<Chapter 46. Death's Companion - 1>

Lee Shin Woo figured out where Seagald was. He was already in the center of Bayran, protected by the thorn wall! Tarian's force had just been bait and the golems, which they'd form a temporary alliance with, were as well.

[So they were trying to kill us here?]

"No. They made it so that you couldn't interfere. It seems like their interests don't align with yours. ...Or they know exactly who you are."

[...]

Even after absorbing his precious subordinate's bones, Lee Shin Woo didn't know what Seagald's true intentions were. However, he was sure of one thing: that this loyalty towards the Empire hadn't changed.

'Was Anti-Skull really just created to protect people from the undead curse? To kill the Emperor, who spread the undead curse? No, probably not. There's no way it's that simple.'

On second thought, there was something else that was strange. The Undead Emperor, Jissehanu, had seemingly been researching immortality but was actually looking for a way to break through the barrier. And there must've been a few people who knew what he was planning.

'The Retadanes are a family of high rank nobles that have been with Jissehanu since the very beginning. Were they really not aware of how to get past the barrier? Seira might not have, but it wouldn't make sense for Seagald Von Retadane, the past head of the Retadane family, to have no knowledge about it.'

No... What even was Anti-Skull? Was it truly an organization designed to research methods to resist the undead curse? Was that all? If not, then perhaps...

"Damn. Let's think about this later. Let's get a move on for now!"

[Agreed. It seems like our alliance with Anti-Skull is already meaningless...!]

As always, Arema Steelworker despised following Lee Shin Woo's orders and moving according to his will. However, he hated Seagald Von Retadane more, who'd put him in this situation in the first place.

Above all, he wanted to know what Seagald was planning. His strength may not be enough, but he was sure the Heaven Defying General would be able to find out.

"I'm going at full speed, so try to keep up. Leave behind anyone who can't keep up."

[It might take a bit longer, but we're all going.]

"Your choice. Let's go!"

Jin really ran at full speed. They couldn't reveal everything, so Lee Shin Woo didn't reveal his darkness and Jin didn't reveal her light. However, just the fact that she used all of her skills and exhibited such overwhelming speed was enough to astound the others with her speed.

[That horse...!?]

[I knew he wasn't normal, but to think even his horse was unusual!]

The Metal Army realized just how far ahead Lee Shin Woo had gotten, gritted their teeth, and followed him. Fortunately, no other traps activated as they rushed after him!

Arema and the rest of the golems were relieved, thinking that all the traps had been destroyed already. They couldn't even imagine that Lee Shin Woo was actively disarming them as they went along.

'Anyway, what was that explosion all about anyway? It must've been Seagald Von Retadane. If not, then it might've been the Spirit General, Dana Von Etliber.'

'It looked like magic to me. It'd be nice if it was Kratia or Prince, but it probably wasn't. Which means...'

The first thing that came to mind was the Archmage, Feotane Von Seldin. There was a chance he was here. The palace might've sent some 'insurance', aside from the Golden Shadow General.

"There really are three of the four Heavenly Commanders (of the 12 Generals) here."

If that were indeed true, then not immediately striking down Arema Steelworker while also bringing him to his side was a wise decision. If the Annihilation Flame Sword God and the Archmage were truly there, then it wouldn't matter how strong Lee Shin Woo was, he wouldn't be able to take them on whilst protecting his allies.

'Damn. That only matters if they're still alive.'

As a test, Lee Shin Woo sent all of them a private chat request. All of them denied his request, but the fact that they even denied his request meant that they were still alive.

But it also meant that they didn't have the time to answer him... That's probably what it meant. It was just a hypothesis, but there should be three level 8 members of the 12 Generals in there!

[Lord Paul Zero!]

[We were waiting for you!]

Lee Shin Woo soon arrived in front of the thorn wall. He'd called the Chi Pauls beforehand. Aside from the three who'd been injured and retreated, all of the Chi Pauls had gathered here.

[I see it. The thorn wall... Huh? Are those your subordinates?]

[They're not weaker than me. Where exactly did they come from...?]

Arema Steelworker and his elites had arrived. They were shocked once they saw the Chi Pauls standing by. Although they were standing right in front of them, they couldn't properly sense their presence, as if they were looking at the Golden Shadow.

[I would've been suspicious if you hadn't called your subordinates in such a dire situation. So you did have your forces here.]

[They're all strong too. How did you nurture them in the Empire...? No, wait. Did they come from the surface?]

[...Hoo.]

The golems stirred up a commotion while the Chi Pauls desperately suppressed their urge to kill them. He knew this would happen. After all, they had been used as their test subjects in the past!

Fortunately, unlike Tarian, they were decent enough actors to not allow their emotions to show. It was all due to Lee Shin Woo's influence. This is why you had to have a good master!

[Paul Zero. Do you have a way to get through the wall? If you don't, then we have no choice but for the two of us to attack at once.]

"We don't have time to waste here."

Lee Shin Woo replied and extended his hand, feeling as though Arema was a pain in the ass. Even now, he was trying to get a feel for his abilities. The area of the wall his fingertips were pointed at collapsed without any resistance.

He had condensed the Evil Eye ore into a single, tiny piece, which was floating over to him. But such a trivial thing had given Arema Steelworker quite the shock.

[Impossible. The thorn wall!?]

"Let's go."

He'd completely broken the link in the affected area, so the collapsed area didn't repair itself. With just one gesture, Lee Shin Woo had broken the thorn wall, the Empire's pride and joy. Lee Shin Woo just took command of the Chi Pauls and went inside.

Arema Steelworker couldn't believe his eyes and pounded on the thorn wall with his full strength. Aside from the area Lee Shin Woo had just demolished, the rest of the wall retained its incredible durability.

[Y-You're...?]

"I see it. No... It's tremendous."

The thorn wall must also prevent people from sensing the mana within its walls. While he could sense the cannon's immense mana before, once he broke through the thorn wall and went inside, he realized that that was just the tip of the iceberg.

That wasn't all. He also felt traces of other mana spread far and wide...!

"It is the Archmage."

[Feotane Von Seldin... This isn't even funny.]

There were monsters everywhere. There were traps set-up around the city that summoned monsters or undead, but this wasn't even comparable to that. The Archmage had probably used his spatial magic to summon monsters from wherever he could!

[Break through!]

[Understood!]

For now at least, the golems and the Chi Pauls were like-minded, and charged. Lee Shin Woo and Arema Steelworker used their respective Command skills to aid their troops and fought at the vanguard.

Hundreds, no thousands of monsters sensed their hostility and rushed towards them, but they couldn't stop Lee Shin Woo or Arema Steelworker.

"Uooooooh! We're running all the way to the cannon!"

[Show them the pride of a Steelworker!]

The two level 8s (one of them was riding atop another level 8) charged side by side. It looked like an eraser as they cleared a path through the battlefield. Of course, the ones they didn't kill were soon erased by the following Chi Pauls and golems.

It was a real spectacle; hundreds, no thousands of monsters turning to dust in an instant.

"Ah...!"

"T-The Heaven Defying General!?"

In the midst of all that, the heroes finally noticed them. Kratia, who knew that Lee Shin Woo was the Heaven Defying General, looked slightly relieved, while Prince was shocked that the Heaven Defying General had shown up with the Metal General. She was more concerned about Lee Shin Woo not showing up than being fearful of them.

"W-What about Junior!? What about our Junior!?"

"Arema, we're helping the heroes. They're on our side."

[Those half-wits, huh. I thought as much, but... Are you a hero who died and turned into an undead? And one who still retained the spirit of a hero?]

"Think what you want. But listen to my orders."

[Keuk...!]

It was great that he'd found them, but at the same time, there were others that caught his eye. First up was Feotane Von Seldin, who was floating around the cannon and emitting an overwhelming pressure. As expected, he'd found his way here too!

[Hm. It seems we have more guests. If you wanted to kill the Empire's monsters so badly, then you should've requested an audience with His Majesty first!]

Once he'd discovered Lee Shin Woo's group, he seemed to get a bit tense, though superficially, as he didn't lose his cool. He was probably confident in his spatial element. And he'd also used that very magic to cause chaos.

[Ah. Aaah...!]

[Giiiiii!]

[Kugureureuaaaaah!]

But there was a bigger issue than the Archmage himself. A beautiful woman was tied to the center of the cannon's gun barrel with a chain made of 'Evil Eye'.

She had black hair and pale, white skin. He could sense a large quantity of mana from within her, and there were hundreds of corrupted spirits roaming around her... Most of them were level 6, or even level 7 spirits, which were further increasing her power.

[Lv8 Spirit General Dana Von Etliber (Undead transformation delayed)]

Once he was finished looking her over, he was shocked at the information he saw. What? She wasn't undead? Her undead transformation was being delayed? What the hell did that even mean? He didn't know what it meant, so he examined her himself and came to a shocking conclusion.

'The undead curse... Still hasn't properly saturated her body.'

She was definitely being affected by the undead curse. She was indeed being affected by it, but the curse was being sucked out of her body as if Lee Shin Woo or Jin were absorbing it.

Thus, her undead transformation hadn't progressed. She was experiencing so much pain, but he couldn't really say that she was alive. If that's the case, then where was the mana that escaped her body heading? The answer was simple. It was going into the cannon.

"Hey, Arema. Even if you were to fire this death energy charged cannon at the palace, it doesn't seem like it'll do any damage. On the contrary, won't it make him stronger instead?"

[...It does seem that way. Seagald, that bastard. What the hell is he thinking?]

That's how it was built. The mana of the city's inhabitants and spirits would be gathered by the Spirit General's ability so that the cannon could be fired. The undead curse had filled the Undead Empire, so the curse that affected her body was being drained by the cannon itself.

It was truly horrifying, but... It was precisely because of this that she hadn't turned into an undead yet and had survived. No one could've expected this. They hadn't scrapped this failed project before moving on to the next, which had resulted in all their failed products remaining here. That's what this all meant.

'She doesn't seem sane though.'

She had been the cannon's 'straw' that supplied energy to it by gathering the world's and spirits' magic for dozens of years. It would be a miracle if she had actually retained her sanity.

Seira Von Retadane must have thought that she wouldn't be in this situation as a princess. And right now, Seira Von Retadane was...

"Die. Just die already!"

[...Little sister. Now's not the time for this. Don't you see that Lich looking down at us?]

"Die! Please... die!"

Having a bloody sibling feud with the Annihilation Flame Sword God, Seagald Von Retadane.

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