A King Knows No Second Defeat

We all advanced through the castle.

The outside was ablaze, yet strangely, no heat reached us.

"King, what's next?"

"We sever all of his limbs completely. To that end, we shall inspect every room and destroy anything of significance."

"Got it."

True to his word, King Izard opened and destroyed every room they came across.

The corpses of victims who had become puppets were no exception.

"We must free them from being his playthings."

They crushed them to bone fragments and purified them with holy water.

Though the enemies attacked in droves, trying to overwhelm with numbers, each individual was too weak to contend with the fully armored knights.

With swords, hammers, and shields, they pulverized everything.

Yohane prayed for their souls as he sprinkled holy water.

Some rooms contained survivors who had been exposed to this world's miasma.

Unfortunately, dialogue was impossible, and they attacked with weapons in hand.

King Izard beheaded them without hesitation.

"When things have come to this, killing them here is a mercy."

"That may… be true."

Having nearly been eaten himself, Yohane could only agree.

Even if they somehow regained their sanity, what they had done wouldn't disappear.

The bodies were cremated to prevent them from being used again.

Did their faces seem peaceful because Yohane wanted to believe so?

Gradually, the Skeletons attacking them dwindled.

The holy water was nearly depleted.

But its effects had been considerable.

Proof of that was how the castle itself had clearly changed.

The walls began to writhe and try to block their path, and the flesh within them extended like tentacles to attack.

They crept from blind spots in the dark castle interior.

Most likely, having lost all means to interfere, the enemy had no choice but to use the castle itself.

It was clearly a desperate measure.

And such methods stood no chance of stopping King Izard's forces.

The walls that tried to block them were smashed, and the attacking flesh was hacked apart and burned.

Their actions seemed like condemnation of all the atrocities committed here.

They arrived at the dining hall where Yohane had first encountered Iefuda and Jill.

Walking through this castle alone had been nerve-wracking.

He could have died at any moment.

So even though Iefuda wasn't exactly pleasant company, having people to travel with had been a relief.

Reaching King Izard was only possible thanks to Jill's strength.

"Jill, thank you."

"If you wanna thank me, give me more food."

"Sure, easy enough. If we get out of here safely, I'll feed you till you're full."

"Yay! You're a good guy."

"Hey, don't forget the money."

"Of course I'll pay. Can't put a price on my life."

A success fee, but I'd promised to pay if we made it out alive.

I wasn't such a miser that I'd skimp on that.

Plus, leaving Iefuda with a debt owed didn't seem like a good idea.

He was the type to exploit any weakness.

They reached the kitchen where Yohane had wandered into.

The white bundles hanging from the ceiling looked familiar.

No doubt about it.

"How pitiful…"

The king must have guessed what was inside.

At King Izard's order, the knights lowered the white bundles from the ceiling.

They stacked them and cremated them.

This was the best they could do for the dead.

The smell of burning flesh and fat filled the room.

It was an abhorrent smell, but at least their dignity would be violated no further.

Finally, they arrived at the great hall leading to the throne room, the deepest part of the castle.

Only a handful of Skeletons guarded the door, and that was the extent of the resistance.

How the tables had turned, I thought.

Back then, everyone except Jill could barely fight, and we had to flee for our lives from Skeletons attacking from all sides.

Jill was just a girl, despite wielding a greatsword.

And she wore almost no protective gear besides her clothes, so being outnumbered had been devastating.

King Izard and his knights, by contrast, were covered in full plate armor. The Skeletons' attacks meant nothing to them.

That was probably the last of their forces.

The blood that had soaked their boots was gone from the floor.

Perhaps as a final act of desperation, the door's keyhole had been sealed.

Yohane's key melted when he tried it.

"When it was just us, he was inviting us in, but now it's 'please don't come in'? Of course. Once things have come to this, all he can do is try to hold out."

Iefuda laughed, clutching his stomach at the enemy's predicament.

He must have had his own frustrations building up.

The door was thick. They might need the battering ram again.

King Izard told them to step back from the door, so they complied.

"Leave this to me."

King Izard readied his golden sword.

Magical energy from the surroundings gathered into the blade, illuminating the dark chamber.

"The Kingdom's light shall never be extinguished, even should its king fall. Learn well what that means."

He swung the golden sword.

Light was released toward the door.

The door's surface burned away, revealing the flesh within.

After writhing and screaming in pain, the light finally punched through.

More than half the door had vanished.

The remaining portion collapsed and fell.

A splendid path had been opened.

Was that sword some kind of magical artifact passed down through the royal family?

It had originally been a fragment of a crown.

Duke Baroba had won a crown at auction, but it hadn't appeared to have such power.

"Forward."

King Izard stepped into the throne room.

Following behind with the knights.

No one sat in the chair, but I sensed something was present.

"… Abomination. The foolish king I killed once, yet would not die."

"Did you not know? Unfortunately, the Deiancle royal house is stubborn. And we cannot allow something like you to live."

"That is why you abandoned your human body and endured such suffering?"

A spatial distortion appeared before King Izard.

From it emerged a human figure.

He looked like an Imperial noble.

And judging by his attire, of quite high rank.

Was this the true form of the master of this world?

Tremendous magical power swirled around him.

"I shall kill you again. This time, so you never return."

"There shall be no second defeat for me or my knights."

King Izard's gaze met that of the master of this world, and tension filled the air.

Sensing that battle was about to begin, Yohane and Iefuda moved to the corner of the room.

The enemy's spells rained down, and that was the signal for battle to commence.