Chapter 34 : Chapter 34
Chapter 34. Necromancer's Dungeon (2)
"Five of the seven squires we brought died, and we lost two knights."
Losing the squires might have been unavoidable, but losing two knights was a painful loss.
"We should be glad it ended at this. If things went slightly wrong, we would have been annihilated, you know?"
Aubert shuddered, remembering the passage teeming with specters.
"I do not know the names of the squires, but the names of the two sacrificed knights were Sir Ulvent and Sir Oswald."
When Sir Hansen stuck his sword in the ground and solemnly began a silent prayer, everyone in the group bowed their heads together.
Aubert also made an awkward expression and joined the silent prayer.
As soon as the silent prayer ended, the group put their heads together to discuss.
"The path is only one anyway. The way back has collapsed, and only the way forward is open."
"To have to advance knowing it is a trap……."
"Trap or not, at the end of that, the cunning Warlock we must defeat will be there."
"It could be a Warlock or Warlocks."
Since they had to move along an ominous hallway where one couldn't see an inch ahead, it was true that they felt anxious.
However, since the passage to return was blocked, the situation left them with no method other than advancing.
Recalling the purpose of coming here once again, the search party gathered their fighting spirit.
"Let us move."
Noel took the lead, guiding the group as he had done so far.
If there was a slight difference from the formation they had moved in until now, it was that they put Blanc in the very center and moved as if protecting him.
"If it is too hard, say so. We will rest."
"I am fine. Brother."
Blanc was already in a state of great strain.
One of the reasons he could obtain Enlightenment was because he naturally entered the stage of unconsciousness within his fading mind.
If possible, it would be correct to move while preserving the stamina of Blanc, who could be called the group's greatest combat power.
However, although Blanc had a pale face, his eyes were not dead.
Rather, he was looking at Noel with deeper eyes than before.
'His bearing has changed.'
Looking at Blanc, whose atmosphere was quite different from before, Noel could confirm once again that the boy in front of him had far surpassed them.
However, even seeing that appearance, rather than feeling inferiority, he felt proud, so Noel had already opened his heart greatly to Blanc without realizing it himself.
Not just Noel, but everyone in the group here genuinely admired seeing Blanc calmly overcoming every crisis that approached.
"Damn. What is this again?"
Moving along the red carpet, armor was lined up along both walls in front of the group like the statues earlier.
"This is becoming ominous again."
The image of specters rushing while collapsing walls was still vividly imprinted in the group's minds.
In such a state, seeing a similar case like earlier pop up again naturally created a tense situation.
"We can't be hit by the same trick twice."
Aubert smashed the armor lined up along both sides of the hallway with his sword raised.
"Sir Bauer."
Though they just met eyes, Bauer, receiving Blanc's gaze, nodded as if understanding and stood next to Aubert to join in smashing the armor.
The sound of armor breaking rang loudly in the hallway, but the knights didn't care.
Since they had come out after collapsing the passage where specters emerged noisily, if the dungeon master were to notice, they would have noticed long ago.
Because there was absolutely no need to maintain stealth right now.
Moreover, the knights, exhausted by the attack of specters, didn't want to face such a situation ever again.
However, unlike the group busy smashing armor, Blanc was focusing more on the ominous malice felt from ahead.
After mimicking Aselheit's sword, his sense of energy had become much more sensitive than before.
"There is something ahead."
"Ahead?"
"Beyond the door."
"Door?"
It was a massive door.
The group moving while smashing armor felt as if they were bewitched.
Because surely, such a door didn't exist just a moment ago.
"Feels like being bewitched by ghosts."
A door of this size should have been visible from afar, but what was this door that appeared suddenly?
"Truly a dog-like place."
"Anyway, seems we came to the right place."
The moment the massive door appeared, not only Blanc but everyone present could feel it.
That something ominous lurked beyond that door.
Creaaaaak.
The door opening by itself with an unpleasant metallic sound as if it had been waiting.
As if telling the group in front to enter quickly, it was opening on its own.
"What is this……."
The knights couldn't help but be shocked at the sight reflected inside.
It was a massive cavity.
Numerous burning torches illuminated the smooth floor in red, reminiscent of a sunset at dusk, but.
"Bad taste."
Contrary to that, a pitch-black moving hell hung from the ceiling.
"Oh my God……."
Numerous ropes hung blackly from the ceiling, and hanging from each of those ropes without fail were.
"This damn……."
corpses hanging by their necks.
Hundreds of corpses were squirming continuously as if hanging there was painful.
"Focus on the front."
Noel, standing furthest ahead, warned Aubert, whose vision was stolen by the sight before him.
Indeed, as Noel said, there was a massive altar built of stairs in front of the group.
And one man sitting on a chair at the end of that altar.
"Father?"
Though his face wasn't clearly visible due to the shadows created by the torches, it was a middle-aged man with brown hair identical to the hair color Noel and Aubert had.
The middle-aged man sitting leaning on the chair as if bored.
"You worked hard coming this far. Humans."
He stood up.
"Lord Stefan……."
As the face hidden in the shadows was revealed, the group couldn't help but be astonished.
The missing Captain of the Tolome Knights. Stefan Tolome.
He, whose life could not be guaranteed, welcomed the group.
"Unlucky humans. If you had come just a few days late, you wouldn't have encountered me."
He wasn't speaking loudly, but there was a resonance that filled the massive cavity.
It wasn't just the voice. Everything inside this cavity was reacting greatly to his every gesture, glance, and voice.
Even the air.
"Take formation. Everyone."
While everyone in the group was being overwhelmed by Stefan's voice, only Blanc was calmly watching the front.
Blanc looked at Stefan through his newly gained sense, the feeling of energy.
The knights other than Blanc were overwhelmed by the atmosphere and hadn't noticed, but a dagger emitting ominous energy was stuck in Stefan's left shoulder.
'It starts from there.'
The crimson energy stretching out from the dagger was wrapping around Stefan's entire body.
"What is in front is not Lord Stefan."
"Even I…… can see that."
It wasn't just a problem of atmosphere.
The expression he was making, his tone, and the current situation.
He wasn't the Stefan they knew.
Even without looking at the eyes emitting crimson light.
"I am……."
Before the Warlock in Stefan's form opened his mouth, Rakshar, receiving Blanc's instruction, fired an arrow.
Blanc had no experience fighting Warlocks in his past life either, but instead, he had many memories of battling mages tainted by the Void.
What was important in a fight between a knight and a mage was distance.
It was no exaggeration to say that the chance of victory was decided by how much one narrowed the distance and didn't give time to chant spells.
Simultaneously with Rakshar firing the arrow, Blanc rushed out, rapidly narrowing the distance and charging toward the Warlock.
The knights, who had already exchanged some strategy through their eyes, also scattered as much as possible and charged toward the Warlock from different directions.
"Impatient fellows."
The Warlock smiled as if finding the rushing knights ridiculous.
Blanc, who rushed in first, thrust his sword toward the Warlock, but.
"Ugh!"
As the Warlock smiled and slightly turned his hand gathered with dark red energy, Blanc returned near the entrance he had entered from before he knew it.
"Young Master!"
"Using wicked tricks!"
It was magic that looked similar to the spell that made the group lose their way.
Even though Blanc suddenly disappeared before their eyes, the knights of Tolome did not lose their target.
Each chose the best method they could and rushed at the Warlock, but.
The Warlock was slightly deflecting the knights' attacks using the swordsmanship of the Tolome family remembered in Stefan's body.
While smiling as if enjoying it.
Aubert couldn't hide his anger seeing that sight.
To not only steal his father's body but use the family's swordsmanship to toy with them!
In a situation where Tolome's identity was practically being defiled, Aubert awakened his rage and struck his sword mercilessly toward his father, Stefan, but.
"Keuk!"
However, his sword bounced up due to the Warlock's terrifying brute strength, and simultaneously, he took a kick coming in strongly to his abdomen intact.
While Aubert couldn't endure even one exchange and broke away from the battlefield, Noel found a gap in Stefan, whose movements became large while dealing with Aubert, and thrust in.
However, that was also one of the Warlock's arrangements.
The Warlock, twisting his waist to dodge as if knowing Noel would come in there, naturally moved his feet and switched from defense to offense in an instant.
"……!"
Noel, noticing the momentum of offense and defense naturally swapped, withdrew his extended sword and blocked Stefan's sword cutting in sharply.
Clang!
'This is ridiculous!'
It was brute strength a human couldn't produce.
It was a single clash, but sparks flew from the sword, and a tremendous vibration was transmitted to Noel's hand through the gripped sword.
However, Noel, not letting go of the sword with superhuman patience, moved his feet busily to escape Stefan's space.
Stefan smirking at that sight.
Seeming to have no intention of letting Noel, who entered his net, go, he extended his sword toward the escaping Noel, but.
"Hayaaaah!"
"Lord Stefan! Forgive us!"
Seeing Noel in danger, Bauer and Hansen struck in quickly.
Bauer's war hammer, laden with all his strength, struck down on Stefan's sword.
And simultaneously, Hansen extended his sword toward Stefan's neck.
"……!"
"……!"
Bauer's strength was real. He wasn't the strongest knight within the Tolome Knights, but if judging by brute strength alone, he was the best.
However, Stefan struck Bauer's war hammer up without much effort.
And with one hand.
With the remaining hand, he naturally shot out dark red energy toward Hansen, who was extending his sword.
Hansen was the oldest knight here.
He had already lost the reflexes to see and dodge a split-second moment, but instead, he was a person whose whole body was steeped in rich experience.
Before the dark red energy could gather at Stefan's fingertips, Hansen, detecting an anomaly, boldly discarded his sword and rolled on the ground.
Evil energy brushed past the tips of Hansen's ears as he lowered his head and rolled on the ground.
BOOOOOM-!
That energy flew past Hansen to the wall and exploded.
Seeing that sight, the knights felt a chill run down their spines. If Hansen hadn't moved his body with keen judgment, it was a blow that would have left not even a corpse.
Looking down at the knights who failed their attack, the Warlock smiled.
"I am looking for dependents to follow me. Those things up there are ones that didn't pass my standards."
As soon as the Warlock finished speaking, the corpses hanging precariously screamed in unison.
"Damn it!"
At the scream suddenly pouring in, everyone in the group had to cover their ears with their hands even though the enemy was right in front.
"The ones called knights of Tolome were somewhat useful, but only the guy I have right now barely passed the standard."
The Warlock looked at the group and snapped his fingers.
"Kuaaaagh!"
"Kieeeeek!"
As the Warlock snapped his fingers, the corpses hanging from the ceiling began to fall one by one.
Soon, hundreds of hanging corpses fell all at once.
It was as if corpse rain was falling.
"Gather! Take formation!"
"With just us six, it's impossible!"
"Blanc! Join us!"
The group tried to build a formation avoiding the falling corpses, but.
'There's no chance of victory!'
Blanc realized that even if they formed a formation here, they wouldn't last long.
At a glance, there were hundreds of corpses. Furthermore, the Warlock was holding out in front.
"So prove it! Your worth!"
The Warlock welcoming the falling rain of corpses with open arms.
THUD! THUD!
The corpses falling from high up couldn't land in intact forms. Some had limbs torn off, and a few burst their organs, spilling intestines on the floor.
"KIEEEEEEK!"
However, as if not caring about such things, the corpses ran straight toward the group.
"Block them!"
"Damn it! Damn it!"
The massive wave of corpses crashed roughly against the defensive square the group barely created.
They were corpses without particular techniques, but the weight of hundreds rushing in was something that couldn't be ignored.
The knights tried to hold out by planting their feet firmly on the ground, but like buoys swept away by waves, they were gradually pushed toward the wall by the wave of corpses.
"At this rate, we can't last long!"
Hearing Aubert's scream-filled voice, Blanc closed his eyes.
It was a faint sensation, but the important thing was that the sensation remained at his fingertips.
'One more time!'
As Blanc began to focus, the growling of corpses and screams of comrades coming from beside him gradually faded.
Blanc pulling his mental world out into reality through white thunderbolt with high concentration.
Rough currents discharged from all over his body.
The knights, noticing Blanc was preparing something, drew out even the strength used to suckle milk to stand against the fierce malice.
What hung at the tip of Aselheit's sword was a single World. He created his own standard with the sword he had trained all his life and overlaid it on reality.
That was possible thanks to the talent he possessed, insight into the world, and a strong soul.
And all those things were things the Regressor Blanc also possessed.
The tip of Blanc's sword rose high.
"……!"
The Warlock felt a familiar sensation looking at the white lightning hanging on the tip of Blanc's sword.
No, it wasn't a familiar sensation. It was a danger signal strongly imprinted in his instincts.
'This is!'
Soon, Blanc's eyes and the Warlock's eyes met in the void.
"The world I created is burning!"
It was the first World contained with Blanc's intent, not created unconsciously.
Blanc struck down. Towards the ominous and evil thing.
The thunderbolt burning white at the tip of the sword poured into the Warlock with a sound like thunder.
"Kuaaat! Kuagh!"
The Warlock constructed defensive magic using everything he could mobilize, but the World Blanc created did not permit the Warlock's existence.
In an instant, the inside of the cavity filled with dazzling white.
It was a bright light that forced even the knights to cover their eyes.
Soon, what was visible in front of the knights who barely opened their eyes was the hole-punched wave of corpses and.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
The figure of the Warlock whose left arm was burnt black.
He stumbled, but clearly wasn't defeated.
The Warlock, venomously agitated, spat out streaks of crimson glint.
"This damn…… Surely, surely I killed them all!"
The Warlock's bloodshot eyes found Blanc.
"Assinsao! You cursed the Demon-breaking Clan! You were still alive!"
The Warlock's rough scream filled the cavity.