Chapter 365: The Lost World (20)

Lindbrum...?

The demons knew Gith-Za-Rai’s most secret word.

I froze. What did Lindbrum have to do with Bassago and the other Demon Kings attacking her? Questions flooded in like a rising tide. My thoughts spun wildly, tangling with each other. I didn’t even get much time to think.

"At first, I thought we were stalling for time..." the dog-demon continued in a heavy voice, "but it was the opposite. The flow of the curse is getting more and more restricted."

"Indeed. Even now, you are too valuable to die here." The bat nodded and clenched his fists. "Necromancer, had you only sought the King’s throne, we might have supported you. But..."

"You went beyond that! You sought to do something that would threaten the entire Demon Realm! Everyone...!" the gnome shouted, swelling up. With his two mouths, split wide to either side, roared, "CHAAAAARGE!!"

The frozen stillness shattered with his cry, and the thousands of monsters rushed forward, as if remembering their purpose. At the center of that converging spearhead, Gith-Za-Rai stood alone, barely keeping her balance.

The four high-ranking demons took the vanguard, leading their armies from each cardinal direction. Against a lone necromancer, the encirclement was overkill. Especially when she had detonated her power once, while actively suffering under a curse placed by the united Demon Kings.

Her four Dullahans were in no better shape. At this rate, Gith-Za-Rai would vanish without a trace.

FWIP!

Gilaut shot forward.

Shshshshk!

Black energy seeped into his armor, then exploded outward. A dark, black-flame-like aura surged across his armor and his blade, dancing like a crazed spirit. With every gust of wind, enemies were cut down like reeds—split, scattered, crushed.

I stared, stunned. I had never seen him move like this before, not once while we’d traveled together. A Status Window appeared above his head.

[— ??? Lv. 1]

[Affection is sufficiently high.]

[Change detected.]

[Determining the skill.]

[Resentment Rampage Lv. 1 (New!)]

[— Remaining regrets are sublimated into rage, drastically increasing combat power.]

[Remaining Regret 3.65%... 3.61%...]

[When all regret is spent, the Dullahan will vanish.]

[Your understanding of Dullahans has greatly increased.]

Emotion and information flooded my mind. Dullahans were knights who had failed to meet a glorious death, unable to rest under the weight of unbearable regret. Hence, they rose again as scepter.

A knight wished for a final battle that made his chest swell with pride, yet death was rarely cooperative. Branded a traitor and executed on the scaffold. Dragged into a political purge, heart sealed, arms shackled, left to rot and die with maggots in some dark cell. Poisoned by a meal served by a trusted friend. Drowning, exploding, being crushed, not in righteous battle against true foes, but as collateral in some idiot king’s scheme.

They become specters, willing even to forsake rest, just to gain a chance at a battle worthy of their pride. However, their time was borrowed, hence why it mattered when they used their strength.

[Your understanding of Dullahans has increased significantly.]

[Base Affection of Dullahans toward you has increased by 5!]

Shraaak!

The shadow roared. Four monsters fell at once. The shadow-wreathed blade tore through the outer ranks, carving down enemies without resistance.

[Remaining Regret 3.57%... 3.53%...]

[If this is not your final battle, cease at once.]

[If the rampage continues, the Dullahan will soon be completely annihilated.]

[Be warned.]

[A Dullahan who has vanished can never rise again.]

Gilaut...!

All of this happened in less than a single breath. The enemies were falling fast, but Gilaut was burning away even faster. Even if he couldn’t see the system messages, there was no way he didn’t understand what was happening to him. He had conserved his strength until now, letting others support him, only to burn his very soul in a single blaze. It was enough to render me speechless, and even inspire reverence in me.

FWOOOSH!

The staggering Dullahans responded in kind. As if drawn to his example, they flared with similar black flames. Four shadows roared together. The enemies rushing them were swept up in their blades and churned into bloody foam across the ground.

"WE! GO! TOO!" I finally shouted, which wasn’t impactful since we were charging into thousands.

In a compact formation of twenty, we charged into a force more than a hundred times our number. Enemies poured down on us like a storm. With every step, blood splashed and misted through the air.

"You! Fall back!"

Whooosh!

Suddenly, a hulking, indistinct mass brought down a heavy blow. Its original form was probably that of a Minotaur, but not corrupted deeply to fully manifest such a creature.

KWA-BOOOOM!

The impact rattled my whole body. Among the masses was the occasional one like this, far stronger than the rest.

One, two. One, two...

I stepped to the side and swung my sword upward in a rising arc.

[You have recovered Swordsmanship Lv. 4!]

The mass sagged like a flame snuffed out.

[You have gained 189 Experience.]

[You have gained 32 Experience.]

Two messages appeared at once. While I handled the big one, the soldiers had done their part.

[You have gained 28 Experience.]

[Your soldiers trust you!]

[Level Up!]

The speed at which we cut down the enemy increased. Whenever a gap appeared, I filled it, so casualties within the formation stayed minimal.

I limped from leg strain, but never stopped issuing commands, "Pull the formation in! Injured units to the center! Hand me 1042’s remains!"

[Skill: Lord of Bones Lv. 3 activated.]

[The rune engraved on 1042 activates.]

Clatter! Clatter!

Whenever a soldier fell, I gathered the remains and raised them on the spot, forcing them back into battle.

[Due to Rune of Conservation...]

The mana consumption was so faint I could barely feel it.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

By the time I had raised the same soldier five times...

[You have acquired Leadership Lv. 1!]

[— Passive skill.

— Increases the likelihood that subordinates obey your commands.

— Slightly increases the combat power of subordinates.

— Effective range: 40 individuals

— Leadership Traits: Initiative, Mercy

— Traits suited for commanding small squads.]

Leadership...!

I glanced at the Status Window. This wasn’t a simple recovery. It was the first, entirely new skill I had earned in this lifetime, which made it feel even more extraordinary.

As soon as I acquired it, an indescribable sense of connection spread between me and my soldiers. It was a sharp, exhilarating thrill. I fought with them, cut down enemies, moved in sync, and cut down some more.

Swish!

I stabbed the neck of a charging creature, twisted aside, and swung again. Then, I kicked the head of another rushing up from below. No matter how I fought, I couldn’t advance a single step toward Gith-Za-Rai. Whenever one fell, another climbed over the corpse and charged.

Crack! Crack!

Even reviving soldiers had its limits. In the end, the only place I could maintain visibility was atop a broad boulder nearby. Holding that position was all I could manage.

The Dullahans, including Gilaut, were in the same situation. Each had slain hundreds, but their situation grew direr by the moment. The four high-ranking demons began handling them one by one, as they had promised.

Boom!

The gnome picked up two long spears and alternated thrusts at Fenrir. Instead of stepping back or dodging, Fenrir unsheathed his twin blades and cut upward. Shadow-flame burst along his swords, colliding with the spears in rapid succession. A small circle formed around them, so intense that no one dared interfere.

KWA-BOOM!

After the tenth clash, one spear snapped and hit the ground. Five more exchanges passed, and the other spear spun upward, lodging into the ceiling.

"Oho?"

"Magnificent!"

Both of the gnome’s mouths exclaimed at once.

"Pick up anything you want," Fenrir said, pointing to the scattered weapons on the floor, trophies from those he had killed.

The gnome shook his head. "No need!"

He extended his arms. From his palms and elbows, four new spears—taller than he was—slid out like needles.

Weeeeeeeeng!

The four slender spears moved at an imperceptible speed, driving Fenrir back. He barely parried them, but he couldn’t block the icy breath the gnome exhaled. His armor joints froze solid.

Creeak...

Fenrir slowed, eventually impaled by the spears. He wasn’t the only one freezing. Gilaut was buried under endless enemies. He couldn’t advance and was fading fast. The formation had dwindled until only four remained fighting. Holding their ground grew impossibly hard.

[You have gained Experience.]

Crack!

1002, who had fought by his side until the end, was seized and torn apart. Retrieving the remains was impossible.

Clatter...

1004 tried to fill the gap but fell to one knee and never rose again.

"How moving! Truly! At this point, most lose the will to fight! I want to recruit you all! Every one of you! Really! But if you resist, I must kill you. Not even I can help it this time!" the gnome shouted with honest admiration.

"Let’s finish this. More stalling would be rude," the bat said.

Crunch!

Suddenly, the bat extended his hooked talons and drove them into Andrei’s leg. Black smoke leaked from the cracked armor, forcing Andrei to retreat. The bat flew after him, seizing both his arms and crushed downward.

The gauntlet, vambrace, and elbow guard all tore open, leaking a black mist. Andrei’s sword fell to the ground. The armor lost its master. The shadow lost its path. With one pillar of balance gone, the battle tipped sharply.

Clang! Clatter! Clang!

One by one, the remaining Dullahan armors collapsed.

"To have endured this long. I offer respect."

"I’m impressed! Truly! We’re fighting with direct blessings from the Demon Kings! Amazing grit! I’ll take all the armors and engrave their names for remembrance! Please tell me their names!"

[Remaining Regret 0.47%... 0.43%...]

[Entering automatic depletion stage.]

[0.39%... 0.35%...]

[Imminent annihilation.]

[Imminent annihilation.]

Gazing at his fallen comrades, Gilaut drove the last of his regret into an even harsher frenzy.

TWANG!

Just as he struggled forward, a centaur fired an arrow. It struck Gilaut’s blade and halted him.

[You have Experienced Unit Annihilation.]

[Your desperate command has been recognized.]

[Leadership skill Experience has dramatically increased.]

[Skill level increased.]

[Leadership Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]

[— Effective range: 150 individuals(new!)

— Additional Trait: Last Stand(new!)]

[You have leveled up.]

The rising windows forced me to realize that all the soldiers had fallen.

Is this... the end?

I quietly accepted this lifetime’s ending. Even making it this far was a huge advance. Still, the sight of Gith-Za-Rai dying was something I would never get used to.

The third time...

The one who passed on Essence Absorption to me. The one who gave me my only Epic skill. Thanks to her, I had walked this far.

Clatter...

Even if pointless, I would fight to the end. Suddenly, blue light rose along my blade.

[You have recovered Epiphany Lv. 1.]

[You have recovered Sword Energy Lv. 1.]

[— You can manifest aura at the sword’s edge.

— Low proficiency may result in weapon damage.]

But...

Sword Energy...

WUUUUUUNG...!

The sword I held was a masterwork, personally chosen by Isaac from the imperial archives. Even if I forced aura into it with reckless abandon, not a single crack formed.

"Maximum output."

WUUUUUUUUUNG!

The energy rising from it was unbelievable for a Lv. 1 skill.

[Additional Skill Recovery continuing...]

[Acid Lv. 1 recovered.]

[Inventory activating...]

[Converting to attribute appropriate for current situation.]

What?

The aura refined further.

The centaur and the gnome stared at me.

"What...?"

"Incredible! He grows stronger the longer he fights!"

They slowly walked toward me. The other two moved to finish off the collapsed Dullahans.

"Grk... grrr...!" Gith-Za-Rai groaned.

Her consciousness endured, but she couldn’t physically resist disintegration. A white curse ravaged her relentlessly. Its origin was the demonic half of her demibeast form, or more specifically, the bone portion. They swelled uncontrollably. Millions of barbs grew inward; tissues rotted, dissolved, twisted. Unending venom ate through her from within.

She was relentlessly stopping that corruption from spreading to her beast half. A war between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm was ravaging her flesh.

"Kh... heh... hahahahaha...!" she laughed. It wasn’t forced. She wasn’t suppressing screams. She laughed because the pain hit her like lightning, and she relished it, tasted it, and laughed. "Heh... hehehe... You said you came for me because of the Lindbrum..."

Only one corner of her mouth could move, so only one raised. She lifted her hand as if tearing the air.

Fwoooooosh!

Red energy spiraled around her fist. Ancient characters, ones I had never seen, glimmered across her knuckles. A fierce wind was sucked into her fist. Thousands of monsters staggered, losing balance.

"Wh-what?"

Another row of characters appeared along her wrist. The wind grew even stronger. The golden-skinned demon closest to her was dragged a step toward her against his will.

"What, what is this...?"

"This is impossible..."

Even as she was falling apart, rotting gruesomely, Gith-Za-Rai gathered her power again. The wind howled with such force that it felt like the cavern would shatter.

"W-we have to stop her!"

From her fist to her chest, crimson ancient runes joined into a long sentence.

She punched forward. "Did none of you consider the possibility that I carried the power of a dragon?"

The whirlwind that had been sucked inward transformed into a violent storm of flame, exploding outward. And from inside that blast, I thought I heard the roar of something impossibly enormous.