With those words, he raised the crown once again.
Prince could only stare as Simon placed it upon his head for the third time. Almost immediately, an enormous torrent of Darkness erupted from his body, spreading throughout the mansion before surging outward toward the battlefield.
[You lunatic!]
Still affected by the Absolute Order, Prince could only crawl toward the balcony as he watched Simon endure the crown's power.
[What the hell are you thinking?! We're connected through the Legion now! If you die, I'll die too!]
As his panic grew, his gaze immediately shifted toward Pier's skull hanging behind Simon.
[And you're insane too, Pier! He's your contractor! Why aren't you stopping him?!]
[Keh-heh-heh!]
Pier's skull responded with an upside-down grin.
[If you don't understand anything, then shut up and watch.]
Prince's expression twisted, but Pier continued without concern.
[He's the one who succeeded in wearing me on his first attempt.]
[What...?]
Before Prince could question him further, the violent torrent of Darkness surrounding Simon began to stabilize.
Fwoooooosh!
As the torrent gradually settled, Simon staggered toward the balcony and placed one hand against the wall to support himself. His breathing remained heavy, but unlike before, the crown stayed firmly upon his head.
"Fuuuu..."
When Simon slowly opened his eyes, they were no longer their usual color. A brilliant golden light filled his pupils, accompanied by strange patterns created by the power of the crown.
He took a deep breath.
Then his voice spread throughout Death Land.
"───────────!!"
It wasn't a sound that should have come from a human throat.
The monstrous roar swept across the battlefield, and almost immediately, the chaotic fighting outside came to a halt.
Every zombie stopped.
Those that had been wandering aimlessly froze where they stood, while those already surrounded by Manus's skeletons ignored the weapons pointed toward them. One after another, thousands of heads slowly turned toward the mansion.
Toward Simon.
Amid the sudden silence, Manus lowered his sword as he noticed the change.
[...So that was the cause.]
Meanwhile, from the balcony, Simon looked down upon the enormous army gathering beneath him. Beneath his falling bangs, his golden eyes gleamed as a faint smile appeared on his face.
For a moment, even Pier fell silent.
Looking at the young man standing before thousands of undead, another figure seemed to overlap with Simon in his mind.
Richard Polentia.
The masked tyrant who had once shaken the continent before suddenly disappearing from history.
As that familiar image lingered in Pier's mind, Simon slowly raised one hand.
[All of you.]
Thousands upon thousands of zombies stared back at him.
[Follow me.]
RUUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
As his command spread across Death Land, Darkness erupted across the battlefield.
The zombies began to change one after another. Their previously unfocused eyes turned gold, while their teeth and claws took on a dark-blue hue. Dark-blue smoke poured from their bodies until the entire army seemed to burn beneath an enormous wildfire.
"KYAAAAAAAAH!"
"KIIIIIIIIII!"
The dead roared as one.
Every zombie throughout Death Land had fallen under the authority of the one wearing the crown.
Faced with the sight before him, Prince could only lean against the wall and stare at the scene outside.
[Ha...]
A hollow laugh escaped him.
[...H-Haha.]
Something even he, an Ancient Undead and the rightful owner of the crown, had never accomplished was now being done by a human right before his eyes.
Far from the mansion, Jin watched the transformation of the battlefield from above.
The disorderly horde from moments earlier had completely disappeared. Tens of thousands of zombies now moved beneath a single will, their golden eyes and dark-blue Darkness making it obvious who had taken control of them.
"...He succeeded."
Beside him, Igris quietly studied the enormous undead army.
[For a beginner, he has done well.]
His gaze shifted toward Simon in the distance before he calmly added, [But he still has much to learn.]
Hearing that, Beru immediately snorted. [Hmph! This much is nothing compared to my liege!]
Jin couldn't help but chuckle at their reactions.
"Hehe. You two really don't want to give him a straightforward compliment, huh?"
Neither Shadow Commander answered.
Receiving no response, Jin shook his head with an amused smile beneath his helmet before returning his attention to the battlefield.
Still, this is only the first step.
Simon had brought Prince under his command.
With that piece now in place, there was only one more piece left before Jin would make his move.
His violet gaze settled upon Manus.
Back at the mansion, Simon stepped onto the balcony railing and looked down.
Vwooom!
He jumped.
Before his feet could touch the ground, countless zombies rushed beneath him. Bodies piled upon bodies, rapidly forming a rising hill that caught Simon before he could fall any farther.
It was almost as though the dead themselves refused to allow their new king to touch the filthy ground.
Simon looked toward Manus's forces.
[Advance.]
RUUUUUUUUMBLE!
The enormous mass of zombies began moving.
The horde pulled backward for only a moment before surging forward like a gigantic black wave. More zombies joined from every direction, swelling the formation until it rose nearly as high as the mansion behind them.
Manus's skeleton army immediately raised their weapons.
However, Simon's first targets weren't the skeletons.
They were the Meat Golems.
"Pier."
[Yeah!]
The Greatsword of Destruction formed in Simon's hand as the undead wave crashed directly into the first Meat Golem.
CRASH! BOOM!
Zombie bodies were thrown into the air from the collision, but their numbers were simply too overwhelming. The enormous golem was swallowed by the wave until only its head remained visible above the mass of undead.
Simon passed over it from above.
His greatsword flashed.
SLASH!
The Meat Golem's head separated from its body.
[Next.]
At Simon's command, the entire wave changed direction.
Skeletons attempted to block its path, but their formation was swept aside before they could slow it down. Another Meat Golem disappeared beneath the sea of zombies, and Simon's blade descended once again.
The second head fell.
Then the third.
The fourth soon followed.
What had previously served as an almost impenetrable wall against Prince's zombies was now being dismantled with frightening efficiency. Each time the undead wave changed direction, another section of Manus's formation collapsed beneath its sheer weight before Simon finished off the exposed Meat Golem himself.
There was no longer any need for Javier to direct them.
The Meat Golems continued following the commands they had been given before the battle, but without their creator present to adapt their movements, their simple orders could do nothing against an army that was now changing direction as naturally as a single living creature.
One after another, they fell.
Twelve.
Thirteen.
Fourteen.
And finally...
SLASH!
The last Meat Golem's head flew through the air before its enormous body disappeared beneath the roaring horde.
Less than a minute.
That was all Simon needed to destroy every remaining Meat Golem.
"KYAAAAAAAAH!"
"UOOOOOOOOOH!"
The zombies roared triumphantly as Simon stood atop the enormous wave, resting the Greatsword of Destruction lightly against his shoulder.
For the first time since the battle began, Manus's advance had completely stopped.
The Ancient Undead remained silent as he looked across the ruined battlefield. The Meat Golems Javier had spent so much time preparing were gone, while his skeleton army had been pushed back by the overwhelming tide of zombies.
Still, Manus showed no panic.
He merely tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.
By now, one thing had become obvious.
Javier wasn't coming.
Whatever minor problem had delayed the old necromancer had clearly become something far more serious. But with the battle already reaching its decisive moment, Manus had neither the time nor the inclination to worry about a man he had never trusted in the first place.
His attention remained fixed on Simon.
Manus slowly stepped forward.
The skeletons standing before him immediately moved aside, opening a path through the army as their master approached the enormous wave of zombies.
[Young king.]
Simon looked down at him.
[What is your name?]
Simon lifted his chin slightly.
"Simon Polentia."
Manus stopped several meters away and raised his sword upright.
[I am Manus, Knight of the Talhern Empire.]
His gaze then shifted toward the crown resting upon Simon's head.
[My purpose and fate are to complete my vengeance against Kizen.]
The black blade in his hand reflected the golden glow of thousands of undead eyes surrounding them.
[Hand over the crown.]