Chapter 115. Death Knight (1)
"Hey, who the hell's gonna buy that fairy tale bullshit? You're Hain Al Gul, aren't you? You're trying to trick us right now. Right?"
Junseok, his rage boiling over, grabbed the zombie by the scruff of the neck and hoisted it up.
"Grk... grrrk!"
The zombie grimaced in agony, dangling from Junseok's grip and kicking futilely.
Sizzle!
Even as the potent acid from its body seared burns into Junseok's skin, he refused to let go.
"Hey, Junseok! What the hell are you doing? This isn't like you!"
Only after Garibaldi barely managed to intervene did the zombie slump powerlessly back to the ground.
"Garibaldi, you can't side with it either. We're hunters who kill monsters, not monsters' buddies!"
To Jeonghyeon's eyes, Junseok looked somehow tormented.
"Junseok."
When Jeonghyeon called out to him, Junseok snapped back irritably.
"Quit calling me 'Junseok' like we're buddies. I'm not your damn comrade..."
"You've lost someone to the undead, haven't you."
Jeonghyeon's words plunged the surroundings into a chilling silence thick enough to cut.
Junseok's eyes wavered.
His lips twisted bitterly, and he spat out each word like venom.
"Yeah. The person I loved, the one I cherished most, my family—they all got killed by undead and turned into them. And I had to kill them myself. Happy now?"
Junseok glared at Jeonghyeon with murderous intent, stepping close enough to bump foreheads as he seized his collar.
"Other monsters? Fine, whatever. I'd just team up with the demonkin or something. But undead? Get me the hell out of here. I ain't living face-to-face with those things."
Thud.
Jeonghyeon placed his hand over Junseok's, which had yanked him up by the collar.
"I've lost precious people to the undead too."
He wasn't dismissing Junseok's pain.
But Jeonghyeon had lost far more comrades than Junseok could imagine—comrades who'd shared every hardship from the start like the ones here, figures like Garibaldi who were no different from mentors, even rivals tangled in love-hate bonds.
Watching those comrades die before his eyes had filled him with the same fury and hatred Junseok felt now.
Maybe that's why he'd liked Junseok's spirited energy from the start—it reminded him of his own past.
"I'm not saying we save or help this zombie. Like Garibaldi said, it might really be Hain Al Gul. But..."
Jeonghyeon paused, then spoke slowly.
"Understand this: you and I share the same goal."
"Goals my ass. Says the guy walking around with monsters as his familiars, attacking fellow human clans?"
Junseok slapped Jeonghyeon's hand away roughly and turned, gathering mana.
"Whoa, check out this asshole's attitude? What the fuck's your problem?!"
Nus yelled again, but this time his outburst didn't help.
"Figure it out among yourselves. I'll handle my own escape or die fighting here. Traitor 'Demon King' bastard."
Bang!
Junseok kicked off the ground and leaped away, vanishing from Jeonghyeon's sight in an instant.
"Is... this okay?"
Philip, who'd been quietly listening, finally spoke up.
This wasn't the human-populated present world—it was Afraksas, teeming with the Demon King's minions and those hostile to humans.
Junseok, who hadn't even cleared the 50th floor of the Tower, could end up as a cold corpse soon enough, and no one would bat an eye.
"He needs time to think it over. Let's wait."
Surprisingly, Garibaldi was the one mediating.
"When I advised Kingdom Guild, Junseok had what it took to pass the 50th floor. He just held back for the guild's sake, pretending otherwise. He'll be fine for now."
Jeonghyeon nodded.
"Then now..."
Jeonghu trailed off cautiously.
Yeah. They couldn't just stand around talking forever.
Somehow, they had to kill Hain Al Gul.
"First, track the undead traces. From Elaha's Garden to the courtyard, and beyond."
"Do we have to? It probably vanished somewhere."
Nus questioned.
"Just follow."
***
Hain wasn't talented at hiding her tracks.
Her path—from where she'd come and where she was headed—was plain as day.
Reaching Elaha's Garden meant she was clearly gunning for the Demon King, whether Jeonghyeon or Horakti.
So there had to be a trail leading here.
"Whoa. She really trashed the place."
Nus clicked his tongue.
The vibrant Elaha's Courtyard had rotted into a barren wasteland haunted only by death.
After crossing far beyond it, they entered a vast, unnamed wasteland.
Afraksas spanned several times Earth's size, but unlike the present world, life wasn't clustered in dense spots.
That's why these endless, empty plains were common.
"Feel it, Nus?"
"Yeah. Can't miss it even if I tried."
Nus and Jeonghyeon alternated glances at the ground and each other.
"This ground... it's all dead."
"Seems like wherever Hain's mana touched."
Philip, Jeonghu, and even Garibaldi could now sense mana at this level without issue.
It was the path Hain had taken.
Leading a massive undead army.
Horakti's message had mentioned quite a few undead troops.
Horakti had dimension-shifted most away, and the beastkin whittled down the rest.
Yet the Hain Jeonghyeon met was alone.
Meaning she pulled her army back ahead of time...
"Hey, zombie corps. Know anything? Like where Hain's headed."
Garibaldi eyed the zombie.
It hesitated a moment, then...
"I sense it... the aura of my kin."
Aura of kin? Other undead?
Jeonghyeon pressed.
"Where from?"
"Southwest from here. Straight that way."
"Southwest... You think we'll help you just 'cause? Don't expect us to rebuild your kingdom or anything."
"No! Really! Head southwest a bit, and it'll be there!"
Jeonghyeon could understand monster speech, but that didn't mean full trust in the zombie.
As Garibaldi and Junseok feared, it might be Hain's puppet.
If it was, fine—they'd just use it to find her. Still, Jeonghyeon kept his guard up.
"Let's head straight."
And so their long, tedious trek across the wasteland dragged on.
No monsters, barely any animals.
Sand-laced winds fatigued their eyes, and Nus kept complaining.
Even Philip, with his top stamina, started breathing raggedly.
After days of rough camping, to the point where they worried about starving before finding Hain, Jeonghyeon's party finally encountered someone.
"Ha. This tired, and it's you of all people?"
Jeonghyeon let out a wry chuckle.
"Life and death, the path all beings must tread. I am the death come for you."
The Death Knight and his legions.
Among Hain Al Gul's forces, they boasted the highest mobility and loyalty—tougher foes than manticores.
The Death Knight's army.
***
Headless knights like dullahan, bloodsucking draculas, rotting zombie soldiers, skeletal troops of every race.
The Death Knight's forces, numbering at least hundreds, moved as one unit centered on their warrior core, the Death Knight himself.
Hain had waged not mere battles, but full wars against humans using them.
Ironically, the star performer back then was now at Jeonghyeon's side: Garibaldi.
But that was human vs. undead wars.
Now? Four humans and Nus.
5 vs. hundreds.
"Legions of death, hear me well."
"These guys always gotta pose first."
"From this moment, we bring our foes the ultimate equalizer: death..."
While the Death Knight droned on, Jeonghyeon planned.
"Philip, Nus—strong at multi-target. Aim to take out as many as possible at once. Jeonghu."
"Yes."
"Still down?"
"N-no."
"Target that Death Knight yapping. Hit it first."
"I'll give it everything."
Jeonghu nodded, gripping his gauntlets.
"Garibaldi, clear a path for Jeonghu."
"Got it."
Garibaldi hefted his massive greatsword and nodded.
Nus turned to Jeonghyeon.
"Why not you? You'd land it surer than Jeonghu."
"I'm the Demon King. Hain, Death Knight—they'll recognize me. I'll be priority one."
"So what're you doing?"
"Me?"
The Death Knight bellowed the charge, and the horde surged toward Jeonghyeon's party. Jeonghyeon grinned, drawing Blood Dissector.
"Bait."
BOOM!
The moment he spoke, skeleton horse riders and quadruped beast skeletons thundered toward them, shaking the earth.
"Let's gooo~!!!"
Philip roared, unleashing a full-power double strike to kick things off.
KABOOM!!!
Weaker foes exploded from the mana shockwave.
"Time to taste some undead slime mana!"
Nus formed a massive orb and spread it wide.
"Dig in~!"
The barrier-like orb began absorbing their mana.
Mana-dependent undead had no counter, collapsing as real corpses one by one.
"Alright... our turn!"
Garibaldi scattered dozens of small mana orbs into the air.
Then swung his greatsword like a baseball bat at their sides.
Bang!
The orbs streaked through the enemy ranks straight to the Death Knight.
"Thread!"
Garibaldi slashed a large mana orb.
Slash!
Plop, plop-plop!
The orb burst, scattering shards.
Fizzle!
Touching other fire-mana orbs, they chained explosions forward.
Like a long fuse.
Garibaldi's fire orbs lined up in a streak.
"Chain Explosion!"
Convinced they'd reached the Death Knight, he swung his Ignirn-charged sword.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!
Like dynamite detonating, the orbs erupted.
Whoosh...
One strike incinerated the surroundings, carving a straight path to the Death Knight.
As expected of Garibaldi!
Jeonghyeon shouted.
"Now! Go, Jeonghu!"
"Yes!!"
Jeonghu, kneeling ready, shot forward like an arrow at the signal.
Whoosh!
Before undead ranks reformed, he blazed at max speed to the Death Knight's face.
The Death Knight swung late, but Jeonghu was faster.
"This time... I strike first...!"
Jeonghu thrust his mana-wrapped fist.
Storm Dragon Fist... One Strike!!