Hellnik's neck was completely severed, flying off to the side.
And Ghislain, who had swung his sword,
"Urgh!"
Crack! Boom!
With a sound of something twisting and bursting, he was flung backward, even letting go of his sword.
His body couldn't withstand the overwhelming power even for that brief moment, leading to an internal breakdown.
"Ghislain."
Yulian quickly moved back to catch Ghislain. Blood continued to gush out of Ghislain's mouth.
"Did we get him…?"
Yulian slowly laid Ghislain down and turned his head.
"Still... alive, it seems."
Hellnik's body was convulsing violently amidst the rampaging energy. Moving headless, it resembled a dullahan.
The body appeared to be searching for its head. Hellnik's severed head lay far away, discarded on the ground.
"Urgh... you bastards…."
Despite his head being separated from his body, he was still able to speak. Though absurd, Ghislain and Yulian weren't surprised, knowing full well how such a thing was possible.
Perhaps because his source of mana had been severed as his head and body were separated?
The undulating darkness that had always shrouded Hellnik's face began to fade.
"..."
The face that emerged was horrifying—a patchwork of pale, bluish-green flesh, akin to that of a corpse.
Ghislain, Yulian, and even Jerome were left speechless at the sight. They already knew, but seeing it in person was appalling.
"No wonder he wouldn't die no matter how much we attacked him."
Ghislain knew the secret of Hellnik's body, thanks to the information he had gained in his past life.
As a necromancer, Hellnik had transferred his soul into a chimera he created through various experiments.
A body that was half-corpse and half-living being, with mana substituting much of its blood and organs.
This information had been discovered by Parniel, who had fought Hellnik for a long time in Ghislain's past life.
Before the battle, Ghislain had shared this information with his allies, as always citing some vague source.
Hellnik opened his grotesque mouth to speak.
"I never thought… never thought it would end like this…."
The body had lost its controlling head. His soul resided in the head, while the source of his mana was in his heart.
Even though his neck had been severed, reattaching his head would allow him to survive. But his enemies wouldn't let that happen.
"...Looks like it needs to be dealt with."
Yulian grabbed Hellnik's writhing body and hurled it far away.
Hissss!
Hellnik's body, already pierced through the heart and riddled with wounds, was nearing its end.
No matter how strong it was, a headless body was nothing more than a slab of meat. Without a head to control and channel mana, the energy began to spiral out of control.
The body started to burst apart, the rate of destruction accelerating.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each time a part of the body exploded, energy scattered into the air. And a little while later—
Boooom!
Hellnik's body exploded into pieces, scattering its remaining energy into the void.
Although the explosion was considerable, it caused no significant harm to those who remained.
Yulian had thrown it far away, and much of the energy had already dissipated.
Step, step.
Yulian walked toward Hellnik's severed head.
Though covered in injuries and fatigued, he was the only one able to move.
Hellnik rolled his blackened, decayed eyes and opened his mouth.
"You bastards… you bastards who…."
Having lost his source of mana, he was losing even the strength to speak. All he could do with the residual mana was barely maintain consciousness.
Yulian stared expressionlessly at Hellnik's head for a moment, then slowly lifted his foot.
"..."
Without a word, he stomped down on Hellnik's head with force.
Crunch!
Hellnik's head shattered into nothingness.
Having lost his mana, he no longer had the means to anchor his soul. His soul was forcibly drawn into the River of the Dead, bound by the laws of the world.
— Aaaaargh!
A faint, anguished scream seemed to echo from the void.
The man who had killed countless people and toyed with their souls met his end in such a manner.
Jerome collapsed, letting out a sigh of relief as he witnessed it.
"Finally… that was truly a monstrous creature."
It was an opponent so frustratingly difficult to face that it made his skin crawl to think of the days they had spent fighting him.
Yulian looked at the collapsed Ghislain and Jerome and asked.
"Are you alright?"
"Of course, I'm fine."
Ghislain raised a thumbs-up with a grin. Seeing this, Jerome also bared his teeth in a matching smile.
"..."
Watching them for a moment, Yulian unintentionally let a faint smile slip.
"Hey, you just smiled, didn't you?"
Ghislain asked in astonishment, to which Yulian, now expressionless, replied as though nothing had happened.
"I didn't smile."
"Looked like you did."
"I didn't."
Yulian said no more and extended a hand to the fallen Ghislain. Ghislain took it and stood up.
Supporting Ghislain, Yulian extended a hand to Jerome as well, helping him up.
Both of them, completely drained, had no choice but to lean on Yulian for support.
As they walked, Ghislain chuckled.
"Smiling is a good thing. Why are you always so broody?"
"..."
Jerome chimed in cheerfully.
"That's right! You should live with a smile. Back at the magic tower, the elder in the village always said—"
"This guy's like a mix of Claude and Alpoi. Not as bad as Claude, though. If someone like Claude got stronger and came back, it'd be a global disaster."
Jerome, with his boundless curiosity and verbosity, was much like a typical mage, but he wasn't as ridiculously shameless as Claude.
Jerome tilted his head at Ghislain's words.
"What does that mean?"
"Never mind. Anyway, even though we've just met, why don't we drop the formalities?"
"Oh, is that alright? But you're a duke…."
"Skill is what matters. It's more comfortable to act like friends. Let's get along well."
"Then… I guess that's fine?"
Jerome chuckled sheepishly. He preferred casual interactions, finding formalities stiff and uncomfortable.
Though Ghislain's offer was partly to keep things light-hearted, even a grand mage couldn't read his true intent.
Ghislain also spoke to Yulian.
"What do you think? Sounds good, right? You don't have many friends. Let's all get along."
Jerome nodded enthusiastically.
"Should I be your friend too? I've been fine without friends so far, but having some wouldn't be a bad thing…."
"…Do as you please."
Yulian ignored him. The newcomer seemed a bit eccentric.
Still… something small shifted in Yulian's heart.
'…Not bad.'
Yulian had lived his life without forging close relationships with anyone.
Even after stepping into the world, nothing had changed. Everyone found him intimidating.
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. People relied on him and showed him unwavering loyalty. Together, they worked as one to protect others.
Everyone carried out their roles admirably, so there was no room for complaints.
Yet he had no one to entrust his back to in battle, no one to confide in.
He was always with others but forever alone.
That solitude had made him lonely, burdened by the weight of carrying everything on his own.
But now…
"My lord!"
"Young master!"
Gillian and Belinda came running. The mobile army that had been fighting the undead all gathered around Ghislain.
They had used their exceptional combat prowess to annihilate the hordes of undead.
Belinda grabbed Ghislain from Yulian and began supporting him, scolding.
"Are you alright? Why do you always push yourself so hard? If he'd escaped, you could've just caught him again later!"
"Well, we caught him in the end, didn't we? A win is a win. Didn't I say it'd be fine if I worked with this friend here?"
"Lady Parniel and that mage also stepped in halfway!"
"That was just a slight change of plans."
"Ugh, honestly. If only you'd just stop talking."
At Belinda's rebuke, everyone laughed.
They had never doubted Ghislain's success. After all, the plans their lord devised always came to fruition.
Gillian shouted triumphantly.
"We won!"
"Whooooaaa!"
"Ah, why can't I use Aura Blade!"
"Oppa! I want to go back! I'm a princess! A princess!"
"Waaaah! Princess of Destruction! Princess of Destruction!"
The cheers of the people and various shouts quickly merged into a cacophony. It was as noisy as a marketplace.
This free-spirited atmosphere was the hallmark of the Fenris Mobile Army.
Yulian quietly observed the scene. Beside him, Jerome nudged his side and spoke.
"The mood's great, isn't it? I love this kind of free atmosphere. Everyone feels like friends. Duke Fenris seems so down-to-earth."
"...."
Jerome truly enjoyed making these wonderful friends after stepping into the world.
He was surrounded by powerhouses comparable to himself. Their shared goal of eradicating the Salvation Church and saving people matched perfectly. How could he not be happy?
When Yulian didn't respond, Jerome scratched his head awkwardly and continued.
"You seem pretty strong. Let's get along well from now on. We're friends now, right?"
"...."
"...I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry."
Jerome's newly made friend was remarkably taciturn.
Yulian fell into brief contemplation.
'Friends.'
Has he ever had someone he could call a friend?
Not once. No one had ever approached him, and he had never reached out to anyone.
But things were a little different here.
Ghislain considered him a friend. His subordinates approached him without hesitation, regardless of his status or personality.
And they were all strong. On the battlefield, he could trust them with his back. With them, it felt like he could lighten his burden just a little.
Fighting Hellnik had been a new experience. It was his first time fighting such a strong enemy while combining forces with others.
Yulian quietly repeated the words Ghislain and Jerome had said.
'Friends…'
In just a few days, he had gained many new friends, regardless of his own intentions.
Yulian continued to watch Ghislain and the others chatter. Beside him, Jerome was sneaking glances at his expression.
"...."
Normally, he would have simply ignored them.
He was used to being alone and didn't want to open his heart to anyone.
The pain he had felt in his childhood had been more than enough.
But at this moment.
"...Alright, let's get along."
He wanted to say the same things as them.
***
Everyone was enjoying the victory and preparing to return.
Meanwhile, far away, Parniel, who had been lying alone, muttered, "Ugh… those bastards…."
Grinding her teeth, she used her massive mace as a staff to struggle to her feet.
In truth, if she had been fighting alone at a distance, she wouldn't have pushed herself to the brink of collapse.
But those two had run back to her, forcing her to block the enemy.
"Of course, Duke Fenris is the type to pull something like that…."
That man was always unpredictable, so she understood. But she hadn't expected someone like Yulian to act the same way.
It seemed that anyone who spent time around Duke Fenris turned out strange.
After all, there was no one in the world worth trusting. Friends, comrades—they were all unnecessary.
The only things she could rely on were herself and Goddess.
What she didn't know yet,
Was that this, too, was one of the side effects of spending time with Ghislain.
In any case, Parniel's distrust of humanity only deepened, further solidifying her faith.
***
"It's done! We've succeeded!"
Gartros wore a look of exhilaration.
The Allied Forces were currently marching toward the Artrode Kingdom.
However, it would take time for all the troops scattered across the continent to gather.
In truth, it didn't matter if they all converged or not. What mattered was taking control of the Kingdom of Grimwell during that time.
What he truly feared was not the Allied Forces.
"Is it certain that Duke Fenris and his main forces have moved?"
"Yes, the Mobile Army moved first to deal with Hellnik. They won't be able to reach Grimwell Kingdom in time to assist."
The Lutania army, especially Duke Fenris and his Mobile Army, was the most fearsome opponent.
With them occupied, conquering Grimwell Kingdom would be no challenge.
"Kuhuhu, even they understand you can only save one by sacrificing the other."
From the start, the Allied Forces had no intention of saving every nation and every person. That was impossible.
For them, allowing Hellnik to rampage posed a greater threat, so they prioritized that target.
This alignment of interests had bought the Salvation Church a brief respite.
"Hellnik, I didn't expect him to achieve this much."
He had been remarkable. Though they had nearly exhausted the Orb of Life to bolster him, the results were beyond expectations.
The Fenris Mobile Army they encountered in Lutania had been formidable, after all.
In any case, since the Mobile Army was preoccupied, it was time to act quickly.
"Deploy all the prepared troops. The target is Grimwell Kingdom."
The revolutionary forces operating across the continent had already joined. Even local rebel forces had been rallied.
Duke Leinster's army was as powerful as any kingdom's military. Most of the Salvation Church's priests had also gathered here.
With this combined strength, Grimwell Kingdom wouldn't stand a chance.
"Just a little longer. Once we secure the holy relics and find our king…."
Gartros's eyes glinted menacingly.
"The world will soon face His wrath."
[T/L: I am in dire need of support. I will give discount to all those who will buy the rest of the chapters all together, so please support me the reader on my webnovel platform and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]