'Just a worthless piece of trash.'

When no follow-up attacks came, the King of Ghouls lost interest in the masked mage.

Ogoldos and Yi-Han were not much of a threat to the King of Ghouls at the moment. There were many more guys in this place that needed to be dealt with first.

“Let's see how much value you have.”

Avoiding the attack of the charging berserker, the King of Ghouls inflated his body like black fog.

And that fog enveloped the berserker. With the sound of shattering, a terrible feast unfolded.

'He has recovered quite a bit more than I thought.'

While the berserker was being devoured, the undead mage calmly thought.

He did not regret drawing his sword against the King of Ghouls.

It was the law of the undead realm that if you don't trample on the enemy when they are weak, the opportunity will never come again.

However, the King of Ghouls had recovered well in that short time.

He must have recovered quite a lot of strength by devouring the subordinates around the palace and absorbing the laid out mana.

It would have been better if they had come a bit earlier...

Regardless of the regret, the undead mage's spells continued smoothly. Poison fog continuously erupted and began to fill the space.

“Do you think just scattering poison will make a difference?”

The King of Ghouls snorted and grabbed another berserker and devoured him.

The King of Ghouls, who had risen to his current existence through numerous battles and victories starting as a ghoul, possessed various powers befitting his achievements.

The power to dissolve his own body and move as fog, the power to directly absorb the existence of the opponent, the power to summon contracted undead...

Despite being unable to use a considerable number of powers due to not being fully recovered, the King of Ghouls still displayed a brutal combat power with just his remaining strength.

Kwajik!

Another berserker melted away. The King of Ghouls, who had been spinning and evading to maintain distance, charged in to take advantage of an opening and sank his fangs.

Even that formidable berserker was toyed with like a scarecrow when directly confronted by the King of Ghouls.

However, the undead mage remained calm.

It was because it didn't matter even if the opponent had recovered faster than expected. From the beginning, the mage had assumed that the King of Ghouls possessed a more powerful combat ability than them.

The reason mages are feared is because they can create schemes that pierce the gaps in the situation regardless of the strength or weakness of combat power.

The undead mage had been preparing magic that could pierce the King of Ghouls since the time he was submitting under him.

"Are you sure this is okay?"

Yi-Han spoke in a startled voice as he watched the King of Ghouls roaming the hall and tearing apart the berserkers.

Unfortunately, he had become much stronger than when they last met.

'Wouldn't it be better to retreat?'

-Don't worry. I've been preparing a way to pierce the king since I was submitting as his subordinate.-

'...Then don't say you're loyal in the first place...'

It was absurd that he said he was loyal when asked earlier, but now he said he had been preparing from the beginning.

The common sense of the undead realm was too difficult for Yi-Han to understand.

"What is that method?"

-You'll find out when you see it. Buy as much time as possible.-

With those words, the undead mage grabbed a berserker and began absorbing mana.

He lacked the mana needed for the magic.

"Uh, if you need mana, would you like to absorb some?"

-Isn't it better to absorb the berserkers? Those guys...-

The undead mage, who thoughtlessly extended his bony hand to grab Yi-Han, was startled.

The mana that had been depleted from using magic until now instantly rose.

"How is it?"

-Excellent! When I signal, run back here and fill up my mana again! With this, I'll be able to complete it much faster!-

'Did I tell him for nothing?'

The King of Ghouls defeated more than half of the berserkers and let out a joyful roar.

Then the undead mage standing in the corner caught his eye.

“Hmph!”

If it were the King of Ghouls' original personality, he would have swept away all the berserkers first and then dealt with the mage.

Because these berserkers were the most powerful among the prisoners in the underground prison.

And the undead mage had not dealt any significant damage to the King of Ghouls.

Although he was a powerful poison element mage, his compatibility with the King of Ghouls was not good, and with just his innate elemental resistance and powerful movement powers, the King of Ghouls could neutralize the undead mage.

Rather, from the King of Ghouls' perspective, the guy flailing around with low-level elemental magic on the side was more annoying.

Even though the level of magic was low, its movements were fast and accurate beyond prediction, and its firepower was strangely powerful.

Originally, he would have left such an insolent guy who climbed up despite lacking abilities until the very end to instill fear while dealing with him, but...

Strangely, he felt irritated.

The King of Ghouls himself didn't know, but the recent defeat had changed his arrogant personality.

His thoughts had changed.

-!-

The undead mage was startled.

The King of Ghouls had started moving to target the mage before the preparations were finished.

-What... Stop him!-

The remaining berserkers shouted and blocked the way. The King of Ghouls tried to pass through the berserkers by lightly transforming his body into black fog.

"Cold, like fog!"

A bright blue ice fog spread out in the air.

For someone of the King of Ghouls' level, he could tell the level of magic just by looking at the structure in which it was created.

What had just been cast was <Lesser Cold Fog>.

It was a low-circle magic at a level that made one yawn. The King of Ghouls tried to ignore it and break through.

However, at that moment, an eerie chill flowed out from the fog.

!

The King of Ghouls hurriedly twisted his body to avoid the fog. In the meantime, the undead mage fired another poison cloud and gained distance.

-I don't understand why the fake king is acting like this!-

"Has the plan gone awry!?"

Yi-Han also shouted while gaining distance. The undead mage spoke as if he couldn't understand.

-If it were his original personality, he wouldn't have attacked me first because of his pride. He would have thought it would hurt his pride to do so. That's why I thought it would be okay, but why is he... Could it be that his personality changed due to the defeat he suffered?-

"..."

Yi-Han cursed his past self.

No matter how much he liked silver coins, this is what happens when he recklessly enters caves!

“How long are you going to run away? Huh? If you charged in to take the throne, shouldn't you at least swing something! If you keep running away like that…”

The King of Ghouls inflated his body to blow away the poison cloud and tried to chase the undead mage again but hesitated.

He felt something strange.

“...Wait.”

The King of Ghouls turned his gaze to the floor.

Without him noticing, a magic circle with a bizarre pattern was densely filling the floor of the hall.

“This bastard…”

The king's eyes glowing in the fog shone brutally.

He belatedly realized that the undead mage, who had been acting pathetically, was actually preparing a grand magic.

-Things have gotten complicated. He wasn't this perceptive. I apologize in advance.-

"...No, it's not."

Originally, he should have gotten angry at the undead mage, saying, "Because of you, I'm about to die too!" but Yi-Han didn't.

Because he had some responsibility!

“Do you think you can die safely after doing this? I'll grind you to pieces.”

-Undead, return to your original positions!-

Although it was not completed, the undead mage had no choice but to activate the magic circle.

Surprisingly, a holy power erupted from the magic circle. It was a holy magic series used by religious orders.

-The holy judgment shall bind and banish you!-

Both Yi-Han and the King of Ghouls were surprised.

Of course, an existence weaker than the king needed extraordinary methods to pierce the king, but to think that the mage, who was also an undead, would bring out holy magic.

A holy radiance began to linger in the place where a dark clash between undead had occurred until now.

'How can an undead!?'

Yi-Han was surprised.

No matter how much he borrowed the power of the magic circle, for an undead to manifest holy magic.

It was no ordinary obsession.

With a flood of light, the King of Ghouls began to scream as if burning. The other berserkers couldn't even move and were rolling around.

The undead mage also seemed to have taken damage as he knelt down and staggered. If it weren't for the pre-cast magic barrier, he would have been shattered long ago.

“Ugh... How dare you!”

-!-

The undead mage threw a shocked gaze. The King of Ghouls charged out and slammed the undead mage against the wall.

-You shouldn't be able to move...-

“I knew your shallow tricks from the beginning.”

The King of Ghouls spoke, revealing the armor embedded in his form.

It was thanks to this armor, sewn together from the flesh of heroes, that he was able to endure and charge through the flood of holy magic.

-Fake king. You have become much wiser. You weren't like this before...-

“Shut up. You scheming rat bastard.”

The King of Ghouls gathered strength with the intention of quickly disposing of the undead mage and dispelling the magic laid out in the hall.

At that moment, Yi-Han swung the Morning Star. As the black blade cut the King of Ghouls, the king let out a fierce howl at the sensation of mana being absorbed.

“Wha...!”

Rather than anger at being struck, confusion came first. The King of Ghouls was perplexed, unable to identify the identity of his opponent.

Could it be...

Could it be??

"When will the magic be completed!"

-It's impossible...-

The undead mage's voice was weaker than before.

He had been seriously injured just from the blow the King of Ghouls had dealt.

-Instead... Complete...-

"Does that make sense!?"

-Contract... Summon...-

The undead mage spoke while alternately pointing his fingers.

Originally, he would never make a summoning contract with a young mage from another realm, but in an urgent situation like this, he had no choice.

"I understand!"

-My true name is... Verduus. Summon me now...-

Even in this startling situation, Yi-Han almost lost his concentration for a moment.

What kind of name is that!

Paaaaat-

As the spell was chanted and the contract was formed, powerful mana was infused into the undead mage.

With that mana, the undead mage caught his breath and squeezed out the last of his mana to complete the magic circle.

“You bastard!”

The King of Ghouls, who had come to his senses, charged with the most vicious anger he had ever unleashed.

He had finally realized Yi-Han's identity.

It was so presumptuous that it couldn't be expressed with the word 'insolent'.

To chase him all the way here to bring him down, despite having just luckily repelled him.

“On second thought, this is better. Here…”

As the undead mage blocked the way, the King of Ghouls brought him down with a single blow while consuming his existence.

While being unsummoned, the undead mage poisoned the King of Ghouls as a last struggle. And he thought to himself.

'This is the first time I've seen him this angry!'

It was clear that the holy magic the undead mage had prepared had properly scratched the king's temper.

Satisfied with that fact, the undead mage collapsed.

“Die…”

The King of Ghouls tried to kill Yi-Han first, regardless of the consumption of his existence or the poisoning.

That's how deeply his resentment was ingrained in his bones.

Kwaaaaaaaa-

However, a holy magic power of a different realm than before engulfed the King of Ghouls.

The King of Ghouls knelt down under the pressure that made it impossible to move any further.

Ogoldos muttered without realizing it.

"Did... Did we get rid of him?"

"Senior. Please don't say such things..."

“Get rid of me? In your dreams!”

The King of Ghouls glared at Yi-Han while kneeling.

“Do you think you've won? Do you think this magic circle is some kind of omnipotent sword? This magic circle can do nothing more than bind me! If I stay inside, I will become weak. But that's all. How long do you think you can maintain this magic circle! You must be out of breath already.”

"...Ah."

Yi-Han had been listening to the King of Ghouls' words with tension, but then he let out a sigh of relief.