The illusion shattered. Erich returned to his own body once more. This recollection had been all too brief.

He diligently reviewed every detail of that short memory.

'So there are two main pieces of information to be gained here.'

First, the purpose of the Watch who came to this place. They had come here to perform some kind of ritual.

And the dead had tried to stop it.

The ones Erich saw had died trying to block the dead in the middle of this confrontation.

As he thought this over, Erich's curiosity began to intensify.

What kind of ritual did they want to prevent so desperately?

Erich had never believed in things like superstition or the power of gods.

Still...

'Doing what the enemy hates most is always the best attack.'

Perhaps the cluster of light was trying to give him the answer. And what bothered him was the final scene: the betrayal by the man named Tiberius.

Aside from everything else, judging by the situation, the man seemed to have sided with the dead.

Not a common occurrence, but not unheard of either.

Of course, their fates were never good. As could be seen from Nicholas' example.

But what really bothered Erich was the strong sense of déjà vu he felt when he saw that silhouette.

Was that feeling from the deceased person's own memories?

Or was it Erich's?

Anyway, Erich once again paid his respects to the fallen ones with a silent prayer. Then he set out, following the pulsating light.

Where the light led, dead could be spotted every so often, and each time, Erich struck them down.

— Sslash!

There was no longer any need for him to hide in the light. Now that he could manipulate high-level aura, such caution was just a nuisance.

After Erich swung his sword to cut the dead, the blade shimmered. As always, the heads of the creatures fell cleanly.

As he pushed through the glowing cluster, a strange vibration resonated through the cavern.

Erich instinctively sensed it. Something was happening up ahead.

Maintaining razor-sharp focus, he advanced. And then he heard the unmistakable sound of battle—a clash of steel.

— Clang! Cha-chang!

Distinct metallic noises rang out clearly. Holding his breath, Erich crept closer.

There, he saw a barbarian locked in bloody combat with a dead. Lowering his stance, Erich observed their fight closely.

The barbarian was neither young nor as old as an elder; he was a warrior who had reached a state of seasoned maturity.

Despite his massive bulk, the barbarian fought with surprising finesse—Erich found himself impressed in some ways.

But the dead he faced was no ordinary opponent, either.

'... A commander-level one?'

Erich recognized their appearance all too well. These types were always a formidable nuisance within the hordes of the dead.

Unlike the simply-made ones, these had been crafted with care—masterpieces of the Lord of the Dead, so to speak. Not quite death knights, but close.

Adding to their size, Erich could clearly see it:Through cracks in their decayed, hardened flesh, traces of intricate magic shone through. This transformed their strength and resilience into something on another level entirely.

And the barbarian seemed to be struggling against such a foe.

"Urgh!"

The giant barbarian's greatsword clashed with the weapon of the dead, trembling like a reed in the process.

The sound of blades slicing through the air tore at the atmosphere.

— Bam! Squelch!

Even after several solid blows landed on the dead's body, it showed no signs of weakening.

In fact, it was the barbarian who bled and whose flesh was being torn.

While Erich watched their bloody duel, he tried to quickly assess the situation.

A cavern teeming with the dead, and the only one alive fighting among them. Perhaps this person might be of use to Erich.

'But a barbarian, huh...'

Erich's sharp gaze swept over the barbarian's body. Noting the wolf emblem tattooed on the shoulder wielding the greatsword.

'A wolf... That means he's from the far north.'

Barbarians usually tattooed their tribe's symbol onto their bodies. Northwest tribes near the Great Wall often bore bird symbols—these types were not only aggressive, some were cannibals.

At least the ones with wolves didn't tend to have such grotesque hobbies—high probability.

The problem was, they were so far to the north, even Erich had little experience with them.

Would this man be of any use to him? After a moment's thought, Erich stood up.

— Tsk.

Gripping his sword sheath, Erich charged forward.

— Whooom!

The barbarian recovered from being thrown back by recoil. Looking up just in time...

— Shhhik!

Above his head, a vivid blue afterimage scattered waves of light.

"!?"

And the wave swept across the undead's chest.He expected it to rebound, just like it had with his own attacks.

But—

— Grrrrraaaah!

With a scream, blue blood spurted from the wound. The barbarian frowned, staring at Erich—the one who had landed the blow.

[Dwarf?][Calling someone a dwarf to their face—isn't that a bit rude?]

The barbarian was momentarily at a loss, surprised to hear his own tongue from Erich.

He even forgot about the dead before him for a second.

— Bang!

Weapons of the dead and Erich collided right in front of the bewildered barbarian. Blue waves scattered chaotically.

[Are you just going to stand there watching?][... Let's save the questions for later.]

The barbarian gripped his sword again and, as Erich held off the dead, began to unleash attacks together.

— Boom! Crash!

Unlike before, the barbarian, putting his full power into striking, was heavier and stronger. His massive sword detonated blows across the dead's body.

They developed a rhythm: one held the creature at bay while the other attacked. Finally—

— Thud.

The dead's hulking body slumped to the floor. Seizing the moment, Erich swiftly decapitated it with his aura-infused sword.

— Slice!

The barbarian panted, catching his breath, while Erich flicked blue blood from his blade into the air. The two stood in a brief silence, the dead's headless corpse between them.

— Swish.

Then, simultaneously, they pointed their swords at each other.

[I have a lot of questions.][Isn't there something you should say first?]

At Erich's words, the barbarian's face twisted. But after wiping the blood from his lips:[Thank you. I, Hrung-ga, son of Batongga, do not forget debts.]

The barbarian seemed a bit dissatisfied, but Erich easily guessed his intent.

'Doesn't seem like he wants to fight. Good.'

Erich lowered his sword first and continued:[I think actions speak louder than words.][... Alright.]

So the barbarian lowered his greatsword too. Erich asked him,

[So, you said your name is Hrung-ga? What are you doing here?][That's actually my question for you. Strange thing to ask.][Strange?][This is our tribe's sacred ground.]

Sacred ground? Erich's eyes wavered in confusion. This hellish place is a barbarian sanctuary? He'd never even heard of such a place.

[Your sacred place... Believe it or not, I don't know why I'm here myself.][... Got hit on the head in battle, did you?][If only it were that simple.]

Hrung-ga squinted, looking Erich up and down.

[For a great warrior wielding the divine power... you look pretty ordinary.][Divine power? Oh, you mean aura.][You say it like it's nothing. I've heard rumors. Among dwarves, there are many warriors who wield divine power.][Not many... just a few.]

Erich briefly recalled the few he knew. Barbarians with the wolf emblem lived in the farthest north, even farther from the Great Wall, so any warrior who'd faced them must have been extraordinary.

Word probably spread that only powerful Watchmen entered this place.

Hrung-ga sheathed his greatsword on his back and gazed at Erich with curiosity.

[How can you speak our language?][You get used to it after running into your people often enough.][... Have you killed so many of my kin?]

Hrung-ga's expression turned cold. Erich quickly replied,

[I usually deal with ones who have birds tattooed on them.][Is that so? Then...]

Hrung-ga strode up and thrust something at Erich.

[... What's this? A canteen?][It's liquor. If you killed a lot of bird bastards, we should understand each other just fine.]

Erich accepted the offered canteen. It smelled odd and unpleasant, an awful drink with a musty lingering odor, but in this freezing place, a few sips wouldn't hurt.

'Good thing I knew this in advance.'

Barbarian tribes with wolf symbols roamed the northern wilderness; in the south, the cannibalistic bird tribes existed. They hated each other fiercely.

The enemy of my enemy is a friend, so they say. Given the hostilities between the Watch and the barbarians, it was the best answer Erich could give.

[Is your sacred ground always like this?][Mm, I don't know. It's my first time entering as well.][... So what do you know?]

Hrung-ga thought for a bit, then spoke.

[The sacred ground is where the Goddess sleeps. Living beings aren't supposed to enter. That's what makes it sacred.][But you're alive in here, aren't you?][The goal of a pilgrimage is to die an honorable death in this place.][Did you commit some crime, then?][Well. Everyone has their reasons.]

Hrung-ga silently took back the canteen and checked how much was left inside.

[By the way... Are you abstaining? Why drink so little?][... It's not little for us. Any more and we'd be drunk.][Strange words. Getting drunk gives a warrior courage. Don't you know that?][But it leads to mistakes. Only fools get drunk, you know.]

At that, Hrung-ga laughed heartily.

[If I die from a drunken mistake, I just return to the Goddess's embrace. Are you afraid of that?][... You go be embraced as much as you like. Anyway, is your real purpose here just to die?]

Erich could guess Hrung-ga's intentions. For some reason, Hrung-ga was sentenced to a pilgrimage—possibly as punishment. And apparently, he knew nothing about the dead in the sanctuary.

[No. The real pilgrim's trial is making it out alive.][Be honest.][Hmm?][Nobody ever makes it out, right?][Mm. No one! I'll be the first.][By Incensus...]

Erich's hypothesis was confirmed.

[Do you know the way out of here, at least?][I don't. I assume it's straight ahead.][Simple. In that case, will you cooperate until then?][No reason not to—a warrior who wields divine power. Right, if we're working together, I should at least know your name.][I'm Erich.][Wh-what...]

Upon hearing his name, Hrung-ga's eyes widened as he stared at Erich.

[What? Did I say something wrong?][N-no. It's nothing. I see.]

Hrung-ga hurriedly turned his head, as if he'd just realized he'd asked the wrong question. Erich sensed that something was off about his reaction, but it was not the time to pursue it.

[... Anyway, there's no road back the way I came. Let's head the way you were headed.][Good.]

And so Erich and Hrung-ga, now sharing the same boat, continued forward through the cavern.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Haha, GoT vibes with the wolf...Well, the story has GoT vibes, with the wall and the dead...【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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