Swordmaster of the Great Wall

After giving the main force the order to march, Erich entrusted command to the fortress commander of the first fortress, Grant.

None of the fortress commanders protested Erich's order.

After all, back during August's command—even when he was absent—it had always been Grant to whom command passed.

In truth, there was no one else besides Erich who possessed enough power to stand against Albrecht.

So if someone was to face him, Erich had to be involved.

For that reason—

Erich gathered only a small group and headed for the place where Albrecht resided.

Among them were Frederick, who grumbled, and Barnes, who walked silently through the snowfield.

"Aigo, my luck. Looks like I'm wandering outside again in this cold."

"... Then would you rather head where the Lord of the Dead is?"

"That's a bit much."

Frederick flashed his yellow teeth in a crooked grin. Either way, both routes were equally perilous.

Facing millions of snarling dead right before his eyes, or suffering to capture Albrecht—between the two, targeting just Albrecht seemed preferable.

Amidst this, Frederick rolled his eyes. There was a man dressed in black quietly walking beside them.

"Anyway, you used to make such a fuss about secrets and hiding your identity, but now you don't care anymore, do you?"

"...."

The chief of Shadow—Krupp's shadow and hidden blade—'King' did not respond.

There was only one reason King now revealed himself to guide them at the front: He was the very one who had discovered Albrecht's hideout.

Thus, whether King liked it or not, Erich had made him their guide.

Regardless, Frederick, once thoroughly ignored, shrugged his shoulders and kept walking.

He hadn't really expected an answer anyway.

Regardless—

The four, Erich included, kept pushing through the snowstorm.

Meanwhile, Erich kept thinking.

'... There are no dead where Albrecht is. If that place was swarming with the dead, then the aura of the Lord of the Dead should also be present.'

But Erich could sense nothing suspicious from Albrecht's hideout. In other words, Albrecht was not surrounded by those dead of his.

Sensing this in advance, Erich had not brought a large force here. It was to prevent unnecessary sacrifices if Albrecht's power targeted their troops.

Erich glanced sideways at Barnes.

Frederick was not fully bloomed yet, but still a usable swordsman. Barnes, on the other hand, was already beyond that level.

'... I heard he awakened. I can witness it myself this time.'

According to Mikhail, who had been guiding Barnes, the man had now even awakened some sort of ability.

In that sense, Barnes was also a key part of their power.

Soon, Frederick opened his mouth.

"... Are you planning to recruit that guy too, like you did Ungrim?"

"That's not possible. He has too many original sins."

"Tsk, I'm sure you have something in mind this time too...."

Erich wore a faint smile. He felt uneasy, but Frederick's reaction conveyed a complete trust in Erich's judgment.

Regardless, Erich had already made up his mind on how he would deal with Albrecht.

'Albrecht is the root of all this.'

If not for that fiend, the dead never would have run rampant like this.

No matter how plausible his reasons, Erich intended to end Albrecht here.

Even if Albrecht proposed a way to defeat the Lord of the Dead.

'... Albrecht is too cunning for me to use.'

Erich knew with total clarity whom he could and could not handle.

Individuals like Albrecht could never be controlled.

Albrecht's every move had always served his own interests, and, for certain, such interests meant no good for the Empire or the rest of humanity.

Thus, whatever Albrecht might say, Erich's intent was already set.

But from the very start, Erich's plan went awry.

"... Here?"

King spoke, a faint bewilderment coloring his face as he addressed Erich.

"What's the matter?"

"... This isn't the place."

Erich narrowed his eyes and surveyed the surroundings. Frederick snorted as if it were nothing.

"Heh, looks like even guys like you make mistakes sometimes."

"... You're mistaken, Frederick."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Shadow doesn't make mistakes."

Shadow never made mistakes. For Erich, who knew what Shadow truly was, it was an obvious statement.

Erich maximized his vigilance, his eyes glowing with radiance. Yet, he sensed nothing.

Frederick also placed his hand on his sword, as he realized that this was no ordinary situation.

Tension filled the silence as the four men watched their surroundings. Erich knew that Shadows circled nearby.

If they perceived a threat to Erich, the Shadows would have sprung out at once.

But their stillness meant even they sensed no danger.

'... I don't get it.'

Erich sharpened all his senses. Still, there was nothing.

But he couldn't chalk this up to something as simple as 'We just got lost.'

King would never make such a mistake. In fact, Erich had an inkling.

'That fiend did use a power I couldn't sense.'

Erich recalled the moment when Hrung-ga was launched away.

In that instant, Albrecht had definitely used an unknown power.

Erich detected not a hint of a sign.

That meant, the power now confusing King was likely also Albrecht's doing.

After a prolonged silence, Barnes spoke.

"... Allow me to scout ahead."

But Erich shook his head. If it was something so simply solved, they'd have already tried that.

In the worst case, only Barnes would vanish for good.

King soon muttered quietly.

"I can't sense the presence of two of my men."

A variety of scenarios raced through Erich's mind, but he couldn't decide on one with certainty.

"King, do you remember what happened when you faced him previously?"

"... Yes."

"What power did he use?"

"... I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?"

"I was caught unawares—there wasn't even a feeling of being attacked...."

"Not even a sense of being attacked...."

Erich raised the corner of his mouth faintly, then placed his hand atop his sword. He drew a circle with his hand in the air.

-fwahruruk!

Flames burst from his fingertips. The fire surged forward in a crescent-shaped slash.

But in the very next moment, the flames ignited in midair as if striking something invisible.

Erich didn't miss that instant. He instantly drew his sword and slashed at the spot where the flames had collided.

-shyaaaak!

A vivid golden aura crashed against the target, bursting with golden light in all directions.

-kwang!

Frederick and Barnes didn't quite grasp why Erich had acted as he did.

But what they saw was the very spot Erich struck splitting neatly in half—the scenery ahead shattering like a mirror.

"... Just as I thought."

From the fissure, Erich sensed a powerful aura.

Hostility toward Erich seeped from the broken gap. At the same time, someone's voice echoed through.

"You figured it out? Your intuition is sharp as always."

As the voice spoke, the environment around them melted away.

Frederick and Barnes' eyes widened at the figure now in plain sight.

Standing there was Albrecht.

Though cloaked in a robe, the telltale pallor of his skin made his identity unmistakable.

"Come to think of it, it makes no sense that I wouldn't be able to sense your power. Even if you use a new power, I'm already familiar with Incensus' power—and with the power of the Lord of the Dead, too."

Upon hearing Erich's words, Albrecht smirked. Erich's deduction was simple: Albrecht's ability had to involve hiding some sort of power.

From the way he eliminated the Shadows undetected, to how even during Hrung-ga's defeat, no one noticed until it was too late.

Erich had always found it odd that Albrecht could conceal his strength.

No matter how well he hid it, surely, someone would have noticed. How had he done it all this time?

Yet, Albrecht had deceived everyone for countless years.

Erich suspected this had to do with Albrecht's ability.

But, even if he hid his power with every ounce of effort, could he keep it hidden during a direct attack?

The answer was simple.

Albrecht threw back his robe. His white hair fell long and loose, and his two eyes radiated a white brilliance.

"I thought I had shown you kindness. Wasn't that the case?"

His tone was gentle. But to Erich, even that gentleness was revolting.

How many had this man deceived and betrayed?

That someone like him could speak so softly, it made Erich's teeth grind.

He answered with clenched jaw.

"Kindness is something you show for others. Not for your own sake."

"... Well, if you think about it, it's the same thing."

"You need to understand that the two are completely different. Don't talk about kindness while wielding the filthy power granted by the Lord of the Dead."

"... The power given by the Lord of the Dead? Ah."

Albrecht smiled faintly. He pointed his fingers to his own eyes, which glittered dazzlingly white.

"This? I thought you were sharp, but I see you still lack something."

"... What?"

In an instant, Albrecht appeared before Erich. Even Erich could hardly react in time.

-klang!

By then, Albrecht's sword was already at Erich's face.

Erich defended quickly, but the blow of Albrecht's slash sent him reeling backwards.

'... This isn't the power of the Lord of the Dead.'

This was a rare occasion when Erich was genuinely surprised—something that hardly ever happened.

Albrecht still wore a bright, innocent smile.

"... These eyes were not given by the Lord of the Dead. As a Swordmaster, I acquired this power myself."

For the first time, Erich truly felt Albrecht's strength.

His mystical abilities aside, even discounting those, Albrecht was a Swordmaster.

And one who had reached the realm of the true strong.

-shhk.

Slowly, Barnes, Frederick, and King formed a circle around him.

At any moment, their swords looked ready to flash for each other's throats.