Emperor of Steel

Jackson, Holy Empire.

Two people were walking on the road that was next to a small town filled with zombies.

There was a bald man with a strange grey garment and a little girl that was holding the man’s hand while they walk.

While they were moving, the zombies began to gather around them.

Kuuuuu!

Kiiiii! Kiii!

The bald man, who looked at the zombies running at them, raised his hands into a prayer position.

“Oh, Amithaba (Infinite Light)..”

Woong-ohh!

Soft warm light began to flash from the old man’s body.

The zombies, which were running at him, went stiff in their own spots as if they turned to stones.

The bizarre sound, which could creep out any human, could no longer be heard.

After a while, the old man and the child walked away from the village, and the zombies began to move.

The child, who saw that, asked the old man, “Sir Nanda, why didn’t you put them to rest?”

The child knew the full extent of Nanda’s abilities. She knew that he could have cleared the village full of zombies.

However, Nanda only restrained their movements.

“Because they aren’t dead yet.”

“But that can’t be. They had already turned into the Undead.”

“Is that what you really think, Karen?”

Karen nodded at Nanda’s question.

The future… Well, in the time-and-space that disappeared, she saw zombies all around her.

The only grace she could ever show to those who fell into the trap of the evil men and who attacked the living was to kill them.

That was why she had the thought of killing the zombies.

“Not everything is the same because they seem similar to you.”

“It is not just the looks. Their bodies, I can feel the magi flowing. Surely, Sir Nanda can feel that too, right?”

Karen had a disgusted expression when she thought of the zombies she had encountered in the time-and-space that disappeared.

Due to the invasion of Lich King Arsene, several kingdoms failed to respond during the initial stages. The wind later began to overwhelm the continent and divided it into half.

Zombies, ghouls, skeletons, death worms, more and more undead were hitting the streets.

Karen went to study dark magic like her father because she thought that to defeat the enemy, she had to know his skills.

That was why she believed that the zombies and any other form of Undead couldn’t be brought back to life.

“I can feel that. The pain of those who will run to kill despite their will because of some monster who did that to them.”

“So they aren’t zombies?”

“They are zombies. However, it is a case where the zombies are still alive. If we can break the curse on their bodies, they can go back to being humans.”

“That can’t happen. They have already…”

Karen kept shaking her head to deny it.

However, suddenly, she felt like her thoughts were prejudiced.

Moreover, Nanda was a saint, a monk, with powers strong enough to save her from being destroyed by God’s punishment.

Holding powers that were beyond human capabilities, he could have sensed something that Karen failed to perceive.

“It is never good to make assumptions without learning the truth about the situation.”

“I understand. If what Sir Nanda is saying is true, then how can they be saved?”

When Karen asked, he responded with a smile, “Even if the sky collapses onto the ground, a hole will form in the place where the sky once stood. How can we assume that there’s no way?”

“Then, would Sir Nanda be able to save them?”

While they were on their journey, they saw several cities and towns filled with zombies.

From what they knew, the entire population of Jackson had turned into zombies.

Seeing Karen expect something from him, Nanda looked at the sky.

“There are somethings this old man can do and those which I can’t.”

Nanda had a sad expression on his face.

He managed to understand and awaken himself from physical pain and desires, yet he wasn’t that powerful.

“However, you don’t have to worry. There are those who can save those touched by evil.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah, otherwise, we wouldn’t be going this way to see them, to see what this old man can do to help them.”

‘Who were ‘they’?’

While Karen was in her thoughts.

“They are people whom you know.”

Hearing that made Karen seem both embarrassed and shocked.

It was because she never wanted to meet them again or make them sad.

Yet, regardless of what she was thinking, her feet were moving much faster than before.