Chapter 24: 24 CHAPTER XXIII: The Ghost

That's impossible. Holos Kamen was destroyed by the Sentry.

It had done everything in its power, even created an evil dragon to resist, and then simply vanished into the light.

But the figure floating in the air was indeed Holos Kamen. The entire figure was pale, with a faintly glowing outline, but everything about it, from the staff that had been broken and burned by the holy power to the robe that had disappeared with the body, was the same Horos as before.

However, his presence was incredibly faint to those who knew him in life.

In the first place, he never floated in the air in life.

The Lord crossed his arms and said in a pompous manner. The voice was not a real sound, but I could hear it clearly.

"I didn't expect my body to die ......, but the piece of my soul that I had planted there came in handy .......

"............

I'm dying. He regained his composure and grabbed his machete tightly to check his current situation.

This is Lord's final preparation. When he was fighting Senri, Lord was definitely at his best.

I don't know if it's his soul or if he's come back as a spirit, but the current Lord is just a residue.

How cautious a necromancer can be. He's a fearsome magician who can fool even the most experienced Senri and the Knights of the End.

Can you win ......?　The question is, do you have any privileges left against me? If there are, I'll--

No, you will win.

I make up my mind as I calmly watch the road.

Otherwise, why did you use the Order of the Fallen to destroy Lord?

You didn't do it yourself, but you managed to get around it. I suppose you want me to finish the job myself.

Fine, I'll do it.

I open my eyes and look up at the road. All I can think about is what Senri said earlier about the King of the Dead.

What Lord has said and done so far. He called me a vessel for the King of the Dead. Yes, a vessel!　

Even a fool can see that. If Senri's right, then Lord's purpose is...

"Lord ......, are you safe?

"The end, my last soul, was planted in you. The ritual required it. You're lucky you survived.

You planted ...... in me. And you're still alive.

Lord's words didn't seem to indicate he doubted me. Apparently he hadn't heard the conversation between me and Senri.

Maybe he was sleeping until night, until his power grew. Then there's still a chance.

"Wait a minute ......, then why did you want to use me to fight the Knights of the End?　You don't want me to die, do you?

"What?　It seems you've got the wrong idea. I have no intention of using you, the vessel of the King of the Dead, in battle.

"............

That's ...... unexpected.

It is true that the Lord never gave me such an order, if you recall. The last instruction he gave me was to come back to the hall, and maybe he was going to give me some kind of order to hide me after that.

But no matter. Either way, it doesn't change my decision.

The Lord will die this time.

"The ritual shall be performed. The birth of the King of the Dead. ...... Hmmm. ...... Concerns remain, not the original plan, but unavoidable. ...... My life is now like a residue. Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

Lord, here we are, still smiling fearlessly. I caught my breath. I'll probably only get one chance.

Floating majestically in the night, the Lord arrogantly commands.

"End, your body is a masterpiece. My soul is the final key. ...... When my longing is fulfilled, you will be a king over all that glitters. End, do not resist. Stop moving.

By the Lord's command, I will stop moving.

Holos Kamen moves slowly. I've never seen a wraith before because he didn't use spirit-based undead, but if the books are right, it looks something like this.

Horos descends close to me, glowing with a pale light. I wonder what will happen to me the moment he touches me.

It's scary. But I wasn't frightened. My hands weren't shaking.

That moment-- it would never come.

Horus comes within a meter of me. Getting in range.

I put my hand on the machete. He's not paying attention to me. It'll be easy.

Then I put all my strength, all my experience, and my whole body into the machete and snapped its neck.

"?

There was no resistance. There was no resistance at all. He spun around and stepped on the machete with too much force.

The machete did indeed pierce Lord's neck. But Lord is still there. The neck I'm sure I severed is still connected, and Lord is rubbing it with a look of disapproval.

"Hmm. ...... power too weak. I'm sure you're not the only one who's had it.

My blow is powerful. The damage from the silver arrow has already healed.

The damage from the silver arrow has already healed. No hesitation.

He swings the machete at the unconcerned Lord in rapid succession without taking a breath. Lord doesn't even resist.

Kesa-kake, Gyakesa, Karatake split. Lethal blows from every direction. But all of them are without resistance.

It's as if he's attacking something that doesn't exist. The attack causes Lord's body to scatter for a moment, but it quickly returns to normal.

"Futile. It's useless, End. You're smart. You're ballsy, you're cautious, but you lack ...... knowledge. Attacking me now will not ...... work.

The Lord's voice did not stop as it splattered across his face. There was no itch on his face.

He's smart. He's got guts. He's cautious. Lacking in knowledge.

The Lord has hit the nail on the head. I step in hard and attack the Lord unhesitatingly. I don't need to breathe, I'm not fatigued, and my attacks are almost seamless.

I knew the attack would not work on the first hit. The reason I'm attacking in rapid succession is to buy a little time to think.

My knowledge of the undead is certainly limited, but I have seen the undead atlas.

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Undead with high resistance to physical attacks. Wraiths. A being that has no body, but only a soul that can harm others. The current Lord is probably close to that, as I first thought at .......

I didn't expect physical attacks to be this ineffective, but the game isn't over yet.

Let me dig up my memory.

Wraiths have strong resistance, but their lack of physical form makes them much more vulnerable to positive energy than other undead, and they are also vulnerable to magical attacks.

The reason why the Lord used flesh and bone against the Knights of the End but not souls is because they would not have been a difficult opponent for the Knights of the End.

But I can't use magic, and I can't use positive energy.

Ask Senri for help?　Impossible. It's a long way to the city, and there's a first-class knight there. It's a suicide mission.

Your bones creak and your flesh cries out in pain as you unleash your full power. But no matter. I'm not fatigued, and my regenerative abilities can keep up with this level.

Stepping back a little, I dissipate the load that will try to dominate me even after death.

"Stop your futile resistance, End. That's what you were created for.

You're a selfish man to the end. I still don't understand you, Lord.

He didn't get it when he gave the order. If he uses words like "vessel," I'll probably lose consciousness. Thinking about it, maybe the reason why Lord didn't let me gain knowledge was because he didn't need to.

I am the vessel, not the content.

What I needed was a sturdy vessel full of talent, and Lord was going to take care of the inside.

Maybe my instincts were telling me what Lord was up to, the truth about the King of the Dead.

There was a clue. The Lord didn't care about my intentions.

But I couldn't lose. I could feel my survival instincts flaring. There's no fear. There's-- there's anger.

Killing. Absolutely, completely, utterly, kill. I will kill the one thing even a second-rate knight could not defeat.

Horus Karmen, your longing ends here and now. You will be killed by a vessel.

In the storm of slashes, the Lord moves forward, though he is cut to pieces.

Apparently my attack can't physically buy me even a moment of time. I wonder if the reason the Lord hasn't jumped in yet is because his inquisitive mind as a necromancer has chosen to observe me.

"You've gone mad with fear. ...... Oh well. What you need is a vessel that shows an uncommon aptitude for the power of death. I am the mightiest, the King of the Dead.

Cut out my eyes, cut out my nose, and Lord knows who I am. Cut his throat and his voice still comes to me. I cut everywhere, but Lord doesn't seem to be in a hurry.

The strongest. The very best. Cunning, irreverent, a dark sorcerer who has no place in this world. He deserved to be killed by Senri.

But I didn't just attack him without thinking. Of course I wasn't crazy.

--I was good at thinking. Thinking and enduring pain were the only things I was allowed to do before I died, when I was bedridden.

Finally, bored with observing, Lord descends quickly. The moon shines on its pale features.

I leap sideways to avoid it and drop the machete I've been swinging. The lord opens his eyes.

"Holos Kamen. Your weakness is your lack of vision.

What?

That's why I tricked you. That's why you didn't know Lu had made a deal with me. That's why I lost to Senri.

He's the only one in Holos Kamen's world.

Don't you know where we are?　Did you think I was just going to stand back without thinking?

A large stone with Lou's name carved into it. The ground once dug up and hardened.

This-- this is the tomb of your slave.

Surely I have no use for positive energy. Nor can I use magic.

But there is an undead weakness here.

He grasps the silver arrow from body to arrowhead that he pierced as a cross and pulls it out. The palm of his hand, which had finally healed, was once again in terrible pain, and the sound of something melting echoed in the night.

The silver weapon is a weakness of the undead in general, even against evil spirits. And even though it's not enough to kill me, it's very effective against non-corporeal wraiths.

I think he knows what's in my hand. The Lord's eyes widen and he darts towards me with wind-like speed.

But it's too late.

It's quite fast, but the old me wouldn't have had time to do anything about it, but as a ghoul, it's not much of an obstacle.

A silver arrow pierced the Lord's brow as he dove headfirst into the air.

The Lord's scream, which he hadn't let out even when Senri attacked him, echoed through the night.

I'm not sure what to say.

"Did you think I'd say that?

What?

Nothing had changed in Lord. He hadn't disappeared, hadn't shown a hint of itch.

With a demonic arrow halfway between his eyes, the Lord said with some pity in his voice.

His bony fingertips approach. Those murky, jet-black eyes peer at me. There's nothing I can do to stop it.

"So you have no knowledge of magic. I'm not just a wraith. Its roots are embedded in you. I'm immortal unless it's destroyed. Wraiths' resistance to physics is not perfect. You should have known that when you couldn't affect them with your Blood Ruler.

"......

Pathetic. But rest assured. Your vessel will be the most powerful King of the Dead.

"...... Die.

Horos frowns at the murderous words, as if he's heard a lame joke.

"You're dead. You're dead, and so am I.

I didn't think Holos Kamen had a sense of humor.

The spirit of Hrolos overlaps my body.

My vision flickers, and something jet-black, like a muddy stream, flows into my consciousness.

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