Its combat performance was no match for the real No Death, but it was based on her strengths—so the copy still possessed overwhelming power.
The girl’s eyes went wide, and she made another shocked noise. It was just like the last time, which No Death felt didn’t bode well.
Before No Death even had a chance to send a mental directive to her Einherjar, the girl pulled out an orb.
An instant later, she’d summoned a giant that barely fit because of the hallway. It was an earth elemental.
Utterly baffling.
She’d figured there was a solid chance this girl was a druid. So summoning an elemental made sense—but she’d used an item, not a spell.
All for an elemental—one that didn’t really seem that powerful.
Can’t summon elementals, can’t use attack spells…a druid who can only buff herself? Or am I just overlooking something, jumping to the wrong conclusion? I heard the elf king used a giant earth elemental, but is this it? But…this isn’t…all that big…
What she’d heard about the elf king’s elemental made it sound overwhelming, so powerful that even the exceptional stood no chance against it.
That suggested this was a different kind. But it might seem unimpressive only compared to No Death’s own strengths; to anyone weaker, it would probably be more than big enough.
Still, this elemental posed no threat to her.
She could leave it to the Einherjar and focus on the girl. It should finish off the elemental soon enough, and then it would be two-on-one.
No, we should team up and eliminate this elemental together.
“C’mon!”
No Death charged in, her scythe striking the elemental. The Einherjar matched her.
Earth elementals resisted physical attacks, but their advantage was a steep one. They easily cut deep into that tough hide. But sturdiness was this foe’s calling card; a couple of hits would hardly be fatal.
But the earth elemental vanished.
“Ha?”
She was so lost. She definitely hadn’t defeated it—
Because an instant later, there was an earth elemental right in front of her. This one was even bigger.
What was going on here?
This couldn’t be the same one.
“A sacrificial summon?”
She’d never heard of any skills or spells that worked like that. But the name itself fit the circumstances so well, it popped right out of her mouth.
This new—if that was the right word—earth elemental was clearly stronger than the last. Even the exceptional few would not stand a chance. Still—
I can beat it. But…is that the right choice?
If she damaged or defeated it, would it just be replaced with one even stronger?
She found that hard to believe but couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility.
No Death put the Einherjar on standby while she took a good look at the girl.
She was just fidgeting around behind the elemental, watching her. It didn’t seem like she’d order the earth elemental to attack.
Who the hell is this girl? If she was undead, I could safely assume the King of Darkness made her, but if she’s just a regular dark elf… How would you go about keeping a kid this strong secret? With her power, you’d think word would get around. Or did the country keep her hidden, like mine did me?
The Nation of Darkness had been founded a few years prior.
The Empire had trumpeted the notion that those lands had originally belonged to the Nation, but the Theocracy had been around long enough to know that was a bald-faced lie.
The Nation and its king had not previously existed.
If the King of Darkness did appear out of nowhere, then he might be the same thing as the gods of yore—but that’s not confirmed. It’s hard…to believe…but what if…this girl is the same? No, her eyes bear the mark of royalty; it’s more likely she’s related to the elf king. Maybe the King of Darkness got his hands on this girl somehow and that’s what inspired him to come here and found a multiracial nation?
She didn’t know. There was no proof of anything. Even the connection between this girl and the King of Darkness was pure speculation.
But that would be the worst-case scenario, and she should be prepared for it.
If this girl really is from the Nation, then they’ve got at least two on my level, her and the king himself. Shit, is he here, too?
That brought a hint of panic.
How dumb was she? Assuming this girl was from the Nation, then that had always been in the cards.
Anywhere else, the very idea would be absurd.
No other king would waltz into the middle of a war between two other countries; it wasn’t worth the risk. But the King of Darkness had popped up in the Sacred Kingdom and thrown his weight around. Proving to the rest of the world that a caster capable of wiping out entire armies might just show up anywhere.
There were also hard-to-believe reports that he’d shown up in the arena in the Empire before they became a vassal state.
No Death was cursing herself now.
If she was right about this and the King of Darkness was here in person, what could be worse? This girl alone was bad enough, but if that undead showed up, No Death was doomed. The Theocracy hadn’t exactly fully analyzed the undead king’s combat potential, but they knew he’d wiped out an army over ten thousand strong, so it was hard to believe he was weaker than this girl.
Right now, I’m just piling speculation on speculation, but…it adds up. It does. I dunno why they’re here, but…if the king does show up, do I negotiate?
If he could steal the elf king’s elemental, then he could steal the country.
The girl bore proof of the king’s blood—there in her eyes.
With proof of royal blood and the king’s earth elemental in her command, the elves would likely bow to her.
And if he drives us off, he’ll earn accolades. Flawless timing. Flawless…timing?
A new wave of panic swept over her.
The Nation of Darkness was invading the Re-Estize Kingdom, hell-bent on wiping it out. That’s why the Theocracy rushed to end our war with the elves. But what if that was actually the Nation’s true goal all along?
It was like the sides of a rubik q suddenly aligned. No Death had experienced no fear, no matter the fight she was in, but now it felt like her core had turned to ice, and her whole body shivered. If this was the Nation’s scheme from the very beginning, it all made sense.
The Re-Estize Kingdom was never their primary purpose. Their goal was to put the elves under their domain and strike back at the Theocracy. In which case…the defeat at E-Naeurl exposed their invasion. Was that done not to strike fear in the hearts of the kingdom’s people but timed to spur the Theocracy into action? Or maybe both?! Does he plan to put us all under his power in rapid succession? That can’t be true! It’s not possible we’ve been dancing to the Nation’s tune all along! That’s absurd!
She was loath to admit it, but like a moment before—she had to account for the worst.
The supreme executive agency had said the King of Darkness deserved the utmost caution. As uncanny as his schemes were, it was his raw power that posed the greatest threat.
And yet—
Yes and yet—if this was the king’s own scheme, then spells that slew ten thousand soldiers in the blink of an eye were not nearly as frightening. Nor were the powerful minions that could massacre a kingdom nine million strong. His true horror lay in the mind that could see a hundred moves ahead and tug at invisible strings that let him control even his adversaries.
A formidable threat in his own right and a strategic mastermind—how could you fight that? That crushed the one weapon the weak had against the strong.
……Or are the plots the work of that demon prime minister Albedo? Either way… No, wait… What if it’s not just these two countries but the Theocracy, too? Come here, wipe out these troops, then declare war?
True, there were people out there who could insist it didn’t matter how many weak soldiers were slain. Those in the realm of heroes had power the equivalent of ten thousand average infantry. Such thoughts might seem rational to the powerful—but what about your average citizen?
The Theocracy had made human supremacy their motto and galvanized the country around it. The flip side of that idea was that unless weak humans came together to act first against the other races, they risked being wiped out themselves. Just as the Dragon Kingdom was threatened by the beastmen.