In an uninhabited mountainous area.
Zzzzzt—
A tearing sound echoed in the middle of it.
Simultaneously, a long crack began to form in the empty space.
It widened rapidly, accompanied by the continued noise—.
Pajazajak—!
With the harsh explosion sound that followed, it created a large hole.
Then, a pair of hands suddenly emerged from the hellish gap, grasping both sides of the torn space, slowly pulling it open to expand even further.
“···Finally.”
As the size of the crack surpassed a certain point, a calm voice flowed from beyond.
A voice so strange that all that could be discerned was its male nature.
“It’s taken longer than I expected.”
Soon, the owner of that voice gradually revealed himself from beyond the space.
An unidentified man who appeared to be an ordinary young man yet seemed extraordinary, an ambiguous old man.
It was the moment the Head of the Buncheon Society, who had been struggling for a long time to emerge from the depths of the Abyss, finally set foot on solid ground.
‘Is this the dimension of Auterica?’
As he quietly surveyed his surroundings, he slowly nodded.
A few details he had previously memorized flickered through his mind.
The most basic type of fantasy world, a system of abilities based on mana, a useful energy for phenomenon manifestation.
The Holy God, the world’s caretaker, didn’t merely grant Holy Power but also sometimes intervened directly; it was that kind of dimension.
‘A neglectful type would be more convenient, but… there are more gains to be had with the effort put in.’
Thanks to that, hadn’t he already gained something shortly after arriving here?
Though his trading partner was a fallen and imprisoned deity, it wasn’t as expected, yet as a being of this dimension with acknowledged divinity, it alleviated a significant portion of the world’s restrictions placed upon the Head.
Without that, he would probably still be trapped in that prison called the Abyss.
‘For now, I should be grateful for that. I’ve also learned how to move efficiently here. I don’t like the fact that I conducted a transaction with a god, but there’s no need to take issue with something that helps me.’
Hadn’t he resolved to do whatever it took to achieve his objectives?
He had compromised quite a few times toward that goal, and it would be comical for him to nitpick methods now.
“Well then… Hmm…”
Suddenly, while pondering the next step, he took a large step forward and wobbled dramatically.
Then he unconsciously frowned, placing one hand on his head, tightly shutting his eyes.
Wooong—
—I will become the great ···.
Wooong—
-No matter how many times ···, I will definitely···.
Ziiiiiing—
-Only I can have this world···.
With the vibration shaking his head, the tinnitus rang in his ears.
The shock that could twist the self-awareness he maintained surged within him, yet he merely closed his eyes and silently endured, recalling his mission.
How much time had passed like this?
As something within him that felt like it might cause him to lose himself was finally beginning to calm down, he was able to regain some stability.
“Phew.”
With a short sigh, he removed the hand that had been clutching his head and grimaced, checking the cold sweat that had gathered on his palm.
Though he had anticipated it, it was an uncomfortable sensation no matter when he experienced it.
‘···How much did I lose this time?’
Calmly, he assessed his condition right away.
The more divine power he obtained, the more his personality and self began to blur, but there was still much to do, so he couldn’t afford to collapse here already.
‘Still, this much is stable. There’s no need to worry overly. I can still fill myself a bit more.’
Since gods were originally such beings, his reactions were also a natural phenomenon.
It was rather greedy to try to attain complete divinity while maintaining human thought for a purpose.
‘No real problem.’
However, he, who had worked tirelessly only for that until now, continued to walk his own path despite what anyone else said.
Regaining his focus, he—.
Before he could take another step, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“······.”
His gaze turned to one side.
Though his sense of time was temporarily disrupted, it was clear that the moment he had lost his focus hadn’t been too brief.
Still, it surely hadn’t exceeded an hour.
‘They couldn’t have reacted this quickly without prior preparation?’
He sensed a group approaching him, surrounding the area.
The hostility emanating from them told him they hadn’t come here by coincidence.
However, considering that factor, there was one thing that struck him as odd.
More specifically, the energy he felt from them all was…
“···What’s this? Why are you here?”
Just then.
Before he could even resolve his doubts, a familiar presence emerged at the forefront of the group.
Krkhkhk, looks like I found you first.
“···Hahoe Mask. How are you here?”
Hahoe Mask.
They had had quite a confrontation not too long ago, and afterward, had made plans for him to remain in Earth for a while, anticipating their reemergence.
Unlike their past encounter where the mask was intact, it now revealed a fearsome visage, showcasing broken mask fragments attached to a skull, but it was undoubtedly the same being.
To his dismay, the face of the Head of the Buncheon Society, unexpectedly confronted with an opponent in an unforeseen location, twisted slightly in confusion.
Well? Why don’t you take a guess?
“···I see, so you’ve also been able to cross dimensions? Have you been active while traveling between this place and Earth?”
Krkhkh— do you think so?
“I had no idea there would be another who could do so besides me. This is quite a surprise. I didn’t expect it at all.”
Oh? Aren’t you just a bit arrogant? Now you know the world is wider. It’s good to know, worthy of congratulations.
“Then are those insects your army gathered in this world?”
While they exchanged a conversation masked as a psychological battle, Hans’s undead army’s elite members were moving seamlessly.
Leading the elite Death Knights, the Death Knight Lord Karam formed their lines.
The Dread Phantom Phaegus floated through the air with ghostly undead.
The Archlich Kelypha set up a massive magic circle in the back with high-ranking liches.
Including Salma and multiple Abyss Revenants, who were transcendent Awakened Ones.
In addition to them were the fiercely motivating Ghoul Lord Fiona, Doom Knight Drexler, General Spartoi Trev, and Death Wizard Malcolm—.
They all took formation, emanating dark energy that resonated with ‘death,’ swiftly tainting the surrounding space.
Kuoooh——!
Kyahaa——!
Moreover, the Bone Dragon Entrasio and Heratos soared through the sky, gazing down at the scene.
Though the number of their elite troops was only a few hundred, having brought only the top echelon of the undead legion, their combined might—each honed to a significant level along with the death power bestowed by Hans—was not to be underestimated.
‘···No wonder I felt a sense of déjà vu while trapped in the Abyss. It was the same power that Hahoe Mask used.’
The Head of the Buncheon Society clicked his tongue, his brow furrowing at the energy resonating with the warriors.
Back then, he hadn’t thought much of it, deciding it was all a part of the world’s remnants.
“Yes, Hahoe Mask. Honestly, I’m surprised. I never thought you’d be hiding in a place like this after fleeing from Earth. But the fact that you’d show up before me and not keep hiding means… you’re confident this time, aren’t you?”
As he finished with a tone of mockery, a weighty aura surged from his body.
Gooohh—
Indeed, it was an aura matching his notorious reputation.
That alone caused the interconnected power of the elites nearby to shake, making them step back one by one.
Krkhkhk, you’re being long-winded. You’ll understand it once you experience it directly.
As he quietly observed this, more dark magic mingled with the death of the Abyss surged from Hans’s body, consuming the space.
And it clashed with the presence of the Head, rapidly intertwining within the undead elite’s bodies, awakening their diminished energy.
‘There’s no need to elaborate on the relationship between the death of the Abyss and the undead. I have no idea how useful the elite I brought as support will be, but even a little help would be appreciated.’
With tension building, Hans steeled himself for battle.
Having faced this opponent before, he certainly knew the capabilities in play.
In truth, he wasn’t particularly confident in a one-on-one fight even now.
‘But this place is different from Earth.’
Back then, he had been unable to exert his power fully due to the absence of the ‘Dimension Barrier Mitigation,’ but here it wasn’t like that.
Moreover, the top-tier elites of the undead army, in addition to the Abyss Revenants he had manufactured from Earth’s Awakened Ones, could benefit from this effect as well.
Conversely, the Holy Power wielded by the Head couldn’t be fully exerted in this dimension known as Auterica.
While it should have been irrelevant to him in Earth, he couldn’t freely use the power of an outer god in this place, especially with the presence of the Holy God!
‘That’s right, this place is… Asutera is my territory.’
Crack—
A hard sound echoed from the joints of his bony fist, but that small noise soon got drowned out by the chaos surrounding them, disappearing quickly.
‘…Do you really think I’ll let you take anything from me again?’
From the eyes of the Undead King Hans, a blue glare emitted forth.
To be honest, at that moment, he didn’t care about anything else, including the home stage.
He simply had the desire to crush his foes with all his might.
‘Even if I can’t win against you here, that doesn’t matter. I can’t let you roam freely in this world, not knowing what you might do.’
He forcibly suppressed his urge to immediately use ‘Entity Convergence.’
Firstly, he needed to prepare all connected factions for any eventualities.
Hans’s primary goal was to buy as much time as possible until his other avatars completed their tasks.
‘It’s fortunate that I’ve always been on high alert.’
The reason he could find the Head of the Buncheon Society first was simple.
This place was located in the northeastern Ion Continent, above the Zephia Republic, in the Northern Mountain Range.
It was the most effective place to gather information quickly, with hundreds of never-sleeping sentinels on guard.
Of course, that had resulted in the Banshee Queen Olivia, the information officer of the undead army, recently suffering from sleepless nights, but she didn’t mind it much as she was already used to it.
“···Alright, before I do anything else, I need to deal with you.”
At that moment, the Head of the Buncheon Society, surveying the surroundings, spoke up decisively.
Flap—
With the sound of rough wingbeats, a brilliant sunset-colored light erupted from his body, engulfing the surroundings.
Even though the output had undoubtedly weakened, the powerful Holy Power surpassed that of the Saint Heinrich.
Everywhere the death energy filled the area began to dissipate, as holes appeared, one after another.
“I might actually be better off doing this here rather than in Earth, given I won’t have to do as much there. Now, let’s see you try to resist.”
Krkhaha! Ah— let’s see you try it!
Thus, in the remote mountainous area where people’s footsteps had disappeared.
Kwaaaah—!
The second battle began between the celestial angel and the local Demon King.
*
“Briki.”
“Ah— Heinz, it’s been a while since you’ve come back··· Ugh?”
At the familiar voice, Briki turned around with a carefree expression, only for it to stiffen abruptly.
Gulp—
The sound of a small gulp followed.
However, her moment of hesitation was but a fraction of a second.
Soon, recovering her composure, she lowered her gaze and spoke again.
“Um, you… High Lord, you’ve come? You seem to have been far away… I guess you had something healthy… your face is glowing…”
“Prepare for battle right now.”
But Heinz was in no mood for pleasantries; he cut her off firmly, issuing commands.
“Yes, High Lord!”
“Oh, and.”
Responding instinctively as the military spirit ignited, her reply was followed by his additional words.
“Before that, I need this first.”
With that, radiant ruby-like Holy Blood ‘Refined Blood Essence’ flared from the tips of Heinz II’s fingers.
Gulp—
As the sound of swallowing echoed again, her gaze became fixated on the fragrant liquid.
