CH 284

Whooooooooo-

The wind roared, and a storm of demonic powers raged. However, in the eye of the storm, where it was quiet and calm, stood a man holding a round, half-shattered object. It was Joshua.

“What the…?” Theta trailed off, confused by the abrupt supernatural event.

Iceline had been dumbfounded and unable to talk for a while now.

Then, a piercing wail of desperation split the air.

“This can’t be happeningggggggg!”

Berber, Asmodeus’s contractor, held the 32nd-highest position in the Demon Realm. Currently, he was known as Jerath dek Orbis, the continent’s greatest battle mage, and yet, he was losing pathetically right now.

“You! You bastardddd!”

Perhaps it was his last resort, but Berber created a black sword that was oozing with black magic. He thrust his arm forward angrily to kill Joshua. Even if he chewed up and spat out the man in front of him, Berber didn’t think he would be satisfied.

“Just give up,” Joshua spoke up.

“...!”

Suddenly, Berber felt an overwhelming pressure pressing down on his entire body. He could even feel his head lowering. He gritted his teeth.

“JOSHUA SANDERS!”

Even as his demonic power was disappearing, he could feel himself disintegrating into dust.

Everything he had done had been done in vain. He felt bitter; he felt desperate.

Berber had a dream. His dream wasn’t something pathetic as petty revenge. If he achieved his dream, then revenge would come naturally.

‘It wouldn’t have taken much longer. The force amassed here would have been sufficient to topple several kingdoms and empires. But…!’

He grew angrier the more he thought. He vomited blood.

He had all the resources he needed to make his dream come true. He had the undead army he had been preparing for decades and even had the Bone Dragon now.

However, he lost them all.

“People say that trees give generously to humans.”

Berber flinched when he heard Joshua’s voice close to his ear.

“So?”

“Trees don’t care that humans cut down countless trees for their own self-interest. They don’t care that they’re giving to what is, basically, their enemies. They still give humans fruits to eat, shades to relax under, and even clean air.”

Berber seemed to be thinking, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

Joshua smiled. “I’m saying that to me, you’re like that.”

“...!”

“Berber, you’re just like that giving tree.”

“I’m going to kill you!”

Berbere committed fully to his attack. He squeezed out every bit of his power, down to the last bit.

He also gave orders to his forces. If he couldn’t move directly, then he could employ his subordinates. He believed that if he used the source’s mana, then the scale would be tilted toward his side again. And if that happened…

‘The mana of the source comes from the soul. If the soul itself is struck, then it will be destroyed.’

An emotion flitted through his eyes.

‘But that doesn’t matter. I already made a deal with the demon. My soul is…’

- That isn’t allowed.

“...!”

Berber’s eyes widened at the voice that rang through his head.

“...?”

Joshua looked on, puzzled, as Berber started writhing in pain. Just a short while ago, Berber had been radiating with excitement like he had something great up his sleeve, so what was going on?

“Well, I don’t think it matters much,” Joshua muttered and then advanced.

Step.

That was the beginning.

With that single step of his, tens of thousands of undead immediately bowed in submission.

Step.

Joshua took another step forward.

This time, the Dullahans, clad in their usual pitch-black iron armor, lowered their heads. Even the mighty knights weren’t an exception.

Clang.

With echoing sound metal, the infamous Death Knights, known for their haughty demeanor, dropped to their knees.

“....”

Joshua’s expression hardened as he looked at them.

Death Knights were created with potent demonic power as well as the body and soul of an A-Class knight. There was no way that someone with that much skill and pride would give up that easily. It was most likely that Asmodeus’s intimidation had pushed knights into Forced Contracts and Recall of Soul.

But that was alright since Joshua had ample time. He could slowly take his time to investigate their identities.

However, the last one was a problem.

Krrrrrr.

In the dark sky above his head, there was a monster with a huge, gaping maw that belched black smoke and roared threateningly.

“Hoooooh.”

Joshua raised his head and took a deep breath. Demonic power welled within him, wrapping him in an explosive aura, and when he opened his mouth, his words had within them the full weight of that power.

“Come to me,” he ordered.

Thump, thump.

The massive wings of the dragon continued to flap in the air. It ignored Joshua’s command and continued to hover in the air. With its mysterious power, was there anything the Bone Dragon couldn’t do?

Boom!

The answer was no. The enormous monster landed on the ground with a heavy boom.

The rare monster that Berber had created over the course of his life folded its wings and bowed its head in front of Joshua.

In the end, the only one standing in the middle of the floor was Joshua.

“Oh, my…” From a distance, Iceline’s mouth gaped in disbelief at this astonishing situation.

But then, something strange happened.

Joshua felt pressure on his wrist. His eyes widened. It felt like something was trying to hold him back.

“You—”

- New Master…

“....”

Joshua paused as he became aware of the many voices around him.

Berber’s forces had been snatched from the 4th Prince’s palace, and now, one of the five liches was speaking.

- Please…

“....”

Joshua’s expression turned grave. Even without listening further, he knew what the lich was saying. As it was a relationship tied by the contract, he could feel their eagerness.

“Why?” Joshua couldn’t hold back his question.

What the lich desperately wanted was none other than then its former owner, Berber, so that it would be relieved of its pain.

Just then, a voice interrupted from behind Joshua, a voice carrying intolerable rage.

“You! You can’t be thinking—!”

Joshua turned around. It was his attendant Ash. He was visibly shaking with his flats clenched tightly.

“Ash…?”

Ash gritted his teeth as he stared at Berber. Memories surfaced in his mind.

***

Amidst a thick, verdant forest, a blonde boy was walking with a worried expression on his face when someone called out to him.

“Mr. Elenburs!”

The boy turned. A man jumped over a fallen tree and dashed over.

“I found it!”

“Really?”

At those words, the boy’s face immediately lit up.

From an outsider’s perspective, the situation seemed odd because the older man seemed overly respectful of the boy, who only came up to his chest.

This, however, was to be expected, given that they were elves.

“Where is it?”

By this time, the man had reached the boy. He spoke without bothering to catch his breath.

“It’s in the human empire known as Avalon.”

“Avalon?”

The boy quietly repeated the word, then his face seemed to express that it was as expected.

Since it was said that his homeland was an empire called Avalon, this outcome did not come as a surprise.

“Lead the way.”

“Of course.”

After that, two figures darted out of the forest immediately.

***

The young elf stood in the heart of a busy marketplace with his cloak hood over his head.

“Is that… really her?”

“Yes, I have no doubt.”

The boy fell silent at the man’s response.

A woman was running errands as she carried a basket on her head. She was perhaps twenty years old and looked so frail that it wouldn’t have been surprising if she collapsed instantly. She had been cured of her illness, but it appeared she would not survive long.

“It’s said that he was a powerful mage by human standards. But when Jerath dek Orbis disappeared, her family collapsed, and she ended up working as a maid for a different household.”

The boy gritted his teeth before the man could complete his sentence.

“Seems like his daughter is one of his lowest priorities. He was focused on monopolizing the root of the World Tree and didn’t want others to benefit from it or take it away.”

“....”

“Fortify the perimeter—we don’t know when he will reappear and give up the secrets of the Forest.”

“Understood.”

The boy nodded at the man’s response. He thought for a while before coming to a decision.

‘First…’

He walked toward the woman. She seemed to have noticed someone approaching her because she flinched. Then, she entered an alleyway and straightened her back.

“...There’s no need for you to be nervous.”

“....”

“I’m an old friend of your father.”

“Friend?” The woman’s eyes widened dramatically.

“Yes, a friend.”

“...”

“He was the only human being I ever considered as a friend.”

The boy slightly lifted the hood so she could see him. The look of surprise on her face was priceless.

“An e-elf?”

With that response, the boy reached an immediate conclusion—she truly didn’t know anything.

“I will give you a present.”

He had purposefully waited until she walked into a deserted alleyway. He pulled out a ring he had prepared and started engraving something on it.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Strange patterns appeared rapidly as he engraved the ring. Since he just needed to put the finishing touches, it was a relatively quick process.

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

Whoooong!

Soon after, the ring was bathed in brilliant light as the elf blasted it with mana.

“Wah!” The woman’s eyes lit up at the unusual sight.

‘The last thing I need is a drop of tear.’

Drip.

A drop of his tear soaked into the ring.

While the ring would keep the woman safe from harm, it would also serve as a form of fetter. No matter where she went, he would be able to find her. Whoever wore the ring, even if it was just once, their scent would be imprinted, and that wouldn’t change even if they took it off.

However…

“What a fucked up turn of events…”

It didn’t turn out the way he wanted as, not long after, the boy stood in front of a grave.

Her short life had ended.

***

“....”

Finally free of his thoughts, Ash raised his head.

“Ke…Kekekekeke!”

Berber laughed even as he was turning into dust.

“Jerath, you!”

The lich had clearly said “new master.” That meant its former master was definitely Jerath.

Ash looked at Berber before letting the question leave his mouth.

“Did you turn your daughter into an undead?”