Chapter 157
“Ha.”
I let out a breath, almost in disbelief.
Now I understood.
[Choose one of the two groups.]
[1. Emperor’s Faction]
[2. The Revolutionary Army]
[Please choose quickly.]
Why the system kept pressuring me to choose.
And why it didn’t immediately impose a penalty when I refused, like before.
“Tsk tsk…”
The Elder clicked his tongue and laughed.
– “There was also the ‘choice’ of not choosing.”
‘Wow. This is really underhanded. This system…’
I frowned hard.
‘Bone Four is with the Revolutionary Army, and Bone Seven is with the Emperor’s Faction. It’s a trick to only awaken one of them depending on my choice, right?’
– “As underhanded as the Dungeon is, you’re remarkable too. You held out to the end without choosing despite being pushed… Even I can’t match that sense of yours.”
‘I smelled something fishy. A terribly fishy smell.’
The system was never kind to begin with.
Even in a Dungeon, it only ever gave the bare minimum information.
So if it kept trying to force me to do something?
That meant it was obviously shady.
[……Are you determined not to choose?]
[You might regret it.]
‘Regret my ass.’
I snorted.
If it was going to make me regret it, it would’ve done so long ago.
‘You underhanded bastard.’
Trying to reel me in.
Go ahead.
Try it.
[Okay, I admit it.]
[You have ‘chosen’ to remain neutral without choosing one of the two groups.]
[Hidden penalty initiated!]
[From now on, both groups will be hostile to you!]
[Even if you choose any group later, this result cannot be reversed.]
Oh?
…It’s really doing it?
But that penalty was… nothing special.
‘Whatever.’
With my current Dark Art, I could move around without being detected anyway.
– “Tsk tsk, how fiery! Whose disciple are you? Who taught you to grow up so well?”
‘Why even ask? Of course, I’m the Elder’s disciple.’
The Elder nodded with a satisfied face.
– “Yes, commendable.”
– “A Master of the Ten Thousand Arts should be like that. If you mindlessly follow what someone tells you, you’re just an ordinary person.”
‘Yes, of course. I’m quite extraordinary, aren’t I.’
Beating the drum and playing the janggu.
We found another option and enjoyed the moment, patting ourselves on the back.
– “Tsk tsk, Dungeons are always fun when I’m with you. Now, what are you doing? You have to release Bone Four’s limit and Bone Seven’s limit, right?”
‘Yes, yes, that’s right. Bone Four isn’t the only one who’s my baby. Bone Seven is my baby too.’
Just like in Forest and Rock.
‘I’m going to catch both rabbits.’
I stopped resting and stood up.
‘Swish!’
At the same time, I took a step forward.
Toward Bone Seven—no, toward the Saintess of the Religious Order.
The shadow flickered.
One step, two steps.
After a few more—
“Applying this incense ash will ease the pain a little.”
I saw the golden-haired woman emitting a gentle sacred light.
“Ah, please bear with it a little longer. I pray to the Light for your healing.”
“Fighting in front of me is forbidden. Ally or enemy, I will not tolerate taking lives.”
Saintess.
A Saintess usually honored the dead.
But just from her disposition—caring only for life regardless of side—
And just from her healing ability—
I could see why she was revered as a Saintess even while alive.
– “Indeed.”
The Elder sounded impressed.
– “That woman also has the potential of an absolute being. Enough power to dominate a world.”
‘What kind of sorrow does she have? I can guess…’
If I was curious?
I just had to see.
I approached her completely.
And then—
[Activating ‘Memory Reenactment’ (S-Class).]
– “Tsk tsk, that skill you have seems the most overpowered.”
‘I admit it.’
My own strategy guide.
A cheat key that dragged up the memories and sorrows of the dead.
Memory Reenactment activated.
[Reenacting the memory of the ‘cursed’ Undead, ‘Saintess, Dana’.]
[Moving shortly.]
Bone Seven’s name was Dana.
‘Whoooosh!’
Just like that, the Elder and I were pulled into her past.
—
As time passed, we glimpsed her memories.
[Great Saintess, Dana, ends her life in regret.]
[Ending skill, ‘Memory Reenactment’ (S-Class).]
“……”
Dana’s memories weren’t much different from Kayden’s.
Sorrow over the countless people who would die in the coming war.
Regret over being unable to save them—only watching.
She let that regret eat away at her life until it ended.
But one thing was strange.
‘The outcomes Kayden and Dana faced were different?’
In Kayden’s memory, the Revolutionary Army clearly won.
The audience chamber of the Imperial Palace had grown old, and the commoners gained freedom.
But—
The world in Dana’s memory was different.
The Imperial Palace and the Grand Cathedral were intact, and the revolution ended as nothing more than a failed rebellion.
In that world, she was revered as the Great Saintess.
‘Complete symmetry.’
I blinked.
Watching me, the Elder spoke.
– “Hmm, how strange. How can this be? Their memories are different? Could it be they’re both mentally ill? Hallucinating whatever they want to believe?”
‘Or it could be a multiverse.’
– “Multiverse? What is that?”
The Elder tilted his head.
‘It’s a theory that multiple universes exist. It was popular in my world at one time. Simply put, one world can have multiple endings.’
– “What kind of absurd logic is that?”
‘The universe is absurd. The Shepherds said what we see is only what’s being visualized, so break that fixed idea.’
– “Hmm, they did say that. Anyway, even I find the universe hard to understand. Even as an Undead, what I cannot know is the universe.”
‘Yes.’
I started walking again.
At the same time, I transformed the seven spirits of essence (3/7) into a staff.
In other words, I prepared for battle.
‘Anyway, what matters now isn’t that.’
– “Then?”
‘As you said, from now on, we have to resolve the sorrows of two beings at the same time.’
‘Clang! Clang!’
Steel crashed where the two factions collided.
Thud.
The place I arrived at was the center of the battlefield between the Revolutionary Army and the Emperor’s Faction.
– “Tsk tsk, really? So what are you going to do?”
The Elder looked at me with interest.
I answered.
‘If you look closely, their sorrows are the same. Only the factions differ.’
Kayden wanted to achieve his goal without war.
Dana simply hated fratricide.
‘They regretted the tragedy caused by ideological war.’
‘Thoom!’
I lightly slammed the staff onto the ground.
Thud thud thud!
Skeletons rose from the bare earth.
“My Lord.”
“Master.”
Seven Skeleton Lords, excluding Dmir.
Looking at them, I smiled.
‘Elder, do you know the best way to reconcile fighting kids?’
– “What?”
‘Introduce a villain so vile that they forget their ideologies and focus on the same enemy.’
– “Hoo?”
“Now.”
‘Swish!’
I revealed myself from someone’s shadow.
Now that the skeletons had appeared, there was no point hiding my body.
“Everyone, summon your subordinates.”
I stopped speaking internally and gave the order out loud.
“From S-Class Lords to A-Class Knights, B-Class Great Skeletons, and C-Class Balanced Skeletons. Summon them all.”
“Understood.”
‘Koo-oong!’
Each Lord slammed their weapon into the ground.
At the same time, countless skeletons surged up.
Not just any skeletons.
Every last one was a dragon skeleton.
‘Kraaaaa!’
Both factions froze at the White Bone army appearing in the middle of the battlefield.
“W-what is that?!”
“Bones? Bones!”
The battle halted on the spot.
“Th-this is…”
One of the Revolutionary Army generals muttered.
“This is the Emperor’s Faction! The Emperor’s Faction is using Dark Art to kill the people!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
A general from the Emperor’s Faction snapped back.
“Anyone would think we’re the villains! You’re the ones plotting treason against His Majesty, who is like the sky, after being swayed by the instigation of a few leaders! Those who defy death are clearly the work of arrogant traitors!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! You greedy bastards! Corrupt nobles run rampant, and you’re trying to cover it up! If the one who takes even the rice we eat is the sky, I’d rather follow the devil!”
“Look at that! You wicked bastards! You’ve admitted to selling your souls to the devil!”
“Kahaha! Inciting people with wordplay suits your lot perfectly!”
A dogfight of accusations.
I shook my head.
“Hey, hey. Don’t do that.”
Anyway—
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Both groups are hostile to you!]
Good.
I was going to deal with both of them.
It was my destiny now, thanks to the penalty.
‘Thoom!’
I slammed the staff down again.
At the same time—
“It’s coming!”
“Soldiers of death are coming! R-retreat for now!”
The skeletons pushed outward, splitting to both sides.
‘Never take a life.’
I commanded internally.
‘Incapacitate them with the blunt side. Breaking bones is allowed.’
The skeletons were powerful.
And the awakened Lords Sunny and Eldrin were truly insane.
‘Thoom! Thoom!’
With light taps, they snapped legs and smashed weapons apart.
‘Pupupupook!’
Eldrin’s arrows precisely struck only the joints in the soldiers’ legs.
Both armies panicked.
“W-what?! They’re attacking both of us?!”
“A devil!”
“Damn it!”
“Request support! An evil spirit has come into the world, using the blood we shed in war as a sacrifice!”
“Aaaaaah!”
Fear swept the battlefield.
The sudden invasion of an unknown existence left them stunned.
‘Not yet.’
I shook my head.
‘There’s more to show.’
‘Thoom!’
This was the heart of the battlefield.
At least tens of thousands of bodies were buried beneath it.
I was going to use them to maximize their fear.
[Skill: Resurrection of the Dead]
[Rank: A]
[Effect 1: Summons up to 10,000 skeletons. However, there must be a dead body nearby.]
[Effect 2: Uses 50 Energy.]
‘Thoom!’
Resurrection of the Dead activated.
‘Kwaddeudeudeuk!’
The corpses rose all at once.
And then—
[Skill: Wail of the Dead]
[Rank: A]
[Effect 1: Increases the stats of all surrounding skeletons by x2.]
[Effect 2: Uses 50 Energy.]
‘Kkyaaaaaaaa!’
Wail of the Dead activated.
The skeletons’ movements visibly accelerated.
“Hehe.”
Watching that, the Elder laughed in disbelief.
– “Are you planning to unite them all by becoming the bad guy?”
“Yes.”
– “But that only postpones the revolution. And if you avoid killing, won’t fear gradually dull?”
“Avoiding killing?”
I laughed.
“The Emperor’s Faction, the nobles, and the greedy priests must all be killed. Without exception.”
– “Huh?”
The Elder blinked.
I continued.
“The Saintess isn’t interested in revolution. She only cares about the pitiful deaths of people.”
“……”
“So I just need to create the conditions for Kayden to achieve the revolution without shedding a single drop of blood in the future.”
– “That’s good.”
The Elder sounded genuinely impressed.
A way to catch two rabbits.
And a hybrid operation that even flipped the system’s penalty against it.
“……”
My skeleton army surged like a tsunami toward both sides.
[Time Elapsed – 22:30:30]
I was going to give them both the best day possible.
By becoming the Devil myself.