Chapter 91: Foolish Undead

“I heard that you and Nis were here, so I raided King Jenes’s carriage and…”

I wanted to quickly share the incredible story of my experiences with Nis.

I wonder how she will react?

She’ll be especially surprised by the stories of the Heavenly and Demon Realms, right!?

But my excited anticipation was shattered by a thundering noise.

“The glory of Lord Abraxas shall be revealed in this world!”

“Your descent will purify this corrupt world!”

The fanatical shouts of the evil god’s followers struck my eardrums.

The sound of strained throats, the thud of foreheads hitting the ground with fervor, the fanatical, impassioned speeches…

It was as loud as a frenzied festival.

Seriously!

Can’t you see we’re talking right now!

“Nis, could we talk somewhere quiet, just the two of us?”

I carefully tugged at Nis’s wrist.

I wanted to get away from these noisy followers.

“Of course~ But I don’t think we’ll need to be the ones to move.”

Nis elegantly unfolded a beautiful black fan and lifted her chin towards the followers.

The fan, studded with jewels that sparkled like starlight, emitted a cold light in the darkness.

“You there! Come here!”

The follower in the black robe at the very front, caught by Nis’s gaze, instantly rushed towards her.

He dropped to his knees with a heavy movement, his whole body trembling.

“Lady Uroboros! You called for me!”

“Will the passage continue to operate now?”

“Of course! No one can close the passage unless they possess immense power like you, Lady Uroboros, and the Apostle!”

“No, what I mean is, will it work even without you all here?”

Nis’s red eyes glinted dangerously.

“Yes! All the necessary rituals are complete, so the passage will remain open forever!”

“Then you all are useless now~”

Nis’s voice echoed like thunder.

A cold energy pierced the air, and all the followers froze.

Snap!

The moment the fan closed like a gust of wind, an ominous vibration flowed through the air.

The earth throbbed like a heartbeat, twice… three times…

The pulse grew stronger, and everyone’s heart began to beat in rhythm with it.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

The ground began to split apart like a great chasm.

From the fissures, undead poured out like a waterfall.

Death knights clad in armor, mages with exposed skulls, ghosts and golems made of bone…

Not one or two, but dozens… no, hundreds of them rose up in a chain reaction.

Ugh!

So disgusting!

Black skeletons, empty eye sockets, jagged teeth, skin turned to dry leather…

Their hideous appearance was on a whole other level compared to the undead from horror movies.

Flutter!

Even Miel on my shoulder shuddered, her indigo wings trembling in surprise.

They looked absolutely horrifying, but I was curious about their combat strength.

[☆☆☆☆☆ Death Knight LV 241]

[☆☆☆☆☆ Bispect LV 239]

[☆☆☆☆☆ Lich LV 222]

[☆☆☆☆ Banshee LV 203]

[☆☆☆☆ Death Knight LV 223]

[☆☆☆☆☆ Banshee LV 230]

[☆☆☆☆ Bispect LV 218]

[☆☆☆☆☆ Bone Colossus LV 257]

[☆☆☆☆ Soul Drencher LV 212]
……

Wow…

Most of them are 5-star, and their levels are over 200…

They’re incredibly disgusting, but also incredibly strong and numerous…

Huh?

Is this…

An alien monster race from space…?

I see…

Nis was the Heart of the Swarm…

I wonder if my cute Bugz can become this strong one day?

“Lady Uroboros! Why are you doing this!”

“Please! We served you!”

“Kuaaaack!”

As the powerful legion began to attack the followers, they screamed, fleeing and resisting.
But something was strange.

The way the undead attacked the followers was as simple as brainless zombies.

The death knights’ swordsmanship was as terrible as mine, the liches’ magic seemed to have an accuracy rate of less than 30%, and the bispects just charged forward without a single thought.

Are they mindless giants…

And aren’t liches supposed to be mage undead?

Shouldn’t you guys be fighting a little more intelligently!?

Hmm…

Ah, is that it!

Nis doesn’t have an Overlord!

Just like how my Bugz move intelligently because of my butterflies, the Overlords!

I should ask Nis later if she’s considered making a commander!

However, contrary to my expectations, the foolish undead annihilated the followers in an instant.

Fewer than ten survived.

The ground was already soaked with dark red blood.

Uh… wait a minute…

They’re followers of Abraxas, is it okay to kill them all like this?

Is he not going to say something to me later…?

No!

More importantly!

Instead of just killing them like this, I can make them into my artworks!

“Nis! Wait a moment!”

My voice came out louder in my urgency.

“Hmm? What is it, Rico?”

Nis turned her head, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Please don’t kill them for a moment!”

Nis gestured with a curious look in her eyes.

Instantly, the undead stopped moving like puppets and burrowed back into the ground.

The surviving followers were all mortally wounded.

Severed arms, torn abdomens, deep gashes on their faces…

They writhed on the ground, groaning in pain.

They’ll die soon if left like this…

But I have a new skill!

‘Art of Murder!’

The moment I used the skill, the world changed.

Time around the followers began to flow as slowly as if it were underwater.

The dripping blood slowed to the pace of syrup, and their pained breaths calmed.

Time stretched, and their lives were artificially sustained.

“Oh my… Rico, how in the world did you do this? This ability that seems to slow down time…?”

Nis’s eyes widened.

She scanned the air, as if sensing the delicate flow of magic.

“Hehe… I learned it from Master Bellona in the Demon Realm!”

My chest puffed up with pride.

How hard I had studied…

“Hmm… In the Demon Realm? Bellona? I’ve never heard that name before…”

Nis’s expression changed subtly.

“Yes! I’m going to make something wonderful with these guys!”

I’ll create my artwork and place it in front of the passage!

Then, when Master passes through the passage later, she’ll see my work, right?

She’ll be incredibly happy!

Heehee!

And since they are followers of an evil god, becoming a work of art to decorate the passage would be an honor for them.

It would be their final, greatest service for the evil god they serve!

“Rejoice, I’ll turn you into the finest artwork to decorate the passage!”

The pain on the followers’ faces slowly faded, replaced by terror and despair.

Their pupils slowly dilated…

Their mouths opened, preparing to scream…

But in this slowed world, even that became an elegant dance.

“Guh… Guk…!”

So beautiful!

Flap…

Flap…!

Miel desperately pulled at my hair, giving me a warning.

It was a very weak pull, but I could feel its desperation.

It was as if it was saying, ‘Not now…’

No…

What better chance is there than now?

‘Hmph!’

I immediately drew Crimson Bind from my waist.

The sword trembled, emitting a red mist.

Contrary to Miel, Crimson Bind was delighted.

See?

We see plenty of blood as soon as we come to the human world.

What would you have done if you had stayed in the Demon Realm?

I began to delicately carve away the flesh, following the flow of the mist.

Preserving the shape of the muscles, revealing the beautiful red lines of the blood vessels…

With each movement, my master’s teachings came to mind.

‘You must preserve the lines of the muscle as you peel away the skin~’

‘You must not damage the blood vessels. They are the lifelines of the artwork~’

‘Our art is to preserve the moment of death for eternity.’

Delicately exposing the bones, artistically arranging the organs, and now for the plantification pollen…

“Eek!”

At that moment, a strong hand grabbed me from behind, yanking me back.

My body was lifted into the air.

“Rico! Rico! What in the world are you doing!?”

I turned to see Nis with an expression I found hard to make myself.

A face drained of color, trembling lips, eyes full of horror…

Huh…?

Why… why is she like that?

My master admired my work…

She said, ‘Ricoris, it’s a perfect masterpiece!’…

This…

This is beautiful, isn’t it…?

The art of death, the aesthetics of murder…

Something caught in my throat.

My eyes grew hot, and tears welled up.

“It’s… it’s beautiful… It’s what my master taught me… It’s called the Art of Murder…”

I said in a trembling voice.

About the art I had learned, how hard I had studied…

“Art? This!?”

Nis’s voice turned icy in an instant.

Her anger erupted like a volcano.

“Did you say Bellona!? That evil god!”

Nis gripped my shoulders.

Her touch was so intense that I flinched.

“What kind of art is this!? I’ve met so many evil gods! They each had their own brand of cruelty, but not a single one of them called something like this art! Bellona is the worst of the worst among evil gods!”

Nis’s red eyes blazed.

Within them, anger and…

Some other emotion flickered.

“To do this… to corrupt such a pure and cute Rico like this! That crazy b*tch Bellona… The moment she comes to the human world, I’ll kill her instantly…”

“No!”

A loud shout escaped my lips before I could stop it.

My voice was as sudden as a clap of thunder.

“Absolutely not!”

So Nis, too…

You don’t understand what I’ve learned?

You’ve turned countless humans into undead, haven’t you, Nis?

Isn’t that just as cruel?

What’s the difference between turning a corpse into an undead or into a work of art?

If they’re going to die anyway, isn’t it much better to become a beautiful artwork than to live as a disgusting undead?

Why are you only doing this to me…?

And…

And how…

How could you say you’ll kill my master right in front of me…?

“Waaaaah!”

Tears poured out of me.

An uncontrollable sadness washed over me as if a dam had burst.

It felt like all the emotions I had suppressed were exploding at once.

“Oh, oh my… Rico…?”

Nis’s expression changed in an instant.

Her earlier anger vanished, replaced by a flustered face as she didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t cry… Rico, please don’t cry…”

But my tears wouldn’t stop.

Nis awkwardly stroked my head and tried to wipe away my tears, but my sobs only grew louder.