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Ascendance.

There isn’t much known about that ultimate level.

A master class that rules over a nation.

A grandmaster that commands the entire continent.

Is there something that even surpasses that? Such curiosity gave rise to the question of what the “next level” might be.

However, during an era when the end of nothingness was thought to be the master class, even the grandmaster was treated as a mere ludicrous legend just a few decades prior, there weren’t many who could catch even a glimpse of the next fragment of such existence.

Some claimed it was a journey to ascend to the divine throne.

Some referred to it as a true evolution that shatters the limits of living beings.

Some considered it a power still forbidden to humans.

Here, “humans” does not only refer to humans but includes demon kin and all living beings on the continent.

But the Undying Legion Commander knows.

Ascendants exist!

He resides deep in the barren land of the continent, having built the Demon King’s Castle there!

The mere mention of that name makes every being, both human and demon alike, bow their heads in reverence and tremble in fear.

“The Demon King…”

This was prior to the time when he was called the Undying Legion Commander.

For hundreds of years, as the successor of the Great Forest, he honed ancient magic, and after leaving the Great Forest, he devastated a kingdom under the name of the Undying King, having established a notorious reputation. He was then invited by the Demon King to meet him personally where he was appointed as one of the commanders.

If I close my eyes, I can still vividly remember.

The cold gaze that looked down at him from the throne.

The overwhelming intimidation as if he could squash you like an insect with just the tip of his finger.

It started at that moment. A new feeling was born in the corner of the Undying Legion Commander’s heart, stained with anger and hatred.

A craving that grew even greater than his past promise to exterminate every last one of the humans on this continent—no, even looms larger than that.

“I want to be as strong as that person.”

If I have strength, I can do anything.

If I have the power to command a nation, a continent, a world, nothing will ever be taken from me again.

Thus, the last great war was a tremendous opportunity for the Undying Legion Commander.

Humans and demons can never coexist under one sky. It will undoubtedly lead to an extermination war aimed at eradicating one side. This meant satisfying the Undying Legion Commander’s personal vendetta while also replenishing abundant offerings.

How many towering spires of human corpses have I piled up as sacrifices for ascendance over the years? The Undying Legion Commander’s desires drew near to what seemed like tangible possibility.

Just one step forward. Just one more step, and he would reach a place where ascendance is no longer a dream…

Crack!

At that moment, a red spear plunged in, tearing through the storm of magic like paper.

The storm surrounding the Undying Legion Commander was not merely a mass of magical energy. The concentrated dark magic he wielded came close to a toxin that could kill any living creature with just a breath.

Swish—!

One person walks forth, splitting that storm in half.

Grasping a red spear and exuding an unsettling light, this man was the very nightmare of the Undying Legion Commander.

[The Faceless Hero…! You again! Again!!]

If it weren’t for you, if you were not here!

Perhaps I could have become the new Demon King, following in his footsteps!

The Undying Legion Commander’s eyes, now just skulls, emitted a pale blue glow. They were not eyes by any means, yet Ion could read the burning rage felt by the Undying Legion Commander amidst the flames.

Ion spun his spear and took a stance.

“How many times have I killed you now? Twenty-five? Twenty-six?”

The irritation that accompanied his anger—Ion felt it too.

He also felt the necessity to put an end to this long-standing enmity.

“I’m getting fed up counting. Let’s finish this.”

[Dare you—!! You insignificant human scrap!!]

The two men’s magic clashed violently.

The ground split like a spiderweb, and the foundation crumbled. The sand turned black beneath their feet. The earth could not bear the dark magic emitted by the two grandmasters, and life was stripped from it, causing the surrounding area to desertify.

The raging sandstorm obscured the civilians’ view of the battle. All they knew was a dark flash and a red gleam flickering from within, along with monstrous booms echoing around.

Occasionally, in the distance, a terrifying, inhuman scream resonated.

“Grrrrrrr—!!”

[Uooooo—!!]

BANG!! BOOM!!

At that moment, the students understood.

Why their instructor, Ion, was referred to by the ominous name, The Faceless Hero.

“Ah…”

“Instructor…”

There were no noble and majestic battles against evil.

It was just foreboding. Terrifying and desperate.

It was a battle that left nothing but destruction and death.

Ion had always fought like this.

The students realized this only after the fact.

Fortunately for the students, however, the battle between Ion and the Undying Legion Commander did not last long.

SWISH—!!

Could this sound be amplified a thousand times? It was a rough shattering noise that seemed capable of tearing the world apart, after which the sandstorm came to an abrupt halt.

[GRAAAAHH!!]

And the sight revealed was that of the Undying Legion Commander’s arms being severed and flying away.

It was a natural development, really. Once the ritual has commenced, there’s no turning back.

With half his power absorbed in battling Ion while trying to maintain the ritual, it was impossible for the Undying Legion Commander to defeat Ion while the undead army he boasted about was being taken care of by the Imperial Army.

Ion seized the opportunity without hesitation.

Crack!

Ion’s spear, Ezetus, pierced straight through the Undying Legion Commander’s chest.

Though he lacked a pulsating heart, there was indeed the Life Vessel, the source of his being.

“Indeed, you had it this time, huh?”

It would be nonsensical to place his true body, his Life Vessel, somewhere else when conducting a ritual of ascendance. That would be like conducting the ritual while leaving his main body behind as a mere clone.

Whether he liked it or not, he assumed the Life Vessel would be in his possession when the ritual began, and that assumption was proven correct.

The Undying Legion Commander had previously endured the Soul-Ripping power of Ezetus during the last great war, overcoming it, and returned in the form of a resurrection that forcibly stitched his soul back together.

But now that the Life Vessel had been pierced, he could never rise again. That was simply the nature of a lich.

[GRAAAA….]

The Life Vessel is an ark that contains the soul of a lich and serves as an anchor to fix it in this world.

With the loss of such an ark, the Undying Legion Commander’s soul began to gradually disperse.

For revenge, for ascendance, all the power he dedicated his life to gathering now surged out like sand slipping through his fingers.

Ion clicked his tongue at the sight.

He had intended to glean information about Ella’s seal, but it had become impossible.

A dark sorcerer of the Undying Legion Commander’s caliber would be difficult to control, and if he were to let him escape after barely capturing him, he would never forgive his own complacency.

[No, no….]

The Undying Legion Commander felt wronged.

He could not die like this. What had he worked so hard for? He did not live this long just to end so vainly.

Just one more step to ascendance, just one more step left…!

‘Just, one more step…?’

Indeed, just a bit more.

Only one step remained until the completion of the ritual.

The mind of the Undying Legion Commander, grasping that fact, began to churn wildly.

The ritual had not yet failed. The caster had merely lost his life!

Until now, he had killed the humans of the material plane to build his foundation from their blood and flesh, summoning the souls from the underworld to stoke the flames of his ritual.

The materials he had contributed wouldn’t vanish, so the power source was still alive. In that case, all he had to do was twist the subject of the ritual slightly.

From the Undying Legion Commander to The Faceless Hero!

He was already doomed. Losing the Life Vessel meant that becoming an Arch Lich was impossible.

Then he would merge his remaining soul into the ritual and, in return, elevate The Faceless Hero!

And he would devour The Faceless Hero’s soul, claiming that body as his own!

With the supreme form that The Faceless Hero possessed and the knowledge of dark magic that desecrates even gods—the two together would render him much stronger than if he ascended alone.

Wasn’t it just fitting that the subject of the ritual had voluntarily walked right into his grasp?

KWAHAH-!

“…?! What…?”

The fragments of the Undying Legion Commander’s soul that had been scattering aimlessly suddenly shifted direction and began to be absorbed into the center of the ritual.

Ion sensed danger instinctively and attempted to escape quickly, but…

[It’s too late!]

And the ritual was completed.

A black pillar of light erupted from the ground, piercing the clouds and splitting the sky in two.

In the face of that overwhelming mythical sight, the Imperial Army, still engaged in battle, momentarily forgot to swing their swords and looked up at the sky.

The Faceless Hero, entangled with the ritual, and the Undying Legion Commander’s consciousness, now one, were entwined together.

The two’s awareness began to be sucked into the darkness.

Deeper. Darker.

An endless, bottomless swamp.

The Undying Legion Commander’s mind raced as he felt as if he fell for nearly hours.

What is this?

Is this right?

How can this be?

Frustration and helplessness weighed heavily on the Undying Legion Commander.

It was hugely different from what he had imagined. How could this be the imagination of a single human?

It was simply dark. There was no light, no sound, no air. This world was filled only with an unfathomable abyss.

And there was nothing that should be there.

If The Faceless Hero was the master of this imagination, then where had the real The Faceless Hero gone, and why had only he been left alone in this darkness?

It was utterly incomprehensible. It was unknown. It was inexplicable.

At that moment, a voice awakened the Undying Legion Commander from his confusion.

“I thought that stubborn fool had finally found me… Turns out, it was just a bug crawling in.”

The Undying Legion Commander’s heart sank.

[Gah!]

Sweat streamed down his desiccated palm and his spine vibrated as if struck by lightning, while a dreadful chill coursed through his body, causing his heart to race like that of prey before a predator.

He had clearly abandoned his flesh long ago.

This was even a realm of imagination that should have nothing to do with his body.

Yet, the Undying Legion Commander felt his knees buckle, and he abruptly collapsed to the ground.

He crawled across the floor, burying his head in the direction of the voice, as if he dared not look up.

Even though he could not see it, he could feel it.

There was an incredibly deep, dark, and massive darkness lurking there.

[Ma, Ma, Ma… My Demon King!!]

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