Ash's body was fully pierced by the weapons and teeth of the Fallen Knights without any gap.
However, immediately after, the Fallen Knights noticed something was amiss.
"The flesh... it doesn't chew."
"What is this...?!"
In the next moment, Ash disintegrated like a shadow and disappeared.
As the Fallen Knights were taken aback, footsteps were heard from behind them, and Ash reappeared.
He was unharmed, not carrying a sword and shield this time but holding a long staff in his hand.
"Looking somewhere? That was a fake."
"You...!"
"Such shallow tricks!"
Various evil magics launched by the Fallen Knights shredded Ash.
But this Ash too dispersed like a shadow. And then, another voice was heard.
"That was also fake."
Kill again,
"That too."
And kill again.
"That, too, is fake."
Ash calmly reappeared, covering his mouth and laughing.
It was then that Pendragon realized. All the Ashes that had appeared so far were either covering their mouths or their faces were hidden in shadows.
The voice was coming from farther away, more to the south...
Pendragon gritted his teeth.
"A doppelganger... is it?"
"Yes. These are my afterimages."
All were illusions.
Using his ultimate skill [The Foremost Flag], Ash had summoned his doppelgangers. They had substance and could engage in battle, but were completely independent of the body.
The Fallen Knights, undeterred, tried to attack the newly appeared doppelganger, but Pendragon stopped them.
There was no reason to dance to the tune of the enemy commander's tricks, especially with the already severe exhaustion due to hunger.
Ash's voice faded away with a chuckle.
"Now, I'll be waiting. Let's see if you can crawl all the way to my walls. Cannibals."
"..."
"Well, if you still have the sense to do so, that is."
Another doppelganger of Ash, who had been covering his mouth and laughing, also disappeared into the shadows.
The Fallen Knights glanced at Pendragon as if asking why they were not pursuing the voice to the south, but Pendragon believed that too was a trap laid by Ash.
They needed to reach the north as soon as possible, with no need to wander south into the enemy's strategies.
Pendragon rallied his discontented subordinates.
"Everyone, gather your belongings! We head north immediately."
And Pendragon led his knights.
In the opposite direction of where Ash had appeared.
"We will not rest anymore. We eat while we walk. Let's go to the humans as soon as possible...!"
***
The desolate wilderness stretched on.
After walking along the barren plain for who knows how long, hunger struck the Fallen Knights again, their eyes turning bloodshot as they began to glare at each other.
Who among them would be killed and eaten next?
Who would taste better?
"...!"
That's when. A Fallen Knight walking at the front of the group suddenly pointed ahead in surprise.
"There!"
"What?!"
"The walls! Finally, the humans...!"
Rushing to see, it was true.
A gray fortress wall shimmered atop the desolate land. And atop the gray fortress walls, robed forces were waiting.
"It looks smaller than I thought."
Both the fortress and the stationed forces were smaller than Pendragon had anticipated, but it didn't matter.
Finally- they had found foes to kill and consume.
Without Pendragon's command, the Fallen Knights drew their weapons. Pendragon yelled.
"Let's go! Feast on their corpses-!"
The seven Fallen Knights charged with a terrifying momentum.
Thump-!
The ground burst as they kicked off, and the seven Fallen Knights shot forward like lightning.
Though their long-distance movement was slow, their ability to charge explosively over short distances was unmatched by any monster.
Like enraged rhinos, the Fallen Knights charged towards the fortress.
Tatatatatat!
Defensive turrets on the wall spewed fire. Simultaneously, the forces atop the wall unleashed various magics, arrows, and bullets fiercely.
"Hahahahaha!"
Pendragon laughed off the attacks.
As his man-eating sword, Excannibal, cut through the air, the onslaught aimed at him was 'swallowed' up.
The other Fallen Knights, too, swiped away arrows with their tentacles and absorbed bullets into their mucous skin as they continued their charge.
The crossfire from the fortress was powerful but utterly failed to stop the Fallen Knights.
Eventually, the Fallen Knights easily reached the fortress gate and,
"The king has arrived! Open the way-!"
Pendragon roared, plunging his greatsword into the gate.
Ting-!
Evil magic swirled, and the thick gate was effortlessly split open, revealing the interior. The power was not something a human could wield with a sword.
The seven Fallen Knights entered the fortress, laughing uproariously.
The thought of freely slaughtering and devouring the terrified soldiers was already exhilarating.
However,
"...?"
Something was off.
Inside the walls, there was no city, no fortification, not even the fortress's buildings. Only the same wilderness stretched inside as outside.
As if a single line of walls had been erected on an empty wilderness...
"Huh?"
Facing an incomprehensible situation, Pendragon and the Fallen Knights looked around when a familiar voice was heard.
"Sorry, but."
Looking up, the soldiers on the wall removed their robes all at once.
"This is also fake."
There, all the same faces.
Ash's doppelgangers stood.
The doppelgangers all covered their mouths and laughed in unison.
"Do you know exactly where you are now? Probably not."
"..."
"Have you ever been to this southernmost place in your life, lost your way, and wandered for days? Just heading north blindly won't lead you to Crossroad, will it?"
Pendragon clenched his teeth.
"Then the reason you bothered to appear last night and provoke us..."
"Yes. To further confuse you, to make you lose your way even more."
Immediately after, Ash's doppelgangers transformed into shadows and disappeared, and the walls too began to disintegrate into magical particles.
"Pendragon. If you had hidden in the darkness of hell, receiving an infinite supply, tormenting me, you and your knights would have been one of the most feared enemies. No monster is as specialized in killing 'humans' as you."
"..."
"But you charged blindly into battle without properly understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your legion. You failed to solve even the basics of logistics, essential for any army, and marched without knowing exactly where the enemy's city is."
Sarcasm was thick in Ash's voice.
"Indeed, that's why you marched in winter in your previous life and ended up eating your subordinates when the food ran out."
"..."
"You might be powerful as a warrior, but as a commander, you're disqualified. Not to mention your subordinates, who have lost their minds to madness in the darkness."
Ash's voice gradually faded away.
"Now, look up at the sky with wide eyes again. Can you be sure where is north and where is south?"
"..."
"Try to escape this endless swamp and find your way to my city, with that cursed hunger of yours."
Eventually, Ash's voice and the walls completely disappeared. Only the desolate wind swirled through the wasteland.
"This place..."
Pendragon muttered blankly.
"Exactly where is this?"
Where exactly were they wandering in this remote southern wilderness?
Pendragon belatedly sought a subordinate who knew geography - the long-haired Fallen Knight but then realized.
He had eaten him.
On the first day of their march.
"Pfft."
A laugh leaked out of his mouth unwittingly.
"Kuh, pff, puhahahahaha!"
Pendragon covered his face with his hand and burst into manic laughter. His subordinates looked at him bewilderedly, but he couldn't stop laughing.
Admonitions from his human days, from his human subordinates who had risked their lives to advise him, suddenly came to mind.
Do not march in winter.
Ensure sufficient supplies. Value those knowledgeable in astronomy and geography. Cherish the lives of your soldiers...
Above all, do not take war lightly. Govern the nation in peace...
The old man who nagged the most at the front was the first to have his head bitten off by him upon his monstrous return.
"Ah-ah."
Looking back.
He had not heeded a single piece of those admonitions.
Neither in his previous life, now, nor at any time...
"Let's go."
Despite everything, they had no choice but to head north. Pendragon staggered forward.
"To the humans, let's go."
"..."
The gaze of the Fallen Knights on Pendragon had changed.
Not with fear and loyalty, but with resentment, criticism.
And hunger.
***
Crossing the wasteland, passing through swamps, and another forest, night fell again.
It was time to decide on today's meal - today's victim.
But today's atmosphere was different from before.
"Let my loyal knight, who will volunteer to be eaten by his comrades, step forward."
Pendragon spoke indifferently, his back turned,
Shing! Clank!
Swords, spears, scythes, and tentacles were pointed at him.
"What are you doing?"
Pendragon turned his bloodshot eyes from within his helmet to look back at his subordinates, who glared back with equally bloodshot eyes.
"Great King. Isn't it all your fault that things have come to this?"
"What?"
"Just as that enemy commander said. Even in our past lives, it was all because you recklessly commanded us to march in winter, leading us all to this sorry state."
Caught off guard, other knights wiped the saliva from their mouths.
"Thus, you should apologize, Great King."
"Kihi, kihihihi... I wonder what the Great King's flesh tastes like..."
"Since you're so big, we could probably eat for two days..."
Shing! Shrring!
All of them drew their weapons.
Pendragon and his three loyal Fallen Knights.
And the four Fallen Knights who wished to devour Pendragon.
The divided Fallen Knights pointed their weapons at each other. Pendragon fiercely bared his teeth.
"My knights. Even now, if you put away your weapons, I'll forgive you by merely cutting off one of your arms."
"Kihi, kihihihi."
"Great King, you should be the one to put down your weapon... Then at least, you can keep your head intact..."
Shaking his head in disappointment, Pendragon raised his greatsword.
"Ungrateful creatures."
"You, who led us to this... How could you say such things!"
The next moment.
Thump-!
The seven Fallen Knights charged at each other.
And, roaring and screaming, they began to bite and devour each other, starting a battle.
***
...
After how much more time had passed, Pendragon stopped thinking.
Mounted on a corpse horse that could hardly run with half its flesh torn off, Pendragon staggered northward, northward.
Bearing the scorching southern sun on his body, after walking and walking...
"Ah."
Finally, a giant wall appeared in sight.
This time it was undoubtedly Crossroad.
"We finally crossed it. That winter mountain..."
Pendragon laughed brightly and looked back.
"Look, my knights! We have finally arrived!"
But there was no one there.
Only one subordinate's corpse, dragged behind the corpse horse, remained.
Even that was left with nothing but bones.
"Oh."
Pendragon muttered vacantly.
"Where have all those people gone, the many citizens, soldiers, and knights who followed me?"
Then, the Fallen King smiled bitterly.
"Ah, right. I ate them all..."
Pendragon giggled as he grabbed the reins of the corpse horse.
And, alone, he began to charge towards the walls of Crossroad.
--TL Notes--
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading