Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

A tear in the fabric of reality occurred, caused by the titans' clash that had been transpiring for so long. The Abyss, a place filled with countless mysteries, wasn't able to contain the fight anymore.

Zaroth's vision blurred due to the sudden light that had assaulted his sight of the unnatural phenomenon.

"I am back?" After a momentary pause, his eyes widened, realizing that he was once again in the capital of the Graveborn Empire.

Or what was left of it. It was unknown for how long Zaroth had spent in the Abyss, but all this time Luna had been here fighting against the magma serpent in their own chaotic clash.

The sundered sky raged above as the mighty beings unleashed devastation. Deadly green flames coiled around shattered buildings, and molten rivers of lava warped and melted anything that came too close.

However, even when presented with such devastation caused by two mythical beasts, Zaroth's mind was on another matter.

'The Dullahan!' His mind was still consumed by fury, not willing to let the undead being get away from his grasp. His eyes began to scan the surroundings rapidly in search of the being.

"Found you," he roared in fury the moment he took a glance at its figure. With no hesitation, he shot towards the being, shattering the ground below him.

Odachi raised high in the air, colliding with the being's body, the Dullahan didn't falter, yet the surroundings broke due to the sheer power of Zaroth's attack.

'Zaroth!' Luna realized that her master was back and allowed herself to take a peek at him, only to become momentarily stunned. For he was moving unnaturally fast, like his blessing was one that enhanced his physical abilities.

She quickly understood how it was possible—her eyes fixed on the lifeless form of the Mad Prince sprawled in the distance. 'He must have killed the man and taken his Fragment,' Luna realized.

And as to why he was acting like a wild beast was obvious—because Eldros lay dead on the ground as well, killed in a similar manner as Ragnar.

Luna would have tried to comfort her master if she wasn't still locked in battle with the magma serpent.

It wasn't a problem if she were to be hit, she was undead after all—no matter how powerful the attack, she would be able to heal. But the question was if Zaroth's mana core would be able to support her for long enough. Each time she was hit, she would draw his mana to heal herself.

And not wanting to put more weight on her master's shoulders, as he had more than enough at the moment, she focused on not only damaging the mighty serpent as much as possible, but also on dodging any attack that came her way to the best of her ability.

"Never thought I'd say this, but I miss the Abyss!" Zaroth growled, not slowing down his attacks even for a moment.

Now that he wasn't in the place anymore, his mana core wasn't being empowered. Meaning his mana reserves would soon end.

He had to finish the forsaken battle once and for all. Yet even with all the new power he had managed to obtain after killing the Mad Prince, he still lacked the strength to unleash an attack mighty enough to kill the Dullahan once and for all.

What was worse, while he and his foe had been torn out of the Abyss, this wasn't the case for David and Rynor—the two were no doubt still busy fighting against each other, so Zaroth wouldn't be able to enter the Abyss again even if he wanted to.

At some point he gave up with coming up with a plan. All he could do was hope for a miracle to come save him.

That's what he thought, until a deep, unsettling sensation gnawed at his core. Something was wrong. It felt as if his very soul was being torn apart.

"What now?!" he groaned in anger. Why was it that things always seemed to get worse for him?

Enraged, he took a few steps back, making distance between himself and the Dullahan, his eyes scanning for the reason his soul felt like it would crumble at any moment.

Then he froze

There it was. A figure bathed in particles of ethereal light, standing tall.

Despite having been presumed dead, he remained upright.

The thick muscles on the body and the two greatswords in each of his hands—there was no mistaking it: Eldros, the one and only.

'How is this possible?!' Zaroth's mind struggled to comprehend the unbelievable sight before him. How was the beheaded man standing on his own two feet?! He wasn't like Zack, able to command blood and heal from near-death injuries. So how?

'No… it can't be,' Zaroth thought, his gaze stopping at the Dullahan.

The two were tall, great warriors that used heavy greatswords for battle and both lacked heads.

'Is it possible… that Eldros became a Dullahan as well?' Zaroth's heart seemed to stop at the revelation. He had supposed that the emperor of the Graveborn Empire wasn't the one that had been commanding the undead creatures.

There was something else commanding the undead legion—something that still resided out there, raising the dead and forcing them to join its army.

But for his friend to be risen as well? Wasn't it too much? Wasn't it too cruel?

Zaroth might have been able to fight on even ground against one Dullahan, but against two it was simply impossible. Only a god would be able to achieve such a feat.

As if by command, Eldros's body shivered momentarily and the Judgmental Gaze appeared above him. This time, however, the divine eyes had changed… it looked unholy.

The radiant light it once emitted had vanished, and with it disappeared the divine presence that had filled the air.

Its pupil was still constantly changing color, yet its overall color wasn't white—now it was a darker shade of grey.

[Your slave has been killed]

At this moment in time, the system voice echoed in his head, only adding to the confusion in his mind.

[The slave has returned to life, by the power of the Great Tree]

His mana core, which had been struggling to sustain Luna, screamed as something else began draining mana from it.

Something foreign, something that had never been so deeply connected to his mana core before.

[However, the slave contract still holds true]

[A slave's curse is eternal, not even death or gods can break it]

Realization dawned on Zaroth. The Judgmental Gaze hovered above Eldros, yet he no longer felt weakened by it. Was it no longer judging sins? Or was it measuring them differently now?

The Dullahan that had been fighting against him all this time made a sudden move. Its body shifted to face Eldros's standing figure.

It was very faint, so faint that unless one had spent a long time facing against the undead creature, they would surely miss it.

Zaroth, however, didn't. He saw it.

The Dullahan's body trembled the moment Eldros appeared.

It was afraid.

Eldros's headless body gripped his greatswords so tightly that his knuckles became white.

And the next moment, he was upon Zaroth's foe.

Even death could not sever Eldros's unwavering loyalty to his master.