The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 500

Night of the Soulless Blasphemer 13

The individuals gathered in this black ice fortress were all warriors, without exception.

Therefore, they had often witnessed how rage and hatred could transcend life.

However, they had never seen the emotion of joy transcend life and death.

Even the undead, existing beyond death, felt as if their stopped hearts were beating again at that moment.

Sork was also bewildered by Azadin’s fervor, by his pure joy.

Joy? Truly?

Could one be filled with joy in the face of this desperate situation?

Yet, that emotion, that feeling, was so powerful that even Sork was overwhelmed.

However, Sork could not back down.

“Emperor. I have waited a long time. For a period so long that your entire life is insignificant, no one! No one has ever changed the Order! Even if you change it, it won’t last long! Humans are weak and will inevitably betray their faith. Become undead! You must live long to uphold your beliefs! That is….”

“What’s wrong with being weak?”

“Even if you are betrayed because of it?”

“The joy of experiencing a miracle is greater than the pain of betrayal. I will not give up on miracles because of the possibility of betrayal.”

“I can’t win against you with words.”

Sork realized he could no longer win against Azadin in a war of words and drew his sword.

The sword, with its dancing black magic, stood against Azadin’s shining ceramite longsword.

“Now, prove your will with your sword, not with fancy words!”

“What should we do?”

The vampires and wights around them asked Sork for his intentions.

They were asking whether their master, Sork, would deal with Azadin one-on-one, or if they should all join in and attack him together.

Then, Azadin chuckled.

“You think you can face me, unlike Sork? Step back. Don’t interfere.”

Sork’s subordinates were furious at Azadin’s arrogant remarks.

However, Azadin didn’t even consider them worth his attention.

“Master.”

Dahlia had always believed that Sork was invincible, but the current Azadin was even shaking Sork’s unique orcish stubbornness.

Nevertheless, the reason he was trying to test Azadin with his sword was because he was an incredibly stubborn orc.

“Geez. This leader of yours is really stubborn. Hey, leader. You’re getting beaten one-sidedly because you’re not controlling the Necro Titan.”

“Scott, you control it instead.”

Azadin ordered Scott to control the Necro Titan. The fact that he didn’t even ask if he could do it showed how much he trusted Scott.

“Huh? Is that okay? Leader?”

“…Do it. I’ll hand over the control key.”

Sork, also focusing solely on Azadin, handed over the control key for the Necro Titan to Scott.

To create and operate the Necro Titan, all the black magic generated from this ice fortress had to be used, which was practically the same as handing over the entire ice fortress.

That was how much Sork was focused solely on Azadin at that moment.

A biting cold wind swirled where Azadin and Sork’s gazes met.

“Is it necessary to go this far, Sork?”

“It’s too late to regret. And even if I were to regret the past now, I must still take responsibility for my sins.”

“There are many ways to take responsibility. A great death knight, a necromancer, a great mage can be useful in many ways.”

“Enough, Emperor. I must take responsibility for my beliefs and my past, just as you must take responsibility for your salvation.”

“My faith, my salvation, gives me joy. Your faith and salvation seem to give only distrust and despair to others, yet you still must take responsibility?”

“That’s right! Excuse me first!”

At that moment, Sork swung his sword.

Ice pillars shot up from the ground, flying towards Azadin.

At the same time, Sork’s body, clad in thick ceremonial armor, turned into a black lightning bolt and charged forward.

The shadow of Sork, like a magic bullet, flew towards Azadin, and Azadin also kicked off the ground.

There was a collision between the two.

The shockwave burst out in all directions, and the vampires and wights who had rashly approached were thrown out.

Ice pillars shattered, and cracks appeared in the spires.

“Impressive!”

Sork exclaimed, standing on the wall of ice pillars. His appearance, standing horizontally on the ground as if he were a nail hammered into the wall, was bizarre.

On the other hand, Azadin stood among the shattered ice pillars, obeying the laws of physics, facing Sork.

“Sork.”

“Emperor! If only you had come a little earlier, no, no! I almost said something useless!”

Sork turned into a black lightning bolt again and charged.

Numerous sword flashes followed Sork’s movements, creating a storm that cut down everything around them.

As Azadin moved to avoid the attack, Sork cast a spell with the hand opposite the one holding his sword.

Black cursed magic bullets chased after Azadin.

In response, Azadin drew upon the magic of Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon [a powerful magic technique].

He used the Twilight of Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon, Harkonia, then Hazas, and then back to Harkonia, using it three times.

Azadin’s figure disappeared, and as he moved at high speed, the floor of the ice fortress exploded.

When the black lightning and the invisible speed collided, the floor shattered from the impact, and the entire ice fortress tilted greatly.

-Creak! Creak! Creak!

The black lightning, Sork’s shadow, was thrown back.

“Guh!?”

Sork screamed.

Sork’s subordinates were shocked by the sight.

An ultimate mage who had transcended the limits of an orc was being pushed back by Azadin?

“Emperor!”

“Sork!”

The moment Sork and Azadin’s movements stopped, Sork aimed a body blow at Azadin’s waist, while Azadin grabbed the ricasso [the unsharpened part of a blade] of his longsword and used the handguard to push it into Sork’s face.

Sork had used a killing blow, while Azadin had used a restraining attack.

However, the moment their attacks collided, a shockwave spread behind Sork, and the ice pillars and spires broke completely.

Azadin’s blue executioner’s blade, which he carried around, blocked Sork’s body blow.

Azadin had grabbed the axe-spear head like a tonfa [a type of weapon] and blocked Sork’s attack with just one hand.

“You’re not serious, Sork.”

Sork used a killing blow, while Azadin aimed to restrain him.

However, surprisingly, Azadin noticed that Sork was not using his full power.

Azadin had no intention of killing Sork, but Sork was too fast and powerful.

From the moment he used Flower, Bird, Wind, and Moon three times in a row, his speed had increased so much that each strike he unleashed was too destructive.

“You’re undead, so you won’t die, right? Let’s continue. Show me your true power.”

However, Sork shook his head at Azadin’s words.

“No, Your Majesty. This is all I have.”

“What do you mean….”

Sork had been Azadin’s subordinate in name only, but he had never respected Azadin as an object of loyalty.

But now, he was suddenly changing his tone and showing respect?

At that moment, Azadin noticed that Sork’s body and heavy ceremonial armor were crumbling.

“My life is the belief itself that I will make humanity ascend by turning them into undead. From the moment that belief was broken, I am no longer immortal.”

“Tsk. Really….”

Immortal mages avoid death by storing their essence somewhere else.

Such beings are called liches, and if this essence is hidden, they become increasingly plagued by mental confusion and madness, eventually splitting apart.

They become separate entities from their essence and body.

However, Sork had not separated his essence.

Instead, he used his vow to turn humans into undead to separate his essence and body.

It was a feat only Sork could accomplish, using advanced magic to become a lich while keeping his essence within his body.

Because he was with his essence, the probability of his mind breaking was lower, but if his belief was broken, he would die.

He would also die if someone launched an attack that surpassed his physical body, so Sork could not enjoy the benefits of immortality, such as regrouping and challenging again after a defeat.

Of course, who other than Azadin could defeat Sork, the leader of the Pimbul Horde and a legendary death knight….

It was not Azadin’s sword that defeated Sork, but Azadin’s words.

The moment he was persuaded by Azadin, he was destined to perish.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, Your Majesty. From the moment I was disappointed in humans and decided to turn the weak into undead to forcibly enforce the virtues of the Order, my life has been nothing but a painful nightmare. I wish I could feel joy like Your Majesty.”

Sork said that and laid down the Wendigo dagger, his sword, and his magic staff, the rod.

Even as he did so, Sork’s body continued to collapse.

“Master!”

The wights and vampires looked in dismay at the collapsing Sork.

“I command you for the last time, immortals. Use your immortality to the fullest to create a future for all members of the Order! Protect this world until your bodies are broken and destroyed!”

Sork gave his subordinates an irresistible order.

“Master! Even without such an order, I….”

“Dahlia. It was a long nightmare, but being with you made it a little bearable.”

Sork looked at Dahlia and gave a wry smile.

The cracks were now accelerating, reaching even Sork’s heart.

“Then, may you have good fortune, Your Majesty, and may you be the knight who fulfills Sir Planck’s prophecy.”

Sork knew that Azadin was the knight of Sir Planck’s prophecy.

The knight last appointed by the Knight of Wisdom, Planck, would become the flower of chivalry.

It was an absurd prophecy, but surprisingly, the prophecy had been fulfilled.

The leader of the Pimbul Horde, Sork, was completely annihilated.

A terrifying gale scattered the remains of his body, and they soon disappeared without a trace.

Dahlia collapsed in the spot where Sork had disappeared.

“Sister.”

The wild druid, Sedrin, felt complicated as she watched the scene.

Her mission was to purify her corrupted kin who had become undead.

However, if the Pimbul Horde was willing to act as a shield for humanity, she had no intention of eliminating them with her own hands.

More than that, the fact that Dahlia and Sork had a deep relationship shocked her.

Do bonds continue even beyond death?

If so, perhaps that was why she had such a strong aversion to wights.

“Don’t misunderstand, Sedrin. You are right. Wights are bloodthirsty demons. Because of this impulse and hunger, I have done many vile things that I would not have done in life.”

Dahlia said that, worried that Sedrin’s heart might weaken, and turned to the Emperor, Azadin.

“Then, Your Majesty. We, the Pimbul Horde, will do our best for humanity until this immortality is extinguished, as our master commanded. However, we are lacking in military strategy, so please lead us.”

Dahlia picked up Sork’s sword and rod from the floor and handed them to Azadin.

Azadin accepted them and made the Pimbul Horde his own force.