Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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Rain and I had to dash around in a frenzy. We moved to the locations where the wizards had gone missing, tracking their traces while occasionally hunting down the dark mages we encountered.

From the southernmost point to the west, then east again. And south once more. A journey that would normally take over a year was completed in just a few days. The vast airship racing with the storm created an optical illusion, making it seem like we were transcending space itself.

Those who fought and lost against the dark mages left no remains behind. All we could retrieve were the belongings the corpses had on them.

As time passed, various possessions of the wizards piled up inside the airship. From wizards I had recognized from passing encounters, to those I had exchanged light greetings with.

“Where should we go this time?”

“A request for support has come from the Pentagon. The location is near the abandoned mine in Raoum.”

“Raoum…”

I’ve been there once. It’s where I met a little swordswoman who called herself a dwarven half-blood.

Reflecting on that memory from long ago, I set the airship in motion.

Boom—!

*

The Pentagon. A social gathering of young wizards guaranteed a bright future due to their status as elite mage tower practitioners. Wealthy families, noble bloodlines, exceptional magical skills. A life without bumps—a life devoid of crises greatly influenced the worldview of the wizards belonging to the Pentagon.

Typical wizards could use high-level magic that was thought to be inaccessible. They easily caught up on studies once deemed difficult.

Everything flowed smoothly, accompanied by fame and accolades. Having lived their entire lives like this, they met others similar to themselves. A gathering of outstanding individuals. They formed friendships with those they could meet at the same eye level.

It was only natural for those in the Pentagon to develop a superiority complex. The Pentagon must excel and lead the future of the mage tower. That was the common thought held by all wizards affiliated with the Pentagon.

They also believed that the simultaneous emergence of undead and dark mage incidents across the country was an issue they needed to solve.

Despite the lack of directives from the mage tower, the Pentagon wizards began to act independently. Just as usual, the wizards of the Pentagon did not fail.

They rescued the wizards who had requested assistance and found those who had gone missing. Victorious, they also dealt with the dark mages and undead forces they encountered, so it was only natural that their pride soared high.

Easy success breeds complacency. For the wizards of the Pentagon, arrogance was a familiar feeling. With their sweet victories, their view became increasingly clouded, and their movements grew bolder.

That was the problem.

“They’re still coming!”

“Hold your ground!”

Shrieks whose origins were unknown echoed through the mine. The young wizards of the Pentagon had to unleash magic, their pale faces contorted with ragged breaths.

There was no time to prepare large-scale spells. They had to keep pushing back the waves of undead pouring in.

When the wizards first faced the undead army, they naturally assumed the advantage. A massive storm of mana swept away countless undead, showcasing their abilities.

However, the dark mages did not reveal themselves. They cowardly hid their presence while summoning the undead.

Dark mages use mana too. Although it may differ from ordinary mana, everyone knows that mana is finite. But this time, the dark mage was different. It felt like they summoned the undead endlessly as if their mana were infinite.

The dead don’t need rest. They didn’t stop until their bones crumbled, and they didn’t so much as blink as flesh fell away.

But humans are different. The wizards, who continued using magic to stop the undead, were quickly becoming exhausted.

The mana that had always been abundant within them was running low, and their minds, once bright with inspiration, turned foggy.

Their once light bodies felt heavy as if they were soaked in water, forcing the wizards to retreat into the mine.

But the wizards didn’t move thoughtlessly toward the mine. Given that the mine had limited entrances, it was a strategically calculated choice considering the geographical advantages.

At first, the situation flowed as the Pentagon wizards predicted. The narrow entrance significantly reduced the number of undead that could pass through at once, allowing a small number of wizards to sufficiently block them.

However, that situation didn’t last long. The sudden emergence of a higher undead. As Death Knights wearing enormous shields charged in, the wizards’ defensive line was breached.

The wizards of the Pentagon put up a fierce resistance, but it was in vain. As twenty Death Knights swung their swords, the heads of the wizards rolled across the floor.

Once all the wizards were dead, a dark skeleton emerged among the undead.

A lich. The ultimate form one can attain when a corrupted dark mage loses their humanity and escapes death.

Covered in blood, the lich wore a crimson-red robe and ignited its obsidian-like eyes as it spoke.

[Proceed with the ritual.]

At the lich’s command, numerous undead began to move systematically. They traced runes on the floor with the blood of fallen young wizards. These were not the runes used by ordinary wizards but ancient characters used by the demons of Grimshade Kingdom.

Countless skeletons shattered, forming a massive bone altar.

[Bring it forth.]

As the lich’s hand gestured back, the narrow entrance of the mine collapsed, and a colossal bone surged upward. The massive skull that had retained its shape despite the passage of time was the skull of a dragon.

Hundreds of skeletons transported the dragon’s skull, placing it atop the altar drawn with blood.

All minimal preparations had been completed. The lich looked at the prepared altar and the dragon’s skull resting on it, withdrawing a grim magic book.

Flap-flap—

The pages of the magic book rapidly turned, and dark energy surged forth. Simultaneously, the lich began to chant.

[Bogare bja mmele ke lerapo la drakone.]

The core is the bone of a transcendent being, filling the void with young blood containing mana and countless deaths.

With the lich’s incantation, the twenty Death Knights collapsed. The souls of the fallen knights merged as they melted into the altar.

[Seo se etelelago ke tletšeg.]

As the lich continued the incantation, changes began to occur in the dragon’s skull. The fibula, tibia, and skull melted as they formed the upper body. The parietal bone became wings, the temporal bone became arms, and the occipital bone turned into the waist and spine, while the teeth and mandible became the lower limbs.

Thus, what was completed was a massive demon made of white bones.

A white demon wrapped in black flames.

The lich looked up at it and thought. The ritual was complete. Now, all that remained was to chant the most important name to summon the demon it served to this place.

At that moment, the lich gazed up at the ceiling of the mine. More precisely, it observed a being that had suddenly appeared beyond the mine.

[All of you, out!]

The ritual must not stop. Through much effort, it had nurtured the body of its master. If it disappointed its master, its soul would wander the Grimshade Kingdom, tasting endless pain for eternity.

Once the lich’s command ended, a massive number of undead guarding the altar surged out of the mine.

*

“Looks like this is it.”

I halted the airship and opened my mouth while looking down. As I could clearly see the support request area of the wizards from the Pentagon, a tremendous number of undead were roaming near the gigantic mine.

I frowned upon witnessing that scene. The movements of the undead were chaotic. This suggested that the dark mage controlling the army was absent, or their mind was elsewhere.

“I don’t see any of the Pentagon wizards.”

“It doesn’t seem like they’re fighting…”

Just as Rain said, the Pentagon wizards who had called for support were nowhere in sight. The mine was eerily silent, as if all battles had already concluded.

“Could it be too late…?”

“Hmm…”

Instead of replying, I drew my sword. Regardless, I couldn’t just walk past this now that I faced undead. I needed to dispatch them as quickly as possible and find the dark mage lurking nearby.

If possible, I would also like to locate the Pentagon wizards.

That was the moment I raised my mana while surveying below. Just as bright blue eyes swiftly passed over the mine, an unexplainable chill ran down my spine.

“What is…?”

“Why? Did you find something?”

Ignoring Rain’s question, I refocused my gaze. Toward a towering mountain, inward. As if plunging into deep water, the dragon’s supernatural senses activated, starting to perceive everything within.

A vast empty cavern and a surging flow of mana above it. Red blood and a large magic circle. An altar draped with corpses of immense scale.

At that moment, something with black, blazing eyes locked gazes with me. Just as I perceived it, it also recognized me.

Unlike regular skeletons, this one had bone discoloration and was gripping a large magic book in its hands.

In that instant, the creature holding the magic book opened its mouth. As its large teeth clicked together, a name was formed.

[Diabolo yo Mošweu Scathia]

The White Demon Skasha

It was at that moment that countless undead wandering around the mine collapsed like marionettes with severed strings.

Suddenly, I realized I was biting my lip. Not only that, cold sweat streamed down my forehead and back.

Something with a colossal presence had descended upon this land.