Chapter 208

Chapter 208
## Chapter 208

### The Prelude to Chaos (3)

By their very nature, the undead were creatures meant to be cast out by the living world.

Leaving aside their typically horrifying visages, the mere reality of a deceased corpse moving about as though it possessed life was bound to elicit revulsion from the living.

Furthermore, because these abominations defied the natural order of existence, they instinctively thirsted for life, which meant they did not merely envy those who lived; they actively despised them.

And right here, nestled deep within the Northern Mountains,

The territory surrounding the Immortal Fortress functioned as a virtual ‘sanctuary of the grave,’ teeming with an immense multitude of the walking dead.

The surrounding peaks and waterways had completely withered under the corrupting influence of death flowing from that staggering host, and the atmosphere itself was so toxic that even a robust person would spit blood and collapse after only a brief exposure.

Anyone laying eyes on this grim panorama would undoubtedly declare it the absolute closest manifestation of hell on earth.

Rattle— Rattle!

[Kyaaaaagh—!]

Snap—!

In that instant, the crowding throngs of the dead parted to both sides.

Two entities, radiating an exceptionally potent energy of demise, drew near the threshold of the Immortal Fortress.

[The King has not called upon us in quite some time. We should move quickly.]

Speaking was Drexler, a Doom Knight enshrouded in obsidian plate armor, standing over three meters tall—a true warrior of the abyss.

[…He normally summons only a select few of the inner circle, so what prompts this?]

Beside him was Trev, a Dragon Warrior outfitted in a helm carved from a dragon’s cranium and skeletal plate, his entire form draped in armaments crafted from bone.

They had been tracking down beasts at the furthest fringes of their domain, as they typically did, and were racing back after receiving an abrupt command to return.

A considerable amount of time had passed since the Immortal King began taking decisive action, following the moment the undead surged forth from the boundaries of the chasm.

The Immortal Army had been methodically consolidating their forces that were once dispersed across the land, not merely within the western territories, and as a consequence, the vast majority of the surviving legion members were now concentrated in a single location.

Inevitably, this gathering comprised not just ordinary corpses, but also the elite officers who had achieved great renown under the rule of the previous Immortal King.

The two warriors present were counted among that elite company.

Trev, a Dragon Warrior brought to life through the utilization of a Dragon Heart, was a premier officer ranking among the top ten. He was a terror who had spent a lengthy period aggressively traversing the mortal realms after suddenly being dropped into human lands, having aligned himself with the army only in recent times.

‘I held such high expectations back then.’

As they crossed the threshold of the Immortal Fortress and walked toward the grand chamber,

Trev muttered to himself, revisiting a thought that had crossed his mind a thousand times before.

He had been filled with exultation when word first reached him that the Immortal King had risen again and established a seat in the Northern Mountains, prompting him to hasten toward the Immortal Army.

He desired nothing more than to pledge his frame once more to the unfulfilled crusade of subjugating the continent, a legacy left by the prior era.

However…

‘It would have been wiser had I never journeyed here.’

He was a creature of the dark possessing an uncommonly fierce appetite for carnage.

For that reason, he had thoroughly enjoyed himself, slaughtering mortals and enduring a violent existence, even while completely hemmed in by adversaries after breaking free from the boundary.

‘…What sort of infantile pastime is this? An army of this magnitude is confined to these peaks, tracking wild beasts, rather than launching a campaign against the mortal realm!’

To a warrior who had envisioned nothing but joining the vanguard of the Immortal Army, taking his place at the front of the crusade, and reveling in slaughter to his heart’s content, the mandate issued by the Immortal King to ‘refrain from mindless slaughter of humans’ came as a devastating shock.

He was currently keeping his cravings at bay by tracking beasts, but these creatures, maddened by insanity, could never truly appease his hunger.

‘Ah, this falls short. I require mortals, mortals! I wish to orchestrate a celebration of carnage and shrieks! How much longer must I restrain myself…?’

He was also well aware of the three-year truce the Immortal King had granted to the champion.

It defied reason, yet he attempted to rationalise that the Monarch must possess some hidden motive for arriving at such a conclusion.

Nonetheless…

‘What is gained by deploying those feeble throngs?! Does he truly intend to subjugate the land?’

He had personally petitioned to be sent out into the continent on multiple occasions, but his appeals were consistently disregarded.

Meanwhile, the forces actually being dispatched were merely an abundance of pointless skeletons and ignorant dark sorcerers whose origins were entirely a mystery to him.

He simply could not comprehend the reality of the situation.

[We have arrived.]

Just as Trev was stifling his irritation and pondering the motives of the Immortal King,

Creak—

He instantly collected his expressions upon witnessing Drexler push open the heavy portals of the grand chamber.

Regardless of his inner discontent, he could never display it in the presence of the Immortal King.

[Are we the final arrivals?]

Roughly twenty premier officers had already assembled within the space, bowing low against the ground.

Every single one of them was ranked within the top fifty of the former Immortal Army—mankind’s most terrible foes who had claimed an innumerable number of lives.

The arriving pair seamlessly took their places among the ranks, offering their compliance toward the vacant dais positioned high above.

This entire Immortal Fortress was a domain manifested solely through the Monarch’s authority, meaning that if he so desired, he could…

[Is the assembly complete?]

…manifest himself right there, precisely as he did now.

[Indeed… Great King… every soul summoned is…]

[Ah— Save your breath. Let us get straight to the point. None of you have time to waste.]

In truth, aside from Olivia, who oversaw intelligence operations, and a handful of other commanders, none of them actually had pressing matters to attend to, yet they all kept their gazes lowered, awaiting the Monarch’s next proclamation.

[The diversion has concluded.]

And the words that followed were…

[I am finished playing these games. The hour has come to claim this continent… this entire world.]

It was an incredibly abrupt pronouncement, given the manner in which he had conducted himself up until this point.

Yet a being of the Immortal King’s stature would never speak on such matters in jest.

The gathered executives felt their energies begin to surge as realization finally washed over them.

[Hehehe— Naturally, you all shall be the ones leading the vanguard this time.]

At those words from the King, several among them began to shudder with excitement.

‘…My devotion was lacking. He is indeed our Monarch…!’

This was the precise declaration that Trev and the remaining commanders had been yearning to hear.

—

The undead forces, which had been multiplying without any real direction, began to be systematically structured by the premier commanders of the Immortal Fortress.

Organizing a proper host for a sweeping conquest of the continent proved far more practical than simply remaining isolated in these peaks as they had done previously.

While the entire stronghold bustled with frantic preparation,

‘Violating the pledge of the three-year truce is a poor choice. It is a pity, for there is no grander method to accumulate Karma than a total crusade.’

The Immortal King Hannibal rested calmly upon his dais, watching the active preparations and analyzing his upcoming strategies.

‘It matters little if I disregard the pledge, as the perspectives of mortals carry no weight with me…’

His ultimate objective was not the literal subjugation of the land, but rather the streamlined gathering of Karma.

Naturally, proceeding along this path might culminate in the annihilation of the world, but he had to safeguard Heinrich’s standing to ensure the seamless execution of the ‘Home Theater’ production he was currently orchestrating.

‘The three-year truce is already credited as Heinrich’s grand success. Should I shatter it, the reputation of the Holy One will suffer.’

The Holy Order and the neighboring states were entirely regulating their movements based on the Holy One’s guarantee that a massive invasion would not occur for the next three years.

But what would transpire if that reliance was shattered?

‘Heinrich’s trustworthiness would be irreparably damaged, posing a massive barrier in the days ahead.’

He had no desire to see such an outcome manifest.

It would only impede his prospective acquisition of Karma over the long term.

‘Regardless, once the primary vessel awakens, we shall revert to our initial strategy. Consequently, I must contemplate the path forward following that event.’

He was a supreme Immortal King who had crossed into the realm of transcendence.

Naturally, he recognized that his current actions were far more provocative than his usual demeanor.

He would never have pushed things to this extreme had the primary consciousness been at the helm.

‘That was an absurd notion. Yet I am certain this remains the proper path. I must achieve the maximum amount of advancement within the coming month.’

Hannibal’s present state of mind resembled someone who was intoxicated, stubbornly pressing forward after losing all sense of restraint.

He genuinely perceived that the primary vessel’s sound judgment was being obscured by irrelevant sentiments.

‘There exist numerous approaches to this. My only vow was that I would refrain from launching a singular, massive crusade.’

In that case, he could simply utilize the pact he had struck with Heinrich in a much more aggressive fashion.

‘To a greater number of territories, with vastly superior forces, utilizing far more formidable elites—.’

He would orchestrate incursions across the entire continent.

Naturally, the demise of blameless individuals during this endeavor…

…was no longer a matter that concerned him.

—

‘This complicates things.’

Heinrich knit his brows and exhaled a heavy breath, rubbing his temples.

‘Hans has initiated his movements in earnest.’

He was acting without restraint, capitalizing on the fact that his primary vessel remained in a state of insensibility.

In reality, it was as though Han Seong-hyeon possessed multiple processing centers, meaning that even during slumber, involuntary management persisted.

Much like how ordinary people did not need to consciously think to draw breath or take a step.

‘But the current circumstances are entirely altered.’

Not only was the primary vessel’s oversight completely absent, but Hans’s internal constraints had also been shattered by the lingering effects of the chasm’s corruption.

Even though Hans remained conscious of the reflections of the other incarnations, just as Heinrich could perceive his internal disposition, he was pressing onward, utterly convinced of the righteousness of his path.

It was an incredibly troublesome development.

‘Almighty Creator, I beseech you to shepherd me through this trial.’

Heinrich, who was wracking his brains over this infuriating dilemma, instinctively shut his eyes, brought his palms together, and began to offer a prayer.

“…Holy One? Are you unwell?”

The concerned inquiry of Cardinal Cordelia finally snapped him back to his immediate surroundings.

‘Ah, no.’

This was the grand assembly hall where the Continental Summit was currently underway.

He had been letting out sighs and lamentations, entirely consumed by his thoughts in the middle of the proceedings, before abruptly entering a state of prayer.

Inevitably, the focus of every diplomat gathered around the central circular table shifted directly toward him.

The sole exception was Heinz the Second, who sat with his arms folded, similarly locked away in his own reflections.

“Ah… pray forgive me. I was merely…”

Heinrich, preparing to offer an excuse alongside a strained expression, faltered and tilted his chin slightly.

Reflecting upon it, this presented an ideal opening to apprise them of the shifting landscape and coordinate defensive measures, given that the delegates of every major power were assembled in a single chamber.

‘The more rapidly we address this, the better. I ought to introduce this as an urgent matter for discussion… Wait?’

His eyes drifted across the various delegates seated around the table,

Eventually settling upon Saintess Liesta, who was shifting about with an expression of deep anxiety.

He recalled the exchange they had shared following their victory over the White Giant.

‘She mentioned experiencing a sense of dread regarding the Immortal King’s inactivity. She suspected a catastrophic event was looming.’

It appeared that Liesta was picking up on something, both in this moment and back then.

Given that her connection to the Creator was significantly more profound than his own, she might very well be registering an indirect premonition.

‘…If such a threat loomed, it would have been far more helpful had he bestowed a more explicit sign upon me.’

And shared that knowledge with him as well.

‘It must signify that my devotion remains insufficient.’

Heinrich, arriving at that deduction, pressed his palms together once more to offer a brief invocation to the Creator, before shifting his attention back to the assembly watching him, slowly beginning to speak.

“The Creator has just granted me a divine sign.”

Voom—

A radiant sacred energy began to drift from his form,

As a falsehood slipped past his lips with perfect ease.

“The Immortal King is orchestrating an offensive on a scale far surpassing anything we have previously encountered… And we must organize our defenses immediately.”

The individualities of his various incarnations were merely reflections of Han Seong-hyeon’s internal psyche.

And those traits endured regardless of whether his primary vessel was awake or asleep.

‘The Creator will overlook this deception. He is a benevolent deity.’

Even for someone like Heinrich, whose internal reverence and devotion were vastly magnified, independent of that conditioning…

This was his authentic nature.