"Fufu, he is my finest masterpiece at the moment, you see. Please, enjoy yourself to your heart's content."
"Unfortunate for you, but I happen to be the type who likes to wrap things up all at once. I'll finish this instantly."
The enemy provoked, and I answered.
I didn't know which of us moved first. But the exact instant the words left my mouth, the life-or-death struggle began.
"ーTsu!"
Like a re-enactment of that fateful day, our fists clashed.
Even as a mere corpse, the sheer depth of the Beast King's martial skill right in front of me was terrifying. Our mana capacities had drifted so far apart that I felt absolutely none of the mortal peril I had experienced in the past, yet I could only look upon the sheer pinnacle of what he had built with pure awe. Every single hand and foot movement had a fluid continuity, raining down upon me without a moment's pause. Right before my eyes was a technique like flowing water—the exact opposite of the raw ferocity suggested by his stern, leonine face.
It was a technique that made me realize: if it were to function perfectly, like the old me, I wouldn't even be able to withstand his assault.
(And that's exactly why it makes me sick.)
However, all of that was already a thing of the past.
Perhaps what he had amassed in life had broken down upon death, or perhaps it was the fault of that necromancer who still wore that faint smirk. There were noticeable stagnations scattered throughout the techniques the Beast King wielded. Had it been back then, he would have transitioned to the next action without stopping his momentum, but now, it felt completely off. To give structure to a broken harmony, he was forcefully compensating with sheer physical capability, which only made his techniques look even more warped. The old you would never show such a pathetic display.
His simple physical capabilities had risen due to mana reinforcement and his transformation into an undead. However, the power and skill required to handle it fell short.
"That's why you're full of holes!"
I slipped through a gap, weaving into the unnatural hitch in his movements.
Dodging a massive swing that would have been unthinkable for the old him, I slid inward and drove my leg straight into his defenseless abdomen.
Just as the opponent had grown stronger than back then, I had grown even more. My increased total mana pool gave me more cards to play, my use of elemental magic had taught me how to manage vast quantities of mana simultaneously, and above all else, I had fought this guy once before and won. My output was still superior, his skill had deteriorated, and with the experience gained from our past battle added to my hand, there was no way I could lose.
"Cah..."
My mana-reinforced leg impaled his torso. The only sound leaking from the Beast King's mouth was the noise of air being forced out.
In the first place, I didn't want to spend too much time on this fight. I felt bad for the Beast King, but I decided to end it right here. With that thought, I went to kick my embedded leg upward to bisect his torso, but... it wouldn't move. No, I couldn't move it.
"Tch!"
The flesh around his impaled and ruptured abdomen was regenerating as if to trap me.
At the same time, his arms clamped down on my leg. Though they had maintained a human shape just moments ago, his arms split open from the inside, mutating into countless tentacles. Deploying at a level that nearly blanketed my entire leg, I felt a stubborn will radiating from them to keep me pinned down no matter what. To make matters worse, the mana circulating inside his body began to rapidly concentrate toward his head and into his mouth.
(A mana cannon! Dodge—no, neutralize it!)
The opponent's movements and mana volume were greater than anticipated. Had I been a bit more composed, I could have chosen to physically sever my own leg to break free and regenerate it afterward, but my shallow combat experience since gaining this mana showed its flaws here.
The option I chose was to neutralize it using the exact same method.
(Me too, in the mouth!)
Pitch-black mana gathered in the Beast King's mouth, while pure white mana assembled within mine. Even though he was an undead, he was still superior when it came to technique. The compression of mana, and the speed of its generation—the scales tipped in his favor on both fronts.
By the time I realized I had made the wrong choice, it was already too late. The black mana detonated.
(Down!)
If it came to an outright clash of beams, I would lose. I had taken a hit from a white mana cannon before, but black was still unexperienced terrain. As long as I didn't know the exact amount of damage I would take, evasion was my only choice. To neutralize his attack before it reached me, I blasted the mana pooled in my mouth straight down into the floor. Forcefully stomping down with my remaining foot at the same time, I shattered the ground. By tearing open a massive hole, I narrowly avoided the Beast King's attack while executing my next move.
(I see, I see. As an undead, you can do plenty of inhuman things too, huh. In that case!)
Funneling mana into my legs with all my might, I discharged a multi-directional mana cannon, breaking free while scorching the Beast King's body to a crisp.
If the opponent was going to fight like a monster, then I would act like a total freak of nature too. Even though it was a widespread, omnidirectional type of attack, the mana cannon had effectively detonated inside his body. Although his regeneration was likely already beginning due to his undead nature, I judged that his body was so riddled with holes it would take some time before he could make his next move. I would close the distance during this opening.
Instantly circulating my mana, I generated a total of twenty mana spheres from within my body and deployed them around the Beast King. Countless tentacles of rotting flesh erupted from his impaled wounds from earlier to intercept them, but there was no way that would work. Those mana spheres were the mana of Demon Kings that I had forcefully compressed inside myself. If you want to break them, bring out something of equal or greater value!
"It's a rush job, but... burn to ashes!"
The moment I gave the command, the mana spheres surrounding the Beast King unleashed all at once, radiating a brilliant white light. Once caught, he was at my mercy; even if a single burst couldn't vaporize him, I would simply dump more mana into it and keep burning him until he vanished from this world. That was what I thought, but...
"Oh dear, that is a bit of a problem, isn't it? Let me lend a hand."
The "one" who had merely been spectating until now finally moved.
The moment she muttered those words, the same white shield that had deflected the black mana cannon I fired to erase the city walls and the palace deployed to encase the Beast King. It had deflected my compressed black beam; there was no way my unrefined white beam could pierce it. My absolute-kill formation was shattered, and my mana cannons were deflected in all directions.
One of those reflected beams gouged out a chunk of flesh from my cheek.
"Oh my, you heal so quickly. Just like an undead. How about it? Wouldn't you like to become like him?"
"Shut up. I'm going to shove a fist down that detestable face of yours in just a second."
Circulating my mana, I regenerated my gouged cheek while keeping my thoughts spinning.
The martial skill he had amassed in life was superior, but because he was forcing it into shape, the overall gap in technique actually leaned in my favor. And when it came to mana volume and raw destructive power, if I could land a clean hit and trap them, I could definitely erase both of them. However, the Beast King standing before me—who seemed to have regenerated while I was dealing with that reflective barrier—was a nuisance, as was the support of that grinning idiot in the back.
(Magical support, is it? How annoying.)
Right now it was just a barrier, but the moment I started to go on the offensive, she would undoubtedly interfere with mana cannons or attacks unique to a necromancer. But the frontline vanguard, the Beast King, wasn't an easy enough opponent that I could just bypass him to crush her first. I felt that if I could just buy enough time to charge an attack, I could vaporize both of them, but they didn't seem kind enough to grant me that luxury.
(A single beat. Time. Timing. ...An incantation?)
Ah, come to think of it. Weren't undead weak against fire?
◇◆◇◆◇
Around the time Reis, everyone's Mama, was fighting properly against the Beast King and the Necromancer-chan.
The battle had also begun in the urban district outside the royal palace. The soldiers of each nation wielded fire-attributed weapons and threw highly purified holy water vials to moderately weaken the enemy while pushing the operation forward. The undead prepared by the necromancer were highly dangerous monsters that would normally require hundreds of soldiers to handle even for the lowest-ranking grunts, but due to various factors, the operation was currently progressing with exactly zero casualties.
There were three major reasons for this. First and foremost, the tactician was issuing instructions while maintaining a bird's-eye view of the battlefield. Because the existence of an entity possessing advanced magical technology like teleportation magic had become known to each nation, Nagan was now able to disguise the source of their information. Specifically, via palm-sized magic items for long-range communication.
Originally, it seemed they planned to keep this hidden until the very end, but considering the future, the tactician likely decided it was better to make it public. Under the guise of "state-of-the-art magic items salvaged and replicated from enemy technology," a "communicator" was distributed to every single soldier participating in the operation.
From that point on, the battlefield became the tactician's personal stage.
He smoothly issued instructions to the 5,000 soldiers and nearly 60 units participating in the operation. He gave precise directions: 'The undead ahead of you is a formidable enemy, so utilize the terrain to fall back while fighting,' or 'The Red Knights will arrive shortly, so please hold out,' or 'That undead's weakness is the core in its abdomen.'
And lo and behold, although there were easily over 100,000 undead occupying the royal capital by a conservative estimate, not a single casualty had occurred. How astonishing.
The second reason was that the Red Knight-chan was incredibly motivated.
Wielding her jet propulsion to race across the battlefield in all directions, she headed directly to wherever she was needed based on the tactician's instructions. Her mock battle with Amelia-san, which had resulted in her defeat when she first met the ostriches—having broken through her shell based on that experience, she had run into a brand new wall. Yes, the Necromancer-chan and the Beast King. Even if she moved exactly as the tactician ordered, the fact that she had helplessly allowed the royal capital to fall remained unchanged.
For the sake of her honor, the tactician didn't leave this in the records, but it remained firmly within the Red Knight-chan's "memory."
The royal capital had fallen because of her. Had it been the old her, she would have brooded over it and spiraled deeper into depression... but the current her was different.
『In any case, I must amass experience, fight opponents of equal or greater strength, and grow. I have no time to be depressed; I must fight.』
With such thoughts anchoring her, no one could stop her anymore. After mincing a Dullahan—one of the undead's commander units—into fine pieces, she immediately took off toward the next battlefield using her jet propulsion. Though she was still a work in progress, one could see her breaking through yet another shell by the time she survived this battle.
And lastly, of course, the ostriches. The presence of the ostriches was... wait, Dele-chan? Why are you sitting down outside the city walls?
"Uni? Um, you see, I was told to 'Wait!'. So everyone is waiting together."
"D-Dele-dono? W-With whom are you speaking?"
"Hmm~? I don't know! Also, who are you?"
"It is Matilde. Matilde, your mother's friend. This is the fifth time I have told you."
Thus, the ostriches sat together in perfect harmony as a flock, but Dele-chan, who was commanding them, still found it difficult to remember names other than her own. Though Matilde-san tried introducing herself using every trick in the book, the information simply refused to stick in Dele-chan's head.
Nevertheless, the fact that she was actually listening properly showed that Dele-chan was indeed different from the other ostriches. Look at the ostrich next to Dele; at first, it was listening to Matilde-san's explanation along with Dele, but midway through, the contents became too difficult, and its eyes grew hopelessly droopy. It was sleepy. Come on, wake up, it looks like it's almost time for work.
"Work?! Oh no! Everyone, wake up!"
"Wah!"
"Startled!"
"What is it, what is it?!"
"Food!"
"Whoa! T-That was sudden... But indeed, it does feel like an order will arrive shortly. Could this child be like Lord Reis...?"
Matilde-san was saying something, but such things mattered little to an ostrich. To an ostrich, she was a moving object whose face and name they didn't know, but who carried an aura that felt like she belonged near Mama. Even Dele-chan barely remembered a few facial features at best. All she remembered was that this person was Mama's friend, and that it was fine as long as she listened to what this person said.
...Actually, Dele-chan remembered quite a lot. Amazing, a total genius.
"Right?! Dele is smart!"
"Ah, indeed. I shall report it as such when Lord Reis returns. I am sure she will praise you immensely."
"Really?! Yay!?"
"Yay!"
"Hooray!"
"For what?"
"Don't know!"
"But I'm happy!"
"Hahaha, I am glad you are having fun. ...Now then, Dele-dono. You might not fully comprehend it, but I shall explain the details of the operation once more. Will you listen?"
"Yeah!"
Hearing Dele-chan's highly motivated voice, Matilde-san explained the plan, breaking it down into simple terms. But well, since it still seemed a bit too difficult for the ostriches other than Dele-chan... let us summarize it here as a memo instead.
First, the role assigned to the ostriches in this battle was that of the "Attacker," and there were only three types of commands Dele needed to issue: "Advance," "Retreat," and "Rest."
The soldiers, doing their best under the tactician's orders, would lure the undead into the massive path Reis-mama had forged with her opening strike. Once a sufficient number of enemies gathered, it would be the ostriches' turn. First, Dele would command "Advance!", and they would trample the enemies on the path. Then, upon reaching the absolute edge of the royal palace, she would command "Retreat!", and they would sprint back outside the city walls. Naturally, trampling any undead they missed along the way. Once they made it outside, the command "Rest!" would keep them on standby until the undead gathered again.
They would simply repeat this cycle.
"An anvil-and-hammer tactic of sorts? A strategy that utilizes the terrain and other soldiers as an encirclement network instead of heavy infantry. Before they know it, they are driven into a dead end... Ah, my apologies. Was that too difficult?"
"Unyunyuuu???"
"A-At any rate, if you just follow my cues, we should manage somehow. Ah, and also. I shall be careful as well, but let us do our best to ensure no one wanders off."
"Yeah! I'll do my best!"
It was a strategy conceived by the tactician, with plenty of input and adjustments from Reis-chan. Although there was some anxiety since Dele-chan's commanding capabilities still made leading a flock of nearly 300 quite difficult... all they had to do was go out and come back. It would likely work out somehow.
Let's do our best so Mama will praise us.
"ーTsu! The signal has arrived! Let us go, Dele-dono!"
"Got it! Everyone, let's go! Cha~rge!!"
"""Waaah!!!"""
◇◆◇◆◇
If I get interrupted the moment I try to charge an attack...
Then I should just use a high-powered spell that doesn't require a charge and holds an elemental advantage.
Once that was decided, things moved quickly. It would be a hassle if it got blocked by another barrier like earlier, so I would bring it into close-quarters combat and unleash it at point-blank range. I had plenty of experience with that, and even if it required taking steps, that incantation could be wrapped up in a single word. In fact, it might have been smarter to do it that way from the very start. Ahaha, I still have a long way to go, don't I?
Forcing my tension up, I shifted my inner self into combat mode, altering my tone. The children weren't here; there was no need to watch my language. Ahaha! Filth deserves eradication!
"I~ see. Then let's settle this up close!"
"Beast King, go. I shall provide cover."
Stepping forward, I absorbed the barrage of bone and rotting flesh projectiles the necromancer unleashed with my body. It was what you'd call 'tanking with your life.' It certainly didn't change the fact that it hurt, but blowing my own brain out had been many times more painful! A little thing like this was nothing! I felt like I had been injected with some kind of poison, but there was no way that would work on an ostrich! No matter how deeply the bones pierced, I would just push them back out through physical regeneration!
Catching a glimpse of the necromancer's face—which had finally paled slightly, wearing an expression reserved for looking at an outright monster—I closed the distance to the Beast King in a straight line.
"Daraaa!"
Discharging a tiny bit of mana from both feet, I levitated my body into the air. Defying gravity, I commenced a rapid rush with both legs.
Of course, the opponent intercepted, but no matter how refined his accumulated skills were, a body riddled with holes was easily breached. Deflecting his fluidly unleashed fists, I drove countless strikes into his torso. Cutting or piercing would just end up like earlier. In that case, I would use blunt force to render his entire tissue structure useless. And simultaneously, I would try funneling my own mana into him.
The exact instant I did, a crisp snap! echoed through the air.
"Ahaha! I knew it would work!"
Amelia-san's mana supply to the magic circle from earlier—at that time, she had nearly died from my mana flowing into her, and she had also mentioned, 'If you accumulate something like this instead of venting it outward, you will explode and die.' In other words, this could be repurposed for an attack. At the moment of impact, I funneled the mana I had pooled into the opponent's body using the exact same principle as a mana cannon.
And lo and behold, a portion of the Beast King's body exploded into smithereens! Furthermore, the pieces that blasted off didn't exhibit the usual undead trait of twitching and moving on their own! That mechanism relied on mana and negative energy! If I overwrote one half with my own energy and destroyed it, it became unusable!
(The main body will likely regenerate, but I've successfully prevented the fragments from turning into tentacles to attack from my blind spots!)
And naturally, if I pulled a stunt like that, the opponent would deploy a countermeasure!
"Tch! An oversupply? How tedious. In that case..."
The exact moment her thoughts shifted to another task—that was the precise window of time I wanted!
"『Fireball』!"
Pouring in an amount of mana equivalent to three Demon Kings, a fireball materialized, enveloping us within a fraction of a second.