One day after the massacre, his village smelled of blood. The grass turned red.

Entrails and limbs were splashed on the grass, and the villagers were torn to pieces by giant wolves; Not even for food, but for pleasure, like a cat playing with a mouse. Most of the houses were overturned, and the ruins were frozen by the biting winter wind.

Only he survived, hiding in the grain cellar under his house. His parents said they would go with him, with the neighbors. They never did.

The boy found only his father's body, torn in half from his waist; He heard his mother being chewed and eaten. Now, he is doing his best to sew the remains together, even if his fingers are frozen.

He heard the sound of horses' hooves and raised his head to face two terrifying figures. Both rode sickly pale horses, but were in stark contrast to each other. One of them wore a black cloak and gloves that hid every piece of skin from his body, while the other was a strong knight in black spiked armor. Swords and magic.

"Are you alright, kid?" The knight's sword was soaked in wolf blood. How could his pale horse carry such heavy armor?" We're here to help. ”

Too late.

The teenager looked at them suspiciously, fearing that they might be scavengers trying to ransack abandoned houses. Although he is more concerned about the corpses inside, he prefers to avoid fights; He's had enough of blood.

"I am Maderot, the knight of the Pale Serpents, and my companion is the archmage Asclepius. All the wolves are dead, and you are safe with us. ”

"You're underestimating yourself, my friend." The cloak figure spoke hoarsely, his words sounding more like the dying throes of a man than the voice of a healthy man. "Son, he used to be a royal knight. A great hero. ”

"That was a long time ago." The Knight in Armor replied, his voice full of contempt. "I'm quitting."

Maybe they said this to reassure him, but the teenager didn't care. After witnessing these horrors, after hearing the screams of his parents, he felt like he was dead like the corpses around him.

"What's your name, son?" The knight asked first.

"Walter".

"What are you doing with these corpses, Walter?" The cloaked figure looked at the corpse and asked him his own questions. Walter caught a glimpse of two green halos under the hood, where the eyes should be.

The wolf broke them. I'm working on fixing them. "If he could save his brain until his heart beats...

The two riders exchanged glances. "The body is a machine," Walter said. "Like a mill. You have to put the pieces together. ”

"It's a little more complicated than that." The cloaked figure took off his hood, revealing his "face".

Tye had heard of the undead, but this was the first time he had seen a shriveled, gray-skinned man with an otherworldly glint in his eyes. The living dead replaced his teeth with magically crackling gems, the upper left corner of the skull was missing, and darkness seeped in.

"You're a lich?" The teenager asked.

"You're not afraid," said the walking corpse. "Good".

"Can you save them?" Tile asked. "Do you like it?"

"Maybe. The soul must be willing to resurrect the corpse as an undead with free will" The wizard raised his hand, and an air of obvious death enveloped Tai. His father's body was covered with a purple shroud and then vanished. The skeleton made no secret of his displeasure. The soul refused. This guy doesn't want to come back. ”

"I'm sorry," Medlot said sympathetically.

"Why?" Walter asked, confused. "Why would anyone choose to continue dying?"

"Maybe he's in a happier place than Heilheim. He would rather stay in the arms of their gods than risk an ignominious death, even if it was for you. ”

"Do you have any other family members?" The knight asked. "Maybe it's a distant uncle from the neighboring village?"

Walter shook his head.

"Don't you understand, Maderow?" Asclepius said, observing the boy with his empty eye sockets. "He belongs to us."

Now for the day.

It must have been several years since Tay left Lyon and its surroundings.

The small fishing village in front of him reminded him of his hometown and evoked memories of his past. At that time, there must have been no more than 50 people living in mud huts in the area, and they lived off animals caught from the riverbank. The town was eerily silent, almost empty; And the morning fog only makes the area seem less welcome.

With his face hidden under a cloak as his teacher once did, Tay walked towards the village cemetery. Considering that there are a large number of stone circles in the meadow, it is not difficult to find it; Each one demarcates a tomb.

An old man in his sixties was on vigil, carrying a lantern in one hand and an axe in the other. "You're the grave keeper?" Tay asked, nervous at the sight of him approaching.

"Who the hell are you?" The grave keeper asked.

"I'm here for the victims." The necromancer said, hiding his face. "I'm an investigator."

"You're a little late," the old man replied suspiciously, then pointed in one direction with a lantern. "The priests buried them under the oak tree over there."

Good. That's what he wants to know.

"(Sleep)," said Tai to the old man, letting him rest on the grass; Hopefully he won't remember that meeting when he wakes up. Then the necromancer moves to the location of the grave and digs it out with [molten stone].

There were five victims, all girls between the ages of 8 and 20; Each of them was brutally devastated. Someone dug a hole in the chest of four of them, and removed the heart and some organs; The fifth person may have died before this horrific experience. After lining them up in the grass, Tay first analyzed the remains with magic; To his annoyance, the priests had purified the corpses, making it almost impossible for them to be resurrected as undead.

Given the time constraints, he can still cast [Nagel Law Prototype], but not with the lost heart; Even his [Repair Corpses] spell couldn't repair such a severe wound. He can bring them back to the lab, replace the missing organs with alchemy, and bring them alive for interrogation. Tai considered the possibility, but decided to conduct an autopsy before finding the fifth victim.

In addition to the apparently missing organs – the shape of the chest hole suggests that the ribs were crushed by a hammer and the contents were eaten by the fangy beast – the victim was covered in wounds. It's all whips or hooks. In the end, the bodies were also infused with a large amount of miraculous venom, and a victim who had all his organs preserved died of a poison overdose. It's not a hook, it's fangs, Tay thought after carefully examining the wound. Keep snakes.

Why Five Women? What do they have in common?

…

"Virgin priest, really?" The necromancer shook his head. "Why? Why virgins?"

Walter never paid much attention to the Disaster Cult. Of course, necromancers have heard about their activities and know a thing or two about their methods. But fundamentally, he still doesn't understand what drives people to worship those who are bent on destroying the world.

He knew that the followers of Herrim were the most "conspicuous", that they were savage savages, openly and proudly displaying their loyalty. Their tribes inhabit the eastern lands overseas, honing their skills for Ragnarok, when their warships will join the army of the giant Jotunheim. Ironically, this also makes them the easiest to manage. They were insignificant except for occasional coastal attacks repelled by royal troops.

The followers of Fenrir, the god of calamity in Nifheim, are a group of evil people whose race has slaughtered his homeland. They are carnivores and hide in the woods or in small villages. They hunt humans like wolves hunt sheep; Sometimes, they are real werewolves.

Jomengand, the servant of the Serpent of Midgard, was no better than that, worshipping snakes and loving to feed people to huge reptiles. Suter's servants were warriors, arsonists, and blacksmiths. They were organized marauders and warbands that had always been a thorn in the side of the royal army.

Loki's cult is perhaps the most dangerous, as they hide in plain sight. They could be your brothers, your parents, people you never thought about when you worked. You'll never know until they get their hands dirty.

Tai knows that while cults operate independently, they often collaborate on special occasions; Or at least, they work well together like a bunch of chaotic maniacs. Was this massacre the result of such an alliance? The brutal state of the corpse indicates Fenrir's worship, but traces of snake venom are a sign of an admirer of Jormungand.

Both cults focus on controlling or turning into monsters. The more Tye thought about it, the more convinced he was that the massacre was a joint ritual. These victims were ceremonally offered to the snake and then to Fenrir.

"[Nagelfal archetype]," he said to the fifth victim, asking her personally, and confirming his theory. After all she had been through, the necromancer hoped he would convince her to start over somewhere else and stop asking

"Here you are, my thief slave."

Tay froze as something lifted his spell and moved the corpse's lips.

The body was an eight-year-old child, but the voice...

"(Decompose)!"

The necromancer shot a green light from his left index finger, turning the flesh into dust.

His actions drew a laugh of amusement; From the mouth of a dead old woman, the majestic laughter of the Queen of Darkness was heard. The corpse stood up and faced him, her eyes as white as pearls. "It's useless," the entity mocked him. "You can't kill death."

"(Decompose)!" Fear took over Tae's heart, and he vaporized the container out of sheer instinct.

No sooner had his spell reduced the corpse to ashes than the third corpse stood up, and the creature spoke with their lips more than anything else. "Is your temper better, my dear Walter?"

The necromancer took a step back, a tremendous pressure pressing on his soul.

She found him.

"What do you want, you beast of the goddess?" Tai replied menacingly, gesturing at the person who spoke. He has enough SP reserves to do it all day if needed. It won't hurt God, but it might give him a little time......

"You, my slave." Hale, the goddess of death, replied, thick black blood pouring from her veins. "You fled from my kingdom and became an abomination, stealing the soul of my kingdom. Come back to me. I will forgive you for your rudeness. ”

"I'm afraid I'll empty your kingdom soon?" The necromancer summoned all the remaining courage and replied. "If you could do something to get me back, you'd be back a long time ago."

The corpse's lips pursed into a slight smile, and she took a step in his direction.

"Stand back!" Tai commanded, channeling the magic between his fingers. "Stand back, I said it!"

"Are you afraid of my kisses, Walter?" Maybe you'd rather look at my significant other than you would show me your hypocritical mask of life?"

The walking corpse in front of him moved, turning into a portrait of the goddess he faced in Helheim. She has grayish-gray skin, perfect crimson lips, and pure, pale eyes. Her long white hair floated behind her face and she wore a dark black royal gown. She was prettier than Joseph himself, but her brilliance was a dark, unnatural one. Fatal temptation.

Before he could understand what had hit him, her hand lovingly caressed his left cheek.

Every nerve on the left side of his undead body tensed at once, and half of his skin peeled off under the invisible knife. He could feel the cold mist scorching his bare flesh, leaves brushing against his hands, turning into razors.

He had never felt such intense pain.

You lose half of your HP and SP!

"Your escape was ingenious," said the goddess, as Ankou covered half of his skinned face. "I still don't fully understand how you do it, and that annoys me. But don't mistake patience for weakness, Walter. Everything dies, even the walking dead. Or even the whole world. ”

Then she added, with the same enthusiasm with which a mother reprimands a mischievous child.

"Even you."

"Let's try it!" Tye responds in defiance, activating his aggressive perks and brewing the power of magic. "I escaped from your hand; I'll do it again!"

"You're staying here, frustratingly procrastinating on the inevitable." She shook her head. Although her face seemed expressionless, the necromancer could swear that he had noticed something else. Those disturbing things. "It confuses me, but I've never longed for a soul more than you do."

She ignored his magical defenses as if they didn't exist, and placed her hands on either side of his face. The left side is icy and exacerbates the pain, while the right side is warm and pleasant to the touch.

"It is not enough for me to kill you, my slave," said the goddess, grabbing him by the cheeks like a lover ready to kiss him on the lips. "If I do this, you will flee my kingdom for the third time. No. You must obey me first. I'll crush you, Walter. I will torment you until you accept me in your heart. Only then will I be able to save you from this painful half of your life. ”

The third time?" Then you will live disappointed. (Si

ma

ashields). ”

His body released a burst of scorching blue flames, as hot as Muspelheim. The frost from the goddess immediately suffocated them.

"Your actions threaten the fabric of this universe, and the cycle that sustains it," he whispered, sounding disappointed. "Be it a man or a serpent, you selfishly desire eternal life, at any cost; Is it really better to be alive as an immortal, rotting corpse than my peaceful embrace?"

"Yes!" Tai replied, refusing to give in.

He said to him, "My slave, you may have stolen a few men, but you have also sent many." "My hound thirsts for your blood, Walter. Did you hear that? They're howling for your head. ”

Then, she kissed him on the lips. The touch feels sweet and sour, pleasant and disgusting at the same time.

You have received the [Kiss of Help] private benefit. All damage will be halved, but the goddess Haile and her servants will always know your location.

A second later, he was kissing an inanimate corpse, which fell to the ground.

The necromancer wiped the taste from her lips with her hand in disgust, and then teleported away in an instant.

"I had a dream last night about silk and pretty furs," Widemar's Haone hummed, coming out of the Great Staircase of Nastron and into the ruins of the third floor; He had a shield and a mace in his hands. "The pillow is deep, the pillow is soft, and the peace is undisturbed."

"Shut up, Kurane!" The Duke's voice was heard, and [the Zombie Lord] was waiting for him in the stone slab room above the city. [Li

o

m Demilich] stood coiled like a snake at the entrance to Nastrang. "You're deaf!"

"Hey, I'm trying to raise Bard's level," Hagen joked, though he had to admit that Laufey's song sounded better. "Aren't you supposed to patrol the ruins?"

"I am," the zombie replied, pointing his chin at Li

o

m Demilich]。 "I'm checking that thing."

Tai deployed the undead dragon at the junction between the ruins and Nastron and tethered it to the Seal Stone Tablet with a chain of black shadows. Although the creature is theoretically unconscious, some of its malice remains, driving it to kill the living. A few weeks ago, it tried to kill the princess's enthusiasm and even threatened their big stage.

However, after the necromancer managed to "fix" it and claim Nastrand, the creature became unusually calm. It didn't break free from its chains, it didn't attack anyone; Since then, it hasn't even made a sound. If it weren't for the focus of its gaze, Hagen could have sworn it was dormant.

Still, it's an impressive guardian. It easily reaches the ceiling, and there is little room in the room for intruders to hide from its breath.

"I don't believe it," Duke said. "It's sturdy, but I don't know why it doesn't feel comfortable."

"It's still better than the puppets below." Hagen replied. "I still can't believe they're higher than me."

"How many do you have?" The zombie asked curiously. "I made some money from the last raid."

"52, including my 10 (Dullaha

Ethnic level. "His [Dark Knight] class is also coming to an end, and there are only five levels left.

"Two floors higher than me." Duke complained.

"Unlike you, if my health drops to 0, I'm going to die." The Headless Horsemann replied. "I don't have a head to pinch."

In fact, he didn't even have bones, and his "armor" was his current body. At first, the lack of physical sensation was unpleasant, but Kurana gradually liked the feeling of not being tired and tired. The undead gave him an inner focus he had never had in his life.

"But your racial privileges don't give you a terrible stench." [The zombie lord] had to cover it with perfume, which made him ashamed. "The other only gives me joy when I eat fresh brains. Thankfully, I still have the thrill of fighting. ”

"You can read a book, or find a hobby," Hagen said. "I formed a bowling group with the goblins. I think the rats are also interested, although we are still working on logistics. ”

"I'm a man of flesh and blood, not a man of thought," the zombie replied. "I think I was, even before I transformed."

"You've ...... too," Kuone said. You know ......."

"What?"

"Eating brains?"

The zombie looked at him with utter contempt. "How can you ask me that?"

"Really?" Hagen asked curiously. According to his sources, it tastes like spinach.

"No, I didn't!" That's cannibalism! Maybe I don't have all the memories of the past, but I still remember table manners. ”

Ah, yes. life. "How much do you remember?"

"It feels like ...... It's like a dream memory. I remember some brief moments, but not the whole journey. ”

"Which moment?" Hagen. While he remembers most of his life well, he had special circumstances; That is, the source of his (the Dark Knight's) power.

"A feast with a lot of guests," Duke said. "My clan, I think, from the time I was the chief. The memories of the stuffed boar still make my heart skip a beat. It's the same with someone else, because my sword knocks his sword away. I remember death vividly. Rotting in my lungs, despair weakening in me, praying to the gods, any gods, to come and save me. My dying prayer has never been so strong. ”

"Maybe that's why you went to Heilkheim."

"I think so too. But I don't believe I ever hated the living, before Helheim's torment. It was death, not life, that made me who I am today. ”

"Shame on you," replied Hagan, who had committed more felonies than all the undead in the entire dungeon combined, and none of them had repented. Of those sentenced to Hellheim, he may be one of the few who truly deserve it.

"Why are you here?" The zombie asked his elite companions. "Our master is gone, and you're in charge of protecting Naström."

"I lost one of my trophies and I'm looking for it," Hagen admitted. "One (sacred weapon)."

In addition, the underground city also made him feel stressed. Hagen couldn't quite explain, but he could feel a thousand pairs of eyes watching him within its range. Every minute he spent in that hole made him more paranoid.

"I thought only earthlings could use [sacred weapons]?" The Duke asked.

"Yes, but I won it in very fun situations, and it always put a smile on my face, let's say." Kuragan has no head, though he can "see" everything around his armor. "It was there yesterday, and then poof. Gone. ”

"It's probably a hoax by the oni strings," [the zombie lord] said.

"He swears he has nothing to do with the matter, and most importantly, he's an invisible ghost." The zombie shrugged in response, causing Hagen to turn to [Linom Demirich] for advice. "What about you, Sir Skeleton Dragon?" Have you ever seen the Holy Sword?"

Of course, the dragon did not answer

“Nidhogg.”

Both undead elites froze as Linnom rattled. "Nihog ......," it repeated, turning its head in the direction of Nastron entering.

Duke immediately pulled out his invisible [Masked Blade], and he tensed up when Kuone didn't do anything so obvious. "What did you say?" Durahan asked, his voice a threatening growl.

"Nihog......" replied hoarsely, like a parrot repeating a word.

"Why did you say his name?" Durahan asked. "How do you know?"

(Li

o

m Demilich) did not respond immediately, but when it did, it said another word. "Devourer Eternal ......"

"Hagen, what does that mean?" The Duke asked, confused. "How can it speak?"

"I don't know." How did Maggots know this name? As far as Hagen knew, the chief had only shared the news with him and the orcs. "Maybe it remembers the dreams of life."

"Life......" the dragon said hoarsely, his neck twitching. Punishment Punishment ......"

Replay!

Suddenly, the dragon's head hits the wall, and the whole room trembles. It did so once, then twice, causing some stone fragments to fall off the ceiling. "Punishment......" the undead demon said hoarsely, not a condemnation, but a pleading. Nidhogg……”

"Hey, calm down!" Hagen. The twisted monster stopped, its skull hitting the stone.

"It behaves like a ghost," Duke said uneasily.

"I don't even want to see how it reacts when it's brought to Naström." Durahan replied, cautiously approaching the dragon's head. He immediately noticed that liquid was dripping down the beast's cheek.

Tears.

The dragon is crying?

"Brother......

Hagen froze, turning to face Nastrang's entrance.

"Brother," the familiar voice came from below, repeating what Kurane's brother had said to him when he was impaled by his sword. "I'm bleeding, brother......"

"Hagen?" The Duke asked, a ghostly voice that fell silent.

"Well, that's a bad omen," Durahan replied.

As if in response to his words, an explosion resonated; But, as he expected, it was from above, not from below. A cacophony echoed through the dungeon, a signal to attack.

"Those sirens," Duke said, ghost strings pacing up and down the ceiling, "what's going on?"

"Intruders poured out of the gallery," the ghost replied. "They triggered [Runes of Madness] and started killing each other, but more will come."

"Antlion?" Hagen asked, glad to have the opportunity to change the subject.

"There are snakes and wolves at the door, my friend!" The ghost said. "And people with hoods, they all have both smells on them!"

Ah, that's great. Believers. Finally something has changed.

"Kill the game?" The Duke proposed, smirking triumphantly.

"Killing match," Kuragan replied happily, waving his scepter.

He never says no to simple tasks.