**Chapter Nine: Weakness**
First and foremost, I need to assess our combat strength. Among the three factions—myself, Horos, and the Order of the Final Knights—there’s no doubt that I am the weakest.
The only reason I was able to fight the forest beasts was due to Lord’s support. Now, having experienced real battles and undergone a rank mutation, I’ve grown a bit, but I haven’t changed that much from those days.
Generally speaking, it is said that when an ordinary citizen, who knows nothing of battle, becomes an undead—specifically a zombie—their combat ability increases.
The human brain has a limit.
It seems that when a human exerts their full strength, they suffer damage as a backlash. This limit exists as a safety mechanism to prevent such injuries, allowing humans to live their daily lives in good health. However, it also means they cannot unleash their full power. On the other hand, beings that have become undead have no such safety measures and lack the sensation of pain. A human turned into a zombie can exert inhuman strength, disregarding bodily damage, and will not stop until their target is dead.
Since they no longer rely on their physical organs for survival, even if their heart is pierced and their limbs are blown off, they will continue to attack their target driven solely by their vengeful spirit.
Although I was not a zombie but a Corpse Eater, there are some differences. Still, this is one reason why I, who revived with my frail human body, was able to defeat the forest beasts right after my resurrection. Another reason is that Lord was responsible for immobilizing and healing me with magic. Without that, I would have likely fallen in battle due to my inexperience. I can’t thank Lord enough.
Now, as Shiki, I possess even more powerful abilities than before, but can I stand against the Order of the Final Knights? No. In a one-on-one fight, I would surely lose, and even if I had five or six copies of myself, they would likely cut me down as easily as mowing grass.
The Order of the Final Knights consists of elite warriors who have undergone rigorous training and gained extensive experience. Their armaments vary among members, but each one is capable of taking on a thousand foes, and they are accustomed to dealing with undead like me. Their combat skills are on a different level. Their physical abilities surpass mine, and with their vast experience, I have no chance of victory, not even a one in ten thousand.
They are the light. If the ruler of darkness is a necromancer, then they are the exact opposite. This does not refer to social status or anything of that sort.
The Order of the Final Knights wields energy that is the antithesis of that of a necromancer.
I don’t know the details, but according to a written object, this world is broadly divided into positive energy and negative energy. It can also be referred to as light and darkness, life and death. Every living being possesses positive energy, and when that energy reaches zero, the living object dies and bids farewell to this world forever.
On the other hand, there exists a magic that overturns this rule: Necromancy. This magic—this curse—reanimates the corpse of a living object to move using negative energy.
Now, I have become a puppet animated by negative energy through Horos’s magic. My body moves despite my heart not beating because the source of my existence has changed. Instead of being powered by the positive energy generated by a heartbeat, I now operate on the negative energy that arises when a living object dies. Unlike positive energy, negative energy does not naturally deplete. Thus, undead have no lifespan. This is why we are called undead.
However, I am not without weaknesses. My body is not invincible. My movements are slightly off the path due to Lord’s power. If my body suffers severe damage and can no longer sustain my soul, I will die. Furthermore, if for some reason my energy reaches a state of “zero,” I will die as well.
Up to this point, the explanation is simple. From here on, it becomes a bit more complex, and it is the reason why the undead are at an overwhelming disadvantage against the Order of the Final Knights.
For convenience, I have been using the terms positive energy and negative energy, but strictly speaking, that might not be entirely accurate.
“Positive” refers to energy, while “negative” refers to a “state.”
The Order of the Final Knights manipulates the power of light—positive energy. They boast extraordinary martial prowess, but when facing the undead, they do not seek to “destroy” but rather to “purify” with remarkable efficiency. Instead of expending vast amounts of effort to destroy the body, they aim to convert my state from negative to zero by adding light energy. The moment my body, which can only move thanks to Lord’s power, reaches a zero state, it will cease to function according to the rules of this world. I would face a second death.
This is the fatal weakness of me, or rather, of the undead.
Conversely, we undead cannot use the same tactic against them. Since negative energy is not strictly energy (I’m getting confused just saying it), I cannot shoot negative energy beams to reduce them to zero.
It is impossible to eliminate this weakness in accordance with the fundamental principles of the world.
It’s a terrible situation when I can’t win even in a fair fight. Well, even without that weakness, I would have no chance against their overwhelming strength, but—let’s set that aside for now.
Compared to my past life, I have indeed grown stronger. It might seem odd to compare, given how weak I was back then, but as Shiki, I possess superhuman strength, toughness, and regenerative abilities. Additionally, I have gained unique Shiki abilities: the power to transform part of my claws into sharp points—”Sharp Claws”—and the ability to sharpen my fangs—”Fangs of the Beast.”
In terms of undead classification, I am akin to a second-year student. Unlike Corpse Eaters, Shiki cannot exert their power without consuming corpses, but my strength is so formidable that it cannot simply be attributed to the absence of limits.
Generally, Shiki are considered to be undead that a single low-ranking mercenary can defeat, but I am clever enough to feel confident in fending off three or four of them.
However, with such power, I cannot defeat the hero candidates of the Order of the Final Knights.
In this situation, the quickest solution would be to escape. I bear no grudge against the Order of the Final Knights like Lord does, nor do I wish to fight them. However, Lord, who possesses “Privilege” over me, complicates matters.
Lord’s “Privilege” is powerful. And it’s not just the absolute command authority that has been a nuisance to me until now. It includes the ability to detect my general location and—grant specific spells from a distance.
No matter how much distance I create in terms of object theory, there remains a magical connection between Lord and me. This connection will not disappear unless Lord dies, serving as a kind of safety net, allowing Lord to cast spells on me freely. In other words, Lord can revert me to a mere corpse.
It is impossible to remove this privilege from the outside. Well, perhaps it could be done, but it’s beyond my capability. There’s no time.
Even if I were to escape, I would need to find a way to kill Lord in a surprise attack.
Honestly, I couldn’t determine which was more difficult: repelling the Order of the Final Knights alongside Lord or killing Lord and fleeing.
I felt trapped. Neither option seemed feasible, yet I had to choose one.
§
The following day, before I could find a solution to my dilemma, I was thrust into an even worse predicament. Lord had deployed countless sentinels across the grounds. Silent as shadows, these numerous owls conveyed everything they saw and heard back to their master.
I could no longer sneak out at night. This meant I could not satisfy my appetite as a Shiki.