Chapter 83: Welcome to the Afterlife Department, We’re Hiring Forever
Leo, noticing Karl’s frustration, asked, "Are you okay, my lord?"
Karl exhaled. "Yes, I’m fine." He then asked, "Anyway what’s this armor made of?" glancing at the greenish steel armor that Rook now wore and every enemy footsoldier wore. It was an unknown material to him, but it was extremely strong. The Dullahan answered "That, my lord, is a dark steel,"
Karl, knocking on Rook’s armor, said, "Doesn’t look that dark to me. I think it’s safe to say the light green color is not dark at all."
The Dullahan smiled. "Yes, my lord, the name can be a bit off-putting, but the name does not indicate the color. The dark steel is a mix of normal steel and dark mana, hence the name."
"Hohoho! So that’s what it is!" Karl said, intrigued. He smirked as if he uncovered a secret.
The Dullahan added, "Depending on the amount of dark mana embedded, that is how strong the dark steel is. The armor I wore," he tapped at his purple-hued and silver-striped armor, "is crafted by a master blacksmith who has 40% dark mana purity."
Karl was confused. "Isn’t he as strong a Cardinal? If that’s the case he could join the church and succeed in life."
"No, my lord, not everyone who has high dark mana purity joins the church," the Dullahan said. "Some just... hides."
"Hides?" Karl asked.
"Yes," the Dullahan replied. "The Ecclesiarchy has inquisitors of its own. They purge anyone with high purity who refuses to join the church or force them."
Rook then said, "So everyone who has high dark mana but doesn’t associate themselves with the church is basically a heretic, one who does not worship the word of Thanatos."
"Basically, yes," the Dullahan said. He turned to Karl. "So, forgive me, my lord, for my earlier outburst. Us citizens of the underworld knew Lord Thanatos as our only religious figure. Joining the church has its advantages and disadvantages. Joining meant you would be part of a large faction that protects you and your family.
"Joining the church also gives you a high chance of your core being reformed again. Soldiers like us join the church as a means of insurance. We are constantly fighting against heretics or the ones that never associate with the church, and there are many. Many of us just dies from the constant war in the underworld and having your core reformed meant your ’death’ isn’t the last. The disadvantage however, is that the church also strips you of your own freedom. You and your family belongs to the church and to Lord Thanatos; one must respond to his call."
Karl asked, "So what happens to ones that ’died’ or got their cores destroyed?"
"They return to the afterlife, with no chance of seeing their loved ones in the underworld again," the Dullahan said, a note of sadness in his voice. "There are also heretical theories that are popular among the heretic kingdoms and empires. It is said that their souls would return to the underworld itself rather than the afterlife."
Karl thought, It would make sense since the dungeon treats them as part of the security, and I think they are summoned by the dungeon itself.
Death for them means their souls go back to the dungeon’s mana. So it wouldn’t be an off-guessing if the malfunctioned security is the Church of Thanatos and Thanatos himself and everyone involved. If I reference this to fringe sci-fi movies, the summoned undead or monsters in other cases are sub A.I. that eventually gained sentience and wanted freedom from the dungeon’s grasp and eventually tampered with the dungeon’s system, hence malfunctioning.
He paused. But I could be wrong. As a human in my previous life, we humans tend to fill what is unknown to us with speculations, theories, or imaginative stories using only fragments of information. Even we theorize about the afterlife, what’s beyond the universe, and what’s beyond it—an endless loop of theories, an endless pursuit of curiosity of the unknown. Which is why I’m stuck on the 7th floor in the first place.
Meanwhile, Schalezusk, still fighting the two remaining knights, felt a surge of manic glee. The two knights dashed towards him, their movements a synchronized blur. Schalezusk met the first one head-on, his right arm glowing with faint circuits that pulsed from his necklace. He executed a wide, horizontal axe slash that intercepted the knight’s sword with a jarring clang, parrying its attack with a counter-force.
As he did so, the second knight leaped high into the air, its sword raised for a decisive blow. Schalezusk smirked, using the momentum of his parry to spin, angling his axe at the perfect moment to deflect the second sword as it descended. Schalezusk’s battleaxe clanged in a force so great that, it made the knight blown back by the orc’s swing of it’s axe.
He screamed, a laugh bubbling up from his chest. "HAHAHAHA! So slow! I’m already one arm off, and you both can’t even fight that well! Is that all you got?! Come at me!"
Just as the knights were about to re-engage, the Corpse King landed on top of them both with a thunderous thud. The shockwave sent a jolt through Schalezusk. He screamed at the golem, "You stole my kills, you monster! I was going to finish them!" He pointed a stubby finger at the two flattened knights beneath the golem’s massive feet.
The golem merely grunted, its voice a low, rumbling vibration. Schalezusk, his one eye twitching, shot back, "You’ve already stolen four of my kills!"
The golem scoffed and grunted in reply, a sound that Schalezusk could swear meant, "You’re too slow." The golem then turned and leaped away, its massive form disappearing into the chaos. Schalezusk, stunned, mumbled, "I’m pretty sure he just mocked me."
He looked around, a new wave of shock hitting him. There were piles of enemy skeletons everywhere, a testament to the golem’s destructive power. The only ones left were the 35 soldiers they had brought, now scattered and cleaning up the remaining stragglers. "That monster," he said to himself. "He just wiped out an entire army. I didn’t even get a single damn kill."
Just then, he saw Leo, Rook, Karl, and the enemy Dullahan, now a new ally, riding a skeleton horse. Schalezusk’s mind short-circuited. He couldn’t comprehend the scene before him. He cautiously approached them. "Mr. Karl," he asked, his voice a mix of confusion and awe. "If you don’t mind me asking, I thought he was the enemy?" He pointed a trembling finger at the Dullahan.
Karl smiled, a cold, predatory grin. "Well, not anymore. He’s one of us now. So, start getting to know each other."
As they continued walking, Schalezusk puffed out his chest, a sense of pride swelling within him. This lich is absurd, he thought, but then again, the strong attract strong allies. Since he’s strong, and I’m his ally, that means I’m also strong, too! With a confident smile, he fell in step with them.
Rook, seeing the scattered soldiers, shouted, "Form ranks!" The skeleton armored soldiers immediately snapped into formation, walking in a disciplined line behind them. As they walked up the stairs of the ziggurat, a lone knight in a hooded armor stood at the very top, holding the hilt of it’s twin daggers. Karl, Leo, and Rook all became instantly alert.
Karl, viewing the knight from a higher perspective, spoke. [ Level 25, Knight Assassin ] He thought to himself, How did I not see that guy? The realization came to him instantly. Well, I guess the answer is in the name. He wouldn’t be an assassin if I had noticed him. But why show up now? Why not earlier?
The Dullahan dismounted his spectral horse and bowed to Karl. "My lord, with your permission, may you leave this knight to me?"
Karl, intrigued by the Dullahan’s quiet demeanor, asked, "Who is he? He seems stronger and calmer than the others."
"He is my closest subordinate," the Dullahan replied. "Despite already being corrupted, his base instincts were always to follow my orders. He is my most loyal knight captain and a friend."
"So what are you planning to do with him?" Karl asked.
The Dullahan knelt on one knee, a gesture that took Karl aback. "We have been serving the faith for a very long time. I have made a word of promise to end his life and eternal servitude with the faith. With your permission, I will end his suffering and grant his wishes to be finally at peace."
Karl’s smirk widened. Leo, seeing the expression, facepalmed, already knowing what his lord was about to do. This confused the Dullahan.
"Go ahead," Karl said, his voice laced with a playful malice. "Permission granted."
The Dullahan nodded, but he did not move forward. Instead, he paused, his gaze fixed on the motionless, hooded figure. His mind drifted back to a time long ago, a quiet night under a sky full of cold stars. They were still ’young’ full of the righteous zeal of the Temple Knights of Thanatos, sitting by a flickering campfire. The other knights were on resting, but he and Libera were talking, their voices low, sharing their deepest fears.
"If I ever become corrupted," Libera had said, his voice full of a somber sincerity that belied his youth. "If I ever lose control... promise me, Eoghan."
Eoghan, the Dullahan’s birth name, had felt a pang in his chest. "Promise you what, old friend?"
"Promise me you will be the one to free me," Libera had said, his voice unwavering. "End my eternal servitude. Give me peace."
Eoghan had not hesitated. "I swear it. On my life and on my soul, I will be the one to free you. To ensure you can finally rest."
A deep, sorrowful sigh escaped Eoghan now. He closed his empty eye sockets for a moment, the memory fading like smoke. He had not forgotten that promise. This duel was not a fight of enemies, but a final act of a true friend. It was the only way he could fulfill his oath. His heart, or what remained of it, ached with sadness.
With grim determination etched into his posture, he finally walked forward. "Libera!" he called out. "Knight Assassin of the 66th Legion, I, Eoghan Dullahan, Commander of the Temple Knights of Thanatos, hereby challenge you to a duel to the death!"
The assassin, Libera, didn’t respond, but his daggers rose, a silent acceptance of the challenge. The Dullahan charged first, a guttural, sorrowful scream tearing from his chest. It was the sound of a friend’s final farewell. He hoped that in this duel, he would be the one to fall, unable to bear the thought of killing his most loyal friend. But if this was what it took to free him, he would carry that burden forever.
As they met in the center, the assassin did something unexpected. Instead of attacking, he dove straight onto the Dullahan’s raised sword, impaling his own core. The Dullahan’s expression remained silent, but his eye sockets conveyed pain and regret. The assassin, with its core pierced, raised a hand and patted his friend’s shoulder. Its eye sockets briefly glowed blue, and it spoke for the first and last time.
"It’s been a good run, old friend," Libera whispered.