Chapter 118. Counterattack (2)
Fight for humanity.
Kill humanity's enemies.
It was the simplest, strongest sense of purpose Kim Jeonghyeon held.
Slash!
With a single sword stroke, Jeonghyeon cleaved through countless undead soldiers.
"This is a world made of thoughts. I can achieve more here than I could in reality... or so he said."
"Who the hell...?! Is that the one inside you?!"
"Ah. Yeah. Uldran. He's a friend of mine."
A space of imagination and unreality.
Jeonghyeon floated his body upward there.
Then, a circular halo symbolizing the power of Solgaleh's awakeners formed above his head.
In this space, at least, Jeonghyeon could fight like one of Solgaleh's awakeners.
"What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?"
The light of divine power. It was poison to the undead, who embodied darkness.
"Die!!"
Hain reached out toward Jeonghyeon in rage.
A massive undead dragon erupted from the ground behind her, shattering the entire castle as it lunged at him.
"Sorry. My light's a special remedy for undead."
Jeonghyeon swung his sword indifferently, and holy light crashed down from the sky like thunder.
Boom!!
Spear of Torment.
It was a technique from Jeonghyeon's prime, one that no thousands of other hunters could overcome.
The thunderous light vaporized the undead dragon in an instant.
"Let's take a peek at your memories."
Jeonghyeon snapped his fingers again.
Fragmented memories bloomed between Hain and him.
"No! Please!!"
A young Hain from unknown origins, a slave enduring discrimination and persecution.
Scenes of beatings, enduring humiliation while building up rage.
After memories filled with anger and sorrow passed, an intriguing scene unfolded.
She received a revelation from the Frost Praise Dragon Hila.
Learning Hila's power from someone breathtakingly beautiful, identical in form to the current Hain.
"Ho ho."
"Damn it...! Please... stop now!"
Even as Hain wailed in pain from the memories, they kept coming.
Happy times with her teacher, but returning to grueling labor and contemptuous abuse.
Eventually, Hain awakened the ability to manipulate undead by twisting her own mana.
Her teacher tried to stop her, but perished in the struggle, becoming the first undead.
Having lost her only ally, Hain took on her teacher's form in fury.
Seducing countless nobles, she turned them into undead puppets and seized control of the entire Andellia Kingdom.
Finally, after turning the whole kingdom undead, Hain lost her life's meaning—until a familiar figure appeared.
"Aigoo, you poor little thing. You think living like that will erase that empty vengeance?"
Armor like a tuxedo jacket in black-red from head to toe, woven with faint blood-red sheen like dragon scales.
Elegant white hair contrasting his uniquely irritating demeanor.
Blood-red eyes.
Malekith...!!
It was the Demon King Jeonghyeon loathed so deeply.
Malekith approached Hain, already queen of the undead, treating her like a child.
"Little thing? Who the hell are you...!"
"Come with me. I'll fill that void in your heart."
"What void? What do you even know about me?"
Malekith gave Hain the same sly grin he'd shown Jeonghyeon.
"Truth is... when you killed that teacher of yours, it felt good, didn't it?"
"..."
"You want to kill more. Turn more into your army."
When Malekith gently touched Hain's cheek, she nodded blankly, entranced.
It seemed she became Malekith's loyal subordinate, claiming the rank of Archduke in the demon realm.
"...Yes."
Then, Malekith in the memory turned, staring straight at Jeonghyeon.
"Seen all the memories? See you next time."
"What? You bastard, how do you—?!"
Crack!
Startled, Jeonghyeon tried to call out to Malekith, but cracks already spread through the memory.
Shatter!
With a violent roar, both Jeonghyeon and Hain were ejected from the memory.
Just as Uldran dwelled in Jeonghyeon's mental world, Malekith had existed in Hain's.
What the hell was Malekith's true power?
Panic aside, back in reality, Jeonghyeon had work to finish.
A glance around showed all undead fallen or dead.
Around Hain stood not manticores or giant undead bugs, but Jeonghyeon's comrades.
"Well, anything else to do?"
Invading another's mental world brought immense stress.
Reality's air churned, gravity pressing on his skin.
Struggling, Jeonghyeon raised Blood Dissector to Hain's throat.
A man with red pupils and the Demon King's Eye holding a blade to her throat; a pale, fragile woman trembling before him.
To onlookers, Jeonghyeon would seem the villain.
Ironically, it mirrored Malekith and Hain's encounter.
But the difference: Malekith had come to recruit her as an ally.
Jeonghyeon had come to kill her.
"If not, time to di—"
Then, a zombie's scream-like voice rang from behind.
"No! You can't kill her!"
"?"
The zombie blocked Jeonghyeon.
"If you kill Hain like this... the undead will lose control!"
"...What the hell does that mean?"
"I don't know how she gained a sense of self... but she's clever."
Hain smirked wickedly.
"If she dies, all undead lose their egos and attack indiscriminately."
A final suicide bomb?
"Hah. You think we can't handle the undead here?!"
Philip stepped forward, but the zombie bowed her head.
"The forces aren't just here... Hain hasn't spread the plague yet."
"Plague...?"
Jeonghyeon's face hardened at the word.
So the plague hasn't spread yet!
In his previous life, by the time Jeonghyeon started acting, the plague had already ravaged Afraksas and even the present world.
The reason Malekith was so strong...!
By the time humans conquered the Tower and reached Afraksas, the plague had spread.
Most races had turned undead; Hain who created them, and her master Demon King Malekith, wielded that power.
If the plague spread again, Malekith—lord of demons and undead—could regain strength.
Uncontrolled undead could spread it anywhere.
When Jeonghyeon killed Hain before, the plague had already swept Afraksas once, so no issue—but not now.
"So, what now?"
Blade still at Hain's throat, Jeonghyeon shot back at the zombie.
"Use the protective magic passed down through Andellia Kingdom generations... to purify Hain."
Jeonghyeon brightened at the zombie's words.
"That's possible?"
"If we have Frost Praise Dragon Hila's mana... yes."
Garibaldi stepped up.
"Everyone in Andellia is dead! How do we get Hila's mana?!"
"That's... the problem."
Hain stayed silent.
She didn't seem to know, eyes scheming exploitation.
"Hey, Hain."
"Yes~?"
"If you can turn them undead, can you revert them?"
"Who knows if that's... possible~?"
"You're using Frost Praise Dragon Hila's mana."
"..."
Her reaction confirmed it.
The zombie was right.
Hain was a human from Andellia's royal line, twisting that power for undead.
Paradoxically, the last Andellian was Hain.
To purify all these undead, Hain was needed.
Is that what you meant, Malekith?
Not about taking or discarding Hain's power—but whether Jeonghyeon, who despised her, would embrace her himself.
Or kill this plague mass and fend off endless uncontrolled undead.
Could he accept even loathsome Hain? Bear that weight?
Malekith had posed that question.
In that moment, Jeonghyeon lowered his sword.
"Jeonghyeon-nim!"
"See... you can't kill me? You need me."
Hain smiled faintly at his action, but Jeonghyeon shook his head.
"Not because of you."
He turned fully from Hain, facing the zombie squarely.
"You... how do you know about the plague?"
"That's..."
The zombie hesitated.
But Jeonghyeon could feel it.
"You're that teacher."
"...!"
The zombie's body shook visibly.
Jeonghyeon recalled the memory.
The woman who taught Hain, bearing her current form.
The plague was info unknown save to Malekith and Hain.
Even Jeonghyeon learned only after reaching Malekith.
So she knew Hain well.
Knew Hain's mana, undead healing, Frost Praise Dragon Hila...
Yet retained ego against Hain's forced undeath.
This zombie was Hain's teacher.
Precisely, as the first undead before Hain grew this strong.
Joy lit Jeonghyeon's face. If she taught Hain Hila's power, she could too.
"Can you use Frost Praise Dragon's power in your current state?"
"If I have mana... I remember how...!"
"Good."
Jeonghyeon gripped his sword again, turning back to Hain.
"Ha... haha! You think I'll help?! My power is already for Demon King Malekith—!"
"No need."
Leisurely, Jeonghyeon raised his left hand—swordless.
Pure white mana of Frost Praise Dragon Hila welled from his fingertips.
"I've already absorbed Hila's mana from your memories."
Absorbing Frost Praise Dragon Hila's mana.
When used with Flames of Ignirn, Purifying Flames can be used.
When used with Mind Dragon's power, Qi Circulation can be used.
When used with Demon King's power, abilities are greatly reduced.
As in the memory, Jeonghyeon snapped his fingers.
Pure white Frost Praise Dragon mana flowed straight into the zombie.
"Guh... Graaaah!!"
As the near-light mana entered the undead zombie, she screamed in agony.
Just like Hain had.