Since each individual’s combat strength far surpassed that of the undead soldiers, the orc warriors were managing, with difficulty, to fend off the assault.
As if proving their outstanding fighting ability, they gradually began to push back the undead legion. Yet at this unexpected turn of events, Chieftain Patar could only be dumbfounded.
“What in the world is going on?”
Undead had long since vanished from the continent. And yet undead soldiers he had never imagined encountering had appeared of all places in the elves’ forest. But in a situation like this, there was no time to ponder at length. Once they had been identified as enemies, it was already decided that they had to be crushed.
Undead soldiers continued to pour out of the forest, but the elite warriors of the Patar tribe were holding them off without much difficulty. Since their main force was made up of the lowest-grade undead, such as ghouls and skeletons, it seemed they were unable to deal with elite orc warriors.
Seeing that, Chieftain Patar felt somewhat relieved.
“Chwik. Looks like there’s no need to worry too much.”
But before he could even stroke his chest in relief, the tide of battle was already changing. From among the undead soldiers being driven back by the fierce resistance, four pitch-black shadows suddenly sprang out and leapt into the midst of the orc warriors.
“Kyaak!”
The orc warriors positioned where the black shadows broke in were sent flying like leaves in an autumn gale. The moment a chilling light flashed, the warriors were literally being slaughtered in droves.
The longswords imbued with Death Blade split apart anything that blocked them, whether shield or armor. Because of that, holes were torn all at once throughout the orcs’ sturdy defensive line.
The undead legion, its momentum revived, mercilessly surged into the broken formation.
“Wh-what?”
Chieftain Patar was startled. The tide of battle had been reversed by the Death Knights who had suddenly joined the fray. Even as he watched, the warriors’ formation was collapsing like a bank bursting under swollen waters.
Thud, th-thud.
The melee between orcs and undead unfolded with savage intensity. A ghoul whose torso had been pierced by a glaive screamed and went berserk, while behind it, a skeleton’s rusted sword dug into the back of an orc warrior. A wight giving off a revolting stench roamed about, mercilessly tearing into the napes of orc warriors’ necks.
The few specters among them were monsters the orc warriors found especially difficult to face.
The bodies of specters, like black mist, were hard to damage unless struck with weapons imbued with divine power.
Even so, the orc warriors, a natural-born race of battle, continued to hold off the undead without showing any particular agitation.
However, the greatest problem confronting them was the Death Knights rampaging with overwhelming force.
Because they roamed freely across the battlefield and deliberately destroyed key points, the orc warriors were in agony. Thanks to them, the undead legion was fighting with even greater ferocity.
But the Death Knights’ combat power was so tremendous that there was no way to stop them.
The medium-sized monsters that were the only ones capable of hindering the Death Knights had not been mobilized in this battle.
Not only was it difficult to maneuver in the dense forest, but medium-sized monsters also easily exposed their weak points to elves with astonishing archery skills. Because of that, the warriors of the Patar tribe had no choice but to struggle desperately through a bitter battle. But since they could not simply allow themselves to be beaten, Chieftain Patar roared at the top of his lungs.
“Seize them! Even if they’re Death Knights, if dozens of you pile on and pin them down, you can kill them!”
The chieftain’s words were true. No matter how skilled a Sword Master might be, there was a limit to the strength he could exert. In other words, if dozens of orc warriors clung to one and dragged him down, he would be unable to move, and then he could easily be finished off. Countless Sword Masters had been neutralized by such methods until now.
That was why human soldiers devoted themselves to protecting allied Sword Masters so they would not be surrounded. Once the order was given, the orc warriors charged at the Death Knights all at once. They threw themselves forward with shields covering their bodies, prepared to either die or survive.
But the Death Knights were by no means easy opponents for orcs.
“Chwieeek!”
When the black light of a Death Blade flashed, the orc warriors rushing in from one direction collapsed in heaps. The orc warriors approaching from another direction immediately filled the encirclement, but the Death Knight had already slipped out of that spot.
His movements were so swift that the orc warriors could not possibly keep up.
“Hehehe. Clever little bastards.”
Helbertron, who had escaped the encirclement, let out a mocking laugh. But if he were buried beneath dozens of orc warriors, even a master-class Death Knight could not remain unharmed. Thinking he had done enough for now, he hurled himself toward the place where the undead soldiers were gathered.
When he turned his head, he saw the other Death Knights likewise melting back into the undead ranks. Their forms soon vanished without a trace among the densely packed undead soldiers.
Watching that, Chieftain Patar was thoroughly enraged.
“Damn it all…”
The Death Knights who had been displaying monstrous strength were now fighting under the cover of countless undead soldiers. The orc warriors charged in with all their might, but they only fell pointlessly to the attacks of the deployed undead soldiers. The bastards spitefully remained within the safety of the undead main force, then, when they saw an opening, charged in like lightning and cut down the orc warriors. And they were thoroughly targeting only squad-leader-class warriors. Chieftain Patar, his eyes rolling with fury, bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“We have the advantage in numbers! Don’t leave a single one of those cursed undead bastards standing!”
An assault and defense that had suddenly broken out in the elves’ forest.
The soldiers on both sides, orc and undead, were waging an endless war of attrition.
“Is this the Dark Portal?”
The party’s gazes fell upon the bizarre structure standing desolately at the corner of the plain.
The enormous mirror-shaped stone structure bore the full weight of time’s ravages. The stones that formed it were terribly broken and collapsed. Because of the faint, eerie atmosphere emanating from the structure, the party shivered without realizing it.
The Dark Portal. Before this terrifying structure, which had been created by the Great Demon King Naidelhark and had transported countless monsters into the human world, the party could do nothing but remain silent. Ironically, the fate of mankind would be decided by whether this structure could function.
Damon’s gaze shifted to the side.
“Is it true that the Dark Portal is operational?”
“Th-that is co-correct. It is be-because of the fa-faint demonic power se-seeping out that we have ma-managed to su-sustain our li-lives until now.”
The uniquely resonant voice of a Death Knight rang out. Surprisingly, at Damon’s side, a dozen or so Death Knights were kneeling on one knee and paying their respects. They were none other than the Death Knights who had served as commanders of the undead legion during the Dark War.
Those who had been granted life by Naidelhark had survived until now, hundreds of years later. Damon looked at them with a subtle gaze.
‘I thought they’d attack. This is unexpected.’
Unlike the undead that had attacked indiscriminately, the Death Knights had sworn obedience without hesitation. The dozen or so Death Knights had revealed themselves and paid their respects the moment Damon appeared.
“We greet our master.”
They had submitted so meekly that the team members preparing for battle felt the wind go out of them. Damon looked at the Death Knights with suspicious eyes.
“Why do you acknowledge me as your master?”
The Death Knights’ answer held no hesitation.
“We re-received li-life from Lord Naidelhark. Ma-master, you be-bear Lord Naidelhark’s de-demonic power. Therefore, we pledge e-eternal lo-loyalty.”
“Are you all of them?”
“That is co-correct. The demons and Dark Shades re-turned to the Demon Realm, but we, un-unfortunately, could not do so. We have li-lived day by day, re-relying on the threadlike de-demonic power seeping from the po-portal. Now, please ta-take us in.”
“Hmm.”
After hearing the Death Knights’ words, Damon sank into thought. Judging by the aura they gave off, all dozen or so seemed to be master-class. Compared to the Four Great Knights, they could be considered pitifully weak, but since they were ones capable of deploying Death Blade in their own right, they seemed as if they might be of at least some help in fighting dragons. In particular, the greatest strength was that they were undead capable of regenerating even if their bodies were torn to pieces.
Having made his decision, Damon silently nodded.
“Very well. I will take you in.”
“We shall se-serve with lo-loyalty.”
The Death Knights bowed their heads as if delighted. Damon ordered them to guide him to the Dark Portal, and at last the party was able to arrive at its destination.
Damon looked at the Dark Portal impassively. Outwardly, it appeared to have been thoroughly destroyed, but he knew very well that the Dark Portal had not been completely ruined. Pure demonic power of darkness flowed out from between the broken structure. Because he carried Naidelhark’s sealing orb within his body, Damon could not help but react more sensitively to that power. He felt himself gradually becoming excited.
“It truly is pure demonic power of darkness.”
Damon looked down at the Dark Portal with a strange light in his eyes. The Dark Portal, created in the past by the hand of the Great Demon King Naidelhark. To Damon, this held tremendous meaning. The five hundred years he had driven himself onward for revenge, and to save the woman he loved. The structure that would lend the greatest strength to his plan was standing right before his eyes.
After looking down at the Dark Portal for a long while, Damon finally began to move. The dozen or so Death Knights followed close behind him. The team members watched the Death Knights walking just ahead with doubtful gazes. Mitchell tilted his head.
“Can we trust those things?”
Schrekheimer silently responded.
“There seems to be no need to worry much. Since Death Knights possess a high level of intelligence, unlike ghouls and the like, they must have keenly sensed the demonic power of darkness that Damon possesses. Of course, as they have nowhere else to turn, they would have no choice but to swear obedience.”
“True, Death Knights are the most suitable when facing dragons.”
The team members followed Damon while conversing among themselves.
When Damon arrived in front of the portal, he quietly raised his hand.
First, it seemed he needed to examine the portal’s surface.
Whoooosh.
Mana fiercely rearranged itself, and the familiar Wind Cutter appeared. Unlike when it had felled the man-eating tree, the Wind Cutter rotated at low speed and began scraping away the moss covering the Dark Portal.
The moss blanketing the portal fell away feebly, and bizarre diagrams appeared in its place. After clearing away the moss, Damon began examining the diagrams for a while.
A moment later, his excited voice leaked out.
“Fortunately, the magic circle that sets the coordinates hasn’t been destroyed.”
At Damon’s words, the party’s faces brightened at once. Now the foundation was fully prepared for bringing an army of 1.5 million across to Truvenia. Damon looked at Schrekheimer, who could not hide his joy.
“Grand Prelate. You are to contact the Crosen Empire at once.
Tell them I will create a teleportation gate targeting the promised magic circle,
so they must prepare to deploy the troops.”
Schrekheimer nodded without another word.
“Understood.”
He immediately prepared magical communication. Watching that scene, Damon closed his eyes and began drawing in demonic power of darkness. From now on, he had to reactivate the Dark Portal and create a teleportation gate connecting it to the Arcadia Continent. As the demonic power of darkness gathered, the surrounding air began to churn. When the demonic power of darkness drawn up from Naidelhark’s sealing orb was infused in sequence, the dimensional gate that had ceased functioning long ago slowly began to awaken.
The magic circles engraved on its surface shone dazzlingly. The Dark Portal repeatedly spewed out bizarre sounds, as if it were a dragon stirring. A short while later, the Dark Portal began moving its massive stone body.
Rumble…
The circular stone wheel densely engraved with magic circles slowly began to rotate with a heavy noise. Before long, a wave-like ripple formed between the stone wheels. That was the gate that overcame the separation of space. Damon’s eyes gleamed.
“It’s operating. Now it’s time to lock onto the coordinates.”
Damon once again focused his mind and began setting the portal’s coordinates. The target was the coordinate-setting magic circle that Duke Pershtein should have built by now on the outskirts of Pelzentin.