Chapter 213: To You on Earth (6)

Rewinding time a bit to the moment Yeomyeong and his group followed Right Thumb into the VIP room.

In a room deep on the upper floor of the club, the necromancers watching the CCTV were all wearing annoyed expressions.

“Damn it, they went into the VIP room.”

That was the place reserved for cases when all members of the group were superhumans.

If it were two superhumans, they’d be directed to a general room; if it were just one, they’d be sent to the underground morgue.

Sitting in front of numerous CCTV monitors, Ring Finger frowned as he picked up the intercom.

“We’re closing for the day. Of all times… Ugh! Think of all the money we’re losing.”

His tone sounded more like a merchant than a necromancer.

Though there were three necromancers in the room, only one bothered to point it out.

“How can you think of money in a situation like this? What if those guys are really CIA agents?”

The owner of the stern voice was an old man called Middle Finger.

Being the second eldest after Thumb, he didn’t hide his fear of the U.S. government.

“This is why I said we should’ve just gone to Mexico…”

However, Ring Finger, who had spoken first, was dismissive.

“Stop overreacting. Just think about how much money we’ve funneled to the mayor of LA.”

“You fool! Do you think a mere mayor can protect us if the government sends Delta Force or SAC?”

“Old man, please. Why would special forces come here?”

Ring Finger shook his head vigorously.

Old people always behaved like we were still in the days of digging up graves to evade the Holy Knights.

But we were now living in a modern era with state-of-the-art refrigeration for corpses—it was time to think accordingly.

“Ahem, first, let’s end the business operations for today.”

Ring Finger grumbled as he called his subordinates—specifically, the ghouls guarding the club.

On the CCTV, men in suits simultaneously raised their heads.

Though they looked exactly like human on the outside, but on the inside, they were undead filled with twisted mana and cursed flesh.

– Inform the patron that they must leave. We’re closing for the day.

The ghouls immediately sprang into action.

First, they turned off the flashy lights and stopped the music.

As the dancing customers looked around in confusion, the ghouls stepped forward to explain the situation.

A few drunk people got angry, but it didn’t last long.

Was it because they didn’t have to pay for entry or drinks for tonight? No, it was the overwhelming aura emanating from the ghouls.

Ring Finger sighed as he watched them rush out of the club.

Merely thinking about the losses made his head throb. At least there were no VIP guests, so that was fortunate, right?

“What are you all doing? Arm the ghouls already!”

Meanwhile, Middle Finger was yelling, his mustache twitching with worry for some reason.

“Bring out all the weapons from the warehouse! And just in case, wake up all the Death Knights!”

Arm, he said… Ring Finger rubbed his temples and replied.

“…Instead of doing all that, how about we just wake up the Death Knights?”

After all, it costs money to shoot in the city center, you know?

In fact, he almost asked, Do you know how much we’d have to bribe the police and journalists to cover this up? but Ring Finger held his tongue.

Still, old people were never the type to listen to reason.

“You idiot, you’re still talking like that even after seeing Thumb personally take action!?”

“…A-alright.”

Ring Finger grumbled but still gave the command for the ghouls to arm themselves.

And soon after, the younger necromancers also raised their staffs and began chanting incantations.

It was the spell to awaken the Death Knights slumbering deep beneath the club.

It didn’t take long for the spell to complete. Moments later, they could see seven coffins deep underground burst open, and the Death Knights began to emerge on the CCTV.

“…Isn’t this a bit much?”

Even though he had given the order, Ring Finger still couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Dozens of ghouls armed with guns, seven Death Knights, nineteen necromancers, including high-ranking “fingers” and their apprentices.

This was enough firepower to wipe out a small military unit with ease.

And frankly speaking, it was overkill against just three superhumans.

Yet, Middle Finger still wasn’t satisfied. Raising his staff, he even activated the magic circles placed all over the building.

Poison mist, the curse of sensory disruption, the curse of weakness, bone traps, perception interference…

Some of them were one-time-use magic circles that would need to be reinstalled afterward, which made Ring Finger panic.

“Oh, come on! Don’t go overboard! At this rate, we’ll have nothing left to fight with if Delta Force actually shows up!”

“…”

“What’s got you so worried, huh? Catching that Dilla bitch isn’t even a big deal. She’s more specialized in the soul realm than in combat after all…”

“…Instinct.”

Having used even the disposable magic circles, Middle Finger continued speaking.

“Didn’t Index Finger, who was with Dila, say that he saw not just one but five fallen stars?”

“And didn’t we already conclude that was just senile nonsense? Five of them on the same train? Does that even make sense?”

“The world is full of things that don’t make sense. If trucks roam the streets, all a frog can do is take extra precautions to not get run over.”

“…”

A frog? A truck? What the hell was he even rambling about? It didn’t make any sense. Holding back his frustration, Ring finger reached for the communicator to call Thumb.

…Or rather, he was about to.

But the moment he grabbed the communicator, the skeleton standing in the middle of the room began to tremble, its empty eye sockets flaring with a crimson glow.

“W-what the hell?”

As Ring Finger recoiled in surprise, the skeleton’s jaw opened, and Thumb’s voice rang out.

[Three special-class superhumans. They have a unicorn horn. Use all available club forces. I repeat, this is a crisis…]

“Damn it, I knew it!”

Ignoring the old man’s shouts, Ring Finger, still in a daze, hastily deployed the ghouls.

The CCTV showed rows of ghouls, fully armed with the latest firearms, lining the hallway.

BOOM!!!

When all of a sudden, the door exploded, wiping out more than a dozen ghouls standing nearby.

“Oh, for fuc—”

He had explicitly ordered them not to use explosives. But it turned out that their opponents were the ones who used them.

As a vein on Ring Finger’s forehead bulged, a middle-aged man with golden eyes stepped out from the smoke and stared directly into the CCTV camera.

Yeomyeong stared at the CCTV and then turned his head to face the dozens of gun barrels aimed at him.

Undead, human in appearance on the outside but rotting on the inside, now armed with firearms.

Whether it was the Korean government corrupting living minds with twisted mana or these bastards, in the end, their thinking was no different.

They were trash that needed to be eradicated from the world.

And the moment Yeomyeong took a step forward with that thought in mind, the ghouls pulled their triggers simultaneously. The muzzles of their automatic rifles flashed with fire, and a stream of shell casings flew into the air.

However, it wasn’t exactly a good choice. Had they fired in an open space instead, dodging would have been the only option.

However, in this narrow corridor, Yeomyeong had countless ways to respond.

Volcanic Tempest.

The moment embers flared from his sword, an explosion ripped through the bullet-filled corridor.

!!!

The undead caught up in the blast didn’t even have the time to scream. All that remained in the scorched aftermath was scattered blood, flesh, and shattered firearms.

Stepping over the wreckage, Yeomyeong walked forward—slowly and deliberately, making sure he was clearly visible on the CCTV.

His job was to draw the enemy’s attention while the Saintess and Seti executed their plan.

And judging by what happened next, it was clear that the plan seemed to be working. The moment he stepped into the lounge, he was greeted by seven figures.

All of them were superhumans with sickly blue skin and glowing red eyes.

Death Knights…

Though they weren’t quite at the level of the ones summoned by Kahal Magdu, each of them still possessed mana on par with academy instructors.

And they could talk? Yeomyeong lowered his gaze from the CCTV and stared at the Death Knight who had spoken.

Seeing a glint of some lingering desire in the eyes of the corpse of a middle-aged man, Yeomyeong answered.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t introduce myself. There are too many ears listening.”

The middle-aged man gave a wry smile as if he understood. Then, a towering woman behind him stepped forward.

She was so massive, nearly reaching the ceiling, that her shadow loomed over Yeomyeong.

Raising his sword, Yeomyeong tilted his head and studied each of the Death Knights. Judging by their attire, only one of them seemed to be from Earth.

The other six were all Ashaian—people who had died a long time ago.

“The Emperor handed the border territories to France.”

At those words, Veladiva’s expression twisted.

“The Emperor you knew and the Emperor I know might be different people. There was a change of power during the war after all.”

“The current Emperor is the younger brother of the former Emperor. All the royal heirs are dead.”

– Runge? That son of a bitch became Emperor? The Empire is doomed.

“…”

– Wait… don’t tell me, is it really doomed?

As they continued to speak, the Death Knights shifted into combat stances.

However, their expressions didn’t match their movements, making for an oddly comical sight—except… the skill hidden beneath that absurdity was nothing short of extraordinary.

– Hah, well, since you were kind enough to share the truth with us, I’ll make sure your death is painless.

The first to step forward was Veladiva. She was wielding a pair of small hatchets—an unusual choice given her massive frame.

The first attack was a simple downward strike—or so it seemed. Instead, it was a coordinated assault: a downward swing with the right hand that was aimed at his head while the left hand hurled a hatchet.

Yeomyeong couldn’t tell if it was a martial art specialized in throwing weapons, but he hadn’t sensed the flying hatchet until it almost hit him.

Puhwak!

And at the same time he blocked the hatchet targeting his head, the sharp blade of the thrown hatchet slashed deep into his side.

It had enough force to spill his entrails, yet the hatchet merely drew a small splash of blood.

As if something held it firmly in place, the hatchet remained lodged in his side.

Yeomyeong pulled it out and tossed it to the ground before speaking.

“Can you feel pain?”

– Why? Are you planning to send me off painlessly too?

“Yes, though I can’t make any promises.”

All the Death Knights, except for one dressed in a U.S. military uniform, chuckled.

Then, the middle-aged man who had been the first to speak let out a hearty laugh.

His mouth was saying one thing, but his body was already swinging his sword at Yeomyeong. A familiar sword technique, a familiar trajectory.

Clang!

Yeomyeong blocked it effortlessly. It was only natural—his opponent’s swordsmanship was that of the Imperial Knights, the same technique used by Sancho.

– I knew it! You recognize the Knight Order’s swordsmanship! Are you from the Knight Order?

Weaving through his opponent’s technique, Yeomyeong replied.

“No. I just happened to cross paths with one recently.”

A moment later, Yeomyeong’s blade left a long gash across his opponent’s chest—a wound that would have been fatal for an ordinary person.

The Death Knight’s swordsmanship was not inferior to Sancho’s, but his stiff, undead body was unable to keep up with the technique.

“Well, he’s a bit unwell due to old age*.*”

Though black blood dripped steadily from his split chest, the Death Knight laughed heartily.

But his body was obviously still executing a terrifying display of swordplay—so fierce that even the other Death Knights were unable to come close.

He kept talking as the club lounge around them crumbled like a brittle cookie.

“No, the Vice Captain is still single—urk!”

Yeomyeong barely managed to twist his head in time to dodge the sword aimed at it. A few strands of his black hair were cut, drifting through the air.

– Vice Captain? Ha! I knew it. I always told him that he’d never start a family if he took on a management role. But he never listened!

“…”

Just as he claimed, he wasn’t an opponent Yeomyeong could afford to chat with leisurely while fighting.

I need to end this as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Taking a short breath, Yeomyeong infused his sword with Killing Aura. The crimson energy surged like waves, and his swordsmanship transformed.

A little bit sharper. A little bit faster.

The gap between the living and the dead was neither too wide nor too narrow. But it was enough to determine victory.

Perhaps sensing his impending end, the middle-aged Death Knight chuckled and conveyed his final words.

– O Nameless Knight, could you do me a favor? Tell Sancho to keep his promise—he swore he’d name his firstborn after me.

“…If the opportunity ever arises, I’ll pass on the message.”

With those final words, Yeomyeong severed the Death Knight’s neck.

As his head fell to the ground without a single drop of blood splattering, a faint smile lingered on his lips.

As Yeomyeong gazed at the fallen head, he realized that he had never learned the man’s name. However, he simply shook his head and dismissed the thought.

If he were to deliver the head to the Knight Order, Sancho would surely recognize him. And more importantly…

There were still six more Death Knights standing before him.

“…”

As Veladiva twirled her hatchet and closed the distance, a stunning woman clad in thick armor followed behind her.

– Say, are you single? When I died, my family was looking for a son-in-law…

Watching the Death Knights move out of sync with their words, Yeomyeong adjusted his stance once more.