Chapter 85

Lambert put on his helmet and raised his greatsword at Laumpup.

"If you didn't defeat me now, it will be your greatest mistake. You've missed your last chance."

Laumpup's head and tail moved in circles around Lambert, keeping him in check. The fact that the consecutive attacks had failed to finish off Lambert was unexpected for Laumpup as well.

Laumpup circled Lambert, maintaining a circular formation, looking for an opening. In this state, with Laumpup's massive body split into two parts to keep Lambert in check, it should have been difficult for Lambert to fight against Lillith's undead army.

However, Lambert showed no signs of weakness. He remained in one spot, efficiently dispatching the approaching undead with minimal movement and immediately returning to his stance. No matter how long they waited, there was no sign of his stance faltering. Lillith's mass-produced undead were far too weak to break through Lambert's defense.

Eventually, Laumpup grew impatient. The head and tail moved in circles, then simultaneously took a step back, gathering momentum before charging at Lambert from both sides.

In response to Laumpup's approach, Lambert stopped moving completely. Even the relentless attacks from the undead that had been contained by him passed through without him moving a finger. He allowed Laumpup's flanking approach without resistance.

(Has he run out of strength? No, that's not it...?)

Mange, watching from a distance, was perplexed. Lambert allowed the undead to grapple him but did not move at all. If he had run out of strength, he would have been knocked down and stripped of his armor. But if not, why was he deliberately accepting the undead's attacks?

As Laumpup's head and tail approached Lambert, who was now surrounded by the undead, Lambert's greatsword quietly extended from the pile of undead and gently touched Laumpup's tail.

"I've been waiting for this moment."

Laumpup's tail changed its trajectory. Instead of grappling the entangled Lambert, it moved in a strange way and charged straight at Laumpup's head. From Mange's perspective, it looked as if Laumpup's head and tail were colliding on purpose. A clear look of shock appeared on Laumpup's massive, emotionless head.

"Wha—?"

Laumpup's tail struck its own face. The relative speed and overwhelming weight destroyed the face, which resembled a swollen infant. A loud boom echoed as cracks appeared on the hard, deformed face and body, and both parts were thrown in opposite directions. One of the eyes fell to the impact point.

"Heaven and Earth Reversal. A technique of my master, Quixote."

Originally, this technique involves reversing the direction of the opponent's blade through crossed swords, leading them to their own death. It manipulates the direction of force using the opponent's joints as a starting point. Although it was impossible to completely reverse Laumpup's movements, Lambert used the joints in Laumpup's body to slightly alter the direction of force, causing the main body and the separated part to collide.

Lambert lacked the strength and scale to completely destroy Laumpup's sturdy face. To compensate, he used Laumpup's overwhelming weight and speed, deliberately separating the body to exploit the characteristic that both parts would still move. He hid his sword among the undead until the last moment to prevent his intention from being detected, and used the Heaven and Earth Reversal to destroy Laumpup's face.

Mange could not accept the scene before him. Behind the calm and composed Lambert stood the collapsing giant body of Laumpup.

Fine cracks appeared on Laumpup's massive body, and parts of it were missing. The core inside seemed to be broken and twisted, and one eye was missing, with blue fluid leaking from the empty socket like tears. A pale blue tongue hung out of the large mouth, and beneath the peeled skin, fine, dark blue plant-like fibers ran.

"Lord Gailorf's spirit... Lord Gailorf's spirit... Laumpup..."

Despite convulsing violently, Laumpup rose behind Lambert. The remaining eye ball writhed. It crawled and charged at Lambert's back again.

"Aaaaaah!"

Lambert disappeared and reappeared on top of Laumpup's neck.

"It's futile. Your movements are crude, and your vision is impaired. Moreover, you've lost your armored skin. Now, you're nothing more than a large, fat worm."

A large vertical line appeared on Laumpup's face. Blue fluid spurted from the cut, and Laumpup finally ran out of strength. The momentum of the charge died, and countless limbs hung limply. The friction with the ground slowed it down, and it soon stopped moving. With a phosphorescent glow, Laumpup's body disappeared.

"Lord Gailorf... has been defeated...? Ah, ah, ahhh... No, no... That can't be..."

Mange stared blankly at the disappearing remains of Laumpup. Next, Lambert's blade was directed at the Book of Gailorf in Mange's hand.

Lillith, clad in a black cloak, floated in the air and extended her hand toward Lambert. The pile of crushed corpses rose and solidified, blocking Lambert's path. The sight of the mangled bodies forming a wall was grotesque.

Lillith's actions were clearly against the will of the already demoralized Mange.

"For you, the people of the other world, the Book of Gailorf is a convenient gateway to spread death in this world. But..."

Lambert raised his greatsword. Lambert disappeared, and a large hole appeared in the wall of the dead, scattering the bodies.

In an instant, Lambert reached Mange, who was mounted on the demonic horse Troy, and raised his greatsword. Lillith's slender body was cut in half from the waist to the opposite shoulder.

"As long as I have black eyes, I will not allow the land of the Regius Kingdom to be defiled, even by the people of the other world."

Lillith's white body was drenched in blood. The remaining wall of the dead and the numerous undead collapsed. Lillith gasped in pain and disappeared in a glow of light.

The next swing of the greatsword killed the demonic horse Troy. Mange was thrown and hit the ground with his chin. Troy, lying on its side, disappeared in a glow of mana.

"...Besides, I no longer have eyes. Well, it's fine."

Lambert approached the helpless, severely wounded Mange.

"No, no... Lord Gailorf... to be defeated! I won't accept it! I won't accept it!"

"You summoned only the ninth of the thirteen spirits, the Dragon of Corpses, Laumpup. Not even in the tenth. What do you know about Gailorf? You are far from Gailorf. No matter how much you use that book to act big, you are nothing more than a being used as a gateway by the people of the other world."

"Why... why do you know this!? I, I..."

It was the truth. Mange's magical abilities were not enough to summon the tenth and subsequent spirits of Gailorf's thirteen. The Dragon of Corpses, Laumpup, was his limit. No matter how many corpses he arranged and how many rituals he performed, he could not even see the higher spirits.

"Long live Lord Gailorf!"

Mange hugged the Book of Gailorf protectively and crouched on the spot. Lambert raised his greatsword.

"I am the one who cut down Gailorf."

"Lambert... Lambert Dracowaaaah!"

Mange glared at Lambert with bloodshot, bulging eyes. Mange no longer doubted that the person before him was one of the Four Demon Generals who had cut down Gailorf, the great traitor Lambert.

The raised blade destroyed the Book of Gailorf along with Mange. Mange's upper and lower body hit the ground separately, splattering blood. The grotesque old man, Mange, fell on his back, already dead. His eyes were wide open, and his tongue protruded in a look of agony. Lambert's foot stomped on the remains of the Book of Gailorf.

"Is everything settled now?"

Lambert said this and noticed the headless nightmare horse, Nightmare, lying among the dead.

"You survived the chaos well. ...Hmm?"

Lambert's greatsword suddenly cut through an arrow that had flown at him. Looking up at the hill from where the arrow came, he saw a handsome young man on a blue-coated horse, dressed in blood and rot-stained clothes. It was Robin Hood.

"Hey, I just finished dealing with my regrets. Let's go all out until the end."

"...I was considering letting you go, but what are you doing?"

"I don't want to be remembered as a coward who ran away from a swordsman of your caliber."