Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

‘Not too late.’

As I arrived at the strange-shaped portal, I saw a monster pulling out its tail from it. It had two horns on its head, red scales covering its body, and legs that were disproportionately thick for a human, with slightly weaker-looking arms ending in sharp claws.

Additionally, it had a thick tail and a dragon-like head above its neck, giving it the appearance of a dragon-turned-human.

‘Wasn’t it an undead created from the corpse of a red dragon?’

It was indeed half-dragon, as it had been created by resurrecting the corpse of a red dragon that had died a very long time ago. Due to the extreme decay of most of its flesh, only a small portion of the original dragon’s body had been used, resulting in its human-like size.

I inhaled, knowing that if it started to use its full power, things could get out of hand quickly. Not because I was at a disadvantage, but because the entire area might be destroyed.

The monster, seemingly on a mission, had been about to head somewhere when it noticed me approaching boldly and stopped in its tracks.

Even in its undead state, it stood at almost 4 meters tall. I wondered how enormous the original dragon must have been, considering that only a small portion of its corpse had been used to create this creature.

Crackle…

The red scales heated up as the monster let out a growl, like a buildup of phlegm in its throat. I exhaled, releasing refined mana, and slammed my foot onto the ground.

“Kyaaaah!”

The monster tried to counter, raising its scaled arm, but it was too late. By the time its arm was halfway up, Eternity had sliced through its neck.

Unaware that its head had been severed, the body continued to move, and additional strikes landed, severing the joints of its limbs. Its arms and legs were divided into three sections each.

‘This breath is shorter.’

I slashed at the monster, leaving behind a magic circle as I passed by. Refined mana rose, and icy mist enveloped the area, with purple sparks crackling within. The ice stuck to the scales, causing them to freeze instantly. Lightning struck the frozen scales.

Crackle-boom!

The undead’s body shattered into hundreds of pieces, scattering in all directions. I landed on the ground and exhaled, blue mana escaping from my mouth like winter breath.

I observed the fragments for a while, wondering if the monster might come back to life. The severed head still had a battle-ready expression, seemingly unaware that its body had exploded.

There was no further movement.

‘It’s over.’

The monster was dealt with. All that was left was to erase any traces and head to the shelter as if nothing had happened—

“Stop……”

The nearby space tore open, revealing a dark void from which an eerie voice emerged. I immediately gripped Eternity, ready for battle.

Four Death Knights emerged from the blackened space, each carrying a large pillar instead of a weapon. The pillars were held horizontally and connected to a palanquin-like structure at the back.

There were four Death Knights in front and four behind, for a total of eight, carrying a palanquin on which sat an undead with a withered body, adorned with various jewels and trinkets. Its black robe was almost as ornate as a pope’s vestments. In its left hand, it held what appeared to be a human skull.

The only being that could use Death Knights, elite monsters that required three Royal Guards to take down, as mere transport was the one and only—

‘…Elder Lich?’

The Fifth Legion Commander of the Demon King’s Army.

He alternated between glaring at me, standing ready with Eternity in hand, and the scattered remains of the undead dragon. Then, he raised the bead in his hand.

The hundreds of fragments that had exploded earlier reassembled instantly, returning the undead dragon to its original form. The dragon bowed deeply, paying homage to its master.

‘How is that even possible?

I must admit, it was a bit anticlimactic, especially compared to the original story, where it would have taken much more effort to defeat such a creature.

“So, you are Mira Crate… Astaroth… She longs for your life so desperately…”

“So what?”

Hollow eye sockets scanned me up and down. Astaroth, the Succubus Queen, must have been seething with hatred if she sent him after me.

“Relax… I didn’t come here to fight…”

“Then why are you here? The Fifth Legion Commander himself comes all this way, and it’s not to fight?”

“I came to negotiate…”

“Well, I have no reason to negotiate with the likes of you.”

“Your knowledge is truly astounding… The way human breathing becomes indistinguishable from magic incantations… It’s a concept I never expected, even after living for so many centuries…”

Despite my clear refusal to negotiate, the lich continued to ramble on, seemingly uninterested in my response.

I considered a preemptive strike but held back, thinking he might reveal something useful. Of course, if he was secretly preparing an attack, the situation would be different, but the flow of mana didn’t indicate any such intention.

“The knowledge you possess, having attained such a level with a human body… It’s truly remarkable and admirable… You have the talent and qualifications… I have a proposition for you…”

The eyes of the skull in his hand glowed black.

“Become the sacrifice for my Life Vessel… I, Elder Lich, promise you eternal life if you accept…”

I was a fool for hesitating. I channeled mana into Eternity, and the refined mana that had accumulated around me glowed in response, resonating with the mana in his bead. Elder Lich looked at me with confusion.

“Are you giving up immortal life to live as a mere human…? Isn’t the knowledge that will be lost with your death a waste…?”

“It’s not immortal life, it’s a life of hell. I’d rather die than live like that.”

And this knowledge isn’t something I acquired out of academic curiosity. It’s knowledge I had to learn desperately to survive. Every bit of magic in my head was the same.

“I can’t understand… I truly can’t…”

The lich snapped his fingers, creating another undead. A Death Knight with a proper weapon rose from the side of the others. The undead dragon also straightened its knees, ready for battle.

“I’ll give you another chance to consider my offer… Let’s work together to advance magic…”

Whoosh!

Before he could finish his sentence, a flaming spear struck the lich’s upper body.

The hit spot melted instantly, and the unidentified bones and leather of the palanquin caught fire. The lone eye socket stared directly at me.

The bead glowed, and the evaporated body immediately regenerated, along with the palanquin. As soon as the fire went out, they returned to their original state.

I knew it was futile, as in most stories, Elder Lich was immortal as long as Life Vessel was intact. And Life Vessel was hidden deep within the Elder Lich’s domain in the Demon World.

“…You foolishly choose punishment over reward…”

The lich raised the bead to his eye, and dozens of Death Knights appeared. It was a number that would make even the Empire tremble and seek the help of the Sword Saint.

Elder Lich’s anger wasn’t limited to the Death Knights. Human corpses, monster corpses, and demon corpses erupted from the ground all around.

In just over ten seconds, thousands of undead surrounded me, filling my vision with rotting corpses.

“Bring me only his head… I only desire his knowledge…”

The lich’s finger pointed at me, and the undead horde began to advance.

Of course, I had no intention of just standing there and taking it. With the next breath, I released the refined mana that had been waiting to be unleashed. An enormous spark swept through the area, resonating with the refined mana that had accumulated.

The undead clustered together, tangling with each other as they took the brunt of the electric attack. If they had been monsters or demons, the electricity would have caused their muscles to stiffen or electrocuted them to death, but the undead were unaffected.

I swung Eternity, slicing through dozens of undead caught in the spark. The ones trying to fill the gaps were swept away by the magic that followed. I pulled Eternity out of the ground, where it had been planted like a tree root, spreading refined mana.

Rumble!

The ground shook as if it were about to explode. The pressure was too much for the undead to bear, and blue light burst forth from various spots. The undead caught in the blue light vanished as if they had never existed.

Soon, the ground began to collapse.

Thousands of undead fell into the pit that was over ten meters deep, crushing their comrades beneath them. They weren’t dead, but they couldn’t get out easily either.

I cast a spell into the pit, and the undead piled up inside were shredded from the top down. I pulled Eternity out of the ground. The undead approaching from a distance fell into the pit one after another, only to be shredded as they tried to climb out.

“The fact that you can cast large-scale magic without incantations or chants… It’s truly fascinating… I must witness your limits…”

The lich was intrigued by the fact that I didn’t use any incantations, and instead of ordering the Death Knights and the undead dragon to attack, he raised the bead again.

Dozens of undead, piled up inside the pit, surged upwards. He kept summoning them, causing them to crush and tangle with each other as they pushed their way out.

The sound of something being crushed could be heard continuously from within the pit, evidence of his relentless summoning.

I didn’t just stand there and watch. The refined mana turned into a blue mist of fire, which fell underground and burned the undead to ashes. Over and over again, thousands of undead turned to ashes, only to be replaced by thousands more. It was a gruesome war of attrition.

“Oh my! I knew it! I knew this would happen!”

Just as I was about to cast another spell, a familiar, frivolous voice rang out. Something fell from the empty air and landed with a thud.

I frowned slightly as I recognized what, or rather who, it was.

“You’re supposed to be killing Mira Crate! How dare you play around when he’s right here! Are you here to help or hinder?!”

It was Maker, the first Legion Commander I had met from the Demon King’s Army. He was scolding Elder Lich for his actions.

“Tell me why you’re here… Maker… If you intend to hinder me, I won’t let you off easily…”

“Hinder? How dare you accuse me of hindering you! It’s you who’s hindering us! Why are you sending those pathetic things instead of the Death Knights and the new one?!”

“It’s a process of knowledge exploration… The joy of discovering new knowledge that has eluded me for hundreds of years… How could someone as insignificant and worthless as you possibly understand?”

“You dare call me insignificant and worthless?! How dare you treat me, Maker, with such disrespect! I won’t forgive you!”

Instead of focusing on me, the Legion Commanders started arguing with each other. The Death Knights, who had been preparing for battle, returned to their idle stance.

‘…Could this be part of their plan?’

Perhaps they were trying to make me lower my guard and then launch a surprise attack. Deception was a commonly used tactic in many worlds.

“……”

But if that wasn’t the case, I really wanted to show this sight to the Succubus Queen.