The ground trembled, buildings shook, and an inexplicable energy filled the air. "An earthquake!?" Haruto exclaimed, quickly realizing it was something else entirely.
Haruto and the knights in Tartarus witnessed a miraculous event. The ruins began to repair themselves, restoring the city to its former glory. But the astonishment inside the ruins paled in comparison to the reactions outside.
"Is this a dream? It must be a dream," someone muttered in disbelief.
Outside the ruins, both humans and escaping demons observed Tartis's resurrection. Their minds were filled with questions and concerns.
"What is happening? Is this the enemy's doing?"
"We must report this to our allies and the kingdom immediately. There's something significant about Tartarus."
Meanwhile, far from the chaos, the leader of a detached unit observed the spectacle with disbelief.
"Could this be the enemy's doing?" the leader pondered.
"Yes, it must be. There's no other power capable of such feats. Have any of our scouts returned or sent word?" the leader inquired.
"No, sir," came the reply.
The absence of the scouts' return signaled a grave turn of events. What could the enemy be plotting? What was their ultimate goal? "Alert our allies nearby. The enemy has encroached upon the ruins of the old capital. We must eliminate them before they unleash further harm upon us," he commanded.
"As you wish, Lord *`7+*8*s."
In the heart of Tartarus stood the remnants of the castle that once belonged to the royal family. Despite its ruined state, the castle's grandeur was unmistakable—a testament to the dedication and skill of its builders. Above all else was a magnificent structure, a tower reaching a height of 828 meters, its pale white spire gleaming at the summit.
Once reduced to rubble during the city's fall, the tower began to reconstruct itself before their eyes, a mesmerizing sight unfolding like a scene from a fantastical tale. Within the tower's spiraling interior, an aura of luxury and mystery enveloped the space, transforming it into a place of ethereal beauty.
At the center of this spectacle stood a figure draped in a long trench coat resembling the night sky, its hands and feet emitting a soft, pale white glow. Though obscured by a mask of the same radiant hue, the figure's eyes peered out from two hollow openings, an enigmatic presence amidst the unfolding chaos.
The entity wielded its power, restoring Tartarus to its former glory and filling the hole that had swallowed it with slaked lime, volcanic ash, water, and volcanic rock.
As the tower rose, the city began reconstructing, leaving all human knights and remaining demons bewildered by the unfolding spectacle.
With Tartarus rebuilt in its greatness, the entity's intentions shifted.
A dark energy crackled in its hands, permeating the air with venom and causing a palpable unease among the city's inhabitants.
Raising the dark energy overhead, the entity unleashed it in a rippling wave across Tartarus.
Silence descended upon the city, starkly contrasting the chaos unfolding. No harm had come to the once inside the capitol, and no lives had been lost, yet an ominous presence lingered.
Before long, the source of the strange energy became apparent.
The ground began to crack and split open, revealing gnarled hands of the undead clawing their way to the surface, disfiguring corpses of humans and demons who had perished during Tartarus's earlier battle, along with its former residents who died over a millennium ago.
Fear gripped the hearts of those who witnessed this terrifying spectacle.
The dead, animated by some dark force, fixed their gaze on the living and charged forth with chilling screams, intent on unleashing their wrath.
As the humans faced this new threat, they swiftly formed a battle formation to confront the undead horrors emerging from the darkness. Upon contact, the humans engaged the enemy with their weapons.
One knight managed to pierce a moving corpse in the chest, but to his shock, the creature did not collapse. Instead, it continued its relentless advance, catching the knight off guard. Struggling to comprehend the situation, the knight lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, the undead creature falling upon him.
"Aaaaaaaa!"
The undead assailant seized the knight, sinking its teeth into his neck and tearing at his throat.
Throughout Tartarus, a similar scene unfolded as the undead ravaged the streets, attacking and devouring the helpless humans. Despite their efforts to resist, the residents and defenders found themselves overwhelmed by this unprecedented onslaught of reanimated corpses.
Haruto and a group of knights stood vigilant on a rooftop, fending off the undead horde below. Recognizing the dire threat, Haruto urgently ordered everyone to retreat to safety.
Though Haruto successfully led some knights to safety, others were less fortunate. Helplessly, they watched as their comrades fell prey to the ravenous undead.
"Keep them at bay! Do not let a single one breach our defenses!" Haruto commanded.
"Yes, sir!"
The knights worked tirelessly to repel the encroaching undead from reaching the rooftop.
"How are our troops holding up?" Haruto inquired to a knight
"Not well, Sir Haruto. The men are shaken, morale dwindling as they witness their comrades consumed by these abominations," The knight reported grimly.
Haruto surveyed the scene: the soldiers gasped for air, men trembling in fear.
"We must leave now to reunite with our forces outside the city," he declared.
"We'll have a better chance together," The knight agreed.
"But how do we navigate the streets and craters?" The knight asked.
"We'll take the rooftops toward the gate," Haruto replied.
"Not everyone can do that. How can we all escape?" The knight pressed.
Haruto pondered, then decided, "We will run through them."
The knight objected, but Haruto stood firm.
"We must break through this nightmare and reach the city wall," he urged. "Fight with me!" he commanded.
The other knights, looking back at Haruto, awaited his plan.
"We face the dead head-on," Haruto declared.
The knights roared in defiance.
"Are you mad, Sir Haruto!?"
"Suicide, Sir Haruto! That plan is suicide!"
"The creatures are invincible, Sir Haruto. And their numbers are growing."
Haruto listened to their protests but remained resolute.
"If we stay, we'll be overwhelmed. These zombies feel no pain, no fear. They will not stop until we are devoured," he explained.
One knight said, "Sir Haruto, do you have experience with these creatures?"
"In my world, there were tales of zombies, the walking dead," Haruto shared.
"Zombies!?"
The knights were intrigued.
"Did the books mention ways to defeat them?"
"Yes, by crushing their skulls or using light magic," Haruto revealed.
"Perhaps there's hope!"
Haruto hesitated.
He couldn't risk lives based on fictional knowledge.
He dashed their hopes but offered a glimmer of possibility.
"It's worth a try," he conceded.
"What if reinforcements are on their way?" a knight suggested hopefully.
"Our allies may be fighting to reach us even now."
"But it's uncertain if reinforcements will arrive in time. They must assess the situation, study the zombies, and plan a rescue. We may not survive that long."
"Decide your fate," Haruto urged the knights.
Some chose to follow Haruto's plan, while others remained behind in fear.
******
Meanwhile, the main forces battled against the zombies, facing unexpected challenges. The humans struggled to understand their foes and needed a coherent strategy. Some discovered ways to defeat the zombies with magic or precise strikes.
The human mages strained their magic against the relentless undead horde.
Their usual spells proved ineffective, forcing them to unleash powerful, mana-draining incantations.
Exhausted, the mages collapsed, exposing their comrades to the advancing zombies.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Knights, overcome with fear, abandoned their allies and fled from the battlefield.
"Stand your ground! Fight!" Commanders on horseback tried in vain to rally the deserting soldiers.
The battle cries echoed:
"Aaaaaa!"
"Kaaaa!"
"Rore!"
*************
Riku was in the rear, tending to the wounded soldiers he had saved when the ruins were somehow restored, and a horde of zombies was unleashed onto the battlefield.
He trembled at the horror turned reality, heart racing from memories of horror movies he watched back in his original world.
As the battle intensified, humans fought desperately against the undead onslaught.
Witnessing some soldiers running from the ruins, Riku realized that some people were still in there and they were trying to escape. Summoning his courage, Riku headed towards the frontline.
"Hold the line! Shield up! Spears ready!"
Commanders organized a defense, urging mages to unleash their magic upon the enemy. The mages unleashed their magic as ordered, targeting the zombies and causing havoc among their comrades.
Some zombies, resilient to the fire, pressed on despite the magical assault.
With fire-resistant zombies advancing, knights stood firm with shields raised.
"Raora!"
"How are they still standing!?"
One spearman struck a zombie to no avail.
Despite powerful fire magic, the undead persisted, frustrating the commander.
As a massive demon corpse approached, panic gripped the commander.
"Mages, focus on that creature heading for the line!"
"Spear of justice!"
"Ball of light!"
"Flaming arrows!"
The mages unleashed all spells they could muster, but the undead monstrosity continued its advance unabated.
The undead breached the shield wall, sending knights flying as the demon charged through like a raging bull.
"Aha!"
Following the massive corpse, the other zombies poured through the gap in the defense.
"Retreat! Fall back!"
The commander urged his surviving men to retreat. Before one of the knights could step back, a demon seized him and silenced him with a fatal blow.
"Roar!"
That same demon dashed toward the commander, crashing into his horse and knocking them both to the ground.
"Uh!"
"Nee!"
Pinned by the fallen horse, the commander's leg snapped, immobilizing him.
"Darn it!"
The demon inflicted further pain, pressing its foot on the horse's body.
"Aha!"
The commander screamed in agony as the demon tormented him, preparing to seize his head.
In a critical moment, a knife struck the undead's skull, forcing it back just as it was about to grasp the commander's head.
"What just happened?" the commander asked in confusion until Riku called out to him in concern.
"Commander, are you alright?" Riku's voice rang out, the one who had thrown the knife that saved him.
"Sir Riku, how did you do it?" The commander inquired about how he removed one of the undead creators. He and his men had difficulty wiping one of them without using powerful spells.
Understanding the commander's question, Riku shared his knowledge of zombies and their weaknesses even though they were fictional stories. Thankfully, these methods seemed to be effective. Riku had tested these methods on his way here.
"It seems that it's possible to kill them by destroying their heads," Riku said as he helped the commander out from under the horse, giving him a potion to fix his broken leg. Handing the commander a weapon, he instructed, "Take this. I'll help the others. Head to the medical unit quickly; they're already coming."
After a moment of hesitation, the commander agreed. "Very well. I entrust my men to you."
Seeing the commander off, Riku rushed to assist the knights in battle.
Drawing knives from his medieval baldric, Riku swiftly threw them at the approaching zombies, preventing them from claiming more victims.
"Are you all alright?" Riku called out to the knights.
"We are. Thank you, Sir Riku," they responded gratefully.
"Thank you, Sir Riku," another voice chimed in.
Some knights thanked Riku, while others remained vigilant, watching the corpses for any signs of movement. They had tried various methods to keep the undead at bay, but the creatures seemed dormant now.
Understanding their actions, Riku reiterated the zombies' weakness to the knights. "Their weakness lies in their heads, particularly the brain. Destroy their brains, and they will cease to move,"
"Thank you for sharing this knowledge, Sir Riku. We will target the zombies' heads to end this," the knights vowed.
"Good. Tell those still in combat about the zombies' vulnerability," Riku instructed.
With the rescued knights now informed about dealing with the undead, Riku left to assist others while also telling them about dealing with zombies.
As the humans gained insight into combating the zombies, the tide of the battle slowly shifted in their favor. With his unmatched speed and accuracy, Riku swiftly maneuvered through the battlefield, striking down zombies precisely. He saved many endangered comrades from becoming the undead's prey, his heroic actions not going unnoticed. The knights Riku saved expressed their gratitude, thanking him for rescuing them from danger. However, Riku's journey was far from over, as he was about to face a formidable foe.
As thoughts raced through his mind, Riku failed to notice the ground beneath him shifting, catching him off guard. Reacting swiftly, his body moved instinctively to avoid the sudden movement. Once on stable ground, he turned to see the source of the disturbance, his eyes widening in shock.
A massive figure emerged from the ground where Riku had been standing moments before. It possessed a muscular torso covered in fur, with legs resembling a sheep's. A serpentine tail trailed behind it, while tentacles sprouted instead of arms on its right side. Its left side featured a clawed hand alongside a fleshy appendage. The creature's head resembled a prehistoric pterodactyl adorned with elk-like horns.
The creature let out a roar, causing those nearby to cover their ears. Riku found himself face-to-face with the terrifying undead.
"What is that thing? It must be a high-ranking demon!" No one in the human army had ever faced a demon of this magnitude.
As the undead ceased its roar, it locked eyes on Riku and charged straight at him.
Caught off guard, the face seized Riku, flung into the air by the undead, then hurled back to the ground.
The undead descended where Riku had crashed, grasping one of his legs and swinging him around, repeatedly slamming him into the ground. It then paused to see if Riku was still alive. The undead master wished for Riku to be brought to him alive.
Upon inspecting its hand, the undead found only Riku's trench coat, as Riku had activated a skill called Decoy, tricking the demon into attacking the coat instead.
Seizing the chance, Riku drank a healing potion to mend his wounds. Once restored, he stood up, drawing his magic sword.
Enraged, the undead searched for the boy who had eluded it until an explosion hit his back, and it caught its attention.
Without a sound of pain, the undead turned to see Riku standing tall, prepared to confront it. The undead used its tentacles to reach for Riku on its right side.
Riku swiftly dodged each demon's tentacles as it roared in frustration and lunged towards him.
Thinking quickly, Riku grabbed explosive artifacts from his pouch and hurled them at the undead. Upon contact, the objects detonated, damaging the undead. The creature's wing and two tentacles were severely injured, and a flesh wound was on its stomach.
Unfazed by the pain, the undead continued its assault on Riku. Sensing an opportunity, Riku stopped running, assessing the demon's injuries and deciding to confront it.
As the undead swung its skeletal arm at Riku, he evaded the attack by rolling backward. Riku fired at the undead head by drawing a crossbow from his pouch. The arrow glanced off the creature's skull, producing a metallic sound.
Surprised by the outcome, Riku was momentarily taken aback. Before he could process the situation, the undead snake-like tail lunged towards his blind side. Caught by the undead's tentacles, Riku struggled in vain to break free, feeling the grip tighten around him.
As the undead approached Riku, a dark, hair-thin line extended down its chest, revealing more tentacles within its stomach. Riku, filled with fear, realized the imminent danger he faced.
With dread consuming him, Riku was brought towards the undead's open chest, his cries of despair echoing through the air. It seemed like the end for him until another explosion erupted behind the demon.
Distracted by the chaos, the demon dropped Riku, allowing someone to grab him and escape safely. Explosions continued around the undead as they fled, seeking refuge behind a small cliff.
Breathing heavily, Riku looked at his savior and recognized him. "Haruto! Thank goodness you're safe. I was worried about you."
Haruto replied, "I was worried about you too. When I saw you in danger, I acted quickly to save you."
Grateful for the rescue, Riku asked, "How did you find me?"
"It was pure luck. I was with a group fighting zombies when I heard your cries. We managed to escape the city, but it seems help won't arrive anytime soon," Haruto explained, noting the dire situation of the knights outside the city.
"Did you use up all the artifacts on the rescue mission?"
"I did. Unfortunately, I don't have any left. What about you?"
Riku shook his head. "No, I used mine up helping the knights and facing that undead."
"Damn. Those artifacts could have been useful against that undead."
"Do you have a plan?"
"I did, but now I need to develop something new. Riku, did you notice anything important while facing that undead?"
Riku paused, then recalled some key details from his battles.
"Wait, Haruto, I think I have a plan. Listen up."
Unable to locate its target, the undead searched among the humans and others. It lamented the loss of its wings, which would have aided the hunt. As it crept, it ruthlessly dispatched anyone in its path, causing panic among the humans.
Screams filled the air as the undead continued their relentless pursuit, leaving destruction in their wake. Frustrated by their inability to find Riku, the undead spotted a peculiar flashing light in the distance and changed course toward it, intrigued by this unexpected beacon.
The undead spotted the source of the signal and realized it was Riku. Just as it lunged towards him, the ground beneath Riku vanished, causing the undead to plummet into a concealed pit. Soon, a net was thrown over it.
Riku and Haruto had prepared a trap using their skills. As the undead struggled in the net, Haruto threw a vial containing a strange-smelling liquid over them.
"Riku!"
"On it!" Riku, igniting a torch.
Before Riku could strike, the undead ripped the net. Riku ignited the torch and hurled it into the undead's exposed chest, engulfing it in flames. The liquid from the bottle Haruto threw was highly flammable, causing the undead to burn ferociously.
As the undead writhed in agony, Riku remembered the critical spots where the artifacts had struck earlier—its wings, stomach, and tentacles. The explosive power of the artifacts severely damaged these areas, weakening the undead significantly.
Caught up in the intense battle, Riku momentarily forgot that their enemies were not zombies but decomposing corpses nearing skeletonization. Between these two phases, the body could combust much easier, faster, and brighter than it would if it was recently diseased. As the flames consumed the undead figure, it ceased its persistent,
Riku watched as the undead disintegrated into ashes before vanishing completely. Haruto stood by his side, proclaiming victory.
"We did it, but the battle isn't over," Riku replied, eyeing the remaining zombies attacking their allies.
But just as they could aid their comrades, spears of light magic were shot to the ground, forming a cage around them, halting their advance. Startled, they turned to see three more of the same undead high-tier demons descending from the sky, presenting a new challenge.
************
After another battle, the heroes were beaten badly, and the three undead swiftly seized Riku and Haruto. The undead soared into the night sky, soaring towards a towering structure at the heart of the capital. Meanwhile, the skirmishes in the old capital concluded with the humans succumbing to the zombie onslaught.
Haruto and Riku found themselves trapped inside the undead's chest, their heads protruding from the monstrous cavity. Despite their severe injuries, they fought to remain conscious, their hearts heavy with grief, regret, and sorrow as they witnessed the desperate cries of their comrades trying to survive.
As the undead carried them to the central tower, they were ushered through a grand open window into a lavish interior surpassing anything they had seen in Florian's palace. Puzzled by their captors' intentions, they speculated on the reason why they were brought there alive. Were they seeking information on their plans, capabilities, or origins?
Inside the tower, the demons knelt before a figure draped in a celestial trench coat that shimmered like the starry night sky. The coat has patterns resembling constellations and galaxies, exuding an aura of mystery and majesty. Its hands emit a pure white luminescence, pulsing with an otherworldly energy that hints at immense power. The pallid hue envelops the entire figure, rendering it a faceless enigma; when they saw its eyes, they were swirling galaxies within, adding a cosmic depth to its presence. The enigmatic figure commanded a sense of dread in Haruto and Riku.
Terrified yet stubborn, the two warriors grasped the grim reality that this figure held dominion over the demons and undead, plaguing them, marking it as their ultimate adversary.
The enigmatic entity uttered cryptic words as it approached the group, its language incomprehensible to them but distinct from the demons' anguished cries, signaling its non-demonic nature.
Commanding one of the undead demons, the entity compelled it to reveal Riku ensnared within its chest, eliciting fear and desperation from Riku as he struggled against his bindings.
"What... What do you intend to do to me?" Riku gasped, his heart pounding with dread.
The entity laid its hand upon Riku's chest, causing him to cry out in agony as it began to merge into his flesh. Ignoring Haruto's pleas, the entity delved into Riku's body, searching for something with relentless determination until it retrieved an object, withdrawing its arm from within Riku's chest.
Haruto observed as the entity extracted a glowing white orb from Riku's body, transfixed by the object now cradled in the entity's hand.
Noticing Riku's silence, Haruto called out with growing concern but received no response. Riku remained motionless as if drained of all strength and will.
"Riku! Answer me!" Haruto's pleas were brushed aside as the entity advanced towards him, its intentions clear.
Realizing the impending danger, Haruto braced himself, warning the entity to stay back. Unheeding, the entity approached, and with a chilling silence, Haruto's anguished cry echoed through the chamber.