Just as the thought, ‘I’m going to die,’ flashed through my mind, someone stepped in front of me.
It was Zeke.
Clang—!
“Fall back!”
With his sword wreathed in deep blue Aura, Zeke knocked aside the demon’s blade and immediately rushed forward.
Then Zeke’s and the demon’s swords tangled chaotically in midair.
Normally, the demon’s cheap iron sword should have snapped helplessly before Aura, becoming nothing more than a piece of iron and a hilt.
But that did not happen.
Why?
Because the demon was using Aura as well.
Jet-black Aura, perfectly befitting the word “demon.”
However, as I watched closely, I noticed something.
‘That bastard isn’t in perfect condition.’
[Indeed. It is injured.]
That was right.
I had been too shocked earlier to notice properly, but the demon fighting Zeke was not in normal condition.
Its body was covered in gruesome wounds, and its left shoulder—the hand that did not hold its sword—hung so loosely that it looked ready to fall off at any moment.
And it was not difficult to guess the cause of those wounds.
‘Merlin’s… knights.’
That was right. They had done this.
Around the time I had figured that out, Ancestor shouted again.
[Zeke cannot hold out for long either. Possess me immediately!]
It certainly looked that way.
At first glance, Zeke appeared to be pushing the demon back, but—
‘That bastard has room to spare.’
It felt as though the demon had the confidence to brush Zeke aside whenever it wished.
So without delay, I had Ancestor possess Golgol.
But—
‘How long can he last? Five minutes?’
Would five minutes be enough?
I did not know.
Honestly, I did not fully know the combat ability of Ancestor after possession.
All I could do was trust him.
Then—
[The shield and sword! The Greatsword is too heavy to wield one-handed!]
“Yes!”
I handed over Krasion, my ultimate shield, and my longsword. Ancestor immediately ran in and joined the fight.
Zeke seemed inwardly startled by Ancestor’s sudden arrival, but, as expected of an outstanding knight, quickly regained his composure.
Thus began the two-against-one battle.
Ancestor and Zeke smoothly pressured the demon like brothers whose names both began with “K.”
At this point, even I could only be amazed.
‘He’s this strong?’
Zeke was one thing.
I already knew Zeke was strong.
But Ancestor?
‘I knew he had been remarkable in his youth, but…’
Ancestor was currently in Golgol’s body.
A fragile skeleton’s body.
Moreover, he was using a longsword instead of his primary weapon, the Greatsword.
And that was not all.
‘He cannot even use Aura, so if he mishandles a single swing, his weapon could go flying.’
In other words, he was fighting under penalties on every front.
Yet even in that situation, Ancestor led the battle with the skill of someone who had fought this way his entire life.
Yes, he was truly “leading” it.
Clang, screeech—!
Whenever the demon’s assault seemed dangerous, Ancestor boldly stepped in with his shield to break its momentum. Then, when its attacks concentrated on him, he deftly maneuvered Zeke to the front.
Zeke supported Ancestor accordingly, but whenever Zeke was about to crumble, Ancestor would unfailingly thrust out his shield.
Stepping in, stepping out.
Blocking, striking.
Every transition from attack to defense and defense to attack flowed as smoothly as a well-rehearsed play.
His body lacked the destructive power Zeke possessed because it could not use Aura, but his experience made up for that power.
Still, how should I put it?
Even while watching that near-acrobatic offense, something felt wrong.
What was this unease?
‘Is it because I’m low on mana?’
No, that was not it.
At the current pace, we could corner the demon and cut off its breath before five minutes had passed.
There was enough time.
Then why?
It did not take long for me to realize the source of my anxiety.
[No!]
Along with Ancestor’s cry of shock, a loud clang rang out.
A sword spun through the air.
“Ah!”
This time, it was Zeke who cried out.
That was right.
The owner of the sword soaring into the air was Zeke.
‘What? What just happened?’
Even though I had been watching the entire time, I could not understand what had happened.
All I could tell was that the demon had knocked Zeke’s sword away with some extremely advanced swordsmanship.
Then let us consider this.
…What happens to a knight who loses his sword in battle?
The answer was simple.
‘Death.’
[Damn it—!]
Ancestor urgently charged the demon with his shield raised, but the demon shoved him away with its shoulder as if it had expected it.
It immediately readied its sword and rushed at Zeke.
Had he sensed his own death?
A resolute light suddenly filled Zeke’s eyes.
Then—
“…”
In that fleeting instant, my eyes met Zeke’s. It was impossible both in terms of time and distance, yet somehow, I could hear his voice.
Zeke was saying—
—Run.
Then Zeke spread both arms wide.
As though he would offer up his heart in exchange for restraining the demon.
In that moment, rage surged through me.
‘Valhalla, damn it!’
What was I doing right now?!
Who was I?
Ktun Palaon!
Had I been born in the North, I would have stopped Ragnarok. Had I been born in Greece, I would have stopped the Gigantomachy.
Odin? Heracles?
They were merely ordinary men born in an age without me!
And yet I was hiding behind others and merely watching?!
‘Valhallaaaaa!’
With an inner roar, I drew out my fury.
The blood of a warrior, briefly dormant, surged through me, and a fierce heat set my mind ablaze.
But what could I do?!
Think. Think!
‘No.’
A warrior acts with his heart, not his head.
The moment I realized that—
Snap—!
Something blocked within my mind burst open.
From the moment I underwent the Blood Awakening Ceremony and received the Blessing of Death until now, every concept of Necromancy I had seen, heard, and felt shattered into fragments…
Clatter!
And linked together like chains.
…“Fog,” “Ghoul,” “Zombie,” “Skeleton,” “Death,” “Bone,” “Corpse,” “Domain,” “Rage,” “Sorrow,” “Caster,” “Demon”…
Those interwoven concepts took the most familiar form I could manifest and appeared in the world.
They were chains made of bone.
But I knew.
Even these would not be able to do anything to that demon’s Aura.
‘Then…’
Bind its body.
Clatterrrrr!
The bone chains bound every part they could—the demon’s arms, legs, shoulders, head…
And when the pitch-black Aura had pierced about an inch into Zeke’s chest—
“…”
The demon’s sword stopped.
Silence fell upon the scene, a situation no one had expected.
Then my voice echoed through that silence.
“ANCESTOOOOOR—!”
[Comingggg—!]
Slice!
Ancestor’s sword cut off the demon’s arm, and then the edge of his shield, driven by his full weight, struck its head.
Thud!
The demon’s blood splattered.
But it was not enough.
I grabbed the Greatsword that had fallen to the ground and charged forward.
Then—
“VALHALLAAAAAA!”
Boom!
The sword driven vertically down split the demon’s body in two.
Cleanly.
***
Immediately after we bisected the demon—
An immense silence fell.
Neither I, Zeke, nor Ancestor could easily process what had just happened.
Let us look plainly at the events.
In other words—
‘The demon had been hiding its strength.’
As a result—
‘Zeke nearly died.’
It was a situation that could be summarized in just two lines, but for us, it had been a thrilling hell.
Why would it not be?!
What kind of demon was that good with a sword?
Of course, it was not as though I were a demon-racist who especially hated demons, but…
Spin—
My vision suddenly tilted.
“Y-Young Master!”
“Ah, I-I’m fine.”
It seemed I had used up all my mana.
As proof, Golgol collapsed into a heap.
For reference, Tiktak had already been dismissed some time ago.
Anyway.
“It’s… over, right?”
“Yes, I believe it is over. Ah, there is a Demon Core over there.”
“Ah, the Demon Core.”
Sure enough, a Demon Core lay where the demon had been.
It was clearly larger than the liquid monster’s one earlier…
[Looking at the Demon Core, it certainly was not in normal condition. A Demon Core from a demon of that level is only the size of a fist.]
“You know much about demons?”
[Not much. Aside from the few I encountered and killed.]
“Then why was that demon… Ah, Sir Zeke. Do not look at me like that. Ancestor is right in front of me.”
“Pardon?”
Zeke looked at me as if he could not understand, but unfortunately, I no longer had the energy to explain.
My eyes were already closing even now.
Hm, I should not close my eyes right now.
‘We have to take care of the hostages too… Ah, right. What happened to the soldiers guarding the entrance?’
The five-man standing army, including treacherous Milo and wise old Sir Herben.
Were they safe?
“That fucking bastard…”
I regretted killing it so cleanly by splitting it in two.
If it was responsible for our soldiers’ deaths, it should not have been allowed such a clean end.
No, more importantly—
‘What happened to the Necromancer?’
As mana exhaustion made my head spin, all kinds of thoughts fragmented and floated through my mind.
I really should not have let it die peacefully.
Peacefully…
Ah, I truly could not stay awake any longer.
“Sir Zeke, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Y-Young Master!”
[Rest peacefully. There does not seem to be any danger nearby.]
Yes, Ancestor.
But something was stirring in my mind.
Necromantic inspiration.
‘As expected, I really am a genius…’
That was where my memory ended.
***
After Ktun collapsed—
Zeke carefully laid Ktun on the ground and silently looked down at him.
“Young Master.”
To be honest, he understood now.
At their first meeting—
—As a noble, I bear responsibilities. And those responsibilities are heavier than my convictions as a knight. Thus, I cannot yield to you here. Regardless of the outcome of our duel, my life is not mine alone. So choose.
—…What do you mean?
—Either see this through here, or quietly withdraw.
—And if I choose to see this through…?
—One of us will not see tomorrow’s sunrise. And I guarantee that the one closing his eyes will be you.
He now knew that those words had ultimately been nothing more than bravado.
If they had gone all the way, it would probably have been the Young Master who closed his eyes. If he had handled things properly, he might even have captured the Young Master after he had exhausted himself and collapsed.
But it was not Ktun’s strength that won Zeke’s admiration. It was his character.
Look at what had just happened.
In that instant when their eyes met and Zeke sensed death—
The fury burning in Ktun’s eyes.
There were few lords who would mourn a knight’s death, and even fewer who would rage over it.
Even then, it was usually no different from the regret felt when a finely sharpened blade broke.
But Ktun was different.
He had felt genuine, burning anger at Zeke’s danger.
Was that why?
Zeke felt ashamed of himself.
‘If I had truly cared for the Young Master… rather than fighting alongside him, I should have sacrificed my life from the start to get him to safety.’
But he had not.
Why?
…There were many reasons, but all of them were excuses.
‘My loyalty was simply only worth that much.’
But at this moment, Zeke swore.
“I will truly follow you with my life.”
After offering those words, Zeke gathered the Demon Cores and the gems that had formed the fog’s magic circle. He slung Ktun over one shoulder and the two girls over the other, then left the cave.
How long had he walked?
At the exit—
“Gasp! Zeke, are you all right?!”
“Milo…? How are you here? No, you are not dead?”
Zeke’s eyes widened as he discovered Milo and the soldiers, whom he had believed to be dead.
Considering that demon’s strength, they should not have been able to survive.
“I almost died. A black fellow suddenly appeared and started swinging a sword around… If he had not rushed into the cave right away, as though he were in a hurry, we would surely have died. But are you all right? What about the Young Master? What happened to that creature?”
“I will explain as we go. It is a rather long story.”
With a sigh of relief, Zeke walked out of the cave.
Meanwhile, Ark, who had been calmly watching the scene, was able to roughly grasp what had happened.
[So that was why it targeted the first demon’s Demon Core.]
It had likely intended to consume the Demon Core and regain its strength.
But there was something strange.
[How did it know that the first demon had died?]
Something unsettling hung in the air.