Chapter 126
[I am the ruler of Deathland.]
Thud.
No sooner had Prince finished speaking than Maelyn collapsed to the ground. Her pupils wavered, then she fell flat on the floor.
"Maelyn!"
"Urgh!"
This time, Dick fell, clutching his mouth. The vampire Kamibarez held on until the end, but eventually her eyes drooped shut and she lost consciousness.
[Hmm.]
The only one still standing was Simon.
[You’re holding up well. Are you used to the stench of corpses?]
‘Damn! So that was the problem.’
The horse carcass Prince had brought. Simon immediately kicked it into the flowing sewer water.
Some sort of toxic gas was leaking out from that corpse.
[Well, it wouldn’t be fun if they all collapsed this easily.]
With a hardened expression, Simon tapped Feer’s avatar twice.
‘Feer, it’s this guy, right?’
[What?]
At the sight of Prince, Feer’s eyes widened and he shouted.
[Prince!!]
Clang!
Feer’s avatar shouted aloud. Prince also rolled his eyes toward the avatar of Feer hanging on Simon’s school uniform.
[So it was you after all! And even knowing that, you dare attack us?]
[You haven’t changed one bit. Not even a little. Feer.]
Prince swept his bangs back and replied calmly.
[Cut the crap and join the Legion! That boy is Richard’s son!]
[Yeah, I figured. He looks a lot like him.]
Prince gripped his neck and creaked it slightly.
[There are a lot of zombies there, right? I’d say it’ll take at least twenty minutes for you to break through them and get here. Before that—]
Prince raised the corners of his lips.
[I’ll tear your contractor to pieces.]
Exuding killing intent, he strode forward.
A sudden 1v1 against an Ancient Undead.
Simon swallowed hard and summoned skeleton archers, spreading them around him.
‘If I go down, the rest of the team is in danger too.’
Shff.
Prince bent into a low stance.
"......!"
Then, without any further movement, he appeared right in front of Simon, fist pulled back.
Vwooooom!
Simon hastily leaned his head back. Prince’s fist swept past just in front of his eyes with a vicious trajectory.
The gust from the punch slammed into the sewer wall, and a screeching noise like a scream ripped out.
‘If I take even one proper hit, I’m done for!’
But this was a counter chance.
Simon immediately planted his left foot and lifted his right heel.
Twisting his waist, he launched a counterpunch with his right fist, striking Prince’s face at an ideal angle.
Smaaack!
A dull thud like flesh caving in rang out.
It felt like it landed solidly.
But—
"......!"
Prince was smiling calmly.
Sss—
Another punch came flying from the other side. Simon dodged it by collapsing sideways onto the ground.
‘This lunatic!’
Simon looked at his fist.
Even though it was shrouded in Darkness, it throbbed and ached. Like punching a massive rock.
[That was lukewarm.]
Prince didn’t look fazed or stiff in the slightest. Simon gritted his teeth and extended his arm.
Thunk!
An arrow embedded into Prince’s back. Prince turned his head to look at it.
Thwack!
Thunk!
One in his shoulder and thigh each, followed by hits to his arm and chest.
But Prince kept walking forward unfazed, as if nothing had happened. Some arrows even bounced off harmlessly.
‘Gah! What kind of absurd durability is this?’
Cutting the mental link with the archers, Simon opened a subspace right in front of him.
Crunch!
Thwack!
Two Skeletons leapt out of the subspace and swung their weapons. One’s spear stabbed Prince’s abdomen, the other’s sword slashed at his neck.
[What are you doing?]
But the weapons wouldn’t pierce him.
Despite the skeletons straining with all their might, nothing worked. Prince casually waved an arm like swatting flies, and the skeletons shattered.
‘What kind of monster is this……’
A chill ran through his gut. This was an Ancient Undead.
With Feer and Erzebet often rolling around without any dignity, it was easy to forget, but they truly were beings that far surpassed human understanding.
[Is this really it? Legion Commander.]
Prince grinned, raising a foot to stomp on the collapsed Simon. Simon grinned right back.
"Not a chance."
Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom! Vwoom!
In the moment of Prince’s carelessness, six subspaces opened, and Overlord’s blades shot out like spears.
They pushed Prince back and slammed him into the sewer wall. The sewers shook with a loud crash, and debris fell from the ceiling.
Simon exhaled deeply and got to his feet. He could see Prince pinned to the wall by six blades.
Crack.
Craaack.
But even Overlord’s blades couldn’t fully cut through Prince. They merely pinned him there, barely piercing the surface of his skin.
[Now that’s impressive.]
Prince grabbed the blades pinning him. Veins bulged on the boy’s slim arms as he twisted the blades aside with brute strength.
Screech. Screech.
Prince freed himself with sheer force and dropped to the ground.
Clicking his tongue, Simon had no choice but to retrieve the Overlord blades.
‘Seriously.’
Simon’s eyes sparkled.
His rage, fear, and tension toward the enemy slightly faded, and a strange instinct suddenly surfaced.
‘I want this guy.’
Beyond being an enemy, he was awe-inspiring.
If Simon wanted to make a living as a necromancer specializing in Summonology, he had to master zombies no matter what. How convenient would it be to have a General like this under his command?
He wanted to know more about him.
"Prince."
[Hmm?]
"Let’s at least understand why we’re fighting. Why are you hostile toward me?"
Prince scowled.
[Why the hell should I tell you that?]
"I’m going to revive my father’s Legion. To that end, I’m gathering his former comrades. If there’s any misunderstanding between us......"
[Misunderstanding?]
Prince sneered.
[What misunderstanding? That your father lost his mind over a priestess and threw us away like garbage before disbanding the Legion? That’s a misunderstanding?]
Prince approached with a furious expression.
Simon immediately sent the Overlord blades, but Prince didn’t even bother dodging. Slashed by the blades, pierced by arrows, he simply walked, scattering black blood on the floor.
[I’m sick of being tied to necromancers.]
Prince declared.
[I will become the king of this place!]
With a sudden acceleration, Prince burst toward Simon. Simon instantly raised his fingers.
‘Tear up!’
Prince caught the blade shooting up from the floor with his bare hand and swung a punch. Simon formed a guard by bringing both arms together.
Crack!
"......!"
The guard was shattered in a single blow, and the fist slammed into his chest. Simon’s body was hurled several meters away.
‘Guhh!’
An excruciating pain as if a spike had been driven through his lungs.
His senses snapped awake. Guarding was not an option. He had to dodge. Dodge no matter what.
‘Run!’
No blocking. No counterattacks.
Pure hit-and-run.
Simon only ran, sent blades, and fired arrows from the archers. As he kept doing so, Prince’s face—normally unfazed by attacks—began to show confusion.
‘Without a finishing blow, he’s just bleeding himself dry.’
While evading Prince’s attacks, Simon suddenly opened his palm in a sneak move.
‘Exhaust!’
The most versatile debuff curse hit Prince’s body. But the moment it touched his chest—clang!—it shattered.
[Student-level curses won’t work.]
‘Even curse immunity……!’
Grinning, Prince launched a kick. Simon rolled across the ground to evade, then sent blades again, barely nicking Prince’s skin.
“Haa! Haa!”
Dodging and retreating nonstop had finally taken its toll.
At some point, the ring on his left hand had grown as hot as a boiling kettle, and his breath was caught high in his throat. The wall was at his back, and he couldn’t muster any more strength in his body.
[Looks like you’ve hit your limit. Then now,]
Prince extended his arm and grabbed Simon by the neck.
[I’ll kill you.]
As Prince’s grip tightened, Simon let out a strained smile.
Prince’s brow twitched.
[You still have the leisure to smile, even now?]
"...Dying, ...who said..."
Sshk.
Suddenly sensing movement behind him, Prince turned around.
Kamibarez, who had been unconscious on the ground, was now staggering to her feet. Her hair rose, and from her eyes, tears of darkness like blood streamed down.
"Take your hand off him!"
A fierce wave of Darkness surged from her body.
"Now!!"
<Bleeding Overflow>
Sshhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
From every wound Prince had suffered so far at Simon’s hands, black geysers of blood began to erupt.
Prince’s pupils shook violently.
‘Bleeding magic?’
"Simon!"
Dick’s voice rang out. Simon, catching a spear that had flown through the air, immediately stabbed it into Prince’s left arm.
As expected, Dick’s enchantment was different. The spear managed to dig into Prince’s arm, and with the added effect of the Bleeding magic, blood drained out, finally loosening Prince’s grip.
Simon dropped to the ground, coughing.
"Simon, fall back!"
Maelyn, who had somehow climbed up and was now standing on the sewer ceiling, came down, swinging her arm wildly.
A step above even Dark Flare among dark fire spells—
<Dark Prominence>
Kwoooooooom!
A jet of pitch-black flame engulfed Prince’s body. It surged like liquid waves, burning Prince over and over again.
Just narrowly outside the range, Simon coughed and struggled to his feet. Beside him, Kamibarez’s strained voice came.
"...S-Simon! Are you okay?"
"Ah, yeah."
There wasn’t some elaborate plan.
Just a few minutes earlier, when Simon’s guard had broken under Prince’s punch and he’d been thrown back, he had noticed Kamibarez awakening.
He figured he had to use her power.
While drawing Prince’s attention as much as possible, Simon steadily inflicted small wounds on him. Kamibarez must have picked up on Simon’s plan and quietly prepared the Bleeding Overflow spell, activating it at the critical moment.
Of course, the fact that Dick and Maelyn had also awakened after being unconscious was more than Simon had hoped for.
‘Now there’s a window for a counterattack?’
But considering Prince’s absurd durability, this wasn’t enough to bring him down.
Kamibarez, seemingly overwhelmed by the recoil of casting the Bleeding spell in her poor condition, lost consciousness again. Maelyn and Dick, who had just regained consciousness, also looked to be in a terrible state.
Fwoooooooosh!
Right then, Prince burst through the flames and shot toward Maelyn like an arrow.
Thump!
Maelyn was hit by Prince’s fist and sent flying. Though her Keyzen uniform flashed, activating its defense, it couldn’t block the impact.
She let out a choked gasp and lost consciousness.
"Maelyn!"
Dick charged in, his short sword imbued with Darkness. Simon shouted,
"Dick! Get ba—!"
Crack!
Too late. Dick was slammed into the opposite wall and fell unconscious.
[You really thought you could beat me?]
Despite his entire body being scorched and grotesquely disfigured by the black flames, Prince was smiling.
[Don’t crawl up here.]
Prince snapped his fingers.
BOOOM!
Suddenly, a massive hole opened in the sewer ceiling. From it, over a dozen zombies dropped down.
[Eat them all!]
–Uuuuuuaaaaaaaagh!
The zombies rushed toward Simon. He let out a long sigh and drew his arms back.
"You’re taking your time, aren’t you?"
[What?]
Clack clack clack!
Bones flying through the air assembled onto Simon’s arms.
[No way!]
Clack!
Next, the greatsword of destruction flew into Simon’s hand. With a light swing, he cleaved through six zombies at once.
[You cut through that many that fast...?]
"Prince. From this point forward, I won’t fight as a 'student'... but as the 'Legion Commander'."
Bones from Feer flew through the air, clicking together to armor Simon’s body. As he approached completion, he spoke in a calm tone.
"I’ll give you one last chance. Will you join the Legion? Or..."
[Don’t make me laughhhhh!]
Just as Prince roared and tried to charge in—
Whoosh!
Simon’s body flashed like lightning, and in an instant, he was behind Prince. Feer’s helmet, the last piece, landed on Simon’s head.
‘...Damn it!’
Prince couldn’t turn his head. He’d used up too much stamina earlier fighting those brats, and now couldn’t react.
A white blade slashed forward in a brilliant arc.
Ssshrk!
It drove deep into his neck.
Simon planted his right foot firmly on the ground and, letting out a forceful battle cry, pushed the sword with all his might.
With a wet splitting sound, red flesh was ripped open in two, and at last—
Srrrk!
Simon’s greatsword sliced cleanly through the air.
Prince’s head was flying through the air.
Superb.