LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 137
“Have you finally recalled it? Yes. That’s right. Though we’ve faced each other a few times, you had no idea I came from Earth.”
Of course, I had never told him, so how could I have expected him to guess it?
“After returning to Earth due to an inexplicable force, I realized you were still there and convinced myself that someday we would meet again.”
“…So, what are you going to do about it?”
“I will teach you. Who the true Lord of Death is.”
With that, the leader of Hades, Heimbel, raised his staff and struck the ground, infusing it with immense death energy.
Boom.
Whoosh.
Rustle!
“He’s trying to proceed with the Resurrection Ceremony!”
“Let me try to stop him.”
Beatrice stepped forward quickly, using her unique telekinesis to generate strong gravity in front of the Boss Room.
Crack!
Crack!
As cracks began to form in the walls and floor, Heimbel remained calm. He seemed confident that such feeble attempts wouldn’t stop the ritual.
Moreover,
“Sorry, but I’ll need you to entertain me for a bit, sister.”
Zing!
Crash!
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Beatrice hurriedly took a defensive stance.
“…Fabio? Why are you here?”
“Can’t you tell? I’m assisting over there right now!”
With alarming power, it seemed that Beatrice wouldn’t be able to finish this quickly either.
In other words, it meant that the remaining five members needed to join forces to confront Heimbel and prevent the resurrection ceremony.
‘…Well, technically it’ll only be four minus me.’
Henesia, Astrid, Seo Min Ah, and Chae Hwa In were all there.
Among them, Chae Hwa In couldn’t receive death energy from me, making a protracted battle impossible.
No matter what, we had to settle this quickly.
“It’s quite a rare sight to see the commander of the Immortal Legion hiding behind mere girls.”
“……”
While that comment slightly annoyed me, excitement was off the table.
After all, it was just the words of a nobody who wouldn’t last a moment if he regained his power.
Seeing my unexpected reaction, Heimbel clicked his tongue and spread the death energy around him.
“Come forth, Gregor, Kalita, Tuhumvirgen.”
Crack!
Whoosh!
Simultaneously summoning without any delay, and all three were high-ranking undead.
Had he been grinding his teeth all this time? Surprisingly, he possessed quite solid skills as a summoner.
‘…The only one who could reach this level from the haystack was that dean guy.’
I clicked my tongue and hurriedly scanned both sides for their strengths.
His undead were pretty strong, but given time, we could win.
However, the question remained: how long would that time last?
“I’ll tell you in advance, but the ceremony can no longer be stopped.”
“…You’ll find out when you try it yourself.”
With a sharp retort, Astrid drew the sacred sword Ulferia and unleashed countless strikes.
Slash!
Zing!
Crash!
In an instant, the Boss Room was ravaged, but Heimbel barely protected himself thanks to the three undead. He then let out a laugh, as if he found it amusing.
“Indeed, it wasn’t a mistake. Is this not the noble Astrid? I hope you’ve been well.”
“…I don’t remember someone like you.”
“Well, that’s understandable. It doesn’t matter. You too will soon be nothing more than a mere girl in front of that one.”
What astounding confidence.
Honestly, I was now curious about the source of that confidence.
‘That guy isn’t as weak as I thought…?’
To be fair, he wouldn’t have even been a toenail compared to me at my peak, but he clearly had reached the realm of a seasoned necromancer.
Given how loyal Heimbel seemed, if Gideon were to resurrect, engaging him with this current power might prove difficult.
“Y-you don’t have to engage. Just focus on disrupting the ritual.”
“…Okay. Teacher.”
“I’ll handle the resurrection ceremony.”
The two of them began pressing Heimbel as if showcasing their usual synergy, while Seo Min Ah activated various skills, seemingly confirming that her previous words were not just hot air.
“The cards in front of us have low priority. Hwa In, can you split the ceiling?”
“…Sword of Opening.”
Zing!
Crash!
From the fissure in the split ceiling, a massive magic stone inscribed with countless spells revealed itself.
Heimbel immediately stiffened, clicking his tongue.
“To notice so quickly is impressive. I used the method that was left by that one…”
Yet, in that moment, Heimbel did not show signs of defeat.
The reason soon became apparent to everyone in the party.
Whoosh.
Swish.
“I’m sure I destroyed everything…”
“The ritual hasn’t stopped.”
The spell components in front of us weren’t mere illusions. Each one was an integral part of the ceremony.
‘And yet, if it’s ineffective….’
Noticing the secret, I frowned and pointed a finger at Heimbel.
“You used your own self as the altar for the ritual, didn’t you?”
“…Correct. That’s why I told you, the ritual can no longer be stopped.”
He intended from the very beginning to sacrifice his own life.
Thus, it didn’t matter if the members of Hades struggled or were outmatched in strength.
‘…This guy is absolutely insane!’
Seeing my flabbergasted expression, Heimbel accelerated the ritual, nearing its final phase.
“I had no lingering attachments to this world. However, the necromancy I learned over there was different. It was my everything and, indeed, the only value left.”
“……”
Honestly, it was a tedious routine I had heard far too many times, so I expected the following words.
“However, after encountering you, all my values faded. Unless I atone for that day’s humiliation, I certainly won’t feel alive.”
“……”
No, at the end of the day, it’s not even really his own power.
Heimbel read my gaze and laughed as if he anticipated it.
“It matters not. I’ll watch as you confront your limits and crumble from the afterlife.”
Whoosh!
As Heimbel’s body was inscribed with glowing spells, he collapsed as if his soul had been drained.
And thus, the ritual was completed.
“Oh, this is a problem…”
No matter how I looked at it, I hadn’t expected him to resort to such measures.
After all, this was not a choice anyone from his line of work would ever make.
But he had already let go of all his attachments to his own capabilities.
He had felt a massive wall that he sensed from me.
‘…Being too competent is also an issue.’
The ritual was complete.
Soon, the legendary necromancer, Gideon, would resurrect and descend here.
In this complicated situation, Beatrice, having subdued Fabio, suggested an idea.
“How about we ambush him with all our power when he resurrects?”
That certainly wasn’t a foolish plan.
The firepower of those gathered here could wipe out even impressive foes almost effortlessly.
It had a sufficient chance of working on him as well.
In response, Henesia added a suggestion.
“I’ll record the spell formations for each individual for teleportation in advance. If the first attack fails, we can immediately move to another location.”
“…Alright. Let’s do it.”
It may be a touch underhanded, but frankly, I didn’t care.
With me unable to use any power, this wasn’t the time to worry about the means.
“…It’s coming soon.”
Swish.
Powerful death energy raged within the Boss Room, and a massive magic circle formed around the corpse of Heimbel.
Simultaneously, the blood and flesh of all the monsters gathered as offerings began to consolidate into a particular shape.
Crack!
Bang!
Boom!
As they raised their powers and prepared their strikes, the moment the revealed form made even the slightest movement, all their strength surged toward it like a bomb detonating.
“Sword of Sorrow.”
“Arcana, Hanged Man.”
“Mind Crash!”
Bang!
Boom!
Attacks were launched with enough force to almost shatter the dungeon. Yet, oddly, the impact seemed lesser than expected. Something had absorbed the shock.
‘Did he realize it and counter immediately upon resurrection?’
I didn’t know if it was intentional or instinctual, but the ability was beyond what I imagined.
Realizing their attack had failed, Henesia tensed up, preparing to activate the teleportation spell, as everyone’s gaze met the human form that had fully appeared.
And that form quietly spoke, finally revealing its voice after being resurrected.
“…It was not you who summoned me.”
So calm was his tone. He spoke as if those present here posed no threat to him at all.
What soon emerged was a young man with ash-gray hair and striking violet eyes.
However, that was merely the exterior; all who saw him recognized that something entirely different was concealed within.
He was the resurrected legendary necromancer, Gideon.