Chapter 1312

<Chapter 1312> 1312. The Plum Swordmaster Reborn Into the Count’s Family

Even now, skeletons and zombies continue to pour out from a black hole opened in the heavens. The skeletons and zombies gather at one point, clumping together and beginning to grow massive.

Duke Argen glares at the already over 65-foot-tall zombie giant as he draws his sword.

“This thing’s way too big to leave to the knights and soldiers. I’ll handle this guy. You guys go deal with that necromancer first. Take him down fast and come back.”

I look at the colossal zombie. The energy emanating from it rivals Duke Argen’s. Leaving this thing alone would be dangerous.

But leaving the necromancer alone is even more dangerous.

“I entrust this to you, Duke Argen.”

“Father… please don’t overexert yourself.”

We leave the colossal zombie to Duke Argen and head toward the Lily Garden.

The Lily Garden.

As its name suggests, it was a garden lush with lilies. Under the blue moonlight, the Lily Garden looked so beautiful it seemed like it could be CG.

“Wow, this garden is something else.”

“It was designed by my late mother. It’s known as the most beautiful garden in the Cobalt Kingdom. It’s nice to see it again after so long… though it’d be perfect if not for that ominous presence.”

At the center of the garden, near the resting area, the necromancer sat casually. Next to him, a demon contractor writhed silently in agony, tormented by some kind of larva.

What caught my attention was behind the necromancer. Floating slightly in midair behind him was a transparent glass tube. Inside the tube lay a woman with long silver hair, her eyes closed. She possessed an otherworldly beauty, and there was no way I didn’t know who she was.

“…Yuria.”

The necromancer looks at me. He stands up.

Clang, shiver, clang, clang.

There were countless chains around him. Some slithered along the ground while others shot up into the heavens. The origin of these chains? The glass tube containing Yuria.

“Now that I think about it, it felt familiar when I saw it earlier… but now I understand. That’s Lady Yuria’s Shadow Magic. It took longer to recognize because something else was mixed in.”

Melissa spoke. She was not only an Aura Master but also an Arch Mage, an expert in magic far beyond my own knowledge.

I hold Hualian Bidao in my left hand and Stormbreaker in my right, stepping forward. The necromancer taps his staff on the ground.

BOOM!

Undead appear.

Two Death Knights, one Lich.

Not your average zombies or skeletons—these were top-tier undead.

The Death Knights were Kail and Claudia, and the Lich was Sharneal. I recognized the robe immediately—it belonged to Sharneal.

“Necromancer.”

Normally, I wouldn’t bother with words; I’d just charge in and fight.

He’s obviously fake anyway. Talking to him would be meaningless.

But right now, I have to ask him.

“Why is Yuria dead? Did you kill her?”

The necromancer’s eyebrows twitch.

“You’re asking me if I killed Yuria? Is *that* really a question worth asking? Would you kill Yuria if you were me?”

“Well, then answer the question. Why is Yuria dead?”

“I have no reason to answer you.”

The necromancer points his staff at me. Chains and undead swarm toward me to attack.

“Master!!”

Melissa begins casting magic…


The law was invoked. From the ground, stone walls surged upward to block the chains—it was futile. The chains pierced through the walls and flew toward me.

I released the weapons in both my hands. The *Hwayeon Bidoh* and *Stormbreaker* fused into one. Then, the shattered remnants of the *Stormbreaker* clung to my body, transforming into armor.

Death Knights Kyle and Claudia charged at me simultaneously. With a sword in each hand, I ran straight at them.

“Melissa, you take care of Rich.”

From behind, Rich Sharanel cast a flame spell. Dozens of fireballs sliced through the dark void and hurtled toward us. Melissa countered by launching rocks with her magic, destroying the fireballs mid-air. BOOM! BOOM! Flames exploded in the empty sky.

“Quite the tall order. That Rich is no less than an upper-level Arch Mage, isn’t he?”

The Death Knights swung their swords from both sides. Trusting in the *Stormbreaker*, I abandoned defense.

KAAANG! CLANG!

The *Stormbreaker* did not betray my expectations. Though it was slightly torn, it held firm against the Death Knights’ blades.

CRACKLE.

Red lightning flickered from the swords in my hands.

*Reitienryuu (Lightning Heaven Style): Raikou (Lightning Light)*.

Two streaks of lightning slashed through the Death Knights. Kyle’s head was severed, and Claudia’s torso and lower body were split apart. My arms trembled—not because of the fight but because *Raikou* wasn’t originally meant to be used this way.

‘The path has opened. Pushing myself like this was worth it.’

Just as I was about to charge toward the Necromancer, Kyle’s headless body blocked my way, while Claudia’s torso, devoid of legs, crawled on its arms, attempting to stab me in the back.

Ignoring Claudia, I moved past Kyle. His blade swept across my side, but thanks to the armor, I remained unscathed—or so I wanted to say. However, part of Kyle’s blade energy had penetrated inside the armor. It carried the subtlety of the Middle Water Law Technique.

‘So, Kyle. Your talent for the sword remains even in death.’

Ignoring the throbbing pain in my side, I glared at the Necromancer ahead.

At the Necromancer’s feet, shadows began to ripple. They spread out in all directions, turning the earth beneath them into a sticky swamp.

“Shit.”

My ankles sank into the shadow-swamp. Movement became incredibly difficult.

“What are you hesitating for?!”

Melissa shouted, still battling Rich Sharanel. Her magic seeped into the ground. Moments later, an explosion erupted from the earth, scattering dirt, rocks, and the shadow-swamp alike. The land returned to its original solid state.

Moving forward, I tightened my grip on both swords.

*Reitienryuu (Lightning Heaven Style): Shippuujinrai (Gale Swift Lightning)*.

[Acceleration activated. Duration: 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 4]

[Shanna (Moment) activated. Remaining stacks: 3]

Using even *Shanna*, I intended to kill him in one swift strike.

CHHHRRRK.

Suddenly, chains hidden within the shadows emerged, wrapping around my ankles. Barely managing to regain my balance, I swung my sword at the chain. It broke, only for another chain to bind my opposite leg.

Losing equilibrium, chains surged from all directions, binding my entire body.

‘Damn… I should’ve ignored the chains and swung my sword anyway…’

Calm down. There are still options. This might even work in my favor; perhaps it’ll make him let his guard down.

‘Good thing I have the Spirit trait. Quite useful for situations like these.’

Surprisingly, the Spirit trait can aid in combat too—like when setting up feints. If our levels are close, there’s over a 90% chance of fooling the opponent.

“Master!!”

Melissa cried out, trying to save me but was hindered by Rich Sharanel. She appeared overwhelmed just dealing with him.

The Necromancer didn’t even glance at Melissa, focusing instead on controlling the black chains binding me. CRUNCH! CRUNCH! The black chains crushed and tore apart.

“…These aren’t ordinary magical chains, it seems. What kind of chains are these?”

“The Shadow Chains Glaefp. A relic once wielded by ancient Shadow Mages.”

“Is there such a relic?”

“The World is vast. What you know is but a fraction of it.”

CRUNCH!

The armor ripped apart. Using the chains, the Necromancer began tearing apart my pants pockets…


Yoojin Sung pulled out a smartphone from nearby. He gripped my smartphone carefully with eyes brimming with anticipation.

“Still… not yet. The bastard hasn’t fully let his guard down.”

The necromancer skillfully powered on the smartphone and began swiping his thumb across the screen.

I understood what he was doing. He was looking for the Leisure Life app.

“The icon for the Leisure Life app isn’t visible? But I didn’t hide it or anything.”

His finger tapped the icon of the Leisure Life app repeatedly. Judging by his wavering gaze, he wasn’t pressing where the app was but rather guessing its location. However, the app refused to respond to the necromancer’s touch.

“Damn it…”

It was a voice laced with deep despair.

[Heaven’s Heart activated. Duration: 1 minute.]

The shadow chains coiling around my body unraveled.

[Sudden Moment used. Remaining stacks: 2]

The necromancer’s face twisted in shock. As expected, he didn’t know about my skills. I pierced his chest with the sword in my left hand and raised the one in my right high. Just as I was about to strike his neck, I stopped.

Because he had closed his eyes, as if resigning himself to everything.

“You. Are you really sure it’s me? Are you just going to die this easily? If I were you, I’d struggle until the very end.”

“I’m fake. I clung to a sliver of hope in the Leisure Life app… but that hope has just crumbled. I can’t revive Yuria.”

“…Since you’re planning to die anyway, answer my question. Why did Yuria die?”

The necromancer opened his eyes again. He stared at me with blood-red eyes before stepping back. Clutching his pierced chest, he reached toward the glass tube containing Yuria.

“Yuria was killed by the Demon King. Her soul was obliterated, so I could only bring back her body. Because her soul was destroyed, even necromancy couldn’t revive her. If only the power of the Leisure Life app existed… I might have been able to save her…”

“Killed by the Demon King? Did you invade the Demon Realm?”

“Frucoth Yoojin. No, Sung Yoojin. The original story has already been distorted. Get rid of the preconception that the Demon King is in the Demon Realm.”

“…You mean… Is the Demon King in the human world?”

“In my memory, the Demon King was in the human world. I don’t know the exact location, but I do have a hunch.”

“Where is it?”

“Even though I don’t want to tell you… ”

The necromancer sighed while looking at Yuria inside the glass tube.

“For the sake of this world’s Yuria, I’ll tell you. Labyrinth City Rabbit. The Demon King is likely there. I obtained the Shadow Chains Glaive in the deepest layer of the Rabbit Labyrinth. Give it to Yuria.”

“Is there any other information? What about Priscilla or Dullibard?”

“There’s no more time to talk. My endurance is reaching its limit… and I have something I need to do before I disappear.”

He pointed his staff at the sky. More precisely, at the blue moon hanging in the night sky.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Hundreds of chains shot up from the shadows on the ground toward the moon.

“I’ve known you were hiding there all along. Pay the price for playing with me. Your life will be the cost.”

Space rippled. And the sound of something thick being pierced echoed repeatedly.

I opened my Heaven’s Eye and looked up at the sky. An invisible demon hidden within the rippling space was being pierced and killed by hundreds of chains.

‘The Shadow Chains Glaive… something powerful enough to kill an intangible demon… ridiculous stuff. I must find it and give it to Yuria.’

As the demon died, the maze-like structure of the Argen Manor dissolved. Simultaneously, the necromancer’s body began to fade away, starting from his toes.

Without sparing me a glance, the necromancer opened the glass tube and quietly hugged Yuria’s corpse tightly.

“Sung Yoojin. Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

With Yuria in tow, the necromancer disappeared. The rampaging zombies vanished as well. In the now quiet lily garden, only a cool breeze blew.