At the Frost Field.
"Keep pushing them back!" Great General Ganiro shouted. "Swing with all your might!"
The Northern Army, led by Great General Ganiro, had postponed their retreat and were tenaciously pinning down the Northern God’s undead army.
"Great General! The right flank has been breached!" a soldier cried out.
"There are too many deserters!" another added.
Bad news continued to pour in. The warriors were already at their limit, and the undead were mounting a fierce counterattack. But.
"Advance!" Ganiro shouted, spitting blood. "Die fighting! If you die from a paltry wound, you’ll just be controlled as the Northern God’s plaything after death! Fight until your head is severed and your heart is pierced! Will you become undead so willingly like those Kingdom Army bastards?!"
A roar went up from the warriors.
"Fight to the end...!"
"Great General!" Just then, an adjutant ran up, shouting, "U-Urgent report! The Northern God’s undead that were attacking our forces!"
"What is it?!"
"They’ve all stopped moving! They’re not retreating! They’ve completely stopped!"
It was true. All the undead that had been closing in on the Northern Army’s encirclement began to cease their movements one by one, like a ripple spreading out.
"What is this?" a warrior muttered.
"C-Come on! Hey, aren’t you gonna fight?!" another yelled into the sudden silence.
The warriors reacted with confusion. Among them, only Ganiro was smirking.
’Did he do it?!’
In Vilkenos, they had succeeded in defeating the Fourth, but the chaos was escalating. The undead raised by black magic were neutralized when the Fourth was destroyed, but through the gap in the castle wall it had brought down, the Northern God’s undead from outside the territory poured in. Zombies were roaming every corner of the city, hunting humans.
"R-Retreat!"
The Vilkenos defense force, having exhausted all their strength in defeating the Fourth, had no energy left to stop the walking corpses within the city. On top of that, the underground shelter of the Grand Duke’s castle was full, putting all the people scattered throughout the city in danger.
Cries of terror filled the air as another horde of zombies blocked the path and closed in. The wounded warriors of the North were panting, feebly waving the tips of their spears.
"W-What do we do?" one asked.
"Where’s the vampire lady?"
A warrior turned his head. A girl in a school uniform, held in the arms of a soldier, was breathing heavily, clearly struggling.
"Her condition is bad. She needs treatment quickly."
"Dammit, we don’t have time to dally here!" a warrior declared, getting to his feet. "An outsider fought for us, who have no connection to her, risking her life. Even if we all die, we have to get that young lady out of here. Any objections?"
The warriors met each other’s gazes and nodded resolutely.
"Alright, on the count of three, we go!"
"We go on three, or after the count of three?"
"On three, obviously! Now, one... two...!"
’Thump.’
Just as he was about to shout the final number, one of the zombies collapsed with a dull thump. It was followed by another, and another, until all the zombies began to fall like puppets with their strings cut. The warriors who were about to charge blinked with blank expressions.
"W-What in the world is happening?"
"...Well." The warrior holding Kamibarez slowly lifted his head. The blizzard that had been raging under the cloudy sky was gradually clearing, revealing a clear blue sky. "...Seems like we don’t all have to die after all."
Not only the undead controlled by the Fourth, but also the other undead of the Northern God that had crossed the collapsed wall had all lost control and stopped moving. This meant one thing.
The Northern God was dead.
From all over the city, the cheers of residents who sensed victory were erupting.
"Miss, are you alright?"
Just then, Kamibarez opened her eyes. Looking at the zombies collapsing to the ground and the cheering people of the North, she managed a weary smile and murmured.
"It must be...."
"Hm?"
"It must be Simon who did it."
At the same time, in the Abyss.
Simon dusted off his hands and stretched out with a yawn. Unable to bear it any longer, he plopped down and lay flat on the floor of the Abyss.
"...I feel like I’m going to die. I seriously can’t move an inch."
[Khahaha! Good work, boy!]
"You worked hard too, Pier." Simon turned his head. "How do you feel, Zairos?"
As Simon asked, a large eye popped out from the previously empty wall of the Abyss. It was the Northern God. But Simon and Pier were no longer wary of it.
[It’s an unpleasant body, but it’s easy to move.]
Simon and Pier had eliminated the Northern God and inserted Zairos’s Legion-assimilated core in its place. While theoretically an impossible summoning procedure, it was possible because the Northern God and Zairos had been practically one body. If the Northern God had been controlling Zairos before, now Zairos was controlling the Northern God’s body.
With a soft, slithering sound, the eyeball receded back into the wall. This time, tentacles shot up from the floor and formed into Zairos’s body. Of course, it wasn’t his real body, but it seemed Zairos was more accustomed to moving around in his old form.
[I have ordered all undead to cease their aggressive actions and return to the Abyss.]
"Good work."
Just then, Zairos slowly knelt on one knee before Simon. His eyes flashed with dark blue Jet-Black.
[My lord.]
Simon, who had been lying down, quickly sat up straight.
[From this moment on, I, all the undead of the Northern God, and the Frost Field are yours. We swear upon our souls to follow only your commands and obey only you.]
Simon gave a bitter smile and waved his hand. "Ahaha, that’s a bit too grand."
The Northern God, the legendary Ancient Undead who had ruled the Frost Field for a thousand years. And the forces he commanded. All that power had now joined the 7th Legion. It was an unimaginable increase in strength.
[’Swear my ass!’]
Just then, a new voice flowed from Zairos’s body.
[’We must eliminate the humans! All the dead must unite! Don’t be bound by some Legion Commander...!’]
’Thwack!’
Zairos punched himself in the cheek. The voice stopped, and Zairos returned to normal.
[My apologies, son of Lord Yona.]
"A-Are you really okay?"
[I am fine.]
In the process of Zairos completely taking over the Northern God’s body and mind, it seemed a faint residual thought of the Northern God remained. This caused Zairos to act like he had multiple personalities, but it was literally just a residual thought. It no longer held any influence over Zairos. That personality might pop out and curse and cause a ruckus sometimes, but that was about it.
[Khahaha!] Pier also laughed, patting Simon’s shoulder in satisfaction. [You’ve accomplished something even Richard couldn’t. You can be a little more proud, boy!]
"Is that so?"
As Simon blinked with a somewhat dazed expression, Zairos spoke.
[Then, give me your orders now. My lord.]
"Hmm." Simon looked at Zairos, who had become the Northern God, with a slightly nervous face.
’Considering this guy’s personality... if I give some vague order, something strange is bound to happen.’
Just thinking that this whole mess started because of Richard’s order to ’protect the North’ was enough to make his head spin. After some thought, Simon said, "F-For now, maintain the status quo!"
[Huh...?]
"I’ll need to discuss the specific details with the Grand Duke. For now, just maintain the guidelines I mentioned earlier and stand by."
The guidelines he had mentioned were nothing special. Do not attack humans. Do not invade the North. And in situations requiring a major decision, report to him before making any rash judgments.
Zairos nodded.
[I have a question. What if someone realizes we cannot attack humans and intentionally enters the Abyss to destroy us?]
"Huh? Then you should obviously drive them out."
[Does that not violate the guideline to not attack humans?]
Simon slapped his forehead. That was a close call. Zairos was an undead with absolutely no flexibility.
"Then let’s set an exception. If you judge it to be a situation that directly harms your well-being...."
[How do I distinguish what constitutes a harmful act?]
Simon’s head started to hurt.
[’What’s there to distinguish? Kill them! Kill all the living and turn them into undead...!’]
’Thwack!’
In the middle of it all, Zairos punched himself in the face again to shut the Northern God up.
"...Are you really okay?"
[I am fine. It can no longer cause me any harm.]
Simon broke into a cold sweat. "For the time being, it’s probably better if you report everything to me one by one."
[How do I report?]
"There’s a way." Simon opened a subspace.
The Grand Duke of the North, Jin Arscalt, returned to Vilkenos. Subsequently, as the bitter cold subsided and the weather cleared, the Northern Army was also able to return to Vilkenos safely. The residents demanded answers about whether the Northern God was truly dead and what the situation was.
’This is a headache.’
The Grand Duke pressed her forehead. If all the undead had stopped moving, it was certain that Simon had dealt with the Northern God. But Simon’s words echoed in her mind:
"Whether I destroy the Northern God or subordinate it to the 7th Legion, please do not announce it as my achievement."
The dispatch for the special class was confidential, and the fact that Simon was in the Kalos North was not known to the public. However, this subjugation of the Northern God was big news, enough to be known throughout the continent. If word spread that Simon had captured or subordinated the Northern God, people would inevitably become suspicious that Simon Polentia was the traitorous Legion Commander. With the entire continent sensitive about the 7th Legion issue, they had to be even more careful. For now, it was wise to lie low and not give any room for doubt.
’I have no choice.’
"Grand Duke!" The butler, Godric, opened the door and entered with a broad smile. His entire body was wrapped in bandages from injuries sustained in the war, but his expression was bright. "Everyone is waiting!"
"Alright."
The Grand Duke followed Godric. From her office, down the corridor, she eventually opened the window on the terrace and stepped out.
"The Grand Duke has appeared!"
"Your Excellency, the Grand Duke!"
Below the window, countless people of the North were gathered, with no room to stand. Not only inside the castle but also outside, a cloud of people had gathered, waiting for news.
"All people of the North, listen." She took the amplification crystal Godric handed her and began to speak. "We advanced into the Frost Field with our mighty warriors, the loyal 2nd Legion, and our honorable allies. There were minor difficulties, such as the Kingdom Army, who had previously disobeyed orders and illegally sortied, being annihilated and becoming minions of the Northern God, blocking our path."
A tense silence spread through the crowd.
"But we annihilated even that Kingdom Army, entered the Abyss, and succeeded in ousting the Northern God we have fought for over a thousand years!"
A deafening roar of cheers erupted from all sides. However, a few warriors who had been on the scene raised their hands with slightly bewildered expressions.
"B-But wasn’t the one we ousted from the Abyss back then a fake Northern God?"
"The undead kept moving."
"No, the one there was the real one." The Grand Duke closed her eyes. "It was frightened by our offensive and fled, taking only its core. It attempted to escape, but the legion pursued the Northern God to the end and succeeded in completely annihilating it." Her eyes shot open as she raised her arm. "I declare here and now. We have all severed a feud of over a thousand years and succeeded in eliminating the Northern God! I hereby declare that an era of peace has dawned upon the North!"
The crowd roared in response. Leaving the cheering citizens behind, she turned and walked away, her long hair fluttering. Inside the castle, Ganiro, the generals, the elders, and other officials were bowing their heads.
"Congratulations, Grand Duke!"
"Mm."
She shook hands with people as she walked, then spotted an unfamiliar face. It was a vampire girl with bat wings and light purple hair.
"I-It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time!" she said, bowing her head deeply. "I’m Kamibarez Ursula from Kizen!"
"I have heard of you." The Grand Duke smiled warmly and extended her hand. "A friend of my disciple, I hear. I express my gratitude and respect for fighting alongside us for the North."
"Oh, it was nothing! It’s an honor to meet a hero of humanity!"
The famous Grand Duke of the North was right in front of her. Kamibarez shook her hand, her face flushed with excitement.
"Does Kizen have many such remarkable students as yourself?"
At the Grand Duke’s question, Kamibarez’s cheeks turned red. "R-Remarkable! I’m just... average!"
’The daughter of a Vampire Lord is considered average in Kizen.’ Her lips curled up. ’What kind of place is Kizen, to have such young and talented necromancers?’
"And, um...!" Kamibarez knitted her brows hesitantly before mustering her courage and asking, "Didn’t Simon come with you?"
Hearing that question, she silently raised her head and looked at the back door of the castle. "He should be here soon," the Grand Duke said.
’Clank.’
The back door of the castle opened. Everyone turned to look. The somewhat dark interior of the castle brightened with sunlight, and beyond it, someone was walking toward them.
"A moment ago, did you call me a hero of humanity?" The Grand Duke looked at Kamibarez and smiled faintly. "I am far from worthy of bearing such a title. The true hero of humanity is that one over there."
Footsteps echoed through the hall.
A boy with flowing black hair was walking toward them with a dignified air. And with a gentle smile, he spoke.
"Sorry I’m late."
As everyone’s eyes focused on him, Kamibarez’s eyes welled up with emotion.
"Simoooon—!"

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