Despite his initial fierce charge, Shain's rush was weakly blocked.
Clang! Clank!
In a single move, Shain was stopped, and two Death Knights surrounded him.
The undead that emerged from the Tomb of the Dead quickly surrounded Shain.
Squawk! Squish!
Creatures that were indistinguishable as monsters or humans, their forms varied. However, they had one thing in common: they all emitted a sinister black magic.
"Kill him! Don't leave a single piece of flesh behind!"
At Solion's shout, the already fierce momentum of the undead became even more ferocious.
Shain, now a solitary figure, had long been overwhelmed by the numerous undead.
Clang! Clank! Clank!
Crack!
The occasional sounds of collision were the only indication that Shain was still alive.
In the midst of this,
"..."
Solion watched the scene with bloodshot eyes.
'Shain von Remang... No matter how great you are, you're just a Death Knight.'
He boasted about showing something, but the limitations of existence are inevitable.
He was a knight who had reached Master Knight and roamed the realm of transcendence in life, but now he was just an undead.
But.
What is he trying to do?
- The promise that I will give you the black mage's head.
How dare he talk about taking my head?
It was absurd.
'I thought he would leave some great deed behind... But this is no different from before.'
Before the ancient spirits disappeared, there had already been a battle.
And the current situation was no different from back then.
What did Shain do back then?
He was helpless in blocking them and managed to escape by taking advantage of a gap when the ancient spirits shed their physical forms, sacrificing one of his arms in the process.
It was no different from a frightened lizard cutting off its tail to escape.
Therefore, Shain was not a problem.
However...
'What is his true intention?'
Solion noticed Aster, who was sitting a bit away from the battlefield, practicing breathing techniques.
Though his expression was hidden behind a mask, his demeanor was very calm.
It was difficult to believe that this was someone about to enter a battle.
'Even if it's to provide magic power to the Death Knights... What is the meaning of this?'
The main energy source for Death Knights is black magic.
Shain von Remang, being a somewhat special Death Knight, can accept both magic and ether, but the efficiency is far inferior to black magic.
So, it would be more efficient for him to take action himself rather than entrusting the task to Shain von Remang.
'Could it be... He really intends to give me his head?'
"Hah!"
Solion burst out laughing in disbelief.
Thinking about it now, it was the same from the first ambush.
'He could have cut off my breath...'
But the masked man did not.
He just kicked away Solion, who was trying to take Shain.
"What is this ridiculous farce...?"
The Golden Horse Corps, which had reached the stage of withdrawal.
Though there were officers, elders, and high-ranking figures above them, he was the one who had all the black mages under his command.
Though he now looked quite ridiculous, it was a matter that could hurt Solion's pride.
However,
'On the contrary... It's fortunate!'
Solion smiled, revealing his white teeth, which were stained with red blood, a rather eerie sight.
Whether it was arrogance or boldness, thanks to the opponent's calm demeanor, a clear path to survival was visible.
Though the gap was too narrow to immediately squeeze through, it was not difficult to widen it.
"These trashy undead...! Can't you even deal with one piece of trash?!"
Solion roared in frustration at Shain's stubborn resistance.
On the other hand, the commands he gave to the undead through his mind were the opposite.
'Buy time. Engage appropriately.'
The calm and composed masked man.
Though his transparent eyes were quite annoying, Solion did not rashly provoke him.
On the contrary,
'Yes, keep watching like that.'
The longer Shain rampaged, the faster the masked man's magic power would be depleted.
'It seems he is drawing a magic power accumulation array...'
Solion glanced at Obern and then looked away.
Though he was now compensating for the loss with a magic power accumulation array, it could not be perfect.
At that moment, Shain's voice reached his ears.
[Good, I've adapted.]
"..."
Bang!
"!"
The deafening explosion.
Solion's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden change.
A round gap appeared among the swarm of undead.
Neigh!
A sudden burst of energy pushed the undead back, and the ghost horses carrying the Death Knights neighed.
And in the center of that gap,
[Exactly 3 minutes.]
Shain raised his fingers and declared, looking at Solion.
[In exactly 3 minutes, I'll clear these trash and take your head.]
He held up four fingers.
* * *
"Ridiculous! Just showing off..."
[Whether it's showing off or not, we'll see.]
Shain stood still and closed his eyes.
His vision went dark. As the undead that had been pushed back rushed in again, all his senses became sharply heightened.
'This body... It's been a long time.'
A giant, nearly two meters tall. This was not Shain's original build.
King Slayer.
The knight who beheaded the emperor, a notorious traitor and a genius of the century, Shain von Remang, was actually a short and slender figure.
For some reason, he became a two-meter-tall giant when he turned into a Death Knight, but the body he was familiar with was this one.
Perhaps due to the sudden change in height, he needed time to adapt.
And now that the adaptation is complete.
Swish!
Shain raised his drooping sword.
However, why was it?
Though the sword was clearly rising slowly, the undead rushing at him were even slower.
Was that all?
The ghost horses, raising their front hooves and leaping, were also slower than the slow-moving sword.
It was as if... Yes, time had stopped. Or rather, time had stretched.
[Hmm.]
A faint breath escaped. As a dead being, he did not actually breathe, but it was a habit of Shain's.
The time that had been flowing slowly returned to its normal pace at that moment.
Neigh!
Squish!
The simultaneous burst of noise.
Shain opened his eyes, the light inside his helmet bursting out.
The first thing that caught his eye was an unnamed undead.
Was it made of an orc? Its tusks curled upwards. However, its skeleton had been modified in some way, making it bizarre.
Its arms were stretched out like dough, hanging limply, with five sharp claws.
Swish!
In front of the claws flying like a whip, Shain moved his straight sword.
Or did he move it?
It was invisible.
Just—
Snap!
A thin cutting sound.
The dangling arm was severed from the shoulder and flew through the air at that moment.
Despite the arm being so long that the blade could not reach it.
Was it a strike in the air? No, how could it have cut the undead?
The truly bizarre scene began from there.
Tick, tick—
The continuous cutting sounds were low.
Shain just stood still, his sword extended straight—
Thud, thud. Thud.
The undead, cut into pieces, rolled on the ground in the order they rushed in.
It was quiet.
There was no fierce momentum. It was not sharp. It was just still.
This was a scene that could not be understood by common sense.
It was as if the pieces of a puzzle that were originally separated fell weakly.
Or like the strings of a marionette controlled by a puppeteer were suddenly cut.
The undead collapsing weakly.
"What...?"
Solion could not close his mouth at the surreal scene.
Suddenly, a metallic sound echoed.
Clang, clang!
Were they Master Knights in life?
The two Death Knights reacted to the unknown phenomenon.
The spear blades moved at a speed that could not be seen, forming a circular barrier.
They were blocking.
Even so, the undead continued to pile up on the ground.
Naturally, a glimmer of hope arose in Solion's mind.
However,
[There is no need to exert yourself for that trash anymore. Unfortunate knights.]
The gentle tone as if embracing the two Death Knights.
But the result when the words were finished was far from gentle.
Hesitation.
The Death Knight stopped his swinging spear. Did he understand Shain's words?
Did the suppressed reason awaken at the words of an unfortunate knight who was once in the same position?
No, that was not it.
Tick.
A thin crack spreading over the black armor.
Squish, squish—
The armor slid along the crack. Slowly, like a diagonal ice wall sliding down.
Thud.
The Death Knight shattered into pieces in an instant.
The armor, split into hundreds of pieces, rained down like winter hail.
It was then that Shain, who had been standing still, took a step.
Thud.
A single step.
"Don't, don't come...!"
It was as if the world was approaching.
Why?
His build, though not overwhelmingly large, was not insignificant. What about his presence? It was so faint it could not be felt.
"Ah, ah!"
However, Solion collapsed under the strange pressure he exuded.
His already clouded eyes, due to the madness of the Death Throes and the fear of the Council of Elders, were now covered with confusion.
Another step.
"Ugh..."
Solion involuntarily stepped back. Or rather, he almost crawled, dragging his buttocks on the ground to escape.
Despite the distance still being far.
The only thing reflected in his eyes was the black-armored Death Knight.
No, no. Solion clearly realized who he was facing.
Shain von Remang
The genius of the century.
A mysterious knight who reached Master Knight at 18 and roamed the realm of transcendence.
A notorious traitor who slaughtered all the knights guarding the emperor and beheaded him at 20.
He was not an ordinary Master Knight.
How many Master Knights did he kill in the palace that day?
Though the exact number was not publicly known due to the shameful history, it was said that he beheaded three Master Knights that day.
Three.
He alone slaughtered the emperor's knights and took the lives of three transcended knights.
Though he himself died on the throne, this achievement could not be belittled.
Thus, one step. Another step.
The Master Knight who left a giant footprint in the world slowly approached the one who made him a Death Knight.
And finally.
"Ugh, ugh..."
When Shain reached him, Solion lost his words. No, his thoughts stopped.
Drip—
The ground where he knelt was soaked.
[How, was it fun?]
A different, cold voice. The chilling aura could freeze even the hottest flames.
[Stealing the bodies and souls of the dead to play with puppets, did you think you were something?]
It was anger.
Though it was not a death that could be called rest, the trash that dragged him out of eternal sleep and toyed with him.
Though he had no honor, the scum that trampled his noble pride.
And...
Though he did not know their faces or names, the companions in the path of martial arts, whether seniors or juniors, who were mocked.
This anger was a fitting and, at the same time, cruel emotion towards him.
[Listen carefully.]
'Sp, spare me...'
Solion felt death in the shadow of the approaching Grim Reaper.
He wanted to live. When only that one emotion filled Solion's mind,