Side Story Chapter 154
Valmont cut down another skeleton and groaned. “When in the world is he coming back?!”
These undead were nothing, but their perpetual persistence was a problem. They would recover every time Valmont destroyed them. The undead were unable to feel pain, so when they lost their legs, they would drag themselves toward Valmont with their arms so they could gnaw at him. Worse, the dullahans, the high-class undead, were so sturdy that Valmont couldn’t chop them up, and they got back up just like the ordinary skeletons.
“We have to deal with those demons over there first since their demonic power is what is causing these undead to rise without end,” Duke Tremblin, standing back to back with Valmont, said.
“Do you think I’m going through all this trouble because I don’t know that?” Valmont snapped.
Those demons were the source of all their damned problems. The fiends had even set up chairs in the center of their undead army to observe the battle from. There were exactly ten of them, and considering that every one of them was as strong as Valmont, they were a formidable force.
“They could have created a kingdom of demons in no time if they’d dropped by another country first,” Valmont grumbled.
“We have to stop them before that happens.”
“Is Avalon a charity organization or something?! Other countries must have heard what is happening by now, so why are they just watching?!”
“That is what war is. When you act first, you will be recognized for your efforts, but that is all. Whoever striked the first blow ultimately suffers the most damage.”
“Selfish bastards,” Valmont angrily grumbled as he swung his sword again. His fierce attack wiped out dozens of the skeletons, but it was just as futile as all his other strikes. Although his attack had been successfully delivered, the other undead filled in the holes within moments.
“Those cockroaches. I wouldn’t have been this tired if they were humans instead...”
Valmont was starting to get exhausted. He didn’t want to even imagine what would have happened if the Magic Tower’s archmages hovering in the air weren’t there to help them in this battle. Their presence was sparing Avalon from the humiliation of those undead breaching Arcadia’s east gate, but they were at their limits. Being archmages didn’t mean that they had an infinite amount of mana.
“Shit...” Valmont cussed. New novel chapters are published on
Grrrrrrrrrrr!
Valmont and Tremblin's eyes widened.
“Is th-that... Am I seeing things?” Valmont stammered.
“...I can see it too.”
When it rained, it poured.
“What the fuck...!” Valmont spat.
A group of five gigantic creatures emerged out of nowhere and flew across the sky. Their shadows alone were so big that it looked like castles were moving.
“Bone dragons...!”
They were the notorious war machines made by turning dragons, the strongest creatures in the Human Realm, into undead. They may not be able to use their dragon magic, but they were just as skilled as living dragons. They gargantuan forms wielded immense power and their dragon breath was just as strong as it had been before their deaths.
“Great job, old man!” Valmon shouted. Given that he’d used mana, it seemed he’d realized what Tremblin was thinking.
“Wh-Whoaaaaaaa!”
“His Grace took care of the bone dragon!”
“The Sword Emperor is with us!”
The soldiers on the ramparts cheered energetically, but Tremblin couldn’t get rid of the bitterness in his smile. Perhaps it was just Tremblin’s imagination, but it looked like Avalon’s soldiers were trying not to lose to their fear.
The gigantic bone dragon finally crashed on the ground, with Tremblin landing on top of it.
“It’s a shame.”
“You go, old man. You still have your edge!”
“The remaining dragons are the problem. The same method won’t work on them; they aren’t fools.”
“Would His Majesty have succeeded at once...?” Valmont’s face darkened, realizing the magnitude of the situation after seeing the demons laughing in the distance. “I really need to see those pricks eat shit... Shall I try too?”
“Don’t. I told you earlier that the same method won’t work on them twice. You might fall into danger instead.”
“Ah, my pride...”
Valmont was racking his brains for a solution when an earthquake made him stumble out of nowhere.
“Wh-what?!” He quickly steadied himself. “What are you going to do now—”
“...Wait.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t think it’s the demons.” Tremblin shook his head.
“What are you talking about?”
Tremblin focused on sensing the nearby energies for a moment. His eyes flew open.
“It’s His Majesty.”
“What?”
“I’m certain. Only he would exude such an overwhelming—”
When a red streak suddenly flew toward the bone dragons, Valmont understood Tremblin. Unless they were hallucinating, that blood-red spear was clearly...
“Longin!” Valmont was enraptured. They had all been desperately waiting for him. The emperor of the Avalon Empire had finally returned.