Chapter 222: Death of the Death King
The Keonitra Castle was erected on a site that got direct sunlight as the sun rose.
The towering, vertical mountain peaks were actually a long way away, but the optical illusion made them appear closer than they were.
The afternoon sun has changed into a sunset. Everything was dyed red. The sunset, reflected off the slopes of the mountain peaks that rose over the right side of the castle, bathed everything in crimson and orange light.
The cliffs and gorges, on the other hand, were placed directly beneath or alongside the roadway that led to the cathedral. The cliffs, which curved upwards, had several sections that had not seen sunshine in a long time.
Even though the distance between the cathedral’s parapet and the murky areas beneath the cliffs appeared to be rather large to the naked eye, there was some movement evident.
As he focused his mana into his eyes, the wiggling objects expanded in size. A hazy gray mist blanketed the bottom and floor of the cliffs, creating a barrier.
A barrier so strong that his eyes could only see its rough form. It seems to have been made by a wizard with extensive experience in barriers and spells, rather than by just pouring forth mana.
The master of the floating palace was most likely responsible. Why wasn’t that wizard participating in this battle?
Did he think the undead army was enough, or was there some reason why he couldn’t leave the castle?
Calia and Elenora agreed that the latter was more likely.
Raising 100,000 corpses at once was one thing; keeping them and marching them across the continent was another.
‘If I possessed that level of necromancy, I would not command such an army. Instead, I would have an elite force of a limited number of extremely powerful undead, use them to completely transform a city, and then distribute a curse that would convert all of its residents into undead. Honestly, carrying this many zombie troops with you is more of a loss than a benefit. The mana consumption is awful, as is the sustainability.
‘But it may be different if there were some conditions or if it was all he could do. Having to cause as many deaths as possible……’
‘The key is where that floating castle is. I think it might be somewhere in the canyon that leads to the cathedral, where it bends a few times.’
‘Do you believe Calia-nim should murder the King of the Undead herself?’
‘The simpler the problem, the easier the solution. And the solution is always just next to the problem.
‘So just getting beyond that problem seems like a big deal……’
‘If this operation goes well, there will be fewer obstacles. The next step is important.’
‘I didn’t realize you could call this an operation.’
“Nice scenery, isn’t it?”
A voice reached Russell, who was lost in thought. As Russell turned his head, Julia, looking more presentable, was walking towards him.
Her silver hair, which was soiled with sweat, blood, and rotting flesh, appeared to have been cleaned clean, with a subtle perfume aroma. She was still wearing armor, but just the breastplate and shoulder guards remained; the rest had been removed.
Julia stood next to Russell on the parapet and said,
“It’s been a while since we’ve seen such clear weather. It’s been nothing but snowstorms recently. Is that priest doing well?”
“If you are talking about Elenora, she appears to be alright. She had already determined that her older brother, Hailyn, had been cursed and turned into a Death Knight, and she had told me not to hesitate before.”
“Even so, giving up on family must have been difficult.”
Russell took a calm look down at Julia, who was standing with her hands on the parapet. She was battling with her younger brother.
To become Emperor of the Empire? No, she wants to prevent her younger brother from becoming emperor.
“It’s unfortunate that he had to become like that, but on the other hand, I also feel a bit envious…… Am I a bad person for thinking that?”
Julia stated her views without realizing it as she watched Elenora and Hailyn converse in the background.
Her eyes, filled with scorn, terror, relief, and concern, were looking down the canyon, but what she saw was a sight from the future.
Her younger brother, who was kneeling below, extended his hand as she raised her blade from above. In that moment, it was difficult to discern if it was an effort to block the blade or a sign of reconciliation with her.
And the sword in her hand was an easier choice than the difficult judgment. The descending blade, the spinning face, the warm blood touching the skin. Or the reverse could also be possible. Julia could easily imagine the guillotine’s blade falling on her own unarmed neck.
The dissolution of the royal family is painful. Knowing that even a small spark might ignite a large fire, the emperor, who ascends to the throne, conducts a purge of his siblings and sisters.
His father had done the same thing, as had his father before him. It was an unchangeable truth.
Russell addressed Julia, who had clenched her fists.
“I don’t think you can judge someone’s goodness or evilness just by thinking. In the end, it’s their actions that speak for them.”
“……That’s a good comfort.”
Julia smiled briefly before her expression darkened.
“I heard from a paladin named Jess earlier. He said he’s going to attack the undead army again before the day is over and kill the King of the Undead in the floating castle. Is that true?”
Russell shrugged as he examined Julia’s face.
“Judging by your expression, you seem to be saying that it’s absolutely impossible.”
“Of course! Do you think that makes sense? Even if the number of undead that were destroyed this time is a lot, it wouldn’t be more than 50,000. It’s ridiculous to say you’re going to charge recklessly at the remaining army-“
“So you think we can win if we keep fighting a war of attrition like this, Your Highness?”
Russell’s statements left Julia stunned.
He touched the parapet with his hand. Then the solid-looking bricks crumbled under his touch, leaving tiny gaps.
Julia could not have missed the change. Russell said:
“The reason this castle has been able to hold out so far is because of the holy power that permeates the walls and the entire building. But as you can see, the walls themselves have weakened. It’s because of the miasma that the corpses are emitting. Time is on the side of the undead. We have to eat and sleep, but the corpses don’t. Now that half the corpses have been reduced, this is the best time. If we give them another day, they’ll summon another half the number of undead and march forward. We need to go in with a small, elite force.”
“……How many people are going?”
“For now, my party and I will all go.”
Julia considered the members of Russell’s party. Calia, a stunning woman with fiery red hair and keen, red eyes; Lexi, a dark elf with distinguishing pink eyes and long ears; Jess, a young Paladin with brown hair; Elenora; and Aellasis.
Julia, thinking about the new member of the group, asked.
“What about that woman?”
Russell knew who Julia was referring to. The only one of the thirty draugrs to have survived.
The draugr that had survived with bloodstains on her face and torso was the black-haired female draugr who had spoken to Aellasis earlier.
“The surviving draugr usually follows the summoner’s orders. She will probably stay by Aellasis’s side.”
“So Draugr is also departing. What did the Cathedral say?”
“They wanted to support the remaining paladins and priests, but……”
Russell smiled bitterly, and Julia shook her head with the same attitude.
“I know they’re drunk on the saint’s visit and the miraculous victory, but they need to face reality. There are only twenty paladins left, and about the same number of priests, while the patients are overflowing. They probably can’t afford to send support.”
“Yes. That’s why we’re traveling alone.”
“When are you leaving?”
“As soon as the sun sets. The undead will attack again by then, once they’ve recovered.”
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
The sun was setting quickly. The north, where the sun’s path across the celestial sphere was short, was even faster.
The sun in the north rose diagonally from the northeast, formed a gorgeous arc, and set in the northwest.
From the east, darkness began to creep in at an alarming rate. The darkness was thicker than when the clouds and snowstorms of the day had covered it.
Hundreds of footprints began to appear in the frozen earth, which had formed into a solid mass.
Grrrrrr……
Kyaaaa!
Meaningless moans and shouts. The undead, who lacked vocal cords and lungs to make their voices shake, roared as loudly as they pleased.
The sunshine was no longer visible, and the holy power that had once filled the church had plainly faded. The cathedral’s walls, which had gleamed brightly even in the middle of the night, had similarly lost their luster and were now a bland tint.
The zombies in the first row, who had been plodding along, abruptly raised their heads. There was a sound coming from ahead.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
It sounded like a horse’s hooves kicking against solid ground. And the zombie that heard the sound wasn’t alone.
The undead army, unable to form a straight line due to the narrowness of the path, was marching in a long, thin line.
The dead in the front row discovered a group of horseback riders. The zombies’ pale eyes, which had no optical restrictions in the presence or absence of light, caught sight of the horse rider in front of them.
“Kie-yaht!”
As soon as the warning was issued, the zombie’s head, which was rushing forward, was shattered by a sword that flashed by.
The zombie that was killed with a single blow was only the beginning. Russell shouted loudly.
“Charge!”
His massive, mana-filled voice boomed through the gorges to the left and right, generating a stunning echo.
At the same time, Elenora, who had been riding on the left, burst into light.
“As the sun descends upon this place, the shadows will scatter!”
With the final declaration of the prayer that had begun when she had made the horses run, the sun truly rose from within the dark canyon.
As the enormous, golden sphere of light grew, the darkness vanished, revealing the thousands of zombies inside.
The undead, who were struck directly by the blinding light, burned and converted to ash, and clouds of ash mixed with snow rose everywhere.
With thousands of low-level undead instantly reduced to ash, only the higher-level undead with bodies strong enough to withstand divine force survived.
Ghouls with massive bodies that exuded miasma and draugr with terrible claws in both hands surged forward, roaring.
Eight horsemen raced through the ashes that had collapsed and turned to dust in an instant. The space that had been so full felt empty, but they didn’t stop.
“Hwaaaap!”
Jess summoned the heavenly power and wrapped it around his blade. Draugr’s massive hammer landed upon him.
With a thud, the sword that had deflected the hammer trembled, and Jess, who had barely held onto the hilt, gritted his teeth and stretched his arm.
“Kaaaak!”
As the draugr, whose jaw had been pierced, raged around, Elenora conjured a mace of holy power and smashed its head.
Calia coated her entire body in blood armor and raised her left hand above the head of the horse she was riding. The blood that spilled from her palm then formed a gauntlet, and soon a horse and rider wearing a heavy gauntlet were in position.
Calia’s right hand formed a long blood spear while a ghoul’s upper body was severed and collapsed. The blood that flowed from the ghoul pooled in Calia’s left hand, forming sharp thorns that swept forward.
A huge black bear with dangling optic nerves bared its sharp teeth at Aellasis. Aellasis muttered a short spell, and an ice wall instantly rose, blocking the black bear.
The draugr beside her swung its massive battle ax, severing the bear’s head.
A deafening roar could be heard from a long distance. The party’s gaze was fixed on an ogre coming forward with its massive body.
Jess, startled, pulled the reins and stopped the horse, and Elenora was chanting a prayer to create a barrier, when a purple flash of light flickered.
The ogre’s right shoulder was severed and dropped to the ground with a thump.
As the monster shrieked and swung its left hand, another flash of light emerged from the darkness.
The long blade destroyed the fingers of the left hand, and two additional sword strikes severed the elbow and upper arm.
Russell retracted the sword he had just swung and sighed. His white breath washed away the blackness before returning to black.
Russell, his eyes now lighting purple, kicked Kry’s side.
Heeheeheehing!
Even though there were thousands of corpses rushing towards him, their teeth and furious eyes shining, the black horse moved its legs without losing faith in its leader.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The icy earth was crushed by the hooves, resulting in ice shards and dirt clods. Russell swung his greatsword while seated in the saddle.
The undead that had not been annihilated by Elenora’s sphere of light appeared more vibrant than previously.
Skeleton knights and archers, spearmen, ghouls with hunched backs holding massive hammers, draugr wielding greatswords in both hands, and two additional dullahan riding skeleton horses.
It would be difficult to figure out how to assault demon beasts that moved or ran on four legs, but these zombies all possessed long arms and terrifying claws.
Those dozens of claws followed sharp paths. Blades, spears, and axes were pointed at Russell and Kry’s heads, shoulders, chests, and bellies, cutting, penetrating, and falling.
Russell replied simply. As Nahilnir swung from left to right, spears, swords, and axes splintered and fractured.
With two blows, three of their waists ripped open, spewing thick entrails and rancid blood.
Russell rode his horse ahead through the broad space.
Russell began to demonstrate without hesitation why such a simple and mindless method was succeeding, despite the thousands of zombies present.
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