#64
Incident of the Shrine’s Attack (3)
《The entity grows as conditions are met. The special skill “Corrupted Heart” and “Undying” evolve into “Heart of the Undying.”》
《The entity grows as conditions are met. The skill “Mana Affinity” evolves into “Mana Domination.”》
《The entity grows as conditions are met. The special skill “Eye of the Abyss” is acquired.》
A flurry of system messages surged before Hans like a waterfall.
‘Finally!’
He had become not just a descendant of the Undead King, but the true third Undead King.
[Kuhuh, Kuhuhahaha—!]
Hans erupted into a mad laugh.
The black magic pouring out of him like a storm swept over the surroundings like waves.
“Ah… it’s really too late…”
The saint staggered in shock.
The expressions of those around her weren’t much different.
[“It’s too early to give up! This place is the most advantageous ground to face the Undead King! Prepare to fight till the last breath!”]
Cardinal Pion’s urgent voice shook their minds.
They hurriedly gathered their thoughts and lifted their weapons again.
As he indicated, this was indeed the moment when the Undead King was at his weakest.
Having just completed his transformation, he couldn’t fully control his heart, and the holy barrier of the shrine restricted his power.
If they fought with the resolve to sacrifice their lives, there was a chance, however slim.
Clenching their teeth with that resolve, they steeled themselves.
···Of course, they all knew.
That chance was nearly nonexistent.
The Undead King Hans had the ability to disregard the barrier and flee if he felt things were unfavorable.
While the church was steadying itself, Hans was evaluating what he had gained.
‘”Instant Death Immunity,” huh. No more ridiculous deaths for me!’
The first special trait he received was the “Dimensional Teleportation Circle Summon,” a reward for achieving the feat of crossing dimensions.
Thanks to that, he could now freely traverse dimensions.
‘But the level of the rewards seems a bit uneven. Sure, avoiding instant death isn’t bad, but…’
It probably depended on the difference between a “feat” and a “great feat.”
‘I can’t complain since it was handed to me on a silver platter.’
The evolved skills were a stronger form of the previous ones, so he decided to look into them later. The newly acquired skill was what caught his eye now.
The “Eye of the Abyss” was a type of magical eye.
It possessed a horrific power unmatched by anything that Harley had, like the “Gemsight: Telekinesis.”
‘With just a glance, it can instill fear and confusion, and dominate beings of a lower magical tier than itself.’
In other words, if they were weaker than Hans… just making eye contact meant they’d become his slaves, be they monsters, demons, or dark sorcerers.
Though there was a restriction that the greater the gap, the stronger the subjugation, this useful ability would greatly assist in his future plans.
‘If I got it, I should try it out at least once.’
He immediately activated “Eye of the Abyss.”
Hans’s blue gaze slowly faded, filling the empty eye sockets with darkness.
His eyes were filled with an unfathomable abyss.
“What the…!”
As his abyssal-like eyes scanned the surroundings, they seemed to absorb the light around them…
“Gah?”
“Ah, ah…”
In an instant, the surrounding air froze, and everyone his gaze touched began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Everyone, snap out of it!”
Zip—!
Just then, with a sudden loud shout, a bright burst of light erupted from the back of the church group’s side.
There stood the saint, radiating warm light like a sun halo.
[“It’s the ‘Eye of the Abyss’ of the Undead King recorded in the legends! Avoid direct eye contact!”]
[“If it’s just a glance, I can somehow block it with my divine power. But the mental corruption from direct eye contact is difficult!”]
[“A brief glance can be healed somehow. But if you stare at it for too long… there’s simply no way to deal with it, so be cautious.”]
The urgent voices of the cardinals and saint, empowered by divine power, echoed loudly in Heinrich’s mind.
‘This ability seems more dangerous than I thought, huh?’
Hans scanned them slowly again.
Thanks to the saint’s divine power, there were no overly sensitive reactions like before; however, everyone was slightly averting their gaze to avoid his eyes.
Even though gauging an opponent’s gaze is crucial in battle, Hans was in a unique situation where he had no eyes to begin with.
Not looking into his eyes didn’t incur any penalties; however…
‘Still, the mere thought of intentionally avoiding his gaze will affect battle efficiency negatively.’
It was quite a satisfying capability.
His primary ability of magical domination, along with its combat capabilities, was indeed very pleasing.
‘But it feels a bit unsatisfactory to leave right away. Such opportunities are rare, so should I try it out more?’
It was the first show of the Undead King Hans.
It would seem a bit shameful to leave immediately.
[My form is that of the embodiment of fear descended upon the continent and a harbinger of tragedy! Despair, oh, minions of the church! You have failed. Death shall blanket the streets, and sorrow and resentment will pierce the skies!]
A bold declaration made before the church’s elite.
Perhaps due to absorbing the final fragment, Hans’s excitement was notably heightened.
Every line of dialogue was strikingly provocative.
‘It’s primarily aggravating my mental health. I need to get to the main point quickly.’
[Now, let’s see you flail. Today is a good day, so I’ll gladly play with you. Hehehe!]
Hans’s skeletal staff waved, and the black magic entwined around the end spread outwards.
Ignoring the cautious church members, the black energy possessed the remains of the fallen undead on the ground.
Clank—! Thud, thud!
And before they could react, it swiftly gathered and formed dozens of lumps.
The ultimate efficiency of being able to recycle even completely destroyed undead.
[“A corpse golem! Fall back and regroup!”]
Newly added black magic from his ascension to Undead King, stemming from the “Forbidden Knowledge.”
When he granted them ample black magic, each entity appeared engulfed in black flames.
[Shall we begin this battle?]
Once again, the black aura swirled from Hans.
*
The battle raged on fiercely.
No matter how much Hans had fully inherited the heart, he was still in a state unfamiliar with that power, so he couldn’t be termed a proper Undead King yet.
Moreover, this was the shrine’s core, where the opponents he faced were also the church’s elite.
But…
[“It seems he’s becoming more accustomed to his power! Delaying further would be dangerous!”]
[“It’s a miracle there have been no casualties yet. While the holy barrier of the shrine helps, it means he is playing with us!”]
As the clashes continued, the church’s casualties grew like an avalanche.
Unlike the undead, who were no longer living, the humans would inevitably tire over time while the Undead King grew stronger with every passing moment.
[“To think the weakened state under the holy barrier is still this formidable…”]
They could only imagine how they’d fare outside this sacred ground.
[“The damage to the knights is extensive. If we delay any longer, their formation will break. We must resolve this before that happens.”]
Paladin Jonien conveyed his thoughts with a heavy voice.
The issue was that most top-tier knights had been dispatched to the Forest of Monsters.
As a result, Jonien was left alone.
Though the saint and cardinals were fiercely battling the Undead King, it wouldn’t last long if the front fell.
[“We’ve already attempted several unconventional tactics, but his responses are too swift. It’s as if he can read our thoughts…”]
[“Even so, if we continue this way, we’ll be wiped out. We need to strike while he’s careless.”]
Heinrich couldn’t help but feel a twinge at their anguish.
The church’s might had proven to be no joke; perhaps he had overestimated their ability to counter after gleaning information from him.
‘Seems it’s time to wind things down. How should I close this out?’
[“I have a good idea… Heinrich?”]
Just then, the saint called out to him.
Her next words were a situation he had long desired.
Of course, there were murmurs of concern about whether it was appropriate to entrust such a daunting task to Heinrich, who was still just a single knight…
[“Yes, I’m confident. Just leave it to me.”]
He accepted the task with an air of self-assurance.
*
The church’s offensive intensified.
Everyone poured their divine power into the Undead King like a last flame, pushing him back.
In their desperation, it looked as if they had given up on any long-term strategy, causing his momentum to briefly wane.
“Gah—!”
Among them, Paladin Jonien charged forward relentlessly, seemingly determined to keep the Undead King focused on him.
Crack!
[Did you think the same trick would work again?!]
As soon as he deflected Jonien, the attacking knights and the inquisition officers leaping from hiding followed up.
Like moths drawn to flame, they relentlessly threw themselves into the blaze.
[“Now!”]
At that moment, enormous divine power began to coalesce above the Undead King’s head and instantly became a massive pillar of light directed at him.
Whoosh—!
The barrier encasing him melted away under the power of the saint’s attack…
Simultaneously, a smaller flash glimmered amidst the pillar of light.
A tiny flow buried within the deluge of immense divine power.
[What the?!]
Hans sensed the anomaly just as a blade was closing in on him.
[When did you come this close?!]
Clang!
Reacting in shock, he swung his staff engulfed in black magic to parry the blade.
However, his martial skills were far too lacking to adequately contend with the knight’s sword.
Unless it was a surprise attack, by now such foreknowledge had little effect against someone on par with a master.
Heinrich, having approached the Undead King in an instant using the principles of stealth and the skill “Blessing: Leap,” skillfully swung his sword, bypassing all defenses.
“Haah—!”
A perfect opportunity.
The sword, imbued with shimmering divine power, shot forth like lightning…
But it was blocked by the abruptly unfurling black curtain.
Zzzt—!
In the infinite focus, time slowed down.
Though he was slowly tearing through the black veil, it felt like the pace of progress went endlessly slow.
[Impossible!]
To make matters worse, the swirling black flames of curse sprung forth from the Undead King and enveloped Heinrich completely.
“Gah!”
The divine power that had surrounded him evaporated in an instant, and he began to be devoured by the curse.
In the searing pain that burned him, his strength faded, and his senses disoriented.
···He had jumped forward with confidence, yet the final operation they had pinned their hopes on was about to fail.
At this rate… his sword would not reach the Undead King.
“No! I will not give up…!”
Black blood trickled from his nose and mouth, but he paid it no mind, gripping the sword tightly.
This was an unprecedented opportunity, made possible by the sacrifices and support of many others.
He absolutely couldn’t let it be wasted!
Heinrich gritted his teeth, compressing the divine power at the sword’s tip again and again.
As quickly as possible, to overcome this barrier and reach the Undead King!
In that infinite moment of time.
《The entity meets conditions and gains enlightenment. Special skill “Blessing: Radiant Blade” is acquired.》
In an instant, a soft light erupted from Heinrich’s body.
And the divine power that had been previously hampered began to grow explosively.
‘The third blessing!’
Simultaneously, he reached the caliber of a bishop-level divine power.
Fueled by the rapidly increased divine power, the radiance emanating from his sword intensified, yet that wasn’t all.
Utilizing the power of “Blessing: Radiant Blade” right after, the light that had been spreading from the sword converged and compressed into a razor-sharp blade.
Like a lightsaber from an SF movie.
“Gahh—!”
Zzzzz—!
The unleashed radiant sword sliced through the black veil in an instant.
And…
Without a shred of hesitation, it pierced the heart of the Undead King.
Thwump—
[Ugh! You little…!]
The compressed divine power erupting from the blade instantly ignited Hans’s entire body.
The sacred flames intertwined with the black aura surrounding the Undead King, as the flames of the curse and the soft glow enveloped the paladin.
Their strikingly contrasting yet somehow strangely homogenous appearance left a lasting impression on everyone who witnessed it.
[Cough… not bad. How dare you…!]
Boom—!
In an explosive burst, black magic erupted from his body, blowing away others who had approached.
Yet for some reason, Heinrich remained steadfast, still thrusting his sword into the Undead King’s heart.
[Kuhuhu… I was too complacent. Yes, you. Minion of the church. What is your name?]
The first person to deal a lethal blow to the heart of the third Undead King.
Hans recognized this achievement and inquired about the opponent’s name.
“It’s Heinrich… Landguard! I will bury you again in the abyss, Undead King!”
[Heinrich Landguard… Remember that name. Next time, it won’t be so easy! Kuhahaha!]
Even as his body burned like firewood, his physical form constantly underwent destruction and restoration from the clash of the divine and black magic.
[Remember this isn’t over. On the day darkness descends upon the continent, I will return!]
“Not if I have anything to say about it!”
[Well then, see you next time. Hehehe…]
With those words, the image of Undead King Hans, pierced by Heinrich’s sword and ablaze, disappeared.
As if he had never been there to begin with.
The remaining undead, protected by black magic, collapsed to the ground, beginning to burn in the sacred flames, as the battlefield fell into an immediate stillness.
Thud—
In that moment, a small noise broke the silence.
“Ah! Heinrich! Quick, heal him!”
The paladin who successfully inserted the sword into the heart of the Undead King, Heinrich, was swiftly transported to the priests.
“My word… how could he have held on till the end in such a situation…”
Even as purification continued, the insidious curse’s aura continuously leaked from his corrupted areas, drawing awe from those nearby.
It was likely that even if the healing was fully completed, he would need considerable recuperation time.
They could hardly fathom the kind of pain the one who bore the full brunt of this concentrated, vile curse must have endured…
Even amidst that extreme situation, his mental strength in defeating the Undead King was truly remarkable.
Healing for Heinrich and the other injured continued, and the battlefield was quickly organized.
“Yet, he really escaped…”
“…Still, it is fortunate we did not suffer great losses in what could have been a perilous situation. There will be plenty more opportunities in the future.”
“Haha… But now that we have struck at his heart, he shouldn’t be able to move recklessly for a while. We should unite our strength to prepare against him in the meantime.”
“It’s all thanks to him holding on until the end.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Heinrich, who lay unconscious among the priests.
That day, while the church lost the final fragment and failed to prevent the Undead King’s resurrection…
They had bought time to prepare for disaster with the birth of a new hero.
That was what everyone thought.
…Except for one person.
