Chapter 43

Chapter 43
Chapter: 43

## Chapter Title: Ascending to the Five Lords

The audacity to utter such blasphemy in the presence of the White King!

The wretch deserved to be shredded into pieces—and even that would be a mercy.

Regardless of how many times he had navigated the Crown of Myth, a lone accomplishment of that magnitude could never make him a peer to the White King.

The legendary tales the White King had written were past counting.

‘The final card has been thrown.’

There was no path for retreat.

It was a bluff of such proportions that it made his skin crawl, yet the White King would not simply dismiss it.

He had already been scorched once for such negligence.

Both the Four Commanders and the White King himself had endured shames more bitter than the grave because of Wilhelm.

The White King fixed his gaze on me.

I met it with a faint, knowing grin.

Our eyes locked in the air, sparks flying as if steel were grinding against stone.

“Fascinating. But it isn’t a lie, is it?”

When the White King eventually gave ground, the focus of the Four Commanders shifted once again.

To think the White King would speak such words to a common scavenger of the dead!

The White King was a being of absolute truth—he never spoke in error.

If he perceived it as such, then it was reality.

In other words…

‘The White King recognizes this scavenger as his equal…’

The same realization washed over the minds of the Four Commanders.

An equal.

Not merely a bird of the battlefield, but a legitimate transcendent power.

“I have no interest in inciting a riot either.”

……It was the moment to pull back.

The White King had compromised.

It was likely the furthest he was willing to bend.

To push a single inch more would be an invitation to slaughter.

And if a conflict erupted, I would likely be extinguished before I even realized the blades were moving.

This level of posturing was sufficient.

To press further would be to drown in a sea of shadow.

“In exchange, if you happen to grasp what exists beyond the final enigma sought by the ‘Star Guardians,’ would you disclose it to me?”

“Simply tell you?”

“I require nothing more. It is pure inquisitive interest. I wish to know if a different star truly shines.”

That was the extent of it.

Curiosity.

For that alone, he had placed a crown of status upon my head.

There had been a brief tremor of tension, but the conclusion was tidy.

“Does any voice rise against Randolph joining the ranks of the Five Lords?”

The White King’s eyes swept across the Four Commanders.

“I am against it.”

“As am I.”

The Great Earth Dragon and the Palace Demon voiced their dissent.

Two negative counts.

“Then, who stands in support?”

“Well, he shares the same fundamental nature as us.”

“……”

The Death King and Medusa moved forward to agree.

The same nature.

Referring to those who manipulate the remains of the fallen.

And Medusa’s support was almost certainly a tactic to keep me within her reach.

“Two in favor, two opposed.”

The White King erupted into a deep laugh, as if the deadlock were a source of entertainment.

Certainly, a consensus would have been dull.

‘An entity capable of erasing even a Unique-grade enigma—to make him a foe would be a lapse in judgment.’

He remained privately doubtful.

Whether this scavenger could truly dismantle a Unique-grade enigma.

Even for the White King, anything labeled “Unique” was not to be trifled with.

If the bird failed, that would be the end of the matter.

There would be no need for caution once he saw the limits of the mystery and realized it was a bluff.

However, if it was proven that the scavenger could indeed destroy Unique-grade enigmas, the White King had no intention of making him an adversary.

At the very least, it would validate that his claims regarding Kramdel’s vanishing were not fabrication.

And if he could also manage those inflexible Star Guardians, there was no downside to keeping such an asset nearby.

He could observe and conclude at a later time.

“The matter is settled.”

The White King rested a heavy hand on my shoulder.

The count was now three to two.

“Randolph. From this heartbeat forward, you are counted among the Five Lords.”

……And just like that.

Out of nowhere, I was elevated to the status of the Five Lords.

One of the sovereign rulers of Kramdel.

The scavenger who stood at the summit of all monsters.

In the wake of the White King’s exit.

I could sense the strange, heavy stares of the Four Commanders lingering on me.

“Fifth Lord. Reside within my fortress for the time being. It seems we must arrange for the construction of a palace of your own.”

The Death King walked toward me then.

The Sovereign of the Slain.

The lord of Necrovalley and the most mysterious figure of the group.

A massive frame constructed from gargantuan bones. He was smaller than a titan, yet he pulsed with a more concentrated, purer energy.

His dark vestments radiated a sinister chill at a single glance.

Still, he had provided the vote that secured my position as a Five Lord.

Evidence, for the moment, that he was not an ‘enemy.’

“I will accept the invitation.”

“Hmm. Come dawn, we shall proclaim the rise of a new Lord. Until that hour, you are my honored guest, so permit me to lead the way. Is there any particular destination you desire?”

Being guided by the Death King.

That was a rare occurrence.

‘A perfect opening.’

I had intended to make contact with the Death King from the beginning.

I hadn’t anticipated the path would be this smooth, but if he was playing the role of a gracious host, I could investigate further.

“Since you are the Sovereign of the Slain, you must be performing research worthy of such a name, caw?”

“Naturally. The study of the departed is the very justification for my being.”

“Then I wish to inspect your ‘sanctum,’ caw.”

“……You are more than welcome.”

The Death King spoke with a hint of genuine fervor in his voice.

A master of mortality. His research was considered so ‘vile’ that even the other Lords expressed their disgust.

No one of similar power could find common ground with him.

The weak only mimicked understanding out of terror, and the strong were unable to grasp the nuance of his craft.

He wondered where this scavenger would stand.

“Follow me, then. To my inner temple.”

Standing before the White King’s grand hall, Isaac and Isabella waited in a state of high alarm.

‘Total insanity… The White King?’

Isaac felt as though the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

Who could have predicted he would encounter the White King in the flesh!

Most creatures in Kramdel perished without ever catching a glimpse of him. Isaac had lived here a full year and had never seen him directly.

Yet in a mere blink of an eye, the Star Awakener had walked right in to confer with the White King.

‘Is this a hallucination?’

He gave his cheek a hard tug, and a sharp sting followed.

No hallucination could produce such a vivid pain—this was happening.

Meeting the Star Awakener at the springs, arriving at the White King’s court alongside the Four Commanders—every bit of it was real.

‘……I should flee right now. Nobody walks away from a meeting with the White King.’

If this was reality, the omens were catastrophic.

He wasn’t sure about the Four Commanders, but the White King was a heartless predator.

An insurmountable mountain.

Even the Lords of the Abyss gave him a wide berth!

It was pure delirium, regardless of how one looked at it.

But the true delirium was only beginning.

“……!”

Isaac’s eyes nearly popped out.

Two forms walked out from the White King’s hall.

‘The Death King!’

The Death King!

One of the Four Commanders, and by far the most cruel and dreaded of the lot.

A predator among predators who chained both spirits and corpses.

The stories said that once you were in his grip, there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

And there he was, strolling with the Star Awakener.

“You will find my sanctum to be quite enlightening.”

“I have high hopes, caw.”

“Prepare to be amazed.”

……And they appeared remarkably cordial.

Surely a hallucination.

In the real world, those two would never walk side-by-side in such a friendly manner.

Then the Star Awakener gestured toward him.

“You two, come with us, caw.”

……Everything was ruined.

There was no running now.

‘This isn’t just about obtaining the Cataclysm Talisman.’

The idea of living a quiet life in Kramdel suddenly seemed like a distant luxury.

And he could never go back to that simplicity.

He was already caught in the center of the hurricane. The moment he took that Cataclysm Talisman, his path was set in stone.

So Isaac closed his eyes and prayed.

Please let him live to see the next sunrise.

The Death King’s sanctum.

A hidden vault buried deep under his fortress.

The moment they stepped inside, Isaac clamped his hand over his face.

“Ugh……!”

He fought back the desperate urge to vomit.

The stench was only the beginning.

‘I have never witnessed such sickening pastimes.’

Remains were displayed in every imaginable horror.

Dangling from the rafters, pinned to the stonework, scattered across the tiles.

Even the usually stoic Isabella showed a slight twitch of her brow.

It moved past the point of terror into something worse.

“Remarkable.”

……Remarkable?

And the word didn’t sound like empty praise.

The Star Awakener’s voice resonated with true appreciation.

“Is that how it appears to you?”

“I detect a certain creative vision.”

“Ha! Just as I thought from one of the same blood—you possess the sight. If there is a particular work you admire, I shall gift it to you.”

A work?

‘These are pieces of art?’

These rotting remains?

Isaac could not begin to understand their concept of beauty.

The things they were bonding over, the things making them laugh.

Moan.

Moooooan.

And the objects he had assumed were inanimate corpses moved slightly.

They were still functioning.

‘A warehouse of the undying.’

The most hellish sight Isaac had ever laid eyes on.

He couldn’t understand why the Star Awakener had requested to come here.

He stole a glance at Isabella for some sign of a plan, but she merely shook her head slowly.

Keep moving in silence.

Then the Star Awakener gestured toward a specific corner of the sanctum.

“Would you be willing to part with that one?”

The Death King went still.

The lighthearted mood that had built up vanished as if it had never existed.

What Randolph had indicated.

What the scavenger had requested.

It was one of the Death King’s most cherished possessions.

“……You truly do have the sight.”

The Death King’s voice became heavy and somber.

It was as if all the previous talk had been a test, and now things were truly serious.

Because countless creators of the dead had failed to see the merit in his work.

They offered hollow praise or agreed because they were terrified.

And those individuals were quickly robbed of their sight.

To fail to appreciate such high-level art was a transgression.

What was the point of eyes for those who were blind to beauty?

He had assumed the scavenger was no different.

Regardless of his status with the White King—true art was a separate world.

‘To choose that specific one instantly.’

The scavenger had ignored everything else from the start.

Randolph had picked his absolute masterpiece.

Not as a performance, but out of genuine recognition. He understood the art.

The remains fixed to the stone wall.

It looked like a human woman, but the space above the neck was empty.

Yet it was his most lethal experiment out of everything he had crafted.

Simple in look, but his crowning achievement.

“That is my finest creation. I seized a human who had evolved into an Elder Lich and transformed them. The frame holding that horrific malady was a peerless resource.”

The Death King’s words were thick with vanity.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Then it happened.

With a series of tremors, heavy plate began to manifest around the remains.

Radiating a torrent of curses and energy, the creature strained against the boundaries of its binding circle.

“Heh heh heh. Indeed, my crowning glory. It even attempts to crack the seal of a war-steed!”

Hearing that, I felt a sharp internal pang.

‘I am a moment too late.’

The child of Andrew the priest.

The remains held within that binding were Andasar.

……Andasar had already been turned into a headless revenant, a Dullahan.

Invader

Two years prior, during the pursuit of the White King.

I had been aware even then that the Death King had claimed Andasar for his research.

‘At the time, I assumed it was merely a specific narrative beat.’

I had thought that Andasar, who became an Elder Lich through the forbidden dark tome, had triggered a unique scenario as the Death King’s plaything.

Furthermore, I had been preoccupied with forcing the Four Commanders to submit and baiting the White King.

All my focus was on him, and Priest Andrew hadn’t specifically asked me to rescue his daughter.

‘She still possessed a head back then.’

Now, it was gone.

Dullahan. The headless warrior of the dead. Fortified by the Death King, its strength was undeniable, but the problem was the missing neck.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Andasar’s frame buckled and surged, as if fighting to shatter the binding and escape.

“As you can observe, it hasn’t reached stability yet. I gave my word, but I cannot hand over a piece that is not yet finished.”

The Death King was prepared to give it away.

As a token of respect between creators with refined tastes.

But this Dullahan was a work in progress.