Chapter 241: King of the Dead Subjugation (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 241: King of the Dead Subjugation (5)
In the Kingdom of Zelver, a vast wilderness occupied a significant portion of the territory, looking as if a massive hole had been punched through the earth.
About ten years ago, The Floating Island had swept through the area. The scars from that day remained etched into the landscape.
Many regions bore such marks, and the Barony of Ropenheim was no exception, bordering that very wilderness. Somewhere within that desolate expanse lay the entrance to the underground kingdom.
Once Calgart the Necromancer had been revived, he received a message from Mephisto the Contractor.
Someone is protecting our target, the Child of Light. It is the Elemental King of Ice, the Ice Sovereign.
He seems to be aware of our plans and has acted accordingly.
I do not know what ability he used to accomplish such a feat, however…
You cannot defeat the Ice Sovereign with mere brute force.
Kill him with your own power.
If you are caught, it is over.
[What a fuss…]
Mephisto was an agent of the Evil God. He wasn't one to spread unnecessary lies or exaggerate facts.
Nevertheless, Calgart couldn't help but feel the demon was overreacting. It sounded as if he were praising the Ice Sovereign.
Soon, Calgart felt an intense gaze and squinted. He realized immediately that the Ice Sovereign had discovered him.
Even so, he felt no particular agitation. He simply wanted to see with his own eyes what kind of man this Ice Sovereign—the one Mephisto had boasted about—really was.
Indeed, he felt a sense of anticipation.
He was curious to see how the Ice Sovereign would react to the choices he was about to present.
From his throne in the underground kingdom, Calgart rose and struck the ground with his magic staff.
*
Meanwhile, somewhere in the wilderness.
Vuel, the heavenly being, sat upon a hill. He watched from a distance as Calgart mobilized his army of corpses. The frantic movements suggested the necromancer had already been spotted by the Ice Sovereign.
Behind Vuel stood a female heavenly being dressed in sacred white robes. She gazed at the same scene.
The deal with Mephisto was concluded. However, before leaving, Vuel wanted to see the human called the Ice Sovereign for himself—the man who might become an obstacle.
How strong is the Ice Sovereign, truly?
Vuel trembled slightly with anticipation.
*
❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ 「Act 10: King of the Dead」.
Starting from the second semester of the second year, the scale of events expanded to a global level.
The Evil God Nephid had deemed that no matter how many demons were spawned within the academy, it was inefficient and impossible to defeat Ian. Thus, the Evil God decided to take the time to awaken powerful demons scattered across the world.
This led to the revival of Calgart the Necromancer in 「Act 10: King of the Dead」. He led an army of the deceased across the Empire, marching toward Märchen Academy.
In the original story, Märchen Academy and the Imperial Knights crossed the land bridge to set up a last-ditch defensive position. They requested the cooperation of Ian Fairytale—the demons' natural weakness—and deployed him to the battlefield.
Of course, since Ian was a student who required protection, he was given priority defense by the academy and the Imperial Knights while he fought the undead.
The mid-bosses were the Mangled Qilin Molikarth and the Evil Dragon Orchis. Both were deceased magic beasts resurrected as demons through Calgart’s power.
The final boss was Calgart the Necromancer himself.
「Act 10: King of the Dead」 was also the scenario where players could truly experience the overwhelming power of the Luminous Sword.
However, in this reality, Calgart had appeared before Ian could obtain the Luminous Sword—all to defeat me.
In other words, Act 10, which was supposed to be the opening of the second semester, was going to end today.
In the middle of the vast wilderness, a massive army exuding dark mana came into view. It was a legion of corpses.
Their appearances were so deformed they looked more like a mass of demonic soldiers than simple zombies.
Among them, a group of neatly arrayed wizards simultaneously deployed dark magic circles. Their targets were Alice and I, flying high on our dragons.
In an instant, the formation of dark magic circles blotted out the moonlight filling the wilderness.
“Hilde, attack.”
I gave the command calmly.
Hilde, who was carrying me, let out a fierce roar and drew a massive magic circle above her back.
Immediately, the corpse wizards unleashed a barrage of dark magic.
Bwaaah!!!
The pitch-black darkness surged toward Alice and me, resembling the thick, suffocating smoke of an erupting volcano.
The currents of the numerous dark spells were remarkably consistent. Eventually, they merged into a single, fiercely swirling vortex. The impact scattered dark lightning in all directions.
The army, united by Calgart’s power, possessed excellent Mana Mastery.
There was nowhere to dodge. But it didn't matter.
I’ll just break through.
[Kaaaah!!]
The magic circle Hilde deployed fired a beam of pure white light.
It pierced through the wave of darkness, rapidly expanding into a massive pillar of radiance.
Kwoaaah!!
8-star ice spell: [Hell of the Crimson Lotus].
The dark mist clashed with the [Hell of the Crimson Lotus].
Kwoaang!!!
A frigid, dark blue explosion infused with dark lightning erupted.
The area began to freeze rapidly with a sharp crackling sound. Before long, the desolate land was transformed into a frost-covered tundra.
Hilde and Jabberwock touched down on the frozen earth.
Alice and I jumped off our respective dragons. Alice was already gripping the Vorpal Sword—the blade that banishes nightmares—and was clad in armor forged from mana.
The army of corpses faced us. Seeing the sheer number of troops that stretched beyond the horizon, it was clear how many corpses Calgart had defiled to bolster his forces for this early awakening.
To Calgart, the physical flaws of the corpses were irrelevant. They could be supplemented with demonic forms. This was why the army had transformed into such monstrous shapes.
I have to return them all to peace.
It seemed like a prime opportunity to farm EXP, but I had to restrain that mindset out of respect for the dead.
Alice and I walked toward the army of corpses side by side.
[You must be the Ice Sovereign.]
The one who spoke stood at the forefront of the army. His voice was clear, likely amplified by magic.
It was a familiar figure.
Dressed in a neat black robe, he was a sturdy man with broad shoulders. He had copper skin, curved horns protruding from the sides of his head, and pitch-black eyes.
A bizarre staff rested in his hand.
It was Calgart the Necromancer.
---
Calgart the Necromancer
Lv: 186
Race: Demon
Elements: Dark, Revival
Danger Level: Highest
Psychology: [Intends to drive you into despair.]
---
“Do you enjoy defiling the dead?” I asked.
[Needless chatter is unnecessary.]
Calgart’s deep, grotesque voice echoed in my ears.
[Finding me is commendable, but you have focused too much on what is right in front of you. Surely, there are things you must protect as well?]
“…?”
[Ice Sovereign, you are an inferior creature bound by unnecessary emotions like affection. No matter how strong you are, you cannot be flawless.]
What nonsense is he spouting?
[…I have sent my soldiers to the location of the Child of Light and to Märchen Academy. While you are here, everything you wish to protect will be destroyed.]
Calgart’s voice remained eerily steady.
[Choose. Will you let those you protect meet their deaths, or will you leave now to save one of them? Let this be the moment you realize that your strength cannot solve everything.]
The Carnedas mansion.
Märchen Academy.
It seemed he had dispatched mid-bosses and corpse detachments to both locations.
From here, my [Clairvoyance] couldn't reach Märchen Academy. Fortunately, it could reach the Carnedas County.
A bizarre demon in the form of a qilin—the Mangled Qilin Molikarth—was leading a force of corpse soldiers in that direction.
“Haa.”
A sigh escaped me.
What a childish dilemma.
The Imperial family had already begun to act, though it was difficult for them to detect and stop Calgart’s movements in advance.
Well… it doesn't matter.
I created an ice chair with [Ice Generation] and sat down. Hilde stood guard behind me.
[What the…?]
Calgart sounded suspicious as he watched me sit comfortably in the middle of the battlefield.
“Alice.”
“Yes, Master.”
“I’ll take care of this guy. You sweep away the rest.”
I gestured toward Calgart with my chin.
Alice was my minion. Her kills would become my EXP.
“As you command.”
Alice swung the Vorpal Sword to her side and stepped forward.
The Nightmare Dragon Jabberwock roared as it took to the skies, accompanying her from above.
Calgart frowned.
[Did you not… understand my words?]
“I think there’s something you’ve misunderstood,” I answered nonchalantly. “You’ve been too focused on me.”
[What do you mean…?]
I knew from the beginning that there was a limit to what I could do alone. No matter how strong I became through the system, I couldn't afford to be arrogant because I wasn't omnipotent.
But what about now?
It might sound cliché, but I already had reliable people to support me on my journey to defeat the Evil God.
Fwoosh!
Alice grasped the Vorpal Sword with both hands and kicked off the ground.
The corpse warriors rushed toward her, weapons raised, while the corpse wizards unleashed elemental magic infused with dark mana.
The sight of my subordinate, Heart Queen Alice, charging alone toward an entire army was majestic.
A reddish-purple aura coated the blade of the Vorpal Sword. Alice raised the sword and slashed upward.
Kwaaang!!!
The reddish-purple sword qi exploded, sweeping across the ground like a storm and extending toward the horizon.
The corpse battalion caught in the path of the energy was cleaved in half, dropping like broken machines. Even the soldiers nearby were tossed aside like ragdolls by the sheer wind pressure.
One after another, horizontal slashes of sword qi flew out, striking the undead army.
Kwaaang!!
The soldiers at the front raised their shields, but they were obliterated by the explosions. The formation of the corpse army collapsed in an instant.
The Vorpal Sword’s power to banish nightmares became a power that drew nightmares in when Alice infused it with her will. However, the concept of dreams didn't exist for corpses whose lives had already ended. They would find peace in death once more.
The concentrated bombardment of dark magic was intercepted by Jabberwock’s 8-star neutral spell, [Illusion Flame].
Whoosh!!!
Mysterious reddish-purple flames surged, incinerating the dark magic and tearing through the frosty wilderness.
Meanwhile, Calgart could only stare at me. He believed that if he moved, I would move as well.
Thus, he remained frozen, wary of my every breath.
*
Inside the mansion high up in the County of Carnedas.
Amy Halloway was pacing anxiously, using a magic telescope to watch the demon army approaching the lord’s castle.
The sight of the demons bringing clouds of dark mana reminded her of the terror from the Student Council President incident just two months ago.
The most terrifying entity was the massive black qilin in the center of the horde. Its neck was so long it seemed to touch the sky, and its teeth pierced through its own cheeks. It was a nightmare made flesh.
“What should I do? What should I do…?”
With Ian Fairytale and Ciel Carnedas away in the celestial realm, only the Carnedas family’s combat forces remained.
Everyone was tense. They didn't know how long they could hold out. The Imperial Knights were moving toward them, but they had to survive until they arrived.
This day might be their grave. Regardless, they vowed to defend their lord’s castle with their lives.
Whooosh!
At that moment, a surge of ice mana swept forward, manifesting into ice knights clad in platinum armor and ice wizards.
The Carnedas forces jumped, drawing their weapons in alarm. However, the ice knights ignored them, turning their backs to the walls to face the demon army. A squad of ice wizards in navy blue robes provided support from the rear.
Following them, four paladins from the Kingdom of Hearts appeared and joined the ice army.
The knight commander of the Carnedas family asked with a wary expression, “Who are you people?”
“We are followers of the Ice Sovereign.”
Zenon, the black-haired Spade Paladin, answered while drawing his tachi, Jacula. A pale blue chill slowly coated the blade.
“He sent us here. Our orders are to defend this place if the demons attack.”
“Why? Explain what’s going on.”
“The King of the Dead has sent troops in multiple directions. Our purpose is to stop them; therefore, we are here to protect you. Is that explanation sufficient?”
“…”
It was clear these were subordinates of the Ice Sovereign, judging by their appearance and the icy aura they exuded. These were the soldiers of Düpfendorf, known only from ancient records.
Although the Ice Sovereign’s true identity was a mystery, he was widely known as the Nameless Hero who fought for humanity. Sometimes, such great heroes truly did emerge.
“I see, the Ice Sovereign… But can you stop that?”
No one could be certain they could defeat that terrifying black qilin. The aura emanating from the creature was far beyond anything the warriors here could produce.
At that moment.
Whooosh.
Thud.
A tall woman descended from the sky, landing firmly on the ground after jumping from her familiar. A burst of dense, fierce cold emanated from her, cushioning her landing.
Even those with low mana perception could sense her immense power. The Carnedas knights swallowed hard, their expressions shocked.
Dressed in a uniform of navy blue and white, the tall woman stood at the forefront of the Düpfendorf army. The rising chill made her light blue bob and white cloak flutter.
A long, old scar ran across her face. She exuded the overpowering presence of a predator.
The ice soldiers and paladins saluted in unison. Only the Heart Paladin, Shera Hectoria, muttered, “Who is that big sister?” before Zenon forced her head down into a bow.
“Haven’t I already explained? Figure it out,” Zenon hissed.
The tall woman glared at the advancing demon army.
“Amazing. How far has our new lord foreseen…!” she whispered, her voice husky with admiration.
She clenched her fists, her body trembling with devotion.
“He is the only one who could make us set foot on the Empire’s soil and elevate Düpfendorf’s stature in this world. I cannot wait to see his noble presence…!”
The new Ice Sovereign had anticipated the demons' marching routes as if he knew the future, positioning his forces perfectly. He was a truly inscrutable Archwizard.
On the surface, it looked like they were doing a favor for the Empire, but the strategic gains were clear. The Ice Sovereign was allying with the Empire, erasing any potential debts, and making the name Düpfendorf known globally.
The Empire would have no choice but to cooperate with them now.
The woman suppressed her excitement, her expression shifting to that of a beast on the hunt. She extended her right arm.
Pale blue mana condensed into a massive silver two-handed axe. It was the magic weapon Farahorn, a core of extreme ice.
She slammed the butt of Farahorn into the ground.
“Everyone! Prepare for battle!”
As she shouted, the ice soldiers and the Paladins of the Kingdom of Hearts raised their weapons, channeling their mana.
Isabel Silverwolf, Commander of Düpfendorf’s 3rd Legion.
She infused a massive amount of ice mana into her axe.
“Charge!!”
The army of Düpfendorf let out a roar and surged toward the demon horde. The combat forces of the Carnedas family followed right behind them.