When the war ended and he could no longer fight, he eventually threw in his lot with a band of bandits. After seizing the position of leader without difficulty thanks to his astonishing swordsmanship, his band soon became infamous throughout Arcadia.
They were a merciless group of murderers who not only plundered wealth but also slaughtered every person they encountered without exception.
Winslet did not discriminate between his targets. Whether nobles or commoners, men or women, young or old, he severed their heads from their bodies. Even subordinates who refused to obey his orders met the same fate.
For that reason, an astronomical bounty was eventually placed on his head.
Bounty hunters, as well as armies and orders of knights from every corner of the land, pursued him with bloodshot eyes. His murderous rampage was the very definition of an atrocity that enraged both Heaven and Earth. Winslet continued to flee, repeatedly making fools of the countless pursuers on his trail. But even he eventually met his end……
After losing his subordinates one by one, he was finally surrounded by the army here in Sebain, bringing his turbulent life to a close. Since even a Sword Master had been mobilized for the pursuit, no matter how exceptional his skills were, he could no longer hold out.
Winslet was eventually captured after suffering countless wounds, and, just as he had always done to others, he met his fate at the execution grounds, where his head was separated from his torso. Recalling the dullahan’s past, Winterdale smiled with satisfaction.
“After you were executed, I risked my life to retrieve your corpse from the execution grounds. I did so in order to create the strongest dullahan. Now I shall grant you a new life. Winslet. For my sake, and for the sake of your own amusement, show me your abilities once more.”
The moment his words fell, the dullahan’s eyes flew open. From the head lying at his feet, severed cleanly from the body, streams of a light that chilled the blood flowed forth. Without missing the opportunity, Winterdale poured all the mana he had left into the dullahan. It was the dark mana he had absorbed through the corpse all this time. The dullahan’s mouth opened, and a horrifying cry burst forth.
“Graaaah.”
Now able to move his body again, the dullahan bent down and picked up his head.
Clang.
The dark, tarnished armor shook, filling the air with a cacophony of metallic sounds. Gripping his head as though it were a shield, the dullahan began striding forward. Excited, Winterdale shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Go. Your opponent is outside the cave. Beat him to a pulp.”
At the command, the dullahan quickened his pace. Drawing a battle axe, its blade covered in bright red rust, from his waist, the dullahan strode toward the mouth of the cave.
Winterdale hurried after him. Only his bizarre laughter remained inside the cave, echoing through the darkness.
“Heheheh. That fool. I burned all the corpses, so there’s no way he could have any undead to summon. Even if he does, they won’t be a match for the dullahan. He’ll probably have no choice but to withdraw quietly.”
Daemon, who had been waiting for the great warrior with mounting boredom, opened his eyes wide. A dullahan had burst out of the cave, radiating a menacing aura. A smile spread across his face.
“That fellow. He was relying on nothing but a dullahan?”
Daemon’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Hm? Come to think of it, this one has quite a powerful grudge. He must have been someone of considerable ability before he died.”
As Daemon watched, the dullahan came to a stop in front of him. Its movements were agile, and its stance was well formed, so it did not seem wise to underestimate it. As though trying to seize the initiative, the dullahan continued to roar.
“Graaaaaaaaaah.”
Winterdale emerged from the cave after the dullahan, letting out a sinister laugh.
“That fellow is my great warrior. What will you put forward?”
But Daemon’s gaze remained fixed on the dullahan.
“I’ve never seen one with such a powerful grudge. It’s truly remarkable. Just how many people did it kill before it died……”
After observing the dullahan for quite some time, Daemon clicked his tongue.
“What a pity. You’ve ruined a fine specimen. It isn’t even complete, and the mana infused into it is terribly impure. I doubt it can display its true power.”
Unable to contain his anger at those words, Winterdale hardened his expression and spat out curtly,
“Don’t worry about others. Bring out your own great warrior. If you lack confidence, why don’t you leave?”
“I can’t do that.”
Daemon smiled pleasantly. The dullahan looked fairly strong, but it posed no threat to him whatsoever. He could say that with certainty because he had four great warriors capable of easily beating down an opponent of the dullahan’s caliber.
“Then shall I show you my great warriors?”
Daemon silently opened Increcia. Then he shouted at the top of his voice.
“Hey! It’s urgent, so could any one of you come out?”
A moment later, an irritated reply came from within.
“What is it? Do you need more gems again?”
Daemon gave a wry smile.
“Something’s come up that requires a fight. It’s a great warrior duel, so would one of you who’s itching for a fight come out?”
“A fight? Sounds good.”
“I’ll do it.”
For the Death Knights, who had been listlessly organizing the warehouse, this was nothing short of wonderful news.
“What’s the opponent?”
The four Death Knights appeared one after another, each pushing to get out first. They had wandered as spirits for five hundred years, and the news that they would be fighting again was too enticing to ignore.
“What is that?”
Winterdale stared suspiciously at Increcia, whose entrance now stood open.
A shadow roughly 1.5 meters in diameter had appeared out of nowhere. Its dark, undulating form resembled a gap in space, yet he could not even begin to guess what it was. As he watched, the shadow suddenly grew larger, and something shot out from within.
“Gah!”
Winterdale was so startled that he nearly lost his soul. The things that emerged were beyond anything he could have imagined. Stammering as though groaning, he muttered,
“D-Death Knights.”
Heavy, dark armor encased their entire bodies. Eerie eyes burned through the slits in their helmets.
There was no mistaking them at a glance: they were Death Knights.
Of course, as a necromancer, Winterdale was well aware of Death Knights. Among undead monsters, they were rare beings possessing exceptional intelligence, and powerful entities most often appointed as commanders of the Dark Legion. Countless necromancers also spent day and night conducting research in hopes of creating one. Yet only a tiny handful had ever achieved that goal.
Unless one was at least a sixth-circle necromancer, one could not even dream of creating a Death Knight.
And now, four such terrifying beings had appeared before him.
“My God……”
He instantly lost all will to fight. If his opponent was a group of Death Knights, the outcome had already been decided. Even if what he had put forward were a perfect dullahan, it was obvious that it could not stand against them. The gap between a Death Knight and a dullahan was simply that vast. Death Knights were feared for good reason. They were truly terrifying beings, forming one of the proud mainstays of the Dark Legion.
‘No! I-I can’t win.’
Judging that there was no chance of victory, Winterdale abandoned any thought of watching the battle and began edging toward the cave, cautiously gauging his opponent’s reaction.
The four Death Knights, finally free of Increcia after so long, were astonishingly arguing among themselves. They seemed somewhat disappointed upon hearing that their opponent was only a dullahan, but apparently none of them wanted to give up the chance to fight. Since they were all insisting that they would fight, the duel showed no sign of beginning. Perhaps because they had come outside, their voices were once again distorted by resonance.
“I-I-I’ll f-f-fight.”
“N-N-No. T-To f-f-fight s-s-such a s-s-simple, s-s-stupid d-d-dullahan, I-I-I’m t-the o-one b-b-best s-s-suited f-f-for it.”
“L-L-Let me h-h-handle it. I-I-I’ll c-c-cut it i-i-into t-t-two with a s-s-single s-s-stroke……”
Daemon stared at the bickering four with an expression of utter disbelief. When they finally drew their swords as well, he shook his head from side to side.
“Good grief. They may look like Death Knights, but the way they act is no different from street thugs.”
As Daemon glared at the Death Knights with displeasure, he suddenly realized something and turned his head toward the dullahan. A strange light passed through his eyes.
“Hm?”
The dullahan’s attitude was entirely unexpected. A dullahan that would follow an order to the ends of hell and complete its mission no matter what. Yet this aggressive undead merely stood there awkwardly, its battle axe hanging limply at its side. No light shone from its eyes, and there was no trace of fighting spirit in its awkward stance.
Puzzled, Daemon reflexively looked toward the spot where Winterdale had been. An incredulous expression appeared on his face.
“That fellow. He ran away?”
Winterdale had already vanished without a trace. He seemed to have realized there was no chance of victory and fled. Judging by the footprints, he had clearly gone back into the cave. He had not even given the dullahan an order to fight. Dumbfounded, Daemon furrowed his brow.
“What a rat. In any case, how am I supposed to find him?”
He shouted toward the Death Knights, who were still bickering among themselves.
“Hey. Your opponent is gone, so stop it now.”
The Death Knights all turned toward Daemon at once.
“W-W-What are y-y-you t-t-talking about?”
“The necromancer is gone. The dullahan won’t move anymore. The one giving it orders is gone.”
“W-What?”
The Death Knights looked dejected. They had finally gotten a chance to fight, only to lose it because they had been busy quarreling among themselves. One of the Death Knights took a step toward the dullahan, which stood there stupidly. Since they all looked identical, it was still impossible to tell who was who, but judging from the situation, it was most likely the hot-tempered Primberg.
“W-We s-s-should d-d-destroy t-that t-thing at l-l-least. S-Since I-I-I’ve d-drawn my s-s-sword, I-I-I c-c-can’t j-j-just l-l-leave it a-alone……”
Daemon waved a hand.
“Forget it. It won’t be able to move without receiving an order anyway…… More importantly, how is the cleanup of Increcia going?”
One of the Death Knights stepped forward. This one appeared to be Helbertron.
“I-It’s g-g-going f-f-fairly w-w-well. B-By the w-way, the i-i-inside is i-i-incredibly l-l-large. T-There are a-a-also a-a-an enormous n-n-number of v-v-valuable t-t-treasures. I-I-I c-c-can’t e-even g-g-guess h-h-how long the c-c-cleanup w-w-will t-t-take.”
Daemon nodded as though he understood.
“Since you have nothing else to do, go back inside Increcia for now. I’ll call you if something else comes up……”
“A-All r-r-right.”
“Then keep up the good work.”
“W-We w-w-will.”
After exchanging those brief words, the Death Knights disappeared back into Increcia.
After closing Increcia, Daemon gave a wry smile.
“The way they speak is rather unpleasant to listen to. I wonder if it would improve if I made them Master-class?”
Daemon turned and walked toward the dullahan, which was standing there vacantly. After examining it from head to toe, Daemon smiled pleasantly.
“You really do have a powerful grudge. If I complete you properly, you’ll become quite useful.”
For Daemon, the more powerful warriors he had, the better. The dullahan might be inferior to a Death Knight in ability, but one bearing a grudge this powerful was certainly worth having high hopes for.
With the pure mana drawn from the Seal Orb and his own strength, which had reached the ninth circle, the dullahan would become incomparably stronger than it was now. Strong enough to surpass even its abilities in life.
“Good. I’ll let you join my party. The Dragon Slayer Party, to be precise. Consider it an honor to serve me.”
Placing his right hand on the dullahan’s shoulder, Daemon infused it with the dark mana he had recovered from the zombies. He was doing so to eradicate the mana Winterdale had infused into it. It would take three or four times as much mana to drive out the mana that occupied its original place, but Daemon was more than capable of doing so.
Thud.
Once Winterdale’s mana vanished, the dullahan reverted to its original corpse-like form and collapsed on the spot.
“Now then, shall we go hunt that rat?”
Leisurely cracking his knuckles, Daemon headed into the cave.