Chapter 4

Lambert searched for a low point on the cliff, then turned to face the cliff face and unified his mind.

He submerged his thoughts into the dark void, reaching a state of selflessness, and then let out a roar as he sprinted up the cliff face.

A vertical cloud of sand rose from the cliff, and a tremendous boom echoed around.

"Haa!"

He swung his sword, still in its sheath, and slammed it against the top of the cliff, using the recoil to push his body upward.

Wearing magic metal armor, the ability to do this was something that, across the vast continent of Warlimia, only Lambert could manage.

(Being able to move as I did in life... the body of an undead is truly a mysterious thing. I can feel a weight as if I have a physical body.)

Lambert's thoughts were correct.

By the power of the necromancer Maniga, the current Lambert possessed a 'invisible body' formed by special mana.

In essence, his body was covered in magic, giving him the strength and weight to move as he did in life.

The 'invisible body' was merely an energy form.

It existed solely to allow the undead to move.

If a sword were to pierce Lambert's neck, it would pass through the 'invisible body' and sever the bone directly.

Unlike a normal body, it could not protect the bones.

However, Lambert had the strongest armor.

This magic metal armor, officially named 'Regionics Orgajella Armor,' was a cumbersome name.

It was created by the previous king of Aurelia, who gathered excellent craftsmen and poured gold into its creation, and only four such armors existed in the world.

Only the four great generals of the Regios Kingdom, known as the Four Demon Generals, were allowed to wear them.

Lambert was one of the second generation of the Four Demon Generals.

No matter what attack, it was difficult to penetrate this armor.

The main reason the Four Demon Generals were feared on the battlefield, however, was not the armor itself, but the fact that they could easily charge through the battlefield wearing this incredibly heavy armor.

After climbing the cliff, Lambert ran through the forest for a while.

The sound of a metal mass trampling the ground echoed through the forest.

As Lambert ran, he sensed an evil presence.

Though it was a new sensation, he somehow had a hunch about the nature of this evil presence.

(This presence... is it from a monster?)

A monster refers to an animal born from a mana pool.

Undead, revived and given new life by mana, are also included in the category of monsters.

The current Lambert is an undead, a twisted life created by mana.

Normal animals also possess mana, but they acquire it after birth.

It was said that life was given mana as a blessing from the gods.

Monsters, born from mana pools, have a reverse process and are often treated as evil, rebellious against the gods.

Monsters, being born from mana, are more sensitive to it than normal animals.

Especially undead, who envy the living and are extremely sensitive to mana, which is essentially life force.

Thus, Lambert had learned to sense auras by following mana, something impossible for him in his human form.

However, it was a new sensation for Lambert, and he had no certainty.

To experimentally understand the nature of this strange sensation, he decided to approach the evil presence first.

He had no idea where to go anyway.

Then, Lambert discovered the source of the presence.

In front of a giant tree in the forest, a large ogre stood, glaring in the direction Lambert was coming from.

The ogre's physique was even larger than Lambert's, who was wearing armor.

A body of bulging muscles.

Sinister eyes and thick, blood-stained horns.

Fangs visible from the mouth and sharp claws designed to take life.

It was an ogre.

A standard for the strength of monsters, it was said that humans could not defeat an ogre in a direct confrontation.

Humans were significantly weaker in strength compared to ogres.

Their arms were much longer than humans, and the difference in strength and reach was not easily overcome.

A skilled magician might be able to defeat an ogre using a trick, but typically, it took four top warriors to bring one down.

Ogres were highly aggressive, and their straightforward charge was difficult to avoid due to its tremendous speed, and many warriors had lost their lives to such attacks.

The ogre had sensed Lambert's mana and stood waiting.

The ogre was the king of the forest.

All the monsters in the forest followed the ogre and brought part of their hunting spoils as a matter of course.

No monster crossed the ogre's path unguarded, and if the ogre was sleeping, they would hide and remain quiet.

The monsters lived in fear of becoming the ogre's target, which was the law of the forest.

However, Lambert, unaware of these rules, approached with a powerful aura of mana, causing the ogre to spring up.

The ogre was angry at the rude intruder but also curious.

He had never known any creature other than himself to possess such powerful mana.

The ogre wanted to see who was stronger between himself and the intruder.

The ogre lowered his stance, extending his arms forward, ready to face Lambert.

Lambert, realizing the ogre intended to fight, drew his sword but did not stop running.

"Grrr..."

The ogre growled low.

The ogre, seeing Lambert, felt something was amiss.

Lambert seemed too vulnerable.

The ogre thought that no matter how he charged, Lambert's defense or evasion would be too slow, and he would surely become prey to the ogre's claws.

The ogre was born with a high level of combat skills.

He could detect a creature's lack of vigilance and knew how to pounce and kill.

To the ogre, Lambert's vulnerabilities were clearly visible.

"Grrrraaa!"

Finally, the ogre crouched and leaped at Lambert.

From the ogre's perspective, Lambert's reaction was far too slow.

The ogre's mind was excited by the appearance of a strong enemy, but he began to feel disappointed by what he saw.

Normal creatures, when attacked, would take some defensive preparatory actions.

They might raise their arms, shake their shoulders, or dilate their pupils... their bodies would unconsciously respond to the threat.

The ogre, by nature, could measure a creature's reflexes by the time it took to take these preparatory actions.

As a result, the ogre deemed Lambert to be inferior to himself.

The ogre aimed to thrust his large claws into the gap in the joint of Lambert's armor at the neck.

He intended to do so.

The ogre already envisioned himself knocking off Lambert's helmet and head in one go.

However, the ogre's claws never reached Lambert's armor.

The ogre's arm flew into the air, splattering green blood.

The ogre felt his body slowly falling backward.

Realizing he was dying, his mana-enhanced brain slowed down his perception of the surroundings.

But it was already too late.

Almost simultaneously with the loss of his arm, the ogre's torso was cut in half.

Furthermore, a third sword strike was aimed at the ogre's face.

Lambert had instantly severed the ogre's arm and torso and was now aiming to crush the ogre's head before its body even hit the ground.

The ogre realized he had been a small master.

Lambert showed no defensive preparatory actions because he was too accustomed to the battlefield.

Lambert simply did not show unnecessary reactions.

He was certain, without a doubt, that he could kill the ogre the moment its claws came close to his neck.

The ogre was ashamed of his arrogance.

He had underestimated Lambert's abilities, thinking he was far inferior.

As a battle maniac, he felt proud to have fought Lambert in his final moments.

A powerful thrust, releasing intense pressure, pierced the ogre's face.

It was a crushing blow, and the ogre's head exploded with a loud boom, ending his life.

Lambert charged at the ogre waiting for him, severing its arm and torso with minimal movement, and then pierced its face.

This entire sequence happened in an instant.

To a normal person, it would be a moment where they wouldn't even realize what had happened before a mass of flesh was formed.

Lambert, still running, swung his sword to scatter the blood and returned it to its sheath.

His expression was unemotional.

(... I see, it seems my current body can sense mana. Perhaps I can also sense where humans are.)

His thoughts had already shifted from the ogre to the information he had gained from it.

For Lambert, defeating a monster of this level was far too easy.

(Strange... the terrain and scenery seem slightly different from what I know. Have I ended up in a completely different place?)

His thoughts wandered in the wrong direction.

At this moment, Lambert had not yet realized that over two hundred years had passed since his death.