༺ The Return (2) ༻
Just before piercing through his head, the expression of the Immortal Corps commander looking up at the sky was filled with astonishment.
Did he not think I would be alive? Or perhaps he hadn’t anticipated my return so soon.
Maybe he felt utterly weary of it all.
Either way, it was the same for everyone.
“Gasp!”
Boom!!
[Groooan—!!]
The blade of Ajetus’ spear struck the ground. The earth, cracked like a spider web, shot upwards towards the sky, and strong dust clouds rose, cursing the surroundings to become blurry.
It was a power sufficient enough to annihilate a person. Yet, I did not let my guard down.
I harnessed dark magic and detonated it at the tip of the spear. The strong dark flames engulfed the Immortal Corps commander’s body from head to toe.
Bang! Pop!
Whoosh!
[Aaaaargh—!!!]
Although it was a ferocious scream, I did not think he would die from just this much. Above all, the feel in my hands through the spear shaft when I detonated the magic was exceptionally weak.
I spun the spear shaft around forcefully.
Whoosh-!
When I cleared away the thick dust that had risen around, there was no one there as expected.
I turned my head, following the faint presence I sensed. About 50 meters from here, amidst a horde of undead, the Immortal Corps commander was seen clutching his face.
Skin so pale that it could be mistaken for a dark elf. His thin face held cold anger in his eyes. His face, now fully exposed as his robe had turned to ash, was no different from the one I had seen during the war.
I had expected him to be violently angry, but the expression of the Immortal Corps commander was surprisingly calm.
Or rather, was it more accurate to say he had no time to direct his anger at me.
“[…Titania… Why? Why are you here? You should be in the forest… Why are you here instead…]”
The Immortal Corps commander’s gaze was fixed solely on Titania. Noticing the gaze directed at her, the expression on Titania’s face, initially uncertain, gradually shifted to one of conviction.
“That face, could it be-“
Titania gasped and covered her mouth.
“Bru, brother Elewin …?”
Her eyes were filled with astonishment and trembled wildly.
However, I had no intention of quietly observing this reunion between the siblings. If any connection between the Immortal Corps commander and the high elves of the great forest were revealed, it would be Titania who would face complications later.
I gripped the spear shaft lightly and took a large step forward, shooting out like an arrow and thrusting the spear. A mere distance of 50 meters was practically next to nothing for an advanced spearman.
[Malevolent Star, You bastard!!]
The Immortal Corps commander, quickly regaining his composure, stretched out his hand towards me. Knowing the power of Ajetus to nullify all magic, he did not pointlessly create shields or cast spells. However, at his gesture, five Death Knights waiting, charged towards me.
Each one possessed skills comparable to a master class Death Knight, but they were no significant threat to me, now freed from the constraint of being unable to use magic. I slammed my spear down from above, making one Death Knight stagger heavily as its ghost horse’s legs were broken.
With that momentum, I spun around and swung my spear. The overwhelming power, capable of uprooting mountains, was too much for several Death Knights, who were swept away like being caught in a typhoon.
It was a overwhelming power that required no technique or skill. In fact, the surge of dark magic emanating from my body felt more intense than the black magic radiating from the Death Knights.
After sweeping away the five, there were twice as many blocking the way to the Immortal Corps commander. However, I was not intimidated and prepared myself, twirling my spear shaft.
Was it my imagination? The Death Knights, whose emotions had been stripped away, seemed to hesitate for a moment.
In a situation where they should be spreading fear and despair, the Death Knights were retreating, as if seeing something more demonic than demons themselves. The surviving witnesses shuddered in unison.
“Phew, it’s the Malevolent Star…”
“Black armor… red spear… it’s certain! One of the Continent’s Seven Heroes! The, the rumors were true!!”
As I had anticipated, the people were not interested in what Titania had said. They were merely shocked and relieved by the sudden appearance of one of the Continent’s Seven Heroes, feeling a mix of awe and terror.
Although Instructor Lirya, who was right next to Titania, seemed to have heard everything… that was a problem for later. Just like the students now gazing at me.
I felt a familiar gaze on my back. Elizabeth and Marian seemed to already know, but the other students all looked incredulous.
I wondered if, even in this form, they recognized who I was.
I deliberately did not look back, fixing my gaze only on my enemy. The Immortal Corps commander spewed hatred with eyes brimming with piercing anger when our eyes met.
[Malevolent Star! Are you here to hinder me again! Always at the crucial moment! Every time! If it weren’t for you, I could have become a ruler of a realm by now! I could have dreamt of a power surpassing even that of a Demon King!]
His circumstances were none of my concern. I had no desire to know them either.
I had a rough idea anyway. I had seen enough clues by now.
He must have been preparing to abandon his elf body and transform into a lich since long ago. During the war, he was already in a state akin to a lich, having secretly hidden his life vessel elsewhere to survive. And now, years later, some adventurer must have stumbled upon this life vessel, leading to his resurrection.
The goals of the crazy mages are usually similar: greater power, more potent magic, evolution into a more powerful being… Whatever his purpose, the actions of the Immortal Corps commander would likely follow this pattern. I wasn’t curious about what crazy mages sought power for, or what he intended to become.
However, I did gain some valuable information.
“So you don’t have another body, huh? Is it because you resurrected in a hurry?”
He was someone who boasted grotesque vitality, having prepared hundreds of clones in advance. He also seemed unattached to any single body.
But when I almost burnt and killed him just now, unlike before, he seemed to escape desperately. The expression of shock on his face was that of someone genuinely feeling the threat of death.
“Do you carry the life vessel with you? It looks like you embedded inside your body. Well, it makes sense. If you weren’t aware of it, it’d be one thing, but having been exposed, you wouldn’t want to leave it elsewhere.”
[….]
The Immortal Corps commander offered no denial.
Instead, with a hand that was nothing but bones, he clutched his face, letting out a chilling laugh.
[Heh, heh… No other body, you ask? Yes, that’s correct. But it’s not for the reason you think. It’s simply because I didn’t need one! I have already completed my preparations for shedding my old shell. Having another body would just be cumbersome.]
A group of undead gathered around the Immortal Corps commander. These undead seemed slightly different from those I had seen before.
It might be odd to say this about the undead, but they appeared more lively and intact. Almost as if they were people who had been alive and moving just moments ago.
At that moment, the S-rank adventurer, Louis, who was leading the barely surviving adventurers, spoke with a mournful expression.
“Bane… Mark! Have these guys really died…?”
Dwarf S-rank adventurer Bane. Steppe-tribe S-rank adventurer Mark. Two of the three great adventure guild leaders of Shubaltsheim had been transformed into undead, now pointing their weapons towards the city they once protected.
And it wasn’t just them. The soldiers and adventurers who had been defending the city, the citizens who hadn’t managed to evacuate and remained in the city… At a glance, their numbers easily exceeded tens of thousands.
[Originally, I wanted to gather high-quality souls from the underworld and attempt this in a fully prepared state… But thanks to you, that’s become impossible. However, it doesn’t matter. I have gathered enough sacrifices in this city. Just enough to attempt the ritual, though the likelihood of failure is high. But if I don’t deal with you here, Malevolent Star, there will be no next time for me. So, I will proceed with the ritual right here, right now.]
I let out a light scoff.
“You think I’d just stand by and watch you go through with such madness?”
[Of course, you wouldn’t. With even larger forces, stronger undead, they couldn’t stop you… But you’re not alone right now, are you?]
At those words, I involuntarily turned back.
The faces of the survivors who had been chased and had run until they ended up here were pale with fear. The expressions of the students were also visibly tense.
They were already at their limit before I arrived. They were no longer in a condition to fight.
[It seems they were anxiously waiting for you, must be quite a precious relationship, huh? I wonder. What’s more important to you? Stopping me, or their lives… Shall we test it?]
“What a stupid thing to do…!”
Simultaneously, the area around the Immortal Corps commander was engulfed in a dark blue radiance, and all the undead charged toward the city hall.
Elizabeth was the first to regain her composure and shouted.
“Everyone, get inside the building!”
As a Death Knight swooped down towards Elizabeth’s head, aiming its sharp blade at her neck, Ajetus’ spear blade struck the Death Knight’s neck even faster, sending it flying.
“Instructor Eon…!”
“Get inside.”
As the headless Death Knight crumbled behind me, I landed lightly and dragged Ajetus across the ground. With a loud scratch, a long line was etched into the earth, delineating a boundary between the survivors and the undead.
Without turning back, I said while only looking ahead.
“No one allowed beyond this line.”
NOTE:
Hi everyone, this is where the novel was dropped by the author and the last chapter that was released more than 3 months ago after several hiatuses and no update from him.
I hope that you enjoyed it even though we didn’t get to see even 1/2 of what this novel could have been.
Personally, I would have preferred a rushed ending with a proper conclusion rather than it dropping in the middle of an arc.
But this way there can always be hope even if it is little that the author will return some day in the future and continue his work.
That being said, thank you very much for reading and supporting this novel. I hope we can bring you more content that you will enjoy. Cheers!
-Adi
