The Path of the Overlord sealed all skills upon initial entry.
That ant there was no significant threat except for the initial cursed zone.
But after conquering the coliseum and returning, the one-way restrictions of the path were lifted, and the skill seals and other restrictions were also removed.
In other words... battles could occur within the passage.
No, they certainly could occur.
Looking around at my party mbers who had lost consciousness and collapsed, I broke into a cold sweat.
Its too much to have a lord-class monster hiding and suddenly appearing, damn it!
Standing before was the culprit of this situation.
The vampire lord and the boss monster of the next stage, No Life King Celendion.
He may look like a young boy in his early to mid-teens at a glance, but one should not be deceived by appearances. Hes actually a monster with hundreds of years of experience.
"..."
Celendion was observing quietly with his bright, blood-red eyes.
His gaze was unsettling, reminiscent of a child observing a captured insect.
"Do you feel like talking to , player?"
Upon hearing the boys voice, I replied brusquely.
My na is Ash.
"Hmm?"
I said Ash, my na. Ash. Ash Born Hater Everblack.
These creatures kept lumping in as just another player instead of using my na.
Do they think I wont tell them my na if they ask? My na, Ash, is dirt cheap. Ill hand it out left and right!
Upon hearing my na, Celendion blinked for a mont, then clapped his hands together.
"Ah, yes. Of course. You guys have nas too."
What did you say?
"When you look at ants, you call them ants, you dont ask their nas, do you?"
Celendion slightly bowed his head.
"Anyway, I apologize. I was thoughtless."
...
"I repeat, I had no intention to upset you. I also didnt intend to harm you."
Didnt you? Then whats this?
Pointing to the collapsed party mbers around us, Celendion cast a glance at them.
"Understand, human. For , its quite a hassle to subdue you without killing you."
...
"I just wanted to have a conversation."
As I watched him apologize and ask for understanding, I beca certain.
This guy, he didnt co here to kill us.
If he had intended to, we would all be dead by now.
But he only subdued us, and even wanted to start a conversation.
Celendions purpose was not to kill us. Of that I was certain.
However,
Why?
Why go to the trouble of keeping us alive, we who are as insignificant as ants and could be crushed with a flick of his finger?
...
Well, fine by .
If hes willing to lower himself to this extent(?), I see no reason why I cant indulge him in a conversation.
Plop!
I just sat down right there on the corridor floor. Celendions gaze turned puzzled as he looked at .
"What are you doing?"
Im sitting. You sit too.
"Hmm?"
Sit here. Im not sure what you want to talk about, but its awkward standing like this, isnt it?
"..."
Celendion seed a bit confused, apparently he wasnt familiar with the sitting culture, but cautiously sat down in front of without a word.
For a mont, we sat facing each other, silently observing one another.
I was glaring blatantly, while Celendion had a calm expression.
I really wanted to punch him right in the face, but doing so would likely cost my life...
Anyway, I took a deep breath and asked.
So, what is it that you wanted to talk about with so badly? Whats bothering you? Studies? Career? Adolescence? Which one?
"...? I dont understand what youre saying, but..."
Celendion carefully opened his mouth.
"Theres just one thing that I wanted to ask you, that Ive been curious about."
Go ahead and ask. If I can, Ill answer.
Not answering might result in losing my head.
I had been wondering what kind of question made him co all the way here himself. The question he asked was completely unexpected.
"How did you kill Orlop?"
...What?
I scowled, asking, "Orlop?"
"The commander of the Black Spider Legion. The mother of all spiders. The Queen of Tarantulas - thats Orlop."
"What the hell is this... wait a minute."
If she was the commander of the Black Spider Legion...
The Black Spider Queen we killed during the Forward Base Battle?
That Black Spider Queen defeated in Stage 0, the tutorial.
Seems like her na was Orlop.
Back then, she wasnt displayed as a nad entity... So that creature was the Queen of Tarantulas?
The Queen of Tarantulas.
A title that signifies the biological mother of all spider monsters in the handbook.
I thought she only existed in the handbook since she never appeared in the ga.
Was that creature from the tutorial really such a big shot?
No wonder she didnt easily die. She was a legion commander.
To my nod, Celendion reciprocated with a nod.
"You seem to rember."
"Well, of course I rember. I nearly died because of that bastard."
Literally, I almost died. I was on the verge of ga over there.
"Orlop would usually not go to the frontlines herself. However, she was spawning at that ti and seed to need to consu human flesh and despair."
"Gross."
I grimaced. There was no need for such a horrific tale.
"However, she died."
Celendion stared at gently.
"You killed her with a cannon."
"Well, yeah."
Strictly speaking, it was Damien, but anyway.
"So, what? I did kill that spider. Did it co back for revenge?"
"Revenge?"
Smirk.
A smirk ford at the corner of Celendions mouth.
It was the first expression he showed on his face.
"For that re spider? Hardly."
"..."
"I did tell the king I was going to battle for revenge. But thats just a superficial reason... I never had sympathy for that filthy spider."
"Then why?"
Whats the connection between killing that Black Spider Queen and this kid coming after ?
The answer was revealed soon.
"I."
Because Celendion clearly stated it from his own mouth.
"I want to die."
"?"
Wait, I was stunned, unable to comprehend.
"What?"
"I said I want to die, human. I... I want to face death."
Celendion slowly looked at his own palm.
"Its been about five hundred years since I ca back to life here... Ive been wandering in search of soone who can kill again."
Ca back to life?
Wants to die again?
What the hell is he talking about? Not understanding, I blinked as Celendion continued to mumble to himself.
"But no one... not even a decent wound, let alone killing ."
"..."
"And then, Orlop."
Celendion looked at again.
This ti, it wasnt just my appearance he was looking at, but sothing deep inside .
"Orlop, who was a legion commander like , got swept up in an unexpected situation and died. Just by a re humans cannon."
"..."
"I had a hunch then. If the one who killed Orlop could do it, maybe he could kill too."
There was a desperate look in Celendions red eyes.
"Can you... Can you kill ?"
"..."
"Can you free ... from this never-ending dream? Can you return to the darkness of eternal sleep?"
After staring blankly for a while,
"Youre talking nonsense..."
I opened my mouth, starting to growl.
"Can I kill you? Is that even a question, monster?"
"What?"
"From the start, I ca here to kill you all."
I slowly got up from my seat.
"To rip out your monster neck, hack your flesh, burn it to ashes. Thats why Im here."
I rember.
Those who bled and fell to the monsters claws and teeth.
"Of course, I will kill you! Not just you, but your subordinates, your family, and whatever the hell that creature you call king is!"
I rember.
The Margrave who, after a lifeti of holding back monsters, eventually fell apart and died in my arms.
"Everyone! Every single one! I will annihilate them all without leaving a single one alive!"
I rember.
The sight of more than three thousand corpses lying on the battlefield.
The azure sacred fla burning amidst them.
"That is my mission on this front line, the single goal I must achieve even if it costs my life!"
The clamor of the funeral, the wailing of the choir, the silence that followed the prayers.
Ken, Tein, Ron, Jiya, Peke... and the countless warriors whose nas were not even left behind.
I rember.
I rember it all.
Thats why it is my duty as the commander of this front line to despise you creatures so intensely.
"You need not worry, Vampire King! Whether you ask for it or not, I will gladly kill you. It would be wise for you to prepare for the scream youll let out when you et your end on my sword!"
Celendion, who had been quietly listening to my roaring voice, smirked.
"...Really? Is that so?"
His smile was faint.
It was different from the mockery earlier. Quiet, even shy, a small smile.
"Even if your attitude is just a bluff, I am glad. Because at least your hostility seems genuine."
Celendion slowly rose from his seat.
"But, I really cant understand. How could you, re prey, kill ? Is there even a thod that exists?"
"Of course, it exists."
What do you think, vampire spawn? How many tis do you think Ive chopped off your head in the ga?
I declared confidently.
"Just crawl up to my castle walls with your neck clean. Then, Ill be the one to end your pitiful life!"
"..."
Smirk.
The smile deepened on Celendions lips.
For a mont, he looked like an old man in his eighties or nineties rather than a teenager.
But in the next mont, his expression returned to its usual stoic state, and he transford back into a teenager.
"I will see you soon. I sincerely hope your words were not empty."
Slowly. Slowly.
The ends of Celendions body started to transform into mist.
"And, your subordinates... they have been trying to ambush since they regained consciousness."
"Eh?"
"It might be a good idea to stop them. Because I wish for you to be in your best condition on the day of our final battle."
Surprised, I looked at the party mbers who were lying on the ground.
They had woken up without noticing, and were all preparing to ambush Celendion, their secondary weapons at the ready.
I hurriedly signaled them to stop. Stop, stop! You cant even deal proper damage right now!
"Then, Player... no, Ash."
As he completely turned into a black mist and disappeared, Celendion whispered faintly.
"I am looking forward to it. I hope that you can truly kill that day."
Swish.
The mist, resembling a flock of bats, engulfed him, and he was gone completely.
Staring at the spot where the Vampire King had disappeared, I muttered under my breath.
"If you want to die that badly, why dont you just kill yourself, damn..."
Why all the trouble of coming and going and asking soone else to kill you?
Just kill yourself! Write my na in your suicide note! Then wed both be happy!
But I guess he cant do that, hence hes asking soone else to kill him.
Theres no need to empathize with a monsters situation.
As I grumbled, I looked down at the party mbers. They were all grimacing in pain, slowly picking themselves up.
"You dont need to despair over the difference in strength. Our fangs will definitely reach that guys neck."
I lifted up each of the moaning party mbers one by one.
"I will make it happen, and you will make it happen."
With so many things to say, the party mbers looked at . I just nodded at them.
"Lets go back."
Theres so much to do.
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