Shaman Kalga blinked, as if he couldn't believe his own eyes. The golems he had created were certainly worthy of being called the masterpieces of his life.

He was confident that each one possessed power on par with a 'Head Hunter'.

But to topple two golems with a single blow?

[... You, are you a Head Hunter?]

Kalga ground his teeth and glared at the man before him.

The ultimate state that all Barbarians aspired to. A being who wielded mysterious powers and received the love of the 'Goddess' whom Barbarians worshipped.

And it was a damned Head Hunter who had driven him out to such a remote place.

Kalga couldn't contain the fury welling up from within.

[... You people always act like you're better than us. Unlike us, who devote our entire lives to the Goddess to gain strength, you were simply lucky to be born like that.][Lucky? Is that how you feel about Head Hunters?][Isn't it? After killing and being killed, if someone manages to survive, he reaches the realm and becomes a Head Hunter. If that's not luck, what is it?]

Kalga gritted his teeth.

His hands became cloaked in a brilliant green energy. And as if he couldn't restrain it, the power burned wildly like fire.

[I've lived my whole life as a shaman, as a servant of the Goddess. I gave my whole life to 'Haratakan'. And yet, I'm supposed to be outweighed by you low-born brutes who only know how to swing your fists? I will never accept that!][You're mistaken about something. What you people call a Head Hunter. In our words, a Swordmaster. That's a realm that can only be achieved by crossing the threshold of death, again and again.][Without learning, without seeking knowledge, your only advantage is that you have more muscle than others. You're nothing but lumps of flesh, and yet you talk so big.][... You clearly don't know what it means to cross the threshold of death. Besides, you, too, only grew strong because you received power from a suspicious existence whose true identity you don't even know.]

Kalga's face twitched.

How could this guy have figured that out?

Was it because his conscience was pricked? Kalga, now enraged, continued to draw out his power.

With a flick of his finger, the last surviving golem behind him slowly rose to its feet.

It was accumulated power. And he intended to completely annihilate his foe with a combined assault from himself and the golem behind.

But at that moment...

"Waaah!"

"Surround that damned pile of rocks!"

A crowd of soldiers surged from behind. They surrounded the golem, preparing for a standoff.

At that, the 'Head Hunter' from the Watch, who stood before them, raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

*

Erich turned his gaze to the squad members encircling the golem.

"You're a little late, Frederick."

"Don't even mention it. The last ones fought back so fiercely."

Frederick wiped blood from his lips and grinned. Barnes gave a slight nod.

"Can you two handle the golem?"

"... We'll give it a try."

"Well, it won't take long to kill it anyway, right?"

Erich quietly held a gentle smile.

'Indeed, after cutting down the two others, I can see that the golem's power has waned.'

Erich suspected that the shaman Kalga's power was linked to the core embedded in the golem. And that the three golems' three cores were amplifying Kalga's strength.

But with only one of the three cores left, the remaining golem's power was now reduced to a third.

He wouldn't have entrusted it to Frederick and Barnes a moment ago, but now, for a short while, they could hold it off.

Still, Erich noticed that the shaman's power seemed to be growing. He wasn't sure, but apparently, Kalga's anger had been stirred after Erich showed the prowess of a Swordmaster.

Erich thought he could roughly guess what Kalga the shaman had been through.

'He was probably driven south by a Head Hunter. Then, he ended up handling the job of someone who manipulates the dead to build his own strength...'

The power to manipulate the dead was something even Erich couldn't fully understand.

But even if such a being could somehow create something to boost a shaman's power, it didn't surprise him.

Erich's lips curled slightly.

Still, to dismiss the power of a Swordmaster as mere luck... He felt like correcting that fool's delusion.

[You... I swear, of all people, I'll never let the one who shattered my future leave here alive!]

Kalga's eyes glowed green. The green energies sprouting around him started to tear away at the cave walls.

― Kwaddddd!

Sorcerous power shaped into sharp spikes. But Erich had no intention of letting him be.

"Frederick, Barnes! Now!"

― Kwaaang!

The huge golem ignored the soldiers behind and swung its fist at Erich.

But Frederick and Barnes leapt in at its side, forcefully deflecting the golem's punch with their swords,

― Kwadddd!

"Ugh!"

"Hrrpf!"

― Paaaht!

In that opening, Erich dashed toward Kalga.

From behind Kalga, hundreds of rocky spikes shot toward Erich.

― Kwagwang! Kwagwagwang! Kwagwang!

Spikes rained down, shaking the axis of the cave. The barrage enveloped Erich in dust in an instant.

But Kalga didn't let up. He continued to send an endless torrent of spikes at where Erich was.

Pouring every ounce of power he could muster, to crush Erich to a pulp.

― Kaang! Kaakang! Kang!

But in the midst of it all, Kalga's eyes narrowed.

Within the dust, sparks flew.

Erich surged through the dust cloud, deflecting all the countless spikes.

Kalga gritted his teeth.

[Die! You bastard!]

The cave wall that had formed small spikes now turned into a massive rocky spear.

It was large enough to sweep away not just Erich, but every soldier behind as well.

― Piiiiiing!

The gigantic rocky spear flew at Erich. The corner of Kalga's mouth lifted.

That massive spear had been heavily reinforced with all his power.

If that fellow dared meet it head-on, he'd be shattered to pieces.

However...

The man before him, Erich, raised his sword in a reverse grip.

And then—

― Kwaddddd!

The enormous spear, flying toward Erich, began to slice apart like tofu, contrary to Kalga's expectation.

― Chwaaaaak!

Kalga's pupils twitched.

Erich's figure, directly before him, disappeared in an instant.

[... You, you bastard.][Crossing the threshold of death. That's what this means. You, you've never crossed even a single one.][Kuhk!]

― Chwaaak!

Erich, turning as he passed by Kalga, slashed downward once more.

The mighty green aura scattered away from Kalga's body, and the Barbarian's frame toppled forward.

― Thud.

"It's starting to feel a bit tough now."

Kalga didn't move. Of course, having been cut in a cross twice, nobody would be able to move.

Erich looked over at the crumbling golem's body, where he saw his squad members and Heinkel's soldiers dodging falling debris.

Though there were losses while holding off the golem, conditions were relatively intact.

From the golem's body, the withered corpse of Nicholas flopped to the ground, and the soldiers all raised their weapons.

"Waaah!"

"We've won! Victory! Damn those Barbarian bastards!"

Erich's attention turned to the rear.

There, the already-completed Orca-roids glowed purple.

With this, the calamity at the Great Wall that happened in the previous timeline... was completely averted.

A faint smile played on Erich's lips.

'... The Orca-roid, which once wrought havoc on the Watch... is now completely resolved.'

Of course, the Watch still had many issues. But the greatest drain on the Watch's strength was undoubtedly that very drug, the Orca-roid.

Now that it had disappeared from history, as a former Commander, Erich couldn't help but feel inexpressible joy.

But that joy was brief; Erich suddenly felt unease at the soldiers' cheers.

Surely, their enemy's backers would have known he would come here.

Yet, they made no real preparations whatsoever.

While perhaps trusting in their own strength... Still, the one who had sent the undead to overrun Morris village was sitting quietly this time. Something didn't add up.

But as Erich was lost in thought—

"Damn, that was the most exhilarating fight I've ever had!"

"How many wounded do we have?"

"About 10% at most. Most are minor wounds. We did lose a few, but—"

"I see. Clean up and prepare to return."

"W-wait, after coming all this way..."

Frederick grinned at Erich.

He was asking permission to loot the conquered village.

"Hm. But don't kill any children or women."

"Oh, come on, do I look like a Barbarian to you? At most, I'll just take some gold or steel."

Erich nodded reluctantly. Even if Barbarians didn't have gold, they usually had quite a few silver ornaments.

The 'god' they served—the Goddess—was said to favor silver.

Anyway, Erich walked up to the fallen golem and stared at the shriveled corpse of Nicholas.

'He was a villain, but in the end, he paid his due. Anyone who dabbles with the undead ends up like this.'

Of course, it was unlikely Nicholas had knowingly followed someone who controlled the undead.

Even before his regression, when Erich was not yet Commander, the undead had beguiled many others. But none who entangled with them ever escaped a dreadful fate.

Unlike someone like Erich, who already knew that truth, fools like these must have found the reward before their eyes all the sweeter.

"Barnes. Bring this corpse too. Whether alive or dead, a criminal must be taken."

"Yes, master Erich."

Barnes quietly hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder.

Erich left the cave with Barnes. Elsewhere, squad members and soldiers were picking over loot from Barbarian corpses.

Others ransacked the homes in the Barbarian village.

But then...

"Damn it, there's nothing to pick up—it's all just corpses."

He heard the squad murmuring irritably.

"Hey, you there. What did you say?"

"Oh, uh... I wasn't cursing, I just meant—"

"No, what was inside the house?"

"Huh? Oh, just a bunch of long coffins, and inside, just full of corpses, sir."

"... Corpses? What color were they?"

"Looked all bloated and bluish, maybe from rotting."

Erich's eyes narrowed.

Then, Erich noticed Barnes' breath misting in the air.

"... Master Erich. It's suddenly gotten cold."

"Yes."

Erich quietly reached for his sword. Only then did he realize why the enemy's backers hadn't sent reinforcements to this village.

It wasn't that the enemy hadn't planned to reinforce them—

Coming to this village itself was the foe's trap!

― Kwaang!

"Kuaaagh!"

"Wh-what!"

Along with the sound of shattering, screams from scattered squad members rang out. Then, a chilling presence began to gaze at them.

A gaze cold to the bone.

Utterly frigid.

― Kwaaang!

Just then, an explosion rocked a huge Barbarian warehouse.

A massive body rose and ripped the large building apart.

― Grrrr.

A gigantic figure, white cold glowing in its eyes, clad in pitch-black armor, wielding a massive greatsword.

― Kwadddddd!

"Kuh, kuhk!"

A strange power that froze one's body stiff just by getting near.

The undead legion's elite—

the 'Death Knight' made its appearance.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Damn...(ㆆ.ㆆ )

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