Former General Is Undead Knight

Volume 3, Chapter 39: Spinner of the Truth①

Aboveground, the remaining five subordinates of Kreuz were currently protecting the children who deserted the research institution.

In addition to protecting Alante, the former alchemist of 『Angel of Death』, and Elise—the girl with disabled legs under his protection—they were protecting another 12 children.

「…This is the border. Although we haven’t met another sorcerer and have been focusing on escaping… We’re about to reach our limit and have to evacuate ASAP.」

The most senior amongst the soldiers, the middle-aged soldier Kurtz, muttered this as he fell to his knees.

Although they managed to protect the children from the escaped monster that had been kept in the research institute until now, their luck had finally run out since they were ambushed by a sorcerer just a while ago.

Fortunately, they managed to get away without a hitch thanks to Alante’s cooperation.

But that battle had exhausted everyone’s stamina. They were already at their limit.

In the first place, their opponent wasn’t amongst the elite sorcerer in 『Angel of Death』. That was the main reason why they could withdraw from the battle without any casualties.

But they would definitely get annihilated if they suffered another ambush.

「…『Angel of Death』’s sorcerers are the worst kind of people out there. They’ll come to attack immediately once they know our position. In my opinion, we should split into teams of three to avoid such large gatherings. Even those people won’t be able to mess up with us so easily after we leave Tetomburgh…」

Alante made a suggestion to Kurtz.

「In that situation, each of us will go with two children, but… There’s only five of us, we lack another person. Are you trying to tell me to count you as one of the combat forces? Sorry, but I don’t trust you yet… But well, I guess this isn’t a situation in which I can afford to doubt you.」

Kurtz heaved a sigh as he spoke.

「But well, that’s a good idea. You might’ve your alchemy, but you’re too unreliable to be counted as part of our forces. You must’ve already run out of mana, right? I’ll come with you」

「Yes, thank you for hearing me out…」

Alante then bowed his head as he spoke.

「Okay, the plan has been decided…」

「Kurtz-san! S-someone is heading in our direction!」

Kurtz raised his face upon hearing his subordinate’s shout.

There was a giant figure heading toward their direction.

It was an eerie man with a crooked, bald head, and a unique split tongue.

Maybe due to his weight, the boundary between his head and chin was covered in fat.

He was equipped with a giant ax.

「Is that, another experimental body?」

「T-this guy is also an『Angel of Death』 member! His name is Djork. He’s a dangerous man who doesn’t even hesitate to carve taboo sorcery into his body! I never understand the stuff he babbles on about!」

The five soldiers lined up, forming a fan-shaped formation as they protected the children behind them.

Alante stood right behind the soldiers, taking out flasks filled with green-colored grain soaked in liquid.

It was a type of homunculus—a man-made frog.

「Alante! So you are really betraying us! You idiot, after Tony Lair-sama bestowed so much favor on you! Do you really think that you can escape by selling us out to the kingdom?」

Djork shouted upon seeing Alante’s figure.

「O fabrication of life, sprout!」

Alante swung his cane as he threw the flask on the ground in front of him.

The moment the flask was broken, the green-colored grain absorbed the liquid and swelled up immediately. The things that broke the thin membrane were small animals around the size of a human fist.

「Guu~」「Gooo!」「Ooou!」

Five man-made frogs creeped on the ground and surrounded Djork.

「HAHAHAHA, SUCH A PETTY TRICK! FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, YER AIN’T EVEN MY MATCH! YER JUST USELESS EYESORE WHO RECEIVED FAVOR FROM TONY LAIR-SAMA DESPITE NEVER CONDUCTING RESEARCH YOURSELF! BUT NOW I CAN KILL YOU SINCE YOU BETRAYED US!」

Djork kicked the ground, jumping high in the air.

He jumped over the soldiers and landed between them and Alante.

「You deliberately… got caught in a pincer?」

「THIS IS OUR CHANCE. SURROUND HIM!」

The soldiers surrounded Djork immediately.

「Fools, yer are the ones who got caught in my trap! HEED MY CALL AND MANIFEST! HEARTLESS MEAT PILLAR SPLASH!」

A crack formed on Djork’s axe-wielding arm.

His skin then flipped inside out as disgusting-looking tentacles came out of it. His attack range had also doubled.

The tentacle squirmed like a whip and swung the axe.

「Ah…」

The chest of one of the soldiers was torn by the axe, sending their bodies flying backwards.

A glimpse of his wound had made it clear that it was already too late to save him.

「ALEC!」

Kurtz called the soldier with a ghastly pale look on his face.

「Hehehe, this is the end! DIEEEEEEEEE!」

Djork swung his arm again.

The soldiers were using a half-circle formation to surround Djork.

And their target’s ax was passing by the soldier’s position.

First, he killed one of the soldiers by bypassing the distance between them with Meat Pillar Splash, causing them to tremble in fear and rage before he killed them all.

It was Djork’s most terrifying tactic.

The next target of his ax was Kurtz.

Kurtz raised his sword and swung it down toward Djork.

「YOU B*STARD!」

「Too slow! Hehehe!」

Djork’s axe dug into Kurtz’s left chest, sliced off his left shoulder, and exposed the bone in the air.

And yet, Djork’s swinging force didn’t weaken.

As his axe was about to tear through the rest of the soldiers, he saw something that astonished him―his axe separated from his hand.

「…EH?」

And just like that, Meat Pillar Splash was dangling down, sprinkling bits and pieces of red meat.

Still grasping the handle of the axe, Djork’s dismembered hand tumbled to the ground.

「M-M-MY left hand…! Impossible! I should be faster! This guy… he actually sliced off my hand right before he died!」

Djork glared at Kurtz, who fell in his own pool of blood, with an enraged look on his face.

「Kurtz-san used his life to create this chance for us!」

「How dare you kill Alec and Kurtz-san!」

「We must kill him!」

The three remaining soldiers rushed in at once toward Djork, who had lost his weapon and hand.

At the same time, Alante’s homunculus frogs had already gathered below Djork’s feet.