Episode 941
Episode 941
Normally, a mage who summons a powerful being from another dimension would remain still.
It wasn't because the mage was lazy. Summoning a powerful being imposed an immense burden on mortals, even when borrowing the power of various constraints and rituals, and attempting other actions during such an act was hardly a wise choice.
Yet, Lee Han was trying to summon Perkuntra as an additional reinforcement, like some novice who had just learned summoning magic.
Though he hadn't had many experiences fighting Transcendents, one of the lessons Lee Han had learned was this:
Use every possible means to suppress the enemy quickly in the early stages!
The importance of initiative in magical combat had been hammered into him by Professor Voladi to the bone. For the weaker side, the best tactic was to seize that initiative and pour everything into it.
-What foolishness...
Just as The Beast was about to scold the mage for his stupidity, Sharkan started whining again.
Annoyed by the incessant whining of his foolish clone from within, The Beast growled in irritation.
-Now that I'm out here, stop your whining! The fight is still... manageable?
The unexpected words left The Beast bewildered.
Surprisingly, Sharkan was shouting that the mage would be fine and to focus on fighting the enemy.
Under normal circumstances, The Beast would have rejoiced at finally ditching the useless mortal, but his instincts told him this wasn't the case.
Why on earth was he saying it was fine?-...
Fine. Even if the mage's life flickered out like a candle, The Beast wouldn't take responsibility!
Thud, whoosh, crack!
The Profaner glared at The Beast and roared.
Having forced its way through the portal, The Profaner's bloated body had swollen like a balloon, hovering ominously in the air.
Taking the form of a headless, obese giant, The Profaner oozed waves of decay and corruption with every squirm, birthing new minions from that foul energy.
Despite looking ready to charge at the Death Knights—who had surrounded it with chains and siege weapons—the Profaner was unexpectedly cautious.
After all, standing right before it were not only the Duke of Wrath but also a familiar nemesis from the Undead Realm.
-The Duke of Wrath? Did Gonadaltes summon you? Even so, to entrust such monsters to mere underlings...?
"!"
Even while preparing his summoning, Lee Han flinched. 'What is he talking about?' Duke... of... Wrath!
Perhaps realizing how disadvantageous it was to face two powerhouses while surrounded by Death Knights, The Profaner took the initiative.
It stopped summoning minions and concentrated its power to unleash an attack on the Duke of Wrath.
-It's moving!
Though the Death Knights were busy preventing the minions pouring from the sky from escaping the palace grounds and sealing the portal with chains, they didn't miss the chance to counterattack the Profaner when it exposed an opening.
As ballistae inscribed with magic circles and ancient runes launched their projectiles, a gruesome sound tore through The Profaner's flesh.
The Profaner howled in pain but didn't stop. Its plan was clear—endure a few hits to decisively finish off the Duke of Wrath.
The Beast's body swelled. The darkness of night seeped into its form, and in an instant, its size multiplied dozens of times, as if it could swallow the moon whole.
Crunch!
Its latest bite seemed to have torn away about a quarter of The Profaner's body.
Yet, The Profaner refused to halt its movements, even as it shrieked in agony. Instead, its wounds regenerated even faster.-...
Prahgal?! Its Authority?!
Spirit... Energy... Release!
The Beast couldn't tell whether The Profaner was praising itself or boasting about its own intelligence for allying with Prahgal.
Though rumors had circulated about The Profaner mingling or making contracts with Evil God Worshippers, forming an alliance deep enough to borrow an Authority was an entirely different matter.
Evil Gods were essentially thought-forms born from the extreme condensation of wicked and negative emotions and grudges, but they could still be considered divine entities in terms of concept alone.
Every emotion or declaration The Profaner offered in this alliance would become nourishment for the Evil God.
No matter how long The Profaner had reigned as a powerhouse in the Undead Realm, a contract like this could turn dangerous in unpredictable ways.
"You brainless, undignified bastard! Do you turn to gods because you have nothing else to trust?!"
Stupid, filthy, trash!
Of course, the Profaner didn't admit his mistake or declare he would fight fair.
Instead, he sneered at the Beast and injected a corrosive fluid into the Duke of Wrath to ensure a fatal blow.
It was a vile liquid so potent that even a single drop spilled outside could spawn dozens of Plague Hungry Ghosts...
Illusion?! That Duke of Wrath was an illusion?!
The Beast realized belatedly—this was a rare moment of fury from the Profaner.
Looking back, he couldn't believe he'd fallen for it, but he forced himself to calm down.
It wasn't his fault—the Profaner was just so stupidly gullible that even he had been fooled.
Die, you bastard!
"Worry about yourself, you rotten fatass!"
The Beast spat the words but couldn't help glancing subtly at Lee Han.
Given the Profaner's relentless obsession, he couldn't help but worry.
* * *
Down below in the palace, Lee Han's situation wasn't much better.
Though not because he had injured himself summoning Perkuntra due to mana exhaustion...
Attackers had appeared.
"..."
"Ambush!"
"!"
At Alsicle's shout, Lee Han halted his summoning of Perkuntra and immediately prepared for battle.
How?!
Their current position shouldn't have been vulnerable to attack.
Death Knights had tightly surrounded them, sealing off even the nearby portals.
Though it seemed like a passive tactic, this was actually a proven strategy when facing powerful beings from other dimensions.
The longer such summoned entities stayed, the weaker they became, as their power was sustained by the price paid to breach the dimensional walls.
Thus, the Death Knights' decision to completely encircle the area and trap any summoned minions was wise.
Lee Han had trusted that—he never expected an attack to break through.
"!"
Seeing the enemies filling the empty seats and stage, Lee Han grasped the situation.
The Profaner's essence and blood (if it could even be called blood) had spawned entire legions.
Just breathing seemed to replicate armies from his flesh.
Not even slimes could pull off something like this.
"Be careful!"
Alsicle shouted in concern for his less experienced junior, but he soon realized it was unnecessary.
Enhanced undead summons rapidly materialized in the passageways, blocking the path.
Medium-sized Skeleton Golems formed from multiple skeletal warriors, Skeleton Warriors reinforced with Dark Element and Blood Element...
And a Dragon Tooth Golem...?
Did I see that wrong?
Alsicle blinked in confusion.
By all appearances, it matched the Skeleton Golem summoned using dragon teeth as described in books—but that made no sense.
Where would anyone find pure dragon teeth these days?
It had to be a new spell from the Einrogard Black Magic School.
Either they'd developed a golem summon with similar effects without dragon teeth, or they'd used a minuscule amount mixed in...
-■■■ ■■■!
Left, right, below.
Lee Han swiftly assessed the battlefield while deploying his undead.
Alsicle was the superior mage, but unfortunately, he wasn't a specialized combat magician. If close combat broke out and chaos ensued, there was no telling what would happen.
They had to block entry and fight back at all costs.
Is that a Plague Hungry Ghost? The ones behind look like Rot Disease. The stronger ones... I've never seen that one before.
Some undead he recognized, others he didn't.
But Lee Han could tell they were powerful. A knight clad in armor decades out of fashion oozed foul energy from every gap in his visor and joints.
"By Pengerin's name, I deny your approach!"
Alsicle had completed his first spell in the time bought.
A massive sphere of frigid air formed above, unleashing a blizzard upon the enemies. Even the corrupted undead melting the stage and audience froze solid in the extreme cold.
"Perk— Damn it!"
Lee Han blocked the incoming attacks with psychokinesis. Thick plague slime and arrows vanished against the telekinetic barrier.
They're targeting me, not Alsicle!
Lee Han realized the undead here were focusing their assault entirely on him.
They must have thought Lee Han was distracted dealing with the summons, but the moment it seemed he was about to cast a powerful spell, they immediately moved to block him.
But why weren't they pressing the attack more aggressively?
'...Are they planning for a prolonged battle?'
Just moments ago, while they were busy restraining Lee Han, dozens of undead had been torn apart by the summoned creatures he had called forth.
Especially the Dragon Tooth Golem, summoned using the teeth Jowurin had given him—each charge left terrifying scars in the enemy ranks.
If they tried to force their way through recklessly, they risked annihilation. It seemed they were trying to bolster their forces while keeping Lee Han, the most dangerous one, in check.
'Doesn't matter.'
Lee Han was just as confident in a drawn-out battle. Strengthening his defenses with Psychokinesis, he quickly chanted a short incantation.
Attacks came flying, but he could block and endure this much.
'Verdus!'
Lee Han wasn't calling for Professor Verdus—he was calling for Ancestor Verdus, the Undead Mage he had contracted with.
But no response came from the sigil. It meant Verdus couldn't emerge right now.
Thud!
Blocking another attack with Psychokinesis, Lee Han moved again. When Alsicle tried to shield his junior with an ice barrier, Lee Han shook his head.
"There are too many—it won't make much difference! Save your mana!"
For now, Lee Han set aside Perkuntra and Verdus, instead summoning spirits. Lesser spirits emerged with just a brief motion.
In a situation like this, he found himself missing Sharkan more than ever. Regretting not summoning him earlier, Lee Han prepared another spell.
'Lightning Transformation... I might collapse if I use it now...'
But even without it, summoning reinforcements like this was enough for support.
Lee Han used Psychokinesis to shield himself, attacked the enemies, and then merely assisted the skeleton summons as they clashed. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but the enemies' curses and screams seemed to grow even more furious.
-■■■■■!
-■■■!
'Must be my imagination.'
The enemy forces must have thought they could overwhelm the two mages in a prolonged battle, but as time passed, it became clear they had misjudged the situation.
The undead summons Lee Han had called forth recovered almost instantly, even as they melted, corroded, and decayed.
In contrast, the Profaner's forces dwindled steadily. Reinforcements did arrive from above, but they were being spent faster than they could be replenished.
It was like watching soldiers being fed into the grinder against a heavily fortified stronghold.
-...
I. I'll step in.
The knight Lee Han had initially thought was unfamiliar finally stepped forward. Lee Han stared at him with tense eyes.
-You. You interfered with my master's affairs before.
"Huh? When did I—"
Then, belatedly, Lee Han sensed a familiar energy radiating from the knight's soul.
It was the same tainted aura he had felt from the fanatics who worshipped Prahgal.
'He's not an undead!?'
Not that undead couldn't worship Prahgal, but he hadn't expected a subordinate of the Profaner to be a worshipper.
The Knight of Profanation vanished for an instant—then reappeared behind Lee Han, attempting a fatal ambush.
Clang!
But Lee Han had already reinforced his body with short-term Divination Magic, Enhancement Magic, and even recklessly expended mana to boost his physical abilities further. The attack didn't land. Lee Han immediately disengaged and locked blades with him.
Sensing the Black Magnetite blade absorbing his strength, the Knight of Profanation sidestepped slightly. Malice seeped from the eyes hidden beneath his helmet.
'What the—'
In that instant, Lee Han's precognition showed him a horrifying future—the knight sacrificing his own soul to self-destruct.
Even if he blocked with Psychokinesis and escaped using Lightning Transformation, he wasn't sure he could protect Alsicle in time. Dozens of thoughts raced through Lee Han's mind.
Did Alsicle have a protective artifact strong enough? What was the blast radius? What kind of bastard self-destructs without hesitation? What other spells could—
Then, a demon's voice whispered in Lee Han's ear. It came from the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons, silent until now.
-The stench of undead corruption has awakened me.
"!"
-Decay and plague, they call to me! Fear me. I am Mahuda. The demon who hunts undead! If you don't give me this chance, I swear I'll never return inside—
"Fine, just wipe them out!"
-...
Th-thank you!
Compared to the treatment he'd heard Anpursas received, this mage's generosity was overwhelming! Mahuda burst forth with delight!