Chapter 226

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After defeating Priest Kapraer, Ulan and his group broke through the Undead Legion that had lost its commander and reached the vicinity of Shulfern.

“We’re almost there!”

“We should see it once we get over the hill.”

The vast rolling hills stretched out before them.

Noa and Delia created a mana track on the flat ground, and the train sped ahead, quickly crossing the hill.

As everyone’s eyes were glued to the scene, the view of Shulfern spread out before them, causing them to widen their eyes in shock.

“W-What the heck is that…!”

“Is there already a battle happening?”

The Undead Legion swarmed like a dark cloud, a staggering number of corpses ready to consume Shulfern at any moment.

As they stood there, dumbfounded by the horrific sight, Ulan, who had been silently observing, narrowed his eyes.

“The castle wall is going to collapse soon.”

This was because he noticed many Undead clinging to Shulfern’s castle walls.

As he predicted, the weight was too much for the wall, which slowly began to show signs of crumbling, causing the group to fidget nervously.

“W-What should we do?!”

“We need to get there before it’s too late…”

Noa had a worried expression.

Ulan turned to the engineers and asked,

“How long until we arrive?”

“It’ll take at least 10 minutes even if we hurry!”

“We have to go around the ridge.”

To get to Shulfern, the only way was to navigate around the ridge of hills.

But ten minutes was way too long.

The castle wall would likely fall before they got there.

“Is there any way to shorten the time?”

“Unfortunately, no…”

“Actually, there is a way.”

Just then, Delia began shaking her head vigorously. She had everyone’s attention as she began to share her idea.

“Instead of following the ridge, we can just charge straight to the destination.”

Her slender finger pointed to a path that headed directly toward the battlefield of Shulfern.

Of course, ignoring all the terrain and running in a straight line would get them there quickly. However, there was a problem.

“Wait? Charge straight ahead?”

“But there’s a cliff right there!”

And a pretty deep one at that.

Falling from it would mean no chance of recovery.

Meanwhile, Delia looked unfazed, and Ulan readily accepted her suggestion.

“Then let’s go with that.”

“Okay, got it.”

“Huh? Wait a second…”

As the engineers were taken aback by the way the conversation moved forward to a decision, Delia suddenly took action.

“…Huh?”

She changed the direction of the mana tracks they were laying along the ridge. They now aimed straight towards the battlefield and the edge of the cliff.

“Stop the train!”

“If we keep this up, we’ll fall!”

The engineers shouted in panic.

In contrast, Ulan’s group remained calm. Falling from a cliff was something they were accustomed to by now.

And there was one more thing.

A helper appeared, boosting the train’s speed even further.

“Ahaha! This looks fun!”

“Great! We’ll help you out!”

Wind Spirits surrounded Fertisha, and with their help, the train accelerated rapidly and charged toward the edge of the cliff like a launch pad.

CRACKLE!

It was already too late to stop.

Noa pulled out a talisman and shouted loudly,

“Everyone, hang on tight!”

She was preparing to use the protective talisman.

Did they sense that there was no turning back? The engineers and magical engineers, including Professor Melt, braced themselves in shock.

And then it happened.

The train soared into the sky.

…!

It felt like their bodies were weightless as they soared through the air, and soon they arrived over the battlefield, their destination.

Then they plummeted.

“Aaaah!”

“We’re falling! Hold on!”

The train tumbled toward the ground.

Upon hitting the ground, the train bounced off with a powerful impact, starting to sweep through the battlefield wildly with its enormous size and weight.

WHOOSH! CRUNCH! CRACK!

Amidst the deafening sounds, the Undead Soldiers were crushed. It wasn’t until they had trampled over a hundred corpses that the train finally came to a stop.

“Ugh, somehow we made it…”

“We arrived at our destination.”

Regardless of how they got there, it was a relief they weren’t late. At that moment, the group saw the castle wall of Shulfern crumble in front of their eyes.

From the number of Undead heading toward the inner castle, it seemed to have just fallen. In a rush, they shouted toward Ulan.

“Ulan!”

“Leave this to us and go!”

Even though the train was surrounded by Undead, Fertisha and the spirits were present to support them.

Ulan nodded in understanding and immediately disembarked from the train.

Activating his Spirit, he quickly scanned the battlefield to check for Undying Minions like Priest Kapraer.

And then he sensed two powerful presences.

‘One beyond the battlefield and one over the castle wall.’

Just as he said, one was in the middle of the battlefield, facing someone, while the other was casting a looming presence from atop the castle wall.

But he didn’t need to ponder which to approach first. He immediately spotted a middle-aged knight swinging a sword of light in the middle of the battlefield.

‘Kadel Dun Shanktus.’

The Paladin Master of the Holy Nation.

He was Ian Marcus’s teacher and a strong figure Ulan was well acquainted with. They had crossed paths several times in his past life.

‘He should be able to handle at least one Undying Minion.’

While it would be impossible to eliminate them without attaining the Transcendent Domain, he felt confident.

‘Then the first to deal with is…’

Only the Undying Minion beyond the castle wall.

Deciding, Ulan turned swiftly and charged toward the castle wall. Soon after, he spotted a familiar figure beyond the wall.

An Undead wearing a black buffalo mask.

It was the guide, Barghal, and in front of him sat a girl with a Holy Shield.

‘Laurea?’

Why was she here?

A moment of confusion washed over him, but Ulan was unable to continue his thoughts.

As the Holy Shield was about to shatter under pressure, he witnessed Barghal’s strike targeting Laurea.

“…!”

The moment he saw it, his body reacted before he could think.

With the area widened to its limit, Ulan rapidly closed the distance, activating the Transcendent Domain before Barghal even noticed him.

Just a step away.

It was enough distance to split Barghal in two. Ulan’s axe, encircled by spirits, cleaved Barghal cleanly in half.

CRACK! SPLAT!

Barghal crumbled without even uttering a dying scream. His eyes met Laurea’s, wide in shock.

“Ah….”

She gazed at him blankly.

Ulan smiled and greeted her.

“Long time no see, Laurea.”

“Ulan!”

Only now did she seem to recognize Ulan’s identity as the Magic Armor, and she beamed at him.

She ran to him as if to embrace him, her face full of things to say, but there was no time for that yet. So, Ulan held his axe firmly and spoke.

“Let’s talk after the battle.”

“Okay, got it.”

Laurea calmed her excitement and nodded. Clearing the threat from the walls, Ulan turned back toward the battlefield.

To deal with the remaining Undying Minion.

Meanwhile, at that moment…

The Undead with a snake mask facing Kadel couldn’t mask the shock on their face.

Barghal’s power, which had been felt from atop the walls, had completely vanished. This could only mean one thing.

【Barghal was defeated?】

Moreover, it had been in one strike.

The evidence was in the sudden disappearance of his presence. Who could have possibly taken down Barghal?

As he pondered, he finally spotted the one he suspected as the culprit.

THUD! CRASH!

A massive Golem was jumping down from the wall, charging toward him. The powerful presence emanating from it narrowed his slit-like eyes.

【Could it be that guy…?】

It wasn’t a “could be;” it was almost certain.

Not only was it a powerful presence, but he could also sense the smell of spirits coming from it. Realizing this, the Snake Mask decided to retreat.

It was a sound judgment.

Barghal was a minion of equal strength.

If he had been taken down, there was a significant chance that he would meet the same fate.

‘I’ll go back and report to the king.’

Having reached that conclusion, the Snake Mask prepared to flee. However, he found himself unable to do so.

Kadel was still blocking his path, launching a fierce assault.

“Your opponent is right here, you monster.”

Reflecting back the insult the Snake Mask had hurled earlier, Kadel stood firm. Perhaps insulted, the Snake Mask’s face contorted in rage.

【You pathetic mortal—!】

With a growl, the Snake Mask’s sword flew toward Kadel.

But this was a fatal error.

Just as he stopped considering escape and counterattacked, Ulan’s axe had already torn through the air, reaching the Snake Mask’s neck.

【───!】

By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

WHACK! CRUNCH! CLUNK!

The axe, slipping through the Transcendent Domain, delivered a merciless blow, and the Snake Mask fell without even a decent counter.

His body turned to ashen remains, scattering amidst the chaos.

For a moment, Ulan and Kadel’s eyes met.

“……”

But there was no conversation between them.

They both knew the battle wasn’t over yet. Each moved past the other, heading toward their own areas of action on the battlefield.

Not long after, with Ulan’s group reuniting inside the train and the Holy Knights’ struggle beyond the wall, the battle for Shulfern concluded swiftly.

After the fierce battle, Shulfern lay in ruins.

Half of their troops had perished in this fight, and the sole inner wall had completely crumbled, losing its fortification advantages.

But there was no need to despair just yet.

The reinforcements from the Holy Nation had arrived, and Sven, who had ventured out for reconnaissance, returned unscathed. Additionally, Ulan’s group had joined them, having performed exceptionally well.

As everyone gathered in one place, Noa’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

‘Finally, everyone is here.’

The Berserker Ulan, the Swordmaster Ivella, the Witch of Stars Delia, Saintess Laurea, and Knight Ian. Not to mention Sniper Sven and Bard Fertisha.

All seven heroes who appeared in the original work had gathered much earlier than in the existing storyline. Noa wore a nostalgic expression.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen these faces.’

This sentiment was mutual for Ulan as well.

Since he remembered his past life, it was natural to feel nostalgic. However, among the rest of the group, an awkward atmosphere lingered.

While the silence continued, someone finally spoke.

“Saintess.”

It was Kadel, who had been observing Ulan’s group curiously. He cautiously asked, recalling Ulan’s earlier achievements.

“Are they the ones mentioned in the prophecy…?”

“Yes, they’re the ‘Heroes of the Stars.’

Laurea nodded readily.

Upon confirming his suspicion, Kadel and the eyes of the Holy Knights and Inquisition Officers shifted.

This was a natural response.

The Heroes of the Stars were important figures directly mentioned in the prophecy.

Meanwhile, thanks to Kadel breaking the silence, was it because the conversation was now flowing? Milena, who had been cautiously observing, cleared her throat.

“Ahem! Um…”

Her gaze landed on Ulan’s group, who had appeared suddenly on the battlefield, particularly on Owen and Professor Melt.

“You came from the Endrak Kingdom, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Did you come because of the prophecy?”

“Huh? What do you mean by prophecy?”

Melt looked perplexed.

This reaction made Milena realize.

The Endrak Kingdom had come here with a purpose separate from the Holy Nation. Just then, Owen stepped forward to clarify.

“Let me explain the details.”

Owen Hiraes, the captain of the flute’s defense.

He explained everything from the assault by monsters and the Undead Legion to why they came to Shulfern via train.

After hearing the full story, Milena nodded.

“I see. The Endrak Kingdom is also facing the continuous assaults of the Undead…”

She nodded, showing she understood the situation.

With Ulan’s group’s purpose for coming to Shulfern revealed, Laurea took a moment to summarize the circumstances.

“That means Undead are still emerging in the Eastern Jungle.”

The Undead Legion’s repeated invasions mostly started from the Eastern Jungle. So, it was reasonable to speculate that the Undead were being created there.

As they continued to discuss the cause of the invasions, someone raised their hand.

“Can I say something?”

“You are…?”

“Elite Mercenary, Sven Isaac.”

A hunter with excellent reconnaissance and tracking skills.

At the same time, among the seven heroes, he was the one with the most outstanding ability to hunt monsters.

Sven immediately spoke up.

“Over the past two days, I’ve gathered reconnaissance findings from the Eastern Jungle.”

At his words, people’s eyes sparkled.

With all eyes on him, Sven shared everything he had witnessed and gathered during his time in the jungle.

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