Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 75

75.

My head spun from the extreme pain.

Even when I ingested poison, the pain wasn’t this severe.

The cold metal tearing through my body was far more terrifying than I had imagined.

“Ugh.”

I couldn’t suppress the groan.

The Dullahan [a headless horseman from Irish folklore] twisted the sword piercing my shoulder and pulled it out.

Once again, unbearable pain struck my entire body.

“Your Highness!”

David was the first to charge at the Dullahan.

“Kekekeke.”

The Dullahan was definitely different from the skeletons.

With a bizarre laugh, it skillfully blocked David’s sword. Despite wielding the sword with only one hand, as it held its head under its arm, it surprisingly pushed David back.

The knights hesitated to join the battle between the Dullahan and David.

They feared that hastily assisting in a situation where the Dullahan had the advantage could lead to the Dullahan’s attack suddenly turning on them, which they might not be able to defend against.

David seemed well aware of this fact, as he didn’t request help from the knights and faced the Dullahan alone.

True to his reputation as ‘Blunt Sword David,’ sharp counterattacks followed even as he was being pushed back.

Clang-! Clang-!

The problem was that the Dullahan seemed unaffected by David’s counterattacks, simply allowing them to happen without taking any significant damage.

“Your Highness, are you alright? If dark energy seeps into your body, treatment will become even more difficult.”

A knight approached and poured a potion on my shoulder.

“It’s excellent for treating wounds, but it won’t be able to block dark energy.”

I had been out of my mind with pain just moments ago, but the potion’s effects gradually restored my reason.

“Riorden?”

“He’s barely clinging to life. If Your Highness could quickly…….”

The knight couldn’t continue, seemingly miserable that there was nothing he could do.

He couldn’t bring himself to directly say that the crown prince, who had suffered a shoulder wound, also had to take on Riorden’s treatment.

I quickly issued orders.

“There might be more Dullahans. Prepare to attack them at any moment, and the rest of you, guard the surroundings. After purifying the dark energy, I will personally see to Riorden.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

It wasn’t because I was selfish that I was taking care of myself before the critically injured Riorden.

The more serious the situation, the more necessary it was to make judgments with a cool head.

The roots of the undead lie in the Demon Realm. The undead summoned by necromancers all possessed dark energy, a unique energy of the Demon Realm.

Depending on the size of the dark energy, they could become skeletons, Dullahans, or even Death Knights or Liches [powerful undead spellcasters], the strongest among the undead.

And the beings born with dark energy itself are the demons.

For ordinary humans, even mere exposure to dark energy could cause cardiac arrest; it was that toxic.

Why is the Forest of Darkness called the Forest of Darkness?

Because the entire forest had died due to dark energy.

The Dullahan’s sword was imbued with dark energy, and as my shoulder was pierced by that sword, dark energy infiltrated my body.

If purification was delayed, my entire body could be ruined by the dark energy.

I summoned both Undairon and Undine [water spirits] and used the Wave of Purification.

‘Huh?’

The purification effect started immediately, to my own surprise.

I decided to ask Undairon about the purifying power of water later, and then I moved towards Riorden.

Clang-! Clang-! Clang-!

In the meantime, the battle had become five against one.

The knights, seizing an opportunity, had joined the fight.

The Dullahan, nevertheless, did not lose the initiative in the battle.

‘If a Death Knight shows up, it’s over. This isn’t the dungeon where Karen obtained her sword.’

The process of Karen clearing the dungeon and obtaining the sword was briefly described, but I didn’t set up any undead within it.

‘What’s unsettling is… there seems to be a possibility that this cave doesn’t lead to the Orc Legion’s main base.’

I considered whether to exit the cave again, but first, I focused on treating Riorden.

The Wave of Purification itself didn’t consume much mana.

However, Riorden’s condition was so severe that I had no choice but to continuously use the skill without interruption.

The knights also helped with the treatment, using potions generously.

As Riorden’s condition gradually stabilized, I took a moment to catch my breath.

I didn’t expect Riorden to regain consciousness immediately. Even with skills using spirits and the effects of potions that modern medicine couldn’t explain, it was difficult to recover Riorden, who was on the verge of death, in an instant.

It was fortunate that Riorden’s breathing was stabilizing and the external wounds were healing quickly.

‘Are his organs okay?’

I was worried that Riorden’s abdominal organs might have ruptured when the Dullahan stepped on him.

‘I should have included mages and priests as well as knights.’

I felt guilty that I was learning from sacrifice.

“Your Highness, you must help Knight David.”

At the knight’s words, I turned my gaze to the battle.

The cave was wider than usual, but it wasn’t large enough for all the knights to attack the Dullahan simultaneously.

However, spirits were different.

Sylphs [air spirits], Undines, Salamanders [fire spirits], and Gnomes [earth spirits] were much smaller than the knights, so they could assist in the battle without any problem.

I nodded and summoned the Gnomes first.

What I realized while fighting the knights, and felt strongly once again while fighting the skeletons, was how important balance is to those who fight with their feet on the ground.

And Gnomes were the most suitable spirits to disrupt that balance.

* * *

Kyle was walking through the dark cave with Karen.

No orcs were visible.

“The visibility is a bit stuffy, though.”

As a Sword Master, or close to one, Kyle didn’t have much trouble with his vision.

“You seem to see just fine, though? I can only see about ten steps ahead? That’s about it.”

Kyle replied briefly.

“There are no problems with my vision.”

Karen exclaimed, “Wow.”

“I knew it. I had a rough idea that you were incredibly skilled. I’ve been in and out of this cave several times, and there hasn’t been anything particularly dangerous… but since it’s a cave in the Forest of Darkness, you never know what might come out. Tell me right away if something appears.”

This time, Kyle didn’t answer and just nodded slightly.

The two walked in silence for a while.

Karen didn’t rush, and Kyle hadn’t recovered from his injuries for long, so there was no reason to overdo it.

‘A seed of evil… a demon?’

There were many questions, but Kyle didn’t bother asking.

Whatever the identity of the seed of evil, it was obviously a being that would cause great harm to the empire and had to be eliminated.

‘I came to the West under His Majesty’s orders, but many things have happened. I wonder if His Highness is doing well. The evaluation tournament must be in full swing.’

Kyle, unaware that the evaluation tournament had been moved forward, couldn’t imagine that Arun had come to the West to save him.

‘The Imperial Palace must be very busy because of the Orc Legion.’

While he was lost in thought, a fork in the road appeared.

“Huh? The cave… has changed?”

At Karen’s words, Kyle narrowed his eyes and asked.

“Changed?”

“It was originally a straight cave. If you went straight from the entrance, there was an exit…….”

Kyle’s gaze naturally turned to the fork in the road.

“Are you saying a fork has appeared?”

“Yes.”

Kyle didn’t hesitate much.

“Going back leads to the Orc Legion’s main base. We have no choice but to move forward, so we just need to enter one of the two paths.”

Karen was taken aback by Kyle’s relentless advance, but she quickly followed him.

As Kyle chose the right path, Karen asked.

“Why did you come this way?”

“Because it’s closer.”

Karen was momentarily speechless.

Kyle, who had suddenly stopped walking, said.

“Dark energy.”

“Yes?”

Soon, Karen also trembled.

The dark energy covering their skin made it hard to breathe.

Kyle held out his hand to Karen.

Karen was momentarily confused by his intention, but then she handed him the sword at her waist.

“It’s the sword I used to use… are you okay with it?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Kyle, who had reached a level where he wasn’t greatly affected by swords, didn’t pay much attention to the performance or condition of the sword Karen gave him.

He just thought that as long as the blade was sharp, it would be fine.

Kyle’s pace became more cautious.

“Keep up. The dark energy is gradually intensifying.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to go back now?”

At Karen’s words, Kyle, for some reason, wore a faint smile.

“Are you afraid?”

“No.”

Kyle nodded at Karen’s answer.

“Then there’s no reason to go back. Even if we had gone left, it would probably be like this. And we’re on our way to eliminate a seed of evil, so we wouldn’t expect there to be no difficulties.”

Karen agreed with Kyle’s words.

“That’s right.”

The further they went, the stronger the dark energy became.

Karen composed herself.

Kyle was also protecting himself from the dark energy by using his unique breathing technique.

Swish-!

“A skeleton.”

No sooner had Kyle spoken than a skeleton appeared, and Karen grinned, revealing her teeth.

“It’s a battle.”

Karen rushed towards the skeleton first.

Kyle supported her from behind.

Inwardly, Kyle wanted to check Karen’s skills.

The cheerful, confident, and righteous young man who practiced chivalry exuded a strange charm.

He seemed to be about the same age as the crown prince he served.

What were his skills really like?

He was a young man with the boldness to go in and out of the Orc Legion’s main base, and considering that he had been wandering around the Forest of Darkness, he seemed to have some skill.

Slash-!

At the sight of Karen wielding her sword, Kyle barely suppressed an exclamation.

Honestly, Kyle admitted that he was thrilled.

It was the first time.

‘No, it’s not the first time. Feeling this emotion from a simple slash is not only from that young man, but also when I first saw His Majesty’s slash.’

Kyle was soon startled by his own thoughts.

It was because he felt that the unknown young man he had met only a short time ago was similar to the emperor of the empire.

Surprisingly, it was just a simple slash.

Slash-! Slash-! Slash-!

Karen was showing extremely efficient swordsmanship.

She killed one skeleton with each slash.

In particular, Kyle couldn’t help but exclaim at Karen’s movements.

‘Is it swordsmanship from a prestigious family? The reason why a simple slash is so efficient is because refined mana coats the sword with aura, and it’s supported by perfect movements.’

Kyle was already admiring Karen’s battle.

How much time had passed?

It didn’t take long for Karen to deal with nearly fifty skeletons alone.

Karen panted and turned around.

“Are you just going to watch, sir? After I gave you such a good sword.”

Kyle didn’t answer and moved forward again.

‘An amazing talent. Already at that age…….’

Kyle couldn’t accurately gauge Karen’s level.

That fact was also very surprising.

“Can’t you create an Aura Blade [a weapon made of pure energy]?”

At Kyle’s question, Karen swallowed a hollow laugh.

“Sir, are Sword Masters common in the continent? I’m still far from it.”

Kyle tried hard to hold back what he wanted to say.

‘He was more efficient than me, who is on the verge of that level.’

Efficiency is the most important thing in swordsmanship, and Karen’s movements were as clean as Ron Carl Leord’s.

“The dark energy is fading again?”

At Karen’s words, Kyle shook his head.

“No, in front of us, dark energy…….”

Kyle couldn’t finish his sentence.

Along with the dark energy, he felt a very familiar energy.

“Huh? Is this mana? It feels like a spirit?”

Just as the mana feel of knights is slightly different, so is that of spiritists.

Kyle’s figure disappeared in an instant.

“Sir!”

Karen quickly chased after Kyle.

Kyle was filled with many thoughts as he ran.

‘It’s the energy of a spirit. And this energy is definitely…….’

It was Arun.