The Old Royal Castle, once the seat of the Gundor Family, continued to function to this day as a secondary command post and barracks. After capturing the Labyrinth City during the Unification War, the Borgia Family demolished the former rulers’ symbol of authority, the castle itself. The moats and earthen ramparts were removed, and much of the stone walls and facilities were repurposed for the Borgia Family’s new main castle. What remained after the destruction were only things like warehouses and barracks, just the structures that bore no lingering trace of sovereign power.

Had the castle continued to be used without relocation, someone might have noticed the vast space slumbering quietly beneath it. The entrance, concealed beneath a stone slab in the floor of a room converted into a warehouse, remained undiscovered by those of the Archipelago Countries, and thus arrived at this very day. In contrast to its modest entrance, the passage stretching underground descended deep, leading to a great chamber formed from a natural cavern.

At its center stood King Eisenbach van Gundor, once called “the old man.”

From the installed communication magic device, reports streamed in from spies hidden across the city rather than engaged in battle. The garrison of the Archipelago Countries and the adventurers, having recovered from the chaos, were systematically suppressing the city. The base established in Suderin Forest had fallen with the death of Gizel, a descendant of the old citizens. Faust, a retainer who had served since the days of the Unification War, had also perished, though even in death he was making use of the demonic power dwelling within him.

“Even in death, you fulfill your duty.”

The order Gundor had given Faust was simple: buy time. Seize the castle gate closest to the Old Royal Castle, delay reinforcements for as long as possible, and stall the counterattack. That duty had been carried out splendidly.

“Our role ends here. We shall await you in the underworld.”

A subordinate who had been assisting with the preparations spoke to Gundor. Though undead had been released throughout the city to strike key points by surprise, Labyrinth City alone possessed military strength comparable to a small nation. Once organized counterattacks began, they would inevitably be ground down by the disparity in manpower and resources. That was something Gundor had already experienced during the Unification War.

“Though the nation and its people are long gone, you have served me well for a century. I shall follow soon. Await the fruits of our battle.”

The retainers who had stood by him for a hundred years ran up the stairs to join the fighting above. Relentless combat raged overhead. It had taken far too long to reach this point.

“Soon, all will end. I shall end it.”

When driven into a corner, people cling to desperate schemes and grasp at anything. Gundor had once been such a man. As history of defeat showed, hastily prepared measures had not been enough.

“To set this one in motion requires a hundred years. A hundred years too late.”

Like the demonized units, Gundor had prolonged his life through a combination of diluted Deep Crimson Bloom and necromancy. Even so, his body, having never ingested the pure flower, was steadily being consumed. Madness had seized his mind more than once, and he had slaughtered soldiers of the Archipelago Countries in random, senseless killings.

“Even so… this time, it is in time.”

Those gathered as vessels had been crushed, connected, and preserved by Gundor. Materials transported by magic bags were layered with flesh upon the skeletal frame before him. Over the long rule of the Gundor Family, stretching back to before the Unification War, countless brave warriors and blood relatives had sacrificed themselves to bring back remains from the labyrinth. The quantity was sufficient to reconstruct a single being.

The clamor drew nearer. It was the sound of Bergana’s troops clashing with Gundor’s forces as they sought to retake the Old Royal Castle. At the underground entrance, his retainers shielded it with their lives, buying time.

The mercenary, remnant of the Northern Nations, was truly troublesome. At the Karoloria Vein, he had annihilated a mercenary band composed of descendants of the old citizens. Within the city, he had reduced the number of undead and even slain Faust and Giusto.

Even so, Gundor’s long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled.

“Let us begin the final touches.”

Gundor cast a torch into the grooves carved into the floor. When the trenches filled with black water ignited, flames raced through the darkness, revealing a pattern formed of a hexagram and grotesque characters.

“That boy Gizel likened it to a stage play… He could not even witness it to the end. The preparations are complete. The actors and the audience are assembled. The people of the Archipelago Countries will find it most to their liking.”

Drawing a dagger, Gundor plunged it into his withered chest like dead wood. With brute force, he split open his breastbone and ribs, thrusting his right hand inside. Shoving aside shattered bone, he grasped his beating heart and tore it free without hesitation.

He raised it toward the thing enshrined before him.

The flesh of Gundor, deprived of its heart, melted away, and what had been human sloughed off like discarded skin.

Within the skull stripped to bone alone, eerie light gleamed in its sockets. An Undead Ruler, a Lich. A necromancer of innate genius who had transformed after a century of study with the help of the Deep Crimson Bloom. Holding aloft his still-throbbing heart, Gundor cried out in a voice like grinding glass.

“My entire being, I offer as sacrifice!! Manifest in this world and unleash your power! Bury accursed Bergana in death!!”

As if in response, the pattern shimmered. That hollow shell of a being began to move, drawing in power from the Ley Lines. Its pitch-black jaws opened and swallowed Gundor in a single gulp.

Seeking further life, it smashed through the suffocating underground ceiling and exposed its body beneath the sun. Summoned from the underworld, it roared toward the heavens as if proclaiming its rebirth.

◆

Having inherited command authority, Trio fulfilled his duty with every fiber of his being. From the detailed city map laid before him, pieces representing the enemy were steadily removed. The command post installed in the main castle regained full functionality, and the enemies within the city were being eradicated.

The Undead Knight that had appeared at the gates had demanded heavy sacrifices, but was ultimately slain, led primarily by the expeditionary force dispatched from the Aleynard Forest Alliance.

Only the former Gundor Royal Castle remained as the enemy’s stronghold.

Reinforcements from surrounding regions were arriving in succession. Though no one voiced it aloud, the outcome seemed decided.

The greatest concern was the Meiris Republic lurking behind the ghosts of the past. Under the pretext of a prearranged military exercise, they had dispatched troops near the border. That such movements coincided so conveniently with the unrest was too suspicious. Yet their army had not advanced.

Had they misjudged the city’s defensive strength after stirring up remnants of the old alliance? Trio could reach no conclusion.

“Lord Trio, a report from the former Gundor Royal Castle. It seems they have succeeded in retaking most of the facilities.”

Voices of relief rose from the generals and soldiers gathered at the command post. Trio nearly joined them, but something in the operator’s phrasing caught his attention.

“You said ‘most.’ What remains?”

“The storage warehouse. Fierce resistance continues there.”

Trio searched his memory. The warehouse’s outer walls were thick to prevent theft of stored goods. Its stone walls could deflect minor magic. Entrances were limited, making it defensible for a siege.

At the same time, a question arose. If they sought a defensible position, they could have occupied an independent castle tower, a flanking tower, or a section of the wall. That would have benefited any Republic reinforcements more.

“The castle itself no longer exists after its destruction. The warehouse dates back to the Unification War. Do they intend to die where their history remains? Those who hid for a century?”

A sense of concern stirred within him. Yet the soldiers on site were giving their all. No matter how he shouted through the communication device, the result would not change.

Keeping the information in the corner of his mind, Trio shifted his attention to damage reports and aftermath procedures.

Soon, another report arrived.

“The warehouse has been secured, but a passage leading underground has been discovered. Some of the enemy dead are blocking it, and at present, it is unclear where it connects.”

“One of the passages from which the undead emerged?”

Undead had poured into the city from underground tunnels believed to have been constructed during the Unification War. It would not be strange for one such tunnel to remain beneath the Old Royal Castle site.

“No more remnants of remnants. Do not let them escape.”

Trio’s tone sharpened. With such fierce resistance, it was entirely possible that the ringleader of this mess might flee underground.

As he awaited the outcome of the pursuit, Trio noticed the water in his cup trembling faintly. Instead of subsiding, the ripples grew stronger.

“W-What is this?”

“It’s shaking?!”

Amid the agitated soldiers, Trio connected the tremor with the remaining enemies below.

“They didn’t flee. What did they do underground?”

Even as he questioned himself, a deafening roar shook the castle, forcing him to cover his ears. The glass windows, set in latticed frames, burst apart and scattered. A soldier threw himself over Trio to shield him.

“Lord Trio!”

“I am unharmed. More importantly, that soun—”

He turned his gaze through the shattered window toward the distance and found himself speechless.

The arms that had endured news of his family’s deaths now trembled uncontrollably. It was the primal fear inherent to all humans. Forcing the words from his throat, Trio spoke its name.

“U-Undead Dragon…”

A dragon, called a calamity with will. Among them, the master of the labyrinth, one that had never crossed into the present world, had descended upon Labyrinth City.

“So this was their aim!!”

With a single careless step, houses collapsed. Its tail swept soldiers aside. Raising its massive neck within the city, the Undead Dragon opened its jaws, baring uneven fangs. Malevolent magic polluted both air and earth, gathering into a single point. Those assembled at the command post could do nothing but gasp helplessly as they watched.

Upon the city where hundreds of thousands wove their daily lives, the peerless dragon’s Breath Attack was unleashed.

Translator – Lyxxna