Chapter 162: Awakening (4)
While Karnak was locked in a magic battle with Demphis, Varos and Serati were engaged with the necromancers who had turned into monsters. There had originally been five, including Hugot. One had perished in the acid explosion, leaving four. Varos was handling two at once, while Serati fought Hugot one-on-one.
And the last one? Leven was keeping him occupied.
“Hup!" With a sharp breath, he swung both daggers in a cross motion.
The necromancer-turned-monster blocked the attack with the tentacles sprouting from its back. Despite wielding daggers, Leven's swordsmanship showed no signs of being inferior. He had managed to break through his opponent's defense multiple times, leaving shallow wounds on their torso.
And yet, Leven himself remained completely unharmed. There was not a single scratch on him. But it wasn't because he was overwhelmingly stronger than his opponent.
This is... Leven inwardly clicked his tongue while trading blows once more. He's holding back.
It had been obvious from the start. Even during the acid explosion, Leven had remained unscathed—not because of some miraculous evasion, but because the attack had never been aimed at him in the first place.
The attack had been carefully calculated to ensure he was never within its radius. The same applied now. His opponent wasn't fighting to kill. He was simply restraining Leven. He was keeping him occupied but never truly harming him, even though Leven was clearly fighting to kill.
To Demphis, Leven was an invaluable vessel that must not be damaged. If Leven were to be caught up in the battle and accidentally injured, the entire ritual would be in jeopardy. To prevent that, Demphis had assigned one of his subordinates specifically to handle Leven.
—Even if you die, the vessel must remain untouched!
The necromancer was executing that command with absolute obedience. It wasn't even a particularly difficult order to follow. After all, he had already died twice and been resurrected—his life was cheap enough to throw away without hesitation.
"Graaah!"