Chapter 179

Just judging by appearance alone, it was nearly impossible to determine what rank a given monster belonged to.

On this battlefield, both human and monster corpses lay scattered everywhere.

At such distances, even perception had its limits—especially with corpses piled into mountains. A single standing undead, if it emitted no aura, would visually blend perfectly into the background.

And Kanzaki Rei himself was small—utterly inconspicuous among the heaps of bodies.

He moved quietly, stealthily, slipping through the corpse piles like a ghost.

Before long, he reached the vicinity of the three black coffins.

[Hidden Object — Coffins of Reincarnation][Concealed Secret: Secret of Reincarnation][Acquisition Method: Master Ancient Ansu Cipher, Reversal Decoding, Restoration of Lost Information]

Inside the three coffins, golden inscriptions were branded into the surface—but parts of the text were missing, fragmented.

Rei placed his hand on one of the black coffins.

Instantly, all the fragmented text reconstructed itself within his mind.

Ancient Ansu Cipher.

This language really was everywhere.

Dungeon puzzles required it. Many tomes of the Death Church used it. And even here—it appeared again.

Popular... almost too popular.

If he ever needed to encrypt something himself, he’d better avoid using Ancient Ansu altogether.

Too many people knew it.

Once the text was restored, a sheet of flame-script parchment appeared in Rei’s hand, and he began decoding.

Behind him, violent fluctuations erupted.

Clang!

Boom—boom boom boom!

The Sword Saint was blasted backward, smashing through a hill of corpses before tumbling across the ground several times!

And that bald figure had already descended again from the sky!

The swordsman corpse—

Now the Sword Saint finally recognized it.

That... was likely the previous Sword Saint.

Rumor had it that centuries ago, the former Sword Saint had vanished without a trace. Only the class advancement scroll remained, while his final whereabouts became an unsolved mystery.

Now it seemed—

He had entered the Land of the Forgotten, died here, and been erased from memory.

Leaving behind nothing but legend.

As for the bald fighter... and the silver-haired mage—

He had no recollection of either.

Why weren’t the others helping yet?

He wanted to shout—but doing so would cost him face.

He had come here intending to solo all three supreme beings of the Land of the Forgotten—to defeat three alone and prove his absolute invincibility.

That was the pride of a true powerhouse.

But now—

He realized just how terrifying these three were.

Even one-on-one against the sword corpse, he could only barely hold even.

Let alone facing three opponents of equal caliber.

"These three are extremely powerful! Each one is no weaker than me!"

"Everyone—join forces—!"

The Sword Saint swept his gaze across the battlefield—

Only to realize that most of the people who had remained earlier had already fled.

Almost none were left.

"...What the hell?"

They ran that fast?

Didn’t they have any pride as strong fighters? First instinct when facing a strong enemy was to run?

Boom!

A thousand streaks of sword light slashed forward!

The Sword Saint countered with identical sword light!

As the blades clashed—

The bald fighter surged forward in golden radiance!

This couldn’t continue.

One versus three—he was at a disadvantage.

Did this mean the treasures of the Land of the Forgotten were simply beyond his reach?

If he could kill all three...

How many treasures would they carry?

No wonder those who returned from this place rarely brought back anything truly astonishing.

Because—

These three were simply too strong.

Perhaps... only if that man who inherited the War God’s legacy came alongside him could they defeat them.

Or—

If he went all out. Risked his life.

Maybe... just maybe... he could win.

But...

Was it worth it?

The Sword Saint glanced at the few remaining figures on the battlefield.

No.

Fighting to the death here would only let others reap the rewards.

"Tch... if you can’t win, just say so, nya~"

"Acting like you can win—aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you, nya~?"

A sharp, mocking voice rang out.

Silver wind flickered—

And beside the Sword Saint, a silver-haired catgirl stepped forward.

Shizumi.

Slash!

In an instant, a thousand web-like sword lights filled the space, slicing toward her—enough to shred her into pieces!

"Wuhu~"

Her body blurred—

Clang!

Her short blade clashed against three of the incoming strikes!

With incredible agility, she slipped through the gaps, planting a foot against the sword corpse’s head and vaulting behind it.

"I’m not picking you, nya."

Thud—

She kicked off its back and accelerated toward the golden bald fighter in the distance!

Bang!

A fist appeared instantly—

But Shizumi tilted her head, dodging with ease!

Her dagger stabbed upward—aiming for the jaw!

Fast.

Precise.

Every movement simple—yet executed with terrifying speed.

Clang!

The blade struck—

No damage.

No penetration.

The fist swept toward her head.

She ducked faster, her dagger shifting direction mid-motion to stab toward the neck!

Clang!

Still no effect.

No defense broken.

Seeing both attempts fail, she twisted midair and shot away!

The bald fighter pursued immediately.

"Tch... that head’s really hard, nya..."

Tap—

She landed lightly.

The bald figure closed in instantly, throwing another punch—

But the moment she touched the ground—

Corpses around them exploded!

Pfft!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

Countless blades shot out from the ground, converging on him!

[Trap: Thousand Blades]

Clang—clang clang clang!

The bald fighter crossed his arms, golden light blazing across his body!

The blades struck—

No effect.

"Ordinary blades can’t hurt you, huh, nya?"

Just as he finished blocking and prepared to chase—

His footing vanished.

A void opened beneath him.

He tried to push off—

But—

When did ropes bind his ankles?

[Trap: Beast-Binding Lasso]

His strength was being drained.

Bang!

He flexed violently, trying to break free—the rope stretched taut, but didn’t snap.

"That rope’s specially made, nya~ If you could break it that easily, I’d lose face, wouldn’t I?"

Shizumi flipped a black sphere in her hand.

"This Starfall Bomb..."

"Let’s see if it can break your defense, nya."

BOOM!

She hurled it with full force!

It screamed through the air and reached him instantly!

The bald fighter, legs bound, still had his fists—

He punched forward!

Buzz—

The sphere exploded—

But instead of destruction—

A blinding flash erupted!

Even perception was overwhelmed—his vision turned pure white.

"Idiot. It’s a flashbang."

In that instant—

Shizumi appeared right in front of him.

Her dagger poised to strike.

He swung blindly—

Hit nothing.

Then—

A sudden sensation at his nose.

Shhk!

She jammed a needle straight into his nostril.

Something injected directly into his body.

Bang!

She kicked off his chest, retreating effortlessly.

The bald figure’s muscles bulged, body glowing gold—yet trembling.

Struggling.

"Even if you’re already a corpse... decomposition agents should still work, nya."

Level 5 Hunter.

Expert in tools, traps, and flexible combat—daggers, bows, and short blades.

Against a prepared Hunter—

It was a nightmare for almost any class.

...

Rei finished decoding.

[Secret of Endless Reincarnation]

"This land was once an inheritance ground of reincarnation. Countless prodigies fought here for its legacy, resulting in a brutal war."

"All who died here paid the price of eternal rebirth—trapped within an endless cycle of reincarnation in this place."

"To obtain the true inheritance of reincarnation, one must defeat all recorded powerhouses who bear the Mark of Reincarnation..."

All?

Rei processed the information.

All... meant only three?

His gaze shifted toward the distant battlefield.

Too far.

Even his perception couldn’t clearly observe the details—only infer the situation from the scale of destruction.

The Sword Saint’s presence was overwhelming—each strike carving massive trenches into the battlefield.

But—

The golden bald fighter’s presence had disappeared.

Where did he go?

Corpses blocked vision.

Others couldn’t see Rei—

But Rei’s own sight was also obstructed.

"...Time to join the fight."

Rei stood.

But—

BOOM—

Rumble rumble—

Across the entire battlefield—

Black coffins began to rise.

A thin barrier of light formed across the sky—

In an instant, a hemispherical dome sealed the entire arena.

BANG!

Coffins burst open!

One after another—

Figures stepped out.

Shizumi’s tail shot straight up.

Her fur bristled.

"Hah—!"

Rei swept his perception to its maximum range.

So many powerful auras.

Not as strong as the original three—

But not far behind.

Without hesitation—

Rei turned and fled toward the city walls!

In one second, he crossed over a thousand kilometers!

SWISH!

But as he approached—

Three powerful auras locked onto him from different directions!

STOP!

Rei halted instantly!

A black blade slashed toward his neck—

And black flames surged forward!

BOOM!

The flames crashed—

But were blocked by a shield held by an ancient sword-and-shield undead.

At the same time—

Rei thrust his spear forward!

Before the blade could reach him—

Brilliant elemental energy erupted at the tip, merging ten combat techniques into one!

[Pierce]

The Secret of Penetration activated—

Power tore straight through the enemy’s body!

With a single swing—

Rei hurled the corpse away!

And the energy implanted within it—

Exploded.

[Soul Condensation True Explosion (Tier 4) (Lv. 301) — Soul Sacrifice: 2,000,000]

BOOM!

A collapsing void detonated in the sky.

All the resurrected corpses—

No—

Reincarnation Corpses—

Lifted their heads.

And locked onto Rei.

He already understood their behavior.

They possessed basic awareness.

They would target the strongest.

But—

If provoked—

They would prioritize the one who attacked them.

And right now—

Rei had drawn their attention first.

He scanned quickly.

Hundreds of coffins.

Maybe more—many were hidden beneath corpse piles.

"...Yeah. I’m not fighting that head-on."

SWISH!

Rei turned and ran.

At the same time—

Undead began to appear behind him.

In an instant—

Hundreds of undead manifested.

BOOM!

The Reincarnation Corpses surged toward him—

But—

CRACK!

Lightning struck—

Intercepted by a skeletal dragon wreathed in thunder!

[Soul-Phantom Thunder Bone Dragon (Tier 6 — Nation-Destroyer)]

ROAR!

Thunderclouds gathered instantly!

Soul-light flickered within!

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Lightning rained down upon the masses!

Meanwhile—

A muscular Reincarnation Corpse charged—

Only to be intercepted by three Tier 6 King-class undead!

BAM!

One punch—

All three were blasted away, bodies shattered!

But the next instant—

Lightning struck it!

And more undead swarmed in!

"...Strong."

One punch, sending three King-class undead flying?

So this was a "genius."

Rei’s thoughts shifted.

A blur too fast even for him to track—

Shot forward.

[Swift-Kill Phantom (Tier 6 — Land-Sinking Class)]

SWISH—

A black streak cut through space—

Instantly decapitating the muscular corpse.

At that moment—

Rei reached the city wall.

As expected—

Sealed.

A barrier blocked all exits.

Either kill every Reincarnation Corpse—

Or become one of them.

"...Heh. A true death trap."

But—

If they couldn’t leave—

Then outside the barrier was safe.

Rei extended his hand.

SWOOSH!

5,000 Tier 6 King-class100 Tier 6 Nation-Destroyer10 Tier 6 Land-Sinking

Undead—

Summoned at once.

Land-Sinking class were rare—most were too massive to summon freely.

"Kill all the resurrected corpses."

Rei issued the command.

Then rose into the air—

Positioning himself right beside the barrier.

One step away from escape.

If anything truly threatened his life—

He would leave instantly.

BOOM!

Undead descended across the battlefield.

The Sword Saint was completely confused now.

The sword corpse and mage corpse—

Had both stopped fighting him.

All of them—

Turned in one direction.

With sharp eyes—

He followed their gaze.

And saw—

A small figure.

"...A kid?"

What?

Why was there a child here?

And—

Where did all these undead come from?

BOOM!

Coffins shattered open across the battlefield!

Ancient powerhouses stepped out—

Only to be instantly torn apart by overwhelming undead hordes!

Only the Sword Saint and the mage corpse—

Could contend against a single Land-Sinking undead.

"Oh?"

Rei observed calmly from above.

"So the so-called Sword Saint... can only match a Tier 6 Land-Sinking at Level 5?"

"...Though he’s still holding back."

"Let’s give him one more."

His gaze shifted to the silver twin-tailed mage.

"I wonder how many spells she knows."

"...Let’s force out her Origin Magic."

"Three should do."

"And the rest... hmm, two more can handle Land-Sinking class as well?"

Level 5—

Fighting Tier 6 Land-Sinking solo.

Not bad.

Truly "geniuses."