Amid the darkness, Simon suddenly felt something.
The distant sounds of clashing weapons and the cries of countless undead gradually reached his ears, growing louder with every passing moment. He struggled to understand where the noises were coming from, but before he could make sense of anything, his body jolted as he drew a sharp breath.
"Haa... Haa...!"
Simon gasped for air, his entire body trembling as he struggled to catch his breath. His vision was blurry, and for several seconds, he could barely make out anything around him. Even as the sounds of battle grew clearer, everything before his eyes remained covered in a strange haze.
"W-What...?"
He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision. As the familiar battlefield gradually came back into focus, Simon realized that he was still standing behind the Seventh Legion, with Prince's crown resting firmly on his head.
Yet something felt terribly wrong.
His heart was pounding, his breathing remained uneven, and an uncomfortable sensation lingered throughout his body. It felt as though he had just experienced something horrifying, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what it was.
What... happened to me?
Still struggling to understand his condition, Simon instinctively looked around, searching for anything that might explain what had happened. However, the battle was continuing just as before, with the Shadow Knights fighting against his zombies while Pier, Prince, and Manus held their positions near the frontline.
Seeing the three Ancient Undead still fighting brought him an inexplicable sense of relief. Simon found himself staring at them for several seconds, unable to understand why their presence made him feel so much better.
After all, hadn't they been fighting there all along?
He frowned, trying to make sense of the strange feeling, but another group of zombies suddenly disappeared from his control. The sensation immediately drew his attention back toward the battlefield, reminding him that he still had an enormous army to command.
Simon shook his head and tried to steady his breathing. Whatever had just happened to him, the Eighth Legion wasn't going to wait for him to recover.
He quickly examined the condition of his forces through the crown. The zombies were still using their overwhelming numbers to restrict the movements of the Shadow Soldiers, while Manus's skeletons attacked whenever an opening appeared. Pier and Prince were also fighting near the frontline, preventing the stronger groups from advancing too quickly.
For the time being, the formation was holding, although the number of zombies disappearing from Simon's control continued increasing with every passing moment.
As he shifted his attention between the different sections of the battlefield, something about the situation began bothering him again.
A group of zombies had just surrounded a Shadow Knight, grabbing its arms and legs while Manus's skeletons moved forward to attack. Simon was watching their movements when his attention shifted toward another Shadow Soldier approaching from the side.
Almost without thinking, he ordered several nearby zombies to intercept it.
The Shadow Soldier had barely raised its weapon when the zombies threw themselves against it, preventing the attack and allowing Manus's skeletons to finish surrounding the first knight.
"...Huh?"
Simon stared at the scene, confused by his own reaction. He hadn't even consciously considered that possibility before giving the order. His body had simply reacted, as though he had already known what the Shadow Soldier was going to do.
Was that... a coincidence?
He continued watching for another moment, but nothing else unusual happened. With the fighting still demanding his attention, Simon eventually put the strange feeling aside and returned to directing the zombies.
As his attention moved toward the other side of the battlefield, he noticed that something had changed behind the Eighth Legion's frontline.
Tusk, the enormous High Orc standing among the warriors and shamans, had finally stepped forward.
He pulled his staff from the ground and walked several steps ahead of his formation. The High Orc shamans immediately made room for their commander, while the warriors positioned further ahead adjusted their positions to give him a clear view of the battlefield.
Simon noticed the movement, but at first he couldn't tell what Tusk intended to do. Pier, however, had already sensed the enormous amount of mana gathering around the High Orc and quickly turned his attention in that direction.
[Boy, watch that giant shaman!]
"Hm?"
Simon followed Pier's warning and looked toward Tusk just as a large violet magic circle appeared in the sky.
A second circle formed beside the first, followed by a third, a fourth, and several more. Soon, violet light illuminated a wide section of the battlefield, while the High Orc shamans behind Tusk raised their staffs and began forming additional magic circles of their own.
Simon stared upward, his eyes widening as he noticed where the circles were positioned. They were directly above the areas where he had gathered the largest numbers of zombies.
"This...!"
An uncomfortable feeling tightened his stomach. He couldn't explain why, but the sight of those magic circles seemed strangely familiar, and his instincts were already warning him that something terrible was about to happen.
"Everyone, spread out! Hurry!"
The zombies immediately responded to his command, attempting to separate from the tightly packed formations that had been restraining the Shadow Army. Unfortunately, there were far too many of them to reorganize in such a short time, and Tusk had already finished preparing his spell.
[Burn.]
With a downward sweep of his staff, Tusk released the magic gathered within the circles, sending enormous masses of fire falling toward the battlefield.
BOOOOOOOM!
The first explosion crashed into the left side of the battlefield, instantly swallowing hundreds of zombies. Another followed near the center, and before the flames could settle, several more spells rained down from the magic circles overhead.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!
The ground trembled beneath the repeated explosions as zombies and skeletons were blown apart. Entire sections of the Seventh Legion's formation disappeared within seconds, allowing the Shadow Knights to advance through the openings created by Tusk's bombardment.
Through the crown, Simon felt hundreds of connections vanish almost simultaneously.
"So many...!"
He hurriedly redirected the surviving zombies to reinforce the damaged sections, while Manus sent his skeletons to cover the gaps along the frontline. Together, they managed to prevent the Shadow Army from breaking through completely, but the damage had already been done.
And judging by the violet light gathering around Tusk's staff, the High Orc had no intention of stopping.
"...Again?!"
Another series of magic circles appeared above the battlefield, prompting Simon to immediately order the zombies to scatter into smaller groups. Although the next bombardment still inflicted heavy casualties, the damage was considerably lower.
Unfortunately, the Shadow Knights quickly took advantage of the scattered formation. With fewer zombies restraining them, several knights broke free and began advancing again, forcing Simon to divide his attention between holding the frontline and avoiding Tusk's spells.
As he struggled to keep the formation from collapsing, Simon realized that the High Orc's bombardment would continue causing problems regardless of how he arranged his forces.
I need to stop that shaman somehow!
With that in mind, Simon sent several groups of zombies around the edge of the battlefield, hoping they could reach Tusk while the Shadow Knights were occupied elsewhere. However, the High Orc warriors guarding the shamans intercepted them before they could get close.
Heavy axes and clubs tore through the approaching undead, while the shamans eliminated those that managed to slip past the warriors. Tusk barely acknowledged the attempt and simply continued raising his staff, sending another barrage of spells across the battlefield while his subordinates dealt with the approaching zombies.
BOOOOOM!
One of those explosions erupted near the frontline, close enough to draw the attention of Prince, who had been fighting against the Shadow Soldiers nearby.
After smashing his fist into an approaching enemy, Prince turned toward the source of the explosion. His gaze soon settled on Tusk, who was preparing yet another spell without showing the slightest concern for the destruction he had already caused.
[That giant is seriously getting on my nerves!]
Prince sent another Shadow Soldier flying with a powerful punch before turning toward the High Orc formation and beginning to move in that direction.
Simon noticed him leaving the frontline and immediately called out.
"Prince? Where are you going?"
[Isn't it obvious?! I'm going to shut that bastard up!]
"Wait! There are too many enemies between you and him. If you go alone..."
[Then help me get there already!]
Simon hesitated briefly before examining the warriors guarding Tusk. Prince certainly had enough strength to break through enemies that ordinary zombies couldn't handle, and if Simon could support his advance, they might finally be able to interrupt the High Orc's bombardment.
"Alright! I'll open a path, but don't go too far ahead!"
[Hah! Just watch me!]
Several groups of zombies immediately changed direction under Simon's command, rushing toward the High Orc warriors from both sides. As the warriors moved to intercept them, Prince charged straight through the opening.
His shoulder slammed into the first High Orc standing in his path, sending the warrior flying backward. Another attempted to strike him with a massive axe, but Prince caught the weapon with both hands and pulled its wielder closer.
[OUT OF MY WAY!]
BAAAM!
A powerful punch sent the High Orc tumbling across the ground.
Prince continued advancing, knocking aside any warrior foolish enough to challenge him directly. Behind him, Simon's zombies kept the surrounding enemies occupied, preventing the High Orcs from completely surrounding the Ancient Undead.
Their combined efforts gradually brought Prince closer to Tusk, and after watching several more of his warriors get thrown aside, the enormous shaman finally turned his head toward the approaching Ancient Undead.
Prince immediately noticed the movement and grinned as he threw another warrior aside.
[Hah! Finally decided to pay attention to me?!]
Tusk regarded him for a moment, his glowing eyes briefly examining the Ancient Undead approaching through the High Orc formation. Prince waited for some kind of response, but instead of acknowledging his challenge, Tusk simply turned away and raised his staff toward the sky.
Another magic circle appeared above the battlefield, leaving Prince standing there in disbelief.
[...Huh?]
Before Prince could even shout at him, a massive fireball shot over his head and flew toward the Seventh Legion's formation behind him.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion swallowed another group of zombies far behind Prince. He slowly turned toward the flames before looking back at Tusk, who was already preparing his next attack as though their brief exchange of glances had never happened.
[...Oi.]
Tusk continued gathering mana around his staff, showing no indication that he had heard Prince at all.
[OI! I'M TALKING TO YOU!]
Even that failed to attract his attention, and the blatant disregard made Prince's face twist with irritation. His fists tightened as he glared at the enormous shaman, who still showed no intention of acknowledging him.
[YOU DAMN BASTARD! DON'T IGNORE ME!!]
With an angry roar, Prince charged forward again, crashing straight into the High Orc warriors attempting to block his path.
The sound of his furious shouting soon mixed with the explosions still shaking the battlefield. Meanwhile, Tusk continued casting spells as though the approaching Ancient Undead were little more than a minor inconvenience, leaving his warriors to keep Prince occupied while the shamans behind them supported the formation with smaller spells.
Even Simon, who had been assisting Prince's advance, found himself struggling to keep up with the relentless bombardment.
Another explosion forced him to scatter several groups of zombies, and the Shadow Knights immediately rushed toward the openings left behind. By the time Simon managed to stabilize the frontline again, Prince had already pushed considerably deeper into the High Orc formation.
For a moment, it seemed as though the Ancient Undead might actually reach his target.
However, as Prince drew closer, the enormous amount of magical energy surrounding Tusk became increasingly difficult to ignore. What had seemed intimidating from a distance now felt almost suffocating, and with only several dozen meters separating them, Prince finally began to understand just how overwhelming the High Orc's power truly was.
His earlier confidence began to waver. Each step toward Tusk became more difficult than the last, and despite his determination to reach his opponent, his movements gradually slowed until he finally came to a stop.
Even the High Orc warriors around him had stopped attacking, but Prince barely noticed. His attention remained fixed on Tusk, and no matter how much he tried to force himself forward, his legs refused to cooperate.
[...Tch.]
He clenched his fists harder, glaring at the enormous shaman standing ahead of him.
What the hell is with this guy...?
Tusk noticed Prince's hesitation and lowered his staff, turning toward the Ancient Undead once more. He watched him for several moments, giving him plenty of time to continue his advance, but Prince remained rooted in place.
Eventually, the High Orc spoke.
[If you aren't coming...]
Mana began gathering around his body, growing denser with every passing moment.
[...then I will come to you.]
As the final words left his mouth, Tusk activated his spell, releasing an enormous surge of magical energy that immediately began enveloping his entire body.
[Hymn of the Giants]
Tusk's already enormous frame began expanding at an astonishing speed. His arms and legs grew thicker, his shoulders widened, and his entire body continued increasing in size until the warriors standing nearby looked ridiculously small in comparison.
Prince stared at the transformation, slowly tilting his head upward as Tusk continued growing.
Then he had to tilt it even further.
[...Huh?]
For a moment, Prince could only stare at the giant towering above him. By the time he finally realized what was happening, however, Tusk had already begun moving.
Despite his gigantic size, Tusk moved with terrifying speed. The ground cracked beneath one enormous step, and before Prince could recover from his surprise, a massive shadow had already fallen over him.
He instinctively looked up, only to find an enormous palm descending straight toward his head.
[?!!!]
BAAAAAAAAAAM!!
The ground collapsed beneath the impact, sending a violent shockwave across the surrounding battlefield. Dust and broken stone erupted into the air, forcing nearby zombies and High Orcs to brace themselves as the tremor spread outward.
The disturbance was impossible to miss, and Simon immediately shifted his attention toward Prince's position through the crown. As the dust gradually began to settle, he finally saw what had happened to the Ancient Undead.
A huge crater had appeared where Prince had been standing, and at the bottom of it lay Prince himself, face-down against the broken ground with his limbs spread awkwardly around him.
"...Prince?!"
There was no response, and after looking down at the motionless Ancient Undead for a moment, Tusk bent over and reached into the crater with one enormous hand. He pinched the back of Prince's clothes between his thumb and index finger, casually lifting him from the ground.
Compared to Tusk's current size, Prince looked almost comically small. One of the Seventh Legion's Ancient Undead, who had been furiously shouting challenges only moments earlier, was now dangling helplessly between two fingers like a discarded doll.
Simon stared at the scene, unsure whether he should be horrified or simply speechless.
"..."
Unfortunately, Tusk wasn't finished. After examining the unconscious Prince for another moment, the giant High Orc turned toward Simon's position and slowly pulled his arm backward.
Simon noticed the movement, and his eyes widened as he realized what Tusk was planning.
But Tusk had already swung his arm forward, sending Prince flying across the battlefield like a cannonball. The unconscious Ancient Undead hurtled over the heads of countless soldiers before crashing straight into a group of zombies near Simon's position.
BOOOOM!
Several zombies were sent tumbling across the ground as Prince landed among them. Seeing this, Simon immediately rushed toward the fallen Ancient Undead to check on his condition.
"Prince!"
He hurriedly crouched beside him, and after checking for any signs of life, Simon was relieved to find that Prince was still alive, even though he remained completely unconscious.
However, with Prince unable to continue fighting, Simon had little choice but to return his attention to the battlefield, where Pier and Manus were still struggling to hold back the advancing Shadow Soldiers.
Meanwhile, Tusk had already returned to his original size and made his way back to the High Orc formation. As he approached, the shamans around him immediately stepped aside, leaving their commander standing alone at the center of the formation.
Tusk planted his staff against the ground.
THUD!
An enormous surge of mana erupted from Tusk's body, sending powerful waves of magical energy across the surrounding area. The sheer concentration of power made the air tremble, forcing several nearby High Orc shamans to retreat from their commander.
Simon, who had just begun reorganizing his remaining forces, immediately sensed the disturbance and turned toward its source.
"W-What the hell...?!"
His eyes widened as a gigantic violet magic circle appeared beneath Tusk's feet. Several more materialized around the High Orc, rising into the air and rotating at different angles as their brilliant light illuminated the surrounding battlefield.
Then, as Tusk slowly raised his staff, violet flames began pouring from the magic circles, gathering behind him and twisting upward into two enormous pillars of fire.
The pillars continued growing as more mana flowed into them, and before long, their shapes began changing. Enormous dragon heads emerged from the flames, followed by long necks and massive bodies that stretched high above the High Orc formation.
ROOOOOAAAAAR!!
The two gigantic dragons raised their heads and released thunderous roars, sending waves of intense heat spreading across the battlefield. Violet flames continued swirling around their enormous bodies, while their glowing eyes slowly turned toward the Seventh Legion.
Simon stared at the spectacle in disbelief, his face growing pale as he felt the terrifying amount of mana concentrated within those creatures.
"What... What is that?!"
He had already witnessed Tusk's devastating magic earlier, but the sheer scale of what was unfolding before him was far beyond anything he had expected.
And for some reason, the overwhelming violet light brought back that same strange feeling from earlier. His chest tightened, and his breathing became uneven as an inexplicable sense of fear began spreading through his body.
Why... Why does this feel so familiar?
Simon tried to understand what was happening to him, but his thoughts were interrupted when Tusk tilted his head back and slowly opened his mouth.
At the same time, the two enormous dragons lowered their heads on either side of him, their jaws opening as blackish-red flames began gathering deep within their throats.
The violet magic circles spun faster, pouring even more mana into the three rapidly growing concentrations of fire. Within moments, the flames had become so intense that the surrounding battlefield was bathed in an eerie mixture of violet and dark crimson light.
Then Tusk's deep voice echoed across the battlefield.
[Hymn of the Fire Dragon: v.2]
With that declaration, Tusk unleashed a tremendous torrent of blackish-red flames from his mouth. At almost the same instant, the two dragons released their own torrents of fire, and all three streams surged forward before merging into a single, devastating attack.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A blinding flash of blackish-red light erupted across the battlefield as the combined flames exploded, unleashing a colossal wave of fire that swept outward with terrifying speed. The ground was ripped apart beneath the explosion, sending enormous chunks of earth and shattered stone flying through the air.
Thousands of zombies and skeletons vanished almost instantly, their bodies incinerated before they could even react. Entire formations were swallowed one after another, and within seconds, the battlefield had become an enormous sea of blackish-red flames.
Through the crown, Simon felt thousands of connections vanish at once, leaving him staring blankly at the destruction before him.
"..."
An overwhelming fear gripped him as he watched the approaching flames. Yet strangely, there was also a sense of familiarity, as though he had experienced something like this before.
But when?
Before Simon could find an answer, the enormous wave of fire was already upon him.
In that final instant, a blinding light filled his entire vision, erasing the battlefield, the sky, and everything else around him.
And before he could even react, the flames swallowed him whole.
And just like that...
Everything went black.
Once again.
Second Death: Killed by Tusk