Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"Are you sure it's really him? I mean, it definitely seemed like you killed him back in the Quartz Ruins," Frowned Raven warily.

"Yeah, how could he have survived that? You literally crushed him into a speck of dust," Added Celia in disbelief.

"Well, the only other explanation is that there's another being who has the same abilities, but I seriously doubt that's the case. My best guess is that he must have regenerated after his energy recovered...and while he's targeted the Capital to begin with, he'll definitely come after us at some point too," Replied Aster with a grimace.

A few minutes had passed since The Irregulars returned to their hideout, and after regrouping, they began discussing the issue at hand; the Undead King's unexpected return.

"So, what do we do about this? I mean, is there anything we can do?" Spoke up Tacitus.

"If even what Aster put him through wasn't enough to finish him off, then what the hell would it actually take to put him down for good? Because all evidence points to him being impossible to kill," Added Lexia grimly.

"If killing him is off the table, then the only option I can think of is to trap him or seal him away, like how he was trapped down at the Quartz Ruins before the collar around his neck was destroyed," Suggested Raven after mulling it over.

"Yeah, whoever destroyed his collar really messed up, huh?" Remarked Colt as he glanced at Aster slyly.

"Hey, come on, how was I supposed to know?"

"Getting back to Raven's suggestion...yeah, that does seem like the only option, but there's a big problem we can't ignore. The collar around his neck was an Ancient Magic Artifact, we can't possibly hope to replicate its effects. And as for a Sealing Spell, those were banned decades ago because kidnappers and slave traders abused the hell out of them. So, naturally, I have no experience formulating any such Spell, and there's no publicly available information detailing how to make one," Pointed out Tacitus with a sigh.

"Hm...but the information likely does exist somewhere, right? In fact, I bet the Royals held onto at least a few of those Spells after they were outlawed, just in case the need to use them ever presented itself," Surmised Celia optimistically.

"Perhaps, but we have no way of proving that one way or another. If they do have such Spells in their possession, then hopefully, they'll be able to use them and deal with the Undead King," Mused Aster thoughtfully.

"We can probably make use of this turn of events in our favor...if we take advantage of the chaos the Undead King brings forth, we'll be able to destroy most of the remaining churches without any obstacles," Suggested Lexia with a slight smirk.

"True...but there's no point in destroying the churches if the entire nation gets wiped out by the Undead King. And based on what that Teleporter said, he wasn't alone...he must have brought an army of undead creatures with him. Our main priority right now should be to ensure that this threat is dealt with...if the Knights manage to do so by themselves, then great, their forces will be weakened and we'll have an easier time of things. But if they're unable to deal with the Undead King and his forces, we may have to get involved as well," Stated Aster with a frown.

"If everything you guys told me about the Undead King is true, then I doubt he's going to be a threat that's easily dealt with. I mean, as far as we know, Aster's Telekinetic Zone is the only thing that was actually effective against him, right?" Chimed in Ravella.

"Well, Raven's flames were able to burn up his Miasma, and that's a pretty significant factor, if you ask me...that stuff is dangerous, based on my experience, it saps your energy, makes it hard to cast Spells and has a debilitating effect like poison. It'll steadily weaken anyone who's exposed to it, the only reason we were able to fight him at all was because Raven burned up the Miasma he produced," Responded Celia, grimacing as she recalled that fight.

"Hm...hey, the Death Zone is impossible to traverse because of the dark mist that shrouds it, right? No doubt that's Miasma...which means that it isn't just the Undead King himself who produces Miasma, but the undead creatures under his command too," Colt's eyes widened in realization.

"I didn't even think about that...yeah, I'm not so sure that the Capital will survive this attack, it might already be too late," Mused Aster warily...

Meanwhile, in the Capital...

"D-damn it...," Uttered Jules as she struggled to catch her breath, her vision blurring slightly as she struggled to stay standing, beads of sweat pouring down the sides of her face.

"My, how impressive...you've been exposed to so much of my Miasma, but you're still standing, even if it is just barely. Not only that, but you've even managed to avoid any direct hits from me," Smirked the Undead King patronizingly.

"Y-you bastard...I can tell, he's just been toying with me this whole time. Most of the hits I've landed were only because he didn't bother trying to evade them. And no matter what I hit him with, he just regenerates almost instantly. If that wasn't enough, all those creatures he summoned scattered and are running wild through the city...I don't want to ignore them, but I can't afford to take my attention off him, he's way too dangerous," She thought to herself with a grimace as screams and crashes echoed out all around in the distance, before gritting her teeth as she focused and strained herself, opening her mouth and unleashing a roaring wave of flames towards him.

He didn't bother evading, the flames engulfing him and setting his body ablaze, as Jules stumbled back shakily, barely maintaining her balance as her knees wobbled.

"Well, now, despite the amount of Miasma around you, you're still able to cast your Spells with relative stability...it seems you've fully mastered your Magic Power, or at least most of it, otherwise you-...," His voice echoed out as he strolled through the flames.

"Let's see you regenerate after being reduced nothing but ash...I'll incinerate you, [Flame Nova]!" Exclaimed Jules, raising her right hand up before a massive, swirling sphere of flames formed above her, bathing the area in a fiery orange glow.

The air around her shimmered violently as the temperature sharply spiked, before she swung her arm down, the massive flaming sphere barreling towards the Undead King with immense speed before crashing onto him.

A devastating burst of flames erupted upon impact, spreading out across the area fiercely and charring the ground black as the sphere swirled violently, before slowing down and starting to peter out, a large, scorched crater left in its wake, streaks of smoke billowing out.

Jules looked around warily as the smoke began to disperse, her mind wavering...that Spell had consumed a significant chunk of her Mana, and with most of her stamina sapped by the surrounding Miasma, it was taking every ounce of strength she had left just to stay standing.

"D-did that...did that do it? I don't see any sign of him, so maybe-...," She began hopefully, before she froze as her train of thought was abruptly cut off as she sensed a presence behind her.

She spun around as fast as she could, her eyes widening in alarm before she quickly raised her sword in front of herself defensively, a deafening clang ringing out as a powerful force slammed onto it, before she found herself hurtling back through the air at an alarming speed, before her back slammed onto the side of a building with a jarring impact, deep cracks spreading out across the wall behind her.

She let out a sharp gasp as she collapsed onto her hands and knees, coughing out blood with an agonized wheeze as she shakily got back onto her feet, stumbling back before jamming her blade into the ground and leaning on it to keep herself standing, as she ran her sleeve across her mouth to wipe away the blood.

"Hahahaha, what a waste of effort that was! Your flames can't kill me, increasing the amount of flames with a more powerful Spell won't change that fact, it won't even make a difference!" He cackled in amusement, before he began approaching her with a malicious smirk.

"Sh-shit...that last attack, even though I blocked it with my sword, the blade couldn't absorb the full impact of his strike. If he'd managed to land a direct hit, I probably would've died instantly. It's taking everything I've got just to keep from collapsing, I...I don't know how much longer I can stay standing. But I...I can't give up!" She declared to herself with a sense of determination, mustering her strength as she pulled her blade out of the ground, flames bursting out around it.

She then swung it across a couple of times, firing out a pair of rapid, slashing waves of flames across each other towards the Undead King, who didn't bother trying to evade and let the flames hit him, a deep, scorched X appearing across his torso as the slashes slammed onto him, before the burns rapidly faded as he regenerated.

"Like I said, it's a waste of effort, your flames can't-...," He began, before trailing off as Jules strained herself and shot towards him, leaping forward as she closed in and driving her blade towards the middle of his chest with a roar of exertion.

"[Inferno Burst]!" She exclaimed as the blade plunged into his chest, a fierce eruption of flames exploding out of her blades and blasting his body to several flaming chunks, before she collapsed onto her knees with a sharp gasp, the corners of her vision starting to darken.

"How rude, did no one ever teach you not to interrupt someone while they're talking? As I was saying...your flames can't kill me. But don't feel to bad about that...because there's absolutely nothing that can kill me," He smirked as he regenerated a few meters to her left from one of the burning chunks.

"Y-you damned abomination...," Uttered Jules through gritted teeth, trying to get back up before collapsing onto her knees.

"This was fun, but it looks like you're at the end of your rope. Time to die, now-...hm? What's this? It seems several of my undead forces are being wiped out...heh, you're lucky that my forces aren't impossible to destroy like I am. Now, then...where was I?" He smirked as he turned his attention back to Jules, before stepping towards her with bloodlust in his eyes...