Chapter 9: Spendthrift Necromancer (9)
Dragons are strong.
Their scales are as tough as they come.
Not only do they possess immense power backed by their colossal size, but they can also wield countless spells.
They can even fly through the skies.
Even top-tier Awakeners wouldn't dare hunt one unless they gathered in groups for a raid.
And yet, Cedric was relentlessly pushing back such a mighty dragon.
‘Nice strategy.’
Knights are land-bound.
Sure, at higher levels, there are a few ways to linger in midair, but those don't last long.
Unless you're unleashing a barrage of javelins like an idiot, there aren't many ways to take down a flying dragon.
The bone dragon was handling that mobility for him.
It clung desperately to the dragon's body.
Even made of bone, its weight was no joke.
And whenever the bone dragon pinned down that mobility…
Puk!
Cedric's spear tore through the dragon's scales.
‘Keep fighting like that.’
A thrilling display of aerial prowess. One misstep, and it was a fatal plunge.
Yet Cedric prowled the dragon's body like he was walking a tightrope, stabbing away.
Being undead made him utterly fearless.
Was it trying to shake Cedric off?
The dragon desperately climbed higher. Meanwhile, as the two undead and the dragon clashed in fierce combat.
The monster horde that had been watching the battle from behind the orcs began to move.
Kodos, whose charging power was near the top among monsters of their class.
They charged full force toward the gates.
Uwoooo!
Boom!
Boom!
Far off, the gates shook violently.
The liches and other mage classes chanted spells, but having depleted their mana pouring out attacks on the orcs, their firepower was weaker than expected.
The giants didn't sit idle either.
Their massive weapons slammed into the gates already battered by the kodos.
Wyverns dove from the sky, snatching undead mid-chant, while the death witches cast spells to bind the dullahans and death knights.
‘This is gonna break through.’
Orcs could be handled somehow, but these high-tier monsters were different.
The specs were just too outmatched.
There was nothing they could do.
With the supreme commander Cedric off in the sky, the undead's movements weren't coordinated.
They seemed more frantic than before.
When they should be uniting to buy time, this was hopeless.
‘Retreat for now.’
The gates looked precarious.
If they broke, monsters would flood in like a pack of dogs.
Staying on the walls would mean getting swarmed from above and below by orcs—a pointless death.
But he couldn't just abandon his own group. Fleeing with one lich and one death knight—what could they accomplish?
Plus, bolting alone would let the orcs overrun the walls in no time.
“Hey! Hans!”
―Yes, Commander.
“You got anything like a communication orb? Something to relay to the other commanders!”
―I do.
“Get it out, quick!”
He grabbed the orb Hans pulled out.
A little mana infusion, and it glowed.
“This is Commander 16! All commanders, leave some skeletons behind and retreat from the walls to the inner keep! This is a direct order from the Supreme Commander!”
―…!
Hans's eyes rolled.
‘Sir Cedric just flew off without a word?’
But he couldn't afford to question it now.
For better or worse, the human in front of him was his temporary direct superior, and even Hans agreed retreat was the only option.
Murmurs came through the orb.
Soon, one spoke up as representative.
―… This is Commander 1. Is this real? We didn't get any separate orders from Sir Cedric.
“It's real. He mentioned it when he saved me from that dragon ambush earlier!”
Ah, yes—your Supreme Commander 'personally' saved me.
Whether he truly saw me as special or just didn't want the dragon smashing the walls was unclear.
Either way, in times like this, acting like you had connections to the higher-ups was the best play.
―… This is Commander 15. When the dragon came, Sir Cedric did protect him. Sounds legit.
A commander dropped in out of nowhere.
And Cedric himself had shielded him.
Looked like he had some serious ties to the Supreme Commander.
Plus, the retreat order made sense. The walls were on the verge of breaking.
Even if they were in charge, they'd issue the same.
―… Fine, we'll comply.
‘Yes!’
This would buy them a little more time.
Leaving the special forces behind, the undead retreated from the walls.
Less than three minutes later, the gates crumbled with a roar.
The orc horde surged in like a tidal wave and scanned the surroundings.
Clatter.
Clack.
Just worthless undead everywhere—no sign of the powerhouses they'd hoped for.
Kraaa!
The skeletons guarding the entrance had their skulls shattered.
Growl.
The orcs' gazes turned toward the small inner keep in the distance.
* * *
He looked at the undead atop the inner keep walls. Ten liches and nine death knights.
Around a hundred mid-tier undead and a thousand skeletons besides.
Pitifully fewer than when they'd started.
Worse still, the enemy's main force hadn't even moved yet.
Orc heroes leading the orc guards. Plus a ton of high-tier monsters left.
The inner keep was far smaller than the outer one. Weaker walls and gates too.
‘If it's just orcs again, maybe thirty minutes…’
If the high-tiers moved in, ten minutes tops.
And they would.
‘These bastards waited until our side's mana ran dry.’
Sending high-tiers from the start would've cost them dearly.
The defenders' mana would've been full.
But now?
Breaking the outer gates cost them maybe twenty kodos and giants. Practically no losses.
Completely surrounded.
At least one piece of good news.
“Prepare for battle! Just like we planned!”
He'd taken overall command from the death knight commanders, leveraging Cedric's prestige.
Uwoooo!
Charging kodos.
“Grease! Grease now!”
The liches and skeleton mages gathered mana.
[Lich 'Edmond' activates Grease (D)!]
[Lich 'Hans' activates Grease (D)!]
A basic spell to make the ground slippery. The kodos and giants had layers of defensive magic.
High magic resistance too—direct attack spells wouldn't do much.
But something like Grease…
Sliiiide!
Uwaaa!
One kodo slipped spectacularly. The ones behind, kodos and giants, toppled one after another.
Monsters tumbling everywhere.
Kieeeek!
“Block the wyverns! Protect the liches at all costs!”
He drew his sword to intercept a descending wyvern.
Clang!
‘Urk!’
The sheer force didn't just push him back—it sent him flying.
His wrist throbbed, maybe twisted.
He hurriedly chugged a potion on it. Ladders went up, orcs swarmed.
Amid the chaos, messages popped up.
[Skeleton 1 hunts an orc warrior! Combat experience greatly…]
[Skeleton 223 hunts an orc thrower…]
Previously they'd only managed fall deaths, but now the skeletons occasionally took down orcs. Thanks to Death Lord's effect, they were gaining experience and growing in real time.
Too bad it wasn't enough to turn the tide.
They were pushed back bit by bit.
The inner gates broke.
The walls filled with orcs.
One death knight crumpled powerlessly in a giant's grasp.
The orcs' encirclement tightened slowly.
A hopeless situation.
That's when it happened.
The dragon plummeted from the sky.
Giants and kodos beneath it were crushed.
The dragon gasped raggedly.
Its body was covered in wounds.
Soon after, in front of the undead.
Thud.
The bone dragon settled like a mountain.
‘You're here! My love!’
Cedric!
Time froze for a moment.
[You've endured on the battlefield for a set duration!]
[Basic escape condition achieved!]
[You may escape the battlefield!]
[Escape now?]
[Refusing will disable escape again.]
Nothing but messages in view.
His initial guess was on the mark.
Survive a set time, and escape. Hell difficulty, sure, but not impossible.
‘But this message feels off.’
This battlefield was built from Cedric's regrets.
Was simply surviving long enough to escape really how to claim the Death Lord's promised power?
‘No way.’
Without even knowing what the regret was.
Without resolving it.
That couldn't be the full clear condition.
‘Exiting now would be like a 30 out of 100.’
Just achieving the basic escape condition? That explained it.
‘Given his regrets, the undead side probably loses this war.’
Something in that process left Cedric with regrets.
‘We haven't reached that point in the progression yet.’
He'd learn what exactly upon further progress.
Staying was risky, no doubt.
But the rewards would be greater too.
Conclusion.
‘No, I'm not leaving.’
He'd take the risk and see more.
It wasn't a stage designed for certain death.
There was always a clear method.
Clearly.
[Escape refused!]
[Time resumes!]
Cedric looked his way.
The battle with the dragon must've been brutal.
His golden bones were battered everywhere.
―Why are you still here? You could've left.
“I don't know what you regret yet.”
―… You're risking your life just to find that out?
“Not 'just' that—it's exactly that.”
―… The Lord must've warned you. Being trapped for eons isn't a joke.
“I'm not joking around either.”
He sliced the throat of an approaching orc.
Bathed in acrid green blood.
“I'm always serious. About clearing.”
―… Very well. I respect your choice.
With that, Cedric and the bone dragon moved.
Orcs and high-tier monsters were swept away in a single attack.
Kueee!
Thump, thump!
An orc hero pounded its chest like a drum.
Ecstasy filled its eyes as it stared at Cedric.
Orcs are an incredibly warlike race. Their blood boils hottest against the strong.
It charged Cedric in earnest.
‘Oh, shit.’
The problem was the orc guards around it moving too.
Kraaa!
Two orc guards per death knight. The death knights' blades, which had carved through normal orcs like weeds, dulled in seconds.
Death knights pushed back.
And the problem was…
‘… One coming for me too?’
An orc guard barreled toward him, snorting.
They usually latched onto the strong.
Probably impressed by how he'd cut through lesser orcs.
[Orc Guard designates you as 'prey'!]
[Orc Guard's attack power against you rises 20%!]
[Directly hit by Orc Guard's roar! All stats decrease 10%!]
No winning this in his current state.
The nearby death knights and liches were all locked in frantic combat.
‘Then I'll charge too.’
Time for the trump card he'd saved.
[Consuming Strength Enhancement Potion (Top-grade)!]
[Strength +50 for one hour!]
[Consuming Agility Enhancement Potion (Top-grade)!]
[Agility +50 for one hour!]
[Consuming Stamina Enhancement Potion (Top-grade)!]
[Stamina +50 for one hour!]
[Consuming Magic Power Enhancement Potion (Top-grade)!]
[Magic Power +50 for one hour!]
[Consuming Health Potion (Top-grade)!]
[Wounds heal rapidly!]
[Consuming Mana Potion (Top-grade)!]
[Mana recovers rapidly!]
He gulped down top-grade potions worth hundreds of millions each like water.
[Warning!]
[Too many potions consumed in short time! Potion addiction!]
[Future potion effects greatly reduced!]
[Acquired title, 'Live-for-Today'!]
Potion addiction.
The body craving the potions' healing and buffs, suffering withdrawal.
And the withdrawal was severe.
‘Risky, but…’
Better than dying without them.
Plus, this wasn't his real body. Virtual, so it'd sort itself out later.
“Screw it!”
Survival first.