**Chapter Nineteen: Darkness and Light**
A massive, black, fur-covered arm swung down, attacking the undead bear. With a blade imbued with divine blessings, I cleaved through it.
The army of the dead surged like an avalanche. They were likely the pitiful remnants of magical beasts that once roamed this forest.
Their abilities had been excessively enhanced. Flesh peeled away from their arms as they swung their claws, and blood-mixed drool splattered from their gaping jaws. Their approach, as they crumbled apart, resembled demons resurrected from hell.
I knew the truth. All of this was the abhorrent power of necromancy.
Yet, such a force could not stop the Order of the Final Knights.
The radiant energy we wielded, the power of blessings, repelled the darkness. When infused into our swords, it became a force that could slice through shadows; when embedded in our armor, it formed a barrier against death. Activating it enhanced our physical abilities. Thus, the Order of the Final Knights could stand against the dark minions with the strength of humanity.
“Is there a necromancer present?” I shouted.
“No! Damn it! Can they really control the undead from such a distance?”
My comrades panted as they continued to slay the relentless corpses of the flesh beasts. Light and darkness. Radiance and negativity. The advantage lay with us. However, the necromancer sought to compensate for that gap with sheer numbers.
The undead, bolstered by the necromancer at the cost of their souls, only deepened their abyss. Even the Order of the Final Knights, accustomed to purifying the undead, found themselves struggling.
“Senri, should we retreat for now? If we give them time, they’ll self-destruct,” one of my comrades suggested.
“I won’t retreat.”
“Ha! I thought you’d say that! That’s the spirit of a First-Class Knight candidate!”
Rufuri smiled broadly, sweat glistening on his brow. Though we still had some leeway, our stamina was rapidly depleting. I could see the blessings of my comrades diminishing before my eyes.
The blessings held by the Order of the Final Knights were vast, but they were not infinite. If we exhausted them, it would take time to recover, and without them, we would have no means to protect ourselves from the dark minions. While I felt hardly fatigued, the blessings available to Rufuri and the others were only a fraction of mine.
The undead attacking us now were the weaker ones. I thought as I purified the wolf pack, breathing as if it were second nature. A second-tier necromancer was a being dangerously close to the dark king. I couldn’t believe this would end with just a horde of flesh beasts.
We needed to conserve Rufuri and the others’ strength. After all, ensuring their safe return was part of my mission.
“Let’s finish this quickly.”
“Wait, Senri! There are still—”
“If it’s the Master’s command, then that’s what we’ll do.”
There was no hesitation in my voice. Gripping the weapon bestowed upon me when I became a knight—a precious sword forged from holy silver—I prayed. I plunged the blade into the ground, channeling the blessings surging through me into its tip, unleashing them in a single, explosive burst.
The pure energy of radiance transformed into a wind of light, spreading outward.
“‘Light of Liberation!’”
There was no destruction. The undead bear, poised to strike with its massive arm, and the bodies of the wolves that had been incessantly leaping at us crumbled to dust without a sound. The once relentless onslaught of the dead vanished without a trace, as if it had been an illusion. I watched their demise with an indescribable sense of sorrow.
“Light of Liberation” was the most fundamental purification spell. It filled the abyss of the undead with the energy of radiance, granting them peace—a power befitting the knights of the end. It was nearly impossible to defend against, and when facing a multitude of lower-tier undead, there was no more powerful spell.
Silence returned. The stagnant air was purified. Nebira, having shouldered his mace, whistled cheerfully.
“To purify that many undead at once… Truly impressive, Second-Class Knight!”
“I judged that exhausting ourselves would be worse.”
I pulled my sword from the ground, flexing my palm a few times to check my condition. I nodded without a hint of concern.
“While ‘Light of Liberation’ is powerful, it consumes a great deal of energy to release such a vast amount of light at once. Thus, the knights of the end first learn to wield their weapons to conserve their blessings.”
Yet, the amount of blessings I possessed was certified by the First-Class Knights.
Though I felt a slight weariness from releasing such a vast amount of power, it would fade quickly. I was still capable of fighting. I hadn’t even lost a tenth of my strength. My violet eyes remained fixed ahead, where souls tainted by darkness still lingered. They needed salvation.
“It’s fine. No problem. For Holos, our assault must be unexpected. We’ll finish this before they can regroup.”
At my words, my comrades nodded seriously.
—
The mansion was quickly located.
We forced open the locked gate and stepped inside. Within the confines of the fence, the air was thick with the lingering scent of death. However, I sensed the presence of the undead only within the mansion itself.
Most likely, the flesh beasts that had attacked us earlier were kept loose in this garden. I briefly imagined the dead wolves running about, and my well-shaped brows furrowed.
Powerful mages exude a strong aura due to the vast power they harbor. The dark magical energy spilling from the mansion was undoubtedly among the strongest I had faced thus far.
He was here. Without a doubt, Holos Carmen was within that mansion, waiting arrogantly for the Order of the Final Knights, fully aware of our approach.
“Tch. To know we’re coming and still choose not to flee. For a cowardly necromancer, he’s oddly confident about becoming a corpse himself,” Nebira remarked, his usual wild grin slightly pale.
“Are you scared?”
At my unintentional words, Nebira’s eyes widened for a moment before he clenched his teeth.
“Who are you calling scared? I’m a knight of the end! Besides, Senri, I’ve been at this longer than you. I’ve faced opponents like this countless times. You should worry about yourself. It’s your job to deal with Holos’s trump card!”
“…Understood. Leave it to me.”
“Seriously. I know your personality, but you really lack respect for your seniors, Senri.”
At this rate, there would be no issues in battle. Just as Nebira said, the comrades I had brought were all seasoned warriors who had fought under the banner of the Annihilation. Even if they felt threatened by the necromancer’s power, they wouldn’t falter.
There were no other undead presences outside the mansion. That must have been the last of them. Holos intended to settle everything within this mansion.
The doors of the mansion stood wide open, almost as if to taunt us.
I concentrated my mind, activating the blessings flowing through my body to enhance my physical abilities. Rufuri and the others also stood ready, showing no signs of fatigue as they activated their own powers.
Just as the necromancer grew stronger by gathering death, those of the light were blessed by it. There was nothing to fear.
And so, we—the Order of the Final Knights—stepped into the mansion.
—
It had been a long journey. A path fraught with difficulties. But at last, the end was in sight.
Twenty years since I had been classified as a second-tier necromancer. With the birth of the King of the Dead, Holos Carmen would finally become one of the strongest beings in this world, classified as a first-tier necromancer.
The Order of the Final Knights launching their assault at this precise moment was no coincidence. They sensed, perhaps unconsciously, the birth of the dark king. Thus, they sought to thwart it at all costs.
It was fortunate that End had joined us. His growth rate and potential were unparalleled in Holos’s long life as a necromancer.
End had yet to return from gathering his equipment. What was taking him so long…? However, the lord, his creator, could sense that End was nearby. My only concern was his slightly excessive intelligence, but I had given him orders. He would return once he had completed his tasks.
Holos needed to focus on repelling the Order of the Final Knights.
If I were to lose End now, it could take years before I could acquire another undead of his caliber.
But there was no need for worry. We only needed to repel them once.
Under normal circumstances, I would take precautions and wait for the next rank of Mutation, but with End’s talent and intellect, even Shiki (Ghoul) should be able to succeed in the ritual.
I shallowly slice my palm, using my own blood to draw the magic circle. The human Holos bears the burden of Negative, yet the undead N/A I had summoned have been wiped out in this short span of time. There shouldn’t be any First-Class Knights, but the enemy is stronger than anticipated.
I will use everything that Holos Carmen has acquired thus far.
So this is—my final trial.
I glare at the trembling slave who had been following Holos’s orders. The preparations are complete. I no longer need the slave’s hands.
“Ruu, you’ll be working too…”
“N/A…!?”
Receiving Holos’s gaze, Ruu pales and takes a step back. A frail body with emaciated limbs. Her eyes are deeply sunken, her hair unkempt. Her clothing is tattered, a mere shadow of what could be called ‘Skeleton (Skeleton)’. More than that, the spark of life has already vanished from her eyes. She is the very embodiment of a slave.
For the first time, Holos shows a smile to the slave.
“Even a fragile existence… has its uses. Their source of power is life itself—prayers and pride. If that is tainted, their strength will diminish.”
“W-What are you—”
Ruu lets out a voice that resembles a faint whimper. Holos twitches his brow but regains his composure and states his command.
“I don’t recall granting permission for questions, but… very well. This is—your last chance. Ruu. Ruu-Dores. Together with the Skeleton Knight (Skeleton-Night)—face the Order of the Final Knights.”