The transfer point was a grassland.
Ahead of me stood an armed group of roughly twenty people.
At the forefront was a woman clad in white armor.
She had golden hair that cascaded down her back, and her eyes were closed.
The spear she carried radiated magical power.
She was none other than a Valkyrie.
Despite being blind, she was said to be an exceptional spear-wielder.
Seeing her dignified bearing, I could tell that reputation was no lie.
I descended to the ground and activated the formula embedded in my specialized frame.
Blades of magical energy deployed from both arms and began spinning at high speed.
These were weapons capable of slicing through a tank with ease.
They could tear through any defense.
The Valkyrie wore a grim expression.
She halted her steps and calmly leveled her spear.
"You are..."
"A Valkyrie. I have business with you."
I approached without any hesitation.
They retreated step by step, eyes locked on me.
A tense atmosphere hung in the air.
The Valkyrie was the most prominent, but the others were clearly formidable in their own right.
One glance was enough to understand.
They far surpassed ordinary strength.
On top of that, they were equipped with weapons and armor imbued with holy magic.
It made sense that they had been selected as an elite squad.
If I let myself be distracted by the Valkyrie alone, I could easily take a devastating blow.
The people assembled here were more than capable of making that happen.
I showed them my spinning blades and addressed them.
"You intend to destroy the Valley of the Dead. I cannot let that go."
"So it really is a land deeply connected to you..."
"It is. It is the source of my power."
I nodded.
The Valkyrie asked with a suspicious look.
"Then why did you tell us plainly? By learning this, we've only been given more reason to advance..."
"Dead men don't spread information."
I answered without hesitation.
They held their breath.
Some looked like they were about to be sick.
They must have sensed their own deaths approaching, their spirits wavering.
Amid that tension, the Valkyrie pointed the tip of her spear at me.
We were still at some distance, but given our respective ranges, it was well within striking distance.
"...I see. I understand your resolve. It seems there's no avoiding a fight."
"Not as long as you head for the Valley of the Dead."
Even if they chose to retreat here, I intended to annihilate them. I could never leave a group that targeted the Valley of the Dead to their own devices.
The Valkyrie furrowed her brow, her expression hard.
"Confronting you like this, I can see it clearly. You possess tremendous power. A dreadfulness worthy of the title Demon King, to be sure. However... no, precisely because of that, I can surpass you."
"You're confident. Do you have grounds for it?"
"Of course I do. Allow me to show you."
The Valkyrie raised her spear.
Magical power gathered there, burst forth, and dispersed.
The mana spread outward in waves, permeating the entire area.
The instant it hit, I felt my body grow heavy.
The operability of my specialized frame plummeted.
I couldn't move my limbs properly, and I was forced to one knee.
The disruption to the formula caused the blades on both hands to dissipate as well.
Among everyone present, I was the only one who felt the change.
On their side, not a single person showed any signs of distress.
The Valkyrie addressed me with a composed demeanor.
"So? Do you understand now?"
"...It's the Requiem."
I gave my answer.
The ability the Valkyrie had gained upon becoming a hero was the power of Requiem.
It was a type of anti-undead magic distinct from holy magic.
With it, she had inflicted significant damage on the Demon King's army.
In the battle to reclaim the Republic, the Valkyrie had undeniably been the one who destroyed the most undead.
"It only works on the undead, but its effect is extremely potent. I have used this ability to suppress your forces. Requiem doesn't target the soul—it acts on the opponent's consciousness. Even from a great distance, the power is reaching your body, isn't it?"
"..."
She was right on every count.
The golem of my specialized frame was nothing more than a vessel I operated remotely.
Attacks like purification should have had drastically reduced effectiveness against it.
That was precisely why I used golems in the first place.
Yet in reality, the effects of Requiem had reached my body in the Royal Capital as well.
That was why the frame's controls had gone haywire.
Requiem was the Valkyrie's innate ability.
It belonged to yet another category of power, separate from magic.
Because of that, common sense didn't apply.
Even though she had struck me from a great distance, I couldn't raise an objection.
"Now you can't unleash your full power. This is our victory."
The Valkyrie advanced toward me with her spear still at the ready.
Already certain of her win, she wore a calm expression.
"Please stay still. I'll try to make the purification as painless as possib—"
I cut her off by activating a spell.
What shot from my hands were arrows constructed of magical power.
They flew straight at the Valkyrie.
"...?!"
She shattered the arrows with a flash of her spear.
Despite her blindness, her spearwork was practiced and fluid.
Meanwhile, I rose to my feet.
I moved both arms and legs, testing my condition.
There was some sluggishness, but nothing critical.
"—How naive. You actually thought I'd be defeated after being weakened this much?"
"Wha—"
The Valkyrie stood stunned.
The others around her were visibly shaken.
Until now, they had relied on the power of Requiem to neutralize undead.
That was where their absolute confidence came from.
And yet, it had all been overturned in an instant.
Their shock was entirely understandable.
"I knew about the Requiem ability. And I showed myself anyway. That's because I was certain I wouldn't lose. It is powerful, yes, but there's a critical difference between it and purification by holy magic. That difference lies in their lethal capacity against the undead."
"Lethal capacity...?"
The Valkyrie echoed the words, looking as though she couldn't comprehend what I was saying.
I nodded magnanimously.
"Unlike purification, Requiem is too specialized in weakening the undead. While it's difficult to guard against its influence, it lacks true finishing power."
"Tch..."
The Valkyrie let out a frustrated groan, then leveled her spear and unleashed her magic.
My body grew even heavier.
She must have raised the output of Requiem.
But even so, it was well within the range I had anticipated.
It wasn't the kind of effect that would put my life in danger.
The Valkyrie's power showed its true value against large numbers of undead.
Against a single opponent, number-based tactics were out of the question.
Being undead in the first place meant my strength was already significantly diminished.
And having that further eroded would leave me wide open.
However, when faced with an overwhelmingly powerful individual, the calculus changed entirely.
For a supreme undead like myself or Grom, we could force our way through the effects of Requiem.
Even at a disadvantage, we wouldn't fall behind against a handful of humans.
"You seem flustered from encountering me, but you've been careless. You're treading the same path as the Holy Maiden."
As I spoke, I cast a spell.
Countless lumps rose from the ground.
From within them emerged dozens of golems.
These were impromptu minions with magical power threaded through them like roots.
Under the influence of Requiem, producing more undead would accomplish nothing.
But every now and then, a different approach had its merits.
Facing the army of earthen golems, the Valkyrie took her stance with spear in hand.
Not a trace of fear crossed her features.
She declared with the same dignified composure as before.
"I am a hero. I cannot retreat here."
" admirable resolve."
With that, I sent the golems charging at them.