36-71

EP.71 Lich and Hero – 1 

“Everyone to your assigned positions!” 

At Commander Munch’s shout, all sorts of water containers were moved into place. 

At a glance, they looked like ordinary water. 

But inside was the power of the gods. 

“This is better than I expected.” 

The holy water distributed along the walls was an enormous amount, almost unimaginable to have been produced in such a short time. 

“With this much, we could go into the holy water business.” 

It might be a bit blasphemous, but holy water is a low-cost supply. 

You only need two things: ordinary water, and a priest with faith. 

The first you can get from any river or well, and the second we had plenty of from the plaza. 

Truly, it’s the power of the gods. 

It’s a relief to be able to quickly and massively supply both resources and manpower useful in battle. 

Not only holy water, but on the walls stood beastkin in neat clothing, looking serious. 

Their outfits varied, probably due to a lack of uniforms, but these were priests who could use basic holy magic. 

Even with deep faith, learning holy magic in a short time is very difficult. 

But one in ten, or one in a hundred, can pick it up quickly. 

“It’s so effective, even I’m surprised.” 

No trace of despair or negativity remained among the people. 

Their eyes now burned with determination to win at any cost. 

With this, our chances were good. 

“Wait until the enemy is close enough!” 

I watched as the enemy slowly approached the walls. 

The undead army was enormous. 

In addition to beastkin, there were wild animals and monsters mixed in, so they outnumbered us by a huge margin. 

Numbers are important in war, but not always decisive. 

Sometimes, a small force can achieve miraculous victories. 

“Graaah!” 

“Everyone, prepare for the operation!” 

The undead, now right up to the walls, began to climb. 

Some scaled the stone like rock climbers, but most simply trampled each other in their rush upward. 

Undead feel no pain-they didn’t need ladders. 

“Now! Douse them with holy water!” 

Splaash- 

At the commander’s signal, the soldiers poured out the holy water. 

The huge quantities soaked the walls, and the undead climbing up had their bones and flesh melted away as if by acid. 

“It’s working!” 

“Don’t stop-keep pouring it on!” 

Countless undead clinging to the walls quickly vanished in smoke. 

There was so much holy water that the walls were drenched, making it impossible for the undead to even approach. 

“Graaah!!” 

In an instant, the tide of battle turned in our favor. 

The undead couldn’t even cling to the walls anymore. 

With no way to attack, all that was left was a one-sided slaughter. 

“Pour on the holy water and holy magic!” 

As soldiers threw holy water, solemn voices rang out from all around. 

“‘Holy Light!’” 

White beams of light and holy water flew through the air. 

The enemy, now unable to attack, had no way to resist the divine power raining down from above. 

“From the looks of it, we have an overwhelming advantage now…” 

No sooner had I said it than a fireball appeared among the enemy ranks. 

A sinister black flame orb, large enough to destroy the wall. 

“Knew they wouldn’t just sit and watch.” 

Focusing mana in my eyes, I observed the enemies near the fireball and spotted one with a distinctly different presence. 

A lich. 

The high undead was staring coldly at the wall. 

“Everyone, take cover!” 

Munch’s face showed alarm. 

Our advantage depended on defending from the walls. 

If the wall fell and the undead flooded in, the city would be lost. 

This one’s mine to handle. 

“It’s coming!” 

I kicked off the ground and leapt toward the fireball. 

Whoosh- 

Wind brushed my cheek. 

I struck the fireball with a massive sword slash, and the deflected attack burned the enemy instead. 

Landing smoothly in the midst of the enemy, I was hit by the stench of corpses and their grotesque movements. 

Undead are unpleasant no matter how many times you see them. 

“Here’s a gift.” 

I swung my massive sword in a 360-degree arc. 

Slash- 

Like cutting weeds, I easily bisected the surrounding undead. 

But, true to their nature, the undead simply filled the gap and kept coming. 

“That’s the problem with undead…” 

I reduced the size of my sword aura, cutting down the undead as they charged. 

A huge sword slash can thin their numbers quickly, but it’s not efficient-mana cost rises exponentially with size. 

One step at a time, I cut my way toward the lich. 

The skeletal figure in a black robe stared at me with empty eye sockets. 

No pupils to read, but I could tell the sudden intruder was unwelcome. 

“I’ll snap that dried-up neck soon.” 

A lich feels almost no emotion. 

But right now, even it was surprised by the strength of its anger and confusion. 

On the Demon King’s orders, it had been easily taking over the Carrion Kingdom. 

Its plan to quietly build up undead in vulnerable regions had worked perfectly, putting Carrion in crisis almost overnight. 

But at the last moment, an unexpected variable appeared. 

“The hero… Yujin, was it?” 

A sinister voice spread through the ranks. 

The lich watched as Yujin cut down undead like toys. 

Yujin’s appearance hadn’t been part of the plan. 

Though he was nearby, Carrion was known for disliking humans. 

No matter how much of a hero he was among humans, the chance of him coming was almost zero. 

“This has gone awry.” 

Yujin was already famous among the Demon King’s forces-the man who ruined the plan to take over the Lumis Kingdom. 

The lich knew he was a person of interest, but hadn’t expected him to be this powerful. 

The lich’s gaze turned cold as it watched Yujin. 

‘The moment he appeared, the situation reversed instantly.’ 

By the lich’s analysis, Carrion was extremely vulnerable to undead. 

Its population was spread out in rural areas, making it easy to increase numbers, and it had far fewer priests than other nations. 

‘The holy magic and holy water raining from the walls-normally, that would be impossible for Carrion.’ 

It was an abnormal situation, and the lich’s main suspicion was Yujin-and rightly so. 

“Withdraw for now.” 

With a gesture and a quiet incantation, the undead stopped and began to retreat. 

A path opened through the undead toward the lich, and Yujin naturally looked its way. 

With arrogant brown eyes, Yujin met the lich’s gaze. 

“I have something to ask you,” the lich said, voice full of anger. 

“What is it?” 

Yujin, curious, lowered his sword and faced the lich, cockily. 

Seeing Yujin’s attitude, the lich was surprised at how much anger it could still feel, even in death. 

“Why do you oppose the Demon King?” 

“Heh…” 

Yujin let out a short laugh-a clear sneer. 

If the lich were alive and could truly feel, it would have torn him apart on the spot. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“Well…” 

Many thoughts ran through Yujin’s mind. 

The Demon King was humanity’s enemy, and Yujin had suffered plenty because of him. 

He didn’t have some grand reason like saving humanity or being a hero, but he had more than enough reason to oppose the Demon King. 

‘What should I say…’ 

Yujin found himself thinking not of the fundamental reason, but of how to annoy his opponent. 

“My reason for opposing the Demon King is simple.” 

He answered as he rushed at the lich. 

“I just don’t like you guys.” 

With lightning speed, Yujin’s sword stabbed forward. 

The lich cast a defensive spell, but hadn’t expected such a direct attack and couldn’t fully block it. 

“Ugh… you!” 

His sword pierced the magic circle, and though the attack’s power was reduced, it still severed the lich’s outstretched hand. 

“Just bones, but tougher than I thought.” 

The lich, seeing Yujin’s relaxed attitude, felt genuine irritation for the first time since its resurrection. 

“Have you no pride as a hero?” 

“I never asked to be a hero. And besides, you have to win before you can play the hero, right?” 

Yujin replied nonchalantly, swinging his sword again. 

“You bastard…!” 

The lich began to retreat, casting defensive spells. 

The initial attack had caught it off guard, but now it was skillfully blocking Yujin’s strikes. 

“Stop him!” 

Overwhelmed, the lich ordered its minions to attack as it tried to escape. 

With the undead holding Yujin back, the lich made a quick getaway. 

“Tch…” 

With only himself able to pursue, Yujin had no choice but to let the lich go. 

“A shame. But this is still a great victory.” 

The undead army that had filled the field was now fleeing to protect their leader. 

“We won!” 

“The hero drove them off!” 

“Look at them run! Ha!” 

Cheers rang out. 

The lich ground its teeth in frustration at the sound of defeat. 

‘Just wait… Yujin, I’ll turn you into an undead and make you a laughingstock!’