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Just before the spear pierced his head, the expression on the Undying Legion Commander’s face was painted with horror.

Did he not think I would still be alive? Or did he not expect me to return so quickly?

Perhaps he felt tired of it all.

Well, the same goes for me.

“Gah!”

Boom!!

[Uuuurgh—!!]

Ezetus’ spear struck the ground. The earth, cracked like a spider’s web, surged towards the sky, and a fierce cloud of dust rose, shrouding the surroundings in a fog.

It had enough power to take down a single person. However, I didn’t let my guard down.

I gathered dark magic and exploded it at the spear’s tip. The fierce black flame incinerated the Undying Legion Commander from head to toe.

Bang! Boom!

Whoosh!

[Ahhhhh—!!!]

It was a terrible scream, but I didn’t think he would die from just this. More importantly, the sensation I received through the spear handle at the moment I unleashed my magic felt unusually weak.

I spun the spear around vigorously.

Wooosh—!

When I cleared the surrounding dust, just as I expected, no one was there.

I turned my head to follow the faint presence I sensed. About 50 meters away, amidst a horde of undead, I saw the Undying Legion Commander cradling his face in his hands.

His skin was so pale it could be mistaken for a Dark Elf, devoid of color. His gaunt face held a chilling wrath in his eyes. The robe he wore had been reduced to ashes, leaving his face completely exposed, just as I had seen during the war.

I thought he would erupt with rage, but the expression on the Undying Legion Commander was surprisingly calm.

No, perhaps it was closer to the fact that he had no energy left to direct his anger at me.

[…Titania… Why? Why are you here? You should be in the Forest… why….]

The Undying Legion Commander’s gaze was fixated solely on Titania. Perhaps sensing the directed gaze at him, Titania’s expression, which had been uncertain, gradually shifted towards conviction.

“That face, could it be—”

Titania gasped as she covered her mouth.

“E-Elewin brother…?”

Her eyes were filled with disbelief, swirling chaotically.

However, I had no intention of idly observing this sibling reunion. It was Titania who would end up in trouble if any connection between the Undying Legion Commander and the High Elf of the Great Forest was revealed.

I lightly gripped the spear and lunged forward, launching it like an arrow. A distance of only about 50 meters was practically nothing for a seasoned spearman.

[The Faceless Hero, you bastard!!]

Recovering quickly, the Undying Legion Commander reached out to me. Aware of Ezetus’s power to counter all magic, he didn’t waste time creating shields or casting spells. Instead, five Death Knights, lying in wait, charged towards me at his gesture.

Each of them possessed skills comparable to a master class, but without being able to use magic, they posed no significant threat to me. I thrust the spear down forcefully, causing the Death Knight to stagger and the ghost horse beneath him to falter.

Riding that momentum, I spun around, swinging the spear, and several Death Knights, unable to withstand my power that could uproot mountains, were swept away like leaves in a storm.

Overwhelming strength that rendered techniques an afterthought. The pressure of the dark magic emanating from my body felt far more intense than the dark magic I sensed from the Death Knights.

As I swept away five of them, many more blocked the pathway toward the Undying Legion Commander, but I stood my ground, spinning the spear and readied myself.

Was it just my feeling? It appeared that the Death Knights, usually so filled with rage, were momentarily hesitating.

The Death Knights, meant to spread fear and despair, were retreating instead, showing a more demonic appearance than any actual demon, causing the remaining survivors to shudder in unison.

“Ah, it’s the Faceless Hero….”

“The black armor… the Red Spear… it’s certain! The Seven Heroes of the Continent! The rumors were true!!”

As I intended, the people had no interest in what Titania had said. They were simply flabbergasted by the sudden appearance of one of the Seven Heroes of the Continent, feeling shock, relief, and thrill all at once.

Instructor Rilya, who was right beside Titania, had likely realized it, but that was a concern for later. Just like the students staring at me.

I felt a familiar gaze behind me. Elizabeth and Marian seemed to already have known, but the other students all wore eyes filled with disbelief.

Could they actually recognize who I was even in this form?

I deliberately chose not to look back and focused solely on the enemy ahead. The Undying Legion Commander met my gaze with eyes full of fury, radiating a chilling hatred.

[The Faceless Hero! Are you interfering with me again? Always at crucial moments! If it weren’t for you, I would have already become the ruler of a dimension! My power would have transcended even the Demon King!]

I had no concern for his issues. I didn’t even have the desire to know.

After all, I had gathered enough clues along the way.

He must have been preparing to abandon his elven body and transition into a Lich long ago. Having already been in a state akin to a Lich during the war, he had secretly hidden his Life Vessel away to survive. Now, after several years, some adventurer must have found the Life Vessel and resurrected him.

The goals of mad wizards tend to be similar. More powerful strength, more potent magic, evolution into a greater existence… Whatever the purpose, the Undying Legion Commander’s ambitions would likely fall into the same category. I had no interest in what madness drove him to crave power or what he aimed to become.

However, I had gathered valuable information.

“So there’s no other body, huh? Did you rush your resurrection?”

He had prided himself on his grotesque life force, capable of creating hundreds of clones. It displayed that he didn’t really cling to each individual body.

But when I nearly burned him just moments ago, unlike before, I felt he had exerted himself tremendously to escape this time. The look of shock on his face had come from a genuine sense of deadly peril.

“Do you have the Life Vessel on you? Did you put it inside your body? Well, if you didn’t know, that would be one thing, but since it’s already been discovered, you probably wouldn’t want to keep it elsewhere.”

[…….]

The Undying Legion Commander gave no denial.

He merely cupped his skeletal hand over his face, an eerie smile creeping across his features.

[Hah, heh… You ask if I lack another body? Indeed, but that’s not the reason you think! It’s simply because I didn’t need another! Preparations for shedding my shell are already complete. Another body would only hinder me.]

A swarm of undead gathered around the Undying Legion Commander. They looked somewhat different from any undead I had seen so far.

I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to describe undead this way, but they appeared more lively, almost intact, like they had just been alive a moment ago.

At that moment, the S-rank adventurer, Louis, leading the few remaining adventurers, spoke with a grim expression.

“Bain… Mark! These bastards, have they really died…!”

Bain, the Dwarf S-rank adventurer. Mark, the Plains Tribe’s S-rank adventurer. Among the three prominent guild leaders of Schwarzheim, two had turned into undead and were now aiming their weapons at the city they sought to protect.

It wasn’t just them. Soldiers and adventurers who had been guarding the city, along with civilians who had been unable to evacuate, easily numbered in the tens of thousands.

[Normally, I would have wanted to gather many quality souls from the Underworld and begin with everything prepared, but… thanks to you, that has become impossible. But that’s no problem. I have gathered enough offerings for what I need in this city. It’s just enough for me to attempt my ritual, though the chance of failure is high. Regardless, if I don’t deal with you here, there will be no next time. So now, I will commence the ritual here.]

I let out a light laugh.

“Do you think I would just watch that happen?”

[Of course you wouldn’t. You haven’t been able to stop me even with this much force and stronger undead… But you’re not alone right now, are you?]

At those words, I found myself involuntarily turning to look behind me.

The faces of the survivors, who had been chased and cornered here, were ashen. The students’ expressions were filled with evident tension.

They had reached their limits even before I arrived. They were no longer in a state to fight.

[It seems they have been waiting for you anxiously; they must be quite important to you. I’m curious. What matters more to you? Stopping me, or saving their lives… Shall we give it a test?]

“Such a pathetic trick…!”

The area around the Undying Legion Commander was enveloped in a dark blue glow, and all the undead surged towards the city hall simultaneously.

Elizabeth was the first to regain her senses and shouted.

“Everyone, get inside the building!”

At that moment, a Death Knight flew in above Elizabeth. Just as the sharp blade aimed for her neck, Ezetus’ spear flew even faster and struck the Death Knight’s neck.

“Instructor Ion…!”

“Get inside!”

As the headless Death Knight crumbled, I landed gracefully and dragged Ezetus across the ground. Ka-ching! A long line was drawn on the ground, demarcating the boundary between the survivors and the undead.

I did not look back and kept my gaze fixed firmly ahead.

“No one crosses this line.”

 

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