THE HERO'S SON IS A MONSTER-Chapter 82: Death Knight and the hero ?

The Death Knight, who had just crossed paths with his natural enemy, had narrowly escaped annihilation. In the state he was in, it was hard to tell whether he had truly survived or not.

A hint of indignation began to rise within the mind of the undead orc. Losing the Death Knight at this point was truly a problem for him. This is why, at the very last moment, when the Death Knight was about to vanish, the orc used a clever trick to save him.

He had been brought back as an undead by the Death Knight, and many of his memories and knowledge had now been shared with the Death Knight, even though the latter was unaware of it. A bond had formed between them. As a creature tied to the Death Knight, the negative energy that connected their souls was potent.

If the Death Knight could unconsciously tap into shamanic powers, the original owner of these abilities—meaning the orc—could, to some extent, manipulate the Death Knight’s power.

The moment the Death Knight was about to disappear, his shadow moved strangely. But it was such a quick movement that the human eye couldn’t perceive it. Given the atmosphere at the time, it wasn’t helpful either. Under normal circumstances, Shai might have noticed it, given her abilities.

The Death Knight’s body vanished, but the exchange had already occurred. Though the Death Knight had lost his body, an exchange had taken place through his shadow. The orc had sacrificed the Death Knight’s body to retrieve the damaged army hidden in the Death Knight’s shadow, as well as the latter’s soul.

Now, only Shai remained. Before her lay destruction and desolation, the aftermath of the Death Knight’s deadly march. The area had been completely transformed by the overwhelming presence of negative energy.

Shai adjusted her pipe, her thoughts momentarily drifting to the hero she had urged to journey to the Sunkush Kingdom.

"I wonder if I made a mistake in prioritizing things," she mused. "If things go south, he might not be able to handle it."

A thin wisp of smoke began to curl from her pipe. This pipe, far from a conventional object, held unique properties and operated on a principle that defied norms.

"Hmm, no point in dwelling on it now!" she muttered, bringing the pipe to her lips.

"If he had encountered something like this, I doubt he would have walked away unscathed."

"But I can’t return the Sacred Sword to him now. It’s still too much."

"Do your part, child of another world."

Shai turned and continued on her path. She, the saint who wandered the world, clearing the hero’s way, was always on the move. Thanks to her efforts, the hero never faced an enemy he couldn’t overcome.

"Should I personally investigate that dungeon? Since the rumors have died down, I suppose they found nothing," she wondered aloud as she disappeared into the distance.

Meanwhile, the orc, who had saved what was left of the Death Knight in the nick of time, calmed down. He had once been convinced that the monstrous woman would head in his direction, despite the distance between them.

And it was true that Shai had noticed his faint presence, hidden by the skills he had rapidly gained since his return as an undead. But, surprisingly, Shai chose to do nothing.

This surprised the orc. After waiting for a while, he was ready to disappear as quickly as he could.

What a strange character—she did nothing!

Is this some kind of arrogance? he wondered. Humans typically have two reactions to beings like him: they either actively hunt them or flee from them, but this woman had done nothing. His question seemed valid, but he didn’t understand Shai’s true intentions.

"Never mind. She didn’t notice that I saved him. That’s enough!" the orc skeleton grumbled.

The orc’s shadow twisted, and suddenly, the moon appeared in the sky as if it had been hidden up until that point. The orc’s shadow contorted into the shape of a giant smile.

A voice emerged from the shadow. The Death Knight, though weakened, had grown through this experience. His excess negative energy made him powerful, yet hindered his control over it. Now that the counters were reset, he had a clearer understanding of how things worked, allowing him to control his negative energy to speak.

"Shai...!"

"I allow you to roam the world to evolve, and not only do you find a way to encounter an unpleasant person, but your first words about the world will be the name of this person?"

"I remember..." The shadow flickered on the ground.

"You remember?" the orc asked, not paying attention to what had become of his shadow.

The shadow fell silent, reminiscing about its encounter with the saint and the fragments of memories that had stirred within it. One of the saint’s words had acted as a catalyst.

"I don’t know what led to the birth of a monster like you, and I cannot comprehend the anger that brought you back to the world of the living, but I sympathize. Know this—I will continue to work so that beings like you don’t come to be again."

With this conversation, the orc understood that something intense—something negative—was necessary for entities like him to come into existence. What was this powerful feeling that had driven his return? What did he hate?

The answer came as naturally as breathing. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Kill the hero," he said.

The shadow confirmed with a voice full of conviction, though its rough and unrefined control of negative energy made its voice sound slightly hoarse.

The orc shuddered. His body trembled. How could an undead like him feel such emotions? Even he, with all his cunning, lacked the knowledge to understand it.

"AH, AH!" he suddenly burst into violent laughter. He wasn’t trembling from fear. No, far from it—it was joy and excitement that filled him.

//

The orc’s laughter echoed through the desolate landscape, a sound that would have sent a chill down the spine of any who heard it. It was not the laugh of madness, but of something darker, more thrilling—like a predator tasting the air before a hunt.

His body trembled with an intensity he hadn’t felt in a long time.

This newfound revelation, the confirmation of his desire to destroy the hero, had ignited something primal deep within him. He felt alive in a way that only vengeance could make one feel.

For a moment, his mind was consumed by the image of the hero—the one he had to kill.

The hero had no idea what was coming, just as he had no idea what was at stake.

This was not just about the hero himself, but about something much greater, something that would send ripples through the fabric of the world.

The Death Knight’s soul, now intertwined with the orc’s being, felt it too—a silent promise of destruction.

The shadow shifted again, its form twisting unnaturally, still lingering, still connected. The Death Knight’s voice, though faint, continued to echo from the darkness.

"Do you understand now?" the Death Knight’s voice whispered, thick with malice.

"The power that resides in you is not just a gift. It is a curse, one that binds you to a fate far beyond your control."

The orc scoffed, shaking his head in defiance.

"A curse? No. This is my chance. My chance to take everything, to destroy the ones who have taken from me."

His eyes burned with determination, with a hunger for vengeance that overshadowed the doubts that had once plagued him.

"I will not be some pawn in your game, Death Knight. I will carve my own path."

The shadow flickered again, as if considering his words.

Then, it spoke again, the tone now tinged with approval. "Perhaps... perhaps you will. But remember, the hero will not fall so easily. And when he does, the consequences will be... immense."

The orc’s grin widened.

"Let them come. I will crush him. I will show the world the true power of the undead."

The Death Knight was unsure where all the words he was speaking were coming from, nor did he understand the nature of his connection to the hero.

All he knew was that he wanted to kill him, and that this same ambition was shared by the orc for reasons he couldn’t quite grasp. But he was so tired, so drained, that he didn’t dwell on it any longer. He needed to recover.

The orc’s shadow twisted again, shifting briefly before returning to its original form, taking on the shape of the orc’s body.

The moon, which had briefly revealed itself, was now once again hidden behind clouds, plunging the surroundings back into darkness.

Yet, the Death Knight had not shared everything with the orc.

No, there was one name that kept echoing in his mind, one name that constantly resurfaced, pulling his thoughts in a particular direction.

It was as if his very mind was guiding him, urging him to go somewhere. However, he decided that this was something he would have to deal with later.

There were other matters at hand, matters that needed his attention now more than ever.