NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63
#63
The Incident at the Shrine (2)
The Rosellia Temple was thrown into chaos due to an invasion from outsiders, a situation that had never been permitted before.
But even amidst this turmoil, the response was swift.
This was a holy ground for the order, gathering the elite from various regions.
All boundaries, both external and internal, were reinforced.
Fully armed paladins and battle priests lined up around the temple, and summoned knights moved in unison.
And secret orders were given to the strong, including the paladin captain.
They were to immediately gather at the sealed area.
That was the reason.
In front of Heinrich, a rare scene unfolded as individuals he hadn’t seen often gathered in one place.
‘Despite having dispatched so many, it’s impressive that this many remain.’
Among those left in the temple, the highest-ranking individuals.
Even retired ones were fully armed; the number exceeded a hundred.
At that moment, a saint burst into the corridor with a group.
In such a rush, her hair was disheveled, and her attire was a mess.
“Let’s move right away! Everyone follow me!”
Without a moment’s delay, the saints dashed into the corridor, followed by those waiting in haste.
‘There’s no need to guard this corridor anymore, right? She asked everyone to follow…’
Sensing the right moment, Heinrich quietly joined their ranks.
“What happened? Did the defenses of the temple break? Right to the sealed area?”
She asked the woman running beside her, who looked like a high-ranking inquisition officer, her footsteps silent as she responded calmly.
“There has been no sign of intrusion or any evidence of it from outside. They did not enter the sealed area through normal methods.”
“What does that mean? Are you saying they used spatial movement directly into the sealed area?”
“For now, that’s all I can say. No traces of spatial movement have been found in the temple’s defensive barrier. It’s as if they suddenly sprang up there.”
“That’s nonsense… How many holy barriers surround this place…! Ignoring those and invading directly into the twisted space of the sealed area is impossible!”
Yet, the unlikely scenario was indeed occurring.
With just the news of an intruder in the sealed area, the saint hurriedly rushed in to figure out the detailed situation, only to feel more flustered.
“I hope it’s not… The intruder, could it be…?”
“… Yes, we have received the last message from the director who went ahead.”
[Encounter with the Undead King's heir, Hans. Engaging to buy time. Prepare and enter as thoroughly as possible.]
“Since then, we have had no contact. We cannot determine if they are alive or dead.”
“Hans…!”
With her teeth clenched, sparks flew from the saint’s eyes.
“Saint, please calm down. It won’t help to be flustered right now.”
“Oh! Right. Hoo~ Hoo~.”
She took a deep breath, calming herself with the soft voice of Cardinal Cordelia, who was along for the ride.
Despite the serious atmosphere among the leaders, Heinrich found himself distracted by their demeanor.
‘They’re all running without a single hair out of place.’
The still-young saint and the woman in her late fifties, Cardinal Cordelia, conversed calmly while running.
The vast holy power flowing within them probably aided their bodies.
“Hoohoo, I can’t face the Holy God in this way. Allowing the trespass of heretics into the deepest parts of this holy ground… Huhuhuhu.”
A man in his sixties laughed in a defeated manner.
The owner of the voice that had given orders with holy power during the early stages of the incident, Cardinal Pion.
“How could one move from the westernmost end of the continent to the inner sanctum of this holy ground? Or could it be…?”
Even after finding the heir of the Undead King, the High Elf Laforey’s search continued up to this day.
If he were to change his location, immediate confirmation would follow.
The last confirmed position today was still in the western Forest of Monsters, yet he suddenly appeared in the heart of the continent.
At a very peculiar timing, too.
“There was a record of engaging with this generation’s Undead King, Hans, indicating he bypassed Archbishop Latinus’s spatial blockade to escape.”
The inquisition officer, who had been stealthily following, quietly added.
“…That’s right. I can’t be sure if he was truly in the Forest of Monsters, but the fact that he invaded ignoring the temple’s defenses is true. But he isn’t yet a complete Undead King, yet he possesses this level of ability…”
“If we lose this fragment, what will happen… A true calamity for the continent will be born.”
Those leading the conversation and even those quietly following them realized the seriousness of the situation.
“…Let’s hurry.”
The radiance of the saint intensified, and the holy power emanating from her surrounded the others, prompting them to dash deeper into the sealed area.
*
Thud—
The last remaining inquisition officer collapsed to the floor.
[…I expected it, but this opponent is even trickier than I thought.]
Hans glanced around.
Scattered corpses of black-cloaked figures lay strewn about among a massive number of undead remains.
‘While the efficiency drops significantly in this space, I have no choice but to buy time.’
Despite being imbued with plenty of black magic, his combat ability was reduced to less than half of its usual level.
He had to compensate for the lacking aspects with sheer numbers.
Hans couldn’t help but be concerned in various ways during the battle, which coincided with unsealing the fragment.
The inquisition officer approaching and attacking like an assassin couldn’t be blocked even by the undead.
[But the seal is nearly undone now. I can finish up before additional support arrives.]
[Master…]
At that moment, a death wizard, Malcolm, who was missing half his waist, crawled over with the last remaining hand.
Straight out of a horror film scene.
[Oh? You’re still alive, huh.]
Though he had already died; thankfully, he wasn’t so badly damaged that he couldn’t be revived.
In a situation where he couldn’t spare anything, Malcolm was called upon, and he had grown into quite a useful subordinate in the meantime.
‘With him, recovery should be sufficient.’
That’s an advantage of the undead, after all.
[Well done. I’ll fix you later, so for now, just rest.]
[Yes…].
Malcolm immediately disappeared into the shadows cast by Hans.
[Bring back the rest, those who can be revived, for now, it’s not the time to pay attention to them.]
Clatter—click!
[Ugh—]
The surrounding undead busily rummaged through the remains and brought them into Hans’s shadows.
What they left behind were only those corpses that had no possibility of recovery, completely smashed.
Hans’s gaze shifted back to the inquisition officers caught in the fray.
‘I didn’t kill them, but I made sure they can’t move for a while. The temple’s barrier actually made it easier to take them down.’
Thanks to the holy barrier protecting the temple’s followers, they didn’t die instantly from any attack.
Seeing how the barrier kept the dying ones alive, Hans could unleash his power without restraint.
‘If I tried to suppress them forcibly, it would have been awkward. I didn’t have much leeway. In that regard, it’s fortunate.’
Some might find it odd he didn’t finish them off, but…
If he were to mind such things one by one, he wouldn’t be able to even start the “home theater” operation.
Swish—
At that moment, cracks formed on the last remaining pillar of the altar, and the silver chains connected to it crumbled to dust.
Thus, the final seal was undone.
[…It’s done. Khurahaha—!]
A surge of black magic exploded forth from the fragment.
Hans savored that power and seized it.
Ignoring the negative feelings that seeped into his mind, he carefully moved it through the path connected to him.
The last piece clung on as if it was one with the source extracted from the “undead.”
Yet, even after entering Hans’s pseudo-spatial dimension, it continued to emit uncontrolled black magic.
[…I had a feeling, but it seems I’ll need some time to stabilize it.]
Since it shared a root, it would quickly blend in, but the powers absorbed from the fragments so far were similar, leading to a tug-of-war for dominance.
Hans poured all mental resource capacity into making the heart his own, except for Heinrich.
Even if he were to release the summon now, he wasn’t sure if he could fully conceal such a violent flow of energy.
And so, a brief moment passed.
As he reveled in the explosive rise of black magic and the rapidly increasing power…
[Hoo… Just a bit more and it should be fine.]
Unfortunately, the deadline approached.
Bang—!
Thick beams flew in from the broken door, shaking Hans’s barrier.
At the same time, dozens of figures charged in at tremendous speed.
The order’s elite had arrived.
*
“Gah… Are we… late…!”
Those who hurriedly dashed in clenched their teeth at the sight of the altar’s seal being shattered.
“It’s not too late yet! Let’s first save the survivors!”
The saint shouted as if to awaken their spirits, issuing commands.
At the same time, the shadow-like inquisition officers leapt to the floor, carrying those who had fallen backward.
Soon after, the priests surrounded the injured, pouring in their holy power, while the paladins had lined up at the front, facing off against Undead King Hans and his undead minions.
“Focus! Right now is our last chance while he hasn’t fully gathered the fragment’s power!”
Cardinal Pion’s booming voice resounded again as he led the battle priests in chanting prayers.
Woosh—
Beautiful light enveloped the bodies of the paladins.
All kinds of enhancement effects, and a channel through which they could convey intentions using only holy power for smooth cooperation opened.
The man at the very front, who had taken a firm grip on his shield and war hammer, stepped forward.
[“I will take the lead, so you all focus on supporting me.”]
[“Understood, Sir Jonien.”]
He was the only paladin left in the temple, the best candidate to fight upfront.
[Hah! You followers of the order! It’s already too late! The Heart of the Undead King has become entirely mine!]
“Don’t be deceived! Attack!”
The battle priests’ holy laws flew towards Hans, and led by Paladin Jonien, the paladins charged forth.
Heinrich was also among them.
‘Ah, stalling tactics didn’t work either.’
While the output of black magic significantly increased as he absorbed some of the fragments, it wasn’t enough to engage in battle just yet.
However, it seemed the order had caught onto this fact and had no intention of giving him more time.
“Hah!”
Heinrich’s sword shimmered with holy power, creating a radiant blade.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he swung the sword, cleaving through the undead blocking his path.
It was unfortunate, but he had to focus on his role now.
[Kiiyah—!]
Clatter, clatter—
Undead kept crawling out around Hans, blocking the paladins’ way…
“Yahh—!”
[“These guys are nothing! Focus on clearing the path!”]
“Holy God! Burn away those wicked beings with your glorious light!”
Even with the bolstered black magic poured in, the undead quickly melted away under the holy power of the paladins and the battle priests pouring in from the rear.
‘All this effort, just to lose them!’
Hans felt frustrated inside, furiously sweeping away the last of the undead.
He needed even mere quantities to survive.
Boom—!
A beam of light originating from the saint collided with Cardinal Pion’s summoned hammer, creating an explosive crack in Hans’s barrier.
[These pesky ones!]
Dark mist erupted from Hans’s staff, morphing into a massive demon hand and shooting towards them…
“Holy God— Protect your children!”
Crunch!
It was blocked by a blue shield created by Cardinal Cordelia, vanishing into nothing.
This had happened several times since earlier.
‘Pathetically ambushing me!’
Cardinal Cordelia focused on defense and healing.
Cardinal Pion’s attention was on supporting the paladins while keeping Hans in check.
And within all this was the saint, Lesta, who focused solely on attacking Hans with full force.
With so many others vigorously pressuring him, Hans felt like he was going to burst from frustration.
‘If it weren’t for this last fragment, I’d have escaped by now!’
Yet he was able to endure because he was still getting stronger at this moment.
The work of solidifying control was also nearing its end.
“Hah—! Die, Undead King!”
Paladin Jonien, having broken through the undead, swung his massive hammer at Hans.
Hans naturally reached out to release a shockwave, bouncing him backward.
But at that moment.
Taking advantage of the brief opening after knocking the paladin back, two paladins suddenly leaped from the air and charged towards him.
It was a stealth operation conducted with invisibility spells.
Timed perfectly, the onslaught of various offensive spells momentarily pierced a hole in his barrier, and the twin swords and spears lunged at Hans’s heart from both sides.
A critical, unexpected situation.
[…Huh.]
Hans instinctively lowered his stance and gripped his skull staff, now enveloped in black magic.
Clang!
Stepping back, he used his staff to deflect the trajectory of the spear thrusting from the left.
Bang!
Simultaneously, he spun the staff, slapping away the blade of the dual sword coming from the right.
In the blink of an eye, the exchange of blows occurred.
After that fleeting moment, a black flame had already formed in Hans’s left hand, aimed directly at them.
Boom—!
“Ugh!”
“Ugh—!”
[“Hurry over here!”]
The paladins that were blown away by the black magic right in front of them were swiftly transported back for emergency treatment.
The carefully crafted plan had dissipated into nothingness.
[Khuruhuh! You dare try to deceive me, it’s a century too soon!]
Hans laughed with confidence.
No strategy could work against him.
The whole situation lay firmly within his grasp.
[“Ugh, his reaction is faster than I expected!”]
[“Has he mastered martial arts? The paladins were one beat too slow to react against his unexpected movements.”]
This situation was also…
Thanks to Heinrich’s real-time surveillance, Hans could anticipate and respond to every strategy from the order beforehand.
‘Ah!’
And because of that…
‘It’s over.’
He had finally earned enough time to seize control of the fragment.
《Achievement unlocked! You have become the ‘Undead King’ of the dimension of Auterica.》
《Having experienced death, overcome, and ruled, you have transcended. You are granted the bonus ability ‘Instant Death Immunity.’》
《You have greatly impacted the world by completing an achievement. Your karma has increased.》
Thus, Hans became the true Undead King.