Chapter 73

【73】72.

“Fire Wall.”

As Leo finished the spell, a wall of fire engulfed the orcs.

Kieeeek!

Seeing the orcs turn to ashes in an instant, Leo dispelled the magic.

Rounding the corner to see the orc carcasses that were now just bones, Lunia and Eiran took a step forward.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Huh?”

Lunia and Eiran halted in their tracks.

Leo, having stopped them, stared intently at the orcs.

Gooouuuuu!

The orc skeletons emitted black smoke and rose into the air.

Thud- crack-

Joint by joint, they came together and formed skeletons.

Lunia and Eiran looked tense.

Until now, all undead had revealed themselves from underground.

The undead had been summoned in advance, lying in wait.

But this time was different.

Just moments ago, the monsters had become corpses and now were rising as undead.

“Is there a necromancer nearby?”

Lunia’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

Flare-!

She summoned the power of the phoenix and remained alert.

Eiran, too, donned the Armor of Animus and tightened his grip on his sword and shield.

Tatata-!

The orc skeletons armed themselves and charged.

With a snicker, Lunia raised her hand.

Flare-!

A small sphere of flame formed above her palm.

It was a Fire Ball, the most basic flame attack spell.

Though simple, the power of the spell could vary immensely based on the skill of the user.

Fwoosh- fwoosh- fwoosh- fwoosh!

The Fire Ball rapidly multiplied.

Seeing this, Leo’s eyes sparkled.

‘To stack spells like that at such a young age?’

The ability to cast the same spell multiple times simultaneously.

The technique itself isn’t difficult, but doing it at a rapid pace presents a challenge even for seasoned wizards.

‘To pull it off purely instinctively. Impressive!’

While Leo was in awe, Lunia’s Fire Ball struck the orc skeletons.

Boom—

The explosion of flames shattered the orc skeletons into pieces.

“That was easy.”

With a smirk, Lunia looked around.

“I’ve taken care of all the inferior skeletons you summoned! Come out already!”

Her fierce voice echoed throughout the winter forest.

But all that returned was the echo of Lunia’s voice.

“Huh? You’re not coming out? Then I guess I’ll blow this whole area away…”

“Stop. There’s no necromancer nearby.”

As Lunia raised her hand to cast a powerful spell, Leo seized her wrist to prevent the attack.

“Leo, you saw it just now. The orcs turning into skeletons.”

Seeing the puzzled look on Lunia’s face, Leo spoke calmly.

“That wasn’t an undead transformation caused by a necromancer.”

“What do you mean?”

“A curse.”

“A curse?”

Lunia’s eyes widened.

Eiran looked equally puzzled.

“Is there a curse that creates undead?”

“Curse of the Dead.”

“Curse of the Dead? That’s a new one to me.”

Seeing Lunia tilt her head in confusion, Leo raised an eyebrow.

“Haven’t you learned about curses in Seirun?”

“I-I have! It’s just that we haven’t covered that topic yet! Even within the same subject, the pace can differ!”

“Still, it’s a well-known curse.”

“Ugh?”

Lunia flinched.

“It is true that elves have a strong resistance to curses. Thanks to the blessing magic from the Magic of the Stars, they can handle curses better than other races, but curses are one of the most potent attacks by demons. Don’t slack off on your studies. Even Luna has had her share of troubles with curses.”

“Ugh?”

With no retort possible, Lunia’s eyes darted around nervously.

“If it’s the Curse of the Dead… isn’t it the curse of Commander Hel Kaiser?”

At that moment, Eiran cautiously asked.

“That’s right. Eiran knows quite a bit.”

“I’m familiar with the curse, as it appears often in the tales of the Great Heroes.”

Seeing Eiran’s embarrassed expression, Lunia felt even more intimidated.

“So, what is the Curse of the Dead? If it’s related to the Legion Commander, it must be a dangerous curse!”

“The Curse of the Dead is a perilous curse that continues to summon undead in the surrounding area.”

“What?”

“The area affected by the curse essentially becomes a land of d*ath.”

Seeing Eiran’s shoulders shrink in fear, Lunia’s face turned pale.

“Then what does that mean? Are they planning a major assault on Elsalbekia from Tartarus right now?”

If undead were summoned without limit, it was an immense threat.

“No. That’s not the case. Even with the Curse of the Dead, unless Hel Kaiser directly activates it, powerful undead won’t be formed. This is probably a curse cast by one of Hel Kaiser’s subordinates.”

Leo scanned the forest.

“Nonetheless, if Hel Kaiser is mobilizing, it’s certain that there’s something the forces of Tartarus seek in this forest.”

“What could the Legion Commander want?”

“Well, for example…”

Leo stroked his chin.

“An item related to the Great Hero?”

“Are you suggesting something related to our founder?”

“Then it’s a major deal!”

“Who knows? We’ll only find out if we go…”

Leo’s expression suddenly changed.

As the atmosphere shifted abruptly, both elves, who had been puzzled by Leo’s sudden change, flinched.

Whoooo—

A cold blizzard swept through.

Through the storm, a crimson glow of malevolence flickered.

“Hehehehe— Welcome, Hero Candidates.”

Seeing the d*ath Knight, who emanated a fundamentally different aura than the undead they had faced until now, Lunia’s expression hardened.

“d*ath Knight?”

“Indeed! My name is Kargor! A proud knight serving the great Commander, and your guide to d*ath!”

Crash-!

Gooouuuuu!

Kargor plunged his great sword into the ground, and the surrounding vegetation began to turn black.

From the earth, the aura of d*ath flowed out.

Gweeuug—-! Fshshshsh—!

A massive number of undead began to emerge from the ground.

Not just skeletons.

Zombies and ghouls.

Even corpse chimeras.

All kinds of undead revealed themselves.

“Despair! Tremble in fear! You will regret entering this forest! Uwahahaha!”

Gwaahh!

Kargor’s mad laughter was accompanied by the roars of the undead.

With a chilling grin, Kargor stared at Leo.

“You will not escape today.”

“I’ll take on that d*ath Knight. Eiran, you handle the undead. And Lunia, prepare your strongest magic.”

“Okay!”

“Got it.”

“Oho? Has this time come for you to choose to fight me?”

“I’ll oblige.”

“Heh!”

Kargor laughed lowly at Leo’s words.

As he readied his great sword, a dark aura emanated from Kargor’s body.

Leo lowered his sword and summoned Zerdinger’s aura.

Flare-!

The flames of the phoenix blazed fiercely.

In a standoff, suddenly—

Fwoooosh-!

Leo’s body flickered out of sight.

“Amateur!”

Kargor swung his great sword behind him.

Bang—!

The tremendous speed of the swung great sword met Leo’s longsword.

Kargor’s eyes widened in shock.

He had expected Leo to be knocked back, but Leo held firm.

Crack—!

As Leo pressed against the sword, to everyone’s surprise, muscles tensed in his hand.

Leo’s sword pushed Kargor’s great sword back.

Creating an opening, Leo dove into Kargor’s space without hesitation.

“Haha! Fool! Did you think I was just an ordinary human knight?”

Kargor laughed derisively at Leo.

“Foolish one, do you believe your youth gives you any advantage?”

Gooouuuuu!

The dark aura enveloped Leo.

“Wuwahaha!”

Fwoosh!

Yet Leo pierced through the dark aura, causing Kargor’s expression to firm up.

The flames of his sword surged with intensity, wrapping around it in a fiery embrace.

‘Zerdinger’s combat technique. Prominence.’

Leo’s sword traced a scarlet arc toward Kargor.

Bang—!

Kargor barely managed to deflect Leo’s attack by swinging his great sword.

Yet the fiery crimson flames surged ferociously.

“You’re no ordinary rookie!”

The pure knightly prowess of Leo and Kargor was evenly matched.

The deciding factor in this duel would be experience.

And Kargor believed he had superior experience over Leo.

To think his years battling on numerous battlefields would be overcome by a first-year at the Hero Academy was absurd.

But that was Kargor’s miscalculation.

‘He sees through all my techniques!’

Leo’s experiences, forged through countless battlefields, far surpassed Kargor’s.

Feeling a chill looking into Leo’s emotionless eyes, Kargor shivered.

The flames of the inferno pierced through Kargor’s great sword.

Chiiiiii—

Under extreme heat, Kargor’s sword began to melt.

Fwoosh—!

In an instant, Kargor’s body dispersed.

‘Phantomization.’

Using one of the d*ath Knight’s techniques, Kargor quickly retreated.

‘I’ll have to use the undead forces to wear them down!’

Flare-!

In that moment, a small sun appeared in Kargor’s eyes.

With blinding light that could blind, the surrounding snow rapidly began to melt.

Casting Scorcher, Lunia shouted at Kargor.

“d*e! You bone-headed fool!”

A giant sphere of flame shot toward Kargor.

The undead engulfed in flames turned to ashes in an instant, leaving not even a trace behind.

‘There’s no escape!’

Kuwagagag—! Flare-! Bang—!

Flames spread uncontrollably in every direction.

Leo and Eiran crouched low to avoid the shockwave.

Moments later, when the flames receded, the area was scorched and obliterated.

“This is what happens if you get caught by me!”

With her chest puffed up, Lunia had a proud expression.

“The f-forest…!”

Eiran covered his face, looking pale with shock.

[Is that elf really an elf? What’s with all that aggression?]

Cheep— cheep—!

Kiran was also taken aback, while Fiora flapped her wings in delight.

Leo, who had been gazing at the place where Kargor stood, muttered.

“Persistent.”

“What?”

Lunia paused.

Gooouuuuuu!

“Ehehehe.”

“Huh? You’re still alive?”

Lunia cracked her knuckles.

“If that’s the case, I guess I’ll have to burn you until you d*e.”

[No matter how I look at it, that doesn’t seem like an elf.]

Kiran whispered.

“Hehehe— Did you think I would fall easily to Kargor?”

“Confident about your resilience? Let’s see how long you can endure!”

With a belligerent grin, Kargor laughed.

“If this mission is completed, I will ensure your deaths.”

With those words, Kargor vanished.

“How audacious to boast while fleeing.”

Lunia scoffed.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s chase that damned skeleton and break this curse in the forest!”

Fwoosh—!

After disengaging from battle, Kargor appeared before Rauta, who was drawing a summoning circle.

“Have you dealt with them all?”

“They’ll be here shortly. Hurry.”

“What?”

Rauta’s face twisted in disbelief.

“Don’t be ridiculous! That useless undead! You couldn’t handle a bunch of first-year newbies?!”

“Hehehe. Indeed. This body was defeated by mere first-year newbies.”

Kargor chuckled darkly.

“What’s so funny? Why are you laughing like a maniac?”

“How could I not be happy? This is a chance to eradicate the sprouts of those who will become heroes in the future! The commander will surely be pleased.”

Seeing Kargor exclaim with glee, Rauta’s face twisted in discomfort.

“Sprouts of a hero…?”

“Indeed, when I first saw you, I thought the Hero Academy was done for… but you’re more than just ordinary.”

“Don’t speak carelessly. You’re under my command now.”

“You’re calling yourself my master, though you’re weaker than I am?”

“The commander you serve decided so!”

Rauta, shouting furiously, revealed a black ring.

“I could annihilate you right now!”

“Hehe. Go ahead, try. As if you could handle three first-years alone.”

Rauta trembled at Kargor’s derision.

“Kugh!”

“Hurry up and finish the summoning circle, you worthless master.”