Episode 942
Episode 942
"Seal!"
A voice several times harsher and more bloodthirsty than usual burst from Lee Han's mouth.
At that moment, the Knight of Profanation's eyes, which had been overflowing with malice, twisted into shock.
The Authority of Prahgal he'd been about to unleash had been blocked.
-Another undead to fall before me. It doesn't matter which petty god you wag your tail to. As long as you're undead, your power won't work on me!
Mahuda shouted like that and moved Lee Han's body. Aura flared brightly as the sword absorbed it, the process repeating rapidly.
-Fascinating!
"You should probably focus."
-Ah. Don't worry, mage! I won't forget the kindness you've shown me. I'm absolutely not letting my guard down. I've never once been careless while hunting undead!
The Knight of Profanation abandoned his self-destruct Authority and drew forth another.
The knight's armor crumpled, its form disappearing. It resembled slime but was closer to a gaseous state. In an instant, the Knight of Profanation transformed into a sticky, putrid miasma of decay.
Yet Mahuda remained unfazed.
-How utterly cliché, the Authority of the Profaner. This is the 162nd time I've experienced it, and there's still no variation. Did you really think such an Authority would work on me? ...
Seal!
Once again, the opponent's Authority was sealed. The Knight of Profanation reverted to his original form.
People of the Empire often mistakenly thought undead and demons were the same (black mages particularly despised this misconception), but in truth, they were distinctly different beings—and generally didn't get along.
From a demon's perspective, who had to feed on the emotions emitted by mortal souls, the undead—who completely severed that source—were impossible to like.
And Mahuda was one of those demons who particularly loathed the undead.
Long ago, this demon had been summoned by chance and suffered an unforgettable humiliation at the hands of an undead. He had sworn upon his true name to hunt and humiliate the undead until the end of the world.
Thanks to that, he had more experience and knowledge about hunting undead than any other demon.
-An unusual undead, this one. An undead who worships an Evil God?
'Worships an Evil God?'
Lee Han was surprised by Mahuda's words.
Fundamentally, undead tended to lack piety. Even without considering the Skeleton Principal, their very existence was antithetical to divinity.
Yet this one worshipped an Evil God. What Lee Han had sensed earlier hadn't been a mistake.
"Whatever the reason, this isn't a good situation."
An already formidable enemy gaining the power of an Evil God was bound to be troublesome.
The fusion of undead and divinity—what a combination.
-Hah! Don't worry, mage.
But the demon was brimming with confidence.
-As long as the opponent is undead, breaking through my sealing Authority will be nearly impossible!
"Hmm. This might sound like a strange question, but you're a lot more polite than Anpursas."
-Isn't that natural? Unlike Anpursas, you've been this courteous to me. It's only right to be grateful.
"......"
Judging by the silence, Anpursas had sunk deep into the bracelet and must have been cursing Lee Han the entire time.
Lee Han recalled just how much of a nuisance Anpursas, the demon of strife and battle, had been.
'Ungrateful bastard.'
After begging and pleading to borrow his body for just a moment, that demon had recklessly abused it, leaving him groaning in pain.
And despite that, the ingrate had the audacity to curse him behind his back.
-Not to mention, thanks to you, mage, I can freely use my undead-sealing Authority like this. Seal!
Unlike Anpursas, Mahuda had relatively high sociability from hunting undead on the surface world.
After Lee Han kindly lent him his body and even provided an overflow of mana, Mahuda naturally became more amiable.
Kindness begets kindness, after all.
"You're not Wardanaz. Who are you?!"
Alsicle shouted, his voice filled with wariness.
No matter how much Lee Han altered his appearance, the Authority he had just displayed was far too alien.
"I am Mahuda. A demon summoned by the mage to hunt undead."
"Stop spouting nonsense and call Wardanaz out!"
Alsicle exuded an aura as if he would attack at any moment.
It wasn't that Alsicle didn't understand what would happen if allies fought while enemies still remained, but even considering that, he couldn't just let this slide.
A demon seizing control of a physical body carried dangerous implications. In the worst case, the original owner might never return.
"I'm fine. I just lent it to him temporarily."
"......"
When Lee Han spoke again so easily, Alsicle was momentarily dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open.
What the...?
Bo, ah, ra!
The heat of the aerial battle was intensifying.
The Profaner, having revealed his alliance with Prahgal, began openly borrowing the Evil God's Authority.
The hordes of decay that had split from his main body swelled exponentially in size and number as they received the Authority of regeneration. The Death Knights' iron chain nets enveloping the void screamed in protest.
-He's no pushover. His strength isn't diminishing at all!
-Is that Prahgal's Authority? Why would an Evil God side with undead?
-That's not important right now. We might need to change our strategy!
The Death Knights quickly exchanged words.
The iron chains currently enveloping the void and portals weren't ordinary chains. They were Artifacts personally forged by their master, Gonadaltes, from meteorite iron.
That's why, despite this chaos, the area outside the palace remained as quiet as usual.
Their initial strategy had been to blockade and surround the area, then use siege weapons to whittle down his power for a Reverse Summoning.
But the Profaner kept stubbornly swelling in size despite being attacked by The Beast and pummeled by siege weapons.
At this rate, if the chains gave way and shattered, his hordes might spill out in all directions.
-If three more rings break, we go on the offensive. Even with heavy losses, we'll have to cut off his lifeline.
-Beast! Do you have any means to attack more powerfully? We can assist!
'Should I just kill him?' The Beast burned the Profaner's torn flesh with his Authority, seething inwardly.
The Death Knights' attitude was polite, but the implication behind their words was unbearably arrogant.
If you're strong, then show us feats worthy of that strength!
But what angered him more was how difficult it was to refute their point in this situation.
The Profaner, whom he'd always mocked as a fat bastard who only knew how to rot and corrupt, had become terrifyingly powerful after merging with the Evil God.
No matter how The Beast changed forms and tore at him from all sides, he instantly regenerated. Worse, his body grew larger during the process.
Given enough breathing room, The Beast could have used his Authority to alter the nature of the Profaner's flesh, preventing regeneration and dealing a decisive blow. But the Profaner was no fool.
Even while being unilaterally attacked, his many eyes rolling grotesquely across his swollen torso showed cunning intent—waiting for the agile opponent to make a single mistake so he could seize and finish him.
The Profaner: relatively slow but with cheat-like regeneration Authority and destructive power.
The Beast: fast and dazzling, but one solid hit could send him into Reverse Summoning before he could recover.
The latter couldn't afford any mistakes...
CRASH!
With the sound of the half-destroyed palace roof collapsing, a mage shot up into the void.
Instead of a staff, the mage wielded a spear. Green mana blazed, sizzling the surrounding air.
-Lord Nago!
"Die, undead scum!"
As the green spear spun and flew, the surrounding space warped, sucked into the spear's trajectory.
The Profaner's minions were helplessly dragged out—a vicious Authority that targeted only undead.
'Swordsmanship—no, spearmanship?!' Lee Han was astonished by Mahuda's spear techniques.
Surprisingly, this demon had honed spearmanship to manifest his Authority.
Of course, just as there were demons who used magic, it wasn't strange for some to wield swords or spears.
But the magic of demons followed a different path from human magic. It was impossible for the magic of an inherently powerful race to be the same.
Moreover, swordsmanship and spearmanship required far more training and discipline. It was astonishing that a demon, who already possessed so many other powers, had bothered to master such a thing.
"To hunt the undead on the surface world, mage."
Mahuda kindly answered Lee Han's unspoken question.
A demon's innate power and Authority were violent and mighty, but they also had a simplicity that made them easier for the undead to counter.
And so, Mahuda had trained and trained for an eternity.
Solely to kill the undead.
"Once more!"
"!"
The green spear flew again, and in an instant, the Profaner's forces dwindled.
Witnessing it a second time, Lee Han realized that this attack wasn't just simple spearmanship—it resembled a Small World.
'Incredible!'
He had seen exceptional swordsmen imbue their weapons with Aura through sheer Intent, and he had witnessed techniques akin to magic, but a skill refined to the level of a Small World was truly astounding.
A spear throw crafted solely for slaughtering the undead!
"That... that's Mahuda's spear! How is he using Mahuda's spearmanship?!"
Some of the Death Knights recognized Stedal's spearmanship and were horrified.
As undead with long histories themselves, they knew of the ancient demonic traditions that despised the undead with a vengeance.
But for a noble to suddenly appear, wielding such an ancient spearmanship—
Not only his magic, but even his spearmanship...
His true identity was utterly unfathomable.
'Remarkable! Who would have expected someone like this to appear out of nowhere? He wouldn't be out of place as an invited professor at Einrogard!'
Stedal, who had effortlessly soared into the domain of chains, remained unshaken even amidst the transcendent battle unfolding around him.
It was the demeanor of a warrior who, regardless of the gap in power, carried the pride of a mortal.
The Death Knights couldn't help but admire him once more.
'He must have endured countless bloody battles.'
Once this battle was over, the Death Knights resolved to report the appearance of this extraordinary mage to the Skeleton Principal.
Perhaps he might even become Einrogard's newest professor.
And while they were at it, they might as well petition to have Professor Ber Mo removed...
"DIE, YOU WRETCHED—!"
As the army he had painstakingly summoned vanished in an instant, the Profaner's fury lashed out at Lee Han.
Unaware of the Death Knights' strange delusions, Lee Han urgently shouted.
"He's looking this way!"
But Mahuda paid no heed. Instead, he met the Profaner's gaze with arrogant, hate-filled eyes.
"Come, undead."
Boom, clash, tremble!
'This lunatic...' Lee Han thought in disbelief.
Fighting was one thing, but was there really a need to provoke him further?
He understood the hatred for the undead, but from Lee Han's perspective, anything that deviated from the plan was unwelcome.
"Assist Lord Nago!"
"No. Fall back!"
Lee Han borrowed Stedal's voice for a moment to shout. The Death Knights hesitated but withdrew without protest—a testament to their seasoned discipline.
Even the Beast sensed something amiss and instinctively distanced itself. Only the Profaner charged forward.
"Seal!"
With the command, the Profaner's massive frame weakened—but he did not stop.
He wasn't some mere underling to be incapacitated so easily.
"Spear throw!"
The previous throws had not been at full strength. Mahuda, sparing neither Lee Han's mana nor his muscles, hurled the spear of undead slaughter once more.
The Profaner's body, struck squarely this time, could not regenerate as before. Yet his assault persisted.
"The mage was right! This undead is far stronger than expected. To think he could borrow power by allying with a fallen god... I never anticipated this."
"He's coming. Focus!"
"I know!"
The Profaner, roaring with corruption, closed the distance to Lee Han in an instant, poised to swallow him whole whether he stabbed with his spear or uttered a spell.
And in that moment—
From within the palace, a tempest of thunder and lightning erupted, forming a colossal pillar that shot from the earth to the heavens, piercing straight through the Profaner.
"Die, you vile wretch. How dare you make the Thunder King lie in ambush in the shadows?!"