Chapter 166
Erich's gaze swept swiftly around his surroundings. His eyes were not fixed on the Death Lord but looked elsewhere.
At this, Mikhail frowned and shouted.
"To have the enemy before you—what are you doing!"
But despite Mikhail's booming voice, Erich's eyes seemed bewitched, searching for something else.
At that moment, the fallen Death Lord clanked as he rose to his feet.
― Even with me before you, you have time to be distracted?
"No wonder you fought so hard with half your power. You've got something hidden, haven't you?"
-...
Black force of erosion enveloped the Death Lord's entire body.
The blood that had been flowing from his wounds instantly stopped, and once again, he exuded a sinister aura.
The reorganized Death Lord spoke. For some reason, Erich thought a smile formed beneath the helmet.
—A sharp intuition.
Erich then exhaled quietly, as if his guess had been confirmed.
'Why did it suddenly have to come to Haratakan? Maybe I should have thought of that.'
In Erich's vision, things previously hidden by the Death Lord's overwhelming presence became visible.
He saw the reason it had laid out a ritual here.
In that moment, Ceres's words suddenly came to him.
'... There's another purpose hidden within this ritual, didn't she say?'
And in this instant—
Erich realized the true, original purpose the enemy sought.
What they wanted here wasn't simply to subjugate the shamans and occupy Haratakan.
Nor was it solely to eliminate Erich and reveal their ambitions.
Though the magic circle had been destroyed, the life force coming from the corpses at that site, combined with the force of erosion from the dead scattered throughout the area, filled Haratakan so subtly it was almost invisible.
The height of ominousness.
A malignant force flowed so strong it seemed fitting to call it a land of death.
Erich had only seen such an aura once before.
—Clack.
Erich pointed his sword at the Death Lord and asked,
"The resurrection of the black dragon. That is what you wanted, wasn't it?"
-...
The Death Lord responded only with a subtle wave of aura. Of course, Erich knew why he was speechless.
'He didn't expect me to know exactly what they're trying to revive.'
What they wanted was to resurrect the 'black dragon,' the greatest weapon and power of the Lord of the Dead.
And that dragon was both the first and last Erich had ever seen in his life—a dragon known only in legend.
Precisely, the energy surging from this place was identical to that dragon's.
Erich could never forget that power, that terror, so it was natural for the black dragon to come to his mind the moment he felt this aura.
The black dragon was much more than a mere symbol among dragons.
It was almost like the other half of the Lord of the Dead.
If it returned, then the Lord of the Dead would regain the power he had wielded when he killed Erich—restoring overwhelming might and the terror of death to this land.
—Ssrrrkkk.
The Death Lord moved his chains instead of replying.
He glanced at the fallen subordinates around him, but he was utterly indifferent.
Soon, the surroundings cleared, and Mikhail approached Erich.
He, too, seemed to sense the menacing power oozing beyond the waning force of the Death Lord.
"... What is that thing?"
"That is the purpose for which they came here. I should have realized earlier. My mistake."
"..."
Mikhail narrowed his eyes and stared at the surge of energy, then made a gesture for Erich to focus on the Death Lord.
Focus on the adversary. He then spoke in a low voice, reminding Erich:
"Focus. The Death Lord comes first right now. Rather him than that monster, which could appear at any moment. You're not thinking of facing both at once, are you?"
"... You're right."
Erich allowed a faint smile. Mikhail's words cleared his mind.
Even if the black dragon revived, the Lord of the Dead was not present.
It wasn't clear when the resurrection would happen, nor whether the conditions were met.
Mikhail's decision was only natural: defeat the Death Lord first, and worry about the next foe later.
Erich tightened his grip around his sword.
—Whooosh.
As if resonating with his resolve, the flames of Erich's sword blazed brighter, turning golden.
He emptied his spare hand, ready to draw the sword of light at any moment.
—Charrararak!
The Death Lord's chains shot out in an instant.
Erich and Mikhail leapt away simultaneously, as the black chains struck the spot where they had just been, erupting with force of erosion.
But even after striking the earth, the chains did not lose their power; twisting like serpents hungry for prey, they struck out toward Erich and Mikhail individually.
—Kwagagagagak!
As the black chains flashed toward them, a powerful slash thundered down.
Thanks to this, Erich quickly dashed for the Death Lord's true form.
'The same tactic won't work twice.'
The Death Lord wasn't a pushover.
When Erich had struck him with the sword of light before, it was partly because the Death Lord had let down his guard and didn't know Erich possessed that kind of strike.
But now, things were different.
Given an opening, Erich would always seek to unleash that power, and the Death Lord was prepared for it.
No matter how much Mikhail opened space with his slashes, the Death Lord wouldn't be fooled by the same move twice.
—Kaaaang!
Sparks exploded. Erich faced the Death Lord at close quarters, their powerful blows echoing with a sonic boom.
The Death Lord's greatsword narrowly brushed Erich's, and the force of his attacks made Erich's hands tremble.
But Erich had no intention of being overpowered; the flames on his sword crawled onto the Death Lord's blade.
-... Tricks!
The Death Lord instantly shook the flames into the air and closed the distance on Erich.
At the same time, he shot black chains at Mikhail, scattering the pair's power (military).
'He sees me as the greater threat compared to Mikhail right now.'
Clearly, he was wary of the sword of light.
He bound Mikhail with chains and closed in on Erich for melee, trying to leave no chance to use the sword of light.
At the very least, seeing it cast up close would buy him time to react.
—Kwaaang!
Erich lost himself in the trance again.
Even in a situation where being slightly careless would mean getting crushed by the Death Lord's greatsword.
As if he'd done nothing else his whole life, Erich and the Death Lord's swords followed predetermined arcs in repeated clashes.
During these exchanges, Erich controlled his breathing and refocused.
'The sword of light requires immense concentration.'
Not only did he have to forge aura in the shape of a sword, but infuse it with the power of Incensus and finish it with a divine ritual—all demanding intense focus.
So Erich, even as he fought the Death Lord, prepared to summon the sword of light in an instant, making use of every fleeting opening.
There was a vast difference between executing a pre-planned action and improvising it.
—Kwaaang!
Erich was suddenly thrown backward. But in that split second, a faint grin appeared on his lips.
-... I won't allow it!
The Death Lord lunged at Erich, intent on denying any chance to use the sword of light.
Even if Erich managed to use it, it would be with such poor quality that it wouldn't be a threat.
But in that instant, the sword of light flared to life in Erich's hand.
Its surface shimmered unevenly, the flames leaking out crudely; still, the Death Lord seemed threatened.
His white eyes blazed as he charged.
—Kwaang! Kwang!
Erich desperately blocked his attacks with one hand. The Death Lord pressed his assault relentlessly, allowing not even a single opening.
But the Death Lord now seemed quite desperate himself.
No matter how much he attacked, Erich's stance never broke.
If this kept up, eventually it would be Erich's turn, and then the sword of light would land on the Death Lord, that much was certain.
—Charrararak!
At that moment, the Death Lord's chains snapped back, even those holding Mikhail, as if intending to wholly slaughter Erich.
Collected like a cloak, the black chains then shot again towards Erich, twisting his stance into instability.
If this continued, Erich would soon miss timing and be unable to use the sword of light.
A victorious smile hovered at the Death Lord's lips.
But at that very second, as the Death Lord's greatsword swung for Erich's neck—
Rather than block with his main hand, Erich's body spun, and from his concealed hand the sword of light flashed out, clashing with the Death Lord's greatsword.
—Piiit!
Once again, the tip of Erich's sword of light drew a golden arc through the air.
Where it struck the Death Lord's greatsword, it shattered it, sending a massive pillar of radiant fire surging into the sky.
—Kwoooom!
The pillar of fire pierced the heavens again, brilliant flames and searing heat burning away the force of erosion shrouding the Death Lord.
But through the splits in his helmet, the Death Lord's rotting lips broke into a faint smile of relief.
The sword of light could only be used a limited number of times; no human could wield such overwhelming power indefinitely.
In short, the strike was not decisive enough to cut down the Death Lord's solid body.
If things went on like this, victory would assuredly be his.
However, the Death Lord felt a strange sense of unease, abruptly darting his gaze around.
His white eyes swept across the area like nervous stars.
He was not fighting a fool.
Erich had not panicked or wasted the sword of light recklessly; in fact, there was a subtle joy in his expression instead of despair.
Catching the discrepancy, the Death Lord racked his brain to guess what Erich was aiming for.
Had he hidden another sword of light?
Or did he have a different move?
Then the Death Lord's eyes landed on Mikhail, awkwardly poised to draw in a sword-drawing stance.
But he expected this slash; Mikhail's skill might land a blow, but not a deadly strike.
However, all of a sudden, the Death Lord was captivated by Mikhail's posture.
It was the very apex of perfection.
With a graceful curve, Mikhail drew his sword in a single, exquisite motion. The Death Lord's eyes were captivated.
Before him unfolded the flawless sword-draw every swordsman had dreamed of at least once.
—Pit!
Even the Death Lord's eyes could not track the speed.
In the next moment, blood spurted from Mikhail's forearm—the speed exceeded what the human body could withstand.
Then came a sound that spread even slower than the movement itself.
—Paaang!
The shockwave from the strike scattered the snow around Mikhail like a snowstorm.
The Death Lord instinctively raised his greatsword, twisting it toward Mikhail, for even a being as mighty as he felt fear in that instant.
But somehow sensing something, the Death Lord let out a low rumble.
-... I see.
—Pagagagagak!
Behind the Death Lord, an enormous sword-wind howled, cleaving the cliff-face behind him.
Even the aftershock alone was enough to shear away the rock.
Of course, the Death Lord stood unmoved.
Where Mikhail's blade had passed, the force of erosion carved away by Erich wavered, and through the opening, an incisive line was drawn.
Even Erich had never directly witnessed the secret skill Mikhail possessed at the height of his powers.
Nor had he ever seen any other swordsman wield such a strike—truly the greatest in history.
Approaching the slowly collapsing Death Lord, Erich walked forward at a measured pace.
The half-ruined form crumbled to dust in the air.
—Piinng!
Erich's empty hand lifted to the air.
Instantly, another sword of light formed, this time perfectly, with a solid, sharp shape.
Erich murmured quietly,
"... This makes the second time."
The Death Lord blinked his pale eyes, as if mystified by Erich's words.
But he soon realized something and let out a faint, bitter laugh.
-... So that's it.
Atop the soaring peaks of Haratakan, a pillar of fire surged skyward, shaking the earth and sky.
The light shone so brightly, all across the northern lands it could be seen.
It was as if, in declaring war on the Lord of the Dead, a golden light—so much like that of Incensus—mingled with the clouds, shimmering in golden heat-waves.