Part Ninety

It took close to twelve hours, and hundreds of pounds of flesh, before he was sated. Along the way, Feast on the Dead picked up two more Skills in addition to Monstrous Strength. The first was called Sharpen, and did much like the tin said. It used mana to Sharpen and refine natural weapons, like claws and fangs, though the occasional weapon made from bone or monster claws would work as well.

Humans lacked any of these natural weapons, but an Undead's body was a weapon. Leland had discovered, much to his shock, that he could now focus mana into his fingers, allowing them to tear through monster flesh like butter. He could even sharpen his teeth, allowing him to rip through an enemy’s throat and crush their spine in one attack.

The other Skill he acquired was Iron Carapace, an armor enhancing Skill he got from some giant ants. Since it only worked on metal armors, it wasn’t exactly useful for him at the moment.

A Dungeon, that’s probably what I should look for. If I wore a full-face helmet, no one would be able to tell that I was Undead just by looking at me. But finding one won’t be easy. I’ll need to look around while avoiding monsters and any humans.

Tearing himself away from the remaining flesh was extremely difficult. His newly-born Undead instincts were urging him to keep feeding, but he’d end up a cannibal if he did that. Despite the changes to his psyche, he wasn’t quite capable of eating those he’d fought alongside just hours, or days, before.

Through sheer force of will, Leland headed off into the ruins of the city he’d once been assigned to protect. Even if the operation had ended in his death, he was still proud of the work he’d done back then. Thousands of normally defenseless civilians had been taken to safety, and that was an accomplishment to be proud about. The rest of the world would most likely use Australia as an example when they eventually created their own contingency plans. Even the biggest naysayers had to admit that things were only going to get worse now.

One thing was certain, the number of corpses he saw as he walked along was ridiculous. There were thousands of monster corpses littered across the ground. Leland didn’t know what was worse, the sheer number of them, or the absolute monster capable of killing them all. He had no doubts that Edulá was responsible for all this.

How strong is he to do all this? Some of them appear to have been struck by unimaginable blunt force. Others look like they’ve been melted. Whatever he is, I want nothing to do with him.

It was unfortunate then, that by being Edulá’s Necromantic Familiar, Leland’s very existence was tied to him. There would be no escape from the overpowered Necromancer.

***

Shimonoseki, Japan. Kyushu Defensive Line Headquarters.

“Director Walters, it’s a pleasure to see you again. I believe it’s been eight years since the last time we met?”

“Seven actually. It was that charity auction you hosted in London, if I’m remembering right.”

“Ahaha, of course. How foolish of me to forget. I must say, I expected you to be much busier than this. I heard that you’ve been busy the last few weeks.”

“Things were certainly tight at one point, but they’ve begun to even out recently. There’s ample time for us to converse with each other.”

“Mn, wonderful. I would be heartbroken if something happened to bring down our mood now that we’ve finally met again after so long.”

Though their words were cordial, they hid razor sharp barbs beneath the surface. Even an uninformed observer would be able to tell that Chris Walters and Ixan Isphael did not like each other. Poor Saito was left to sweat it out as the two men's enmity washed over him. Even though he could easily beat the both of them in a fair fight, Saito had just been a normal high schooler readying himself for university several months ago. He’d need time to be able to cope with the pressure some people could give off as naturally as breathing.

Please think of me Director! Ooh, this might give me a stomach ulcer if it keeps up.

Thankfully the two ended their standoff with a not-so-cordial handshake, in which both men tried to discreetly crush the hand of the other.

“Well Director, I’m sure you have much to discuss with me, but I’d like to rest for tonight so I’m refreshed for tomorrow’s negotiation, so I’ll head to my lodgings. Emilia will send you the details later, once we’ve settled in.”

“Of course, of course. I wouldn’t want your health to be impacted by rushing. Please, take your time.”

Chris called for a staffer to come and guide Ixan out of the building, never letting his smile drop until he was sure they were gone. Then he exploded in rage.

“Damn that smarmy bastard! I can’t trust him further than I can throw him, but I can’t not deal with him! Sometimes I envy my brother’s choice to stay out of the family business. He didn’t have to deal with people like him on a daily basis.”

The enmity between the two goes way back, to before Ixan even took command of Isphael Industries. Ixan always held this sort of quality, like he thought himself above everyone else. It never became outright bigotry, and Ixan was always willing to admit when others held something he didn’t, but Chris was never able to get over his first impression of the man. And Ixan could feel that.

“Sorry about that Saito. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

“It’s alright Director. There are people even I don’t get along with.”

Honestly, Saito was just happy that Ixan hadn’t taken notice of him. Something about the man scared him, like he was looking into an abyss of darkness. It was honestly even coincidence that he was in the office when Ixan arrived. He’d needed to report a most disturbing fact. Actually, he hadn’t managed to do so before they came in.

As Saito was technically Chris's number two, and was the direct link between the officers in charge of the encampments and the bureaucrats in charge of logistics. Why an eighteen year-old was in such an important position was a lesson for another time.

“Uh, Director? I hate to add to your problems, but we’ve got a big one brewing. Ouka's gone rogue.”

Those three words caused Chris to be stupefied. And set a chain of events into motion. One that would inevitably begin a rivalry between two people who absolutely hated one another.

***

“So, what did you think of the “hero"?”

“Hm? He’s no match for you my Lord. Nothing he can do will stop your plans.”

“Emilia, that’s not what I was asking you.”

Ixan unhesitatingly released his Aura, one of the effects of his Unique Skill. This particular effect just allowed him to cowl anyone nearby, though his decision to use such an effect on his own subordinate could be said to be quite callous.

“Ah! I’m sorry my Lord! I misspoke! I merely meant that he’s no threat to you. While he certainly possesses no small degree of power, it is not enough to influence the outcomes you desire.”

Satisfied that his attendant had thoroughly corrected her mistake, he cut off the waves of intimidation created by his Skill, and bade her to rise. He then told her to continue with her assessment of the hero.

“Yes my Lord! As far as I could tell, he’s most likely on the upper end of C-Rank, though I’d need to fight him to be sure. I think he’s probably comparable to Clint, though again, I won’t know without seeing them at least spar.”

“Hmm, just as strong as Clint? Considering that he can kill Minotaur Soldiers in a single attack, I believe that means the hero could be a real threat in the future. We’ll need to keep an eye on his movements as phase two begins. Is there anything else?”

“Yes actually. I think he may have Awakened. His mana is unusually vibrant as well. He most likely has an affinity for the Life Branch. Though I don’t know what school.”

“Oh-ho? Awakened you say? Most intriguing.”

While any human could Awaken so long as they kept using Skills that required mana, the process was still fairly long. Even Ixan only had a dozen or so subordinates who’d managed it. Emilia was one of them, and she’d Awakened to the rather odd Senses Magic, which enhanced the senses of the caster. This school of magic was exceptional for spies, which was probably why a certain deceased butler used it as well.

“Well, if that’s your honest opinion of him, then I guess we can leave him be for now. All that’s left is to “convince" the Director, and then we can begin phase two.”

A negotiation that could very well determine the course of human history, and even the fate of a nation, was just about to begin. Whether or not it would end amicably was anyone’s guess.