Suddenly summoned to another world and burdened with a huge task, Olivia was now filled with great emotion.
'The entire world is rampant with death. This is on par with the golden age when I conquered the continent with the previous Immortal King.'
No, considering that this place was in a similar state everywhere, unlike the front lines that were concentrated in the western continent at that time, it was no exaggeration to say that this was even better.
Given the characteristic of the undead to grow stronger the denser the aura of death, this place was no different from an optimal battlefield for them.
'I was always curious where the King went when he was absent...'
Now, she could finally understand his actions. Why the current Immortal King was not very proactive in conquering Auterica. Why he had dragged out the war while prioritizing other matters.
'To think he was already preparing to advance into other dimensions back then!'
It was a grand plan that no one in the Undying Legion had ever anticipated. She reproached herself for her foolishness in presumptuously trying to guess the thoughts of her great sovereign and did her best to carry out the command given by the King, referencing the knowledge of the human named McCarthy.
She didn't mind that her workload had increased. It wasn't as if she wasn't used to working all day anyway.
'Whether I'm here or there, the amount of work I handle in a day won't change.'
More than that, she was moved that the King had called her first among all the high-ranking officials. Didn't this prove that the King trusted and favored her the most?
[I must repay that trust... Now, there's no time... Search every corner of this entire world...!]
Gooooh—
Woo-woo-woo—
Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions... The wave of ghosts swirled around Olivia, who had soared into the high sky, and spread throughout the world. Not only the ghosts that already existed, but also the newly born entities, influenced by her power, joined them, and the wave began to spread even wider.
Unfulfilled wishes
resentment from an unjust death
lingering attachments...
Since this was a world that was already so broken and filled with lament, there were more than enough of the required ingredients—the lingering thoughts of the dead—to make this possible.
And her full-scale movement was enough to provoke the arrogant beings who had regarded this world as their playground.
The Beginning of the Conquest
In a huge castle located in the center of the continent.
"The air feels restless today."
Rapua, the lord of the castle, frowned as he looked up at the sky outside his window. But he quickly shook his head and hurried his steps. There was no time to spare for anything else, as he had just been summoned by his master.
In front of others, he reigned as a king who had reached the pinnacle of the world, a being who transcended humans, but in reality, he was nothing more than a mere slave.
Knock, knock—
Standing in front of an extravagant door, he knocked politely and carefully stepped inside. The spacious room, also filled with all sorts of luxurious items, had a large man standing with his hands behind his back, looking out the window.
"You called for me?"
"Hmm."
With a deep, low voice, the man slowly turned around. He was over two meters tall, with skin so jet-black that his features were indistinguishable, a dense pattern of blood-red tattoos, and glossy red eyes that were like glass without pupils.
"Rapua."
The undisputed strongest being in the current world, the Infinite Archdemon, looked down at his contractor and spoke in a low voice.
"It seems some little rat is testing my patience."
"A little rat... you say?"
At Rapua's question, he slowly extended one hand. Even though his hands had been behind his back the entire time, he had somehow managed to grab a faint, white ghost that was now struggling in the center of his jet-black palm.
"It's a very high-level necromancy. And it's not just this one."
"...Are you saying someone dared to try and monitor this place with that?"
Rapua stared at the ghost with a dumbfounded expression and let out a hollow laugh. The Infinite Archdemon was a supreme being who was considered to have no rival in the current era. To pull such a trick at the very castle where he resided was, whoever did it, nothing but a foolish act.
'Who could it be? Ruin? Despair?'
The most likely candidates were the other archdemons, 'Ruin' and 'Despair,' but Rapua quickly dismissed the thought.
Although the two had risen to the rank of archdemon like the 'Infinite,' there was still a huge gap between them. Unlike those two, who had newly ascended to prominence as the world fell into disarray, the Infinite Archdemon was a being who had held his position for thousands of years. It would be hard for the two of them to defeat his master even if they combined their attacks. And since they themselves knew that fact best, they probably wouldn't provoke them with such a foolish act.
'Unless it was that Eternal one, who is only known through legends.'
The records passed down about the Eternal Archdemon were, quite literally, nothing more than legends. It was said that he was of human origin and went from being a low-ranking demon to an archdemon in just twenty years. He eventually even killed 'Slaughter' and 'Terror,' who had held seats as archdemons like the 'Infinite' at the time, before suddenly disappearing about a hundred years ago. He was a being of illusion who had never reappeared since. Rapua himself wouldn't have believed it if the traces he left hadn't remained all over this ruined world...
"You're having useless thoughts."
"My, my apologies."
Rapua's train of thought was cut short by the chilling aura that accompanied the cold voice. Remembering that the Infinite Archdemon didn't particularly like talk about the Eternal Archdemon, he quickly gave his master the answer he wanted.
"I will take immediate action. I'll thoroughly uproot the culprit and make sure no one dares to do such a thing again."
"Hmm."
The black demon, who had slowly nodded at his words, then slowly turned his head to look out the window. Rapua let out an inward sigh of relief and patted his chest, but the Infinite Archdemon continued to stare outside with a cold gaze. He was mulling over the sense of a different presence he felt from the tips of his fingers that had crushed the ghost.
'Necromancy... Necromancy.'
The demons of Deavor, who believed in their own aliases above all else, did not favor necromancy. If they had the power to use for such a thing, they would rather absorb all the spiritual energy to add to their authority. He thought it might have been possible for a 'Wraith Demon' or something similar, but as far as he knew, there were no candidates who could command a spirit to this extent.
'And this sense of a different presence.'
This reminded him of an unpleasant feeling that he had long forgotten. Yes, it was just like the time he faced that Eternal bastard a hundred years ago.
'No, there's no way that bastard came back. I confirmed several times at the time that the otherworlder had vanished beyond the dimension.'
The dimensional wall was an absolute law that no one could defy. Even if it was the Eternal Archdemon, he wouldn't be able to cross it again. Then, could this be...
'...Something is not right. It would be best to move carefully until I understand the full situation.'
He had a whole constellation of powerful demons under his command. Even if Ruin and Despair joined forces and attacked, they wouldn't crumble easily. Even if it was someone else, they would have enough time to properly assess the situation.
And he wasn't the only one thinking that. The Archdemon of Ruin and the Archdemon of Despair, who were more wary of the Infinite Archdemon than anyone else in this world, suspected that he was the one behind this incident.
In the end, as if they had planned it, they chose to send their subordinate demons first rather than acting directly themselves.
The ruling powers of Deavor were all biding their time and devising countermeasures, preparing for a long war in a situation that was on the verge of breaking out.
The only bad news for them was that the true culprit behind this incident—
had no intention of dragging it out.
***
[My King... This girl has fulfilled all of your commands...]
[Oh? That was faster than I expected.]
[Perhaps it was out of overconfidence, or maybe they had no intention of hiding it in the first place... It wasn't that difficult to find their location...]
[Heh heh heh— That's good. I really like their arrogance, that no one would dare to touch them.]
[I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of faces they'll make when that confidence is completely shattered.]
'With such clear enemies, there's no need to waste time.'
The conqueror who invaded another world, the Immortal King Hans, looked down at the plains on the surface. The Eye of the Abyss, opened from his ghostly eye sockets. Soon, the land his gaze touched was dyed completely black.
Immediately after.
"Kee-ee-eek!"
[Heed the King's call!]
"Ggrrrr!"
[Woo-woo-woo—!]
Countless large and small figures began to rise one by one from the darkness of the ground. Not only human corpses and skeletons, but also undead with monster bodies, and even zombies made from demons and martial artists.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gung—
Puwak!
And it didn't stop there. The vengeful ghosts who had died on this land over the long years were also being resurrected. The bodies of the dead ripped through the ground and shot out. Perhaps because he had deliberately sought out the old battlefields where resentment was most intense, the number of undead that rose was not just one or two.
[I, your servant Karum, will receive my Lord's command.]
[For the glory of the King—! Bring infinite terror to this world—!]
[...Please, command us...]
[Kuooooh—!]
And at the very front of them all.
The executives of the Undying Legion, who had answered the Immortal King's call and crossed dimensions, all prostrated themselves on the ground, and bone dragons began to soar and circle in the sky.
Since the effects of skills like the 'Monarch of the Reverse Heaven' were applied, and they were retainers connected to Hans, who had birthed the divinity of 'Death,' the aura emanating from them was on a completely different level from when he first gathered them.
The presence that flowed from the clustered executives even made space itself tremble slightly.
The aura of death filling the world and the power of the abyss transmitted from the Immortal King created a synergy, and the black flames that blazed all over their bodies writhed fiercely.
"...Glory to the King of Death."
"Aah! My Lord!"
And among them were the zombies, including the Demonic Grandmaster and the Scribe, as well as a large number of Abyss Revenants, all of whom had been painstakingly created. It was no exaggeration to say that most of the undead forces Hans had gathered so far had been mobilized for this place.
[No need for a long speech.]
His voice echoed across the plains teeming with the undead. At the same time, the space that was filled with all sorts of noise was momentarily enveloped in silence. The gazes of the enormous number of undead all focused on one place.
[I have no interest in dogs that have already submitted to power.]
The only human, McCarthy, who was frozen and unable to breathe properly at the wondrous sight, struggled to swallow. He tried to ignore the pain in his left arm and eye, which were forcefully holding on to his consciousness.
This declaration was the last hope for the humans barely surviving in this world. There was no way that the humans, who had already declined so much, could survive against this great army.
'This is... the King of the Dead, the Ruler of Death, who even makes light of archdemons.'
The great conqueror, floating high against the gray sky, looked down at his proud army. With every word he spoke, the morale of his retainers soared endlessly.
[Slaughter every single one of those demons who rule this world—!]
And the moment his final words ended.
[Uwooooh—!]
[Slaughter! Slaughter! Slaughter!]
[Coordinates designated! Activate the gate immediately! This will be a quick war!]
With a fierce roar, the Undying Legion scattered around their executives and began to march all at once. It was a war against the entire world without a declaration of war. Since they had been preparing for war for a long time and had already pinpointed the exact coordinates, the movements of the great army were as natural as flowing water.
And as a result.
One hundred and fifty-eight.
That was the number of demons...
beings who had been revered as inviolable in this world,
...that were hunted down in just a few days.
Understanding the Enemy
There was a big difference between the demons of Deavor and those of Auterica.
While the demons residing in the Auterica's demon realm felt like a unique type of non-human race, the beings in Deavor were closer to the more fundamental image of a 'demon.'
They were a kind of transcendental evil, an entity that could not be understood from a mortal's perspective.
'Since the Executioner was a human Awakened, it wasn't so obvious.'
Every demon had an alias given to them. It was a name that designated their existence, a symbol of their authority, and a status that indirectly indicated their rank.
'Originally, this world was maintained by demon hunters who secretly worked in the shadows to eliminate demon contractors. But now, it has completely become a dark fantasy world.'
The demons who resided in hell could not be defeated by normal means. In the first place, they were not beings that could be easily dealt with, as they only manifested their presence by granting power to a contractor instead of acting directly.
The problem began when, for some reason, the demons of hell were unleashed upon the world and were free to roam.
With the power balance shattered, the world quickly spiraled into chaos.
The demons who had ascended from hell to the surface had to endure various weakening effects, such as losing their immortality, but there was still a wall between them that could not be overcome.
And the beings who were at the forefront of leading the world to its destruction were those called—
'archdemons.'
They were beings of a completely different dimension from ordinary demons, each possessing immense power, and were no different from the rulers who reigned over them.
And one of those great archdemons, the Archdemon of Despair, was now in a state of fleeting despair at the unreasonable violence that had found him, with his neck in the bony hand of Karum.
[Haha! This guy is really troublesome. As expected of an archdemon!]
[Ugh-u-u-uk— What are you, you bastard? Why is an anomaly like you in this world?!]