The prison tower castle regained its silence.
The barrage of extreme magic, akin to a magic storm.
Even the Undead King, powerful as he was, experienced a significant drain on his magic power from wielding so many extreme spells.
Though he didn’t pant and his brow was not sweating, the Undead King had unleashed numerous spells. Even with his immense magic power, he was beginning to see the bottom of his reserves.
Silently, he took out several jewels from the Magic Bag he created for combat and crushed them in his hand.
“With this, I should recover somewhat.”
These jewels were for magic replenishment, his own magic crystallized. By crushing them, he was essentially performing a magic transfusion, channeling the magic back into himself.
He had prepared these as a personal supply for emergencies, especially when engaged in continuous combat.
Honestly, facing the Undead King’s barrage of magic, which left no trace of even dust, it was a miracle that the Hero was still alive.
However, the Undead King opted for recovery and intently gazed at the swirling Sea of Chaos below.
“Did he escape? No. I don’t think he would make that choice.”
It was too quiet. As minutes passed without any sign of emergence, it would be understandable to assume he had been finished off.
Yet, the Undead King’s senses told him that he hadn’t quite finished the job. Jiro, witnessing the recent magic storm, might have been shocked by the Hero’s almost cheating-level abnormality had he survived.
“So, he’s lurking in the Chaos, holding his breath?”
Even while thinking this was unlike him, the Undead King remained vigilant. He began to consider if another sweeping attack might be an option.
“?”
But at that moment, the Undead King sensed a strange presence.
“Was that him?”
It was deep within the Chaos, in a realm where it should be impossible for anything to exist. No, he had established a boundary between the Chaos and the prison tower castle, preventing intrusion into that area.
As the Undead King, who was connected to that magic, he detected no sign of escape from the outer wall, nor any trace of departure from the entrance where the Chaos flowed in.
That was precisely why it was strange. Sensing a presence from outside the prison tower castle was fundamentally wrong.
“…Is something there?”
Beyond these walls lay the Chaos. Even for the Undead King, being exposed to the outside for extended periods would not end well. A space far too harsh for any existing being should be spreading out there. Nevertheless, the Undead King could feel a presence, vast and colossal, approaching him.
And then.
“Nngh!?”
The prison tower castle shook.
“Did something collide?”
The possibilities were limited for whatever could cause such a structure to tremble. However, the Undead King would unequivocally state that no such being existed within the Chaos, according to his knowledge. Yet.
“I never imagined I would be attacked from the outside. This spell still has room for improvement.”
He had surrounded the castle with Chaos, creating a sure-kill zone, but it seemed the anticipated effect was weaker than he thought, he mused with a self-deprecating smile.
Normally, one would deal with such an abnormal situation before calmly analyzing it. But.
“Is this good, thinking your companions have come?”
“Yes, it seems my place of death is not here.”
It seemed that dealing with it was no longer an option. The Sea of Chaos slowly churned, and Aiwa emerged.
Her body was covered in blood, and her once beautiful wings were tattered, with one feather broken. Still, it was more abnormal to have survived such an onslaught unscathed.
Normally, he would not allow such a slow appearance and would attack without question. However, that seemed impossible now.
The prison tower castle shook again. This was the second time. The possibility of an accidental collision had vanished, and there was no doubt that something was present in the Sea of Chaos.
And the forces that had come to retrieve her were attacking the castle, meaning they were certainly not allies of the Undead King. In what seemed like a twist of fate, the Undead King found himself in a dire predicament. Should he despair?
“That’s not necessarily true.”
“?”
No, absolutely not. The Undead were those who struggled until the very end. They were the Undead, those who defied death, transcending life.
“If I can drive off the external enemies along with you, then as I declared, you will die here.”
This was not empty bravado, a bluff, or forced confidence. He possessed the power to do so. He had the will to accomplish it. And.
“Am I wrong? First Hero.”
The Undead who had chosen that path was here.
“I said I would kill you for sure.”
“Ah.”
To break through the current unyielding situation, he had no choice but to sweep aside everything in his path. For the Undead King, this was not a great burden. Having clung to his life for an immeasurably long time, far beyond the comprehension of humans, he was an Undead.
“There’s no way I, an Undead, would despair over such a predicament.”
A pinch was merely part of his daily life. A dire situation was something to be overcome.
“Now, knights. Can your swords still swing?”
And if their master did not give up, his loyal retainers would never give up either. Even if their master were to give up, these knights would fight for their master until the very last one.
In response to the Undead King’s call, they raised their weapons high, as if to shout “Ou!”. Meanwhile, the prison tower castle continued to shake from the external attacks, and it was evident it would eventually collapse.
But there was still time. There was still a reprieve.
They would overcome this dire situation within that short span of time.
“Well then, we have made our resolve. What about you? Can you keep up with our will?”
An Undead becoming a death warrior. It was a declaration that sounded like a joke.
“Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!”
However, there were beings who would rejoice at such a joke.
“Magnificent! Truly magnificent! King of the Undead! You are undeniably a stronger demon race than any Demon Lord I have ever faced! Yes! I, Aiwa, guarantee it!”
Aiwa, heedless of her blood-soaked body, as if cherishing the pain she must be feeling, embraced herself and spread her arms wide in her exhilaration. She completely retracted her earlier statement that the Divine Sword was weak compared to the Undead King, having proven otherwise.
And after that declaration, an even greater shock occurred.
The prison tower castle shook.
Sensing this, the Undead King felt as if he were being squeezed by something colossal.
While Aiwa rejoiced, he continued to analyze what was happening within himself, without taking his eyes off her.
“Then, what happens next is obvious, isn’t it?”
“Yes, though time is running short, it is not a problem.”
The Undead King raised his staff, and Aiwa raised the Divine Sword. This was none other than their intent to fight to their heart’s content. No one could stop them, and no one would. The King of the Undead and the First Hero were about to clash once more.
Another side End
It mattered little how much time passed until that report reached the company.
The content was the problem.
“What did you say just now?”
Evia, with a more serious gaze than usual, stood before me. She spoke in a calm manner, as if to convey that what she had told me was not a lie but the absolute truth. However, even though the words were clearly spoken, my understanding lagged behind, and I asked her to repeat.
“The Undead King, Nōraifu, has fallen in battle.”
Evia repeated the same thing, but even then, it took time to comprehend the meaning of the words. It was probably because my mind was in an uproar, rejecting the acceptance of those words, wanting to deny them.
It was fortunate that Evia appeared, and I moved to a separate room, wondering what was happening. I took a deep breath, calmed my emotions. Then, after a full minute of silence.
“…What is the situation?”
My voice, which was chillingly devoid of any emotion, echoed in the small conference room. As if speaking to a stranger, I asked Evia how it came to this.
If I had no right to know, Evia would never have come to tell me. Even though Instructor Fushio and I were master and disciple, and on good terms, she still wouldn’t have.
“You know about the great fire that occurred about a week ago in the former Calisetra Marcher, don’t you?”
That’s why Evia appeared here; there was no doubt it held significant meaning. Therefore, I needed to calm down. I had to suppress my emotions. This was not the time to act out in anger or let emotions dictate events.
So, as I tried to speak, I felt like I might say something strange, and I silently acknowledged Evia’s words. She showed no sign of noticing. She simply continued her story.
“The Undead King, who was investigating on a separate matter, arrived at the scene and was dealing with the fire. He engaged with the culprit who caused the fire and engaged in repelling them.”
I listened intently to Evia’s account, which seemed to be directly lifted from a report. However, I could feel my grip tightening.
“According to a report from the Undead King’s subordinates, the culprit who caused the fire is a Divine Sword.”
“A Divine Sword.”
“Yes. According to information from the Temple, it is a divine artifact, barely capable of interfering with this world, crafted by the gods themselves.”
It was that god again. I knew we were in opposition, but facing them so directly was starting to evoke more disgust than anything else. Could it be that my instructor was defeated by that Divine Sword?
“Judging its danger level, the Undead King attempted to repel, or rather destroy, the entity and succeeded in repelling it. He even pushed it to the brink of destruction.”
Evia did not answer my question; her gaze conveyed that she wanted me to hear the rest of the story. Understanding that I was not calm, I had no choice but to listen silently. I took another deep breath and regained my composure.
“I’m sorry, please continue.”
I thought I might be told I lacked perseverance, but Evia continued without pointing it out.
“Immediately after, a meteor fell on the site, and its true identity was a Seraph. Its purpose was to recover the Divine Sword that was about to be destroyed. To prevent this, the Undead King continued to fight the Seraph.”
I was gradually understanding the situation. As I mentally organized the process, I felt a sense of being able to visualize the scene.
“The opponent is an individual known as the First Hero. Currently, they hold the first rank among the Seraphim. Considering the future damage if they were to escape, the Undead King attempted annihilation rather than mere repulsion.”
It must have been an intense battle. I had personally experienced Instructor Fushio’s power. The fact that he spoke of attempting annihilation meant that his opponent was also a formidable figure.
“On site, they wielded Chaos Magic, covering the entire area with Chaos to gain an advantage. However, they were still unable to overwhelm them and are presumed to have used magic unknown to us to continue the battle within that Chaos.”
“Chaos Magic?”
A name of magic I didn’t know. The fact that I didn’t know it, and that it was used in such a critical situation, suggested it might be the instructor’s trump card. And then, Evia also mentioned magic I didn’t know.
“The Undead King’s whereabouts are currently unknown.”
“Unknown means…”
“There is a possibility he is alive. However, according to the assessment of the Oni King, Dragon King, and Lunaria, who handled the aftermath, the chances of surviving in the Chaos for more than three days are almost zero. It has already been a week since then. The Chaos is an unknown space even to us. Too much time has passed to hold out hope for his survival.”
His whereabouts were unknown, and what happened in the Chaos was also unknown. No one saw the instructor die. But the possibility of him being alive was infinitesimally small.
“Therefore, the Demon Lord has certified the death of the Undead King Nōraifu. And having repelled the Hero, who has posed a threat for generations, he has become a hero, and a state funeral will be held. You will also attend.”
The nation had accepted the instructor’s death. No, they had to accept it. As a nation, they could not be bound by the life or death of an individual.
“…Understood.”
I possessed no power to overturn this. Even with my future sight ability, it only showed a few hours ahead. And it was only what I saw, and I couldn’t see it unless I intentionally tried.
I couldn’t foresee the events that had transpired this time.
That’s why, on the surface, I could only nod obediently. Inside, various emotions were clamoring, but reason firmly suppressed them.
“…Is there anything else you want to ask? If you want to know the details, I will tell them to send the report to you later.”
Was Evia concerned about me? Rather.
“Evia…”
“?”
“Are you alright, Evia? You knew him longer than I did, didn’t you?”
I finally realized that Evia might be suffering more than I was. Looking directly at her, I noticed her makeup was heavier today than usual.
“We were prepared. That’s all I can say.”
Especially around her eyes. The heavy makeup she usually didn’t wear indicated something.
“…Hey, Evia.”
Therefore, just to sort out my own feelings.
“Can we take a five-minute break together?”
Feeling pathetic about myself for not being able to move forward without it, I stood up and hugged her. I just wanted someone by my side to get through this sadness.
“Fool.”
Evia probably felt the same. After all.
“…Thank you.”
Her softly spoken thanks were laced with profound sadness.
Today’s Word:
Unexpected things happen when they are unforeseen.
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*The first volume of this novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content is a revised and expanded version of the story posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of unreleased interlude chapters.
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