Norton’s body trembled, his muscles frayed to tatters. Every vein burned as the crystal within his chest strained against the weight of his fury.
The black fire coating his greatsword flared so brightly that even the undead swarm paused, as if afraid to take a step closer.
From afar, it looked like the sheer defiance of the dying general made them feel threatened by his aura alone.
Erasmus, however, only spread his skeletal arms wide, welcoming the sight. "Yes... That’s it. One last howl before the silence."
With his will, the Lord of Death made the Undead surge forward once more, dozens of Artemian corpses clawing at their former general.
But Norton ignored them. His gaze locked onto his target, his final strike meant only for the parasite before him!
"Erasmussssss!" Norton howled, channeling every shred of his aura, life force, and rage into his blade. "Even if death takes me, I will drag you down with me!"
The dark crystal within his chest shattered. Black light surged outward, coiling around his sword like the fangs of a primordial beast.
The ground split beneath his feet as he charged, ignoring the sea of undead tearing into his flesh.
His speed and strength skyrocketed as his life force burned to its limit.
Even Azoh’Dar wasn’t able to react in time and could only watch as Norton teleported above Erasmus and struck down with all his might, aiming for the Undead’s crowned head.
That single slash split the Lord of Death’s body in half and obliterated the ground under his feet.
A fiery blast raged across the land, forming a deep fissure that spanned a kilometer, marking the battlefield where he fought.
"Haha... haha..." Norton laughed and panted at the same time as the final embers of his life slowly dried up.
The smile on his face widened, knowing that he had defeated the Undead, who wished to desecrate his body the moment he breathed his last.
"Serves... you right... you Undead... scum!" Norton said as he knelt on the ground, using his greatsword as support.
He was already a spent candle and could no longer do anything aside from waiting for death to claim him.
"My lord, that last blaze of glory was so perfect—truly, I can’t help but admire you more, Norton."
Norton’s body stiffened after hearing the familiar teasing voice from behind him.
Even Azoh’Dar, who thought that the Lord of Death was already dead, couldn’t help but gasp in shock when the latter rose from the ground and casually dusted himself.
"No... No way..." Norton muttered, his body shaking from exhaustion and disbelief. "Impossible..."
"Impossible?" Erasmus chuckled as he placed his bony hand on the trembling Artemian General’s head. "’Impossible’ is just a word that creatures give to things they cannot understand.
"Lastly, that word is also for fools who still believe the world plays by their rules. I’m an Undead. A being whose very existence broke the rules of life and death. I exist, and I am possible—what makes you think it’s impossible?"
"How?!" Norton asked hoarsely, the shaking of his body getting stronger. "I killed you! I split you in half!"
"Oh that?" Erasmus replied in a teasing tone. "I just assembled a few bones to look like me while I controlled the Undead Swarm from under the ground. You know, my friend Zion advised me to take extra precaution against dying foes. After all, their desperation will make them do things that surpass expectations.
"And he was right. You did surpass my expectations. Now, it’s time for you to take your final bow. The stage curtain on this war is about to fall, but do not worry. I will let you keep your sanity as you watch the end of this epic story."
The Lord of Death’s hand erupted in black flames that instantly washed over Norton. A scream of pure pain, fright, and desperation was torn from his throat.
Metatron, who was watching this sight from the Domain of the Apocalypse, rubbed his chin with satisfaction.
"Damn, I want this guy to become a member of my organization," Metatron, who liked how Erasmus played with Norton from start to end, was very much to his liking.
In fact, he believed that he and Erasmus were two peas in a pod, enjoying the suffering of their enemies and toying with them until the very end.
As the screams of the Artemian General finally came to a stop, the smile on Erasmus’ face widened.
"Well, then... Rise, my Deathknight," Erasmus ordered. "You and I will be having more adventures in the future."
The Death Knight obeyed as he knelt in front of the Lord of Death.
However, his eyes which had now transformed into blazing embers, glared at his Master.
"You bastard!" Norton growled. "I hate you!"
"Hahaha! That’s fine." Erasmus lightly patted his Death Knight’s cheek as if he found his rebellious phase quite cute. "Hate me all you want. But after a while, you will rejoice that you joined the winning side. Zion asked me to bring at least one of you back to life because he had this plan you see..."
Erasmus then crouched down and whispered Thirteen’s plan to Norton’s ear, making the latter gasp in shock and anger.
"You wouldn’t dare!" Norton gritted his teeth in anger.
"Oh, we sure do." Erasmus smiled evilly. "You see, Zion has a lot of pent up frustrations as of late. So, a distraction is needed."
The Lord of Death paused as he looked at his Death Knight, who was trying hard to break free from his control.
"You should have prepared yourselves for this, Norton," Erasmus said as he shifted his attention to the sky, where Cranky, and King Astrion were fighting. "The moment you tried to conquer other worlds, you should have also prepared yourselves from being conquered as well.
"You might have succeeded in taking over Chandrea, but you made a mistake in targeting Pangea. Do you know why?" Read complete version only at NoveIＦire.net
The Lord of Death looked down on the Death Knight, who was still kneeling on the ground and glaring at him.
"It’s because you chose a world where Thirteen existed," Erasmus stated. "Your fate had been sealed the moment you crossed over to this world. Everything that happened so far was within his control.
"You and your respectable King are just puppets dancing on the palm of his hand. He is the pied piper that played the tune, and all of us are mere actors in this stage show that he had prepared from the start."
Erasmus then laughed out loud, his voice traveling far and wide.
The Artemians at the rear of their battle formation couldn’t help but feel anxious because they were now trapped from both sides.
Caught between the front, where the Allied Armies were fighting, and the back, where an Undead Swarm grew in number as it massacred its way toward the center, the Artemian Army was completely surrounded.
Everyone knew that the only way for this situation to reverse was for King Astrion to win.
No matter how many Archons the Alliance had defeated, no matter how desperate the Artemians’ situation was, as long as their King won his battle against Cranky, they would emerge as the victors of this battle.
Norton, despite being under Erasmus’ control, wished the same.
However, Erasmus’ voice, which had been spoken softly, made his body shudder for the umpteenth time.
"I just hope that Zion will keep the corpse intact." Erasmus sighed. "How lucky will I be if the Artemian King becomes one of my subordinates? Hah... just thinking about it is driving me mad."
Norton lowered his head as he clenched his fist until it made cracking sounds.
He never thought for a moment that their King, who had won countless battles in Chandrea, would be seen as a prospective Undead subordinate by the Lord of Death, who had defeated him in the most humiliating way possible.