Ch.32Chapter 32. Flee to South (2)

# Chapter 32. Fleeing South (2)

The nerve-wracking descent from the mountain ended without much incident.

Apart from the zombie raccoon demon we encountered earlier, no other living creatures were in sight.

“Everyone, stay alert. This is just the beginning.”

Though I said it to everyone, I was also saying it to myself.

The thought had suddenly occurred to me that we might be able to travel easily while the demons were at war with the zombie army.

The Sky Tree tribe, moving cautiously while scanning in all directions, discovered the first village.

The fence was completely destroyed, clearly showing this place had been a battlefield.

“This is Distin Village. It’s the closest village to the mountain.”

Nix wiped away cold sweat as she spoke.

“I’ll go ahead and check it out.”

“Alright.”

Nix, being the most agile, approached the village alone.

After observing the village for a while, she carefully returned to us.

“There’s no one there. Not even corpses remain.”

This meant all the demons and worshippers of Distin Village had become zombies and gone elsewhere.

“We need to pass through the village. It’s the shortest route.”

“Understood.”

We entered Distin Village.

All we could see was blood splattered everywhere and scattered debris.

Whether it was the work of the lesser demon who ruled this village or Charon’s zombies, I couldn’t tell, but some buildings were completely destroyed as if hit by cannons.

“Pick up the pace.”

If no one was around, we needed to move quickly. We left the village at a brisk pace.

I returned to Totem #1 and checked the map again.

According to the map, we now needed to walk for several hours straight. This time we wouldn’t need to pass through any villages, so it should be safer.

There was a city supposedly inhabited by a mid-level demon near our route, but “near” on the map still meant quite far away in reality, so we just needed to move stealthily.

If we continued walking a bit further on the path where the city would be visible (though not close), we would reach Latria.

After crossing a mountain in Latria, we would finally reach Bolbano.

Bolbano was said to be like the African savanna, with few demons.

Once we crossed the mountain in Latria, we would have passed all the dangerous areas.

After walking on the desolate path for about 20 minutes, we found a worshipper lying dead, having left a trail of blood on the ground.

Worshippers generally panic and die after their demon master dies, but this one had unusually managed to flee quite far.

Perhaps this worshipper had particularly strong survival instincts when they were human.

The corpse is in fairly good condition. Eyes, nose, mouth—all intact.

Good. I’ll use zombie control on this corpse.

I needed at least one meat shield in preparation for any battles.

I controlled the worshipper’s corpse and raised it back up.

It’s really fortunate to find a corpse that hadn’t been turned into a zombie by Charon.

“From now on, I’ll take the lead.”

I had some hope that even if other zombies saw me, they might just pass by since I was controlling a corpse like them.

That Charon guy couldn’t possibly be simultaneously controlling dozens or even hundreds of zombies while monitoring multiple fields of vision.

At most, he’d probably just give simple commands like “kill,” “look around,” or “report anything suspicious,” while directly controlling only a few strong zombies.

Being the greatest high priest of all time, he might be a bit better than I thought, but even so, controlling numerous zombies with precision doesn’t make sense.

To do that, he’d need to be a super AI like Skynet.

[NotACatfish: What are you doing?]

A private message came, but I ignored it and surveyed the surroundings. This situation required concentration.

[NotACatfish: I want ramyun]

[NotACatfish: With fresh kimchi]

Me too. Add a beer to that and…

Ah, don’t look at it, you simp!

I completely removed the private message window from my view and continued walking, carefully checking the path.

It felt like enough time had passed to watch a movie.

“We should be reaching the shortcut soon.”

Nix looked alternately at the zombie and Totem #2. Her eyes showed anxiety.

“It’s fine.”

I reassured Nix and the Sky Tree tribe and kept moving.

This is the shortcut, even though the city is visible from here. If we took another route, we might not arrive even after two days.

Two days is just enough time to die from exhaustion or hunger. With children among us, we must take the shortcut.

With no demon’s sight around, this is our golden opportunity.

“Hmm.”

I can see a castle in the distance. That must be the city. Since this area is called Dubenheim, it’s probably Dubenheim Castle.

We need to pass by quickly… Ah, damn it.

There’s a hole in the castle wall. I couldn’t see it before, but as we get closer, the signs of destruction become clear.

Charon, you madman, have you already attacked all the nearby villages and now the city too?

That’s why there were no worshippers or zombies on our way.

Because today was the final day of the demon vs. zombie war in Dubenheim!

Kwaaaargh-!

Just then, I heard something howling. The sound was loud enough for the entire tribe to hear.

“M-Malak, sir.”

Even Nix, who had been trying to stay calm, looked at the city with a pale face.

“Aah…”

“Huh…”

Despair descended upon the entire Sky Tree tribe.

“Don’t panic.”

There’s still some leeway.

I don’t know if the howling creature was a demon or a zombie, but the fact that it made a sound proves they’re still fighting.

It’s actually better if they’re in the midst of war. They won’t have any attention to spare for us.

“Nothing has changed. We just need to keep moving.”

I encouraged them in the calmest voice possible.

“We’re almost there. They’re far away, and we just need to go a little further. Pull yourselves together. I’m here with you.”

Encouraged by my words, the Sky Tree tribe started moving again.

“We’re almost there…!”

Nix pointed to a crumbling signpost. It read ‘Latria.’

Just a little further to Latria.

“…”

Along with the relief that we’ve made it, curiosity sprouted.

The community said that cities or military facilities (like knight headquarters) are managed by mid-level demons.

Charon must be at war with the mid-level demon ruling the city.

Mid-level demons summon storm clouds when in danger.

…There’s a chance the storm cloud demon might clash with Charon.

The storm cloud demon I saw in Tibera was clearly a transcendent being, but Charon is no pushover either.

Like me, Charon was just a character with lore in the game. He’s more like a hidden boss.

Having come so close to conquering Dubenheim this quickly, he must have some trump card.

I need to confirm that.

I’m an Immortal. I can afford to be a bit bold.

“Keep moving forward with the totem. I’ll check the situation.”

Since I’ve come this far, I might as well gain something more.

I already explained to Nix which way to go, so it’s fine if I’m gone for a while.

Using the worshipper zombie’s body, I headed toward the city.

Once I start controlling a zombie, I can keep moving it even if the totem is far away. I’ve confirmed this before.

Boom! Boom!

As I got closer to the city, I heard thunderous sounds. They’re still fighting.

I carefully entered through the hole in the castle wall.

Urrrgh…

Uuuugh…

I made eye contact with zombies crawling on the ground with severed legs or lower bodies, but they paid no attention to me.

They probably see me as a fellow zombie.

I picked up a dagger lying on the ground and walked forward, stepping over fallen corpses.

It’s fortunate that I can’t feel any sensations.

Uwooooargh-!

I heard a roar similar to the one from earlier.

Turning my head toward the sound, I finally saw the battlefield.

A surging zombie army and a small number of demons cornered and resisting.

Zombies were everywhere, as if Charon had killed and brought along all the worshippers and demons of Dubenheim.

Thanks to this, it was easy to join the zombie army’s ranks.

“Urrrgh…”

Making zombie-like noises as I blended in, no one paid attention to me.

Wow, even I think this is quite daring.

When your life isn’t at stake, you can do things like this.

Moving slowly among the worshipper zombies, I assessed the situation.

The one leading the few remaining demons was a bull-headed demon walking on two legs, and judging by its size—larger than a house—it seemed to be mid-level.

The bull-headed demon was fighting desperately, wielding its long fiery tail like a whip, but the numerical difference was too great.

Crack!

Kuack!

One by one, the demons fell and became zombies, until only the bull-headed demon remained.

More than nine zombie demons surrounded it, approaching slowly.

Snap!

The bull-headed demon, keeping its distance, snapped its fingers. A translucent barrier covered its body.

As expected, demons of this level can all use magic.

While the zombie demons were blocked by the barrier, the bull-headed demon, having secured safety, moved its mouth slightly.

It must be sending coordinates to the storm cloud demon.

That’s when it happened.

“Enough with the tricks.”

Crash!

Along with an eerie voice from somewhere, the barrier surrounding the bull-headed demon shattered.