A lich or death knight owned by a player couldn’t be destroyed in the usual way. It was like a pet. It belonged to the account, so what method did other players have to violate it? Yet Faker discussed destroying Pauld. Was it a bluff? Seeing the lack of a disgusting pretense, it probably wasn’t a bluff.

‘There must be something he believes in.’

The dagger with the shadows wrapped around it. It had a much more profound energy than the hemisphere that engulfed the mansion.

‘This is why I doubt that Baal’s Contractor is invincible.’

The Sword Saint was the best, but Baal’s Contractor was invincible. It was a role that was hostile to humanity, so it made sense that it had an unrivaled side. It was actually absurdly strong. Aside from their loathing of Agnus, people feared the potential of Baal’s Contractor.

Agnus himself couldn’t guess his own limitations. He had rejected Baal’s quests several times for their uselessness when he wasn’t in the right mind. If the quests that contained the slaughter of civilians had been faithfully carried out, he would be many times stronger than he was right now.

However, it was too much of an extreme to one side. Following divinity and the Demon Slayer, now there was a counter in the shadow arts? This was why Baal’s declaration that there would be no one to compete against him was just nonsense.

‘...No.’

Agnus studied the energy contained in Faker’s shadow sword from a slightly different perspective. It was the energy of extermination. There were no restrictions on utility. The power wasn’t limited to just the dead. There was the possibility of destroying any opponent. It was a killer’s secret technique. This skill would be limited, just as the ‘Deceased Creation’ of Baal’s Contractor and the ‘Swordsmanship Creation’ of the Sword Saint had restrictions on the number of uses.

‘He’s put a lot on the line.’

A legendary skill with a limit on the number of uses was purely for themselves. Yet Faker was going to use it to get rid of Pauld. He was willing to sacrifice one of the benefits of becoming a legend. It wasn’t a usual mindset. There was a high possibility of death. Agnus pulled out a sword and exercised the authority of a demon noble. He summoned three demons. It was a number that proved his noble title had been elevated.

“Exercising your rights. Then I understand. Every time a strong person exercises their rights, there will be weak people who lose their rights.”

I did so.

Faker read the eyes of Agnus who spoke and was convinced.

‘He’s changed.’

There was none of that madness that was Agnus’ symbol. Was there no malice left? Faker wasn’t sure. Agnus could’ve shaken it off along with his madness or it might be deep in his mind. One thing was for certain. Agnus wasn’t some daredevil who didn’t know the consequences. It seemed he would have to reduce the goal of destroying the death knights along with Pauld. One of Agnus’ few weaknesses was his madness. Now that it was gone, it would be a tougher fight than he determined.

Step.

Agnus took a step forward. He didn’t approach Faker. No matter how good his swordsmanship, he wasn’t a match for Faker. Didn’t Faker block two death knights who were more powerful than high rankers? Agnus glanced at the cityscape beyond the siege of shadows and spread open his arms.

“The back streets of this glorious city were full of underprivileged people who lost their rights. They were weak people no one cared about if they suddenly disappeared one day.”

“......”

Faker noticed something and became anxious. There were no circumstances for it and no physical evidence, but Agnus’ words created an ominous feeling. It was the senses of a genius that was closer to foresight.

“I gave them value.”

Thump.

Agnus lightly stomped on the ground where he stood. The aftermath was great. The entire land started to shake and the dead started to crawl out. The site of Agnus’ mansion was already a graveyard. Hundreds of bodies were buried below this great land.

Kuueok... Kuooh...

The ghouls that were illuminated by the light had the pained expressions from when they died. The number that reached 400 was arranged like an army with one gesture from Agnus. There were no separate guards protecting the king. Faker realized it. Agnus’ madness and malice hadn’t disappeared. They were just controlled. The mad dog had become a madman.

“I understand your heart that attacked first without waiting for your colleagues. You were trying to tie me up out of fear I would notice and ruin it by returning to hell. But... can you handle it?”

Agnus sneered and flicked his fingers. Then the demons fired rays from their mouths. The targets were the Shadow members, not Faker. Agnus was thinking of reducing the number of Shadow members blocking the deceased and increasing his army.

It was real from now on. The fight against time began. Faker had to achieve his purpose as soon as possible.

Faker remained in the shadows and completely deceived the senses of Agnus’ army. From the start, he had no intention of moving to Pauld’s shadow. They would surely be on guard. Rather, Faker appeared in Agnus’ shadow. This move was aimed at keeping the demonic firepower in check while catching them off guard. However, the danger that Faker failed to detect was lurking in Agnus’ arms.

Croak.

A black frog.

Faker’s expressionless face was broken. It was because the name ‘Chepardea’ above the head of the frog sticking out its long tongue was an unusual color. Black red. It meant that his hierarchy was very high even in hell. The small tongue extended as it reached Faker. Every time the size changed, speed was added and the trajectory shifted. It was almost like an illusion, but the frog just stretched out its tongue.

‘Fortunately, it isn’t deep.’

Faker, whose waist was injured because he couldn’t avoid the attack completely, regained his composure. The damage was only 4,000 and there were no physical abnormalities. Poisoning occurred, but he resisted it with the power of a legend. Contrary to his concerns, Chepardea was weak. It was common sense that demons would be weakened in the human world, but it was much weaker than what he feared. It meant that it wasn’t the main body. High ranking demons and angels couldn’t come to the human world lightly and this frog was the same.

Chepardea’s tongue struck the ground in succession. It was the place where Faker had been standing just a while ago, but now he was hidden in the shadows.

-Croaak! He actually survived the attack from this body!

“It is because you are weak. Tsk.”

Agnus wasn’t happy with Chepardea’s intervention.

In the human world, Chepardea’s stats were downgraded to a very lousy level. Nevertheless, Faker should’ve noticed. Chepardea’s tongue wasn’t useless. It shot fast and constantly controlled targets approaching Agnus. The presence of Chepardea meant that no blades could touch Agnus’ body.

‘I can’t act as bait any longer.’

Assassins were flames that blazed brilliantly but were extinguished quickly. From now on, Faker would only be targeting Pauld. Faker reappeared in Pauld’s shadow. He was naturally prepared. Two death knights lowered their swords simultaneously while Pauld’s ring glowed and spread a chill.

Faker disappeared straight away and reappeared next to Pauld. It was a position where the chill hadn’t reached. Pauld didn’t only have one shadow. There were faint shadows that changed moment to moment depending on the angle of the sun and the flow of clouds.

Faker moved through all these shadows and attacked Pauld constantly. If anyone knew that Shadow Movement was a skill that ‘targeted one of the shadows in sight’, they would’ve been mesmerized by Faker’s appearance at the moment. The skill of capturing, designating, and linking skills to move, split, and flash between shadows was like a miracle.

Clang!

Ting!

Claaang!

Tong!

Every time Faker appeared from Pauld’s side, rear, front, or even under the foot, the swords of the death knights would hit the ground and several overlapping shields on Pauld’s body would break. Pauld’s magic operation wasn’t quick because his core was damaged and the rising sun. It was difficult for him to use great magic to constrain Lantier’s movements. Pauld looked frustrated and shouted, “Help!”

He might’ve been captured by Baal’s Contractor, but it was a hard-earned new life. It was a resurrection after hundreds of years of labor. He didn’t want to die in vain in this place. Agnus had already acted. Hundreds of ghouls were flocking to Pauld as if they had received his command.

‘We must give support!’

The Shadow members, who were tying up the deceased’s feet, scattered in all directions. There were more than one or two members who were seriously injured or killed by the rays of the demons, but their spirit didn’t die down. They knew that their lives were insignificant. Lantier’s technique of planting shadows could quickly cultivate assassins, so they were consumables that could be replaced at any time. Still, they tried not to die.

There was only one reason. It was because the enemy was Agnus. If they died, they would come back and be a burden to their side.

“Tsk.”

The Overgeared Shadows’ struggle scratched at Agnus’ patience. The Shadow members’ skill at slowing down the deceased’s pursuit by setting up traps and throwing daggers while scattering the army of undead was enough to irritate the enemy.

‘I thought their reputation was too high, but it is the opposite.’

It would be better to kill them all. Agnus, who had been focused on controlling the demons, released the demons freely and directly entered the battlefield. He turned his back on Faker and swung his sword at the Overgeared Shadows. A normal swordsman wielded the sword using the swordsmanship they had been trained in, except when using skills. It didn’t matter if it was self-studied or copied from someone else. In any case, it was swordsmanship.

Meanwhile, Agnus’ swordsmanship was purely due to the power of the rune. He didn’t swing the sword by thinking and making judgments himself. Rather, he gave himself to the flow of the runes. It was similar to blacksmiths making items using the auto button. He used swordsmanship automatically. The best swordsmanship was automatically recreated in every situation. There were times when he was helplessly defeated by swordsmen better than him, but this was rare. He easily overwhelmed most of his opponents.

“Agnus...!” The players belonging to the Overgeared Shadows gritted their teeth. They were angered by the appearance of Agnus slashing at the throats of their colleagues.

Agnus laughed as he made the dead Shadows into undead. “Who are these bastards angry at?”

Agnus’ actions became more brutal. Somehow, he approached Faker and killed the Overgeared Shadows helping Faker. Then he raised them as the undead to tie up the other members. Nearly 400 ghouls were concentrated around Pauld. They covered all the shadows around Pauld and attacked every time Faker appeared. Even so, Faker’s offensive didn’t stop. He coughed up blood while repeating his rampage and continuing to destroy Pauld’s shield.

“Why is he so stubborn...?”

Pauld’s face became even paler. He almost loathed Faker’s face that appeared in front of him again. Then he realized that the opportunity had arrived. Faker rose from a tiny shadow between ghouls and was caught by the ghouls. He seemed nervous and overburdened. It might not be credible, but the scene of the swords of the death knights piercing Faker’s back entered his vision. It was the right time for a counterattack.

Still, Pauld didn’t act rashly. Legends didn’t die easily. He knew because he lived in the same era as Braham. If he targeted Faker now, this person would survive for a few seconds and then that sinister sword could penetrate his core.

Two of Pauld’s rings glowed. They were artifacts that strengthened the power of magic and increased the speed of using magic. A shield was placed over his body. One layer, two layers, three layers... the speed was much slower than usual, but it repeatedly covered him in a firm manner. The overlapping shield that Faker struggled so hard to destroy started to show signs of revival.

However, Faker wasn’t agitated. Faker coughed up blood as he was stuck like a skewer on the death knights’ swords. He was pulled away by the rotten hands of the ghouls, but he took one more step forward. He stabbed the dagger in a straight line. The leading ghoul became the first victim of the shadow blade.

Keeeok!

The three ghouls behind it also breathed their last breath.

Kaaack!

Even the ghoul standing in front of Pauld like a barrier turned to gray ash. A single dagger brutally destroyed all the arrangements to protect Pauld. Nevertheless, Pauld’s face was full of joy.

“It is too late!”

He had created numerous artifacts and carved his name in history. A person who would’ve been great even if he hadn’t been resurrected as a lich showed joy at stacking a few shields over each other. This meant he felt a great threat from Faker. It was a blow to the heart that Faker dealt while giving up this path to escape. No, it was safe to say that the approaching attack was a last ditch struggle, but Pauld was still relieved.

He had already experienced several times that this insidious shadow sword couldn’t penetrate more than four layers of his shield at a time. He was convinced that he would live. The one thing that made him feel uncomfortable was that there was no agitation on Faker’s face, but it seemed like mere obstinance. At this moment...

———!

A spear came flying silently and shattered the five shields that Pauld had barely managed to overlap. Pauld saw it clearly. A small smile spread on Faker’s face, which had remained unchanged despite the desperate situation.

‘Th... is...’ Pauld felt like time was flowing slowly. The blade of the shadow sword squeezed through the broken and scattered remains of the shield and was projected on Pauld’s trembling pupils.

“Go, Faker!”

A new cry broke into the battlefield.

***

“......?”

Emotions rose on the faces of the Shadow members who had been indifferent despite being slaughtered by Agnus and his demons. It was because shadow soldiers appeared everywhere and started to protect them.

T-This is ridiculous...

The trembling gazes of the Shadow members turned in the direction of Faker. Their leader was caught by the enemies. They noticed that Faker was blocked from the shadow movements because he summoned the shadow soldiers.

‘Why does he want to protect us...?’

“Seeing this futile nonsense, it seems it costs a lot of money to raise you guys?”

It happened in the moment when Agnus wiped out the shadow soldiers with the rays from his demons and mocked Faker’s senseless sacrifice...

“Go, Faker!” A new voice echoed through the battlefield.

Agnus and the Shadow members turned in the direction of the shout and their eyes widened. A path was smashed through a wall built by hundreds of ghosts. All the ghouls in the path were floundering with half broken bodies. A late shock wave scattered fragments of Pauld’s shattered shield all over the place, creating a huge explosion.

After this bizarre scene, the Shadow members turned their heads completely and saw the knight riding on a white horse. This was the reason why Faker drew the attention of the enemy by pretending to be in a crisis. It was why he smiled without shaking, even though he lost his way to escape. He knew it was time for a trusted colleague to arrive.

The shadow sword stabbed into Pauld’s core.

Just then, the death knight ‘Lantier’ soared from Faker’s shadow, grabbed Faker by the neck, threw him to the ground, and stabbed a dagger at his heart.