There was an army of the undead. They all moved in perfect sync, like puppets controlled by the same strings. From afar, they looked like a dark tide; it was a breathtaking sight.
But not for me. After all, numbers meant nothing if each individual was weak on their own.
To prove my point, I raised my black sword and gathered all the surrounding mana into the blade before I started running.
"Wait, Captain! There are too many of them!" the knights shouted at me, but I ignored them.
"Haaa... Who do you take me for?" I muttered, irritated.
In a matter of seconds I reduced the distance between me and the zombies and launched a single horizontal slash.
The effect was immediate and devastating. Of all the resurrected people who had run in my direction, not one remained.
"Pathetic... I assume this isn't all you've got, is it, Felix?" I inquired, addressing the person who appeared like a ghost at that very moment.
"...This time you will die."
He gestured, and suddenly I was surrounded by several figures, presumably the elite of his undead army. Seeing who they were, I finally managed a smile.
"Now we're speaking the same language."
There were Ezzo Cadner, Cecilus Segmunt, Halibel, Julius Juukulius, Wilhelm Van Astrea and Marcus Gildark, among others...
The idea of facing them all at once didn't scare me; quite the opposite. If I didn't have good challenges to keep growing, how could I be ready to fulfill my mission?
"Let's see how long it takes me to send these ghosts back to the afterlife," I said, smiling as I anticipated Felix's hateful glare. "I'll have to hurry, because my beloved Crusch is waiting for me at home."
I hadn't even finished speaking when the zombies were already leaping at me, guided by their summoner's furious command. This would certainly be a challenge worthy of me.
***
"Ah... And that's it." I said with satisfaction.
All the resurrected ones had been destroyed. It took me many attempts, but in the end I succeeded, as always.
"It can't be... I refuse to believe it..."
Felix was muttering something, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. He was clenching his hands so tightly that the dirt gathered in handfuls.
"How come nothing I do works on you?! How do you always come out on top?!"
I shrugged.
"Who knows."
"Why?!" Felix was completely hysterical. "Why did you have to be better than me?! Why did you have to appear in my life and Lady Crusch's?! Why did you take her away from me?!"
"I didn't push her away, you scared her off with your jealousy. Although I would have stolen her anyway, hahaha."
"I hate you! I fucking hate every damn part of your existence!"
"Do you hate me because you feel inferior to me? What an idiot. No wonder Crusch dumped you for me," I mocked.
"AAAAAARGHHHHH!" Felix lunged at me, trying to knock me down, but I easily dodged him and he fell flat on his face.
It made me laugh quite a bit to see him writhing on the floor, but I held back so as not to anger him further.
"Hey, don't get so worked up, you can try again. How about next time you bring Reid Astrea or something? Do you like the idea?"
Felix didn't answer. He was crying.
"Oh, please. Don't start with that again. If you're going to get like that... Huh?"
I hadn't noticed Felix holding something in his hands. By the time I did, it was too late.
"Ugh..."
With a strange gurgling sound, Felix collapsed. He had cut his throat with a knife.
It didn't surprise me. It must have been very sad to be in her place. Even so, I was a little annoyed at having lost one of the few people I used to improve my skills.
But Felix wasn't the only one, so I could afford to keep moving forward without him. Even if he hadn't committed suicide, he was no longer of any use in the long run. I would have killed him myself eventually.
Sighing, I moved away from his corpse and started on the way back.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted."
FUN.
YEAH, YOU'VE BEEN HAVING PRETTY FUN, HUH?
WELL, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.
BECAUSE THIS TIMELINE WILL BE THE LAST FOR YOU.
SEE YOU SOON, IMPOSTER.