Deep within the Northern Mountain Range, now Auterica’s most forbidden land, stood the Immortal Castle—a fortress of death that was no different from the stronghold of demons.
There, a woman bustling about in every direction suddenly let out a sigh before she even realized it.
“What in the world is this all of a sudden?”
She was Siana, a succubus of the demon race from the Demon Realm, a talented individual who had, against her will, once again become a high-ranking officer of the Immortal Army.
Coming to a halt, she slowly looked around and let out another deep breath.
At present, the Immortal Castle was in a state of great disorder.
The cause was that their ruler, the Immortal King, had personally led the legion’s elite combatants somewhere and departed...
And the administrative vacuum that naturally resulted had returned as an excessive workload upon the few remaining high-ranking officers.
‘Aah— Olivia’s been given some kind of mission too, so it’s hard to even see her face. With the others away, the things that need cleaning up just keep pouring in!’
Among the current high-ranking officers, the only ones remaining in the Immortal Castle were herself, Olivia the Banshee Queen, and Archlich Dwell McCain, who controlled the lower undead.
Compared to usual, the place was practically an empty house.
If the hero’s party were to attack under these circumstances, there was a high chance they would be helplessly overrun, but Siana did not worry too much about that.
‘There are plenty of guys worth using as throwaway pieces. If something like that really happens, I can just grab the important things and run.’
After all, the Immortal Castle held only symbolic meaning; in practical terms, it was not a particularly important structure.
As long as the Immortal King, its core, remained safe, it could easily be rebuilt anytime, anywhere.
Even so, if she neglected its management for no reason, the king might say something when he returned, so she needed to make sure she finished the work assigned to her for now.
‘How did I end up like this?’
This time, she managed to swallow her sigh instead of letting it escape her lips, and shook her head from side to side.
Of course, serving a handsome and charismatic superior was not such a bad thing, but she was not at all pleased that, while focusing on the recent affairs of the Immortal Army, she had made no notable progress toward her personal goal.
‘I thought borrowing power from this side would make it easier to find... Where on earth is it?’
It went without saying, but there had been her own circumstances behind why she, a succubus of the demon race, had joined the secret organization known as the Oath of Reversal.
Of course, at the time, it had been the Revolutionary who approached her first, but she had also had something she wanted, which was why she had joined them, was it not?
Naturally, she had already asked Olivia, who was in charge of information, for help, but seeing Olivia busy every single day, Siana could not bring herself to urge her on.
How could she say anything more to someone who devoted herself solely to work with almost no time to rest?
“Ah—! This is so annoying! Let’s just hurry up and finish what I’ve been given first. I’ll wrap it up quickly and go relieve some stress.”
In the end, after snapping irritably, she began striding forward again.
At least she had the former crown prince Simon, a toy that helped relieve her stress, and that was why she had been able to endure. Without even that, her patience might have worn out long ago.
‘At this rate, it might have been better if I’d just gone along too. At least I could have cut loose.’
No matter how far combat was from her specialty, Siana’s military strength was not particularly lacking.
At the very least, she was confident she would be far more helpful than most officers.
Of course, there was a reason Immortal King Hans had left her behind.
Inside the Northern Mountain Range in the northeastern part of the Ion Continent.
On one side of it, a fierce struggle was unfolding, one that truly staked the life and death of the undead.
***
Kwaaaaang—!
Along with an explosion that shook heaven and earth, a fierce storm swept through the area as if it would uproot every plant around them.
Two opposing powers clashed again and again, and flashes and thunderclaps like lightning bolts shook the vicinity.
Not much time had passed since the battle began, yet the surrounding land had long since been devastated beyond repair.
It was fortunate that the place was deep in the mountains. Had it been somewhere people lived, it would have been more than enough to wipe out a large city.
Even in such a situation, however, Hans did not so much as blink as he glared straight at the enemy before him, the Beoncheon Society Master.
Though he had no actual eyes.
“No wonder you were so confident. You’ve certainly improved since I saw you in Japan.”
[Kuhuhut, and you’re worse than you were back then, aren’t you? Try putting in a little more effort.]
“...Heh. If you insist on saying that.”
In truth, neither the Beoncheon Society Master nor Hans was a typical martial combatant, so the battle between them was strangely static and yet exceedingly dazzling.
It was a situation like a game of territory, with the domains of their auras constantly encroaching on the surroundings as they fought over each other’s space.
Rumble—flash!
The sunset-colored energy of the arrogant angel flapping his great wings burned away the black darkness, while the pitch-black abyss of the wicked demon king, who moved swiftly across space, swallowed that reddish light.
It was like the chaos in a creation myth where light and darkness intermingled, and it was an exchange so far beyond reach that even those who craved power could only feel a vague sense of awe.
‘...As expected, I’m being pushed back. If not for the officers’ assistance, it would have been difficult to last even this long.’
And amid that cataclysmic situation.
The elite undead Hans had handpicked to support him were being ground down in real time.
[Kraaaagh!]
[Scatter! The moment you get swept up, it’s over! Focus!]
[Spell formula construction, coordinate analysis, mana amplification complete. Activating.]
Despite storms that tore through space raging around them and lethal divine power pouring down like rain, they resolutely hurled their bodies forward in accordance with their king’s command, willingly trying to create even the briefest opening.
When Hans had once clashed with the Beoncheon Society Master in Japan, he had fallen into a trap laid by the enemy and, trapped in a place like a separate dimension, had been forced to face the power of spatial collapse crashing in from all sides...
‘...Compared to then, this situation is much better.’
Of course, there were many reasons for that, such as the difference in preparation and location, but the presence of the subordinates supporting him now also played no small part.
Because the undead were extreme beings by nature, their innate weaknesses were clear, but conversely, they had more than a few advantages as well.
They were already dead, and thus had no fear of death. Not only could they move endlessly without tiring or requiring special nourishment—
Thump—
The death spreading through the area pulsed, resonating with the fragments of undead strewn across the ground.
Srrrk—sssss—!
Then the remains, already filled with death, gathered separately and began regaining their original forms.
Undead that had originally been shattered so completely that they should not have been able to revive instantly returned to their original appearances, replacing the lost parts with prepared mediums.
As if time itself were being reversed.
It was a heaven-defying secret art possible only because he was the Immortal King who ruled over death, and because they were undead kin who rejected death.
‘Though this method can only be used if some part of the body remains.’
Because of that, even though he had been steadily reviving his subordinates throughout the battle, the number being completely annihilated was gradually increasing.
He was doing everything he could to use the death of the abyss to prevent their total loss, but...
“Hoo, you’re as tenacious as cockroaches.”
The problem was that his opponent was no fool either.
Together with that short remark, a pillar of light tore through the sky in the rear and crashed down in an instant where the liches had gathered.
Kwaaaaang—!
It was a pillar of light that fell with an enormous area, as though considerable effort had been put into the attack.
It was obvious what had happened to the undead swept up without being able to react.
Among them had been Archlich Kellifa, one of the high-ranking officers, but Hans’s regret lasted only a moment.
‘Sacrifices were expected anyway.’
Right now, achieving the objective came first.
While the enemy’s attention was focused elsewhere, Hans quickly moved his aura and restrained his movement for an instant.
[Kuooooo—!]
[Kyaaaaa—!]
At the same time, two black beams like retribution fell from the sky.
Kugugugung—!
Death Breath spewed from the mouths of the bone dragons Entracio and Heratos.
The essence of destruction, densely packed with an immense aura of death, merged as one and swept over the Beoncheon Society Master whom Hans had bound, slamming into the ground.
“...Tch, filthy thing.”
However, even that large-scale attack, containing vast energy, did not inflict much damage on the opponent.
Paaaang—
With a fierce sound like air bursting, the thick dust filling the surroundings scattered in an instant.
As if brushing off dust, he flapped the pure-white wings wrapped around his body and shook off the pitch-black residue of death clinging to them.
As though something of that level meant nothing to him.
‘Indeed, this much isn’t enough.’
No matter how restricted his power was, an advantage in compatibility could not easily be ignored.
Whether it was the power of an Outer God or whatever else, the opponent was still a user of divine power, so some disadvantage had to be accepted.
‘But destructive power wasn’t all there was to that attack.’
The immense aura of death concentrated within the Death Breath.
As a result of its aftermath, the surrounding area was already filled with black, viscous energy.
A battlefield more advantageous to Hans had been created.
“But this is strange.”
Around the time the battle that began again grew even more heated.
Right after the two had exchanged several blows to each other’s bodies in situations they could not avoid, the Beoncheon Society Master, having blown apart a distant mountain peak and caused a landslide, voiced his question in that bizarre voice.
“You looked thoroughly prepared from the moment I came here. How did you know I would come? Or was this place coincidentally your base?”
It was certainly something that would seem strange from his perspective.
Though he had torn through the seal of the abyss and emerged, he had infiltrated the surface quietly, without any particular presence or sign.
That, too, was probably know-how he had learned while traveling between many worlds.
Yet in Auterica, it was practically as though he had been discovered the moment he entered the surface, so how could he not find it questionable?
‘And there probably haven’t been many cases where someone was determined from the start and came to greet him with this many troops.’
From the way he spoke, it seemed this might be the first time such a thing had happened.
Well... how could he possibly have expected not only that the saintess loved by the Main God would detect his intrusion, but that every force, regardless of faction, would be prepared to welcome him?
[Puh— Who knows? I just happened to discover you while I was about to go hunting. What considerable luck, wouldn’t you say? Kuhuhut!]
Of course, Hans had not the slightest intention of resolving that doubt.
Letting out a mocking laugh, he spread both arms wide.
“...Tch, fine. Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’m getting used to this world’s restrictions now, so let’s start wrapping this up.”
Perhaps that attitude offended him, for the pressure surging from his body began to rise even further.
Goooo—
It did not matter much to Hans, but for the undead under him, who had been pushing themselves greatly all this time, it was a presence that imposed no small burden.
Already about a third of his forces had been completely annihilated, unable to revive, and most of the rest had undergone several resurrections, leaving them under considerable strain.
Even the bone dragon Heratos had been half-destroyed to the point where it could barely move and had to be hastily reverse-summoned into his heart.
Considering that most of them were elites who had survived since the Great War, they had suffered damage greater than expected.
In that situation, where further losses would signal a red light for the continued existence of the force known as the Immortal Army—
‘Let’s see. At this rate...’
Immortal King Hans quietly measured his opponent through the “Eye of the Abyss.”
The opponent’s grade was so high that he could not obtain detailed information with it, but that alone was enough to confirm his rough condition and the like.
‘...Good. He’s definitely not in normal condition. His energy recovery has fallen a great deal too. It seems fatigue has accumulated considerably.’
In truth, it was only a natural result.
How much high-grade combat power had this side poured in for him? How could he be perfectly fine?
On top of that, the damage Hans had suffered in the process had already surpassed the time Heinrich’s holy sword had pierced his chest, had it not?
Of course, if they continued fighting like this, this side would ultimately lose, but now there was no need to go that far.
[You’re more impatient than I thought. How about we have a brief conversation?]
“Ha! Don’t make me laugh. At this point?”
[Kuhk, if you dislike it, I won’t force you. Come to think of it, I’ve kept a busy man here for far too long.]
It was a remark carrying a subtle meaning.
Perhaps because Hans had gone that far, the Beoncheon Society Master sensed something strange.
As if displeased by something, the corners of his eyes lifted upward.
Whoooong—
And at that moment, along with a sudden gale, the undead and their remains scattered here and there turned into black smoke and were sucked into Hans’s embrace in an instant.
It was an emergency retrieval spell exclusively for undead, created out of necessity and usable only by him.
“Hoo, do you intend to run away again?”
[Run away...? Who knows?]
“I told you, didn’t I? I will finish what I have to do on Earth here. Do you think I’ll let you get away this time too?”
The moment his words ended, a bizarre energy began creeping out to seal off the surrounding space.
Because of the aura of death still spread everywhere, it had not yet been completed, but if Hans did not respond actively, being trapped inside was only a matter of time.
Moreover, as though mindful of last time’s “unsummoning,” its degree of closure was beyond what he had imagined.
[Kukuku— It seems you’ve misunderstood something.]
However, there was one thing to correct.
This was not running away.
Yes, in other words...
“Entity Assembly.”
There was a backlog of guests waiting after him, so Hans was merely stepping aside for a moment.
A warm consideration for the busy modern man.