Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Beginning of Change (2)
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"Then we'll get going now, Grandma."
"Oh my~ Don't worry about me, just go on ahead. Drive safely now."
"Hahaha, sure thing, Grandma. We'll come visit again."
"No need to come back, dearie."
The visit wrapped up in a warm, cheerful atmosphere.
I stepped out of the hospital room with Taesan, a soft smile on my face.
"Glad to see she's doing so much better."
"Right? Even the doctors were amazed! She might get discharged soon!"
Taesan was buzzing with excitement, unable to contain his joy.
The doctor's prognosis had been extremely positive, so his energy hadn't dipped since earlier.
"They even said it felt like some high-ranking priest had poured days of holy power into her. As a lowly civil servant, where would I even find connections like that? Even top officials couldn't dream of such luxury."
"...Yeah? Well, maybe Grandma pulled through on her own. It happens sometimes, right?"
"Exactly, exactly! See, living a good life brings blessings. Grandma's never sinned her whole life, worked her tail off—Heaven must've been moved!"
I let Taesan's enthusiastic chatter wash over me as I glanced back at the room.
'Good thing it worked. Things have been too hectic over there lately for any follow-up measures. This result is more than satisfactory.'
>
Using Entity Projection to become Heinrich and channel holy power was no issue in itself, but without a barrier from Hans or Heinz II to block the energy, it could lead to all sorts of annoyances.
'It's not like black magic—pure healing holy power shouldn't cause much trouble... but drawing unwanted attention is still a hassle.'
It wasn't a crime, so no relentless pursuit, but for someone laying low like me, even that was a burden.
And who am I? None other than the 'Hahoe Mask' and 'Blood Alliance Lord' shaking up Korea right now.
Better not take unnecessary risks.
"Oh yeah! What about that move? Decided where yet?"
"Oh, that? Wanted somewhere quieter, so I snagged a house in the suburbs. Moving soon."
"Whoa—Han Seonghyeon moving up in the world! A detached house! Won't it be inconvenient being far from Seoul? Deliveries and stuff."
"Eh, that's the trade-off."
In truth, distance meant nothing anymore.
With Hans swamped lately, I'd been handling Hahoe Mask duties myself via Entity Projection.
'Can hold it for 30 minutes now. Plus, keeping the old place as a base for smooth travel.'
Busy days continued on both Earth and Outerica.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the forests of a certain viscount's territory in the Kingdom of Sharoti, located in the western continent.
The territory forces, dispatched after reports of anomalies, were struck by sudden disaster.
A long two-handed sword in one hand.
Thick black armor enveloping its entire body.
Glowing red eyes from its visor and thick black magic blanketing everything.
Its mere presence oppressed all living beings nearby.
Shiiik—slash!
"Gahk!"
"D... de... ath... grk!"
Every step left a trail of clear death, each swing claiming one or more lives.
"...Ugh, how do we even...?"
"Eek—it's hopeless! Run!"
"Y-you idiot! Run where?!"
And it wasn't alone.
The area was already swarming with hordes of the dead crawling from hell—no gaps left.
"A... ahh..."
The soldiers despaired, lamenting their fate.
In this situation... there was nothing they could do.
Soon after, not a single living soul remained.
The knights and mages leading the unit had long lost their heads; ordinary soldiers stood no chance.
[...Weak.]
The Death Knight who annihilated the hundreds-strong unit slowly scanned the surroundings, its eerie voice echoing.
[But this can't be the end. The real fight lies ahead.]
They'd appeared suddenly, catching everyone off-guard, but once human armies mobilized properly, it wouldn't be easy.
Just like how they'd crawled back no matter how many times crushed, eventually infiltrating the borders.
Even the undead legions weren't faring well—slaughtering these mere meat shields wasn't cause for arrogance.
Scattering across the continent sowed chaos in many nations, but it also heightened the risk of being picked off piecemeal.
'I wanted to move quietly until we grasped the situation.'
The Death Knight glanced at the undead hordes hiding in the tree shadows.
They weren't suited for stealth due to their nature.
The death aura they naturally emitted stimulated the living's instincts, and even brief stops withered plants, leaving obvious traces.
That was exactly why they'd clashed with the territory forces.
Now that battle had erupted, stealth was off the table.
From here on, prepare for open war.
[Desperate times—we can't be picky.]
The Death Knight concentrated black magic into its two-handed sword and headed to the center of the piled corpses.
Woooong—
With each step, dark energy erupted explosively from its already long blade.
Finally, at the heart of the corpse mound, it slammed the blazing sword—like a massive torch—into the ground.
Whoosh—!
Black flames, devouring light, spread from it in an instant.
The ominous fire swept like a tidal wave, engulfing the human bodies strewn about, burning everything but their gear and bones.
And the skeletons left behind...
Clatter!
Rattle clank—!
...hundreds slowly rose, creaking.
From basic skeletons to skeletal knights and mages—they joined the undead legions as fresh troops.
The Death Knight nodded slowly at its bolstered forces.
The humans were low-level, so that was the limit, but now wasn't the time to complain.
[...Good. Keep swelling our numbers like this and...]
At that moment.
[Tch, too late.]
An eerie voice interrupted, resounding around them.
Simultaneously, an ominous aura from the sky overwhelmed even the Death Knight.
'This is...'
It knew this presence well.
The aura of the being it had served until infiltrating the border.
The Death Knight slowly raised its head toward the source.
There, amid the dark sky, shrouded in blackness deeper than night, stood the expected entity.
The incarnation of death, endpoint of all life—the Immortal King.
[Karam—]
A strange ripple emanated from the floating Immortal King.
It pierced naturally into the Death Knight Karam on the ground...
The contract from three hundred years ago renewed, overlaid anew.
[Ahh...]
Karam gasped in awe as the Immortal King's black magic flooded its body.
The emptiness since awakening filled with that potent death force.
The faded link from the previous Immortal King's fall strengthened; Karam, regaining full power, shuddered.
'As expected, the King never wanes across generations.'
Of course not.
The Immortal King embodied death itself—the end of this world!
Clack!
With the master-servant bond reformed, Karam thrust its sword into the ground, knelt, and paid homage.
[I greet you anew, my liege. I am Karam.]
Hans, hovering in the sky, gazed down at the kneeling Death Knight and the prostrating undead.
Hans descended slowly before him, eyes gleaming.
'Karam, huh? Bigger deal than expected.'
Other undead could be subjugated with Abyss Eye alone—no need for special attention.
Contract renewals were only for top-tiers like Entracio and Karam.
And Karam was exceptional—not just a Death Knight.
Master-level prowess surpassed, command of vast armies, mastery of necromancy for creating undead—a all-around commander.
The 'Death Knight Lord.'
'In ranking... top single digits. Inner circle of the inner circle, commanding a legion corner.'
No formal ranks during the conquest, but implicit influence based on trust and ability.
Karam, leading a separate force invading independently, was a top executive—and a historical figure in continental records.
Stumbling upon and claiming such a being? Like finding gold on the roadside.
[Never thought we'd meet like this, Karam. Seems you've stirred quite the commotion.]
[My apologies. We emerged right by human settlements. Tried to stay hidden, but they caught our tail.]
[What's done is done. But now's the time to build strength. Return for now.]
[As you command.]
Thus, Hans stored Karam and hundreds of undead into sub-dimensional space.
Amid them, fresh skeletons in viscount-family crested armor caught his eye.
...Recent victims, newly turned.
'Damage is worse than thought.'
He'd been gathering undead legions expanding from Talia Kingdom, but preempting all before casualties was impossible.
Sharoti bordered Talia in the west, but this area wasn't adjacent.
'Never anticipated this.'
The Oath of Reverse Heaven's rift aftermath exceeded expectations.
Border-drifting undead emerged simultaneously everywhere, plunging the continent into chaos.
'Not good. Needless casualties... and pointless waste of my legions.'
'All because of those Oath of Reverse Heaven bastards.'
He needed to hunt them, but cleanup kept delaying the pursuit.
Though he'd recovered execs like Dragon Entracio and Death Knight Lord Karam...
'Can't go on like this. Need a faster fix. Didn't want to use this method, but...'
Actually, it might be more efficient.
Pinpoint legion locations quicker, plus side benefits.
'Unforeseen side effects possible... but gotta risk it.'
Hans focused, thick black magic spreading dreadfully around him.
Fwoooo—
The dark, heavy, viscous aura wove the desired mystery into form—
Its presence crushing space as it expanded.
Soon, the black magic activated.
Woooong—!
Black magic waves spread beyond the forest, territory, kingdom—everywhere.
This magnitude? Impossible to hide from the Church.
No, anyone above a certain level would sense it.
[Hear me, my children—!]
Right here.
[I am here.]
The Immortal King declares his presence.
And to all undead in the western continent, the Immortal King's proclamation spread.
From everywhere, responses began returning.