[Dead City of Flowers] Area 4
"Have Lord Maru and the others still not arrived?"
Redledo, the zombie of the former Red Dragon King who had gained immortality through the Rot King's power, questioned his subordinate dragon zombies.
"We have only received word that they captured the girl."
The answer came without delay.
"Well, there is no need to worry about those esteemed figures."
Lord Maru, Lord Sankaku, Lord Hoshi, and Lord Shikaku were the four close aides of the evil god, Lord Rot King. Their power was beyond imagination. No living creature in this land—not even dragons or Demon Kings—could ever hope to challenge them. The sole exception was the faction of the Holy God of War Ares, who likewise existed beyond natural laws and held de facto rule and stewardship over this world. And right now, there was no report of Ares's apostles being present.
Above all—
"Even Ares would not dare make a careless move against this army."
Dragons, phantasmal beasts, spirits, monsters, and giant zombies. Every single one was a terrifying creature of unmatched might that had once challenged Lord Rot King, suffered defeat, and sworn loyalty in exchange for an immortal flesh. If anyone could stand against them, it would only be—
"Lord Redledo, there is a black mist overhead..."
Hearing the slight tension in his subordinate dragon zombie's voice, he looked up to see a dark mist spreading out in a dome, as if to envelop the entirety of the [Dead City of Flowers].
"Is that a barrier? No, impossible!"
This place was Lord Rot King's rot Territory. A divine realm, so to speak. Magic, special Gifts, divine protections, and all manner of miracles were nullified here. Erecting a barrier within such a divine domain was simply inconceivable. Indeed, a barrier capable of enveloping the vast [Dead City of Flowers] in its entirety could not possibly exist in the first place—
"Lord Redledo!"
The shout of his subordinate snapped him back to reality.
"What is it?"
"Look..."
Following his subordinate's stunned gaze, Redledo involuntarily caught his breath. And with good reason. Standing there in majestic splendor was a golden dragon bearing seven massive heads. Cries of shock erupted on all sides at the exact same time.
"S-Since when?!"
In the surrounding skies, atop ruins, upon the ground, and perched on the crests of withered trees, countless monstrous figures stood in formation, as though encircling Redledo and his legion.
Numbering fewer than several hundred, they were utterly insignificant compared to the Rot King Army. Yet the faint remnants of Redledo's survival instincts blared relentless alarm bells, screaming that these entities were deadly and that he needed to flee this place immediately.
Looking down at the vastly superior numbers of the Rot King Army, the seven-headed golden dragon sneered as if addressing mere vermin.
"Your luck has run out."
"Who are you—"
Redledo began to ask, but an arrogant, imperious voice cut him off.
"You lot have displeased our supreme Great One! That is a sin deserving of ten thousand deaths! Therefore, I, representing the Divine Dragon Army who serve as his imperial guard, shall deliver divine punishment upon you!"
"Hold on, Ladon! Who said you could go calling yourself the imperial guard?!"
"That's right! The Great One's imperial guard is us, the Goddess Coalition!"
"Hey, hey, don't you guys go sneaking in on the claim either!"
A tempest of jeers and bickering broke out among them. At their furious roars, the very air distorted and creaked, sending concentric shockwaves ripping through the area time and time again.
Carried by the gust laden with tremendous magical power, a dozen soldiers of the Rot King Army were sent tumbling across the ground, violently smashing into the ruins and disintegrating into dust.
"..."
Redledo felt his cheek twitch. Those were soldiers of the Rot King Army. In this world, they were supposed to represent absolute power. To think they could be obliterated by a mere roar that was not even meant as an attack... Such a reality could not exist. No, it must not exist. Was this an illusion of some sort? But the Rot King Army was taking actual casualties—
"You're cowering over a few hundred measly bugs? You guys are pathetic! Redledo, if you're too scared to move, I'll scatter 'em myself!"
Shouldering his spiked metal club, Dekkadeka, the leader of the Giant Undead Corps, marched to the front lines with earth-shattering strides. The Giant Undead Corps was the most elite unit within the Rot King Army, and Dekkadeka was its commander. In raw combat prowess, he rivaled even Redledo.
"No-chan will do it, yesh."
A human girl whose face was mostly hidden behind a veil of pure white hair stepped forward, lightly raising her right hand.
The atmosphere shifted instantly, and a murmur rippled through the mysterious crowd surrounding them.
"Whoa, hold on. Norn's actually motivated?"
"Yeah, the same Norn who finds even eating a chore and falls asleep on the spot!"
"This is way too ominously sudden. Did something bad—well, with this lineup, what could possibly happen?"
The mysterious throng chattered away without a care.
(Something is wrong.)
There was no way that girl could defeat Dekkadeka. Yet not a single one among them showed the slightest concern for her. They only seemed shocked by the simple fact that the white-haired girl was showing initiative. An indescribable chill raced down Redledo's spine at the realization.
"Hey, Dekkadeka! That girl is clearly abnormal! Don't let your guard down!"
He shouted a warning on impulse, but—
"Hah? As if a little shrimp like that could leave a single scratch on my body of steel!"
Narrowing his right eye, Dekkadeka looked down at her mockingly, tapping the massive metal club against his shoulder.
"I'll beat these guys up and have Master pat my head, yesh. Mainly just No-chan."
Stepping out from the circle, the girl took her place before Dekkadeka. A resolute expression settled over her delicate brows as she made her declaration.
After a brief beat of silence,
"Screw that!"
"Don't you dare get a head start on us!"
Furious bellows tore through the air like explosive shockwaves. Yet not a single voice doubted the white-haired girl's victory in the slightest.
(This really is wrong.)
Setting aside Lord Maru and the other lieutenants, Dekkadeka was easily one of the five strongest fighters in the Rot King Army. In raw physical strength alone, he stood far above the rest. Even by common sense, the sheer difference in their physical build was insurmountable. No matter how one looked at it, this should not have even been a contest. Yet the girl's casual composure went far beyond unnatural—it was profoundly unsettling.
"Dekkadeka—"
Redledo tried to warn him again, but Dekkadeka, trembling with rage and with thick veins bulging across his forehead, let out a savage roar.
"Don't mock me!"
Bellowing in fury, he swung the massive metal club down toward the white-haired girl. Dekkadeka's club was a magical weapon bestowed by Lord Rot King, imbued with scorching flames. A frail girl like that should have been crushed into paste and incinerated down to the bone—or so it should have gone.
"Huh?"
A stunned, stupid noise escaped Dekkadeka's mouth. And naturally so. In the center of the molten ground, the white-haired girl stood completely unscathed, casually catching the massive metal club with her bare right hand.
For a moment, as though his mind refused to process the sheer absurdity of the scene, Dekkadeka stood frozen. He immediately tried to lift the club to reset his stance, but—
"I-It won't budge..."
Held by a delicate, white-haired girl who looked as though a stiff breeze might break her, the club did not move an inch, even against Dekkadeka's monstrous strength. Then, the magical metal began to groan and screech under the strain.
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
Driven by sheer panic, Dekkadeka strained with all his might to pull the weapon free. But it remained entirely immovable. Finally, with a deafening crack, it shattered into fragments.
"M-Monster..."
Looking down at the white-haired girl, Dekkadeka's voice shook with terror. In that fleeting instant, the girl's form blurred, and she drove her right elbow deep into his guard.
"W-Wait, just a—"
Those were, in truth, the last words Dekkadeka would ever speak.
Crunch!
Flesh tore and bone shattered. A violent shockwave blasted outward as Dekkadeka's upper body was utterly obliterated, leaving the rest of his frame to crash heavily to the ground.
"Aaargh, I'm not about to let Norn take all the glory! First come, first served!"
One of the divine beings in the mysterious crowd shouted out those utterly terrifying words.
From the deepest recesses of Redledo's core, an overwhelming dread he thought he had forgotten long ago surged to the surface.
"I have to run—"
Desperation seized him. Acting purely on instinct, he took to the air, but—
"Kh?!"
Suddenly, a pitch-black, faceless entity bearing a crimson, ring-like weapon materialized directly in front of him, drawing a choked, silent shriek from his throat.
The very next moment, a crushing impact tore through his neck. Redledo's vision spun violently as his decapitated head hurtled through the air at blinding speed, plowing through withered trees and pulverizing stone ruins in its wake. Before he even had time to scream at the sight of the Rot King Palace rapidly filling his view, he violently collided with the structure, and Redledo's consciousness was extinguished forever.
Thus, the miniature garden for the rat hunt was complete, and Area 4 of the [Dead City of Flowers] transformed into a living hell.