Akemus, the 7th Legion’s Ancient Undead, soared to a great height, his wings beating a powerful rhythm. Close behind, the North’s flying undead gave chase—grotesque creatures with twisted beaks, gouged-out eye sockets, and bony spurs protruding where feathers should have been.
"The birds of the North are truly hideous," Akemus mused.
Reaching the apex of his climb with a final, powerful flap, he obscured the sun and unfurled two more pairs of wings, for a total of six. The pursuing undead were blasted by the concentrated sunlight passing through them.
’Crack! Crackle!’
Their skin began to harden like basalt. The closer they got, the more severe the petrification became, until not a single one could reach him, and they all plummeted uselessly from the sky.
"Even among undead, there are different classes," he declared, looking down majestically upon the battlefield. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him.
A flying undead far larger than himself had appeared from behind. ’To think I would be caught from behind!’ It was the North’s named undead, the Nightwatchman. It immediately seized Akemus’s shoulders with its talons, dragging him down and slamming him into the mountain range. It did not stop there, grinding his body against the rock face as it accelerated.
"Kieeeeeeeeeeeh!" he shrieked.
The monstrous bird’s cry echoed, causing the Nightwatchman to falter for a split second. It was all the opening Akemus needed. He broke free and rammed its torso.
’Wham!’
The two beasts separated, then charged at each other again and again, their clashes echoing through the sky. The difference in power was clear. The Nightwatchman’s body was being torn apart, but more flying named undead of its size were converging on Akemus. It was now a five-on-one battle.
’You’re working hard to hold the sky, Akemus,’ a lone figure thought.
In the heart of the Northern God’s formation, a female zombie sauntered through the ranks. It was Erzebet in disguise. She glanced around, her fingers twitching.
A nearly invisible thread, taut as a bowstring, was attached to her fingertips. No one noticed as she moved deeper into the enemy lines. ’The plan is proceeding, but the problem is over there.’
She turned her head, her gaze falling on Prince locked in combat with the Third, and Simon, who was weakening under the effects of the curse and his injuries. ’Can those two really take down the Third?’
"Dammit!" Prince spat, wiping a stream of black blood from his forehead.
’Thud! Thud! Thud!’
The Third, the leader of this army, was utterly fixated on him.
’Heehee—’
It spotted Prince and let out a hideous, giggling laugh, charging with a frivolous, high-kneed run.
"Take this!" Prince roared, sending a shockwave from a punch he had been holding back. The Third simply somersaulted through the air to dodge it. But this time, Prince was ready. He spun, using the momentum to launch another shockwave with his other fist. ’There’s no way he can dodge this—!’
The Third’s waist bent at a grotesque angle, its buttocks slapping against its back as the shockwave passed by a hair’s breadth.
"How is that even possible!" Prince howled in frustration.
The Third’s waist snapped back like a spring, and it brought its head down on Prince’s like a hammer.
Its head came down on Prince’s like a hammer. The impact was deafening. It was a terrible matchup. Prince fought with brute force, relying on his nine lives, incredible durability, and slow but powerful attacks. An unpredictable, acrobatic opponent like this was his worst nightmare.
"Simon!" he yelled, even as he was pinned to the ground. Jet-Black trickled from his lips, but he held fast to the Third’s head with both arms. "Now!"
Simon, who had been commanding the legion, immediately extended his arm. The magic circle he had prepared flared to life, bathing Prince in a brilliant light. ’The timing is perfect!’ He could feel it. This time it would work. ’Corpse—!’
But with a sickening thwack, the Third thrust its fingers forward, punching a hole clean through Prince’s chest. He let out a choked gasp and vanished. The Corpse Explosion fizzled out, and Simon staggered from the backlash.
’Kkeeririririring!’ Once again, all that remained was the corpse of a common zombie. The Third angrily hurled it aside and looked around, eagerly awaiting Prince’s next appearance.
"Prince!" Simon placed his hand on another zombie, summoning him back. "We need to save your lives for the battle with the Northern God! Fight more cautiously!"
"Tch!" Prince shot forward the moment he returned. "You just get the explosion timing right!"
He flew like a beam of light, paying the Third back with a blow to the head that sent the massive creature tumbling across the ground.
"The moment I get on him, blow him up! Got it?"
"Got it!" Simon extended his arm, focusing on Prince.
"Boy! Behind you!" Pier’s voice warned.
Distracted, Simon did not notice the named undead, the Executioner, rushing him with its claws extended.
With a sharp hiss of steel, Pier instantly detached from Simon’s body and swung the Greatsword of Ruin himself, cleaving the Executioner in two.
"The curse is getting stronger," Pier noted grimly. It was a mistake the usual Simon would never have made. Dark spots had appeared on his skin, and the area under his eyes was bruised and black. His fever was rising, his breathing ragged. "We’ll fight separately! I will guard you. Just focus on commanding, boy!"
"Thanks!"
Pier shouldered the greatsword and leaped into the fray, swiftly cutting down any named undead that got too close. Relieved, Simon turned his attention back to Prince. ’He has to be the one to take down the Third!’ He prepared the magic circle again, waiting for the right moment and recalling the Grand Duke’s words.
’It seems the conditions have not all been met.’
The conditions for using Corpse Explosion on Prince. The issue of will seemed to be resolved; Prince himself was demanding it now. But that was not enough.
"Now!" Prince yelled, leaping onto the Third’s back. "Blow it up!"
The timing was the best it had been yet. Simon activated the magic circle, slowly clenching his fist. ’Corpse—!’
But his fist trembled, refusing to close. The flow of Jet-Black was weak, ambiguous. The conditions still were not right.
With a powerful thrust of its legs, the Third, aware of Prince on its back, soared into the air. A joint formed where Prince clung to it, its body bending and elongating until it resembled a living spear, with Prince impaled on its tip.
The Third slammed its spear-like body into the ground with a deafening crash, piercing Prince through.
And then, it happened. The will aligned, the Jet-Black surged, the magic circle blazed to life, and the fist that had been chasing the perfect moment finally clenched.
’Corpse Explosion!’
He clenched his fist, activating the spell perfectly, but it fizzled out with a faint hiss. He was a fraction of a second too late. Prince’s life ran out, and he vanished.
’So close!’ Simon shuddered with frustration.
But then...
The Third’s reaction was bizarre. It leaped backward, putting distance between itself and where Prince had been. It trembled, stumbled, and scrambled away, crashing into the cliff wall and tripping over its own feet.
’Kkeerrrrrrrrng!’ It looked as if it had suddenly realized something and was utterly terrified. Its eyes flashed as its gaze snapped toward Simon, who had been trying to trigger the explosion.
’Kkeeririring!’
’Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!’
It charged at a terrifying speed, its mouth gaping wide. Simon hastily tried to summon Prince into a nearby zombie. Just as the Third’s violet beam shot toward him...
"You idiot!"
...Prince materialized in a crash of black lightning, grabbed Simon’s waist, and threw them both aside. The beam vaporized a line of undead where they had just been standing.
"Hah." He had dodged it by a hair’s breadth. Simon panted, looking down at Prince. "Prince, answer me honestly."
"What!"
"You’re scared of Corpse Explosion, aren’t you?"
Prince, who was running while carrying Simon and kicking away undead, flinched. "O-Of course I’m not scared!" he shrieked. "I am the one and only hidden card of the 7th Legion!"
’So he was scared.’ Simon smiled faintly. "Then let me ask one more thing. The moment you lost your life to the Third... what did you feel?"
"W-What’s so important about that right now!"
"It’s crucial. This time, tell me the truth."
Prince bit his lip, silent for a moment before answering. "I was furious." A raw, deep emotion bled into his voice. "When he pierced me, I was so furious I could have gone crazy! The moment I died, I wasn’t a hero, or a hidden card, or an ace! I was just a bit player in a shoddy production! Seeing the smile on his face as he ended my life, I thought one thing!" His mouth opened. "I wanted to destroy him, even if it meant dying!"
Finally, Simon grinned. "Now I get it. Pier!"
’Clatter!’ Pier’s Bone Armor flowed over Simon’s body. Their strength reversed, and this time, Simon lifted Prince.
"What do you think you’re doing!" Prince struggled.
Simon extended his arm toward the approaching Third and activated the Corpse Explosion magic in advance. ’Corpse—!’
’Kiiiiiiiiing!’ A brilliant radiance enveloped Prince. Simon triggered the explosion and, in the same motion, threw him with all his might.
Prince flew like a shot put, cutting through the air with a sharp fwoosh. The Third, seeing an opportunity, thrust its fingers out.
With a wet tearing sound, Prince’s abdomen was impaled, his flight halted. Jet-Black poured from the wound like blood.
"Keup!"
Even as he bled, Prince’s hands shot out, grabbing the Third’s fingers and holding it in place. "So this was it?" he rasped.
’Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!’ The light emanating from him grew to an unbearable brightness.
Simon clenched his fist. "Explode!"
A blinding flash swallowed the world. A deafening roar filled his ears, and Simon thought he had gone blind. When his vision cleared, he saw a colossal cloud of smoke and debris. Trees were uprooted and sent spinning through the air, the ground was torn asunder, and boulders the size of mountains were launched skyward. The remaining undead howled, cowering.
"Keuk!"
"Get down, boy!" Pier detached, grabbed Simon, and forced him to the ground, shielding him with his cloak.
Debris rained down like a hailstorm, pattering against Pier’s cloak. Lying prone, Simon stared ahead with dazed eyes.
’Ah.’
’Goooooooooooooooooo!’
A thrill coursed through him. Beyond the collapsed terrain, a massive cloud of dust, whipped by the raging wind, was rising into the sky in the shape of a giant mushroom.
"...This is Corpse Explosion?" he whispered in awe.
The destructive power was on par with a tactical weapon of the Dark Alliance.
"This is a legion, boy!" Pier’s satisfied laughter thundered through the canyon.

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