#268
Defense Game (2)
The outskirts of Tarak Castle, turned into a battlefield.
BOOM—!
SWISH—!
In various corners of the battlefield, a cacophony of explosions erupted as dark magic, holy power, aura, and blood magic intertwined chaotically.
CLATTER— CLATTER!
KREEEK—!
Like an unending wave, the army of the undead marched under the command of their leaders, advancing violently towards the walls of Tarak Castle.
In response, those who had come to confront the giants joined forces at the castle walls, struggling to defend the city.
“In the name of the Holy God, I shall purify the unclean beings!”
“Eternal rest to the dead!”
Cardinal Donovan, along with one paladin and two archbishops from the Holy Church Order, spread blazing holy power as they supported the defense.
“Move quickly!”
“Don’t overexert yourselves! Prioritize minimizing damage!”
Master-level knights and their elite order, hastily dispatched from the royal palace, urged on the defenders on the castle walls.
“Undead really are quite inefficient to fight since they don’t have blood.”
“…But even if that’s the case with the giants, do we really need to intervene with city defenses? This isn’t even our land.”
“The High Lord must have his reasons. Perhaps he wants to increase influence over nearby kingdoms.”
Additionally, the presence of Heinz II, the Pureblood, along with Briki and five Trueblood vampires made up an elite hybrid force.
While the support squad had impressive members, directly opposing an undead army exceeding tens of thousands was foolish.
They had chosen to engage just enough to drain the tip of the invasion before swiftly regrouping at the castle walls.
It was all about efficiently handling what would be a drawn-out battle.
Naturally, among those defending the walls, the vampires from Talia Kingdom stood out significantly.
After all, they had been a species akin to an enemy until now.
[“Are we sure about our decision? To side with humans and actively oppose the Undead King?”]
In the midst of the chaos, Briki approached Heinz subtly, speaking through thought.
The honorifics they used in front of others had casually slipped back to intimate language, but that was exactly what he hoped for from her—all the same.
He nodded calmly, responding while effortlessly dispatching a crowd of undead with a sweep of his hand.
[“Yes, it’s impossible for us to coexist with the Undead King. Moreover, having participated in the summit and stepping into the world’s spotlight, a passive approach to expand our influence on the continent has its limits.”]
Additionally, helping the Tulk Kingdom first could curtail their alliances with other kingdoms, making it a pragmatic strategy all around.
In this process, he might subtly bolster Hubert Association as well.
And most importantly—
‘Hmm, at this level… I should be able to hold them off adequately.’
Of course, he had no genuine intention of toppling Tarak Castle.
He had already strived to minimize damage to the city while combating those giants; why would he now destroy a stronghold with his own hands?
However, the reason for fostering this crisis was to heighten the continental tension while progressing the story.
‘It seems the effect is waning recently; the karma I’ve been accumulating has been decreasing too.’
Sure, the damages attributed to the Undead King were substantial and couldn’t be ignored.
The direct incursions of undead and rampant monster appearances contributed significantly to the turmoil.
The problem, however, lay in how accustomed people had become to this repeating situation.
‘As a result, a sentiment has developed where they accept the hero party and Heinrich’s exploits as the norm. A concrete change is required now.’
Whatever method it might be, if he could create an atmosphere where everyone united to overcome this crisis, it didn’t matter.
And just like that, humanity’s united strength would lead to a fateful confrontation between the Undead King and the hero—an ending that had been anticipated since the beginning.
He had successfully eliminated the revolutionary element that had consistently bothered him, so there shouldn’t be too much difficulty in proceeding from hereon. Though he wouldn’t wrap things up immediately, it’s not as if it would conclude in a rush.
In fact, even if he started the final preparations now, a considerable amount of time would still be needed before reaching the ending.
He couldn’t carelessly conclude in what was supposed to be the climax of the narrative.
‘Gradually building up and uniting everyone’s strength, paving a way towards the northern region with its undying castle to confront Hans… I’d say about six months or so?’
If he genuinely intended to, he could prolong this chaos even longer to reap a full profit, but he was growing wary of going too far in destroying the world recklessly.
To those up above.
To the sponsors who had supported him in various ways until now.
[“Is that so? Should I be a bit more proactive then?”]
As Heinz organized his thoughts.
Briki tilted her head decisively and took a few steps away from him.
And right after that.
The moment she felt her thoughts moving.
WHOOSH—
As her form vanished, a massive crimson aura surged forth into the undead encampment.
SWOOSH—!
It swept the enemy forces, turning hundreds into dust in an instant.
A pathway opened through the undead army.
While Briki was not particularly well-suited against undead given her vampiric nature, her status as a Pureblood rendered such concerns trivial.
“Whoa! Wh-What is this?”
“Wow, I didn’t expect this level of power.”
Surprised by the display, the eyes of others defending the castle against the undead shifted towards her.
Even though they were allies now, the longstanding prejudices couldn’t simply vanish.
Let alone the fact that another Pureblood was present.
“Ohoo, indeed.”
However, not everyone had such reactions.
There were those who appeared even more invigorated by the performance of the vampires—
“It’s delightful to see the vampires have converted and agreed to cooperate, but as a representative of the Holy Church Order, I can’t fall behind like this.”
“True enough. Moreover, we’re facing those undead, aren’t we?”
“We can’t just stand by. Let’s prepare the altar.”
Members of the order had long held animosity against the vampires until the mediation of Saint Heinrich, and now they were elite fighters who had crossed over from the Piccarl Temple along with Cardinal Donovan.
They quickly united in spirit and constructed a makeshift altar for holy incantations.
Soon, led by the cardinal, they began to recite the Prayer collectively.
WHUM— KABOOM—!
Miracles unfolded in the heart of the battlefield.
Pillars of brilliant light rained down, obliterating the undead in the area, halting the deathly energies that permeated the surroundings.
The overwhelming spectacle that followed was—
“Wooaah—!”
“W-We survived! We can win this!”
As fear of the grotesque appearance of corpses began to lift from the soldiers, their morale steadily climbed.
‘It won’t be that easy, though.’
The energy of death, previously dissipated, surged furiously behind the invigorated military spirit.
High-ranking undead like Death Knights and Liches as well as officers in the rear began to step in to address the situation directly.
‘And additionally…’
While swiftly dispatching the attackers and carefully assessing the situation, Heinz II shifted his gaze deep into the ranks of the undead.
It was where the crimson aura, previously wreaking havoc, came to a halt.
‘If I leave my position now, the castle walls could be in danger… I suppose I should just keep watching for a bit.’
Certainly, the undead army wasn’t merely on the defensive either.
No matter how few forces remained in this place, they were a powerful military force fighting against the whole world.
[“Vampires, are you?”]
[“Well, well, it’s nice to see you crawl out from hiding like you did three hundred years ago.”]
[Kehihi— The Pureblood Vampire! A truly rare material has appeared!]
Moreover, many high-ranking officers who had hidden away until now were mobilized for this operation.
Doom Knight Drexler, General Spartoi Trev, Archlich Kellypha, and other officers surrounded Briki, who had immersed herself deep into the enemy lines, heightening their momentum.
Under the intensified strength granted by the Undead King, connected with the enveloping energies of death, their dark magic amplified dramatically.
“…Uh-oh, did I get a bit too excited?”
Briki, believing in the strength enhanced by her Refined Blood Essence, wore an awkward smile after plunging into the enemies.
In a one-on-one fight, she was confident she could defeat anyone present, but seeing their fierce energy, it seemed they had no intention of letting her do so.
BANG—!
Thus, in the thick of the undead army, the officers collided with the Pureblood Vampire.
On another front, the holy power of the Holy Church Order and the forces of death clashed repeatedly, escalating the fight that had been barely held on the castle walls.
Explosions, shouts, screams, incantations, and monstrous roars…
All sorts of noise mixed together, making the battlefield a chaotic mess.
And watching all of this unfold in real-time, Heinz II, who was striving to defend the castle walls at all costs, thought—
‘At this point, it seems like I can start wrapping things up.’
He nodded gravely, just as he had anticipated.
What an artistically perfect mess it had become.
*
Far away from the battlefield established near Tarak.
Another fight was erupting at a place even more distant than where the giant had fallen.
WHOOSH—
Dense energies of death that could not even be compared to the other undead enveloped the area.
“Ha-HA-HA—!”
A fist imbued with the power to shatter anything tore through the very fabric of space.
“HUP!”
At that moment, a gigantic blade of light, akin to a pillar, pierced through.
CRACKLE—!
Various spells, spirits, and holy laws poured out, complementing each other.
A clash had erupted between the Undead King and the Hero Party, intensified by the newly gained power of Harley.
However, those who had fought against the giant moments ago instinctively realized—
That given the current situation, there was no way they could win.
But just as they couldn’t simply resign themselves to despair, they gritted their teeth and squeezed out their last strength.
Unexpectedly, the end arrived in a moment they did not anticipate.
[Oh dear, I had only intended to greet before leaving. But now I’ve gotten carried away, and it took longer than I thought.]
The Undead King, pushing them with an overwhelming presence, was the first to retreat.
However, the Hero Party didn’t let their guard down; even so, he simply smirked, seemingly done with the struggle.
[Hehe— Let’s leave it at this for today. There is no point finishing things here when I’m not at my best.]
“…Ha, you’re just going to retreat like this, Undead King?”
[There’s no need to rush. My adversary, Heinrich, I’m just getting started with my new game, and I can’t end it before enjoying it properly, right?]
Plenty of time remains, he announced, with a haunting laughter as he started to rise into the air.
Although the exhausted Hero Party could do nothing, he showed no intention of continuing the fight.
[How exciting this is. I’m curious how far you can hold out, and when and how you will reach my castle!]
“…Aah, wait, Undead King! When that time comes, I will certainly bury you into the Abyss!”
[Hahaha! That would also make for delightful entertainment!]
SNAP—
Suddenly, with a fingertip filled with dark magic, he flicked it, sending strange waves rippling outward.
Immediately after, signals of retreat were received from the officers near the castle, who began to exit the battlefield rapidly.
After all, this was just a taste test, along with a show of force, so there was no need to go in recklessly until the end.
[Then, I look forward to your visit. Hero, Heinrich Saint Landgard.]
The Undead King, who had appeared so suddenly, vanished just as abruptly, leaving behind only the army of undead that had caused chaos in Tarak.
Furthermore, it was—
A successful presentation concluded before countless witnesses.
