Fragments of the Immortal King (2).
The dark wizard guarding the entrance locked eyes with me.
He had been a helpful ally in gathering information alongside Jeraf.
[Hello there! The weather is quite lovely today, isn't it?]
I greeted with warmth, but the response I received was a cold shoulder.
Without looking back, he started to flee, not daring to speak.
[No, it's hurtful to be ignored like that,] I said, trying to soothe my saddened heart at his chilly reaction.
I glanced at the reliable friends with me, who were reassuring in their own way.
[Heh heh heh…]
Clutter—clunk—
The corridor darkened like ink, filled with the aura of death emanating from the undead, echoing and hundreds of eerie glows.
The silhouettes that occasionally flickered were all equally extraordinary, exuding an unwavering sense of strength.
'Hmm... They do look rather intimidating.'
But no matter how threatening my friends looked, I couldn't forgive them for discriminating against people based on their appearance.
The inner qualities were what truly mattered, and I had confidence in that.
'Well, the skull is handsome enough. The bones are well-polished too.'
[Khehehek—]
"Argh! How did you get here?! Get away!"
Thunk!
The fleeing dark wizard was surrounded by ghosts that emerged from the ground near the building's entrance, unable to escape anymore, forcing him to fight.
In reality, there was never any intention to let him go from the beginning.
I had planned to eliminate all the dark wizards and their minions in this town.
I immediately commanded all my undead minions.
[Kill all the humans in this town. Don't let a single one escape.]
I didn't even bother worrying if any innocent people were being held captive.
My evolved 'life detection' covered the entire town, allowing me to sense the dark magic of every being within it.
There were no innocents among those living in this town.
[Kieek!]
Clatter, click!
Hundreds of undead behind me bypassed the dark wizard at the entrance and poured into the town.
They would encircle the perimeter to prevent anyone from escaping and attack from the inside.
Whoosh!
Clang!
"Urgh, in this place...! Against these things!"
The trapped dark wizard was using all sorts of magic to fight for his life.
I adjusted the undead to push him to use all his abilities.
It wasn't particularly considerate. Rather...
Whoosh!
[Hmm... Is it like this? It's not so difficult after all.]
I murmured as I gazed at the black flames burning on my hand.
'Vile Wisdom' granted me an absolute understanding and talent for dark magic.
However, I still needed to learn the 'knowledge' to utilize it properly.
While I could understand and bypass the enchantment at the secret passage entrance through direct contact, other dark magics were a different case.
[Kueee—]
Crash!
And here, I had excellent textbooks.
I watched the undead being torn apart by the dark magic, absorbing all the practical knowledge like a sponge.
And the "Vile Wisdom" not only enabled me to follow, but also helped me realize more advanced improvement directions, application methods, and derivative abilities.
"Ugh... Cough!"
I thought I gave him enough leeway to pressure him, but the dark wizard, using magic forcefully, reached his limit and vomited blood before collapsing.
'Well, I've sucked him dry. It shouldn't matter now.'
As the undead rushed in and buried the collapsing wizard, I organized my thoughts.
'It was really lucky that I managed to kill Jeraf by surprise.'
It would have been impossible to confront someone at that level with elite skeletons. If Jeraf was on par with this dark wizard, I would have been completely destroyed.
'Now, the preparations are more or less complete. Shall we welcome the guests... no, the thieves who have taken over the house?'
Kwaaang!
The enchantment that surrounded the entire building shattered, and something flew towards me, shattering into pieces.
It was one of the undead I had sent earlier, the strongest among them, the Death Knight.
"You... How dare you...!"
Malcolm, an old man with a contorted face, had entered the building wearing a black robe and holding a skull staff in his hand.
I looked behind Malcolm.
I had allocated all three Death Knights to buy time, but all I could see were fragments.
I had suspected this since the connection was lost, but it couldn't be helped.
Although the condition wasn't great, the Death Knight was one of the top undead, difficult to rescue.
It was a pity that it was wasted just to buy time, but there was no other way.
When I detected the power of this old man throughout the village, I judged that my undead could only buy time, nothing more.
So, I needed time to familiarize myself with dark magic before facing him directly.
[Hello, Village Chief? It's been a while. Have you been well?]
"What?! Who are you?!"
[Me? It's me. You don't remember me?]
He had already forgotten my face and voice, and I scratched my skull with one hand, resonating my magic.
[Well, if you can't remember, then there's nothing I can do... I was planning to stay for only two days and help with the village work before leaving, right?]
"Two days? You, you're Hans! You must have become an Elite Skeleton, how?"
[You can think about that on your own. Anyway, I ended up staying longer than expected, didn't I? So I thought I'd help out with the village work a bit more.]
"Help? What nonsense are you talking about, making the situation like this?"
Despite Malcolm's rage, I remained composed.
[It's just garbage disposal. I'll clean up the whole village full of waste that can't even be recycled. Oh, you don't have to thank me. People like us should help each other to survive, right? Hahaha.]
Feeling proud as I spoke, I laughed heartily.
Volunteering felt so fulfilling.
I should start volunteering on Earth too, albeit as an avatar.
"So, how did you manage to deal with the 'Fragment of the Immortal King'?"
'Ah, is this as far as I can go? I wanted to provoke him more.'
I scratched the back of Malcolm's intentions as he raised dark magic as if he were about to attack, preparing my own magic to the end.
[You mean this? Thanks to you, I lost my heart. So, I replaced it with the one you had in the warehouse. It's still far from enough, but for now, I'll have to make do with it, right?]
Kwagwagwagwag!
As soon as I finished speaking, black thorns covered the ground menacingly.
I immediately reacted, erecting a shadow barrier around me to fend off the thorns.
And in the moment of counterattack, I unleashed the newly learned black flames.
"[Finger of Death]"
Pinging—
In an instant, a black flash extended.
In the brief moment of hearing Malcolm's voice, my right arm was pierced through the shadow barrier and the magic barrier I had spread around my body.
[Tsk... Old man, do you have to recite the technique names for every spell you use?]
"I don't understand what you're saying. [Call of Hell]"
'Typical for an old man trying to show off.'
The magic system I grasped here didn't require reciting spells one by one; the construction of magic was more crucial.
If it was a routine to make concentration easier, there was nothing to say.
Clank, thud—
"Groo..."
Fiends crawling out from under Malcolm's feet and his subordinate undead tangled with each other.
Beings of a shape resembling loosely packed mud and bones gnashed their teeth at each other to destroy.
While we continued our battle, the lament echoed across the battlefield, and black flames and bone fragments exploded in various places.
'Hmm... Looks like he's applying intermediate enchantments to a beginner's sword. A little sorry for that, I suppose?'
It was a lie.
In fact, I wasn't sorry at all.
"I don't know how you overcame its corrosion, but you forced the incomplete, immature fragments into a lower-ranked body. All the efforts I've made have been in vain... [Bone Burst Cascade]"
I quickly spread the black barrier to block the incoming attack of destructive energy.
However, hearing the curses continuously made me feel bad.
It was clear to anyone that I wasn't the one at fault.
And the addition of technical terms at the end of each sentence was annoying!
Moreover, the different format of the final spell's name was oddly bothersome!
Consistency is essential!
Nevertheless, I had gradually become familiar with the advanced dark magic Malcolm was using.
Thanks to that, despite going through several rounds of attacks since losing my arm, I hadn't incurred any additional damage.
I had learned enough from Malcolm to the point where it was time to end this.
Kwaang!
Black thorns suddenly surged from the ground towards Malcolm.
Simultaneously, the black flash extending from him shook the defensive barrier, but I was no longer susceptible to such familiar attacks.
Having exchanged one more round of spells, I pointed my finger at Malcolm, confidently declaring with irritation and resentment.
[I will kill you and avenge Alfred.]
***
Malcom was momentarily bewildered by Hans's sudden words.
'Alfred? Avenge him? Was there anyone in this village he knew?'
He couldn't possibly remember the names of the villagers who had been sacrificed a year ago.
No, he didn't even know them in the first place, to begin with, unless it was an underling who had been sent to gather information in this village to find a suitable area for maturation.
'If he was already acquainted with the villagers in this town, it means he realized it from the start and infiltrated inside... Does it have any connection with Heinz, the one who came to the village earlier? How much does he know?'
His thoughts became complicated, but it wasn't essential at the moment.
Boooom—
clang!
'He's getting more and more accustomed to the dark magic I'm using!'
Not only was he adapting to his attacks, but the level of dark magic used in the counterattacks was also steeply rising.
Now it had become increasingly difficult for him to endure.
'How did a clueless fool about magic end up gaining power by sheer luck?'
Ordinary people couldn't grow so quickly into a powerful Demi-Lich overflowing with dark magic within such a short time.
'It's clearly an abnormal learning pace. Is it the power of the fragment he holds?'
While Malcom, unaware of the effects of "Vile Wisdom," could only think that way, it wasn't entirely wrong since the skills acquired were also due to the "Fragment of the Immortal King."
'We can't delay any longer here! I'll pour everything even if it means more sacrifices!'
"[Covenant of Doom!]"
***
While I was pushing back Malcolm, I immediately sensed a change.
Apart from this place, the fierce fighting in the village had tilted heavily to one side.
The dark wizards resisting my undead sent to the village had all died on the spot.
Now, the only ones left resisting in the village were the minions using dark magic.
However, on the other side, I could feel Malcolm's dark magic, which had absorbed the souls of the dark wizards, suddenly amplifying.
"[Crown of the Corrupter], [Resting Place of the Dead]"
A black crown appeared on Malcolm's head, and the ground at his feet turned black as undead creatures emerged.
'Ah... It's the second phase. It's good to see new magic, but I wish this would end soon.'
However, I could only watch it with slight annoyance.
[The entity has gained enlightenment through knowledge. Acquired skill 'Dark Magic.']
Malcolm seemed to think there was still a chance for a comeback, but it was already too late.
***
As expected, Malcolm's resistance didn't last long.
"Grr... Cough!"
I absorbed all of Malcolm's dark magic and returned the spell that had blown off my right arm, piercing a hole in Malcolm's chest.
"Cough... Like this, in vain... If only I had undead left..."
He wasn't wrong.
Although other dark magic was of a high standard, Malcolm's specialization was always a necromancer relying on undead.
In his haste to complete the 'Fragment of the Immortal King,' if he hadn't sacrificed a considerable number of high-level undead, the battle would have been difficult.
I looked around at the undead strewn about the end of the battle.
Then, I knelt before the fallen Malcolm.
[Village Chief, your undead were indeed impressive.]
"Cough... Cough..."
Malcolm coughed up blood from his mouth and soon ceased to breathe.
Blood even seeped from his swollen eyes, showing how tormented he was.
[Tsk, truly a case of retribution. Should have had a better conscience.]
At that moment, the entire battle in the village came to an end, and a moment of silence fell over the village.
There was no one left alive in the village now.
I got up from where I was and looked up.
The intense battle had blown off the entire ceiling, revealing the beautiful starry night sky.
[Alfred... Are you watching?]
Now that I have surely finished your vengeance, rest easy and sleep well.
In that moment, the shooting star streaking across the night sky felt like Alfred's final farewell to me.
Or maybe not.