My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 199

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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 199
The sunset sank slowly beyond the horizon. The sky blazed with an intense palette of crimson and gold intermingled. Yet beneath that beauty, the essence of darkness deepened with each passing moment.
Shadows blanketed the land so densely that one could scarcely see a hand’s breadth ahead. Beneath the pitch-black night sky, only profound silence flowed.
Tap… tap… tap.
Breaking through that stillness, a solitary figure approached from the distant darkness. Pure white metal radiated a mystical silver luminescence, illuminating the surroundings.
The intricate patterns and exquisite carvings adorning the armor suggested its wearer possessed noble standing. A massive greatsword was mounted upon the knight’s back, pulsing with ominous presence. The colossal blade concealed within its sheath was sufficiently terrifying in itself.
“Haah.”
The knight clad in white armor advanced with deliberate, measured steps. Exhaustion was evident in every movement. Sweat-dampened hair clung to his forehead, and perspiration dripped from the gaps in his armor, trailing down his gaunt cheeks.
He had clearly traveled an immense distance. Fatigue cast shadows across his weathered face.
Barcode, the armored knight, gazed upon the spectacle unfolding before me. Pausing briefly, I steadied my breathing and observed the landscape before my eyes.
It was scarcely believable as the Aderan Kingdom. The lush forests and grasslands had vanished without trace. In their stead, a black castle wall cast a colossal shadow.
The fortress, constructed from pitch-black stone, loomed with oppressive majesty, piercing the heavens. Jagged spires jutted forth in sinister prominence.
“This is no jest.”
Upon the castle’s fluttering banners, crimson-stained emblems were etched with clarity. A skull twisted in agony, serpents writhing in torment, the grasping hand of darkness itself.
“Magnificent.”
Gazing upward at the colossal fortress of death, I exhaled in admiration.
Though an enemy stronghold, I could not deny the awesome majesty wrought by tremendous power. Within its sinister visage lay an undeniable beauty and perfection.
Boom.
As I stood entranced in contemplation, a weighty resonance echoed forth, and the castle gate began to slowly open. The sound reverberating from the ponderous iron doors was sufficient to make the earth itself tremble.
As the gate swung wide, a crimson aura seeped through the widening gap. A blood-red luminescence flashed brilliantly, bathing the surroundings for an instant before fading. From the darkness emerged the measured clank of footsteps drawing gradually nearer.
With an eerie sound, two skeletal forms emerged from within the castle gate. Undead soldiers clad in corroded armor. Their bone-white frames were covered in moss, and the sight of insects crawling across them inspired revulsion.
Their hollow eye sockets fixed upon me. Wherever their gaze fell, the air seemed to grow cold. In their bone-fragment hands, they gripped blood-stained swords and spears.
I smiled toward the soldiers of death. My voice emerged calm and measured.
“Will you guide me?”
The skeletal soldiers nodded with sharp, clicking sounds. The eerie clatter of bone striking bone echoed forth.
Suddenly, I strode forward with purposeful steps toward the castle gate.
I crossed the threshold. Cold air struck my face, yet the white-armored knight remained unmoved.
Beyond the gate, an even more grotesque spectacle unfolded. The kingdom had already transformed into a realm of death. Countless undead shambled through the endless darkness. From zombie soldiers bearing decaying flesh to skeletal archers composed of bare bone, diverse creatures of death filled the streets.
In one corner, an Ogre bound in rusted chains prowled and snarled. All semblance of its former self had vanished.
Upon the roadside lay the corpse of a colossal Giant Scorpion.
Traversing the space between these monstrosities, I murmured to myself.
“When did my master acquire such things…?”
My voice carried genuine admiration.
The legion of death arrayed before my eyes exceeded all imagination. The sight of countless undead arrayed in formation stirred an inexplicable sense of beauty.
I gazed upon them with gleaming eyes.
At that moment, the skeletal soldiers standing beside me stepped forward with sharp clicking sounds. They slowly turned their bodies and pointed toward the royal palace. My gaze followed their indication.
Rising from the darkness stood a colossal fortress. The tower constructed from pitch-black stone reached skyward with tremendous height. Sinister sculptures adorned the castle walls at regular intervals.
And atop its peak burned a massive crimson sphere, blazing with fierce intensity.
In that instant, my throat constricted.
I swallowed hard, gazing upward at the fortress. By pure instinct, I sensed that Kim Jae-beom awaited within.
Two skeletal soldiers led the way into the Fortress. Barcode hesitated for a moment before following in their wake.
As he passed through the eerie Corridor, a magnificent Grand Hall revealed itself. The ceiling soared so high it made his eyes water, and the floor, carpeted in crimson, stretched endlessly before him.
Dozens of undead lined the space in formation. Those crowned with pointed hats atop their bleached skulls had clearly once been the kingdom’s wisest sages.
Barcode advanced toward them with measured steps. As he approached, the undead mages surged forward and bowed their heads—a posture of absolute obedience to their master.
Barcode’s jaw dropped at the astonishing sight, and he let out a gasp of admiration.
“Undead mages…”
The procession of undead guiding Barcode resumed its movement. The knight crossed the Grand Hall, surrounded by legions of the dead.
* * *
Encircled by undead mages, Barcode ascended the Staircase toward the Fortress’s summit with slow but deliberate steps.
“Ugh!”
The air hung thick and humid, saturated with a putrid stench that choked the breath—the reek of decomposing corpses. Yet Barcode did not falter, pressing onward with unwavering determination.
Having climbed the seemingly endless Spiral Staircase, Barcode reached the Tower’s peak. Before him loomed an immense door, emanating an eerie aura from within the abyssal darkness.
Its surface, layered with heavy welded metal, was covered entirely in grotesque inscriptions.
The undead mages who had escorted Barcode to the door’s threshold stood motionless, as if hesitant. They bowed deeply from their unnaturally twisted waists in salute, then shuffled away into the shadows one by one.
Their tattered, decaying robes billowed as they dissolved into the darkness.
Once silence reclaimed the space, Barcode exhaled deeply and murmured to himself.
“This is absolutely incredible…”
As Barcode’s eyes followed the procession of death created by the undead mages, he retrieved a bundle of keys from his pocket.
In the hushed chamber, Barcode’s gaze remained fixed solely on the door.
Without hesitation, he reached out and pushed the door open. It swung inward with a prolonged, resonant groan.
In that instant, a blinding flash erupted, revealing an unbelievable sight. Within an enormous Grand Hall, hundreds of crimson spheres hung suspended in the air, burning with fierce intensity.
A grotesque aura enveloped the spheres, swirling in vortices around them.
Barcode involuntarily held his breath at the oppressive spectacle. Cold sweat trickled down his spine as the death-laden energy radiating from the spheres washed over him.
‘If I were hit by something like that, would I just… melt away…?’
He muttered the thought inwardly, his gaze locked firmly on the crimson spheres. They were undoubtedly crystallized manifestations of Kim Jae-beom’s power.
They were far more than mere masses of magical energy.
“Hnngh.”
After a long and arduous journey through the darkness, he finally reached the depths of the Grand Hall’s interior.
And the moment he lifted his gaze, Barcode’s eyes widened in shock.
At the center of the Grand Hall stood a colossal throne radiating both majesty and dread. Before its overwhelming presence, Barcode swallowed hard.
“Hm.”
And his eyes met those of Kim Jae-beom, seated upon the throne.
“I have arrived.”
Barcode spoke first.
At his words, Kim Jae-beom slowly opened his eyes.
Kim Jae-beom regarded Barcode with a piercing gaze, then curved his lips into a cold smirk.
“What is this? Why did it take you so long?”
Kim Jae-beom’s voice resonated through the Grand Hall.
“I had some trouble sneaking away from the Guild members.”
Barcode answered with a bitter smile.
“So, what will you do now?”
He asked, gauging Kim Jae-beom’s reaction carefully.
Kim Jae-beom’s power—the kind that could overturn the very board of this game. Barcode was consumed with curiosity about what his master intended to accomplish with such overwhelming strength.
With eyes gleaming with anticipation, Barcode gazed up at Kim Jae-beom, who sat upon the throne.

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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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