Chapter 536
Shall We Go Save Them? (2)
In Ghislain’s past life, Helgenik had acted independently.
He conducted experiments on anything he could get his hands on whether it was the Salvation Church, the Allied Forces of Humanity, Rift Beasts, or even ordinary people.
A creature concerned only with satisfying his own curiosity, he cared nothing for factions or allegiances.
With the continent thrown into chaos, Helgenik had the perfect environment to roam freely. His true form was far too powerful, making it nearly impossible for anyone to restrain him.
In the end, Parniel, the Holy Maiden, had to step in and engage him in a long and grueling battle. Even then, there had been no clear victor.
Helgenik was known as the Sixth of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, but rankings among them were meaningless.
After all, those numbers were just arbitrary labels assigned by people based on their feats.
Ghislain’s gaze turned cold.
“This actually works out well. I was planning to kill him sooner or later anyway. I’ll take this opportunity to get rid of him.”
His initial plan had been to wipe out the Salvation Church first and then dispose of that piece of trash afterward.
Now that Helgenik had joined forces with the Salvation Church, he was simply another target to add to the list.
It would make things a little more exhausting, but in the end, it was just one more opponent to fight.
‘I need to move immediately.’
Helgenik was the most dangerous entity on the battlefield. The Undying Army under his command could fight endlessly.
Since they didn’t experience exhaustion, fighting them was an absolute nightmare. Worse still, the more the battle raged on, the more corpses piled up.
In Ghislain’s past life, there had been a limit to how many corpses Helgenik could control at once. But if the Kingdom of Parsali had been pushed to the brink in an instant, then it was clear he had surpassed that limit.
“The Orb of Life.”
A treasured relic of the Salvation Church, capable of creating superhumans. A vile artifact that contained the life force of tens of thousands of people within a single piece.
The Salvation Church must have supplied him with it. With that, Helgenik could control an unimaginable number of corpses.
The Allied Forces had to shift their focus. It was obvious that the Salvation Church had done this to protect the Kingdom of Atrode, but ignoring it was not an option.
If left unchecked, the legion of corpses would only continue to grow. The increase in enemy forces was a problem in itself, but there was something even more pressing.
“All priests are to accompany us. Bring ample medicinal supplies as well.”
Wherever corpses gathered, plague inevitably followed. The threat had to be dealt with before another outbreak could begin.
Ghislain let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“Being the one challenged is always a hassle.”
As his army grew in size, Ghislain’s movements were becoming increasingly restricted. This time, the Salvation Church had used that to their advantage.
Even within the strategic command, there were many differing opinions regarding the upcoming campaign.
“It’s clear they’re trying to divert our attention.”
“They’ll definitely strike another kingdom with their remaining forces.”
“The Kingdom of Atrode still has troops left.”
“Summon all Allied Forces from other regions. Once they’ve gathered, have them advance toward the Kingdom of Atrode. As soon as we’re done securing Parsali, Julien and I will lead the Mobile Corps and strike from the flank.”
Hearing Ghislain’s orders, Julien nodded.
Both sides were moving on a massive scale. A careless approach could lead to their forces being isolated and crushed one by one. That was why it was best for him and the Duke of Fenris to operate separately.
It was possible that one or two kingdoms would fall back under the Salvation Church’s control, but that was a loss they had to accept.
Their enemy was too formidable to protect everything at once.
Once they took care of the Kingdom of Parsali, everything would be over. After that, their entire army would storm into the Kingdom of Atrode.
“Let’s move.”
As always, Ghislain and the Fenris Mobile Corps led the vanguard. The only difference this time was that Julien was part of the vanguard as well.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Without rest, they raced toward the Kingdom of Parsali at incredible speed.
The Parsali Royal Army greeted Ghislain with open arms. They had already lost their capital and had been pushed to the farthest edge of their kingdom.
“O-Oh! You’ve arrived! Thank you so much!”
The Supreme Commander of the Parsali Royal Army, Marquis Suffolk, welcomed Ghislain with an expression that was almost on the verge of tears.
The kingdom was on the brink of collapse. An overwhelming horde of undead was advancing upon them.
They had been forced to retreat so much that they had lost all their strongholds. Their food supplies were nearly depleted. With countless refugees among them, despair loomed over the entire region.
Ghislain immediately asked for a status report.
“How much have their numbers increased?”
“W-We don’t know. But the last report estimated them at over 200,000.”
“200,000?”
“They’re turning everything both enemies and allies into undead. Any town or village in their path is mercilessly slaughtered. Their numbers are growing exponentially.”
To amass such a force in such a short time meant Helgenik’s abilities had far surpassed what they were in Ghislain’s past life. The Salvation Church must have supported him, but this was beyond expectation.
Realizing the situation was even more dire than he had anticipated, Ghislain nodded.
“We move out immediately. You’ve held out well.”
To have survived this long against such a force was an incredible feat in itself.
However, Marquis Suffolk responded with an embarrassed look.
“W-We didn’t hold them off alone. A certain mage has been helping us…”
“A mage?”
“Yes. Thanks to them, we’ve been able to slow our retreat. Even now, they’re still fighting alone.”
Ghislain’s expression momentarily froze. Someone was fighting against more than 200,000 undead alone?
“Surely… What’s the name of this mage?”
“Jerome. He said his name was Jerome.”
Ghislain couldn't help but smile at the familiar name.
— “We have strength, so we should save people. That's just the right thing to do.”
A lazy bastard, but at least he was firm in his beliefs.
— “Hey, can't you just help out a little? Please? Come on, help me. Hm?”
Despite being one of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, he was willing to throw away his pride and ask for help if it meant saving lives.
Jerome had no real allegiances, so he always had to fight alone.
— “But you're awful at fighting. I'm ranked third, and you're seventh. If you're scared, stay back. If you're not… then come with me. Hmph.”
When persuasion failed, he'd resort to provocation like that.
Because of those beliefs, Jerome hadn't helped Ghislain with his revenge directly. Back then, to Jerome, even the Duke of Delfine was an ally in the battle against the Rift.
But he hadn't stopped him either he had understood. Wishing for his success, they had promised to meet again once his revenge was over.
They never did.
"Kukuk."
Ghislain stifled a laugh. He knew this wasn't the time to be laughing, but he couldn't help it.
That was just like him. Even in this dire situation, he was single-handedly fighting against that massive horde of corpses.
Thanks to him, the march of the undead had been delayed, if only a little.
That conviction of his… had influenced Ghislain to some extent.
He had lived for nothing but revenge, yet at some point, he found himself hunting beasts and saving people alongside others.
It wasn't such a bad feeling. That experience had undoubtedly shaped his current self.
Ghislain smirked as he shifted his spear.
"Well then, shall the seventh-ranked go rescue the third-ranked?"
Of course, in this life, the rankings would be a little different.
* * *
Kwaaaang!
Jerome's magic exploded across the battlefield, blowing apart the undead.
"Wow, you're really one crazy bastard."
Jerome braced himself on his knees, gasping for breath.
The enemies, terrified of becoming undead themselves, had thrown themselves into battle with reckless abandon. That fierce assault had dealt heavy losses to the Kingdom of Parsali's forces.
If it hadn't been for Jerome, they wouldn't have lasted long enough to retreat.
But those same reckless enemies had all died. Helgenik had never intended to let his own allies live to begin with.
And so, they had all been turned into undead.
"Ugh, there's way too many."
No matter how many he destroyed, the corpses kept rising. Even beasts and humans that had been buried long ago were resurrected.
He had tried obliterating them entirely, but it hadn't made much difference. The battlefield only produced more bodies to replace them.
Worse, even the smallest remaining fragments would gather together into grotesque, writhing forms.
"Even for a necromancer, this is impossible. He must have used some kind of insane trick."
He had only briefly met Helgenik, and while he had been strong, there was no way he could raise this many undead this quickly.
The Salvation Church was rumored to use forbidden arts that exploited human life it was clear they had done exactly that.
Fwoosh!
Guuoooooooh!
"Damn it."
He swept away all the corpses in front of him. Two new bodies took their place.
They were the high priests of the Salvation Church I had killed not long ago.
BANG!
As Jerome extended both hands, a flash of light burst forth. The two corpses were blasted away, their stomachs punctured.
However, as if they had taken no damage at all, the corpses sprang right back up.
Kraaah!
With tremendous speed, the two corpses lunged at him, swinging their arms. Despite being undead, they possessed strength comparable to that of a superhuman.
“Damn it!”
Having no other choice, Jerome was forced to draw upon the last remnants of his mana.
Whoosh!
A Mana Blade erupted from his hands, slicing through the neck of one of the corpses.
Though their strength rivaled that of a superhuman, they lacked intelligence. Their heads were severed instantly.
Kraa! Kraa! Kraa!
Even after hitting the ground, the disembodied heads made eerie noises, clacking their teeth together.
After splitting their bodies in half to prevent further movement, Jerome grimaced in disgust.
“How the hell do they keep coming back?”
These two corpses were something special.
He had reduced them to dust, burned them to ash yet they still reappeared in grotesque forms. Their appearances changed slightly each time, but their power remained the same.
Because of that, Jerome decided not to waste any more energy and retreated.
Grrrrrrr…
More corpses were closing in again.
He had managed to hold out for quite some time, but this was his limit.
“Haa… I’ve got no choice.”
All the enemy sorcerers had already been killed, so he could unleash his full magic power without interference. However, the sheer number of undead meant his mana was draining rapidly.
Fighting nonstop for days on end, he was now forced to battle while constantly running on empty.
On top of that, the priests’ corpses possessed the strength of a superhuman. If he wanted to take them down quickly, he would have to burn even more mana.
Graaah!
“Shit.”
The undead swarmed from all sides, reaching out to seize Jerome. He recoiled in horror and swiftly dodged.
With his mana depleted from dealing with the priests’ corpses, he had no choice but to escape and recover if only a little.
As Jerome fled, he scanned his surroundings.
Not a single living soul was in sight.
Only the overwhelming presence of death remained.
The only sounds he could hear were the ceaseless wails of the undead.
Shivering at the dreadful atmosphere, Jerome muttered to himself.
“That bastard… truly a demon.”
The dead could not even rest in peace.
Revived over and over, their souls were bound, forced to continue fighting.
To use such incredible talent and power for something like this… utterly unforgivable.
Jerome gritted his teeth, but he wasn’t the only one seething.
For Helgenik, who had been obstructed by him time and time again, the feeling was mutual.
“This man… he is truly something extraordinary.”
Helgenik had long since lost his smile. Jerome had significantly slowed their advance more than expected.
An unstoppable legion of the dead undying and unafraid was constantly being hindered.
On top of that, he had lost an enormous number of corpses. That bastard alone had destroyed more than he could count over the past few days.
It was no exaggeration to call him a One-Man Army.
Grit.
Helgenik ground his teeth.
He had acquired no less than twenty Orbs of Life from the Salvation Church.
Thanks to those orbs, which contained the lives of hundreds of thousands, he had managed to create this massive undead army.
Adding in the two transcendents he had revived, the army’s strength was effectively equivalent to twenty-two transcendents.
But now, only five orbs remained. He had burned through an overwhelming number just to keep creating corpses.
Reviving transcendent corpses, in particular, required far more power.
Had he used them differently, he could have created even more undead, but draining that monstrous bastard’s mana had been the priority. There had been no other choice.
“This wounds my pride a little.”
He had known the man was strong, but he hadn’t expected him to hold out this well.
If he had fought Jerome without the Orbs of Life, he might have been in serious danger.
Crack!
One of the Orbs of Life floating before him shattered, releasing a surge of black energy.
The sinister energy seeped into Helgenik’s nose and mouth.
“Hm… excellent. It truly is fascinating.”
The energy of the Salvation Church was eerily similar to his own. Not exactly the same, but it felt as if they stemmed from the same source.
He wanted to absorb it completely, but that was impossible. Though similar, they refused to merge.
However, he could use this energy to create a vast number of undead. After all, it was power rooted in the life force and death of countless people.
Helgenik spread his arms wide, unleashing a wave of energy.
That ominous power blotted out the sky’s light and spread in all directions.
Grrrrrhhh…
The corpses that had fallen, broken and shattered, began to rise once more. Even those that had been blasted into pieces by magic reassembled and staggered to their feet.
The undying army never perished. They had no need for food, no need for rest.
And so, they would never stop.
Not until everything was reduced to death.
Only then did a smile return to Helgenik’s face.
“The next time we meet, I will make sure to kill you.”
He still had four orbs left.
Meanwhile, that Jerome bastard must be utterly exhausted by now. The number of corpses disappearing at his hands had been steadily declining.
It was about time to get rid of that nuisance.