120. The Black Mage's Death Throes
Byrif Crotinu. Having dreamed of becoming a free black mage only to be captured by the Demon King and turned into his familiar, he stroked his skin, which prickled repeatedly.
Goosebumps rose.
The battlefield projected through his undead was terror incarnate.
A massive aura cleaved the world, and brilliant spells burst like fireworks.
The undead were reverting to their original forms at a rapid pace.
"Strong."
The exclamation of admiration for the empire slipped out naturally.
He knew that blade would ultimately turn toward him, which terrified him. At the same time, a thrill coursed through him.
Those things—the empire's elites, those chilling heroes!
If he could kill them with his undead, with his own hands? If he could turn them into undead?
The Demon King was right.
This was the perfect chance to prove the worth of the undead he'd crafted over a dozen years—and his own value.
"There are imperial royals too."
He didn't know exactly which ones, but the Demon King wouldn't lie.
"If I kill even the imperial royals..."
The empire would erupt in chaos, and his and his undead's fame would soar even higher. Even if the empire formed a pursuit squad in rage, by then he'd escape the gorge with the Demon King's help.
Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine. His mouth watered.
"I'll give them a proper fight."
He closed his eyes and focused his mind. The wills of thousands of undead surged into him in an instant. His head throbbed.
But that only ignited Byrif's fighting spirit further.
If it wasn't this intense, there'd be no satisfaction in crushing them.
The empire had to deliver at least this much, of course.
Byrif quickly grasped the enemy's strategy.
Heroes at the vanguard, smashing the undead like a wedge behind them. That charge was their core.
"And what a monster he is..."
The connected undead shattered in real time. Even watching from afar gave him chills.
Dimensional interference made the magic points nestled in his heart tremble in anxiety.
Byrif manipulated his undead.
A frontal clash was hopeless. He had to flank and devour their supports.
Skeleton archers perched on the gorge walls loosed arrows. Crude bone arrows transformed into sharp weapons under the power of magic points and gravity.
"Undead above too!"
"Block them!"
Magic circles deflected the arrows. Imperfectly—some soldiers fell.
"Climb up and take them out!"
Some knights ascended with the mages' help. But what awaited them were headless corpses and the Death Knights commanding them.
"...Death Knight?"
"Dullahan!"
The charge on skeletal horses sent the knights plummeting before they could steady themselves.
The Death Knight squad raced along the gorge cliffs without slowing.
Teetering on the brink of falling yet not, the two squadrons slammed into the humans' flanks.
Kwaaaak—
Hiiiing—
Watch the sides!
A section of the line crumbled. Soldiers' screams became their epitaphs as they shattered.
The knight whose flesh had been tempered, stuffed with countless souls, unleashed a wraith blade.
It shredded armor and rent living flesh. Hot blood wasn't enough to warm the souls' icy chill.
Grraaaaa—
The Death Knights roared.
Headless knights answered their commander's thirst.
Magic points surged. Devouring mana, they bared fangs at the intruders.
"Make way."
Dududu—
Horse hooves shook the earth.
Two detachments peeled from the vanguard, wheeling to the sides. They clashed head-on with the bloodthirsty Death Knights.
Kwaaaaang—
The Death Knights' bodies rippled. Skeletal horses screamed, Dullahans' torsos flew.
"Filthy corpse scum."
The Black Lion Knights. The black lions of House Osrian roared.
The halved Black Lions pulverized everything in their path. The leaders of the Death Knights and Black Lions collided.
Kwaang—
The Black Lions held the edge in the initial clash.
Black aura surging nearly two meters rent magic points and morale, targeting the Death Knights' cores.
—How dare you.
The Death Knight uttered a grotesque voice. Maneuvering its skeletal horse with near-divine skill, it shed the impact and created distance. It spat magic points at the heart-seeking aura.
Dozens of sword strikes flashed in an instant. Death Knights, Dullahans, and Black Lions intertwined like serpents, thrusting blades at each other.
Thus, the Black Lion Knights peeled away from the front.
And that clearly slowed their advance. Deprived them of rear support.
"Just as planned...!"
Byrif, watching it all through undead eyes, trembled in ecstasy.
He'd lose two painstakingly crafted Death Knights and a hundred Dullahans, but he'd resolved to pour everything into this gorge anyway. They were fulfilling their roles admirably.
"That bastard. Must be the 'Pale' or whatever."
The continent's undisputed strongest hero. Though his memory had faded from holing up in the gorge with corpses, Byrif had heard the name even before entering.
"So the royals are moving after all."
He'd roughly expected Star-level foes.
Byrif summoned the undead he'd lavished the most care on.
Kugugugu—
Amid countless bones, a massive head erupted. Red malice gleamed in hollow eye sockets.
Neck, body, stubby limbs, bony wings emerged. The 15-meter behemoth resembled a dragon.
"...A bone dragon?"
The imperial army faltered.
"Kuhuhu."
Byrif chuckled.
Lesser bone dragon.
Dragon in name, but no true dragon. Yet the pinnacle among drake-like sub-dragons, former lord of central Hamstline.
After long battles and efforts, now undead—but retaining most of its living power, transformed and stronger.
The greatest source of Byrif's confidence.
The lesser bone dragon's maw gaped. Wind gathered between bare black bones.
Gorge magic points rippled. The core swelled like a balloon.
"Die, all of you!"
From underground somewhere, with Byrif's shout.
A breath that devoured all erupted.
The massive frame tricked the eye into seeing a dragon.
"Your Highness, you must take cover!"
His escort knights shouted.
But he dismounted his panicked horse and charged forward.
"Your Highness!"
The knights followed.
"Where do you think you're running to?"
He stabbed a fleeing soldier's heart.
Cukhek...!
The soldier's blood soaked his armor.
"I commanded you. Advance and bring me the black mage's head."
Shame.
"Don't you have to follow to the end? Who permitted you cowards to flee!"
His mana-infused roar echoed through the gorge.
All trembled at his fury.
Then.
"We obey Your Highness's command!"
Someone's shout devoured the soldiers' fear.
One man.
The great hero advanced. Dismounting his terrified horse, he planted his feet on the ground.
Simultaneously, the dragon's maw unleashed everything.
Black flash blazed.
The sky blackened.
Affected bones crumbled to dust.
Yet the unrelenting black trajectory slammed the humans' front.
Some collapsed outright.
Some hid behind rocks.
Some cloaked in aura.
Some shielded the royal with their bodies.
And some anticipated the hero's pathetic end.
But.
No shock, no explosion.
Flash—
A blue glow rose from the darkness.
Illuminating it, advancing toward the storm. A massive sword of light cleaved the gale.
─────!
It was like a legend's great hero.
Vanquishing evil, proving good.
Defending the kingdom, proclaiming humanity's era.
The sole torch in pitch black, banishing shadows.
Darkness parted.
Severing all pressure to extinguish the flame.
At its end loomed the dragon.
Firing darkness.
Destroying the world.
The demon dragon asserted its presence.
Sensing the hero, the storm intensified.
Proportionally, the hero's sword shone brighter.
Piercing the storm's heart.
Burrowing deeper.
Beyond the gaping maw.
Down the throat, pressing on.
Kwakwakwa—
The breath weakened.
The demon dragon screamed.
Its colossal body writhed in resistance.
"Return whence you came."
For that was His Highness's command.
Kwajik—
No more screams.
The behemoth fell.
Cough...!
Byrif vomited blood.
The link to his cherished lesser bone dragon severed, magic points backlashed. His heart felt crushed by rampaging magic points, pain surging.
"Impossible...!"
But mental agony outweighed the physical.
15 years of work.
No foe had daunted him.
Not even the empire.
Not even heroes.
He'd been confident of victory. Especially strengthened by the elixir tainted with the Demon King's magic points.
Yet why.
"...So easily?"
The process hadn't looked easy. But the result was.
The lesser bone dragon died.
Unable to defeat one hero, its core shattered.
The 15-meter giant toppled, the hero roaring triumph atop the corpse.
"...That fucking bastard."
The black mage who'd lost 15 years raged.
Blood trickled from his mangled lips.
"No matter what, you at least...!"
But how?
His trusted final bastion shattered, nothing remained.
Or did it?
"......"
Madness glazed his eyes.
It was a shame. Even destroyed, the lesser bone dragon's remains were useful.
The bones felled by them could be reassembled.
Should he abandon it all?
"Damn right!"
Better to lose everything he'd gathered over 15 years than fail to avenge the bone dragon.
Byrif bit all ten fingers, drawing blood.
Drawing runes, he closed his eyes and focused.
"Perish with the dragon you broke."
As uncontrolled magic points rampaged, Byrif retched blood.
Simultaneously, bones filling the gorge reacted to the magic points.
Kwakwakwakwa—
A massive explosion shook the entire gorge.
"What the..."
Before the question faded, a magic point shockwave swept the gorge.
"Duke Hillun!"
"That direction is the gorge center! Something's gone wrong for sure!"
"Full speed to the center now!"
"Brother, let's confirm what happened..."
"What happened? Brother's fighting the undead, obviously. Stay here and we'll lose the black mage's head! If you're uneasy, come slow. I'm going ahead."
The Second Prince led his unit charging.
The Third Prince had no choice but to follow.
"Lord Fail."
"I don't know either, so don't ask."
"Really?"
"I'm the most curious."
He truly was.
What the hell happened?
Berge bit his lip.
From the explosion's moment, he'd signaled Byrif—no response.
Instinct told him.
Something was wrong.
And that instinct was spot on.
Reaching the gorge center, they faced a massive crater.
"...I'll kill you! How dare you... how dare you!"
Inside, the First Prince gripped the black mage's throat, rampaging.
< 120. The Black Mage's Death Throes > End