------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 89
Necropolis
Kaylen was well aware of this place.
‘A secret stronghold of dark sorcerers, established by the followers of the Demon Realm.’
Before the Demon King’s descent, the first thing dark sorcerers would secretly construct was a Necropolis. This was because the Middle World had a relatively lower concentration of dark mana compared to the Demon Realm.
A Necropolis, created through offerings of human bones and flesh, served to supplement this lack of dark mana.
‘The scale isn’t particularly large… but the dark mana here is substantial.’
In his past life, there had been larger Necropolises during the subjugation campaigns, but the sheer amount of dark mana emanating from the structure itself seemed greater than any he had encountered before.
“Darkness, reveal yourself.”
As the Saintess stood up and stretched out her hand, the dark mana pouring from the Necropolis became visible even to ordinary eyes.
Thick black mana, rising like smoke in all directions, was overwhelming—engulfing not only the Necropolis but also the surrounding garden.
And from within that ominous darkness...
“Hah.”
A single strand of dark mana was connected to the head of the First Prince, Diether Hart.
As the onlookers gazed at the prince’s head, Diether Hart himself looked up.
Upon seeing the black strand, he let out a sigh.
‘The Saintess… what a nuisance.’
Bormian, the one controlling Diether Hart, was irritated.
He had planned to lay low and stall for three more days until his true body arrived, yet now the hidden Necropolis was exposed so easily.
Feigning ignorance, he spoke up.
“What is the meaning of this? Why is that black thing connected to me?”
“This is dark mana. It signifies that Your Highness is connected to the Necropolis.”
“I… I’m connected to dark mana?”
Bormian manipulated Diether Hart’s body to feign surprise, but the expression on his face was unnaturally stiff.
So much so that even those loyal to the prince found it strange.
His left face showed shock, while his right remained expressionless, as if paralyzed.
‘W-what? Why can’t I control it properly…?’
Alarmed, Bormian looked up.
The dark mana linking Diether Hart was gradually fading in color.
“Your Highness, are you familiar with the Black Skull?”
“B-Black Skull, you say?”
Due to the complete paralysis of the right side of his face, his speech slurred awkwardly.
Step. Step.
As the Saintess approached with cold eyes, a chill ran down Bormian’s spine.
He had borrowed power from a Demon Legion Commander, believing no human could threaten him.
Yet now, witnessing the divine power radiating from the Saintess's armor, he felt an instinctive fear.
“The Black Skull—those who wished to become demons, offering their bodies and souls to the Demon Realm. They replace the flesh they sacrificed with new bodies and become puppets known as ‘Marionettes,’ controlled by others.”
***
“Marionettes are indistinguishable from ordinary humans at a glance, making it difficult to identify them... but here at the Sanctuary, we’ve found a way to detect them.”
“You mean suspicion?”
“No, not suspicion.”
The Saintess spoke with a radiant smile.
“I am certain.”
Chiiiizzzzz...
With the sound of flesh burning, Diether Hart’s forehead was momentarily engulfed in a brilliant white light.
“Ugh… ugh…”
His entire face then froze into an expressionless state, as if completely paralyzed.
Like a puppet with its strings cut, he collapsed to the ground, his joints twisting unnaturally.
“O-Oppah!”
Violet gasped and rushed toward him.
Chiiiiik...
But before she could reach him, black smoke rose from his body, and his flesh began to melt away.
Without leaving even a final word, Diether Hart vanished suddenly.
Violet's eyes filled with despair and fury.
“Saintess! What have you done?!”
“Look at his bones.”
“His… bones…”
As the smoke cleared, the bones revealed beneath Diether Hart's melted flesh were black, emanating a strange dark mana.
His arms, legs, and torso bones were all intact, but...
“His skull is missing, isn’t it?”
“That is proof that he was a Black Skull.”
Thud.
Violet collapsed to the ground.
Her brother… had truly followed the demons?
It didn’t feel real.
“No… that can’t be…”
Diether Hart.
He was the only one she could truly open up to and rely on.
Of course, there were others with royal blood, but...
Her father, who had executed her mother, and the Second Prince, who was constantly plotting to push her out of the palace—she could never bring herself to trust them.
To her, Diether Hart was the only family she had.
That was why she had aligned herself with the First Prince’s faction, working tirelessly to secure his position.
Even under the curse of Mana Shroud by Glacia, which would eventually freeze her body solid if she failed to reach the Fifth Circle, she couldn’t devote herself entirely to magic training.
All her sacrifices were made to see the First Prince crowned as king.
And now, the very reason for all her efforts had vanished before her eyes.
Leaving behind only the worst possible truth—that he had colluded with the Demon Realm.
‘Now… what should I do...’
Violet reached out towards the darkened bones that stained the ground black.
“Do not touch them. They are still imbued with dark mana.”
Despite the Saintess’s warning, Violet did not stop.
Tap.
Kaylen grabbed her arm, and she gazed at him with empty eyes.
“Why….”
“They are bones tainted with demonic energy.”
“This… this is all that’s left of my brother. I have a duty to collect them.”
Kaylen looked at Violet.
Despite being the de facto leader of the First Prince’s faction, she was still only in her early twenties.
The despair of losing the only brother she could rely on in the palace was understandable.
However, collecting the bones tainted with dark mana was a different matter.
If Violet were to touch the bones, overflowing with dark mana, she would also be directly affected.
“Think back to what happened at the secondary palace.”
— Heh... Hehehe. So mere words aren’t enough without the stimulation of dark mana. Your mental resistance is far too weak...
Violet’s hand hesitated.
Back then, because of the Black Skull’s words, she had thought that she should get examined once the Saintess arrived.
And now, the ‘stimulation of dark mana’ that was mentioned back then was right in front of her.
“…If only you hadn’t appeared. I could have lived without ever knowing.”
Swish.
As Violet stood up, the bones trembled violently.
No, it wasn’t just the bones—
The entire ground began to shake.
[Heh heh… Violet, you truly are a heartless child. You can’t even embrace your brother’s remains.]
A chilling voice echoed from the Necropolis.
“Ugh…”
“M-My ears…!”
The young knights and handmaidens, lacking sufficient training, collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain from the voice.
[Well, it doesn’t matter. A child who will die anyway without reaching the Fifth Circle holds no real value.]
Rumble.
The Necropolis, built from human bones and flesh,
began to dismantle rapidly, merging into a singular form.
Skeletons and zombies, pitch black in color.
Though the weakest among the undead monsters, the dark mana they exuded was no trivial matter.
[Only the Sword Master and the Saintess are needed.]
Boom. Boom.
The undead legion marched in perfect formation.
Despite having just been formed, their discipline was terrifying,
enough to overwhelm the royal knights watching them.
“Ugh…”
“Knights, form a defensive line!”
“Activate mana suits!”
Kaylen's gaze darkened.
They were such an undisciplined rabble.
‘So this is the level of the royal knights…’
Even if the path to becoming a Sword Master had disappeared,
and even if this era belonged to the Meisters,
the Royal Knights were supposed to be an elite force that only the very best could join.
And yet, they were in complete disarray.
“…Should I just run away?”
The situation was becoming more ridiculous by the moment.
At least the Sanctuary's Holy Knights were holding their ground, prepared like the knights of the past.
‘This won’t do.’
Kaylen had wanted to see the strength of modern knights,
but the casualties would be too high if he left them to their own devices.
Rather than watching them struggle, it would be better for him to step in.
Step. Step.
The White Knight strode toward the undead legion.
A blue glow seeped into his gauntlet.
The magic circle inscribed on the surface of the pristine white gauntlet flickered, gradually expanding across his entire armor.
“That’s…”
The knights forming the defensive line focused their gazes.
The armor worn by the knight who arrived riding a dragon—
It turned out to be a Mana Suit.
Some of them, noticing the engraving on the gauntlet that read Myorn Workshop, lit up with recognition.
“Mana Suit Expert, release.”
As the White Knight spoke those words,
his pure white armor instantly turned a brilliant shade of blue.
Clank.
For a moment, he bent his knees slightly.
“Huh…?”
Then, the White Knight vanished from sight.
Not just the knights,
but even the Saintess and the Holy Knights of the Sanctuary
failed to track his movement.
He reappeared about ten seconds later.
Chhh…
In the silent battlefield,
a sharp rift-like sound resonated.
“L-Look over there…”
“The undead…!”
The undead legion that had been standing in perfect formation—
Their bodies now bore thin, radiant white slashes that cut clean across them.
Over a thousand undead—
All of them—
Had been shredded apart without a chance to resist.
Fwoosh!
From their bisected torsos, pure white sacred flames erupted.
The once-formidable undead legion could not withstand the fire and burned helplessly.
“Whoa…”
A thousand foes felled with a single strike.
The legendary tales of a Sword Master—
Tales that most believed to be mere exaggerations,
especially among the knights who wielded aura—
were now unfolding before their very eyes.
The knights stood in stunned silence,
witnessing the true power of a Sword Master.
“Is this the end?”
Beyond the annihilated undead army,
the White Knight murmured those words and took a step forward.
[Kuhuhuhu… Impressive. Truly impressive! Go on, flaunt your sword even more, Sword Master!]
Despite the utter destruction of the undead legion,
a voice filled with amusement echoed from the Necropolis.
[Prove your worth. Only then will my efforts be recognized by my master… Hehehe. This time, things will be interesting.]
Rumble.
The inner walls of the bone-formed Necropolis began to collapse,
causing the ground to split apart.
From within, one after another, black coffins slowly rose to the surface.
The coffin lids began to open on their own.
[Vampires, arise.]
“We shall obey our master’s command.”
Whoosh. Whoosh.
One by one, the vampires inside the coffins began to rise.
Kaylen frowned as he observed them.
‘Vampires… active in broad daylight?’
Vampires, known for their weakness to sunlight—
Yet here they were, moving effortlessly under the bright sun.
‘And their complexion… They’re different from the vampires I know.’
Unlike the pale, lifeless creatures of legend, these vampires appeared almost as healthy as ordinary humans, with a natural flush to their skin.
They were nothing like the vampires of a thousand years ago.
Thud. Thud.
A total of 200 vampires slowly emerged from the coffins.
They were young men and women, all clad in matching uniforms of a similar style.
Violet, watching from behind, felt an eerie sense of familiarity.
‘Those faces… Could it be…?’
A grim premonition settled in her chest.
Among the 200, too many faces looked familiar.
[Hahaha! Violet, do you see them?]
As if to confirm her worst fears, a chilling voice echoed from the Necropolis.
[The Meisters you brought with you. Aren’t they splendid?]
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
