LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 75
“About a dozen or so.”
Even though not much time had passed since the radio transmission, things had escalated to this level.
It could be said that the opponent had killed all the Hunters in front of me in a very short amount of time.
“Look over there, Eric. It’s Trione.”
“…So it is. I heard she went missing. A betrayal, perhaps?”
At the words of the silver-haired girl, the man with the sun tattoo, known as Eric, gazed at Trione while raising a hand to ignite a fierce magic power.
Whoooosh.
“I have no strong feelings, but if I cross paths with her, it’s better to kill her.”
“Tsk. Both this guy and that one, they really decide on others’ lives as they please.”
The intensity of the condensed magic power felt ominous. It seemed like a strong attack was coming right from the start.
I also began to gather my power and recite an incantation.
“Bone Shield.”
Crack.
Crackle.
Death Energy (사기) manifested, creating black bone shards in the air along my body’s boundary, allowing me to confront Trione while facing Eric.
“…Do you think you can block this?”
“Well, you’ll find out once I shoot.”
Without the slightest change in expression, Eric unleashed his power.
Then, a deafening sound erupted as if the air was exploding, and a strong pressure hit my entire body.
Boom!
Crack__________!
It felt as if my body was being squeezed by the air, or that invisible blades were rushing towards me.
Scrape!
Blood!
I had cast another spell into my Bone Shield to maintain a dual defense system, but the attacks were thickening with minor wounds accumulating.
‘…It’s certainly powerful.’
Sneaking a glance at my opponent, he still seemed to be in a relaxed state.
This meant he could unleash even more powerful attacks.
Crumble.
“So, you’re not just a nobody.”
“Foolish Eric. I told you last time. It’s the Hunter from Korea who’s interfering.”
“…I see. I completely forgot.”
It seems that a direct confrontation wasn’t a particularly good idea.
I briefly turned my gaze towards the bound JP, but his pupils were dilated as if he was under some kind of drug. The situation looked quite dire.
“Is that an altar? It seems like they’re trying to do something here using the power of a wide-area magic circle.”
“…You could tell that just by looking? Do something about it.”
“Damn it.”
Whooooosh!
Trione had subtly raised her hand in an attempt to dominate the silver-haired girl, but it came to naught.
Swoosh!
“I am Bennett, the Puppeteer. Similar kinds of Awakened Ones can’t be brainwashed.”
“What…?”
“Yep. Since I have the materials, I’ll show you something good.”
Whoosh!
With a blank expression, Bennett smiled and waved her hand, creating threads of magic that spread out and attached themselves to the corpses scattered all around.
“Rise. My cute little toys.”
Squish.
Squash.
Snap!
The twisted and severed limbs were forcibly reattached, allowing the corpses to rise.
They began to tearfully glare at Trione and me.
Seeing that, I shot a dubious look at Trione.
“…You were just a low-ranking member over there, weren’t you?”
“Hades has no hierarchy among us.”
For that, the power imbalance is quite severe. To be honest, even if I combined Madison, Wei, and Trione, I felt they would struggle to defeat just that girl.
Nevertheless.
“After all, they’re corpses.”
By now, some information regarding my abilities must have been shared; this was an absurdly underestimating outlook.
Whooooosh.
“Undead Call.”
At my incantation, Death Energy began to flow into the corpses controlled by the girl, and soon they were engulfed by the energy, transforming into various Undead.
However, for some reason, the girl still retained a faint smile even in such circumstances.
Sensing an ominous feeling, I scowled, and the girl spoke up.
“As expected. I really like it.”
“What?”
“I’ll take good care of these guys.”
Whooooosh.
With another lift of her hand, a new type of thread formed and began to engulf the Undead corpses.
At the same time, the command over the corpses I had been smoothly taking over reverted back to the opponent.
‘Did she just steal my Undead?’
Even so, this was quite startling.
Of course, it’s true that my state isn’t what it used to be, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’d never been so effortlessly overpowered since reaching this level.
“Alright, attack.”
Clash.
Creak.
Tap, tap, tap!
The Undead puppets charged with movements so natural that it was hard to believe they were already dead.
“…Undead Call.”
Boom!
Boom!
I immediately pulled out various catalysts from my pocket and summoned an army of Undead, but at this rate, it was turning into a simple war of attrition.
“…I want to do something, but it’s impossible to enhance Undead with my abilities.”
“I wasn’t really expecting much.”
Setting aside Trione, who was less helpful than anticipated, I had to find a way to break through the obstacles in front of me.
‘I’d already be concerned about the opponent over there…’
Adding insult to injury, the girl on this side, whom I thought would be nothing serious, was quite a formidable foe.
Boom!
Crack!
Crackle!
[Growl!]
Boom!
The armies on both sides clashed, balancing each other out and continuously reducing their respective powers.
Yet, ultimately, that situation couldn’t last long.
Swoosh.
Slither.
Crash!
The threads extending from Bennett’s puppets began to eat away at my Undead once more.
‘…Is this real!’
Whooooosh.
I wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice. I sent Death Energy throughout my surroundings to reinforce my control using Necromancy, but just then, I noticed Eric, who had been watching the situation from behind, attacking us again.
Boom!
Creak!
“Cough!”
“Hmph.”
Boom!
Trione quickly pulled back, but the shockwave propelled me into a collision with the trees, breaking my concentration, and I ultimately lost even the newly summoned Undead to the enemy.
“…Looks like I can handle this alone. I’m going to complete my ritual now.”
“Yeah. You won’t need Eric.”
Step.
Step.
With that, Eric left for the altar together with the bound JP, and Trione, who had barely regained her senses, stood up while clutching her head, but I merely stood there staring blankly at the ground like a statue.
“…Snap out of it. Now’s the chance since they’re separated.”
Despite Trione’s reminder, I didn’t even respond, lost in thought.
“What a pitiful sight. What’s it like to be abandoned by your servants as their master?”
Bennett asked with a smile, as if enjoying herself, and I dully replied.
“…I’ve lost twice.”
“Huh?”
“I lost my Undead. Twice.”
That wasn’t so much a response as it was a kind of lamentation.
“You don’t need to feel embarrassed. It simply means our abilities don’t synergize well.”
“…”
Slowly raising my eyes to the calm Bennett, I spoke again as if I had fallen into some kind of trance.
“I can’t accept it. Not me.”
Nothing else was properly registering in my mind.
What dominated my thoughts was only an overwhelming feeling of irritation and annoyance.
“Book of Death.”
Boom!
It’s not just that my pride got wounded. It’s a much more fundamental and essential matter than that.
“…Give up. I already know the capabilities of that book. No matter what you summon, nothing will change.”
“……”
As I ignored Bennett’s words, I searched for a corner of the Book of Death’s pages and concentrated my strength into my hand.
Crack.
Crack.
It wouldn’t open. It means I’m lacking power in my current state.
But I re-empowered my hand and spoke the incantation resolutely.
“Open.”
Boom!
Swish!
There would be aftereffects later, but I couldn’t care less. At least not at the moment.
With the pages opened, at the same time, an indescribable vortex of mana swirled around the Book of Death.
It was extremely heavy and sticky.
To be honest, it felt more like a curse than magic.
Perhaps sensing that chilling aura, Bennett, who had maintained her blank expression, began to stroke her goosebump-covered arm and asked me.
“…What exactly are you doing?”
“Extraction.”
Whooooosh.
Ignoring Bennett, I continued reciting the incantation.
“Synchronization.”
[I won’t let you be. You filthy spawn of death…]
For a moment, a lament filled with curses and grievances from someone passed through, but that’s none of my concern.
Extending my right index finger, I carefully transferred the soul extracted from the Book of Death into it.
And.
“Activation.”
Crack.
Crack.
At my spoken incantation, small scales began to emerge all over my index finger, with tiny horns and a mouth beginning to form at its tip.
What was completed was, as if crafted in miniature, a head of something adorned onto my finger.
I presented it to the opponent as if it were a gun, and made my final pronouncement.
“Try something.”
“……”
“If you don’t want to die here.”
I don’t know if my words sounded like mere bravado, but Bennett’s expression shifted seriously as she gathered her Undead puppets to one spot.
Then, she once again released threads into the air, weaving them into a solid wall.
“Even if it’s a trump card, that means nothing to me. This wall made from my skill will hold until all the puppets’ life force is expended…”
“How boring.”
Cutting Bennett off, I tilted my finger to point at her hiding behind the puppets’ wall.
And, using the anger of the raging dragon swirling within my finger as fuel, I recited a spell to incinerate everything in this world.
“Dragon Breath.”