[Anyway, it’s not like I can resist. So──]
Another pulse of energy surged through the Death Knight, covering its body in black-purple light that seemed to take root in its form. It made its appearance even more grotesque. But more than that,
[──Having a lively fight with you youngsters is quite entertaining, isn’t it? Kakakaka!]
The Death Knight’s sadistic declaration sent shivers down Nina’s spine.
The sense of mischief and wickedness is even stronger than before, when it had been speaking in a teasing manner.
The ominous aura around it grew thicker with each step it took toward them. Nina could only back away in fear.
“Excuse me, may I ask something, Sir Death Knight?”
[Huh?]
Just as Nina was certain she was going to die, that she would be killed, at the very moment she felt despair,
The silver-haired girl, who seemed to be Ur’s partner, raised her hand without any regard for the tension in the air.
[What is it, big-breasted girl?]
“You mentioned earlier that you were [holding back a bit]. Can you still do that now?”
[Well, even talking like this without attacking is pretty difficult, you know?]
In reality, it was unclear whether the death knight was forcibly stopping the hand that was trying to kill him, but his body was trembling uncontrollably.
Seeing this, the girl remarked, “So, you can hold back after all,” and then continued speaking.
“Then I have a proposal. Mr. Skeleton. Betray the necromancer right now and cooperate with us.”
“Huh?”
[Huh?]
The sudden and outrageous statement caused Nina and the Death Knight to react in perfect sync.
Laura, who had been listening next to the girl, also wore a similar expression.
Only the boy looked somewhat accustomed to this, or perhaps just exasperated.
“From what I’ve heard, you’re not willingly under the necromancer’s command, are you?”
[W-Well, that’s true.]
“And you don’t really want to indulge in wickedness, do you?”
[W-Well, I suppose not.]
Satisfied with the Death Knight’s answers, the girl nodded with a radiant smile and declared,
“Then betray them. In exchange for your cooperation, we’ll free you from this unwanted servitude and help you start a second life.”
[W-Well… It’s not like I have any loyalty to that stone-like wretch of a necromancer anyway.]
Her relentless persuasion was something else. The Death Knight, who had been exuding such a menacing aura just moments ago, now seemed to falter.
[But… It’s really hard for me to resist. Right now, it’s like I’m starving, and there’s a piece of meat right in front of me that I can’t eat…]
“That must be tough. Please do your best.”
[And if I reach my limit, I’ll end up trying to kill you all.]
“It seems you can still speak freely, so if you can’t resist, scream at the top of your lungs. Explain all your attacks in detail beforehand.”
[I’m more of a cool-headed fighter, though…]
“And if you notice any movement from the Starving Skull, please signal us. We don’t have any spare communication tools, so just shout.”
[I’m so busy…]
“Now—”
After saying all she wanted, the girl suddenly raised her palm toward the sky.
Huh? Naturally, everyone’s gaze followed her hand.
“【Ice, sing, and fall like tears] “
There, in the starry night sky, a massive ice spell formed, reflecting the light of the stars and the barrier, shimmering brilliantly.
[Huh!]
Of course, the Death Knight noticed it too and swiftly raised his sword, preparing to either dodge or deflect it. But just as he was about to move,
“Don’t dodge, please.”
[Huh!?]
The girl’s “request” caused the Death Knight to freeze in place. And then,
“【Falling Ice Block] “
[Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?]
Seizing the opportunity, the ice fell mercilessly. The massive block of ice shattered the Death Knight’s body, smashed through the pathway, and sent his remains crashing to the ground below.
“……”
Everyone was left speechless by the sheer audacity of it all. But whether she didn’t notice their gazes or chose to ignore them, the silver-haired girl clenched her fist cutely and said,
“Now’s our chance, Mr. Ur. Let’s deal with the Starving Skull.”
At her words, Ur wore a troubled expression for a moment, but then,
“………………Alright, this is the moment to push through. Everyone, let’s do our best.”
He nodded, abandoning any further thought.
Thanks to Shizuku’s ingenious strategy, they had successfully shifted the Death Knight into a precarious position—half enemy, half ally. However, that didn’t mean the situation had suddenly turned in their favor. Ur understood that much.
[R, ooooooooooo……!!]
“I don’t have time to deal with you guys…!”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
As he smashed through the evil tree treants emerging from the fortress walls and pathways, he glared at the Starving Skull, which had resumed its pulsating in the center of the courtyard.
The Death Knight had been troublesome, but he was just a vanguard.
As Diz had said, they had to deal with that black-purple core magic stone.
The plan was already set. Now it was just a matter of how many enemies Shizuku and the others could keep away from them—
“Hey!! Are you seriously planning to do something about this!? You’re not running!?!”
Nina shouted, but Ur didn’t think her words were cowardly.
In truth, this was an inappropriate situation for a bunch of amateur adventurers to face head-on.
Staying in this situation was the act of a fool.
But Ur hadn’t chosen to fight out of a lack of composure.
“If we run, and the dungeon expands at this rate, we won’t be able to escape. Alto would be destroyed, as Diz said.”
“That’s…”
In this situation, Ur couldn’t see any hope in half-heartedly running away.
So, it was better to stand their ground here, where they could understand the situation, and fight back.
“Besides……!!”
The pulsation stopped, and the Starving Skull reactivated. It swung its arms wildly toward them—but fortunately, its aim was erratic. Ur and Nina desperately dodged the attacks.
Confirming that the Starving Skull’s hostility was directed at them, Ur continued.
“Probably, this thing is at its weakest right now…!”
He was certain. Currently, the Starving Skull’s attacks were sporadic. It alternated between spreading the dungeon’s black-purple pulsations and launching attacks, but both were half-hearted.
The Starving Skull was distracted.
They couldn’t be misled by this unknown anomaly. If that [Core Magic Stone] was the necromancer’s final form, then this was a man-made disaster caused by human malice. And if that was the case, there would be intent, carelessness, and failure. There would be clear openings.
“That thing isn’t used to this situation either! That’s why everything’s half-hearted, and if we miss this chance, there’s no going back!”
“Even if you say that, what…!?”
Nina’s face twisted in shock as she looked up. Ur followed her gaze and understood why.
[OOOOOOOOOOOOO!!]
“【Living Dead] ……!”
From the Starving Skull’s arms, undead creatures spilled out and lunged at them. They were likely former bandits. The moment they landed, they let out horrific screams and swung their fists.
“【Scatter Fang Torga] !”
“Take this!!”
The Living Dead, with their flesh and blood, closed in faster than the skeletal soldiers. Ur let out a howl as Nina swung her sword wildly. But one of the corpses managed to slip through their attacks.
[G, GAAAAAAahhh……!! G, Keee……! Woman! I’ll devour you……!!]
The corpse, whose head was partially burned and missing, spoke in broken human language as it approached.
Realizing it was one of the bandits he had burned, Ur braced himself—but,
[KEEEEEEEEEE!!!]
[Ah?]
In the next moment, the Death Knight’s blade, swung with a roar, cleanly severed the corpse’s head.
[Oops, I meant to kill the kid but ended up killing my colleague instead. My bad, my bad, hahaha!]
Making some kind of excuse, the Death Knight, who had somehow revived, swung his sword at Ur again. However, his swings were slightly exaggerated, continuing to slash through the surrounding undead.
Ur couldn’t help but be impressed by his skill.
[Hey, kid! Your reading of the situation is spot on!! We have to kill it here!! Look!]
Ignoring Ur’s admiration, the Death Knight shouted and pointed at the Starving Skull, which had resumed its pulsations. Ur turned his gaze, and immediately noticed the anomaly.
[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA……!!]
“Evil Tree Treants…!?”
Every time the massive Starving Skull moved, the ground split open, revealing the dungeon beneath.
But that wasn’t all.
The [Evil Tree Treants] and other monsters lurking there were being dragged out—or rather, they were being pulled out. Parts of the skeletal soldiers forming the Starving Skull’s legs extended like vines, dragging the monsters out of the dungeon, tearing them apart, and devouring them.
It was feeding on the dungeon’s monsters one after another.
[It’s devouring the dungeon’s monsters endlessly!! There’s no limit to it!!]
In other words, the longer this went on, the more powerful the Starving Skull would become.
[GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!]
Eventually, it would surely swallow the entire fortress, the forest outside, the land, and even the satellite city-state of Alto—it was unthinkable.
Diz’s words were no mere threat. If left unchecked, it would undoubtedly destroy Alto.
“~~!! But! It’s not like we can do anything about that thing ourselves!?”
As she desperately swung her sword at the Living Dead, Nina shouted in frustration. She was right. Ur knew that too.
“Nina! You know where the storage is, right!?”
“Huh!? Yeah!! I know, but!!”
“If the stuff they stole from the Island Devouring Turtle is stored there, then that should be there too! I need you to go get it!”
Piercing through the writhing corpses, he gave the order.
They had few options. So, they had to use every card in their hand. And with that,
“The attack on that thing will be left to Shizuku and the others……!”
Ur trusted his companions, who were moving separately from them.
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