Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Army of Death (2)
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A dark night.
Moonlight illuminated the procession of a certain group.
Their appearance was anything but ordinary.
Some in the group were armed with rotting flesh and dented armor.
They were ghouls.
Cold death dwelled in their eyes, and unidentified insects crawled between their rotting teeth.
They advanced slowly, letting out displeasing wails.
Wherever they passed, roadside flowers and plants began to wither at a rapid pace.
It wasn't just ghouls.
Beings that formed the group alongside the ghouls were there too.
They exuded beauty like butterflies flitting through the darkness.
Approach them based solely on that outward allure, and death would claim you.
A sweet yet perilous charm—incubi.
The horde consisted mainly of ghouls and incubi.
But that's not all.
Among the group, there were knights armed with dark plate armor and shields, the Death Knights.
Next to them was an Arch Lich, holding thick tomes while wearing luxurious robes.
The sight was like an army of the underworld bursting straight from hell.
Someone might call it this.
The army of Death.
Leading them at the vanguard was Azmo.
"Hah..."
Azmo, commanding the army of death, gazed at the hunters who had appeared ahead and let out a genuine sigh of admiration.
"Hunters truly are quick."
Ever since emerging from the dungeon, hunters had kept appearing before him.
Those hunters had repeatedly blocked Azmo's path.
He hadn't realized it while holed up inside the dungeon, but their response time was faster than anticipated.
Of course, it posed no issue.
The hunters he'd encountered so far were all bluster, and these ones right in front were no different.
Azmo needed only to spread his master's will.
"Blocking my path is tantamount to obstructing the great one's plans. I shall grant you mercy. Withdraw now."
Azmo addressed the hunters ahead in the gentlest tone he could muster.
In truth, since leaving the dungeon, he'd avoided needless slaughter.
He'd even coaxed and persuaded the hunters who barred his way, sending them back whenever possible.
Except for the occasional foolhardy ones who charged headlong.
Those types usually went straight for the Death Knight, leaving Azmo no need to intervene.
They were sliced apart like paper by the Death Knight's sweeping blade, only to rise as ghouls and join the ranks.
Barring such cases, he'd shown mercy to all.
Even now, the hunters wavered at his words.
"......"
Had his words gotten through?
After a brief pause, the hunters ahead began lowering their weapons.
A gesture signaling they had no desire to fight.
The hunters knew it full well.
No matter how much they claimed to safeguard the world, they couldn't stop the army of death before them.
Charging in would be suicide.
Just look at the ghouls—they were decked out in familiar gear.
That alone told them hunters had rushed in ahead of them... and become ghouls.
Becoming a ghoul meant...
'There's even a Death Knight...!'
This monster wave wouldn't be a walk in the park.
No—it was bound to be a catastrophe.
"As expected, you catch on quick. You'll all become valuable workers serving the great one someday. For that glorious day, spare yourselves."
Seeing Azmo harbored no intent to attack, the hunters dropped their weapons and fled the scene.
The abandoned gear fell to the ghouls and incubi.
In this manner, Azmo pressed onward, extending mercy to one and all.
It wasn't out of pity for humans that Azmo acted this way.
Everything was in service of his master's future designs.
'Mercy, huh...'
Azmo drifted into thought for a moment.
He recalled words Celia had once spoken to him.
That his master was a being of mercy.
Thus, he must demonstrate that mercy to others, she'd said.
Of course, Azmo's notion of mercy diverged from Celia's.
Where she saw mercy in subjugating them to cradle them in the master's embrace, Azmo believed in leaving them be—no oppression needed.
Letting them stand idle would mold them into workers for the master.
Relations forged through force felt too contrived.
Contrivance lacked beauty.
True beauty lay in their natural reverence for the great one, in drawing forth voluntary praise for the exalted being.
For that vision of beauty, Azmo refrained from ruthless carnage.
Not that he proceeded without purpose.
He intended to march straight on and meet the king who ruled the nation.
Once there, he'd convey the great master's will and seek alliance.
'Naturally, it won't be straightforward.'
Had Celia handled this herself, it'd be effortless.
But he lacked her power—that was the snag.
And soon enough, stronger hunters would converge.
Having sensed their prowess from within the dungeon, he knew it well.
'Even so, for the great one...'
He needed only prove his devotion.
Azmo glanced back.
Thankfully, the apostles loyal to the great one—the Death Knight and Arch Lich—accompanied him.
They weren't his own forces, mind.
Still, their presence alone was invaluable aid.
All eyes would fix on the Death Knight and Arch Lich.
As Azmo gathered his thoughts...
"Hooh."
Yet another hunter band appeared.
"These aren't like the posers we've met before."
They radiated an aura utterly unlike any prior foes.
Hunters brimming with formidable power.
And there were several humans around them.
Each of them had something, something Azmo knew well.
It was a camera..
Back when he'd chased the pinnacle of beauty...
He had seized cameras from dungeon intruders.
Azmo had learned they captured images, preserving his and his minions' splendor.
That camera still resided safely in his dungeon.
This record is a symbol for those in power.
The camera Azmo thinks of was certainly not used by ordinary people.
In other words, these hunters were elites.
Elsewise, with death lurking at every turn, why bring camera-toting humans along?
And not just one or two, either.
Surely they are saying that they do not think about losing their picture.
And it must be that several people have gathered to record the moment of victory.
Recording strength...
With a full entourage, no less.
This means that the hunters in front of us are likely to be close to those in power.
Or perhaps they are the powerful ones themselves.
If national elites, then near the throne itself.
At least, that's how Azmo saw it.
Thus, unlike before, he introduced himself with decorum.
"I am Azmo, servant of the great one."
To disseminate his master's will, reaching the king came first.
"I would like to negotiate. Might you escort me to your king?"
But the response wasn't welcoming.
"Hah, what bullshit."
Instead, they brandished weapons at him.
Undeterred, Azmo pressed on calmly.
"A fine option for you, no? I'm offering a chance. The honor of following the great one."
"Where does a damn monster get off yapping? You're all dying here today!"
The apparent leader of the hunter group bellowed in fury.
This leader was A-rank Hunter Han Jeong-cheol.
Team leader of the Hunter Association's Emergency Response Unit.
"T-Team leader!"
Hunter Lee Mi-rae of the Emergency Response Unit cried out, staring at Han Jeong-cheol.
"Shouldn't we at least hear the negotiation...? To cut damages even slightly—"
"No!"
Han Jeong-cheol cut her plea short.
Her point held merit, of course.
Negotiation.
A tempting notion.
Indeed, some monsters possessed keen intellects.
Hunters had leveraged that to bargain with dungeon lords before.
Though "bargain" often meant the weak groveling for mercy from the strong.
And in the current situation, we must not negotiate under any circumstances.
Why?
"Why did the Emergency Response Unit show up now, after staying hidden?!"
"Is that monster horde the wave?!"
"What's the Association's take on this crisis? Couldn't you prevent it?!"
The reporters swarming the long-absent unit weren't about to stay quiet.
Han Jeong-cheol sighed deeply.
Some were even live-streaming.
Dangerous spot, even for awakeners.
It wouldn't be strange for something to happen right away.
Yet they followed up to this point.
'Huh...'
It's not that I don't understand.
The more attention from the public on a dangerous scene, the higher the value of coverage, and since the emergency response team came, they probably thought they would be safe.
"For now, leave all the reporters behind!"
Han Jeong-cheol barked at his team.
The more eyes watching, the more constraints on their activities.
For example, if they agree to the negotiation mentioned earlier and then suffer damage by not agreeing, they will be criticized accordingly.
"But speaking of negotiation..."
He pondered the word "negotiation."
The negotiation they were talking about just now was different.
The frontman had said it plain:
'Follow the great one...?'
One demand: swear fealty to their boss.
Of course, regardless of whether there were reporters or not, it was truly nonsensical, so Han Jeong-cheol had no intention of negotiating at all.
His gaze shifted to the black-armored knight in the rear.
The atmosphere around him was extremely ominous.
Perhaps that guy is the mastermind behind this incident.
He might even be the owner of the dungeon.
The surroundings were filled with ghouls and incubi, especially the ghouls who were wearing hunter equipment.
'It seems they've already turned hunters into ghouls.'
Han Jeong-cheol shouted to his crew.
"Watch yourselves! We've got an A-rank Death Knight! But don't tunnel on it!"
Even the negotiation-spouting incubus reeked of power.
And that wasn't all.
A lich flanked the Death Knight.
"Team leader, tell me it's not an Arch Lich?"
He shook his head firmly at Lee Mi-rae's query.
"Death Knight's already A-rank. No way we've got another."
For now, plain lich and Death Knight—that's what Han Jeong-cheol clung to.
'Arch Lich...'
The difference between Lich and Arch Lich was as vast as that between heaven and earth in terms of response methods.
While the Lich simply exploded the undead, the Arch Lich was said to have the ability to resurrect the dead as skeletons.
But to have an Arch Lich here, in addition to the Death Knight?
Absolutely not.
It absolutely should not be here.
Han Jeong-cheol drew a deep breath.
"All units, battle stations!"
Time for the real fight.
"Most of them are made up of undead! Lee Mi-rae! activate your holy attack first!"
At his order, she channeled divine power.
Light began to emanate from her body.
"Buff Lee Mi-rae! We need to finish this in one strike!"
There was no second chance.
They needed to inflict as much damage as possible with this attack.
Of course, he didn't think they could eliminate the Death Knight.
The goal of this attack was to deal with the Ghoul and the Lich from the beginning.
If they could handle the rest, they might be able to deal with the Death Knight.
Lee Mi-rae's body gradually became brighter.
And then—
The light shot towards the horde of monsters.
Boom—
Instantly, the light burst, dispelling the darkness and creating a hazy smoke.
"Nailed it!!"
Even Han Jeong-cheol could see that this attack was a great success.
He immediately ordered his team members to prepare for the attack.
"When the smoke clears, everyone attack-"
But things didn't go to plan.
"...!"
Not only Han Jeong-cheol.
His team members were also silently watching the scene.
The reporters who had been making noise just a moment ago, and even those doing personal broadcasts, fell silent.
"Huh?"
Someone broke the silence.
"N-No, this can't be."
It was Lee Mi-rae.
As she said, the current scene made absolutely no sense.
Everyone's attack, exerted with all their strength, was blocked by the Death Knight's shield.
Flutter-
In front of the Death Knight's shield, something was fluttering.
"A maid outfit...?"
It was a maid outfit.
In front of the shield held by the Death Knight, a maid outfit was fluttering.
Everyone was gaping at the current scene.
What on earth is happening now?
It's so bizarre.
It was frightening.
"......"
They couldn't say anything.
The current scene was being clearly captured by the cameras of reporters and individual broadcasters for broadcast.
Naturally, the reaction was chaotic.