NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
Episode 31: Resurrection
I quietly slipped the Demon King’s egg I had brought into my pouch.
And just in case the Lord Halsenberg might spot it, I pretended to cross my arms behind my back and hid it there.
I laughed awkwardly and stammered on.
“The four strongest Demon Kings… are allegedly ranked among the top four Demon Kings ever summoned in history… or something like that?”
“That’s right. More accurately, among those four Demon Kings, it’s said he is the strongest and the most abominable.”
Lord Halsenberg nodded and shuddered. Naturally, my complexion turned pale, then eventually ashen.
“I… I understand that ‘strongest’ is plausible, but what does ‘most abominable’ mean?”
“She cannot be killed by any means whatsoever. Therefore, she’s called the Undying Demon King, living up to her name.”
Indeed, a foe that cannot die deserves to be called the worst.
It’s like the reason why cockroaches are considered the most hated pests among insects—their tenacity that keeps them coming back no matter how many times you kill them.
But what had he just said?
Her?
“Lord Halsenberg… is the Undying Demon King female?”
“I have never thought of it as female. However, rumor has it that she has the form of a female demon.”
So, what he was saying implies that due to her loathsome nature as a demon, she doesn’t appear female, but technically, she is.
While I was processing this new piece of information, Lord Halsenberg shook his head repeatedly and started explaining.
Seemingly thrilled at the rare opportunity to enlighten me, he enthusiastically narrated the story.
“The Undying Demon King is, without exaggeration, the greatest enemy of the entire continent. Even if you kill her, given time, she returns as if nothing had happened. Countless heroes have valiantly tried to slay the Undying Demon King, and she has been slain countless times.”
“I… I see.”
“However, although peace may have temporarily returned, no one knows when the Undying Demon King will resurrect and once again disturb the world.”
… I think I know when that will be.
Isn’t it in about three days?
I nervously sweated as Lord Halsenberg’s story grew more unsettling. He, unaware of my distress, continued gravely.
“No one knows yet how to completely annihilate the Undying Demon King. Perhaps even the Undying Demon King herself doesn’t know. All we can do is slay her again before she recovers her previous might after she is reincarnated.”
“That’s… true.”
What am I going to do?
What am I supposed to do about this?!
What the hell have I ended up guarding?!
I cried in despair in my mind before hesitantly asking Lord Halsenberg.
“Lord Halsenberg…”
“What is it?”
“Suppose… suppose, purely hypothetically…”
“Yes, hypothetically.”
“Someone, because of dire circumstances, decides to hide this Undying Demon King… or, let’s say is somehow protecting her. What would happen to that person?”
“That’s a dreadful scenario, even to imagine.”
Lord Halsenberg rubbed his arms, visibly shaken. Even he, this mighty Lord Halsenberg, couldn’t endure the thought of such a grim reality.
His expression tightened before reverting to its usual serious demeanor. He reflected for a while and finally spoke.
“Should I have been the one to discover such a thing, I would have left no chance of that human’s survival.”
“…”
“That person would be classified not as a hero of humanity but as a traitor to all mankind, more dangerous than even the demons themselves. I deeply despise such humans. You know I have suffered losses because of them, don’t you? Heh.”
Lord Halsenberg ended his speech with a bitter laugh. I couldn’t even muster a crooked grin in response.
My mind went completely blank. Everything in sight blurred as I could no longer focus. His voice sounded muffled in my ears.
Damn it! This is no longer tolerable. I’m going to throw up.
I immediately bowed my head low.
“Uhm… uhm… thank you. Gosh, I’m so sleepy! Very sleepy! I’ll go take a rest!”
“Eh? Go ahead…”
Without waiting for him to finish, I sprinted off at full speed.
—
The next day, I stepped out of my room despite the fatigue weighing on my body.
I had been up all night, hardly closing my eyes.
After learning such a shocking truth, and finding myself in such a surprising situation, it was peculiar for sleep to even be an option.
And this morning, when I woke up, there it was again—the disconcerting notification from the day before.
[The point of Undying Reincarnation has been updated.]
[Date – Mittelrand Kingdom Calendar/Year 547, December 19, 7:00 AM]
[Location – Halzenburg Castle, Knight Rudrick’s Room]
[Notice – The Undying Demon King is nearing hatching.]
[Notice – The point of reincarnation will update every 12 hours until the Demon King completely reincarnates.]
Seeing this message, I was fully alert, preventing any hopes of sleep.
Can I afford to sleep during such a moment? The notification seems to be urging me otherwise.
“The traitor of humanity…”,
I murmured, recalling Lord Halsenberg’s words from the previous night.
In the event that my identity as the Guardian of the Demon King’s Egg is revealed, that would become my title, wouldn’t it? Reflecting on it, my life in this world truly has been nothing short of dramatic.
‘But, in a way, everything is starting to make sense,’
Like, why the egg had developed so quickly to this pre-hatching state,
Or why Minerva had gone as far as to revive the canceled examination to send me here.
With yesterday’s conversation, I’ve now clearly understood all that. So there are some gains.
‘It seems my arrival here was… entirely intentional.’
Minerva anticipated that the Undead Legion of the North and the Undying Demon King may interact somehow. And as predicted, the egg has reacted to that interaction.
That is, whenever I kill minions of the Undying Demon King, the egg absorbs their power.
Thus, Minerva and her fellow Celestial Realm folks had expected some sort of transformation through me.
Whether they predicted this would lead to an accelerated hatching is unclear.
“…Ah.”
A bright idea struck me, causing me to furrow my brows.
It was the best way to escape the castle.
If this plan goes off without a hitch, it might temporarily bring peace to this land. Moreover, it could let me escape smoothly without ruining my relationships with Lord Halsenberg or Leira.
This would be the most ideal outcome for Lord Halsenberg, Leira, and even myself and Seop Baek.
‘But… the probability is rather low. Can I really pull it off?’
Such a doubt crossed my mind momentarily, but I quickly smirked and shook my head.
It’s challenging. However, objectively speaking, it’s not impossible. That’s enough for me.
After all, I’m the one who can’t die, an “undying immortal.”
If something isn’t utterly impossible, it’s never truly impossible for me.
I touched the pulsing egg in the pouch and grinned with determination.
‘I’ll do it again anyway.’
I’m ready to take on this challenge for the most ideal resolution.
Since I have this body that can’t die, it would be wasteful not to use it.
Nodding to myself, I walked out with a strong step to meet Lord Halsenberg.
I’d never been so excited to go hunting.
—
“Seven Sword Pierce!!”
I loudly called out the skill name while thrusting my sword forward.
Technically, there’s no need to call out a skill name while using it. If we had to break it down, calling out the name is akin to using a shortcut key for a complex command.
Gathering my mana within me, focusing it onto the sword, and shaping it accordingly could all be simplified by just calling out a line. In battle, no matter how embarrassing it might feel, one ends up shouting the skill name.
–G… Ooooh.
In front of me stood an undead knight in gloomy armor.
[Monster Information]
[Name: Ghost Knight]
[HP: 141/420 MP: 98/230]
[Str: 92 Dex: 88 Int: 32]
[Details: Elite Undead. Resurrected through the spirits of deceased knights’ armor worn in battle. They are categorized into mounted types riding ghost horses, and foot soldiers mainly suited for melee combat.]
A fairly high-tier undead, similar to what is often labeled as a “Death Knight” in games.
High-tier undead of this level aren’t swept away by Lord Halsenberg’s wide-area magic, so we had to individually deal with them once his magic ended.
‘Rotate. Disperse!’
Swoosh! Magical energy from seven directions released itself, taking the form of swords. The glowing blue blades simultaneously flew forward in a straight line along the direction I thrust my sword.
The Ghost Knights staggered to take defensive stances to block my magical swords.
‘Slow!’
In an instant, the rotating blades dispersed like shotgun pellets, confusing the undead’s vision.
A volley of magical swords again descended upon the disoriented Ghost Knights from all sides, each strike following a serpentine trajectory.
–RAAARRH!
The Ghost Knight let out a roar.
Each crevice of its armor bore blades sparking with mana, piercing through the joints automatically thanks to the heightened skill level.
–G… Uuugh…
The red glow seen between the knight’s helmet gradually faded. Clang! The armor disintegrated, collapsing onto the ground.
It was dead. As an undead, it would return after a while.
‘Infiltrate!’
I immediately used the skill, stepping backward. Just then, a chilling whooshing sound rushed towards my back.
I spotted another Ghost Knight that had swiftly approached from behind, ready to swing its sword.
The speed was incredible. I wouldn’t have been able to evade it without my heightened sixth sense from the Hero Sense.
“I was trying to wean off the enhancements but…”
I forced a grin and hastily drank from an ether vial.
A verdant light emitted from my body as the Ghost Knight’s movements gradually slowed from my perspective.
–Die… No… Live… Chunks…
Whoosh!
Once again, the Ghost Knight lunged towards me. Still too fast. But I could adequately respond.
I twisted and deflected the cascade of sword strikes towards me.
Clang, clang, clang! The intense sparring sent resonant metallic sounds ringing out as the swords clashed.
–Grrr!
At that moment, the Ghost Knight raised its sword to prepare a massive attack.
This is it! I dashed right in, propelling myself into its chest.
‘Dissolve!’
Whoosh! As the Ghost Knight’s sword swung down in front of my eyes, my vision was suddenly enveloped in darkness before the scene transformed.
I had instantly teleported to the Ghost Knight’s rear. It swung its sword around, failing to locate me.
‘Rear Strike!’
I immediately pierced it with Vestark. A flash of light faster than my speed surged out.
Pierce! Vestark penetrated all the way through the back of the helmet. I intended to aim for the armor’s seams, but even I was surprised that it managed to pierce through the thick iron plate.
–Gh, Gruuuuh…
The Ghost Knight emitted a characteristic undead scratching sound before collapsing to the ground. While I sighed at the scattered pieces of armor, the suffocating aura from surrounding sides pulled me back to reality.
“– …Quite the fight, breathing lump of flesh…”
Clank, clank. Around me remained five Ghost Knights. They exuded oppressive auras, making me feel utterly crushed.
Damn. These numbers are hopeless. I desperately looked for any openings.
“Master Jung Yong! Beware!”
And just then, countless magical blades generated behind the Ghost Knights.
As the vast accumulation of mana filled the sky, the Ghost Knights panicked and turned around.
There, Lord Halsenberg stood with his greatsword at the ready, glaring at us.