Chapter Ten: The Decision

"What... is this?!" Amidst the cries of astonishment from both sides, the cloaked figure slowly rose into the air. Spreading his arms wide, he proclaimed loudly, "O mighty Lord, let Your gaze fall upon us! Show these ignorant mortals Your greatness!"

As he ascended, the black clouds thickened, growing ever more oppressive.

Suddenly, a tendril of the black cloud dropped down and struck the earth. When the shadows dispersed, a towering, muscular figure was revealed—unmistakably a barbarian warrior.

More and more black clouds crashed down, one after another, revealing countless warriors, with shamans and priests appearing among their ranks.

"What... is this?"

"Why are they appearing in such a manner?!"

"They aren’t alive—they're all corpses!"

"Heavens above! The undead? These are undead!"

As chaos broke out on both sides, the three High Priests shouted in unison.

"Barbarians of the Snow Tiger Tribe, heed my words! From this day forth, we shall devote ourselves to the great Lord of Death. This is a miracle from our Master: warriors resurrected in His domain, returning to the fight for the revival of our people!"

"Barbarians of the Snow Leopard Tribe, heed my words! From this day forth, we shall devote ourselves to the great Lord of Death. This is a miracle from our Master: warriors resurrected in His domain, returning to the fight for the revival of our people!"

"Barbarians of the Snow Wolf Tribe, heed my words! From this day forth, we shall devote ourselves to the great Lord of Death. This is a miracle from our Master: warriors resurrected in His domain, returning to the fight for the revival of our people!"

As the three High Priests continued to shout, the barbarians gradually quieted, a fanatical fervor lighting their eyes.

"Madness! Have the barbarians lost their minds? These are clearly undead, the shroud of the undead! How could they—how dare they consort with the undead?!"

The nobles looked on in disbelief. The undead were the enemy of all on the continent; there had been those who, in the past, attempted to ally with them—whether out of hope to use their power or out of fear and submission. But history had proven time and again that such alliances led only to ruin; the result was always the same: total destruction.

...

While the cloaked man conjured the shroud of the undead, elsewhere, in the study of Baron Carter in the Moria Barony...

"So it's finally begun? The world’s consciousness in this region has been suppressed to its limit. Setting a world node has become so easy, has it?"

"No wonder Teacher said the world’s consciousness is like a wretched cur—give it a beating and it'll behave for quite a while. It's a pity, though: the easiest way to suppress world consciousness is by using native souls as fuel for a ritual array, but that's strictly forbidden by those above. The other methods are just too resource-intensive. Still, the way I’m leeching off things now is not technically against the rules. Heh, at least I've saved myself a year’s effort."

"I wonder what choice that little one will make. I hope it won’t be too disappointing. If he joins us in the future, after all, it’ll all be on record."

...

The battle had raged for two days now, its brutality far beyond what Lando had initially imagined. It wasn't for lack of attempts to flee, but any who dared were swiftly caught and executed as an example.

Every noble understood that if the undead shroud was allowed to spread, the entire northern realm would fall in short order; humanity itself would suffer grievously. Humanity’s rise in this world was, in no small part, thanks to the wounds the last undead calamity dealt the once-mighty races. So, whether out of self-interest or a sense of higher purpose, holding the line and waiting for reinforcements had become the only choice.

Fortunately, aid from the kingdom had arrived in time. Seeing the situation, the accompanying mages announced they had already contacted the upper echelons of the kingdom, who had given the order: full support would be provided. More powerful reinforcements were already on their way, and generous rewards were promised to all who could help withstand the coming disaster.

Such measures were just enough to rally the nearly shattered morale.

Now, the newly arrived mages had managed to temporarily seal the expanding shroud of the undead, trapping the cloaked figure within as well. Yet the undead he had already summoned, along with the frenzied barbarians, remained a dire threat.

The worst news, however, came from the rear: in some areas, commoners had already died from exposure, and their corpses had begun to reanimate.

To think of the countless civilians infected behind the lines...

"I always wanted a peaceful, steady life; the Sword Saint of Ten-Mile Slope seemed like a fine goal. Imagine stepping into the world and being unmatched—how thrilling that would be. But now, it seems perhaps I must do something."

Lando remembered Carter's words: if the ritual array was destroyed and the world’s consciousness freed, the deadly plague infused with the power of death would be suppressed by the world itself and would no longer pose such a threat.

And there was one more reason driving him: his mother—the mother of the body he now inhabited—had died of exposure.

Cause and effect entwined.

...

The only reason he hadn’t gone before was the fear of encountering a “gatekeeper boss.” Now that the boss was occupied, he naturally wanted to take a look.

"What? You want to destroy the ritual array? Absolutely not—I forbid it!" Baron Moria was furious when he heard Lando’s plan.

Lando was currently reporting his decision to the baron; after all, he had no desire to finish saving the world only to be hunted by the united nobles of the North.

He understood the baron’s concern, too. He was a bastard child, after all, and had already advanced to knight at a young age—there was potential for further advancement. To risk his life for, in the baron’s view, such a senseless reason was simply not worth it.

Lando considered this. Though he didn’t need Baron Moria’s approval, being held back like this was a nuisance.

The [Primeval Giant Ape (Blue)] slumbering in his soul awoke!

In an instant, a formidable, wild, and savage aura burst forth from Lando, the phantom of a primeval giant ape looming behind him. To the baron, who was only a step away, it was as if he were a helpless insect caught in the gaze of a primordial beast—his very thoughts frozen.

This was the first time Lando had displayed such power in front of anyone. In private, he already knew that after equipping [Primeval Giant Ape (Blue)], he was far stronger than the limits of a knight. And until now, the war had not forced him to reveal his full strength—a fact he owed, in part, to the baron's special care for him.

When Baron Moria finally recovered from his stupor, he murmured, "Soul-forging manifest? A supernatural phenomenon? Are you... a Paladin of the Realm?"

"Paladin of the Realm?" Lando was puzzled. So, above knight is Paladin of the Realm? It sounded more like a title than a rank.

By now, the baron had fully regained his senses. Seeing Lando’s confusion—though he had even more questions himself—he explained, "At the level of knight, the life energy within the body has already condensed into something tangible. You know this."

Lando nodded. When he became a knight, his life energy had gathered and crystallized into a palpable core at his heart.

"This stage is nearly the peak of human potential. No matter how much you train, improvements in life energy are minimal. Thus, our ancestors forged a new path beyond the knight..."

"Forge the soul within, gather the supernatural without!"

A question mark seemed to float above Lando’s head. Wasn’t this supposed to be a Western fantasy world? When did the style suddenly turn Eastern fantasy?