Chapter 175 – The Death Knight (2)

From Unjin Port, where we had planned to board a ship, to Hamdeok Beach, where the Death Knights had landed, was about 50 kilometers. 

For being on the same island of Jeju, the distance was quite far. From the southwestern tip to the northern tip, it couldn’t be short, but compared to other regions we had traveled through, it wasn’t that far. We had traversed the entire Korean peninsula, crossed the ocean to America, and even crossed New York, so 50 kilometers didn’t feel like much.

Moreover, Jeju Island still had drivable roads. A military vehicle that had dropped off the general at the port guided us, and we followed it in the van we had taken to the port.

“The last contact from the beach was 30 minutes ago, so by the time we arrive, they’ll probably have entered the town.”

The van and military vehicle we were in were speeding at more than double the legal limit. In normal times, this would have resulted in an immediate license suspension, but now there was no one to issue tickets or any cars to crash into.

Even at this speed, it would take about an hour to arrive. An hour and a half after landing, it was unlikely that the undead would still be lingering on the beach.

“Is everyone going to be okay?”

“Well, the cable broadcast seems to be working, so people might have evacuated after hearing the broadcast…”

I tried to reassure Yerim, who was worried, but it seemed unlikely that people had managed to escape unscathed. The soldiers guarding Hamdeok Beach had been wiped out, so other undead must have landed safely as well.

The problem was the other beaches. The Death Knights might have headed straight to Jeju City, or they could have gone around the beaches killing other soldiers. If that happened, the entire defensive line along the coast would collapse.

‘But the bigger question is whether the Death Knights who came to Jeju are the only ones.’

If more Death Knights had landed on other beaches, the damage would be unimaginable. In fact, I couldn’t understand how the Demon King had brought Death Knights from Ea. It wasn’t the undead former heroes we had seen in Pyongyang. If it were them, things wouldn’t have ended like this. Jeju City would already be burning.

If it wasn’t them, then who were these Death Knights? Still, if they were others, their numbers wouldn’t be large. Believing that, I reactivated my mana detection and continued to monitor the north.

Fortunately, so far, only two Death Knights had been detected.

Forty minutes later, we arrived at Hamdeok Village in northern Jeju. A little further and we would reach our destination, Hamdeok Beach, but we stopped the car before entering the village. As expected, the Death Knights weren’t at the beach.

“There’s a strong presence 200 meters ahead, and another at 10 o’clock.”

Our party now had a member with stronger detection abilities than me, and she accurately pinpointed the Death Knights’ locations. As Irene had said, they were now inside the village.

Beep. Beep.

The military vehicle in front honked and stopped, and we quickly got out of the car.

“Stay at the port. We’ll come find you after we’re done.”

“Alright. Everyone, be careful.”

The sailor who had driven us here before we could board the ship quickly drove the van south at my words. The military vehicle driver also signaled and followed the van. It wasn’t typical military behavior, but compared to the general left at the port, he was several times more commendable.

Perhaps hearing the sound of the cars moving, I felt the enemies approaching through mana detection. The mages also noticed the Death Knights approaching, and Zahina asked me,

“Should we split the party?”

I shook my head.

“No. We need to confirm the enemy, so form a formation and take them on one by one.”

Death Knights weren’t to be taken lightly. They were knights who had died and become undead, possessing mana, making them stronger than skeletons or ghouls. The only comparable enemies would be liches transformed from mages.

However, what worried me wasn’t that they were knights in life. Of course, being knights was part of the problem, but the difference in skill among knights was vast. From apprentices who could barely manipulate mana to sword masters who could move empires—they were all knights.

The Death Knights resurrected by necromancy were no different. From slightly stronger Death Knights to the Death Knights who were once heroes and the Black Knights who rode dead dragons. The Death Knights inherited their skills from life, each possessing vastly different powers.

The necromantic energy I felt wasn’t that strong, but you never know. My bad luck had fooled me more than once, so I had to be as cautious as possible.

Forming a formation to protect Irene, Yelena’s disciple, we soon encountered the Death Knight. Fortunately, the knight’s necromantic energy felt no stronger than what I had sensed. It was an undead I could handle alone.

But once again, luck betrayed me. The Death Knight that appeared was an ordinary knight, but the problem was that I knew this knight. His face was decayed, making it hard to recognize him, but his armor and the sword he carried told me who he was. He was a knight I had fought alongside in the expeditionary force, one of the vanguard who had crossed over to Earth.

I had seen him alive before leaving for the Great War. ‘Could something have happened in the Great War?’

As I frowned in worry, a shout came from behind.

“Snap out of it!”

It was Yelena’s voice. Before I knew it, a rusted sword was descending toward me. I was a bit late to block it, but I didn’t need to dodge.

Clang!

Yelena’s shield blocked the sword. The sword bounced off the shield, and the Death Knight immediately stepped back and took a stance. Necromantic energy surged toward the sword, enough to cut through the shield. As expected of a skilled expeditionary knight.

When he was alive, we had fought side by side, breaking through undead forces multiple times. Even as a Death Knight, his skills remained intact. When we sparred, it was hard to determine who was stronger, but now I could see many weaknesses in him.

It wasn’t that he had weakened as a Death Knight, but he seemed much weaker now. I stepped out of the shield and approached the Death Knight.

Whoosh.

The sword, filled with necromantic energy, began to move. It quickly closed the distance toward me. Before coming to Earth, I would have had to block or dodge such a strike, and not long ago, I would have cut it down with a sword beam.

But now, I didn’t need to do that. Strangely, I could see the path. I knew how to deal with it. Instead of swinging my sword, I took another step forward. The swung sword only cut through the air where I had been.

I raised my empty hand and grabbed the wrist holding the sword.

Crack.

The sword stopped. The hand gripping the dead knight’s wrist turned black. The necromantic energy the Death Knight possessed was trying to invade my body.

Tap. Tap.

But not a single trace of necromantic energy could penetrate my body. Instead, my mana pushed it back. The Death Knight trembled.

I raised my sword and thrust it into the head of my former comrade, who was opening his mouth before me. The sword wasn’t filled with a sword beam but with a small amount of mana, glowing faintly.

The sword pierced through the black helmet and the decayed eyes.

Thud.

Like piercing through tofu, the sword went through the head without resistance.

Groan.

Even after piercing the head with a mana-filled sword, the undead still moved. As expected of a Death Knight. But it was too late.

I manipulated my mana, scrambling the undead’s brain. The necromantic energy was pushed out, and the knight’s brain shattered. The necromantic energy faded from the knight’s eyes.

Thud.

The sword fell from the hand I was holding. The Death Knight collapsed to the ground. My former comrade could finally rest in peace.

I looked at the fallen comrade, then at the sword I had drawn. The sword glowed faintly with mana. It had glowed like this before, but it was different now. Earlier, and even now, I hadn’t thought to infuse the sword with mana. I had simply swung the sword to defeat the enemy. The mana had naturally flowed into the sword.

Amusingly, the situation felt like the “Divine Sword Unity” from martial arts novels. Of course, the reason was different.

As I examined the sword, exclamations of admiration came from behind.

“Have you grown stronger again?”

“Wow, wow, I couldn’t even see how you fought. It was like a blur, and then it was over.”

It was Hoffman and Yerim. The two mages also seemed surprised.

“Could it be… that was…”

Unlike the other party members, the two mages seemed to have noticed how I had changed. As I looked at the sword, I then examined my body. The mana circuits had thickened, and mana was flowing vigorously. Finally, the misaligned senses had settled into place.

I had broken through the wall. Now I understood how Count Sponheim, the Sword Master, had defeated the undead monstrosity. Now I could do the same.

I infused the sword with mana.

Whoosh.

Unlike before, when I had to force it, the mana flowed naturally. The mana flowing into the sword grew longer.

1 meter, 2 meters, 5 meters.

The sword beam grew longer, but the mana didn’t waver, and the mana circuits didn’t burn. It felt like I could extend it further and use the sword beam indefinitely. Of course, that was impossible.

But it was enough to defeat the enemy rushing toward me. In the distance, another Death Knight, late to the scene, appeared. This one was incredibly fast, perhaps a skilled runner.

20 meters, 10 meters.

Though there was still distance, I swung my sword at the approaching knight.

Swish.

The sword beam severed the knight’s head. Being a Death Knight, the body kept running even after the head flew off, but the body was also shattered by the sword beam. The head floating in the air met the same fate.

Pieces of debris scattered. It was clearly an excessive response, but it didn’t matter. My mana hadn’t decreased much.

The sword beam covering the sword still shone brightly, and the mana in my circuits flowed vigorously. After cutting down the Death Knights, I was certain.

I could now fight on equal footing with Count Sponheim. I had finally reached the level of a Sword Master.