Chapter 312: The Battle of the Dead (1)

The number of vampire zombies approached three digits, and there were about fifteen yin-yang zombies that would take at least five peak-level fighters to hold off. On top of that, there were the Asura Heavenly Killing Zombies that were known to be able to take on super-peak-level masters just by themselves. This was a force worthy of being called an army in its own right.

And then, in the midst of them all…

A figure in black robes was visible.

The Necromancer Commander.

A master skilled not only in the arts of zombies and spells but also in hidden weapons.

Such was his strength that he was ranked fourth in the Demon Cult, an organization of strong fighters, and there was no dispute about his might.

“Damn it. Is there ever a day that isn’t filled with trouble? If I’m with you, can’t I even sleep in peace?”

Cheon Yu-seong growled, a step behind in his reaction.

His eyes still looked unfocused, suggesting that his sleep had been severely disrupted.

They say medical students can’t sleep more than 3 hours a day, but I’m not sure why this guy is such a heavy sleeper.

“Good heavens…”

“So many zombies…”

“Ugh…”

“It’s too many, all escape routes are blocked.”

The shadows had fallen on the faces of the villagers who were basking in the relief of being alive.

The number of zombies that had appeared far outnumbered those they had first encountered…

Naturally, they could only feel despair.

“Great one.”

The village chief also called Jinhyuk with a trembling voice.

‘Not bad. I set up triple alarm barriers on the way here, and they managed to break through all of them.’

The cabin where Ellis and Teresa were sheltering was also surrounded by numerous zombies.

The arrival of the Necromancer Commander himself suggests they had anticipated we’d be here.

Targeting civilians, and reading our numbers…

It feels like we’ve hit some trouble in the early exchanges.

‘Looks like all points of resistance have already fallen into their hands; I’ll have to assume that’s the case.’

The toughest opponent faced in the twenty-seven Ritual Wars.

I’ve had trouble adapting to new tactics for every situation.

That also led to many failures in conquering the stairs.

‘I can put aside worries of being bored this time around.’

The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth rose subtly.

A thrilling tension that overturns predictions and turns expectations into scraps of paper.

It was an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Ho-ho. We’ve caught some big fish. The Mudo Faction’s brats, the student of Amhwang…”

The Necromancer Commander’s eyes shook as he scanned the cabin slowly.

“Uh? What is this?”

His gaze rested on a disheveled, haggard man.

“Hahaha! Now, what state has the great Demonic Cult Leader fallen to! Anyone would think a beggar is lying around here.”

“The Necromancer Commander…”

The Demonic Cult Leader opened his mouth slowly.

Although his voice was deep and subdued, it lacked any real weight.

“I can’t believe I lost my inner strength. When Jwaho-Bup told me, I was skeptical, but now I believe it completely. It was right to choose him.”

“Sama-ja is not fit to be the Demonic Cult Leader.”

“No, it is he who truly holds the potential to realize the dream of uniting the martial world. You speak too highly of someone too grand for a toothless tiger to mention.”

No matter how much it is a world where the weak are preyed upon…

To speak like this to someone who once pledged loyalty?

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue bitterly.

‘I need to find a way to regain my inner strength quickly.’

He didn’t want to see someone like Sama-ja rise and someone like the Demonic Cult Leader fall.

He couldn’t bear to watch such an unjust ending unfold.

And also, because he needed to deal with the Demonic Cult Leader’s power to copy it anyway.

Right then.

The Necromancer Commander waved his hand.

“Although sweeping away this trash would be easy, let’s throw a small martial arts ball to show the grandeur of the newly reborn Demonic Cult.”

The zombies stepped aside.

The wall that had been tightly sealed parted, revealing the cabin where Ellis and Teresa were staying.

The three who had woken up from the sudden attack were already standing outside.

“Tell me. Who among you is the strongest?”

By killing the strongest, they would prove that the art of zombie control is a martial art unmatched by heaven.

No matter how mighty the moral factions’ qigong and players from outside the tower are, in the presence of the demonic world, they are just trifling strengths to be deeply ingrained.

“It won’t be the trash of the Mudo Faction…”

The Necromancer Commander’s gaze shifted aside.

“Urgh!”

Sparks flew from the eyes of the designated So Yu-myeong.

If he remained passive in the face of such provocation, he would not be a Taoist of the Mudo Faction.

“How dare these vile demonic heretics mock the Mudo Faction!”

“Executioner! Just give the order. I will go now and smash those things to pieces!”

So Yeong-ho and So Un-gun also tensed up.

But, So Yu-myeong couldn’t easily step forward.

The reason being, the strongest here was not him.

Since So Yu-myeong didn’t step forward, the haughty queen decided to act.

“Ahem. That would naturally be me, great and noble….”

Ellis brushed her black hair softly.

“Ellis.”

“Huh?”

“Wait.”

Jinhyuk stopped Ellis from raising her hand and stepped forward instead.

“As expected, it’s you. Student of Amhwang.”

The Necromancer Commander looked at Jinhyuk as if he had anticipated it.

-Of course. That monster who overpowered the prime disciple of the Mudo Faction is probably the strongest among us.

-Uuuuung… Yeah, if it’s the contractor, I’d help anyway, so considering the overall combat strength, he’s the strongest!

-Jinhyuk-ssi… Please leave the rear to me.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Jinhyuk.

But then.

“No, there is someone stronger than I am.”

“Someone stronger than you?”

“Yes.”

Jinhyuk, without giving anyone a chance to stop him, pushed Cheon Yu-seong forward with his hand.

“Huh?”

Cheon Yu-seong stumbled forward a few steps.

With the push being strong, he almost reached the nose of the zombies.

Whoosh.

The smell of decaying corpses reached Cheon Yu-seong’s nose.

“It’s the student of Chuhun. Honestly, even if the rest of us attacked him, including me, it wouldn’t work against this guy, right?”

“Ho-ho. The heir of Chuhun Sword? That’s interesting.”

“Hey! You! What are you thinking… Uh!”

Cheon Yu-seong hastily swung his sword.

Boom!

Despite mustering his sword aura, his balance was shattered in one strike.

The Asura Heavenly Killing Zombie swung its claws with terrifying ferocity.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

Neck, heart, chest.

All deadly moves aimed at vital points.

“Ugh!”

Cheon Yu-seong, who had used ‘Song of the Sword,’ showed a tensed expression.

He managed to parry with Chuhun’s sword dance, but that was his limit.

As strong as Cheon Yu-seong was, against such a monster, victory was not guaranteed.

At least not in an open area like this, where the opponent’s movements could not be restrained…

He didn’t let his indecision last long.

Cheon Yu-seong kicked off his spot and sprinted forward.

“You. I will remember this. Even if I die… I won’t forget this! Remember this clearly. Aaaaaah!”

Cheon Yu-seong screamed at Jinhyuk as he fled into the woods.

Hmm.

He really runs fast.

A true warrior needs swift legs, after all.

With the most bothersome top-ranking zombie now separated, the situation had become much more manageable.

＊＊＊

As Cheon Yu-seong disappeared, the relaxed atmosphere began to tighten again.

“My men have been disposed of as discardable pieces.”

“Hm? You knew?”

“My eyes are not flawed. I know that he’s strong, but I also know he’s not stronger than you.”

Ho-ho.

He’s not a complete fool after all.

“Why did you follow my lead then?”

At Jinhyuk’s question, a sneering smile appeared on the lips of the Necromancer Commander.

“If losing one zombie means I can’t handle you… I wouldn’t have come this far in the first place.”

The pinnacle of tactics is a surprise attack.

To move a large force without being detected by anyone, he utilized formation magic for space teleportation.

The number of sacrifices that went into this alone counts in the hundreds, both men and women.

And then.

All of it was to complete the grand premise of victory.

“Watch. See what it means to rule over zombies.”

The Necromancer Commander dropped a droplet of blood from his fingertip.

Woo-woo-woom!

Energies imbued with a crimson hue rose from the ground.

“Keeeugh… Kaaaaah!”

“Kooooh!”

“Kekekekek!”

The ‘Blood Commanding Spell,’ mediated through blood.

An atmosphere of unmatchable evilness seeped into the bodies of the zombies.

[Necromancer Commander has activated his unique ability ‘Sovereign of the Dead’!]

[The ability stats of the dead rise by 30%!]

[The ability stats of the living decrease by 30%!]

The eyes of the zombies blazed with bloodlust.

Their muscles bulged rapidly, and their nails also grew almost twice their normal size.

Drip… Drip.

The clear liquid falling from the black nails was a potent poison brought from the Blood Temple.

On top of that…

[You have been afflicted with a status abnormality.]

[Your vision and sense of touch dull.]

[Your sense of balance decreases by 10%.]

Simply being within the formation began to spawn red status windows incessantly.

Indeed.

The Necromancer Commander had a reason to be confident.

After all, if you’re not a zombie within this space, fighting here would be tantamount to suicide.

But you see.

“The power to command the dead isn’t something only you possess.”

“Kahaha! Ridiculous. Do you think you’ve produced a few zombies yourself?”

“No, I have something much more reliable than zombies.”

The dead don’t just consist of zombies alone.

“Come forth.”

A dimensional space opened behind Jinhyuk.

Psshtts…!

Beyond the massive space, a blizzard as white as snow arose.

The chilling cold began to spill over.

Clomp, clomp.

The echo of horse hooves followed right after.

Death Knights clad in black armor.

Tibon.

And behind him, ancient soldiers wielding spears engraved with runes.

The sight of them aligned atop their ghostly steeds was reminiscent of an invading demon king’s army.

“Master.”

Tibon bowed deeply.

With all the magic power he had been investing elsewhere now poured into him, Tibon’s form was exactly like that of a full Death Knight he had seen in the Illusionary Paradise.

“Do not let anyone interfere while I take care of him.”

The goal is one: the head honcho.

The remaining small fry were left to Tibon and the ancient soldiers.

“Please entrust it to me.”

Tibon drew his sword horizontally atop his steed.

Then.

Thud!

Thump!

The ground shook.

The dead buried here long ago began to rise.

Skeletons breaking through the soil.

Killed by thieves.

Trampled by the demon sects.

The resentful spirits answered the call of their new master.

Now the numbers were roughly equal.

‘The difference in quality… I’ll just make up for it.’

Jinhyuk summoned another ability from the ‘Memories of the World.’

[Unique ability ‘Core of the Legion’ is activated!]

Along the ground…

Tzzzzt…!

Blue magic power arose.

Challenging the Necromancer Commander’s power.

As sparks leaped in the darkness…

“Let’s begin then.”

In Jinhyuk’s left hand was ‘Fang.’

And in his right hand, ‘Twin Dragon Sword’ was gripped.