My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 186

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 186
Thirty minutes had elapsed, and the remnants of the brutal battle now blanketed the desolate forest. Scattered among the broken branches and withered leaves lay the corpses of Elves and Trent—their bodies long since drained of warmth. Their lifeless eyes stared vacantly into the void without the slightest movement, and their pallid skin, devoid of all color, bore not a trace of vitality.
As a heavy silence descended, a sinister shadow materialized. It was Arulan, Kim Jae-beom’s loyal servant. His withered, skeletal arms rose with deliberate slowness, stretching toward the heavens. From his fingertips poured forth an indescribable mist—a chilling luminescence that mingled pitch-black darkness with venomous emerald light.
Drawn by Arulan’s incantation, the radiant beam shot toward the corpses of the Elves and Trent with meteoric speed. The essence of death itself, bound by contract, seeped deep into the cadavers and began to envelop them. What began as a faint transformation gradually accelerated.
Limp limbs stiffened and began to twitch slowly. Hearts resumed their beating. Yet this was no resurrection of life—merely the mechanical pulsing of a heart that existed solely for destruction.
Soon the Elves and Trent rose from their resting places with rigid, jerking movements. But their forms were utterly grotesque. The beauty and grace that had once defined the Elves were nowhere to be found—their flesh had rotted away, leaving only skeletal remains exposed.
The Trent that had once guarded the forest were no exception. Their vibrant leaves had fallen away, their bark shattered to fragments, revealing only bare frameworks. As they slowly rose to their feet, they gazed about through hollow eye sockets.
At that very moment, Kim Jae-beom strode forward with commanding presence. The gaze of the resurrected undead Elves and Trent fixed upon him in unison.
“You are now my servants.”
A voice as cold and emotionless as darkness reverberated through the quiet forest.
The resurrected undead Elf Army rose slowly with stiff, awkward movements. Their forms—composed of exposed bone and patches of decaying flesh—were grotesque and horrifying. Where once burned eyes full of vitality, there now resided not a shred of emotion. They were merely corpses that obeyed commands.
In that deathly silence, an icy voice shattered the stillness.
“Guide me to the World Tree.”
Before Kim Jae-beom’s words had fully settled, the undead Elf Legion sprang into frenzied motion. Their hurried, clumsy footfalls echoed through the forest as they began to move. With manic speed, they tore through brush and branches, charging at full sprint toward the World Tree.
Yet the colossal ancient tree remained unmoved. Instead, emerald light began to pour forth from its trunk. The verdant radiance, brimming with life force, unfurled like a protective barrier. The moment the legion of death touched that luminous veil, they halted abruptly as if blocked by an invisible wall.
Unable to retreat, the undead Elves attacked the emerald barrier with relentless fury. They clawed desperately at the empty air with skeletal nails and gnawed at the invisible wall with pointed fangs with all their might. Yet no matter how violently they thrashed, the light before them did not yield. Rather, the resplendent radiance enveloping the World Tree burned ever brighter.
Consumed by frenzy, the undead Elves hurled themselves forward with anguished shrieks. Corpses rebounded from the emerald barrier, their numbers growing. With each impact, the verdant luminescence surrounding the World Tree blazed more brilliantly. That fresh, life-infused blue light illuminated the darkness-stained forest, overwhelming the undead legion. Their desperate struggle to pierce the light and breach the barrier was utterly pitiful.
Then it happened.
A bone-chilling sound struck the air.
“Crack.”
With a sound that pierced to the marrow, Arulan’s withered arm swept through the void. Like a herald of death, his hand stretched forth, cleaving the air, releasing a torrent of pitch-black darkness. A sinister beam of black light—as if fear itself had been condensed—collided with the emerald barrier with a resonant hum.
In that instant, a sight no one could have imagined unfolded. The seemingly unbreakable luminous veil began to crack slowly. What started as a hairline fracture grew wider and wider. The delicate, spider-web-like fissures spread like roots in all directions, rapidly consuming the entire barrier.
The undead legion, which had been watching for this opportunity, surged forward in a torrent. Baring blackened fangs and snarling, they charged toward the cracking barrier. They began to tear the emerald light apart mercilessly with fangs and sharp claws.
The barrier, which had held firm at first, began to crumble. Under the frantic assault, fragments of emerald light were shredded and scattered formlessly into the air. With ravenous eyes gleaming, the undead Elves devoured the light of life without hesitation.
As the relentless destruction continued, the blue barrier wavered precariously. The barrier’s struggle to protect the forest and World Tree was precarious indeed.
Observing from a distance, a faint smile of triumph played at the corners of Kim Jae-beom’s lips. Within his ice-cold eyes, a deep hunger writhed. In mere moments, the World Tree would be within his grasp.
Under the relentless assault of the undead, the emerald barrier finally reached its limit. The intensifying blue light flickered, then shattered with a deafening roar. In that instant, the fresh emerald radiance contained within the barrier poured forth in all directions like a collapse. The undead legion flinched momentarily at the blinding brilliance, their forms shrinking back.
As the blue light faded and vision cleared, all breath caught. What had been hidden behind the barrier now revealed itself in full majesty. An immensely vast and magnificent tree—the World Tree itself. A solemn reverence flowed through the entire forest. The source of life, the very heart of nature.
At the emergence of this sacred guardian radiating overwhelming power, Kim Jae-beom’s eyes wavered with unease. For a moment, his throat constricted.
Then it came.
With a deep rumble that shook the earth, the ground beneath trembled. The roots of the World Tree burst forth from the soil, scattering sand particles. Slowly, yet with terrifying grandeur, the colossal roots rose toward the heavens. Then, accompanied by a howling tempest, they came crashing down upon the earth with merciless force.
In that brief moment, a wondrous sight beyond imagination unfolded. The undead legion caught directly by the violent roots collapsed as if swallowed by a sandstorm. White bones shattered beyond recognition, putrid flesh crushed and exploded. The sound was vivid and piercing.
Sensing the mortal danger, Kim Jae-beom threw himself aside.
Narrowly evading the root’s assault, Kim Jae-beom’s mind never ceased its calculations. Already pushed to his limits, his consciousness raced with heightened acuity as he formulated his next move. Breathing heavily, he resolved to play his final card.
“Dercan!”
A thunderous cry shook the forest. With his shout, something extraordinary occurred in the air. The atmosphere twisted, and cracks began to form. A black fissure spread with crackling sounds.
A sinister aura emanated from the gap. And slowly, a figure emerged. A warrior clad in a grim skull mask—Dercan himself. In his skeletal hands were gripped twin blades of absolute darkness. A crimson cloak fluttering in the wind evoked the image of blood.
“Attack….”
The voice sounded as if it echoed from a tomb. Before the words had fully settled, Dercan charged toward the World Tree. With heavy, thunderous footfalls, he rushed forward, raising clouds of dust. Emitting a bone-chilling sound and radiating the essence of death.
Whoosh.
A smile flickered across Kim Jae-beom’s lips. It was a keen judgment, one that saw several moves ahead. If I could just endure a little longer, the World Tree would be within my grasp.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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