CHAPTER 43: RAMPAGING TOWARD US

Dante was packing away the campsite as Sulla answered. ’’They have destroyed Duskgate and Port Veil but are now battling the Darkmoore forces alongside the S Rank old man who arrived yesterday, killing many powerful undead.’’

’’Can you take him out with your strength?’’

The Death Lich looked shocked at the question but shook his head. ’’Unfortunately, not, I’m B Rank, my lord.’’

[Upgrade Sulla the Death Lich to A Rank - Cost: 3000 Death Points]

Dante’s eyes widened, but he swiftly accepted the offer and watched Sulla tremble before dropping to the ground, letting out a pain-filled growl. The undead began to change as his body grew stronger. Death magic poured into the Lich’s body, bolstering his powers to new heights.

[Death Points: 12,0009000]

[Sulla, the Death Lich: B RankA Rank]

Following the upgrade, the glow around Sulla calmed down. Seconds later, he rose once again, noticeably skinnier but even more powerful. The Death Lich knelt and spoke in his eerie voice. ’’Thank you for that, my lord. I feel even stronger now.’’

Dante’s smile grew wide as he repeated the previous question. ’’Now, can you kill that old man Thoedore?’’

’’Still no,’’ the undead replied honestly. ’’I can gravely injure him and escape, though.’’

’’Do it, and make sure you don’t get caught.’’

’’Never, my lord,’’ Sulla said, grinning.

***

Sulla left his master’s shadow, tearing through the Dark Forest with urgency, drawn to the sea of undead. He hovered above the endless zombie horde that stretched across the trees, their rotting bodies crumbling under the onslaught of Hunter’s magic. His eyes, slits of pure evil, landed on the closest human, oblivious to the doom stalking him.

In a flicker of darkness, the Death Lich materialized behind the man, his presence a cold, creeping dread. ’’Die, you filthy human,’’ he hissed, his voice a venomous sound that disturbed the soul.

His hand punched through the human’s chest, ribs snapping like dry twigs, blood spraying in an arc. ’’Crawl to your pathetic Light whore,’’ he sneered, twisting his hand deeper. ’’Tell her my master, the Death Monarch, is coming for his revenge.’’

Sulla carved a path through the chaos, his gaze fixed on the Hunters at the edge of the battlefield. Corpses of weaker humans littered the ground behind him, their lifeless bodies collapsing under his new power that his master gave, only to be devoured by the zombie horde that surged in his shadow.

’Who would’ve thought I’d happily serve the old hero?’ he mused, ripping the head of a C-Rank Hunter Mage.

Then, his eyes caught the S-ranked elder, a grizzled titan of magic, wreathed in mana. The old man obliterated a dozen A-ranked Ghouls with a single sweep of his staff, their twisted bodies disintegrating into ash. Power radiated from him, a beacon of defiance amidst the chaos.

Sulla’s lips are curled into a wicked grin, his bony fingers twitching with anticipation as he surged toward his true prey. Hunters fell like a hot knife through butter as he advanced, their screams swallowed by the noise of war. The ground trembled beneath the endless undead tide, tearing into the fallen with insatiable hunger.

The old man’s piercing eyes flicked toward the carnage, sensing the encroaching darkness, but it was too late. Sulla’s hands wove a forbidden curse, the air crackling with death energy. Shadows coiled like serpents, and with a chilling whisper, he unleashed the spell, its dark tendrils lancing toward the enemy, hungry to snuff out his power.

He watched as the curse rushed in its target’s direction, an overflow of death energy that screamed with the wails of the damned. The S-ranked mage thrust his staff skyward, conjuring a light barrier of searing light. The curse slammed into it, a clash that echoed through the air with a thunderous roar, shattering the ground beneath.

The old man’s barrier wavered, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface as Sulla’s eyes burned with triumph. ’’Your light is frail, old man,’’ he hissed. ’’Wait until my master makes it to S Rank, he’ll be the greatest mage that’s ever lived!’’

Moments later, he poured his will into the curse, and the barrier shattered like glass under a hammer. The dark tendrils struck true, coiling around the enemy’s body. A cry tore from the old man’s throat as the curse seared his flesh, necrotic energy burrowing into his bones, sapping his strength.

He collapsed to one knee, blood dripping from his mouth, his staff trembling in his grip. Sulla’s lips twisted into a cruel grin. ’’Tell your Light bitch her end nears,’’ he spat, relishing the elder’s pain.

But as the battlefield stirred, Hunters falling to the undead, their screams swallowed by the horde, his gaze flickered to the horizon. His master, Dante, awaited, and his task here was done. With a mocking laugh that echoed like a death bell, Sulla was about to vanish, but was hit by a powerful blast.

The S-Rank was gasping, clutched his staff, aimed at him, his eyes blazing with defiance despite the curse’s lingering agony. Seconds later, the Death Lich was destroyed, sent back to the Death Realm, only to be brought back by the Monarch, who was standing there looking at him with an enraged look.

’Oh damn the gods!’ he thought, panic welling up inside him. ’He’s angry!’

***

Dante stared at the Death Lich whom he had just brought back, with narrowed eyes, and questioned. ’’I thought you’d escape? I didn’t need Theodore knowing I was close by.’’

Sulla knelt, explaining. ’’I got too confident, giving that foul human the chance to hit me using a Light Blast, and being what I am, it destroyed me.’’

The undead looked down, avoiding his gaze as Dante got pissed off even more. ’’That’s not the point, I told you to be sneaky.’’

Following those words, explosions in the far distance caused his head to snap in its direction, only for the Wendigo leader to rush out of the underbrush, letting out a creepy chatter that annoyed him. He glanced at the Death Lich, revealing. ’’Now the S-Rank is rampaging toward us; he killed most of them and is coming for me now.’’

Dante gestured toward the Death Wendigos he had summoned, their forms coalescing from his shadows. With a thought, he banished them back to his realm, then summoned a towering Death Tiger, its massive body rising to the height of his shoulders. Leaping onto its back, he issued a final order to Sulla. ’’Return to the Domain and wait. I have to get away from these humans.’’

The tiger let out a fierce roar just as Mary appeared, wrapped her arms around his waist, pushing her chest against his back, whispering. ’’If you need to escape, I can help my lord.’’

’’How?’’

’’I’ll drag you into the Wraith realm, it’s creepy, but thanks to your power, nothing will bother us,’’ she revealed.

’’Do it if they catch up on us,’’ Dante said as the Death Tiger rushed off.

It bounded through the forest, weaving around trees and jumping over bushes just as Theodore appeared in the distance. The old man’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of him, but he smirked at the human before casting several Death Blasts in the direction of the S-Rank.

Explosions lit up the forest as the sun began to set, covering them in shadows. Dante continued to cast spells at Theodor, but they were blocked just as the Wendigos launched their attacks. One of the creature’s claws slashed through the old man’s thigh, but it was instantly killed by a wave of light magic.

His eyes widened as the onslaught roared toward them, like a force of nature. From the Domain, a Death Giant suddenly appeared, its immense body blocking the attack. More giants emerged, forming a shield wall. The magic struck, shattering the giants, yet the force slammed into them, hurling him into the nearby riverbank with a crashing impact.

Mary tried to help, but he sent her back to the realm as the A-ranked Death Tiger appeared beside him. He jumped on its back before he lunged across the river and continued fleeing, but the S-Rank was catching up alongside a stream of A Rank Hunters, causing him to gulp as the power emanated from them.

’Fuck! I need to get away, but if I jump into the Domain, that old man will follow,’’ he internally panicked.

Dante urged the Death Tiger southward for another couple of hours, and it rushed through the terrain. The wind whipped past as he clung to its back, desperation fueling their flight. Suddenly, a searing Light Blast erupted from behind, striking them. The impact sent Dante and the Death Tiger tumbling through the air, crashing through a tangle of trees.

They slammed into the ground, skidding into a chilling clearing littered with scattered bones, the eerie silence broken only by the crunch of their landing. Dante’s head hurt as the left side of his body was burned, his skin turned bright red thanks to the horrible mana scorching him, but soon enough, Medea appeared and started healing him.