Chapter 687
Simon, who had taken a short breath, parted ways with Erzebet and descended into the Abyss where Feer was stationed.
There was no enemy attack at all. Admiring Feer’s clean handling of things, as expected of him, Simon descended comfortably along the gravity of the Abyss.
Before long, the bottom of the Abyss came into view.
‘Found it!’
On top of a mountain of countless destroyed Undead remains, stood a tall skeleton, with a greatsword slung over its shoulder, exuding dignity.
With a creaking sound, he turned his skull.
[Kehehe! You came, boy!]
“Feer!”
Feer caught Simon as he descended and safely placed him on the ground.
“How about the North Star?”
[The North Star wasn’t here, but you came just in time!]
Feer lifted his gaze toward the gaping ceiling of the Abyss.
[This is just about the time their counterattack was about to begin!]
Puuuuuung!
A section of the wall burst open, and a giant worm undead came bursting out.
It was a Death Worm, the same kind Toto, his classmate, used, but this one was several times larger than what Toto could summon.
Simon’s face grew tense as he pulled up Darkness.
‘Attack after letting us reach the bottom. The same tactic as back in Erze’s case.’
Uweeeek–!
The Death Worm spat something out of its mouth, and small undead, like zombies, rained down.
[Wear me, boy!]
Clack! Clack!
Feer’s body instantly split into several pieces, latching onto Simon’s entire body. Simon smirked as he raised his right arm.
“I’m not getting in the way, right?”
Chuhck!
The moment the Bone Gauntlet clamped onto his arm, the Greatsword of Destruction appeared in his hand.
[Kehehe! Of course not! By myself, I cannot wield the power of that sword sealed within Kal!]
Wooooong–!
The pure white blade of the greatsword began to glow green.
[Kal recognizes only the Legion Commander! And against that many enemies, his power is just right!]
“Here I go!”
With a stomp so strong the ground caved in, Simon swung the greatsword twice in succession.
<Kal’s Original – Toxic Fiend Hounds>
<Kal’s Original – Poison Explosion>
In an instant, the world was dyed in green ink, and the writhing undead melted down, collapsing like porridge upon the ground.
The Death Worm that had carried them also couldn’t escape the poison, taking a direct hit. It let out a tortured sound as it dissolved.
[Kehehehe! Truly splendid! You’ve completely mastered the combo technique now!]
“Let’s go!”
With Feer worn over him, Simon ran along the wall.
Indeed, the power of a Legion Commander. His physical ability was on an entirely different level. His body stretched forward with ease, the scenery rushing backward every time he kicked off the wall.
Whiiiiiing–!
In a blink, he reached the upper airspace of the Abyss.
As Simon wondered where to go next, the sound of flapping wings echoed, followed by falling black feathers.
[Reporting on the battle situation, young master!]
It was Akemius. From the sky, he placed his hand on his chest politely and bowed his head.
“Yes, please.”
[The Legion has just conquered six Abysses, including the one you and Feer emerged from.]
Progress: 6/10.
Only four remained.
[One of those is Erzebet’s.]
In the direction Akemius pointed, cursed feathers floated in the air like a signal beacon.
It seemed he had left a marker above the Abyss so as not to lose track.
[Another one is under the charge of Pluto from the 2nd Legion. Among the generals, he was the first to conquer his first Abyss, and then entered the next.]
‘As expected of the 2nd Legion! So that explosion I saw earlier came from the next Abyss?’
The strength of a Legion Commander directly translated into the strength of their contracted Ancient Undead.
For now, the Grand Duke’s Ancient Undead was stronger than the others belonging to the 7th Legion.
[Two Abysses remain. Where shall you go?]
If Simon, Feer, and Akemius each took one, all of them would enter an Abyss.
And among those four, one would surely encounter the real North Star.
‘I’m nervous.’
Simon turned his head.
“Akemius. Do you have enough strength to fight?”
Akemius bowed respectfully.
[Of course. If it is your command, young master, I will burn my entire body to fight.]
“Survival comes first. Then Feer and I will go right, you take the left.”
[Yes!]
Akemius spread his wings.
With both hands, he gently grabbed Simon’s shoulders and carried him to one side of the Abyss. Then, flapping his wings, Akemius circled away, descending into another Abyss.
‘The final battle. The North Star might be down here.’
Throwing himself into the pitch-black tunnel, Simon gripped the hilt of the Greatsword of Destruction.
‘Wait for me!’
From within the darkness, countless eyes gleamed, awaiting the intruder.
* * *
At the same time, in Bilkenos.
Kukukukung!
Kwaang!
From the intense battles that had raged, half of Bilkenos’ city center had been devastated.
Lacking in physical prowess but wielding abnormally powerful black magic, the “Fourth” was the most troublesome to deal with among the Three Brothers.
Many citizens were injured or killed, while some, struck down by the Fourth’s black magic, rose again as zombies or skeletons to attack their fellow townspeople.
The sky was red.
The city burned, and the once-lively night market streets were soaked in blood.
Thud–! Thud–!
Finally, the “Fourth” crossed Bilkenos’ walls and entered inside. Each time he activated the magic circles he spread in the air, black flames incinerated the city indiscriminately.
The Fourth continued walking.
His destination was the “Grand Duke’s Castle” at the center of Bilkenos. Beneath it was a shelter where many Northerners hid.
If the Fourth reached it, it would be catastrophic.
“Huff… huff!”
A Northern man, clutching a wound on his chest, panted heavily. His family was beside him, his young daughter clinging tightly to him.
The family held their breath, eyes wide with terror as they stared at the “Fourth”.
A giant with a bloated, balloon-like face. The hulking figure, larger than a house, walked slowly.
Srrrk.
And stared directly at where the family was hiding.
“We’ve been… discovered…!”
A jet-black fireball shot forward like lightning.
The man, sensing his end, tried to shield his wife and daughter.
“Run.”
Puuuuuuung–!
A crimson vortex of blood clashed against the black flames, canceling it out.
The one who appeared, blocking the Fourth’s black magic head-on, was a pretty girl with two long strands of violet hair flowing down.
She wore the black Keyzen school uniform, a blood mantle draping over her shoulders.
Her eyes were crimson, her fangs glinting. Her breath was rough, as though fatigued from long battle.
‘That girl… the famous Vampire of Bilkenos!’
By now, she had become a well-known figure among the Northerners. She even had a nickname.
Ssss—
But the girl’s state was strange. Her red pupils were locked on the blood dripping from the man’s neck wound.
“……”
The world spun around that blood. Her burning throat screamed with thirst to her brain. She staggered toward him as if entranced.
“A-are you alright?”
The man’s wife spoke to her, and the girl suddenly came to her senses, clamping her mouth shut.
She bent forward, staying still for a moment, then in a strained voice said,
“Move… quickly.”
With a gesture, she conjured a blood-carpet that forced the family onto it and whisked them away to safety.
‘Blood is lacking. Dizzy. My throat feels like it’s burning.’
She had nearly sunk her fangs into an innocent. This was the side effect of unleashing Ursula’s power.
Kamibarez turned, facing the Fourth.
The Fourth too, seeing the strongest being in Bilkenos, grew wary.
‘I must fight, for the Northerners, for Simon.’
She had trained relentlessly throughout the special classes.
She never imagined she would have to use this technique in real combat.
‘I will fight!’
She opened subspace, took out the last blood pack provided by the Northerners, tore it open, and drank.
As blood supplied her body, her blurred vision slowly cleared, and reason returned.
Kuuurrrrrr–!
By then, the Fourth had already completed his attack preparations. Using gravitational black magic, he lifted the nearby houses and cursed them with black magic.
Rose thorns jutted from the doors, plague-spore mushrooms sprouted sparsely on the wooden walls. When the Fourth snapped his fingers, the tainted structures all came crashing down toward Kamibarez.
She lowered her stance.
‘Simon must be fighting somewhere in the North right now as well, right?’
Her blood mantle flapped as Kamibarez charged straight ahead.
‘Stay strong! I’ll do my part too!’
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
Contaminated building debris poured toward her, but Kamibarez instantly activated black magic. A whirlwind of blood surged upward, sweeping away the falling structures.
“I’ll return this to you!”
She thrust out her arm, and the blood whirlwind spun in the opposite direction, hurling the tainted debris back at him.
The two masses collided from both sides, and through the gap slipped the girl clad in a blood mantle.
Ta-at! Tat!
Groaning with dizziness, she did not stop. She stepped on fallen blood and sprinted forward at terrifying speed.
“Don’t let Lady Kamibarez fight alone!”
“Advance!”
From every alley, Northerners who had been lying in wait burst out.
The planned counterattack.
Everyone had been waiting for the Fourth to cross the walls.
“Fire!”
From the rooftops, arrows imbued with Darkness rained down. The Fourth raised a Darkness shield the size of his own body to block, then sent undead, raised from fallen Northerners, back toward them.
“Don’t meet the undead’s eyes! They cloud your mind!”
Godrick, the steward on horseback, thrust his remaining hooked hand forward and shouted.
“Our target is the Fourth! Look only ahead and march forward!”
The few remaining Northern cavalrymen charged fiercely at the Fourth. He drew a magic circle in his hand and pressed it against the ground.
Tududududududu!
The tiles beneath turned pitch black, then shot upward. Warhorses were struck by the flying stones and toppled.
“Graaaaah!”
Just then, a young cavalryman leapt from the rooftops, sword raised high.
“Don’t underestimate the North!”
The swing of his sword became a blade of aura in midair, slicing the Fourth’s leg. Black blood spurted.
“Now! Vampire girl!”
“Yes!”
Kamibarez, who had caught up, activated the black magic circle she had prepared in the air.
<Bleeding Overflow>
Chaaaaaaah!
From the Fourth’s leg, black blood spewed like a fountain. Though he grimaced, trying to stop the bleeding, it was useless.
With the black blood, Darkness poured out, and his leg began to wither, shriveling as if necrotized.
“Good! We’ve got—!”
Clang!
The Fourth cut off his own leg.
Since he had always treasured his body with extreme care, the warriors froze in shock. As he collapsed forward onto the ground, the Fourth unleashed black magic.
“Be careful!”
Kamibarez shouted, but too late. A whip of Darkness lashed out from the circle, striking the cavalryman. He coughed blood, flung across and slammed into a distant wall.
“Guh! Kugh!”
“Sir Rider!”
The rider stretched out his arm.
“Don’t mind me! Go on, Kami!”
Gritting her teeth, Kamibarez flung herself forward.
The Fourth again corrupted the surrounding debris and hurled it at her. Kamibarez raised a barrier of blood to endure it.
Bwooom!
The Fourth fused the tainted debris into the shape of a tower, smashing it down from above. This time, Kamibarez couldn’t react.
Thwup!
Godrick, stepping on Darkness, seized her collar and yanked her aside.
“C-Commander?”
“Go! Save the people!”
Kwaaaang!
“Please—!”
His body slammed into the pillar, swallowed by the explosion of dirt and dust. Sparks flashed in Kamibarez’s crimson eyes.
“Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!”
She leapt in one bound, reaching above the Fourth’s head. She gathered every drop of blood from her mantle and body into the center.
<Kamibarez Original – Red Typhoon>
With both arms slashed down, a massive storm of blood descended with a terrifying roar upon the Fourth. He spread his arms, summoning a defensive magic circle.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
The two forces collided, shaking Bilkenos.
But new circles began linking within the Fourth’s barrier circle.
Kiiiiiiiiiiing!
The defensive magic’s effect shifted, slowing the whirlwinds of blood.
Kamibarez’s pupils shook as she plummeted with her spell.
‘He’s seized control of my black magic!’
Her crimson whirlwind turned black, spinning in reverse.
Krrrk! Krrrk!
Magic circles formed at the Fourth’s mouth, his voice echoing.
[Father told me to restrain myself, but I can’t resist any longer!]
He raised both arms above his head.
The stolen whirlwind swelled, infused with greater Darkness.
[Goodbye, humans! I’ll wipe you out with the Vampire’s magic that once protected you!]
Kamibarez, drained, could not stop it, falling helplessly to the ground.
“Catch, Kami!”
Bwoong!
Something flew from behind her. Her eyes flickered strangely, and without even looking back, she thrust out her arm and seized it firmly.
Spin—
It was a “flag”, hurled by the distant rider.
Just before hitting the ground, she spun once midair.
“Haaaaaah!”
Thump!
And with her last ounce of Darkness, she hurled the flag. The Fourth, busy maintaining control over her black magic, could not block it, allowing it to strike his chest.
Srrrk—
The flag hit his chest, painting a black target, but it failed to pierce his skin, bouncing off and rolling away.
[Heh.]
A laugh leaked from the Fourth’s lips.
[Hahahahaha! Useless, foolish humans! The Legion Commander who protected you is in the Frost Field! Now it’s over—!]
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
[Huh?]
The Fourth’s head snapped to the side.
Suddenly, the sky turned black, as if bruised. All the fallen Northerners suddenly rose to their feet.
“That’s!”
“No way!”
The Fourth gaped.
[Impossible! This is impossible! That human was surely in the Frost Field…!]
Shweeeeeeeeeee!
The symbol of Northern victory.
From beyond the distant mountains, a black arrow shot forth, crossing the ranges in an instant.
Kwa-dududududud!
And slammed straight into the center of the Fourth’s chest.
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