck the black evil spirits, and raging storms held back the liches that were trying to get involved in the fight.
[Kkheugh— How dare a spirit—! I shall drown you in fear—!]
The Dread Phantom Phaegos unleashed a wave of deep terror from its entire body, engulfed in the Undead King’s abyss, but it failed to penetrate the defenses of the Earth Spirit and dissipated foolishly.
‘Indeed, Laforey is amazing.’
Spirits, being pure beings, were vulnerable to corruption, requiring exceptional caution against such high-ranking Undead.
Just being in contact with them could bring negative effects, making this match-up particularly horrible.
And wasn’t the Undead King—the pinnacle of Undead—here on the battlefield?
It wasn’t a problem for the veteran spirit master Laforey, but for Cecily, who simply held onto mid-level spirits and was still inexperienced, things were different.
‘If I force my way in, I could become a hindrance to Laforey. That’s why he pushed me back.’
And similarly worried for her father was Shapiron, his daughter.
‘Dad…’
Of course, she could only handle mid-level spirits and wasn’t even a topic of discussion, but how many children could feel entirely comfortable knowing their parent was in a dangerous battlefield?
She could only hope for his safe return.
But while they were anxiously fidgeting, there was someone among them calmly preparing for something—
“Hmm? Harris? What are you doing? Are you planning to join in over there?”
“Eh? What’s Harris planning?”
Harris secured a silver thread he’d pulled from his pocket onto his bow, Themyst, looking around.
He continued to reply, maintaining a soft voice without changing his expression despite the surprised looks from those around him.
“Ah, it’s nothing significant. Just…”
Thwack—
The heavy twang from the plucked bowstring reverberated.
Indeed, the quality was apparent in the sound alone.
“Just thinking of letting loose an arrow or two.”
“…Pardon?”
As Harris walked slowly toward the barrier, casting a shy smile at the bewildered stares.
*
Ka-aang—!
A blade encased in blue aura was deflected by the two-handed sword infused with black energy.
The knight wielding the sword hurriedly tried to recover it, but—
The large sword struck with agile movements that didn’t match its size, exploiting the knight’s gaps.
Puhwaak!
The two-handed sword cleanly sliced through the knight’s upper body.
His comrades, fighting alongside him, rushed to intervene with follow-up attacks, but it was far too late.
“Cough!”
As the sword imbued with black magic mercilessly cut through his neck, the knight perished before help could arrive.
“Sir Turkan!”
“Damn! What a monstrous beast!”
Filled with rage, Karam faced the humans charging at him, slowly scanning the area to assess nearby individuals.
‘I’ve dealt with the Empire’s Crown Prince’s bodyguard, Kayen Turkan. Now, the next target is…’
He immediately targeted his next “allowable victim,” based on real-time information relayed from the Undead King.
While he had no clue what criteria had established this death list, it wasn’t particularly important to him.
‘I am the king’s sword. I simply follow his command. Surely, the king has a grand intention behind this.’
Ka-thud—!
Once again, his two-handed sword cleaved through the thick armor of a knight blocking his way.
However, this one was not permissible.
Karam met the person charging in to save the knight with weapon clashes while allowing the injured to be withdrawn and observing his surroundings.
‘But, this armor is tougher than expected. How many layers of holy barrier has he stacked? I could have cut through if it were any other day.’
He hadn’t merely pulled punches; they were solid strikes without consideration for non-lethal outcomes.
It wasn’t just the barrier that hindered his full strength; the defensive effects applied to his adversary were more formidable than he’d imagined.
‘Although the barrier makes it a bit tough, I can still manage for now. …There he is. Payton, the current Mercenary King’s right-hand man.’
His eyes gleamed as he brushed aside the attacks from those charging at him and rushed toward one who had been dragging their feet against a Death Knight.
“Ugh! Why is it suddenly me!”
By the Undead King’s command.
To instill maximum terror in those present.
Naturally, Karam was not the only one who received this strange order.
*
As battles intensified, Undead were destroyed left and right, with injuries and fatalities surging.
The army of the Undead relentlessly harvested lives, even amid the activation of the holy barrier.
Naturally, the deceased had already been investigated through a list that Heinrich had obtained beforehand.
Even in a world rife with a class system, they were deemed irredeemably vile.
‘Current Mercenary King Kanbl, the ringleader who colluded with high-ranking officials to sell civilians into slavery. The Holy Church Order couldn’t act without proof, but…’
At that moment, Heinrich, assisted by many strong allies, advanced toward Hans.
He scattered black flashes around him as if to keep watch over his surroundings.
Kwa—clang!
Urgently blocking his attacks were the strong individuals.
But “by coincidence,” one particularly potent beam shot forth, ignoring Mercenary King Kanbl’s defenses as it pierced straight through his body.
“Kuhhh!”
Though severely wounded and spewing black blood, he was not dead yet due to the protection of the holy barrier.
The saint and other clergy urgently tried to heal him, but…
Ku-woong—
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, Heinrich was sent flying, and in that chaos, the Undead King went on a rampage, making it impossible to pay any attention to that side.
When Heinrich finally got back into the fray and managed to stabilize the situation, Kanbl was already mortally pierced by a shadow rising from the ground.
‘In truth, there are many more who should be dealt with inside there.’
Harris, observing the scene from a distance, subtly turned his gaze toward those hidden within the barrier.
Since the death of the knight who had accompanied him, he had been quietly watching Prince Simon throw a fit, shaking his head as he smacked his lips.
That barrier had taken considerable effort to create, and it would require an equal commitment to break it down. Even if he did destroy it, the ensuing chaos for others would be uncontrollable.
‘There’s nothing to be done. For now, I have to be satisfied with those present in the battlefield.’
The current primary targets were those reluctant to retreat and who had unceremoniously joined to save face—just like the recently deceased Mercenary King.
Of course, some individuals might feel strange about things turning out this way, but…
‘Who cares? What’s it to you?’
No one dare imagine that the Undead King had allied with a hero to create a death list and select targets to eliminate.
‘No, considering everything that has transpired so far is attributed to the Undead King, that couldn’t possibly be the case.’
It was impossible to even estimate the number of victims across the continent—what kind of selective execution was that?
Naturally, people would be pulling their hair out, believing some ulterior motive was at play, but all they’d find were coincidences.
‘That said, being too unnatural doesn’t help either, so I should conclude at this point.’
Having come up with a fitting conclusion, all that was left was to enact it on stage.
“…Harris! Let’s head back even now! We don’t belong here!”
“That’s right, Harris! I know you’re remarkable, but a mid-level spirit mage shouldn’t be this involved…”
Voices of worry rang out from both sides as he stepped away from the barrier.
Although their concern was slightly bothersome, Harris was appreciative, so he smiled gently and replied nonchalantly.
“I have everything planned out. If Cecily can keep at bay the shockwaves like now, I’ll take care of the rest.”
“…But how can you be so calm when we don’t know if they’ll attack us? What are you planning to do?”
Of course, even out here unguarded, they wouldn’t attack.
That was what he had arranged previously.
Hoo—.
Harris slowly exhaled while lifting his bow to aim forward.
Recalling the last potent shot he released before leaving the Enamel Continent, he began forming one final arrow slowly.
Though the energies of black magic and holy power were swirling unpredictably around him…
The World Tree acted as a filter in this world, and its power, however slight, resided in “the Child of the World Tree.”
Whummm—
The surrounding energy was drawn toward him and condensed into the arrow.
At the same time, spirits he had contracted emerged around him.
Crackle! Fwooosh—!
Whiii—! Whummm—
His lovely spirits began to infuse energy into the arrow.
While it wasn’t possible to directly imbue the arrow with spirits due to potential corruption, they had to manage as they were.
‘Actually, there’s a bit of a narrative inconsistency with being a mid-level spirit, but I’ll find a way to work that into the scenario…’
But just then.
As he was grumbling internally, he abruptly halted.
An unfamiliar yet comforting energy coursed through him.
It shot from his toes to the crown of his head in an instant.
‘Huh?’
Something long blocked at the top of his head burst free, causing a sensation much like an unlocking.
And, he soon realized.
《The entity has met the conditions for growth. The special skill “Child of the World Tree” evolves into “Heir of the World Tree.”》
‘…So that’s how it feels.’
Harris…
Had achieved the “conditions” necessary to finally become a High Elf.
‘No, what did I even do…? Of course, I plan on doing something soon. Please tell me you didn’t grant me that early…’
He reflected on the subtly altered sensations coursing through him, clenching his eyes shut.
Although he hadn’t formally awakened as a High Elf, and there weren’t dramatic changes, it was clear that his limits had expanded compared to before.
In any case, this filled in some of the missing believability.
“Huh? Harris…? You, no way!”
Cecily, just beside him, seemed to realize something, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked back at him.
Being a High Elf herself, she likely sensed the moment he met the requirements, but Shapiron also shared her astonishment, having noticed the change unfolding right in front of her eyes.
And it was understandable, for they could see the unmistakable transformation occurring right before them.
“Harris! The spirits suddenly…?”
Crackle—!
Becoming eligible as a High Elf and obtaining the “Heir of the World Tree” prompted a surge of natural energy and affinity, significantly affecting “Spirit Magic.”
And the first to feel this effect was none other than…
“Watt.”
Crackle!
The lightning spirit, Watt.
His first partner had finally evolved from mid-level to high-level status.
While the other spirits didn’t reach full evolution, they certainly grew stronger.
“…This means that even the World Tree supports you, Harris. Go ahead and do as you wish. Until then, I’ll do my best to protect you.”
Cecily nodded seriously, her expression set as she kept her gaze forward.
Shapiron, swept up by the atmosphere, also tightened her expression, on guard for their surroundings.
‘Hmm… well, I guess it’s fine.’
Lightly shrugging his shoulders, Harris resumed the process he’d been preparing.
The Themyst, crafted from the branches of the World Tree, alongside a bracelet, now flourished with a denser natural energy than he originally could’ve controlled.
The arrow slowly neared completion as the compressed energy surged with the spirits’ power.
He held up the arrowhead as he took careful aim at his target.
Grrrr—!
The Undead King and the hero clashed violently again, shockwaves radiating.
The impact swept through the area, reaching Harris, but—
Swoosh—
The supreme Water Spirit summoned by Cecily deftly neutralized it, leaving them unharmed.
‘Just a bit more…’
The hero, Heinrich, radiated with aura, and at once, the luminous sword in his hand grew several times larger.
Haap—!
Moments later, a gigantic crescent blade of light shot forth from the holy sword swung through the air, parting the ominous shadows that stood before him and clearing a path towards the Undead King.
“Saint!”
Just in time, the support from the saint and the cardinal came, enabling Heinrich to dash ahead like the wind along the path he had carved.
Kaang!
The colliding forces of the Undead King’s black magic and the hero’s holy power.
Another shockwave erupted.
Swords and magics intertwined as the Holy Law and black magic collided.
In that moment, as thoughts propelled forward, time seemed to slow down.
Only Heinrich, Hans, and Harris shared this timeline.
There was no need for eye contact, no gestures exchanged.
They moved effortlessly, like a single body.
During the fierce clash, Hans slightly twisted his body.
In response, Heinrich’s sword adjusted its path in real-time as he swung it, and Hans countered with black magic.
Like a delicate collaboration, the two beings exchanged offensive maneuvers, piecing together a single outcome.
Finally.
Though the hero’s desperate strike was blocked by the Undead King’s magical barrier, it left a massive crack.
Even then, the overflowing black magic mended the breach in an instant.
At that moment, a singular silent arrow that had been waiting struck forth.
Silently released, that silent beam pierced straight ahead.
Skimming across the scattered fragments of magic from the impact.
It found its way into the minuscule opening—a gap scarcely large enough for a finger to fit through—before—
Thwack—!
Ka-BLAM—!
An impossible opening, one that should never exist, was struck.
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