CH 143

On the rooftop of a certain building which was quite distant from the City Hall, there was a black wolf standing there.



Its black, majestic appearance was shrouded in darkness deeper in color than even the abyss.



This was Schwartz, the High Undead Dark Wolf.



“Hmm, so they were victorious…”



The humans had won in their battles against the Ant army and Titan.



Schwartz grinned widely.



It would have been troubled if that was not the case.



As a team consisting of its significant other and its designated “enemy”, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for them to stumble at something of this caliber.



“He must become stronger…”



He should gather more people to join his flock.



He should evolve and climb to higher heights so that he can challenge Schwartz by making use of everything at his disposal.



Schwartz was planning on crushing its “enemy” without shying away from anything that would be thrown at it.



Then, it would welcome its other half.



Schwartz anticipated their next encounter which was bound to come in due time.



“…Time to leave.”



It had finished watching the battle, so there was no longer any point in remaining there.



Schwartz leaped off the building and landed on the ground.



Unexpectedly, the ground shook.



“Mu…?”



The ground wasn’t shaking because of the landing.



The quaking only grew more intense through time, and the ground before Schwartz eventually rose up.



“Boruo~o~o~o~o~o…”



What materialized was a Golem that was one size smaller than Titan.



It was one of the many dolls that Titan had created with “Golem Creation”.



“Hou, an individual that has escaped its shackles…”



Under normal circumstances, all beings created by “Golem Creation” would have fallen under Titan’s control, and when Titan perished, they would have returned to the soil along with its creator.



However, on rare occasions, an individual would leave the control of the main unit after the main unit’s demise and start moving around independently



With nobody controlling it, the individual would develop an ego after some time has elapsed and grow as a new Golem.



This wasn’t some bug in the skill.



Rather, it was a unique characteristic of the Golem race.



In fact, this was how they proliferated.



“Ru~o~o~o~o…~o~o~OOOOOOOOOOOO!!”



Having escaped from the chains binding its independence, the Golem raised its voice as if to show off its existence…



“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!”



…And tried to throw its fist towards Schwartz.



There was no hidden intention behind its action.



All it wanted to do was test out its strength.



The Golem was confident.



It was convinced that it could grow into a Golem much stronger than its “parent”.



Certainly, there was a possibility of this being true.



This individual’s potential far exceeded that of Titan’s.



With enough time and experience, it might develop into a “King” which surpasses Titan.



— That was if it could develop.



“….Oa…?”



The Golem could not understand what had transpired.



When it turned its gaze downward, it noticed that its lower body had gone missing.



Obeying the law of gravity, its upper body fell to the ground.



“A conglomeration of soil in the end.”



The prey which the Golem was supposed to be hunting was staring at it with a bored expression.



Looking into its eyes, the Golem finally came to a realization.



The prey in front of it was an opponent that it should never have touched.



It was already a “King” which was far stronger than itself… no, far stronger than the parent which birthed it.



“OAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!”



The Golem desperately crawled on the ground with its remaining upper body in an attempt to escape.



Not good.



Not good at all.



It finally recognized its enemy as someone which it should never have laid its hands on.



“Unlike that lump of dirt, you seem to understand the difference in our abilities.”



The day before yesterday, Schwartz had fought against one of Titan’s clones.



It was so pathetically weak and all it did was attack without even realizing the difference in power.



This one, on the other hand, was aware of the disparity.



As expected of an individual with its own ego.



Nevertheless, Schwartz wasn’t so tolerant of a monster to bestow mercy on an enemy that bared its fangs.



Schwartz shook its tail.



To match its action, the “Shadow” beneath its feet swelled up and surrounded the Golem.



“—–A….”



Just like that, a Golem which could have grown into a “King” disappeared from the world without managing to finish its cry.



A magic stone rolled towards Schwartz’s feet.



“You have gained experience.”



“Schwartz’s level has increased from 14 to 15.”



An announcement told it that it had leveled-up.



While listening to the voice in its head, Schwartz turned its gaze somewhere else.



“—Do you wish to challenge me too?”



In front of it was a Soldier Ant.



“Gyii… gyi…”



It had survived the previous battle.



Its body was already tattered and had barely enough stamina to even walk.



The fact that it escaped so far was already a miracle.



“What’s wrong? Aren’t you here to challenge me?”



“…”



The Soldier Ant knew of its fate.



Regardless of what it did, it wouldn’t be able to harm this black wolf.



However, it couldn’t resign itself to death.



Its “mother” had been slaughtered and its brothers had been hunted down.



It was the only one lucky enough to survive.



With that in mind, it had the duty to survive and revitalize the flock.



“…”



What was the best course of action?



Having the ability to “think” and “act” on its thoughts, this Soldier Ant could be considered a special individual as well.



“Gyii…”



In the end, the Soldier Ant hung its head low and presented its weapon to Schwartz.



This was a gesture of absolute submission.



Although they were of different races, Schwartz understood what its actions meant.



“Hou…”



Schwartz’s gaze pierced curiously at the Soldier Ant.



If Schwartz had sensed even an inkling of fear or hostility, it would have ripped apart the Soldier Ant in front of it with its “Darkness”.



“Very well…”



Schwartz extended its “Darkness” towards the Soldier Ant, and the darkness slowly melted into the Soldier Ant’s body, transforming it from within.



This was Schwartz’s unique skill, “Wolf King”.



One of its abilities allowed Schwartz to foster familiars.



When the darkness cleared, the transformed Soldier Ant walked out.



It had become a bipedal Ant that wrapped around a terrifying darkness that far exceeded its evolved “Mother”.



“I shall hereby permit you to come under my banner.”



“Gyi…”



The Soldier Ant expressed its joy and gratitude to Schwartz.



And with that, “She” became Schwartz’s familiar.



“That’s the first…”



From here on out, Schwartz decided to move in earnest and form an invincible flock to welcome “her” return.



With a howl towards the sky above, Schwartz and the Black Ant left the premise.



*****



Meanwhile, “It” was also near the City Hall.



“What a surprise. I didn’t think Titan would lose.”



It shrugged.



“My plans have been foiled.”



If Titan had won, all the residents of the City Hall would have been massacred, allowing it to obtained a large number of corpses.



As “It” had evolved from a Zombie, a large number of corpses represented something of great significance.



The more corpses it absorbed, the more powerful it would become.



When it killed humans, it gained experience.



When it ate their corpses, its power was also boosted.



To “It”, humans were literally twice as delicious as others.



However, the humans had triumphed and very little had died.



His initial plan to obtain a large quantity of experience points and corpses did not come to fruition.



“That is fine.”



As a matter of fact, “It” had predicted that Titan had a 10% chance of being defeated.



However, it was only 10%.



Titan was not weak, but the humans had struggled beyond its expectations.



“The ‘potential’ of humans is wonderful. Don’t you agree, Ishizawa-san?”



“It” was talking to a woman beside it.



The woman named Ishizawa was disgusted by “It” and turned her eyes away.



She was the newly wedded wife who previously lived next to Kazuto.



After she had discovered the dead body of her husband in the Shopping Mall and had the school destroyed by Schwartz, she had fled to the City Hall.



“I’m thankful, you know? As you let me join your party, I can enter the ‘Safety Zone’ now.”



“…Will you keep your end of the bargain?”



“Of course, if I get what I want, I’ll make sure to keep my promise.”



Having said that, “It” began walking again.



Titan loathed humans to the core and tried to destroy the “Safety Zone” through large-scale attacks from a long distance, but “It” did not have any grudge against the humans.



As such, it didn’t hesitate to becoming a human’s party member in order to enter the “Safety Zone”.



“Really, this so-called ‘Safety Zone’ is so troublesome. I can’t go inside it without joining a human’s party, and the ‘Safety Zone’ extended beneath the ground and above the sky as well.”



They were navigating in the sewer which was just below the City Hall.



Ishizawa and “It” continued to walk in the darkness that lacked any semblance of light.



After a while, “It” stopped in its track and looked around cautiously.



“Here it is.”



“…? But there isn’t anything here?”



“Is that so? That means the ‘Defense Function’ is working properly.”



It held its hand against an ordinary looking wall.



The wall vanished, revealing a staircase leading downwards.



“That’s exactly what Titan told me. If you don’t know about it in advance, you won’t be able to detect it even if you use skills. It’s a barrier contained ‘Cognitive Inhibition’…We’re almost there.”



It went down the stairs confidently with Ishizawa following behind it.



There was a dome-shaped space at the end of the stairs.



When they entered, the torches that were against the walls became lit.



“This is…?”



“This is what Titan was pro… no, this is where Titan wanted to protect.”



At a cursory glance, this place looked like a tomb.



An altar was place in the center.



Around the altar were innumerable numbers of stone statues and decorative pillars.



“It was before the two worlds became one. A tomb was built in a certain place, and Titan was created as a Guardian to protect it.”



“It” explained as it approached the tomb.



“Its mission had not changed even after the two worlds became one, but a miscalculation had occurred. The humans had created a ‘Safety Zone’ above the tomb, barring it from getting close to the tomb it was born to protect. Titan wasn’t aiming for the people in the City Hall without a reason. It simply desired to regain its rightful place.”



However, its wish did not come true.



It had perished without arriving at its desired destination, and the place it was meant to protect was invaded by others in this manner.



“It was really stupid, that Titan.”



If Titan had requested “It” to lend its “hand” instead of its “wisdom”, the result might have been different.



It approached the altar and opened the enshrined casket.



Inside were a mummy and an old sword.



It picked up the old sword.



At that moment, the sword regained its brilliance in the blink of an eye.



“So this is the magic sword that Titan spoke about… And it has recognized me as its master.”



With a deep smile, it put the sword in a scabbard.



It had come here for the sword.



All along, it had planned on acquiring the sword Titan was protecting and using it for his own benefit in the event that Titan was defeated.



The result of the battle truly did not manner for “It”.



Regardless of which side won, “It” behaved in a manner that ensured its gain.



“… Didn’t you fulfill you purpose? It’s time to keep your promise.”



“Of course I will.”



It raised its hand, making a single corpse appear from the empty void.



It was one of the corpses that were piled up in the Shopping Mall.



Looking at the dead body, Ishizawa cried.



“Wait just a few seconds, ‘dear’. I’ll revive you right now.”



Ishizawa clung onto her former husband.



Seeing this, “It” chuckled darkly.



“Then let’s get started. —- ‘Animate Undead’.”



When it held its hands over the corpse, the corpse was covered by a black mist which soaked into the corpse.



When the mist dissipated, the corpse’s finger suddenly twitched.



Then, the corpse gradually opened its eyes and mouth.



“Where is…?”



“Dear! Thank God! You’re alive again!”



“What… happened to me? Right, we acted as bait so that you guys can escape. Afterwards… huh? What happened afterwards?”



Ishizawa’s husband looked around in confusion.



“It’s better not to move yet. You’ve just revived, so your body should still be stiff.”



“…You are?”



“Someone who made a promise with her. In exchange for letting me enter the ‘Safety Zone’, I promised to reunite her with you.”



Ishizawa’s husband’s eyes turned wide.



“…Wait, so I died?”



“Yes, and I revived you so that you can see your wife again.”



“…That kind of thing…”



Ishizawa’s husband muttered in disbelief.



He hugged his crying wife to confirm the sensation.



He remembered everything up to his death.



Yes, he had challenged the monsters to protect this warmth — and he had died while doing so.



“…It’s a miracle. To think that I can hug you like this again.”



“Me too…To see you again….I love you, dear.”



“Ah…”



He hugged his wife tightly.



He did so powerfully so that he won’t have to let go of her again.



The soft sensation on his skin and the scent peculiar to women stimulated him.



Ah, I had fought to protect this warmth.



Arriving at this thought, he wanted to love her and hug her forever.



“…Um, dear? I’m delighted to know that you’re happy… but it’s starting to hurt.”



“Ah, sorry about that. I love you. I really do.”



So he had to hug her more strongly.



To never let go again.



To never leave her again.



So that they can stay together forever—



“Dear, stop! It hurts! It hurts!”



He was hugging his beloved wife until her bones were creaking.



Still, his urge was not quelled. He couldn’t hold himself back.



“…I love you.”



“Dear…? Ah…KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”



Before he noticed, he was biting into the neck of his beloved woman.



The scream of his beloved echoed comfortably inside his ears.



Gucha gucha. Gucha gucha.



Ah, how sweet it was.



His beloved woman was becoming one with him.



He gripped, hugged, bit, and sipped.



“I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.”



“A…dea…”



He continued to devour her body that was turning cold.



The light in Ishizawa’s eyes was lost.



—She had died.



“It” watched over the situation in amusement.



“Your desire was to ‘meet your husband again regardless of whatever form he took’, am I right? You should be satisfied then, because I have kept my promise properly.”



“Animate Undead” wasn’t a skill that revived others.



Instead, it was a skill that created zombies that could ambush its enemies.



That said, the zombie’s memories were not fake, and its personality was also the real deal until it bit her neck.



However, it had been slightly… yes, it had been ever so slightly “tweaked”.



It did not go against their promise.



“…Hmm, I thought I’d be kicked out immediately, but it seems like I can stay here for a while even though my party member is dead. I see, this is a good discovery.”



Knowledge was treasure.



“It” smiled deeply, delighted that it had learned something new.



“Off you go.”



“—-A.”



He undid the skill.



The zombie which was devouring its former wife collapsed on spot like a puppet that had its strings cut.



It stared at the dead bodies of the two humans.



They had cooperated well, so they deserved gratitude.



“Thank you. I’m grateful.”



And with that, “It” left.