The old man you see with your phone is highly suspicious.

Even to the current Vatican, and indeed to all the people of the capital, Xue Lude is like a true angel descended to earth; the debt of gratitude owed to this hero from another world can never be repaid in this lifetime.

"Alola, you wouldn't want to see the hero who saved the world die a miserable death from the corruption of necromantic power, would you?"

The old ghost, having learned this phrase from who-knows-where, made the final push to break down the High Priestess's psychological defenses.

She silently closed her eyes and said, "Grandpa, let's make a contract..."

"I will protect this hero from another world until the end of my life." The Pope solemnly swore this oath before her only guardian.

Because she also knew that with her mediocre skills, staying to resist the Lich King was tantamount to waiting for death, and might only add another female skeleton to the undead army in the future.

Barak, the undead, is someone who truly has a chance to kill the Lich King, although that chance is very slim.

"But at the same time, Grandpa, you need to do your best to protect the remaining people, even if there's only one person left..."

The Pope's eyes were filled with determination.

She paid the price of desertion, but in return, she gained a true legendary powerhouse who brought hope to the last people of the empire.

A glimmer of hope that humanity can overcome the cataclysmic disaster of the dead and live under the blue sky once more.

Chapter 20 Duel Under the Setting Sun

Even if this world is a cesspool.

But this place is also the cesspool that gave birth to her and raised her.

Countless days and nights they had also imagined what the world would be like after defeating the undead scourge, and envisioned a bright future.

Perhaps this pope, who was hastily appointed, will step down and become a cattle farmer, busy every day harvesting pumpkins and milking cows...

But such a mediocre future is just wishful thinking.

"The contract is established..." The old undead finally smiled.

Goodbye, Alora. Take the last hope of the Barak family and leave this cesspool.

Leave this cesspool where there is no future, no hope, and no light...

In another world, you will become lovers with Ah Xue, you will have new partners and friends, you will start a family and build a career, and perhaps in your old age, you will tell your children and grandchildren the story of this empire...

And I will abide by the contract and become the last guardian of the empire's tomb...

As a remnant of the old era, I should be buried with this era.

……

Xue Law felt like he had a very abstract dream.

In his dream, countless people passed on their light to him.

He was unconscious in the crystal, where he saw a skeletal demon bound by iron chains, who spoke in a hoarse voice: "Xue Dinglu, open your eyes!"

Xue's Law: "..."

Where did he get this? Is this still the Empire?

"Old Deng?" Xue asked in confusion.

He remembered showing Old Deng Tiga, not Shaflin.

Where did he learn that joke?

"Kid, I've convinced Alora. Now I'll begin setting up the teleportation ritual..." the old undead finally said seriously.

"That's enough to convince them?" Xue Dinglu was even a little surprised.

Based on the previous situation, the old ghost would definitely have a verbal argument with him at this point, and then the two of them would pull each other's hair and expose each other's shortcomings.

But now, the old spirit was merely making arrangements for his passing, saying little by little: "Young man, take good care of Alora. She has the same temper as I did when I was young. Be accommodating to her, and don't do anything to betray her..."

"When the time comes, you should have many children, preferably dozens. Then choose the one who looks most like me, give him the surname Barak, and teach him Imperial swordsmanship and divine magic..."

"Also, Alora is a good girl, she won't do anything bad, so let her go there and learn your world's language, laws, and customs. She'll understand you..."

"And also... I'm sorry, kid, this old man still has so much to say to you, so much to say to Alora, so much to do..."

"I really want to see you living peacefully and happily in that world, and I also really want to see Daigo's concert one last time..."

"I'm sorry, my mental state is unstable again... Please forgive this old man's final rambling..."

"Finally, thank you for being willing to fight alongside me, Xue Law. You are my most outstanding student..." The old ghost smiled with relief.

A portal appeared in the consciousness space.

"Your Holiness! Something terrible has happened!"

A sudden noise broke into the temporary shelter, startling Pope Alora and waking the unconscious Xue Lude.

"What's wrong?" Alora asked.

"The Lich King, accompanied by several bone dragons and undead behemoths, is heading towards the capital. It seems he intends to ignore the wrath of the Holy Mountain God and wipe out everyone!" the messenger priest roared.

"What!" Everyone, including the Pope, was shocked.

On the city wall, the gate that had been destroyed by the undead was urgently blocked with stones. At this moment, all the priests who were still able to fight looked in horror at the Lich King, who was still attacking the capital despite being covered in volcanic ash.

"Why? Why does the Lich King still dare to attack us under the wrath of the Holy Mountain!" a bishop roared.

But no one responded. They knew the horror of the volcanic ash from the sacred mountain; it had instantly wiped out about a million undead yesterday.

But today, the Lich King has come to attack the capital with only a few of the most powerful undead!

Even without the undead army, the Lich King is still a top-tier legendary powerhouse, and the bone dragons and undead behemoths he currently commands are all near-legendary level.

With such combat power, they could wipe out all of humanity's current fighting force even without an army of undead.

The pope, who was already preparing to leave this world, suddenly felt her heart sink to the bottom, leaving her with nothing but despair.

Originally, they thought the volcanic ash would at least hold off the undead army for several years...

"It seems that the Lich King, that old mummy, realized he'd been tricked. He probably ran away thinking the Holy Mountain was about to erupt, but now that he's discovered he's been fooled, he's gotten angry and started killing people, right?" Xue Dinglu's slightly weak voice came through.

Everyone turned around and saw Xue Dinglu, who was using his greatsword as a cane on the ground.

"Enough! You all get out of here! I'll hold off the Lich King!" The old undead roared, seemingly floating behind Xue Dinglu.

"Your Holiness, you may leave..."

"Yes, you should go. Protect the great hero; he has already done more than enough..."

The paladins and bishops all knew about the deal the Pope made with the old undead, and they had no complaints, whether for the sake of the upcoming battle or for the sake of the world.

Unlike Pope Alora, who was all alone, they had family, friends, children, and lovers behind them.

Even if they could leave this world, they wouldn't.

They don't know when the light will come; before dawn arrives, someone always has to hold the last post.

"Xue, Alora! Let's go, leave this to me!" the old undead roared.

"I'm sorry, I still have so much to say, but you must live well over there..." the old spirit said, his voice pleading.

In the distance, the sun is setting.

In the setting sun, the Lich King's undead behemoths and bone dragons looked like monsters that brought the world to an end.

The setting sun cast long shadows, especially the monster's shadow.

Xue Lu smiled slightly, no longer relying on the greatsword to move like a patient, but instead carrying the greatsword on his shoulder.

"Old man, and Your Holiness the Pope, I understand your contract. Also, thank you, Your Holiness the Pope, for dedicating the rest of your life to protecting me..."

"But I refuse!"

Xue's words instantly broke the old ghost's composure, and he immediately roared, "What are you doing! What do you want to do!"

"I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but we are not a good match." Xue Dinglu turned around, and in the setting sun, he could speak complete sentences in his broken Imperial language. His shadow stretched long, very long...

Behind them were colossal beasts that shook the heavens and the earth; every step they took made the ground tremble.

"Sorry, old man, you can go and tell your granddaughter what you didn't finish saying."

He seemed to have made his final decision, interrupting the old undead's roar and ignoring the pope's outstretched arm.

"Don't I still have that last quarter of my life left?"

The setting sun shone on his face, half bathed in its beautiful light, the other half hidden in darkness.

"Look closely, everyone, this is my last..."

"Transform!"

Chapter 21 The Bond Between Volcanoes and Ultimate Creatures

A terrifying skeleton grew instantly, covering Xue's laws in a flash, blocking the Pope's outstretched hand and the paladins' obstruction.

The colossal skeletal demon spread its bone wings one last time in the sunset, unleashing its power recklessly towards the setting sun!

"No!!! Why!" The old ghost didn't know what expression to wear when facing Xue Lude—shame, regret, anger, heartache...

He wept, the dead shed tears, for he had watched his most outstanding student and grandson-in-law walk into destruction, for a cesspool of a world that had nothing to do with him.

He was just beginning his life in his own world, just getting into university, just turning 18, and still at the age where he was just starting to experience romantic feelings...

"Why? Answer me!" The old undead's angry roar echoed in the soul.

Xue Dinglu laughed, pointing towards the Lich King in the distance in the setting sun: "Didn't I tell you? Because I was once light!"

The setting sun shone on the pure white skeleton of the skeletal demon, and for some reason, it gave off a sense of holiness in the eyes of these clergymen.

"Gentlemen, follow me into battle!" Xue Luding pointed at the Lich King, seemingly determined to ensure that the old mummy would never return.

This is the worst-case scenario; the undead did not completely avoid the volcanic ash as originally planned.

But this is the best-case scenario, because now there are no more tens of millions of undead soldiers, only the Lich King and a few high-ranking undead.

Therefore, all we need to do is behead the Lich King and we can achieve our goal in one fell swoop!

With a flap of his bone wings, he immediately charged toward the Lich King in the distance.

Then, the clergy on the city wall also erupted in a deafening battle cry.

"Gentlemen, those who are still willing to fight, follow me and mount your horses!" The Pope immediately donned heavy armor weighing nearly a hundred pounds and picked up an eighty-pound two-handed warhammer.