12 The dead man and his king.




 It was a blow with all his might. The long claws pierce Lord's skull with ease.

 Luu's eyes widen in shock at my sudden outburst. But it was too late.

 There was no excitement. There was only stupefied joy. Maybe it's proof I've become a monster.

 I pull out the claw that softly pierced my skull. Hot blood spurts out and a smile naturally appears on my face.

 Got it. Now I'm free. Now all you have to do is get out of the woods and run wherever you want.
 I'm not going to fight the Order of the End. Just get out of the woods and run wherever you want. Go hunt beasts in the depths of some similar forest. Until you get tired of this new life.

 --Then, suddenly, I heard a crack in something.

What the hell is this ......?

"What?

 A voice struck my ear that I couldn't hear.
 I couldn't understand it. After a few beats, I finally felt a hair-raising sense of dread wash over me.

 I was sure my claw had pierced the Lord's head. He didn't avoid it, didn't prevent it.

 The voice came from right in front of me. I was sure that I had sliced through his skull diagonally, but he was still in the same position as before, and he was screaming.
 There was not a single scar on his head where the claw should have pierced to the root.

 That's impossible. The Lord is not undead. As a wraith, I can clearly see that Lord is a living human being.

 Before I knew it, the blood that should've been on his claws and the bloodstains that should've been splattered were gone.

 It can't be, it can't be, it can't be. I'm sure I killed Lord. I killed him!

There's already an intelligence. You already have. ...... Interesting.

No!

 Not yet. It's not over yet.
 Put all your energy into it and thrust your arm out with all your might. You're not aiming for the head. The heart.
 The five protruding claws easily pierce the Lord's skinny back, robe and all, and make a huge hole in the center of his body. The touch of warm blood on the palm of his hand, and the sound of blood flowing.

 Again, you hear a strange sound.
 In front of you, a voice of praise and not anger comes from the Lord who has been pierced through the torso.

"The piercing of the head is not the reason you didn't die. But it was smart. Smart. I don't know how long you've had your wits about you, but did you stay put after your mutation? With an eagle eye on my life? I was not expecting this, but it seems that the ...... element was even better than I expected. I must thank the ...... hack.

 It's a monster. I'm a werewolf, but even I can't remain unresponsive to a stab to the heart.

 That's impossible. So this is the Necromancer.

 I knew I couldn't fight him head on. That's why I timed my attack so perfectly.
 Hunger and the need for survival sustained my crumbling heart.

 I pull my arm out. The moment I take it out, the pieces of flesh and blood that should have been stuck to my arm disappear like a haze.

 In a split second, I think.

 What should I do? How can I kill a creature that can live with a damaged skull and heart?
 No--no. This is not living with a mortal wound. This isn't about super resilience or anything like that. Yes, it's as if, somehow, the attack never happened.

 You can't run away. You can't defend yourself. The decision was instantaneous.
 Kill till you kill. For the first time, I roar in front of Lord.

"AHHHHHHHH!

 He raises his claws in a reverse reaction. Just before the sharp tip of the claw slices through my robe, Lord Horos' voice cuts through my roar and enters my ear.

Stop.

 The command thundered through me.
 My arm twitched, and the sudden braking caused it to self-destruct. The tissue in my arm popped, and a dull pain shot through me. My body, which had been moving so faithfully and so freely, was now giving priority to Lord's orders over mine.



 The tip of the claw never reached the flesh again.
 The claws that had come so close to touching the robe would not go any further, no matter how hard I tried.
 I finally accepted that I had lost.

 No--I can't win. I'll never win. The man in front of me is a monster. A monster unlike me.

 Lord slowly turns to me, unable to take a single step as ordered. There's no anger in his face. Just a look of dazed amusement.

 This was a clear indication of the difference between our abilities. For this Lord, the man in front of me, who had been angered by Luu's false report (which was actually true), the rebellion I had launched at the most opportune moment was nothing to be angry about.

 If his life was in danger, Lord's expression would be a little different. For once in a million, in a billion, my rebellion did not succeed.
 The Lord revealed the truth as if he were shaking me.

"You may be wise, ...... End, but you know nothing of magic. You lost because you thought my life was ...... 'just one'. Yes, you have my permission to speak.

What are you talking about?

 I've been trying to attack him for a while now, but he's not moving, as if his whole body has turned to stone.
 The Lord, with a deep smile on his face, slowly took out a silver round stone from his pocket.

 It was a stone with a strange luster that I had never seen before. It used to be a smooth sphere, but now it has a large crack in it.

I have divided this life into one hundred and twenty parts. You've killed only two of them. In order for you, my servant, to kill me, you'd have to give me 120 deaths in a single moment. That's what every top necromancer does.

 A crack spreads and a silver ball shatters in Lord's hand. But I can't look at that.

 Twelve hundred and twenty lives ......? That's impossible. Even in the fairy tales I read before I died, there was no such story. It's not even fair.

 But at the same time, I understand and accept the reason for Lord's confidence.
 If that's true, we'll never win. You can kill them once or twice by surprise, but you can't kill 120 lives. My rebellion had no chance of success from the start.

 Strong regret washed over me. But there was nothing I could do. There was no other choice then. It was either too late or too early.

 What matters is what happens now.

 What's going to happen to me? How will the man in front of me deal with a wight who has rebelled?
 I stare at him, and the Lord laughs and orders me.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. End. It's a good thing I'm not the only one.

 I knew that was coming.
 But I'm relieved to hear those words, which I didn't want to hear until just now. Because that order indicates that they don't want to kill me at this point.

 And the fact that I was relieved made me despair helplessly.

 I have a few new questions, but I'll drop them for now.

 Don't be discouraged. What is needed now is absolute will, a throbbing faith.
 Holos Kamen. I'll kill you. I'm gonna kill you. You're nothing compared to the absolute death I felt before I died.

 No matter what means are used, no matter how many years or decades pass, it is I who will win my freedom.

I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. You're the one who's going to win my heart. You are my longed-for king of the dead. The fulfillment of my long-held wish is at hand. The Order of the Immortal Slayer's demise is at hand. ...... hahahahaha ......

 The eyes of the Lord are moving and the Lord is laughing high in the air.
 The two eyes shone strongly in the darkness. You can see Luu cowering and trembling on the floor, abandoned on the verge of being turned into an undead.

 Laugh. Laugh all you want. As long as I get the last laugh that's all that matters.

Let me help you. End. Regardless of your intentions.

Set me free. I'll do it.

 They know you're defiant. Formal obedience is futile. And I'm sure that's exactly what Lord wants.
 I glare at him, and he smiles, predictably amused.



"Oh, I heard he died of disease, but what a violent man! But all right. End, you are clear to move.

......, order me again.

What? You have permission to move.

 As soon as I heard that voice, my body, which had been immobilized as if it had been locked in place, easily regained its freedom.
 I immediately turned around and ran as fast as I could towards the door. I kicked the floor with all my might and ran up the stairs, not caring about the dull pain in my arm.

 A panicked shout came from behind me as I climbed the stairs.

"End, don't run!

"......

 I knew it was impossible. No, I knew it was impossible from the start. But I couldn't help but try.
 I stopped, and Lord approached me with an exasperated voice.

"It seems you're never too careful. But then again, that's the quality of the King of the Dead.


§§


 And the next day, my captivity began.
 Outwardly unchanged, my whole body was bound with invisible chains.