Chapter 86
Chapter 86
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Those Who Worship Death (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Melisto's mockery had ended up benefiting Cain instead. In truth, it would be unfair to blame Melisto for that.
Anyone could see that the victor was the necromancer. No matter what tactics were employed, unless time itself was reversed, the outcome wouldn't change.
But who could have dared to predict it? That the opponent just happened to possess the power to truly turn back time.
Cain calmly recalled the memories from his past experiences. Burning villages, crumbling fortresses, and armies.
It had been an utterly overwhelming force... And yet the simple reason the necromancer had stayed silent until now was this:
Before the time of the ritual—that is, until the solar eclipse when the moon blotted out the sun—they couldn't wield their full power.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "Thanks to the Empire's people continuously waging war for us, we've gathered plenty of souls... but the problem is, the time hasn't arrived yet." If they weren't subjugated before the eclipse a month from now, it meant the necromancers would invade with overwhelming power.
That was precisely where Cain was at a disadvantage. Assembling an army was straightforward enough. The real issue was always logistics.
Sorting and preparing supplies for tens of thousands of troops would consume a significant amount of time on its own.
'With no knowledge of the necromancers' full strength right now, I have no idea how long this could drag on. I need to form units with whatever forces can mobilize immediately.'
Of course, that didn't mean he planned to abandon the troops. He'd prepare the main army separately while advancing first to subjugate the enemy.
Thus, this time it included Master Grandel's and Chris's knight forces. Wyverns and beastkin were mobilized as well.
Skadi, who couldn't join them, pouted her lips, but what could be done? They had to stick to the order they'd set among themselves.
"Guard the lord properly. If you don't, you'll die by my hand."
"Don't worry, sis. Who do you think I am?"
"……."
Seeing her brimming with utter nonchalance, Cain stared at her with a look of utter exasperation. In any case, the vanguard was assembled like that.
Morgana and Anna stayed behind this time. Forming the main army required a great deal of preparation.
In other words, Master Grandel and Chris were right by Cain's side now. Honestly, it felt reassuring beyond words.
"By the way, my lord, it's a bit surprising that you pinpointed the necromancers' base."
"Indeed, Master Grandel. I never imagined the lord's prediction would actually come true..."
"You're too kind."
Cain modestly brushed off the praise from Master Grandel and Chris. Truth be told, it was information closer to certainty than mere prediction.
Even if he explained it, how many would believe him? He'd just end up being dismissed as insane.
Cain lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings. Regardless of anything else, there was one clear advantage on his side.
"Battle stations."
"Pardon?"
"Everyone, battle ready! It's an enemy ambush!!"
It was that Cain could sense the deathly aura the necromancers scattered. And what did that imply?
At the very least, surprise attacks wouldn't work against any army under Cain's command. The moment the order rang out,
the knights assumed formation in an instant. Sure enough, it wasn't long before undead emerged just as Cain had warned.
"I-It’s real undead."
"Rotting flesh... That’s a ghoul...!!"
"Mages or archers handle the ghouls! If they get close, your flesh will rot!"
Ghouls and skeletons.
Both undead, yet they differed greatly. Skeletons were akin to the necromancers' personal soldiers,
while ghouls were true biochemical weapons. They rotted and sickened everything they touched, eventually even self-destructing.
How did he know so well? The answer was simple. He'd witnessed the ghouls' horror firsthand through Defeat Regression.
'I remember panicking after dismissing them as mere game trash mobs... Those screams from back then, I recall them clearly.'
As per Cain's orders, mages and archers intercepted the ghouls. The rotten flesh couldn't hold and exploded.
The foul smoke that followed soon began corroding the surrounding skeletons. As expected, his prediction was spot on.
No ghoul support. Naturally, the remaining skeletons stood no chance against elite knights.
"Everyone, sweep them away!!"
"Grant rest to these poor souls in His Majesty the Emperor's name!"
"For His Majesty the Emperor!!"
But the knights' valiant cries didn't last. They were cut short by those who appeared amid a heavy thud.
Clad in pitch-black armor like Cain's greatsword, wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other.
Not only did they resemble knights in form, their ominous presence made even the knights hesitate. Cain clicked his tongue at the sight.
‘Death Knights...!!’
One of the necromancers' strongest forces had appeared far too soon. A sigh escaped him the instant he saw them.
Death Knights weren't something you could create simply by turning a knight undead. At minimum, an upper-level Expert.
Only someone of that caliber or higher could become one. There were even Death Knights comparable to Masters.
'Losing Chris and Skadi to deal with those was too big a blow.'
While Chris and Skadi were tied up against the Master-level Death Knights, the undead had surged like waves.
With ghouls hidden among them to boot, mere soldiers stood no chance. In the end, that was how Renheim fell.
But fortunately, there were no Master-level Death Knights here now. They were likely guarding the base.
"Knights, advance! Don't be cowed by the name Death Knight!"
To rally their faltering spirits, Cain ignited his Aura—infused with killing intent—like roaring flames and charged forward himself.
And in that instant, the Death Knights rushed at Cain. They had deemed him the greatest threat.
Yet gazing at the Death Knights barreling toward him with ferocious momentum, Cain curved his lips into a smile.
"That's right. Come."
I'll kill you all.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The origins of necromancers were unknown. Some said it began with a madwoman who couldn't forget her beloved,
while records also existed of a general driven insane on the battlefield who finally raised his subordinates once more.
But what mattered... was that necromancy had been twisted from the very beginning. Think it over slowly, once again.
"No matter if it's someone you love, or a cherished subordinate... Clinging to a soulless husk is proof of madness from the start."
A grating sound like metal on metal echoed underground. In this vast graveyard thick with moss and teeming with maggots.
The skeletal figure remaining let out a grotesque laugh. He was a monster once known by countless names.
But now he clung to the name Melisto. No reason. Merely one of the many he'd stolen.
"Impressive, though. Cain Blackguard... To know the exact location of this imperial mausoleum and strike first."
Surprisingly, Melisto didn't underestimate Cain. He was even overestimating his abilities.
Yet even Melisto hadn't foreseen that Cain would discover the mausoleum's location and launch a preemptive assault.
The imperial mausoleum was close to a natural fortress Melisto had crafted over centuries. In short, no one knew its position.
That was how Melisto had expanded his forces over centuries without taking a single hit.
Yet now, for the first time in centuries, someone had pinpointed it. Cain Blackguard.
Thus, Melisto had no choice but to raise his assessment of Cain further. As expected... He'd heard he was a brilliant general.
"How did he figure it out... Well, it hardly matters now. Time to do what must be done."
Still, it felt off to chalk it up to mere 'luck' or 'skill.' He'd stayed silent until now,
yet began moving in earnest a month before the ritual. And even that felt too rushed.
As if he knew what would happen a month later. Meaning... he could see the future?
"Oh dear... I slipped into that bad habit again without thinking."
If he could see the future, he wouldn't have acted so hastily. Only able to glimpse exactly one month ahead?
If he could see the future, why attach such a condition? Melisto shook his head. Impossible.
Thus, the priority now was focusing all forces to greet these guests. For the ritual a month hence.
That was why he'd deployed even the Death Knights. It consumed substantial souls, but victory seemed assured.
Yet the spectacle that unfolded next left even Melisto stunned. Cain had leaped in alone.
A commander charging solo while leading an army. First came shock, then mockery. He's finally snapped.
"Each of my Death Knights was a knight renowned in life. Even if they're a shadow of their former selves, they're not easy prey."
And yet why?
Why were over a hundred Death Knights...
...unable to kill that one man?