LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 89
Cecilia looked perfectly fine while Balutak was in an absolutely miserable state.
“Kirik… Great Chief…”
Balutak looked up at me, twitching his antennae.
“Balutak, please save me… I feel like I’m going to die…”
“Did you use Balutak as a shield?”
I asked while glaring at Cecilia.
It was true that Balutak had tough endurance and was quite resilient.
But still, isn’t it too much to use him like a meat shield?
“No, he got himself into trouble and ended up like that.”
Cecilia lifted the Reaper’s head.
“They were fighting, and this insect butted in. That’s what happened.”
“…Is that true, Balutak?”
“Kirik… the opponent was too strong. Balutak is still weak…”
Turns out he willingly turned himself into a firefly.
Balutak crawled over to me, dragging himself along the ground.
There was a grim pool of dark green blood along the way, and soon enough, Balutak grabbed my legs. Then, he gave me a sparkly-eyed look.
“Great Chief, please attach Balutak’s legs. I can’t even stand up…”
“Did you bring the legs?”
“Kirik…? I couldn’t bring them. They’ve all turned to dust.”
“I guess you’ll have to live with just your arms for a while.”
It wasn’t regeneration; it was stitching, so there was no avoiding it.
Since it was Balutak, I didn’t think there was a need to worry too much.
Insects have excellent healing abilities, and Balutak is one of the utmost kings of that.
If he focuses on devouring and resting, his four legs will grow back in no time.
“Kieeeek! That can’t happen!”
“Isabella, shut your mouth.”
“Yes, Balutak. Keep that mouth closed.”
“Kieeeek!!!”
“Oh come on. You’re too loud.”
*Gulp!*
Even after covering his mouth, Balutak was still creating a fuss.
In any case, thanks to Cecilia, the Reaper and two northern legions were annihilated.
Only Calandas remained.
If I were him, I would have thrown up my hands and surrendered long ago.
I would have desperately clung to life and waited for an opportunity at the gathering of the 72 Lords.
But he’s not me.
Calandas would not back down from a war that had already begun under the pretense of righteousness.
In the game, it was the same. Even when left alone, he confronted the players without fleeing until the end. He didn’t regret his death either.
I didn’t know what was going through his mind when he did that.
I didn’t care to understand.
“Where is Calandas?”
Roseha closed her eyes and shared her sight with the dolls.
When she opened her eyes again, she shook her head.
“I still… don’t know.”
*Gu gu gu gu.*
Briyagon poked his head toward me.
He looked at me and pointed with his chin toward his back.
It looked like he was indicating for me to get on, but out of nowhere, why?
“…Do you know Calandas’s location?”
Just to check, I asked, and Briyagon slowly nodded.
It was surprising how well he understood despite not being able to speak.
He had been in cahoots with Calandas until now, and Calandas must have been friendly with him too. He had shared the location beforehand.
Of course, Calandas could figure it out and leave again.
“There’s no other way.”
I couldn’t just sit back and twiddle my thumbs.
Briyagon bent down to make it easier for me to jump on.
I took a short leap and landed lightly on his back.
With my physical level at 80, I could manage this much.
“What’s going on, Master?”
Now that I think about it, Cecilia and Balutak still didn’t know.
Not knowing what to explain first, I gestured to Charlotte to explain. I just threw one sentence out.
“This guy is going to be a new family member from now on.”
“…When did you tame him?”
“He submitted to the Lord. A weakling recognizes a strong one and obeys. It’s just natural logic.”
Charlotte explained further, but I pretended not to hear it.
I gestured for them to get on, and Isabella was the first to reach out.
Then Briyagon started shaking his body around.
He desperately shook off anyone trying to ride with him, not just Isabella.
“Looks like he doesn’t plan to carry anyone else, huh?”
“….”
What a troublesome creature.
While pondering what to do, Roseha suddenly threw something.
I caught it by surprise and looked at her, and she said,
“It’s a portal scroll. Tear it during an emergency, and we’ll join you.”
Right, I didn’t really need to take them along.
As long as I had a portal medium with me, it was easy to assemble, and personally, I felt there was no need to tear it right there.
If it’s a one-on-one, I would win against Calandas.
“Master, here!”
Cecilia also handed me something. Not just anything, but the Moonlight Sword.
Then, she clenched her fist as if to cheer me on.
“Come back victorious.”
Even if it wouldn’t be that effective due to dual-wielding, it was still better than nothing.
With the Moonlight Sword and the Sunlight Sword, my level shot up to Lv. 90.
Additionally, there were spells and Mana Eater that didn’t apply to the level.
Put together, I’d say it rivaled the bosses of the Undead Lair.
Besides, all my attacks would have significant superiority against Calandas.
I couldn’t afford to lose to that guy.
“Come back victorious, dear.”
Roseha waved her hand lightly. Cecilia shook her clenched fist up and down.
Charlotte gathered her hands, bowing gracefully, and meanwhile, Isabella seemed to be struggling to keep Balutak’s mouth covered.
*Hoo-woo— Hoo-woo—!*
Every time Briyagon flapped his wings, a gust of wind blew around.
The sound of wind that could deafen mixed with the rustling of grass.
He seemed to be rising slowly, but suddenly he accelerated and instantly soared high.
I felt a surge of exhilaration as the wind lifted me up and looked down.
“…Huh.”
For a moment, my head spun.
Everything in sight looked like dots.
What could have been an impressive view was overshadowed by a far greater mental shock.
The pressure was dropping rapidly.
High-altitude sickness. It felt like the gravity acceleration training of fighter pilots.
Maybe because I’m undead or at a relatively high level, I didn’t feel too uncomfortable.
If there was any discomfort, it was the seat…
“I might need to get a saddle.”
I was worried I might fall off at this rate.
***
Briyagon slowly descended and landed softly.
It was clear even from a distance that this was the Imperial Palace.
He had landed by demolishing surrounding structures of the main palace.
There was no time to admire the majestic scale of the Imperial Palace.
A heavy stench of death was already overwhelming.
[Lv. 61]
[Lv. 65]
[Lv. 84]
Death Knights wielding spear swords rushed toward me.
With their platinum and golden armor, they were all members of the Imperial Knights, and in the center stood a Dullahan who must be the leader of the knights.
*Whooosh!*
I didn’t even need to step in.
Briyagon’s breath wiped them out without leaving a single bone behind.
As a gesture of satisfaction, I patted him on the nape of his neck, and he purred.
I stepped down from his back and onto the ground.
“Wait here.”
I had no plans to wreak havoc throughout the Imperial Palace with Briyagon.
If need be, I could just tear the scroll.
I approached the main palace alone and opened the door with the Holy Sword before entering.
*Scrape!*
With a slicing sound, I heard a dying scream.
The upper half of an Undead lurking inside was severed.
I cleared the mobs using only the Holy Sword while standing three steps from them.
When I could no longer hear any dying cries, I pushed my way inside.
Before I knew it, a magic circle was laid beneath my feet.
It wasn’t just in the Imperial Palace. As I turned my head, I saw extensive magic circles sprawling from all directions.
Everywhere I looked, it was astonishingly extensive.
“This is the entire Empire.”
Descending the central staircase, Calandas scattered death energy as he came down.
A blue light, reminiscent of a metamorphosis, flared up. Just as he was looking at me, I was glaring directly back at him.
A thick aura of death I had never felt enveloped my entire body.
[Lv. 95]
He was already in a state of full power.
I looked down at the magic circle at my feet and then lifted my gaze back up to Calandas.
“Are you referring to the range when you said the entire Empire?”
“Yes. You can rest easy. The deceased are not targeted.”
“…What do you mean then?”
“Death of Heaven and Earth. It is a 10th circle spell. The culmination of research over hundreds of years.”
This was a magic I had never heard of before. The very notion of it being 10th circle was absurd.
Only someone at level 100 or higher, like Roxanne, who had opened their power, could wield a 10th circle spell.
At this moment, Calandas was not someone I could challenge by any means.
He wasn’t someone who would act recklessly. He was likely hiding trump cards I wasn’t aware of.
There was no scenario like this in the game…
“This is magic that targets only living beings. Everything in the Empire will no longer be living creatures. They will become dying dead.”
“Are you thinking of stopping?”
“If I were thinking of withdrawal, I wouldn’t have even attempted it.”
“….”
“Barugore. Is the greater purpose I’m trying to achieve simply the annihilation of humanity?”
That much I understood.
It had been stated that way in the game, and there was no other reason for it.
“I believe you’ll understand me. We are both dead. I think it’s unfair that we are unequal. They say living is a great blessing. So what are we?”
Instead of answering, I reached out into the air. Instantly, the Holy Sword fit perfectly into my grasp.
Calandas scoffed.
“Barugore, poor Death Knight. We are dead. The undead cannot merge with this world. We can never become equal.”
When I understood what he meant, I found myself unable to grasp his mental state.
“So you want to turn everything into dead beings because we can never become living beings?”
“Correct.”
What an outrageous, insane idea.
‘…Now I understand.’
This guy longs for the living and wishes to become one.
But once someone has become undead, they can never become living again.
Thus, his resolution was to turn everything in the world into the dead.
“You’ve completely lost your marbles.”
“That’s to be expected. I’ve lived over a thousand years in death. Everyone must know this pain. Do you understand what I’m saying? I desire equality for the entire world. I want the death of everything in existence.”
Calandas reached out his hand. A staff appeared in his grasp from thin air.
[Lv. 96]
“I am not the one who is wrong. This world, which has drawn a chasm between the living and the dead, is the one that is at fault. I’m only trying to tear down that barrier.”
“No. You’re the one who’s wrong.”
“Yes, perhaps so. But that doesn’t matter. The cornerstone of destruction will be humanity and then the Seven Lairs. Everything in the world will become dead.”
Calandas reached out toward me.
Chilling death energy coiled around his thin bony fingers.
“You, too, can understand me. The world no longer belongs to the living. It will belong to the dead.”
“….”
“Barugore. My dear friend. Join me in my grand purpose.”
─!
In an instant, the Holy Sword shot out. Calandas stood there unresponsive.
The sword was blocked by an invisible barrier and returned to me.
“Is this truly your answer?”
“Indeed.”
“So it comes to this.”
*Thud.*
Calandas slammed his staff down, creating a magic circle.
“I can configure the magic system solely with my power. But its manifestation is impossible. It needs a fitting sacrifice. For example….”
Calandas’s empty hand moved toward his bosom.
When it was revealed, there was a Dungeon core.
It wasn’t the core of the Corruption Cave.
It was the core of the Seventh Lair, the Dungeon core of the Abyss’s Dark Fangs.
Now I understood why he had come to the Imperial Palace.
He knew that the Dungeon core of the Abyss’s Dark Fangs was enshrined here.
“Just like the Dungeon core of the Seven Lairs.”
I quickly shot the Holy Sword.
*Clang!*
The Holy Sword pierced the barrier, but it wasn’t just one layer.
Just before I leaped through, Calandas crushed the Dungeon core.
If he offers the Dungeon core as a sacrifice, the magic circle will manifest, the magic circle that will turn all living beings in the Empire into the dead.
Strangely, the energy from the Dungeon core wasn’t drifting towards the magic circle.
It began to seep into Calandas’s eyes, nose, and mouth.
Calandas shuddered with a sense of exhilaration.
In an instant, his pupils vanished. When they reopened, they exuded a somber light.
“Not just the Dungeon core. The life of the Undead Lair Lord can also serve as a sacrifice.”
“…Are you talking about me?”
“If you die within the magic circle, you will become the sacrifice. You can never escape this magic circle. Barugore, you will become that sacrifice.”
[Lv. 97]
Calandas’s level increased by 1 after absorbing the Dungeon core.
I wasn’t shocked; it was expected. But I had a question.
If the life of the Undead Lair Lord becomes the sacrifice…
“What happens if you die?”
“That’s a foolish question. If the caster dies, the magic circle will simply vanish.”
It was such an obvious, idiotic question.
A caster can’t become a sacrifice. If they die, the magic power just scatters.
“Not just a sacrifice. Barugore. I want to kill you with my own hands. More than that despicable harlot.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
I can’t become the sacrifice either.
Because I’m not the Undead Lair Lord.
Even if I die, he won’t achieve his wish.
I wondered if he knew that he had already squandered that opportunity with his own hands.
But I had no intention of dying quietly either.
[The Eternal X of the Lich King]
[Enhancement Success Rate: 1%]
[※Caution! If enhancement fails, it will automatically be destroyed!]
[If enhancement fails, the cooldown will reset.]
[Do you wish to enhance The Eternal X of the Lich King?]
[YES/NO]
───!
Suddenly, a firework-like noise erupted from Calandas’s hand.
Naturally, he looked at his right hand. The staff that should have been there was nowhere to be found.
[Lv. 96]
His level dropped by 1, and the color shifted from crimson to dark red.
This wasn’t mere bloodlust. It was a mix of bloodlust and caution.
And caution is the feeling the weak hold towards the strong.
“Next time, it’ll be your head.”
Come at me if you dare, cowardly little brat. I’m not scared at all.