The Undead King’s chaotic forces writhed under the moonlit night.
The horde, illuminated by the pale moonlight, advanced towards the Divine Sword that wielded a single, horrifying flame.
One, ten, a hundred, a thousand.
They could be created endlessly.
The shadowy figures the Undead King conjured from chaotic mud, overflowing one after another, were a true display of brute force. This was an overwhelming military strength to face as an individual. Furthermore, each one possessed attributes and existence that were dangerous to the touch—a wave of chaos that returned all it touched to nothingness, erasing its very existence.
However, it was also a fact that such chaos could bring about positive change.
The flames scorched by the Divine Sword were extinguished, and where the chaotic footsteps touched the scorched earth, no trace remained. All that was left was land, devoid of life but enriched.
This chaotic horde, while simultaneously draining life from the living, nourished the earth as it fought.
“Kekekeke, what’s wrong? You’re being outflanked, aren’t you? What’s wrong? The sky is being swallowed! Come on, move! Struggle! Crawl! How long can those proud five bodies of yours hold out?”
In the center of the chaos, only the flame danced brilliantly, and a swarm of pitch-black figures gathered around it. They resembled insects drawn to a streetlamp, but these were beings that coalesced into existence. It must have been unbearable for the Divine Sword, desperately trying to fend them off. The Undead King, positioned behind the gathered chaos, let out a cackling laugh and gradually cornered the Divine Sword, which was dancing a waltz on the brink of death.
“Hmph!?”
The Divine Sword, gritting its teeth, endured the Undead King’s taunting words, suppressing the urge to retort. Its formerly brazen attitude had subsided. No, at this moment, it wanted nothing more than to decapitate the Undead King, to stomp on his rolling head, and to mock him with a look of triumph. However, it could only convey this through its eyes, as words failed it in its current predicament. In such a situation, a defiant statement would be deemed a mere dog’s bark of defeat.
“Hoh boy, how about this?”
“With this much!! Did you think I would be defeated?!”
Despite this, the Divine Sword, unable to overlook the provocation, let out a roar and unleashed a divine flame, repelling the chaotic horde.
“I am the strongest Divine Sword. I will not be defeated by the likes of you!!”
With those words, its power surged. However, it was like pouring water on a burning stone, or perhaps a flamethrower against a tsunami. Among the chaotic beings that had taken human form, some began to adopt beastly shapes. Now, formidable chaos, resembling great eagles, bats, and even mantises brandishing colossal scythes that sprang from the ground, attacked with outstretched wings. If the Divine Sword dropped even slightly in altitude, chaotic hands would grasp from the ground.
With both quality and quantity increasing, even its once-unrivalable flame was now merely a beacon. Nevertheless, the Divine Sword did not cease its efforts, its flames sweeping across the surroundings. It could buy a moment’s respite, but…
“Useless, useless, useless. Regrettable, it was all for naught.”
It could not buy any more time. With a slight pause, a black wave swallowed the flames, and then surged forward to close the distance. Seemingly toying with its opponent, to prolong its suffering, the Undead King gradually completed his encirclement, constantly searching for an opportunity to shatter the sword. However, he himself was not as carefree as he appeared.
“…”
Though he showed no outward signs, and his words were taunting and gleeful, his mind was desperately occupied with controlling the army he had conjured with his own magic. Chaos, by its nature, granted death to any living being it touched, while taking their life. Did it grant life to the Undead, beings of death?
No, that was not the case. Even the Undead could die. If they touched chaos indiscriminately, death was unavoidable. So, why was the Undead King unharmed? There was a reason. Chaos and death were subtly different. Chaos encompassed both life and death. The Undead, on the other hand, had transcended death, but had not overcome it. They were dead yet alive. This contradiction, this fusion of meanings, was what made them beings close to chaos, even if not identical. This was why they were said to be the only species within the Demon Lord’s Army with an affinity for the chaotic attribute.
However, if asked whether all Undead could wield this attribute, the Undead King would answer no. The greatest concern for the Undead when touching chaos was not the loss of their physical bodies, but whether their souls would be drawn into the chaos. For beings like the Undead, whose souls were their greatest weakness, using Chaos Magic involved placing this most dangerous vulnerability in the most perilous position. It was akin to holding a vial of strong acid next to one’s face and wielding a hose that sprayed that acid with both hands. If that acid were to spill onto oneself, the consequences would be dire.
Therefore, it was an undeniable fact that this Chaos Magic, while incredibly powerful, was a double-edged sword: running out of magic power meant the Undead King himself would be consumed by this chaos. Constant vigilance was required to protect himself while manipulating the magic. If his focus shifted to defense, his offensive power would wane, and if his focus shifted to offense, his defense would falter, inviting peril. He was not calmly observing the battle out of confidence, but was unable to move because he was overwhelmed by the magic’s execution. That was the truth.
Observing the battlefield intently, his initial anger from the strenuous battle, though within expectations, had long since cooled. He meticulously constructed the sequence of magic spells, setting up the board in his mind like a game of shogi to devise how to defeat his opponent. He didn’t just consider one or two scenarios but dozens, hundreds, considering all possibilities, and then selecting and executing them on the spot.
“Stubborn, as stubborn as Raidou.”
He absorbed and reflected the insights gained from this process. Long ago, before he was named General, the Great Oni had appeared before the rising Undead King, picking a fight simply because he didn’t like him. The Undead King had accepted the challenge. Their battle had raged not for three days and nights, but for seven days and eight nights. It was this long war that earned him and the Oni King a respected position as generals, a memory they now fondly reminisced over with drinks. This was the first time he had used this magic since then. And he recognized anew that the Divine Sword, even if only an imitation, could parry this attack as well as Oniō Raidou.
“…Time is also running short.”
He was aware that his time limit was also approaching. The night sky, once filled with countless stars, was gradually becoming overcast, and with it, he sensed a presence approaching from the horizon.
“I must finish this before then.”
He knew it was not an enemy, but for the Undead King, gods were beings he wanted to keep at a distance, even as allies. Interference was inevitable, and he did not want to cause trouble. Raindrops, mixed with divine power, fell on his cheeks. This was a blessed rain, arriving to extinguish the divine flame created by the Divine Sword burning across the land. A miracle from the gods. This meant the Temple’s forces would arrive at this land sooner than the Demon Lord’s Army.
“Well then, I suppose I must spur my old bones.”
Thus, the Undead King turned his thoughts to offense. He sank his body up to his ankles into the viscous ground. This was an act of narrowing the distance between his soul and the chaos. Though a dangerous act that could extinguish his soul if even one step was misplaced, the reward was substantial.
“Now, now, time is of the essence. Let’s bring this to a conclusion.”
His processing speed in interacting with chaos increased, and his movements became sharper. This made control more difficult and demanded faster thought processing. But in return, it bought him time.
“Alright, everyone! Don your armor, grasp your swords, raise your spears, draw your bows, and chant your incantations!”
While already busy processing Chaos Magic, the Undead King presented another incantation, unfolding a magic circle.
“What is it this time!?”
“Well, I have no reason to tell the enemy.”
The Undead King, unconcerned with the Divine Sword’s agitated cries, retorted with a matter-of-fact tone, laced with sarcasm and personal vendetta, stating that his chance for relief was almost taken away. The Divine Sword, creating an opening with great effort, unleashed a powerful flame towards the Undead King, but it was blocked by a colossal wall of chaos. Believing that its vision was obscured and that the chaotic movements would slow, the Divine Sword attempted to distance itself from the chaos.
“Foolishness. Do you think I would lose sight of you with this much?”
The divine flame scattered around the Undead King was not intended for destruction, but like chaff, to disrupt magic detection, and like a flashbang, to blind and disorient. Though it possessed destructive power, capable of harming even the Undead King if struck, its primary purpose was to seal sensory organs and create an opportunity for a counterattack. However, unleashing it towards the Undead King was a miscalculation in terms of the opponent. What if his eyes were blinded? What if he couldn’t detect magic? What if his ears were deafened by the explosion? If such things created a possibility of defeat…
“If I were to lose sight of you with this, I would have perished long ago.”
An average soldier of the Demon Lord’s Army could not defend against this divine flame. Veterans might barely manage to withstand it. A skilled individual might block it and fall into the enemy’s trap. But the Undead King, at the highest rank, was different. If he couldn’t defend against it, he would have lost that battle against the Oni King. The fight with Raidou was fierce and intense, yet dignified. However, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t use underhanded tactics. From that upright battle, he transformed into a cunning trickster, employing surprise attacks like a mischievous child. While low-level opponents might dismiss such actions as mere feints, when executed by the Great Oni, with his vastly different physical abilities and sharp combat instincts, they became unexpectedly potent maneuvers.
“Master…”
Therefore, it was not through magic, hearing, or sight. It was not based on tactically deduced theories. The Undead King, having learned from his battle with the Oni King, had honed his intuition. After all, he had an unparalleled teacher in the Oni King himself for learning such skills. He honed his intuition to the point where he could precisely pinpoint his opponent’s location, not by deduction, but by a mere sense of “somewhere around here.” He then activated the prepared magic circle.
“Thirteen Knights of Oblivion.”
This was one of the Undead King’s trump cards, used previously when he had attempted to take the Oni King’s life. These were the souls of his loyal retainers who had served him when he was still human. A fleeting moment of hesitation caused the chaotic legions to pause for a split second. Seizing this brief void, the Divine Sword, which had leaped above and behind the Undead King in a burst of super high-speed movement, had its expression turn to shocked astonishment. In the Divine Sword’s slowly, almost slowmotion, field of vision, the gate had already been deployed, and beyond it, the figure of the Undead King, his back turned, could be seen. Then, as time crawled forward, figures clad in armor emerged from the gate. For an instant, the Divine Sword thought they were mere living armors, but the moment it saw their gleaming blades, an unprecedented chill, as if an icicle had pierced its spine, coursed through it. It attacked with all its might, as if to shake off the sensation. As its view, moving like frames of a film, desperately wished for its attack to reach sooner, the Undead King, turning his head slowly, his lips moving, uttered,
“It’s over.”
By the time the Divine Sword witnessed this, its attack had passed through the gate, mowing down the living armors, and was proceeding towards the Undead King himself. At that moment, the Divine Sword felt a hard sensation at the tip of its hand.
“Wha?”
The Divine Sword had never made such a foolish sound before. Its hand held the world’s finest blade, forged by the gods themselves. It prided itself on the belief that nothing could pierce or burn what its hand held. Thus, it widened its eyes in disbelief at the presence of a pitch-black shield positioned to block its arm. From behind the shield that blocked its arm, a plume of blue flame flickered. It was located where eyes would be, and illuminated by the flame, a pitch-black helmet was visible. By the time it saw this, it was too late. Those who would not permit harm to their master, sensing the moment of being caught, moved with swiftness.
“Gah!?”
Blades rained down upon the Divine Sword’s entire body. Following the pain, a spear thrust forward. As the Divine Sword twisted its body to evade, an arrow flew towards it, and lightning struck down, as if to finish off the one-eyed Divine Sword.
“Hmph, you made me work for it.”
Each and every one of those attacks was equivalent to the full-force strike of a General. These were the attacks of the Undead King’s elite guards, awakened from their slumber and emerged from beyond the gate. Driven by their loyalty, these knights, who had wandered with regret and maintained their consciousness, were the strongest among the Undead King’s forces within his dungeon, having honed their skills with him. Even though their bodies were lost, even if they were now in temporary armor, these knights demonstrated an unwavering will to protect their master, even against a Divine Sword. Clad in pitch-black armor, the loyal knights watched the Divine Sword fall into the chaotic mud.
“I forgot one thing.”
Just as the Divine Sword was about to plunge into the chaos, the Undead King, as if just remembering, casually yet sarcastically remarked,
“The previous Divine Sword was somewhat more of a challenge.”
Whether the Divine Sword, being thrown into the mud like a splash of water, could hear it was unknown. As a final offering to the sinking Divine Sword, the Undead King sent this parting shot.
“…Hmph. It seems this isn’t enough to distract me.”
Feeling the Divine Sword’s presence gradually fade into the chaos, the Undead King, while satisfied with the outcome of the battle, expressed dissatisfaction with the process. He gazed at the sky, where the light drizzle was gradually intensifying.
“Nu?”
Was that a meteor? But despite the clouds covering the sky, a streak of light shone. And he sensed a presence.
“!? An angel!?”
The Undead King braced himself, but he could not intercept the light that continued to accelerate from a long distance. He allowed the meteor to impact the chaos, precisely where the Divine Sword had fallen.
Today’s Word: The more people, the better.
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*The first volume of this novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The e-book version was also 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 has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with the addition of previously unpublished interlude chapters. Please also consider purchasing the new releases! We look forward to your continued support of this work.
