**Chapter Thirty-Two: The King of Shadow**
The undead creatures summoned by the necromancer can be broadly categorized into four types:
1. Skeletons, born from bones.
2. Corpse Eaters, born from flesh.
3. Evil Spirits, born from souls.
4. Zombies, animated from decaying corpses.
However, the path of mutation from there is not singular. The hierarchy of these undead is a result of the necromancer’s directed evolution.
The creature before me, exposed and outside, was composed of dry bones and skin. Its blackened, desiccated skin glimmered with an eerie light from its eye sockets.
I had seen a similar entry in the necromancer’s compendium during my time in the lord’s mansion. This was a type of mutated skeleton. Unlike the Skeleton Knight that the lord commanded, this was the form of a bone that had transcended death through its obsession with magic, gaining even greater power.
The Master of Undead.
The magic it wielded was formidable. Even a human could become a force to be reckoned with, a thousand warriors in one. What would happen if an undead like this gained such power?
Their appearance was not suited for blending in with humans. The danger of a vampire lies in its ability to masquerade as a person. Considering that, perhaps these creatures could surpass vampires in pure combat ability; they were rulers of the abyss.
I could feel the power radiating from it, an overwhelming force of death that even I, an undead, found oppressive. The sheer magical energy coursing through it was greater than any practitioner I had encountered before.
Could this be the King of the Dead? No—this was merely a pawn.
If it could use necromancy, it would have done so immediately.
I trembled and let out a roar into the night sky.
Under normal circumstances, this would be an opponent worthy of alertness. I would even consider fleeing.
But amidst the excruciating pain, I was certain of one thing.
Before me stood a terrifying transcendent of death. Within the murderous intent emanating from its glowing eye sockets, I sensed a faintly different emotion.
Low-tier undead lack will and emotion. Yet, this monster before me was different. It possessed a high intelligence alongside its hatred for the living.
I shifted my stance, checking my footing.
I felt Senri, who had been clinging to the corner of my body, pull away as I narrowed my eyes, gazing down at the monster before me.
“You fear me, don’t you?”
“Nonsense!”
“Senri, let me handle this.”
Blessing has a powerful effect against undead, but it does not nullify offensive magic. A powerful mage is a nuisance to humans. No response was needed; she knew what she had to do.
“My name is… Abiko Doro. I am a servant of the great king, blessed by darkness. I shall guide you to the afterlife, young one.”
The creature that called itself Abiko Doro raised its arm. The swirling magical energy distorted the space around it. I leaped into that chaos without hesitation.
A discomfort rippled across my skin as I felt the flow of magic disrupt around my form. Abiko Doro swiftly dodged my sweeping strike by retreating, showcasing its monster-like agility.
I needed to kill it before it could gauge my abilities. I couldn’t predict when Rufuri and the others might strike. I had to be cautious with my transformations as well.
The lord’s voice echoed in my mind.
“You can still move despite that pain.”
Pain was my companion. I never wanted to experience it again, but from my bedridden days in my previous life, it was the only thing that made me feel alive.
I pushed my body forward, thrashing and causing chaos. I had to be careful not to crush the ground beneath me. Even an immortal would die if their body were flattened. Perhaps I could just bite down on it.
Debris struck my head, but I paid it no mind. Abiko Doro’s movements surpassed that of a human, but not mine. It seemed to lack strength.
I was—without a doubt—at an advantage.
“Akuro-Guride Doro, darkness, come forth!”
As Abiko Doro retreated, it chanted. Magic requires mental concentration. Perhaps the reason the undead could wield such terrifying power as mages was due to their insensitivity to pain.
The change was instantaneous. The swirling magic burst forth. Darkness seeped into the space from nowhere, filling the area.
Not even the moonlight could strip it away. The lord let out a small groan.
“Hmph… an old spell.”
But I could see.
The lord hadn’t told me to be alert.
Vampires can see through the darkness. A species that lives in the night cannot be blind to the shadows. Within the spreading darkness, I clearly saw Abiko Doro and swung my claws down upon it.
However, it dodged my full-force strike once again by retreating.
Without giving it a moment’s respite, I unleashed a series of strikes with my front limbs. I swung down, slashed, spun, and slammed my body against it, opening my jaws wide to bite.
The rubble had texture but no flavor. I spat it out in disgust.
Abiko Doro stood unperturbed amidst the debris.
It was evading my attacks with minimal movement. This was not magic. Even Senri could not evade so elegantly. I felt no fatigue, but the pain was flashing before my eyes.
“Hah, hah, for your age, you’re quite nimble.”
“Agura-Garu-Del-Garum. King of the Underworld—wind of decay!”
The air exploded around Abiko Doro. A horrendous stench of rot spread rapidly. The torrent of magical energy filled the air, reminiscent of the great river that once flowed through Senri’s embrace.
I pressed forward, ignoring the tingling pain in my body, sweeping my front limbs sideways.
For the first time, Abiko Doro’s reaction faltered. Its eyes widened in shock as my attack finally struck its body. The recoil that returned to my hand felt heavier than I expected for such a slender form.
Just before Abiko Doro was slammed against the wall, it adjusted its posture and landed against it. It seemed to have almost no difficulty in doing so.
But I could see.
It was dodging. Using magic to evade. It was likely sensing the flow of air and propelling its body with magic.
My movements were relatively fast and fierce, but they did not defy the laws of physics. Was it like bending with the wind?
The heavy recoil I felt was likely due to its magical protection. It didn’t seem invincible, but it was certainly resilient. I wasn’t a skeleton, after all.
The seasoned mage who easily deflected my attacks spat out in disbelief.
“Ugh… absurd… to nullify the wind of decay!? Could it be that your magical resistance has increased?!”
“Of course. This end is—an embodiment of wisdom. Don’t compare me to mere antiques.”
Truly, it was the lord. It seemed he had poured his full effort into this new physical body.
“It might be a coincidence, you know? Try casting it once more, senpai.”
“Ugh… Agura-Garu-Iide-Raizel-Rogias-Gurinashi—”
“That won’t do.”
Magic is bound by rules, unlike curses. Generally, the more preparation required, the more powerful the spell. Therefore, longer incantations tend to yield stronger magic.
I concentrated power into my four limbs and leaped high into the air. Perhaps it was an unexpected move; Abiko Doro’s chant was abruptly interrupted.
Upward. If it could read the flow of air to dodge, then attacking from the side would be a poor choice. I would crush it from above.
One arm might be manageable, but a broad attack would be difficult to evade.
“I admire your fighting spirit, but… are you a fool?”
The lord spoke with exasperation. Breaking through the high ceiling, I soared upward and delivered a full-force body press directly onto Abiko Doro.
—
Somehow, I managed to break through the underground and return to the surface.
Before Rufuri and the others unfolded a battle between two monsters.
The ground trembled, and the air quaked.
The dense darkness, clearly not of this world, was filled with the presence of powerful magic.
The Master of Undead, a necromancer who commanded countless potent offensive spells, was the most alert target for the Order of the Final Knights’ subjugation.
The vampire, possessing multiple unique abilities and clear weaknesses, yet remaining unkillable.
The clash of these two powerful demonic natures, which should have been nearly nonexistent due to the Order of the Final Knights’ activities, foretold the arrival of an age of darkness.
Light dispels darkness. Even if the opponent is stronger, the Order of the Final Knights would not easily succumb to negativity.
However, facing two such beings without a proper mage was indeed challenging.
Rufuri, who had been controlling his Blessing and hiding, shrugged his shoulders.
“The power of death is too great. This is quite a formidable opponent.”
“Damn it, we finally made it here—”
Letting this opportunity slip was a failure. No matter the circumstances, we should have annihilated them back then.
The growth of this end was far beyond Rufuri and the others. That vampire was no longer a demonic nature to be faced one-on-one.
Senri had not yet given up on this end, nor had it acted in a way that would lead to its abandonment, which was unexpected.
Even if memories lingered, enduring bloodlust for so long suggested a considerable strength of reason.
This end was strong. Senri was strong. It was impossible to force matters with brute strength against two beings.
“If that vampire dies, Senri will awaken.”
Nebira spat the words with a fierce glare directed at the monstrous form of End.
The battle had reached a stalemate. The life force of the Immortals surpassed that of any living being. While magic was ineffective against Vampires, it was equally challenging to overpower the LiN/Achi who protected themselves with spells. Dawn was still far off.
Rufuri and the others believed their Blessing attacks should work, but the accumulated power of death was simply too overwhelming for purification.
At that moment, Rufuri, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.
“But what we need to consider now isn’t that, Nebira.”
“…I know. It’s that strange power, right?”
Before them, the power that had swelled underground was unlike anything Rufuri and the others had encountered in their battles against various Demonic Natures. It was a colossal force of darkness, one they had never seen before. Though the tremors of the earth had subsided, the threads of sensation from their Blessing still vibrated, clearly capturing the pulsating power just beneath the surface.
In terms of sheer volume, even the two monsters before them combined were insufficient.
If End’s final words were to be believed, he must have been trying to prevent his own resurrection. While it was hard to imagine a monster acting with any sense of justice, the fact that Senri was acting alongside him added a layer of credibility to the situation.
End was a problem, but if they got too caught up in him, they would neglect their duty as guardians.
“The Shadow of the Void, the Demon King, huh…”
“That AnADeN/ADoro is really tenacious. Just like a cockroach.”
The power was awakening even now. However, it was not yet complete.
They did not know what kind of magic was responsible for this awakening, but the Demon King of the Shadow of the Void had supposedly been completely annihilated by the Order of the Final Knights long ago.
Even a tenacious AnADeN/ADoro would require a process for resurrection. There was still time. And even if it did manage to resurrect, it would not be at full strength.
The fact that its subordinate, the LiN/Achi, was still fighting against an unfavorable opponent immune to magic was proof of that.
There was no time to regroup. If they let this moment slip away, it would lead to great calamity. Rufuri and the others had only come to pursue End, but this was—an opportunity of a lifetime.
Before they could move, while the LiN/Achi was distracted by End, they would deliver the finishing blow.
The Order of the Final Knights had specialties among their ranks. Rufuri and the others, led by the Annihilation unit, excelled in release-type attacks. Their ultimate form was Annihilation (Photonic Deletion), which blew everything away with light.
Then, a voice called out from behind.
It was a voice they had shared many long days with, and not a single day had passed in recent months without its memory. It had a cold resonance, yet was undeniably gentle—a girl’s voice.
“Rufuri, Nebira. I will blow everything away. Gather your strength into me.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
They had anticipated this, so there was no surprise. She was not someone who could overlook this situation.
No unnecessary words were needed. They would momentarily forget their past grievances. Why? Because the Order of the Final Knights existed to save the world. Their backgrounds and ideologies varied, but that one truth remained unchanged.
And there was a reason why multiple powerful Eclipse Knights acted together.
Some dark Familiars possessed overwhelming power that could surpass even the Eclipse Knights. However, when light that dispelled darkness was gathered, it radiated an even more potent brilliance.
Senri drew her sword, taking a stance. To her left and right stood Rufuri and Nebira, respectively.
The Blessing poured into them. The combined strength of the three gathered at the tip of the sword, shining like the sun.
End’s massive form was pushed back. From beneath it, the LiN/Achi crawled out. But it was already too late. Perhaps intending to use a defensive spell, End crushed the raised staff with his foreleg.
—And then, the light was unleashed.