#95 The Abyss Opens (2)
The being crawling out of the hole in the floor was spewing black magic like dark flames from its entire body, radiating an oppressive presence so suffocating that merely looking at it made one feel as though they could not breathe.
[Ooh! Magnificent! Truly splendid! Kuhahahaha—!]
Hans, awed by its overwhelming majesty, burst into a satisfied laugh.
A skeletal dragon wreathed in black flame—was that not the very romance of a necromancer?
[Krrr——?]
Then, as if reacting to his voice, the Bone Dragon, which had been busy twisting its body as it climbed out of the hole, turned its head and looked in Hans’s direction.
Two pairs of burning eye-lights met hotly.
Exchanging gazes with the creature, Hans infused his voice with black magic and softly called its name.
[Entracio—]
Wooong—
His call, like something rising from hell itself, spread outward with will imbued within it…
And the wave carrying that strange resonance sank straight into the body of the Bone Dragon Entracio.
According to a covenant passed down from the distant past, the connection that began from the Immortal King’s heart started to link with the creature.
Thus, the contract handed down from the previous generation was newly overwritten here and now.
[Kwooo——!]
With a roar that shook space itself, the Bone Dragon flashed its violet eye-lights.
It was an expression of joy, welcoming the new master it had finally met after awakening from the long waiting period in which it had been forced to seal itself.
‘It feels like I’ve gotten myself an obedient pet. Looking closer, it might even be kind of cute?’
Smooth, glossy bones; joints with a wide range of motion; and even those pretty violet eye-lights.
Perhaps because of Hans’s twisted sensibilities, that huge and vicious pile of bones was beginning to look lovable.
Just as he was watching it climb out of the pit with satisfaction—
‘What’s this?’
He felt a new presence again.
[Krrrrr——!]
And shortly afterward, Entracio seemed to sense the same energy as well, for it began to growl lowly while staring in one direction.
It was an energy that was both extremely irritating and extremely familiar to Hans.
[The Main God Church, is it.]
Divine power pricked at him even though they were still quite far away.
The Church’s finest forces, including numerous paladins and even an archbishop, had personally come all the way to this remote region.
‘Well, I suppose that’s only natural.’
There was no way they would have failed to notice a ritual of this scale, so it was inevitable that they would come here to grasp the detailed situation.
‘What should I do…’
The timing was not good to clash with them right here and now.
A direct confrontation with the Church needed to happen at a more dramatic moment, and since so many variables had occurred, he also needed to revise the scenario a little.
‘But if I make good use of this opportunity, I think I can create a fine situation.’
Was that not exactly the case right now?
An anomaly had suddenly been observed, and the Abyss had opened for the first time in a thousand years.
Members of the Main God Church had been dispatched in haste to the place where the ritual had begun, driven by their sense of duty to protect the continent.
But what appeared before them there was none other than the evil Immortal King, who sought to dye the continent in death!
The clash of light and darkness, good and evil.
The situation on the continent rushing toward a hair-trigger crisis, the threat of darkness slowly tightening its grip!
Amid this great crisis, what would become of the fate of the world?
‘Mm… It seems perfect as a preview. The situation is good, and the production value is good too.’
Hans turned his head and looked toward the Bone Dragon, which had completely pulled itself out of the Abyss.
Perhaps because of the effect of the creature’s escape, the size of the Abyss was shrinking even faster than before.
‘So there are no more guys who can get out through this hole? This one must have been quite a burden.’
In truth, the greatest cause was probably the “Madness” that the Heaven-Defying Oath had pulled out of the Abyss.
If it had crumbled before it could fully emerge, the load placed on the gate to the Abyss must have been considerable as well.
Rather, in such circumstances, it should be considered fortunate that the Bone Dragon had managed to escape.
[Entracio.]
[Krrr——?]
At his call, the Bone Dragon, which had been growling lowly while staring in the direction where divine power could be felt, tilted its head.
Hans lightly moved through the air and climbed atop its massive skull.
Then, stroking the dragon’s horn beside him, he whispered softly.
[You must have suffered much, pent up all this time. Now fly to your heart’s content. Show them what kind of being you are.]
At Hans’s words, Entracio’s eyes flashed.
When it recalled the time it had spent merely drifting blankly, unable even to continue thinking within the unobservable time of the boundary, a desire that felt as though it might burst suddenly surged up.
[Kraaaa——!]
Flap—! Flap—!
With a roar filled with black magic, its wingbeats began, and a fierce gale swept through the surroundings.
Its wings had become ragged after it became an undead, but each time they flapped, the surrounding black magic moved on its own and wove the mystery of “flight.”
And at last—
Kwaaang—!
The Bone Dragon’s enormous body smashed the hole in the ceiling even wider as it shot up into the sky, where dawn was slowly beginning to break.
The sky and horizon where light and darkness coexisted, the wind blowing harshly, and the vast wasteland spread out beneath his eyes.
‘…This has its own unique feeling.’
He could fly through the sky alone whenever he wished, but standing atop the head of a dragon that had nothing but bones and looking down upon the world felt different.
[Kwoooo——!]
And naturally so. No matter how one looked at it, was this not the Demon King himself?
And the sight of that Demon King’s descent…
Was being looked up at by the members of the Main God Church gathered below, each with tense expressions.
***
The clergy of the Church had crossed the wasteland in just a few hours with the blessing of “Ground Shrinking,” arriving at the site of the ritual at great speed.
The first thing they heard was…
[Kwooooo——!]
A roar filled with tremendous black magic.
“This sound is…?”
“It seems they haven’t left yet. Let us prepare for battle.”
They were considerably exhausted from the continuous forced march, but they were the finest talents the Main God Church took pride in.
Except for those who had collapsed from using Ground Shrinking continuously, everyone raised their divine power and restored themselves to peak condition in an instant.
Just as they were carefully approaching the ritual site…
Kwaaang—!
The upper part of a hill burst apart, and something pitch-black soared into the sky.
Despite its enormous body, it rose swiftly with flight that did not match its size—
[Kwoooo——!]
And roared once more, spewing black magic like dark flames from its entire body.
“…A Bone Dragon.”
“A monster I had only ever seen in records…”
The clergy wore wary expressions at its overwhelming majesty, but the one they truly needed to be tense about was someone else.
The being standing atop the skull of the massive Bone Dragon, looking down at them.
The calamity of the continent, the incarnation of death, the terror returned—
“The Immortal King, Hans…!”
He was arrogantly gazing down upon the earth.
[Kuhuhut— Well now, if it isn’t the Church’s lackeys. What brings you all the way out here?]
Though he was high in the sky, his voice rang clearly in their ears.
It was a sound that stirred instinctive fear by the mere act of hearing it, but there was no one here weak enough to waver at that level.
“You are not asking because you don’t know, are you?”
“Black mage who defied providence and fell into corruption, Hans! I will take your head!”
As the paladins and holy knights drew their weapons and stepped forward, the priests naturally retreated behind them and drew up their divine power.
And while they prepared for battle, Archbishop Latius used a holy art to secretly transmit the current situation to the Rosellia Great Temple.
Now that they had encountered the reappeared Immortal King, their safety was uncertain, so he was leaving information in the hope that it might help even a little in the event of an emergency.
After that series of actions was complete, Archbishop Latius infused his voice with divine power and shouted to Hans.
“Immortal King! We came here after learning that the Abyss had opened in this place.”
[Hooh— And so?]
“And because of that, countless sacrificial rituals took place all across the continent. Countless people were sacrificed for this single ritual. Furthermore, the damage that will come upon the continent from the influence of the Abyss cannot even be estimated.”
The archbishop spoke as though spitting out each word, his voice suppressing rage, and glared at Hans with eyes shining fiercely.
“All of this was your doing, was it not?”
The archbishop finished speaking with a firm expression filled with certainty.
It was merely a formality to inspire his companions’ sense of mission; it was not a question asked because he truly wanted an answer.
Was the Immortal King not one who had sought to cover this continent in death from the very beginning?
But Hans answered his question faithfully.
[Kuhuhut— That hardly needs asking! Who else in the world but me could accomplish such a thing? Kuhahaha!]
It sounded as though he had freely admitted it, but those words were not a lie.
It was not an answer of “That need not be asked,” but a literal question of “Who else but me could do it?”
‘To be honest, I’m curious too.’
He, too, knew nothing other than that the Heaven-Defying Oath had caused the incident, so he genuinely wanted to know who had done it.
‘Judging by the spell formulas engraved at the ritual site earlier, it’s certain they’re no ordinary genius.’
Just from those traces, he could tell it was someone who had reached a supreme realm backed by long research and enlightenment.
While tracking down the Heaven-Defying Oath, he would need to investigate that person properly as well.
With skill of that level, they would be more than qualified to take one of the seats of the Four Heavenly Kings!
While Hans was thinking such things, the Church’s reaction had become even sharper.
“As expected, it was him…!”
“Calm yourselves. Was this not what we anticipated?”
The holy knights raised their weapons with murderous momentum, and the priests chanted prayers while drawing up divine power.
They prepared for battle with the resolve to die.
They knew there was no chance of victory if they fought the Immortal King now, but did they have any choice?
There was no way they could flee from him in this wasteland, and to begin with, they did not want to.
Their faith did not waver even an inch in the face of mortal danger.
Amid the atmosphere that was gradually reaching a fever pitch—
[Ah— Everyone, calm yourselves. I have no intention of fighting today. Today, I merely came to announce my return and give you a warning.]
“What…? What are you scheming!”
At their overheated reaction, Hans, standing atop Entracio’s head and looking down, continued speaking calmly.
[Yes, that holy knight who put a hole through my heart… Is Heinrich Landguard doing well?]
“Sir Landguard?”
Since it would be troublesome if a fight broke out now, he subtly changed the subject.
To Heinrich, the opponent of the Immortal King Hans.
‘There might be people who have forgotten, so I’ll casually remind them of his name once more.’
Since everyone here was a high-ranking member of the Church, it was not a bad thing to discuss.
[Because of him, my plans went awry, and I suffered quite a bit. I prepared this surprise gift in return, but it is a pity that the person in question did not come.]
He naturally exaggerated Heinrich’s achievements and ostentatiously made it clear that he was paying attention to him.
All on a stage someone else had laid out for him.
‘More importantly, I should wrap this up soon. What would be a way to leave a strong final impression in their minds…? …Ah! That will do.’
Since he bore the grand title of Immortal King, he always needed to finish things off with impact and leave a deep impression.
[I wanted to see his face at least once more, but if it has come to this, it cannot be helped. Tell Heinrich Landguard that the next time we meet, he will have no such luck as last time.]
As Hans spoke, he ordered the Bone Dragon connected to his mind to gradually increase altitude and fly upward.
“Where are you going, Immortal King…!”
[Kuhuhut… The old order shall be destroyed, and a new era shall arrive. Bear that in mind, dogs of the Church.]
As if covering the dawning light of day, the black energy pouring out from him blanketed the sky.
[I, Hannibal Strauss, am the one who— shall bring this continent to its end!]
Just as he was about to conclude this unexpected meeting while subtly promoting a cool name—
[It would be a shame to leave like this, so I shall give you one last gift.]
An enormous amount of black magic erupted from the corrupted heart of the Bone Dragon Entracio as it rose higher, gathering at its mouth in an instant.
Whoooong—
It was the strongest attack a Bone Dragon could use: Death Breath.
“Breath! We can’t dodge it! Prepare yourselves!”
“…As the Saint said, no harm that crosses this line shall…”
With the ceaseless flow of energy, the black magic gathered at its mouth condensed, condensed, and condensed again, until…
At last, it took the form of ruin.
[Kuooo——!]
Fwoooooosh—!
A tremendous aura of death burst from the Bone Dragon’s mouth and swept across the land in a wide area.
An earthquake erupted from the instantaneous pressure, and fragments flew in every direction as the surface of the earth was overturned.
The poison contained in that black current—which looked like flame, liquid, and smoke all at once—turned the already desolate wasteland into a land of death where nothing could live.
It was an excessive attack to call a farewell, but even this much was truly nothing more than a light greeting.
‘With experts of that level gathered together like that, there’s no way they’ll die from just one attack like this.’
It was merely a light performance to leave a strong impression.
‘Hehehe… As expected, Bone Dragons are cool.’
Though a bit of personal interest had been mixed in.