Episode 102 Northern Mountains (3)
His heart raced, and his senses sharpened endlessly.
A piercing pain scratched at his nerves, and an unreasonable irritation surged.
Annoying, unsettling, I want to break it, should I get rid of it? Yes, let's kill it!
A voice echoed in his head, like an auditory hallucination, trying to force him to act.
And in a violent direction.
That sudden madness was happening in real-time within Harley.
It was a situation that would confuse anyone…
'Well, it's incomparably weaker than when I accepted the Immortal King's Heart. I don't have to worry about this much.'
Naturally, it wasn't a big deal to him, who had "Mind Hub".
It wasn't like it was the first time Harley went a little crazy.
He ignored the abnormality affecting his mind and calmly examined the changes in his body.
It wasn't just his heart racing and his blood flow accelerating.
The energy of 'madness', which he couldn't accurately grasp, was swirling through his body, further activating all his physical abilities, including his muscles and senses.
Yes, it was like…
'These Orcs right now.'
Tougher skin, bulging muscles, heightened reflexes.
The downside was that they lost their reason and just charged recklessly based on instinct.
'Of course, it doesn't seem to have that much of an effect on me.'
The amount of madness currently in his body was too small to further strengthen his monstrous physique.
He would have to accept dozens of times more madness to feel a significant strengthening effect.
'But perhaps because I absorbed it all at once through the magic stone, I didn't really feel it before, but now I can clearly sense the madness spread everywhere.'
It was spread all over the place, and it accumulated in his body little by little with every breath, slowly increasing the size of the madness already inside him.
But Harley, who was diligently moving his body while organizing his thoughts, looked at the few remaining Orcs and discovered a difference.
'The amount of madness entering the monsters' bodies through breathing is different?'
The battle with the Orcs was nearing its end thanks to his efforts, so he relaxed his body and examined it more closely.
'…Monsters have the highest absorption rate, then me, and lastly, humans.'
This difference was probably the cause of the monster frenzy, and the reason why Harley had been feeling strange.
'Are monsters compatible with madness? Maybe it's targeting their wildness and instincts.'
Well, it would be easier for them to manifest madness than those with strong rationality.
He had to risk absorbing more madness to obtain more detailed information…
'But it's not a problem for me. Let's see how far I can go.'
It didn't matter to Harley, the experiment subject turned barbarian warrior.
"Ugh…"
Thud—
"…It's over. Orcs were always aggressive, but they were never at this level."
As the last Orc fell and the battle ended, the mage Fabiella, who had been maintaining the concealment barrier, let out a short lament.
"They're already tough to deal with because they're good at fighting, and now they don't even flinch at most attacks… To be honest, if it hadn't been for Harley, I would have given up and gone back a long time ago."
The guide Marcus, who had been fighting in the rear to protect the mages and archers, agreed with her and hurriedly started cleaning up.
He used the cleansing magic tool he was given to remove the bloodstains on his body and equipment and applied the juice to mask the scent.
The noise and the scent of blood weren't leaking out thanks to the concealment barrier the mage was currently maintaining, but the moment it was lifted, monsters would start swarming from all directions again.
"Oh? The great Marcus is scared of a few Orcs?"
"Sigh… Mikel. It seems like you're forgetting something important."
Marcus calmly spoke to Mikel, who was retrieving reusable bolts and wiping off the bloodstains, as if admonishing her.
"This is the northern mountains, also known as the monsters' home, and it's only been a day since we entered, and our destination is several days deeper."
And it was common sense that the deeper they went, the higher the monster density and the stronger the monsters became.
The magic tool that concealed their presence also had its limits, so it was obvious that things would get more difficult.
Mikel just pouted, as if she had nothing to say to that.
The cleanup was done quickly, as they were all veterans.
"Ugh."
Harley emerged from the burial pit he had dug, patting his shoulder with the collapsible shovel.
Originally, they were planning to leave the area as quickly as possible before the smell of blood spread too far.
It was too inefficient to bury each monster's corpse.
But the situation changed after Harley showed them how to dig a large pit in just a few minutes with his overwhelming physical abilities.
Of course, that method wasn't perfect, as they had seen with the Orcs that chased them just now, but if it hadn't been for that, they would have encountered many more monsters.
As the swordsman Flora threw the last Orc corpse into the pit, Harley quickly covered it with a mound of dirt using his monstrous strength.
"…It's amazing every time. How can he do that so casually? Doesn't he get tired?"
'Perfect timing.'
Harley, who had finished the task in an instant, receiving the group's admiring gazes, disassembled the shovel and put it away, then casually brought up what he had been thinking.
"Ah, so, I'm running out of energy! Can I have my share of magic stones first?"
"Hmm? What does that have to do with magic stones?"
"Hahaha—! It's our tribe's secret technique. We eat magic stones and absorb the energy contained in them, and as you can see from my body, I can't handle it with ordinary meals!"
"Ah…"
The group members nodded vaguely at Harley's random explanation, but of course, not everyone was like that.
"Huh, eat magic stones? Barbarians do that… Ouch!"
Thwack!
Mikel, who spoke as if she was dumbfounded, was poked in the side by Flora next to her and glared at her.
But when Flora confidently met her gaze and frowned, Mikel sighed softly and mumbled what she was about to say.
"…I've never heard of southerners eating magic stones…"
'I don't really care if they call me a barbarian.'
But he didn't say anything because it was probably something she was thinking because he wasn't a real southerner.
And he didn't feel bad about being treated with such consideration as Harley's importance in the party increased.
"If that's the case, it's fine. And I'll try to compensate you more for the necessary expenses when we get back."
"Oh— As expected, the knight is generous!"
After receiving everyone's consent, time passed, and when the campsite they had painstakingly set up was complete,
'Huh?'
Harley's expression changed subtly as he looked at the magic stones he had collected.
He had naturally thought that the monsters' magic stones would be filled with madness, but the amount contained in them was strange.
It wasn't completely gone. But…
"…Can I have my share mainly from the ones we caught recently?"
"Hmm? Well, it doesn't matter. But is there a reason?"
"Ah! Of course, fresh ones taste better and have a greater effect! Hahaha!"
The amount of madness in the magic stones was generally much lower than what he felt from the Orc's magic stone earlier.
Some magic stones even had almost none left.
'…Does it disperse back into the air when its host dies and its usefulness disappears?'
And it would become a seed that entered another monster's body and gave birth to new madness.
"Then, this should work."
As soon as the distribution was over, he didn't hesitate to grab a handful of magic stones and put them in his mouth.
Crunch, crunch—!
"Uh… th-that…!"
Harley diligently chewed on the magic stones using "Gluttony", ignoring everyone's dumbfounded gazes.
His depleted energy started to replenish…
Thump—!
And the sprout of madness that had taken root in his body started to grow rapidly like weeds after rain.
________________________
An eerie ghostly energy lingered in the chilling space that seemed to freeze even the soul.
It was an ordinary mountainside, not a cemetery, but the atmosphere was so eerie that it felt like a demonic realm.
[…Girl, will you… pledge your loyalty… to His Majesty…]
A woman's mournful ghostly wail echoed in all directions.
At the same time, the surrounding air fluctuated, and thousands of ghosts all prostrated themselves in unison.
Wooong—
The translucent beings, gathered together regardless of their type, including Phantoms, Wraiths, and Specters, all emitted an eerie energy, lowering the temperature to below freezing just by their presence.
'This is also a spectacle.'
Hans calmly looked down at them, enjoying the surreal scene.
The one who stepped forward to represent the ghosts was a Banshee Queen, dressed in a black mourning dress with a veil attached to her neatly tied up hair…
She was also a former high-ranking executive of the immortal army.
[Good work, Olivia. You gathered more than I expected.]
[As His Majesty commanded… I focused on minimizing clashes with humans… and gathering the children…]
Ghostly beings had an overwhelming advantage in stealthy movement because they lacked physical form.
They were more vulnerable to energy like magic power and holy power, but there was no better advantage than this when avoiding fights and gathering in one place.
Hans closely examined Banshee Queen Olivia, who was standing respectfully before him.
The noblewoman with pale skin, wearing a black mourning dress, was a being renowned for her terrifying abilities that contrasted with her beautiful appearance.
She was even mentioned in history books, just like Entracio and Karam.
'Her ability specializes in mass murder. Ordinary people without any spiritual defenses can die instantly just by hearing her cursed scream.'
Her notoriety became widespread after such an incident actually happened.
Tens of thousands of citizens were massacred in a city that failed to prevent her intrusion due to their complacent response, and the incident was even considered significant enough to be included in the records of the previous Immortal Kings.
But her true value wasn't just in her combat abilities.
[Olivia, I have a task for you.]
[Your Majesty… Command me… I will do my best… to fulfill it.]
Hans subtly turned his head and looked at a group of humans who were just drooling with blank expressions.
Those belonging to Oath of Heaven's Defiance, staring blankly into space with unfocused eyes.
It was only a matter of time before Hans found them if he put his mind to it, as he had been prioritizing collecting the undead army.
They couldn't avoid his pursuit, which combined his overwhelming dark magic power and "Abyssal Eye", with ordinary barriers.
He had caught these guys here because they caught his eye while he was collecting undead.
'Of course, that takes a lot of effort, and I'm still not free…'
He had only roughly cleaned up the western part of the continent, which was the most urgent, and he hadn't fully collected the undead in other areas yet.
As the continent became more chaotic, his undead would also be continuously consumed.
He could let go of ordinary individuals, but the high-ranking executives were too valuable to lose.
'And I obtained Olivia in this situation.'
Ghosts weren't bound by physical limitations and could freely roam anywhere that didn't have special defenses.
And Olivia, who commanded all those individuals…
Was the head of intelligence under the Immortal King, in charge of all the information needed for the war against the continent.
[The organization these guys belong to.]
Hans spoke, looking at the dark mages.
They were a bit out of it from the interrogation using "Abyssal Eye", but he had deliberately adjusted it so that their lives weren't in danger.
[Find out everything you can about them.]
[Your will be done… Please set the final goal… I will do my best… to achieve it…]
[Hehehe— Of course…]
Hans laughed ominously and spread his arms.
The surrounding air fluctuated, and abyss-like darkness spread as if to swallow the world.
[Absolute obedience.]
What he wanted were pawns who would faithfully follow his orders.
Those who obeyed would receive a temporary reprieve, but only death awaited those who resisted until the end.
He didn't need to show them any mercy.
[As the King wills…]
Banshee Queen Olivia bowed respectfully at the pressure contained in the Immortal King's declaration.
And she slowly approached the dark mages, who were still sitting there blankly, to begin her task.
After some time,
Thousands of ghosts— spread throughout the world in secret.