#226
Undead King vs Hero Party (1)
An infected warrior, crimson veins erupting all over his body, was beset from all sides by demons.
Gaaah!
Ggrrgh! Cough!
Everyone’s faces hardened at the sight of their suffering.
The demons had completely lost their reason, and their bodies were almost halfway to becoming undead, but in exchange, their power was strengthened beyond compare to what it had been before.
“…We can’t delay any longer. Let’s go all out.”
As Heinrich, leading the charge, finished his sentence, the “Blessing: Holy Sword” activated, and a beautiful holy sword erupted from his hands, shining brilliantly.
At the same time, an unprecedented power engulfed his body, and in an instant, all his abilities soared to their limits.
Vwaaaah—
Though he still hadn’t reached transcendence, the divine radiance forcibly elevated him to the pinnacle of humanity.
This affected multiple skills like “Great Blessing: Knight of Light” and “Blessing: Strong Body.”
The aura that had gently swayed around him suddenly surged into flames, spreading to his allies behind him.
“Oooh… What is this?”
“Woooah—! Follow the Hero!”
“May the poor brothers find peaceful rest!”
He hadn’t even used a large-scale holy law, but having grown accustomed to using the holy sword, he simply existed there, granting a broad buff that enveloped the entire battlefield.
Dispelling fear and boosting morale, all while increasing physical abilities and practical combat power.
This was yet another reason the hero was revered.
Chosen by the divine.
The hope and light of humanity.
The special task force drove back the attacking demons, advancing methodically through the darkness of the urban area, following the hero Heinrich.
“Misty, are you really okay?”
“… I can’t just step back now, putting others in such peril. Don’t worry; I won’t be a hindrance.”
Misty, at the center of the formation, replied with difficulty to the saint’s question, again clutching the ritual tools made of bones and feathers as she cast her spells.
Though she was utterly exhausted, on the brink of having her lifespan drained away, she could still adequately assist in activating the engravings inscribed on the warriors.
Liesta sighed softly at seeing her push herself.
But right now, it was not the time to stop her.
Worrying wouldn’t help; she had to do her best for everyone’s sake.
“O Holy God, grant your lambs, your creations, the strength to rise again when weary, to stand against this injustice.”
With that, the holy law activated and enveloped everyone.
Thanks to the layers of overlapping buffs, they sped forward rapidly.
Their goal was the massive building in the city center, which continually exuded a deep abyss.
The abode of Balteon and the lair of the Undead King.
*
If the hero party went all out, reaching their destination wouldn’t be that difficult.
Even with demons and undead summoned from the Undying Castle rushing at them relentlessly.
Though the devilish energy spreading throughout the city was continuously invigorating them.
This alone wouldn’t suffice to halt their advance.
Yet they advanced steadily, conserving their strength as much as possible.
Of course, their formidable presence compared to others was evident.
“Holyia, Equistant.”
With a soft whisper from High Elf Lydia Greenwood, arrows infused with fire and wind spirits turned the front into a sea of flames.
“Thunder Buster!”
At the conclusion of her incantation, Isea’s spell pierced the dark heavens, impaling the ground with a lance of lightning.
Grrr!
With a shout, Geos’ spear smashed through the heads of the attacking foes.
Hahaha!
The foes that collided with Harley, charging like a bulldozer, were sent flying in all directions like bowling pins.
As the hero party broke through the front line, it fell to the southern warriors to breach the enemy reinforcements and clear the way.
They were the main players in this fight against the Undead King, and they needed to reach their destination fully intact.
“Push forward! The summit is near!”
Gaaah!
“We may not be able to help, but we won’t be a hindrance. This is our land, so open the path with your lives!”
The warriors’ weapons slammed into the bodies of the now incredibly tough demons.
However, the demons, burning their last drops of life, wouldn’t die easily even if their heads were crushed, causing continuous damage to the warriors.
Crack, cough!
“Ah— now rest peacefully, brother. I will also follow soon.”
Gyaaaah—!
Additionally, the infinite tide of undead bolstered by the abyss continued to swell.
The southern warriors were literally paving the way to the center with their blood.
‘…Hans really has made up his mind. To treat humans as mere expendables. How far will he fall?’
As Heinrich, moving forward with gritted teeth, finally noticed their target right before him.
With a grip tightened around the holy sword filled with fury.
Chief Leader Balteon forcibly injected madness into the warriors, transforming them into “Berserkers” for war.
When Harley initially absorbed madness, his physical abilities had skyrocketed dramatically.
The difference was that they had utterly lost control of their bodies and had been thoroughly altered to obey Balteon’s commands.
But even if it ended there, there might have been a chance to restore them; however, the additional injection of Hans’ ‘death’ had robbed them of any possibility of revival.
Though they hadn’t fully become undead yet due to the madness engulfing their bodies, those demons were practically dead already.
‘And the abyss spreading in the air is a problem as well. For now, the concentration is low, and the warriors blessed by Liesta are managing to hold on easily, but over time, who knows what will happen?’
The source of the current abyssal energy and the undead army was Hans.
If they could defeat him… no, if they could at least hinder him, things would improve significantly.
Thus, it became their best course of action to reach him as quickly as possible.
‘Straight ahead…!’
But.
As always, things in this world don’t go according to plan.
In front of the grand building they aimed for, now completely engulfed in dark energy, was a gateway leading to another world.
“Hah! So you’ve finally made it here.”
A demon, slightly smaller than Harley and covered in purple and black corruption, stood in their path.
Beside him was a multitude of demons radiating an aura far beyond those who had attacked them previously.
“Balteon…”
Misty’s face, paler from excessive spell casting, tensed at the sight of him.
“Hehehe, Misty. I never thought you’d have the guts to show up here, after running away like a rat.”
“… Is this what you wanted? Offering yourself and your followers to the Undead King? Haha, you claimed it was for the glory of Kalcos, but it’s all just pretty words, isn’t it?”
That was Balteon’s justification as the former chief leader.
To unite the south’s strength and march north, breaking free from this barren land to claim prosperous territory.
In that process, he repressed the tribes wishing for peace, pushing aggressive policies during the war until he was eventually ousted.
“Ah, this was a situation I didn’t predict. Originally, I planned to seize the southern empire while the continent was in chaos and re-enter negotiations.”
Even as she spoke defiantly, he shrugged it off, then turned to quietly gaze at the abyss-altered demon warriors and the undying forces replenishing from behind.
“But this isn’t too bad either.”
A twisted smile crept across his face.
“The southern empire? No, with the Undead King and this strongest army together, it won’t just end in the south; we can target the entire empire! We can annihilate the Azerion Empire and usher in the era of the Kalcos Empire!”
The crimson eyes in the center of his black sclera burned with madness.
There was no longer a shred of humanity left, fueled by his distorted beliefs and stubbornness.
“… You’re insane. Partnering with the Undead King, who seeks to turn the world into a land of death, will only lead to ruin.”
“No, he is different from the previous Undead Kings. Even that saint over there knows this truth. Wasn’t it because he understood this that he proposed such a ridiculous wager in the first place!”
That was why he could confront the odds and chose to cooperate with the Undead King in the end.
It was the very wish he desired for decades, a burning aspiration that led him to join the Oath of Reversal and attempt to open the abyss.
Chuckles— “After wiping out those damn imperialists, I, Balteon, will become the first Emperor of the Kalcos Empire!”
But his rambling words, lost in self-absorption, were suddenly cut off.
“Wow, you talk too much.”
“What?!”
As an unexpected interruption crashed in—BANG—!
“Gah!”
He was sent flying like a missile, piercing through walls and buildings, disappearing beyond.
Bboom—! Crash—! Bang—!
Leaving behind only the cacophony of explosive sounds echoing in the distance.
This unexpected event drew the attention of both the humans and the demons standing beside him, all looking in the same direction.
The place where Balteon had just been, delivering his long speech.
Now, it was Harley, sporting a pouty face and throwing punches.
“Hey! I don’t care about the empire or whatever, let’s just have a good scrap!”
He grinned widely, seemingly delighted, while scanning his surroundings.
With the chief leader of the Undead, who had reached transcendence, the three heavily armed warriors still stronger than before, plus ten or so slightly weaker demon soldiers, this was quite a feast!
“What a feast this is!”
“Pffft… I could have some fun with this!”
Harley bore a menacing smile.
Having attained “Ultimate Evolving Lifeform” and reached transcendence, he hadn’t had a satisfactory fight since coming here.
He’d merely been pestering the weaker minions of Hans along with the hero party and occasionally pounding on the White Giant.
What had Harley initially aimed to do here?
To crave a brutal, visceral fight, splattered with blood and gore!
Thus, the prey before him seemed to promise to satisfy his cravings.
But still, for a truly satisfying fight, one thing was required.
“Hey, just leave this to me and hurry up. You gotta be quick, right?”
Creeeak— Kreeeak!
Fsshhh—
A monstrous sound of metal twisting echoed from Harley’s now fired-up body, as immense energy ignited, generating steam.
Blocking the path that Balteon had occupied, he turned his blazing gaze toward the hero party.
As if saying, “I’ll handle this; you take care of the aftermath.”
Of course, the meaning behind that gaze was far from benign.
‘These guys are mine! I’ve already marked my territory! I won’t give up a single one, so scram!’
Even Heinrich looked back at him with a puzzled expression.
“Y-yes, your m—!”
From afar, Balteon’s furious shout erupted.
As the abyssal energy surrounding them raged with horrifying waves that destructively swept through the vicinity.
“Hey, I said hurry up! Oh, and lady, it’d be wise to keep your distance from your friends. I can’t promise what will happen back here.”
But the perceptive Misty had already begun to regroup the warriors, backing away in a hurry.
With a sigh, Heinrich followed suit, entering the building where Hans was located, along with the hero party…
“I’ll kill you—!”
Boom—!
At the same moment, Harley collided fists with the now-charging Balteon.
“Oh! That sounds good! Why not have those friends over there join in too? Kahahaha—!”
With a brighter smile than ever.
*
Screech— Crick—
“Ugh, what’s Harley going to do now? I feel he’s going to be a problem in a different way than Hans.”
Hugo grumbled while training his body at home gym as usual.
While tumultuous events unfolded in Auterica, it had only been two days by Earth’s calendar since the original body had fallen asleep.
Naturally, there hadn’t been any noteworthy incidents here, so he was left with nothing to do but keep moving when not checking on the state of the original.
‘At least Harris, who’s just sleeping like a log, is much better off. Who knows what catastrophic trouble Harley will cause.’
What’s the use if the incidents are shared?
He didn’t think at all while acting.
He would just jump into things without a clue, embodying the adage “when the body is bad, the head suffers.”
‘Ah, but the situation seems to be getting dangerous. When will the original wake up? I just hope it can go a day without trouble…’
Meanwhile, at the most secure bedroom in the mansion, covered with all manners of security.
A finger of someone, lying dead to the world on the bed, twitched slightly.
Foretelling that something was about to wake up.
