PROLOGUE
The old Ragnas Kingdom’s capital, Ur-Shukar. Deep within a sealed off sector of its ruins was a mausoleum where a Dark Lord slumbered. And standing before the black crystal enshrined in the depths of that mausoleum was a sneering, white-haired young priest.
“So it was you who rested here—Undead King, Leonis Death Magnus.”
He kneeled reverently on one knee, holding up a fragment of the goddess as it gave off an umbral glow. The Trapezohedron levitated and quickly vanished, melting into the crystal.
“What a joyous day this is. I now have two Dark Lords under my control.”
He already had the guardian of Ur-Shukar, the Deus Machina Schwertleite, under his thrall using the power of an Artificial Elemental. And now, he was trying to awaken the Undead King, said to be the strongest of Dark Lords.
When Zemein previously visited Necrozoa, the remains of Leonis Death Magnus were nowhere to be found. Nefakess did not expect to find him hidden in Necrozoa’s ruins…
Spreading out his arms, the priest manifested countless weapons of the void out of thin air. Sacrifices, tributes to the Dark Lord. Holy Swords that had inverted into Demon Swords.
“You’re using that many after all the trouble I went through to gather them?” A girl in the form of a glowing angel pouted at him in displeasure.
Seraphim—the Artificial Elemental that Deinfraude Phillet created for the D Project.
“Now is not the time to be reserved. The goddess’s prophecy is on the cusp of fruition, as we are about to seize the Undead King, lauded as the mightiest of Dark Lords,” Nefakess said, moving his fingertips in subtle, gentle movements.
The countless Dark Swords were absorbed into the crystal the Dark Lord slumbered in. They had failed to resurrect the Dragon Lord Veira, and the Lord of the Seas Rivaiz was snatched away by the Devil of the Underworld. The Lord of Rage was absorbed by the Swordmaster, making it beyond reach.
But with this, the goddess’s prophecy could finally be fulfilled—so the Void world could swallow up the real world…
Crack, crack, crack—
Minute fissures ran through the ebony crystal.
“Ooh…!” The priest’s face contorted in jubilation.
But then—a thick miasma of death erupted from the shattered crystal.
“…?!”
Ooh, ooooh… Oooooh…!
A horrifying howl that felt like it billowed up from the depths of the earth echoed.
“Something feels wrong, I think—aaaah!” Seraphim’s shout was cut off halfway through.
The rush of miasma contacted the Artificial Elemental, breaking it down to particles of light.
“…!”
Nefakess reflexively chanted a shield spell to defend himself, but then a skeletal hand burst out of the cloud of miasma, grabbing him by the throat.
“M-my…lord…!”
The fingers tightened around his throat before he could even scream.
Why—why is this…?!
…His plan was falling apart. As his consciousness faded, he asked himself—was his interpretation of the goddess’s prophecy wrong? Or perhaps…
Was I wrong to assume I could control a being of this caliber?
Gasping for air, Nefakess crumbled to the mausoleum’s floor. And on the brink of death, he saw the hideous visage of the Undead King, his body impaled by countless Demon Swords…
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