Chapter 197: The Corpse Queen (2)

Chapter 197: The Corpse Queen (2)

Wearing a bone helmet and armor, and a cloak that seems to reflect only the darkest parts of the night sky.

It stood at the center of the ruins, the master of the nine thousand dead who roamed the land.

And Vikir saw right through its ominous identity.

Danger Rating : S

Size: ?

Found in: 'Serpent's Womb', deep within the Gate of Destruction.

-Nicknamed 'Eighth Corpse'.

One of the Ten Plagues, natural enemies of mankind, incomprehensible and unkillable.

"Herds of cattle and beasts shall perish."

– The Ten Commandments 10: Top.

The eighth demon, Seere.

The highest ranking demon who crossed over to wipe out mankind.

Vikir swallowed hard, a groan boiling in the depths of his throat.

'... I never thought I'd meet you so soon.'

Set, the 'Inferior Second Son', Dantalian, the 'Face of a Thousand', and Seere, the 'King of Corpses', appeared rather abruptly.

Vikir recalled a memory from before the regression.

The black mage was called the King of Corpses. Seere was a master of bringing the dead back to life.

When the army of the dead, a marionette circus of corpses, came to town, all living things held their breath and feared him.

Vikir also knew the identity of the one who had contracted with the Eighth Corpse Seere.

Unlike the other contractors of the Ten Corpses, Seere's contractor was relatively well known.

It was Marquis Morg Snake.

He was the highest ranking member of the Dark Hall of the Mage Family Morg.

Morg Snake had always secretly practiced black magic, so he would have been a perfect match for Seere.

'He was a rival of the mad Adolf, and a formidable force to be reckoned with, even in his lifetime.'

Morg Snake is a high council member of the Dark Hall, and Morg Adolf is a high council member of the Light Hall.

For some reason, the two had not been on good terms for a long time, and the head of the family, Morg Respane, was barely able to control it.

Before his regression, Vikir hadn't known for what purpose Snake had contracted with Seere, but he remembered clearly enough that the results had been disastrous.

'This is the time when Morg Adolf is still a Class 6 Mage. If that's the case, then Morg Snake might not be at a very high level of mage yet either....'

But. Vikir's thoughts were interrupted.

The King of Corpses had sensed Vikir's intentions.

[...Who is there?]

A booming voice called out.

Surprisingly, the voice, somewhat muffled with demonic energy, clearly belonged to a woman.

"...?"

Only then did Vikir take a closer look at the woman.

It was different.

Something was different from his memory before the regression.

Morg Snake, the man who should have been the King of Corpses, was tall and unnervingly thin.

So much so that when he walked, he looked like a clown on a pole.

Once a target for assassination, his appearance and strength was something Vikir knew best.

But the King of Corpses in front of him was about the same height as Vikir, ....

What's more, it had a well-trained body and balanced proportions, quite unlike the Morg Snake.

Moreover.

'... woman?'

Vikir's mouth was half open in disbelief.

Judging by the height, chest, and hips, the Corpse King's body was definitely female.

Something is amiss.

Seree's contractor has changed.

According to the original history, Morg Snake should have been the contractor for Seere.

But that was long after the fact.

The Corpse Queen, however, shook her head at the sight of the Night Hound.

[Who are you?]

"Do you not know me?"

[I don't know you.]

"You don't seem interested in what's going on in the world. Don't you even read the newspaper?"

The Corpse Queen snorted lightly at the Night Hound's question.

[...Newspaper? Why would I read such a thing. I have no more interest in this world].

Yes, I do. Newspapers are a tool to inform us of worldly events.

Those who have no interest in the affairs of this world have no need for newspapers.

The Night Hound and The Corpse Queen. Two masked men and women face each other.

Neither revealed their identities to the other, but the enemy they harbored was clear.

"The demon slays."

[Do it if you can].

The Night Hound drew his black bow, Anubis.

The Corpse Queen also summoned her dead soldiers, including Geronto.

Cuddle-Up.

Deep underground in the Orphanage. Unexcavated bones, flesh, and ghosts rose to their feet.

Danger Rating: C

Size: 1.7 meters

Found in: All continents

-Name: 'The Bone Man'.

A common wraith that can be found in graveyards, battlefields, abandoned houses, and sewers.

In rural areas and run-down cities, they are almost as common as rats.

Danger Rating : C

Size: ?

Found in: All continents

-Name: 'The ghostly remnant'.

A ubiquitous wraith that can be found in graveyards, battlefields, abandoned houses, and sewers.

In rural areas and run-down cities, they are almost as common as rats.

Danger Rating: C+.

Size: 1 meter

Found on: All continents

-Name 'corpse eater'. Ghoul.

A low-level demon that can be found in graveyards, battlefields, abandoned buildings, sewers, and other places where corpses are found.

They are not a resurrected form of the dead, but an entirely different species of undead that twists to feed on corpses.

Unusually, ghouls are not known to be an undead creature born from the dead, and it is said that once a ghoul has died, it cannot be reborn as an undead again.

In other words, it's not known where they come from or where they go.

Skeletons, zombies, ghosts, and ghouls. The most basic forms that make up the Black Mage's army of the dead.

As place is place, many of the resurrected undead were once children of the orphanage or were twisted to feast on its corpses.

Tsk.

The Corpse Queen clicked her tongue at the gathering undead.

As if she didn't want them around.

Then the night hound's attention was drawn to a skeleton in the forefront of the group.

Rattle.

A golden necklace glowed brightly around the small skeleton's neck.

'Nymphet'

The moment he saw the words.

"...."

The Night Hound bared his teeth.

"You will not die a pretty death."

Fierce. Even more fiercely.