Conquering the Academy with Just a Sashimi Knife (Novel) - Chapter 129 - The King of the Dead (8)

Chapter 129 – The King of the Dead (8)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Chapter 129 – The King of the Dead (8)

As Abel held back the enemy troops, she suddenly felt warmth on her face.

A radiant glow flickered at the edge of her vision.

Her gaze instinctively followed the source of the light.

“……!”

But it wasn’t just Abel.

Everyone on the battlefield turned their eyes toward that unknown brilliance.

And in the next instant, they witnessed a sacred vision.

Fwoooosh.

From above, a resplendent light spread out, dispelling the hell that surrounded them.

For the first time in centuries, they felt the warm embrace of life.

The heat of existence radiated throughout the temple.

The undead lifted their gaze, unable to do anything but stare at the brilliance.

They felt their long-extinguished hearts beat once more.

That immense energy suppressed the surrounding dark magic, allowing the undead to regain their senses for a brief moment.

Their faced lit up with ecstasy and hope.

They understood immediately.

That young human was the savior who would free them from this curse.

“Ah… Ah……”

Someone broke into tears. It was Michelan. Overwhelmed with emotion, he could barely hold back his sobs.

With a trembling voice, he uttered the words.

“The dead yearn.”

Clang. Clang.

Rusty weapons fell to the ground.

The eyes of the undead no longer reflected hostility, but complete surrender.

What began with Michelan spread rapidly.

Some of the undead still had their vocal cords intact, and with great effort, they joined in the chant.

“Let the human who breaks this curse appear.”

Abel and Shail stood frozen in shock.

The situation was so sudden that they couldn’t comprehend it.

Out of nowhere, the horde of undead halted their attack and, in unison, began reciting those words.

Their ravaged throats and hoarse voices made pronunciation difficult, but within them was only a fervent plea.

“Might the saint of the sword descend and sever the chains of immortality.”

The chant of the dead continued.

And meanwhile, Kang Geom-ma advanced through the air, heading straight for Draugr.

His aura, billowing like a white mantle, finally enveloped the magical beast.

Boom!!

The collision unleashed a devastating shockwave.

A cutting wind swept through the area, making the ceiling creak and crack.

Clang!

A sharp screech of metal tearing against metal echoed through the dungeon.

Draugr barely managed to block the aura-infused strike.

Even gripping his sword with both hands, his limbs trembled under the pressure.

The ground beneath his feet caved in.

‘What an incredible sword technique.’

The weight of the thrust didn’t feel like that of a mere blade.

It was an overwhelming force, as if a giant axe had been hurled at him.

However, the corners of Draugr’s lips twitched before curling into a grotesque grin.

His yellowed teeth and purplish gums were fully exposed.

Ah, how long had it been since he had felt this?

What could stir a swordsman’s blood more than a duel of blades?

If this strike had split him in two, he would have accepted his eternal rest without resistance.

But he didn’t want it to end like this.

His body was already dead.

He did not fear annihilation.

However, that young man before him—

That boy.

The desire to fight and the reverence he felt toward him overwhelmed him.

And he wanted to unleash it all in his final moment.

Thump. Thump.

Draugr’s dead heart seemed to beat once more.

He raised his sword.

The blade of Permafrost clashes against his.

The collision produced a sharp, vibrating metallic ring.

The impact made his fingers tremble.

His pupils began to dilate.

Although he had attacked first, he now found himself on the defensive.

‘No unnecessary movements.’

He was fast.

His attacks were relentless, like a storm, but each one had a purpose.

With every strike, Draugr felt his body on the verge of breaking.

He didn’t even had time to gasp.

Whoosh.

Kang Geom-ma lowered his stance. He reversed his grip on Permafrost and drew an arc.

The cold blade sliced smoothly through the golden armor.

Slash!

The light swept over Draugr’s right shoulder.

His golden armor shattered.

And his arm fell to the ground.

……!

An unbelievably clean cut.

The technique was so precise that he hadn’t even realized he had been severed.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The sword continued its dance.

A trail of white aura followed its every motion.

To the eyes of the undead watching, Kang Geom-ma’s movements multiplied, as if he had several arms.

Draugr tilted his sword in an attempt to block some of the attacks.

He still clung to his pride as a swordsman.

But then—

Crack! Crunch! Crack!

Kang Geom-ma’s strikes completely sealed his movements.

His sword didn’t just cut—it also negated any response.

Draugr’s golden armor fractured.

Golden dust scattered through the air.

Fwoosh.

The whirlwind of his sword caused the golden dust to descend gently, like snowflakes falling over the stage of the massacre.

Crack.

The cracks in the ceiling deepened.

Through the fissures, faint rays of light began to filter in.

Kang Geom-ma’s icy blade continued tearing through Draugr’s body.

His chest swelled with an unfamiliar sensation.

His blood, once frozen, stirred and flowed with fervor.

From the cracks in his broken skin, steam began to rise.

‘It’s him.’

The prophecy was no longer just words—it became certainty.

And in that instant, Draugr and the undead shared the same consciousness.

False or not, Draugr was the King of the Dead.

And the emotion he felt at that moment resonated through all the dead.

The undead, with their wills intertwined, completed Draugr’s thoughts with their own voices.

Kang Geom-ma widened his eyes.

In his gaze, he didn’t see just Draugr.

Since the moment he set foot in this dungeon, one question had lingered in his mind.

‘Where was the Staff of the God of Death?’

At first, he thought it was some kind of mistake. But after crossing swords with Draugr, he understood the truth.

In the center of Draugr’s chest, a staff embedded with a gleaming gem shone like a twisted nail.

And it pulsed as if it were alive.

‘There it was.’

The mysterious gemstone had crimson threads wrapped around it. That had to be the source of its transcendent magical power.

‘The mana stone of immortality.’

But the threads encasing it formed a solid barrier.

If he tried to cut it forcefully, he might destroy the stone entirely.

But if he attempted precision, he won’t had enough time.

One second.

Kang Geom-ma briefly held his breath and, with a swift motion, sheathed Permafrost at his waist.

The aura surrounding him was purer than usual.

The desires of the undead converged at the tip of his sword.

They were finally praying to the savior who had appeared.

Behind Kang Geom-ma, a ring of light ascended.

A sacred radiance.

He gripped the hilt tightly.

There would be no second strike.

Everything had to end in a single movement.

His silhouette blurred.

Sheathing.

Concentration.

Unsheathing.

All three movements happened simultaneously.

Thousands of eyes were watching him.

But only one could follow his speed. Only Draugr captured that moment with his own eyes.

Slaaaaash!

The sound of the cut rippled like waves on the surface of a lake.

The energy condensed in the sword was released in a blinding flash.

A pillar of light pierced Draugr in a single strike, penetrating his torso and the mana stone embedded in his chest.

A thin, jagged line appeared across his waist.

And then, his body slid apart like a collapsing pillar.

“…….”

Golden dust scattered through the air, like a silent snowfall.

A speck drifted onto the bridge of Abel’s nose.

Her golden eyes widened in astonishment.

“…Golden… snow?”

The golden particles covered the surrounding hell, dispelling the tragedy.

The undead present—the heroes who once gave their lived for humanity—lifted their gaze to witness the end of their curse.

Thud.

Someone kneeled.

Their forehead faced the tower at the center of the sanctuary.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

One by one, the undead kneeled and lowered their headed.

The atmosphere was filled with an indescribable solemnity.

“…This was.”

Abel scanned the devastated area.

The bone pillars supporting the temple crumbled.

Rumble!

The dungeon that imprisoned the souls of the dead was collapsing.

Boom!!

The curse that, under the false promise of immortality, had condemned their bodies to decay was finally breaking.

The bodies of the undead began to disintegrate like sandcastles.

But even in their final moments, dozens of them turned their gaze in the same direction.

Their eyes, glowing with a deep light, reflected the same truth.

As if reciting their final vow, their voices rose in unison.

“To our king…”

Though their bodies were about to fade into dust, they exalted a single human.

“Might he seek glory.”

And their reverence was directed at the young man with black hair.

* * *

[NEW! You have acquired a new item.]

Flash—!

== ==

〈Stone of Immortality〉

The Stone of Immortality was formed from the blood of hundreds of thousands of wandering souls.

In this tiny world, their resentment had taken root—but so had their desires.

Listen to the voices of the dead.

If you did, they would open the gates of the underworld and come to your call.

◈ Category
: Mana Stone

◈ Description
: The core of the curse that imprisoned the undead and the crystallization of magical power.
: However, it had now been purified after releasing the resentment of the dead.
: Could be used to enhance weaponry.

◈ Potential
: Holders of a 《Special Title》 would receive an additional potential ability.
: The duration and activation conditions of the potential ability would adjust based on external factors.

== ==

“I finally had it…”

An unconscious smile formed on my lips.

I crossed the line between life and death multiple times to obtain this.

After all, the reward was twice as satisfying when earned through hardship.

‘But what was this?’

The words “potential ability” and “title” caught my attention.

When I was a player, I had never obtained the Stone of Immortality, so I wasn’t familiar with its effects.

It seemed different from the special abilities granted in weapon enhancements.

“Ugh.”

…But I barely had time to savor the moment.

A faint groan escaped between my teeth.

I overexerted myself.

I aimed to finish it in a second, but it seemed my aura’s output was excessive.

The sudden pain twisted the smile that had begun to form on my lips.

I brought my hand to my forehead.

A suffocating heat spread through my skull.

‘…I’ll probably be bedridden for days after this.’

I clenched my teeth. It wasn’t time to rest yet.

I lowered my gaze.

On the ground, the body of Draugr—or rather, Abel’s father—lay still.

His torso and lower half were separated, but his expression was peaceful.

From the tips of his fingers, his body was beginning to disintegrate into dust.

Clearly, he didn’t had much time left.

His dry lips moved, and he spoke in a weak voice.

“Were you my daughter’s companion?”

I nodded in silence.

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

“Thank you.”

“The gratitude shouldn’t be for me. Tell Abel directly. She’s been waiting for you for ten years.”

I gestured with my thumb.

Behind me, Abel was watching us, her gaze vacant.

Orion let out a faint chuckle.

“I see… Ever since she was little, when she became obsessed with something, she never stopped until the end. Seemed like she’s still the same.”

“…Yeah. She had quite a stubborn personality.”

“Haha, then she didn’t take after me but my father. The Sword Emperor had exactly the same character.”

I knew that firsthand. I could only nod in agreement.

Orion chuckled a bit more, but soon he let out a quiet sigh.

The glow in his golden eyes was fading.

“I’d like to talk to my daughter, even if just for a moment… but I don’t had much time left.”

“If there’s something you want to tell her, I could pass it on for you.”

Orion slightly raised his eyebrows.

Then, in silence, he shifted his gaze toward Abel.

Various emotions crossed his eyes.

He closed them for a moment and suddenly shook his head.

“No, it’s fine. If I say something now, I know it would affect her too much. I don’t want that to hold her back.”

He let out a soft sigh.

“I only wish for Abel to follow her own path.”

“…Understood.”

With those final words, Orion turned his gaze toward the ceiling.

He allowed the sunlight filtering through the cracks to brush against his face.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to see the light one last time.”

His body began to fade with the breeze.

With his last breath, he whispered.

“Might the blessing of the gods be with you.”

Fwoosh—

…And so, the undead began to crumble as if they had never existed.

“…….”

The countless wandering souls were finally freed, returning to become part of nature.