Chapter 1059: The Shadow of the Death World"Death World."
The Age of Catastrophe.
A land that was particularly horrific, even within a world turned to ash.
The domain of the Death King, where only death existed, was a place that mocked the living by its very presence.
"During the Age of Catastrophe, you had to cremate every single body as soon as a battle ended," Leo explained.
"Why?" Ar tilted his head in confusion, prompting a sigh from Leo.
"Because the Death Legion took every corpse that wasn't burned."
Ar and Chelsea shuddered at his words.
"And on this very land, they were reanimated as the undead."
During that era, defeat in battle didn't just mean death; it meant you would likely face your fallen comrades as enemies in the next skirmish.
'The despair of defeat multiplies when that happens,' Leo thought.
The living harbor a primal fear of the dead. That fear is doubled when the dead person is someone you once fought alongside. That was how the Death King preyed on the human spirit—by ensuring they couldn't even dream of hope.
Ar and Chelsea looked out at the beautiful scenery of the City of Water. It was hard to believe that one of the world's most scenic locations had once been such a gruesome site.
"Black Rabbit... did you ever have to face a close friend who had become an undead?" Ar asked tentatively.
"I never did."
Leo had lived on the battlefield for ages and seen many defeats. However, when he lost people dear to him, the system where the Legions of Tartarus sent corpses to the Death World to be reanimated hadn't been fully established yet. Thus, he never faced a true confidant as an enemy.
But...
'There were those I was acquainted with.'
It was an era where you needed allies even if you weren't close friends. To fight Tartarus—that alone was enough reason to trust someone. He had witnessed countless such comrades return as the hollow dead.
At the time, Leo felt little emotion while striking them down. He simply viewed it as a way to grant them salvation. His emotions had already been burned away, leaving nothing but empty ash, so there was no room for the luxury of despair. However, the emptiness that followed the battles was always profound.
Leo chose not to share those darker details with Ar and Chelsea.
"Arion was the one who contributed the most to liberating this land."
Leo began to recount Arion's exploits in the Death World. How he stood at the vanguard, cutting down legions of the dead and purging the Death King's high-ranking lackeys—everyone except for Atkan, the Archduke of Funerals. Eventually, the Death King was forced to abandon the Death World due to the massive losses inflicted by Arion.
"As expected of Lord Arion!" Ar's eyes sparkled.
"It's a shame the Archduke of Funerals got away," Chelsea added regretfully.
That demon was still alive today, 5,000 years later. Looking at the two of them, who were engrossed in the old stories, Leo dropped a bombshell.
"The Archduke of Funerals may have regained his Authority."
"Huh?"
"Authority?"
Leo relayed what he had heard from Wareden. Ar and Chelsea's expressions instantly turned grave.
"Make sure to tell Driana as well."
"What about Lady Nishella?"
"I'll tell her myself."
Seeing their stiff faces, Leo let out a small laugh. "For now, just focus on the Coliseum, the Great Spirit of Wind, and getting stronger. You won't be fighting Atkan immediately."
"Right."
"I'll give it my all!"
As the two burned with renewed motivation, Leo drifted back into thought.
'When we liberated the Death World... we never did find all the bodies.'
They had purged the active undead, but the massive stockpiles of corpses the Death King had gathered were never located. They concluded at the time that they had been destroyed, but...
Leo thought of the nameless undead remains he had carefully cremated this morning. He had tried using Spirit Arts before the cremation, but he couldn't summon the soul, making it impossible to tell which era the body belonged to. However, if it was strong enough for Atkan to turn into a demon-soldier, it must have been a powerful individual in life. And that undead had been wandering the old Death World, free from Atkan's control.
'If we simply failed to find them back then...'
Corpses were the source of the Death King's power. If those countless bodies were still slumbering in this land...
'The Death King might be trying to reclaim his old domain.'
The King's Residence, Arhi Palace.
This was Leo's private quarters, a space strictly off-limits to most. Although a magical door connected it to his office, only a select few, including Leo, could use it. Even Cis usually entered through the main gate.
Click.
The sound of a door opening echoed through the silent, empty room. The door to the office opened, and a beautiful woman slipped inside. It was Elena.
Creeping in like a stray cat, Elena carefully closed the door behind her.
Latch.
The moment the door was shut, her cautious movements vanished. She tossed off her Arhi Palace uniform coat and shook out her neatly tied hair.
"Whew! So stifling!"
Unlike her academy days, dressing formally for administrative work was a struggle for her. Managing the affairs of a nation gave her a completely different aura, but right now, she looked exhausted.
"Lunch breaks are the best," she muttered like a tired office worker, walking toward the bed as if she owned the place.
Flump!
Face-planting onto the bed, Elena groaned, "How am I going to survive until clock-out time?"
Dreaming of the hour she'd be a free woman, she rolled onto her side. She stared at her own glossy hair scattered across the sheets and reached out, eventually grabbing a pillow and hugging it tight. She buried her face in it and took a deep breath.
A moment later, she pulled away, grumbling in a pouting voice. "I thought we'd spend the break together, but he just runs off somewhere else."
She knew it couldn't be helped, but she couldn't hide her disappointment.
"Loving a capable man has its downsides," Elena grumbled, rolling around the wide bed. "I'll just have to heal myself by basking in Leo-kun's scent."
"Just how exactly did you get into this room?"
A sighing voice drifted over. Elena sat up. Melina was standing there, pressing her fingers to her temples.
Elena replied nonchalantly, "I came through the door."
"That door isn't supposed to open for anyone without permission."
"Yes. So I forced it open."
Elena confessed to the break-in with total shamelessness. Melina stared at her, flabbergasted, and sighed.
"You realize this could cause a significant problem, don't you?"
"I do. But for the sake of 'preliminary research,' I had no choice."
"What 'preliminary research' are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on, you know," Elena giggled, covering her mouth.
Melina shook her head. "By the way, how did you get in, Lord Melina?"
"Because I was given permission to be here."
"Hmph?" Elena's expression soured slightly. "I'm Leo-kun's closest confidante too. Don't I deserve permission?"
"I'd sooner trust a stray cat with a fish."
"Does that mean you have no impure thoughts when you're alone with Leo-kun at night, Lord Melina?"
"I don't."
"Hmmmmmmm?"
"Narrowing your eyes at me won't change anything."
"It's unfair."
"Ask Leo-kun for permission yourself."
"He won't give it to me."
"Of course not. You're always making things difficult for him, Miss Elena," Melina said with a serene smile.
Elena pouted, but then she paused. "Leo-kun... gets flustered because of me?"
'If so, that means he's conscious of me!'
The thought immediately brightened her mood. Melina then led Elena back to the office, where Hark was waiting.
"Professor Mel. My lunch break is precious to me," Hark groaned.
"I'm sorry, Hark. Leo-kun specifically requested the two of you."
"Sigh. I can't even protest... The man is on a business trip and he's still working us to the bone."
"He is requesting this not as the King of Arhi, but as the Leader of the Hero Alliance, addressed to the successors of Zeon and Ligard."
At those words, their expressions sharpened.
"An investigation of the desert region surrounding the Water Country is required. Apparently, a powerful Authority of the Death Legion has resurfaced."
"An investigation... what a pain."
"Hark, he said you should get plenty of sleep in preparation for any emergencies."
"Long live the Alliance Leader!" Hark shouted, then promptly collapsed sideways and fell fast asleep.
"Miss Elena, please lead the Knights of Ligard and the Mages of Zeon. The Arhi Kingdom will deploy the Royal Guard and the newly formed Magic Division."
"It sounds like something serious is happening."
"Leo-kun said it's just a precaution, but..." Melina let out a bitter sigh. "Since he's a man who practically attracts trouble..."
Elena nodded in agreement. "There's a high probability something will happen. Well, I'm used to it." She laughed lightly. "I was starting to think I needed a 'Hero' title anyway. I can't let the juniors leave me in the dust; it would be bad for my reputation."
"You're very reliable."
"But since this involves the Death King, are Zeon, Ligard, and Arhi enough?"
"Oh, don't worry about additional forces." Melina smiled brightly. "Lady Nishella and the Twilight Guild are already on-site."
"Oh! Big sister Nishella? That's great news." Elena looked pleased.
"Hmm? Big sister Nishella?"
Hark, who had been fast asleep, opened one eye. "I wonder if she finally found a husband?"
"Do you think she did?"
"No."
"Exactly."
Seeing the two of them snickering like mischievous brats, Melina thought to herself: 'So this is why Lady Nishella hates these two.'
The Water Coliseum was packed with a massive crowd, and the warriors on stage were in the heat of battle. The first round of the Coliseum was a chaotic free-for-all where participants fought everyone at once.
Nishella, invited to the VIP seating, scratched her ear and muttered, "Is someone talking about me?"
"You've certainly caused enough of a scene for people to talk," a voice replied.
"Shut it."
Nishella glared at her personal maid, Lucia. As the Head Maid of the Tursia family, Nishella's closest aide, and her personal bodyguard, Lucia was a powerful Spiritist who had served the family for generations.
Lucia sighed at her mistress's grumpy reaction and glanced down at the arena. The heat of the battle was intense, and at the center of it was Wareden.
"I thought you weren't interested in the arena," Lucia noted.
"Lucia."
"Yes."
"Wareden Tyden says I'm his first love."
"...Have you been day-drinking?"
"Do you want to die?"
Lucia blinked as her mistress glared at her.
"Do you remember the Dorian Incident six years ago?"
"Yes, of course. It was a historic moment."
"Do you remember me saving a little Spiritist kid back then?"
"No way... that kid was Wareden Tyden? Wow, what a strange twist of fate," Lucia marveled. "Well, with how you looked back then, it's only natural he'd fall for you at first sight."
Lucia nodded as if it all made sense. "Mistress."
"Yeah?"
"So... are you planning on going after a younger man? That's a crime."
"It is not! And why would it be a crime? What's wrong with my age?!"
Lucia gave her a look of pure pity. "Sniff. My poor Mistress. Your standards are so high you don't even know your place, and now you're targeting younger men... It breaks my heart to think you'll never find a life partner."
Nishella lunged at Lucia, who was fake-sobbing into a handkerchief.
Down in the arena, Wareden let out a small sigh as he sensed the commotion above.
"This is no time to be looking away!"
Before anyone knew it, only Wareden and Borman were left standing on the stage. Wareden looked at the tiger-beastman, who dwarfed him in size.
"Understood."
Wareden cracked his neck from side to side.
"Let's end this."
Rumble—!
Soul Power began to erupt violently from Wareden's body.
Google translation👇🏻
Death World.
The age of disaster.
A land that was particularly terrible in a world reduced to ashes.
The realm of the Death King, where only death existed, was a place that mocked the living in and of itself.
"In times of calamity, all the bodies had to be cremated at the end of the war."
"why?"
Leo sighed as Arga tilted his head.
"The Command Corps took all the corpses that weren't burned."
At Leo's words, Arwa and Chelsea flinched.
"And he brought me back to life as a dead man on this earth."
During the Age of Calamity, defeat in war meant that you would soon meet your comrades as enemies on the next battlefield.
'The despair that comes with defeat is multiplied several times.'
The living have a primal fear of the dead.
The fear is bound to be doubled if the deceased is a comrade who fought alongside you while you were alive.
In this way, the King of the Dead ate away at the hearts of the people.
So that I can't even dream of hope.
Arwa and Chelsea saw the beautiful scenery of the water city.
It was hard to believe that one of the most beautiful cities in the world had once been such a horrible place.
"Black Rabbit… have you ever met a close friend who has become dead?"
Arga asked cautiously.
"I wasn't there."
Leo has lived on the battlefield for a long time.
There were many battlefields where they were defeated.
However, when Leo lost someone precious to him on the battlefield, the Tartarus legions had not yet established a system to send corpses to the Death World and make them into the dead.
That's why Leo never met anyone he could open his heart to as a dead person.
but.
'There were people I knew.'
It was a time when you needed colleagues even if you didn't have to open your heart to them.
Fight Tartarus.
It was a time when you could trust just that one thing.
I have witnessed countless instances of such colleagues becoming dead.
Leo wasn't particularly impressed when he fought those who had become dead.
Rather, I thought that taking them down would save them.
At the time, Leo's emotions were completely consumed by anger and despair at having to fight his dead comrade, leaving only empty ashes.
However, the emptiness that comes after the battle is doubled.
Leo didn't bother telling Arwa and Chelsea that story.
"Aron was the one who contributed the most to liberating this land."
Leo told us about Aron's exploits in Death World.
He stood at the forefront, cutting down countless dead soldiers of the Command Corps, and subdued all of the Command King's confidants except for Grand Duke Artkan of Jangsong.
In the end, the Death King, who suffered great damage from Aron, had no choice but to abandon the Death World.
"As expected of Aron!"
Arga's eyes sparkled.
"It's a real shame we missed the Grand Duke of Jangsong."
Chelsea said with a pitying tone.
That demon is still alive even after 5000 years.
Leo said, looking at the two people who were absorbed in old stories.
"The Grand Duke of Jangsong may have regained his power."
"huh?"
"warrant?"
Leo told Warden the story he had heard.
Arwa and Chelsea's faces became serious when they heard that.
"Tell that to Driana too."
"To Nishella?"
"I will tell you separately."
Both people's faces hardened.
Leo chuckled as he watched Arwa and Chelsea in a serious mood.
"For now, just think about the Colosseum and the Wind Spirit. And getting stronger. You won't be fighting Artkan right away."
"huh."
"I'll try my best!"
Leo was lost in thought as he watched the two people burning with enthusiasm at his words.
'When we liberated the Death World... ...the body was never found.'
All the dead in the Death World were subdued, but the other corpses that had been gathered to the Death World were never found.
At the time, we concluded that everything had been disposed of, but… … .
Leo thought of the remains of the unknown deceased, carefully cremated this morning.
I tried using psychic powers before applying makeup, but I couldn't summon the spirit of the deceased, so I couldn't tell which era the deceased was from.
However, if Artkan was able to turn him into a demon with his power, he must have been a very strong person while alive.
Such a dead being was roaming the lands of the old Death World, free from Artkan's control.
'If, then, we hadn't found it… … .'
The corpse is the power of the King of Death.
If so many corpses still lie dormant in this land.
'The Command King may try to reclaim his old territory.'
***
The king's residence in the Arhi Palace.
This is a private space, as it is Leo's residence.
It is connected to Leo's office by a magical door, but only a few people, including Leo, can use it.
Even the Sith visits using the main gate.
Click-
The sound of the door opening echoed through the quiet room where the owner was away.
The door to the office opened and a beautiful woman entered the room.
It was Elena.
Elena crept into the room like a burglar cat and soon carefully closed the door.
Click.
As soon as the door closed, Elena, who had been moving quietly just moments before, threw off the royal coat of the Arhi Palace and let down her neatly tied hair.
"Whoa! This is so frustrating!"
Unlike her student days, dressing neatly and going to work was quite difficult for her.
Moreover, the atmosphere was different because I was working on the administration of a country.
"Lunchtime is the best."
Elena walks to her room as if it were her own, speaking like an office worker.
So, where she headed was the bed.
Full stone-!
Elena, who had collapsed on the bed, muttered in a dull voice.
"How do I survive until the end of work?"
Elena lay on her side, counting the days until she could be free.
Elena reached out, looking at her shiny hair scattered on the bed sheets.
Elena, who had been struggling for a moment, soon grabbed the pillow and hugged it to her.
And then he buried his face and took a deep breath.
After a while, he pulled his face away and grumbled in a slightly hoarse voice.
"I thought we were going to spend time together during the vacation, but you ended up going somewhere else."
Even though I knew there was nothing I could do, I couldn't hide my disappointment.
"If you like a capable man, this is what's bad about him."
Elena rolled around on the wide bed and grumbled.
"I should heal myself by enjoying Leo's scent."
"How on earth did you get into this room?"
Then a sighing voice was heard.
Elena sat up in bed.
When I turned my gaze, Melina was standing there, pressing her temples together.
Elena answered calmly at that sight.
"I came in through the door."
"That door can't be opened unless you're authorized to do so?"
"Yes. So I forced it open and came in."
Elena shamelessly confesses to the forced intrusion.
Melina looked at Elena as if she found that ridiculous and sighed.
"You know this could be a huge problem, right?"
"Yes. But I had no choice but to conduct a preliminary investigation."
"What kind of preliminary research are you doing?"
"Hey, you know."
Melena shook her head as she watched Elena cover her mouth and chuckle.
"But how did you get in, Lord?"
"Because I was allowed to come here."
"Huh?"
Elena looked slightly dissatisfied.
"I am also Leo's closest confidant. Shouldn't I be allowed to do so?"
"It would be better to leave the fish to the thieving cat."
"Does that mean that Lord, even if you and Leo are alone at night, you don't think about anything?"
"yes."
"Huhhhhhhhhh?"
"It's no use looking at me with such suspicion."
"It's unfair."
"You can ask Leo for permission directly."
"I don't allow it."
"Of course. Miss Elena always causes Leo trouble."
Melina said with a big smile.
Elena, who had been pouting at those words, stopped.
"Leo is having trouble because of me?"
'So that means you're aware of me?'
At that thought, Elena felt her mood improve.
Melina took Elena back to Leo's office.
Hark was in the office.
"Professor Mel, lunch time is a very precious time for me."
"I'm sorry, Hark. I nominated two people for Leo."
"Haa. I really can't just force you to do anything… Even when you go on a business trip, you still order people around."
"As the leader of the Hero League, not the king of the Arhi Kingdom, I am making a request to the successors of Jerion and Rigaard."
At those words, the expressions on both their faces changed.
"They say we need to investigate the desert area surrounding the Water Kingdom. They say the powerful power of the Command Legion has been resurrected."
"Investigation… It's really annoying."
"Hark told me to get enough sleep just in case something happens."
"Long live the leader!"
Haruk, who had shouted like that, fell sideways with a thud and passed out.
"Miss Elena. Please lead the knights of Leagueard and the wizards of Zeron. The Royal Guard and the newly formed Magic Division of the Arhi Kingdom will be dispatched."
"Something unusual seems to be happening."
"Leo said it was to prepare for an emergency, but...."
Melina sighed bitterly.
"Because he's someone who causes a lot of accidents...."
Elena nodded at those words.
"There's a high chance something will happen. Well, I'm used to it."
Elena burst into laughter calmly.
"I think I might need the title of hero. I'm falling behind my juniors and it's embarrassing."
"It's very trustworthy."
"But this is related to the Lord of the Dead. Will Jerion, Rigaard, and Arhiman be okay?"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that extra power."
Melina smiled faintly.
"I heard that Miss Nishella and the Twilight Guild are also local."
"Oh my, Sister Nicella. That's great."
Elena looked delighted.
"Hmm? Sister Nishella?"
At that moment, Haruk, who had fallen asleep, opened one eye.
"Have you found a groom, Sister?"
"Do you think you found it?"
"no."
"Right?"
Melina muttered to herself as she watched the two giggling like mischievous children, wondering why they seemed to be on the same page.
'That's why Miss Nicella hates these two.'
***
In the water colosseum, where countless people gathered, a fierce battle between the fighters on stage was in full swing.
The first match in the Colosseum involves multiple participants entering the arena at once and fighting without distinction.
Nicella, who had been invited to the VIP box, scratched her ear and muttered.
"Who is talking about me?"
"You must have made such a disgraceful scene."
"It's noisy."
Nicella glared at her personal maid, Lucia.
The head maid of the Turcia family and Nicella's closest confidant.
And he was also the head of the household.
As a powerful spirit master, he has served the Turcia family for generations.
Lucia sighed lightly as she looked at her master's curt reaction and glanced at the arena.
The arena was filled with a fiery heat.
And the center of that heat was Wareden.
"I thought you weren't interested in the arena."
"Lucia."
"yes."
"Wareden Tiden's first love is Narae."
"...Did you drink during the day?"
"do you want to die?"
Lucia blinked as she looked at her master who was raising his eyes.
"Do you remember the Dolian incident six years ago?"
"Yes, of course. It was a historic moment."
"Do you remember that time I saved a little spirit master?"
"No way… that kid back then was Warden Tiden? Wow, what a strange connection."
Lucia let out an exclamation of admiration.
"Well, if it was the master back then, I would have fallen in love at first sight."
Lucia nodded as if she understood and said.
"Master."
"huh."
"So. Are you saying you're targeting younger men? That's a crime."
"No way?! And what's the crime?! What's wrong with my age!"
Lucia looked at Nicella, who was getting angry, with a pitiful look.
"Oh, my poor master. You're so arrogant, you don't even know your place, and you're targeting younger men… It breaks my heart to think that you'll never find a partner again."
Nicella rushed towards Lucia, who was covering her mouth with a handkerchief.
It was when Warden, who was watching the scene in the arena, let out a small sigh.
"This is not the time to be leisurely looking around!"
Soon, only Wareden and Borman remained in the arena.
Warden said, looking at the tiger man who was much larger than himself.
"i get it."
Warden twisted his neck from side to side.
"Let's end it here."
Gooooo-!
Spiritual power began to emanate from Warden's body.