My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 242
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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 242
The Water Spirits hovered briefly in the air, observing their surroundings. Their gaze fixed upon the Demon Players atop the Castle Wall.
The Chief Mage raised his staff high and cried out.
“Water Spirits! Sweep away the dark entities that have invaded this land!”
With his cry, the Water Spirits began to move in unison. Like gentle ripples across the void, they surged rapidly toward the Castle Wall.
The Demon Players atop the Castle Wall, witnessing this new threat, assumed defensive positions. Some immediately prepared their magic, while others drew their weapons. Yet lacking experience against Water Spirits, they did not comprehend how perilous these beings truly were.
The first Water Spirit reached the Castle Wall. Without hesitation, it charged toward the nearest Demon Player. The Demon swung his blade to cut down the Spirit, but the sword passed through the water as if cleaving liquid, inflicting no damage whatsoever.
However, the moment the Spirit’s hand touched the Demon’s chest, a remarkable phenomenon occurred. Light mingling sacred and demonic power rapidly dimmed from the Demon’s body. It was as if water extinguishing flame—the Spirit’s touch was neutralizing the Demon’s strength.
The Demon screamed. As his body weakened rapidly, he no longer possessed the strength to stand. The Spirit gripped him more forcefully, and the Demon’s form grew increasingly transparent before finally logging out.
The other Demon Players witnessing this sight fell into shock. They had long considered themselves nearly invincible, yet before the Water Spirits they were utterly powerless.
The other Spirits dispersed across the Castle Wall, launching attacks upon the Demons. Their assault methods were varied. Some Spirits conjured whips of water to strike Demons from afar, while others employed water jets to repel multiple Demons at once. Still others manipulated the moisture in the air around the Demons, obstructing their breathing.
The Demon Players responded desperately. They attempted diverse attacks—fire magic, shadow magic, and more—but most were absorbed or evaporated by the Spirits’ water-based forms. Physical attacks proved equally ineffective. Sharp claws and fangs passed through water without inflicting substantial harm upon the Spirits.
The Demonized Griffins too were overwhelmed by the Spirits. Their powerful wingbeats and claw attacks had no effect upon the Water Spirits. Rather, the Spirits filled the Griffins’ wings with water to weigh them down, or flooded their respiratory systems to impede flight.
Across the entire Castle Wall, one-sided slaughter was unfolding. The Demon Players fell one by one, their numbers dwindling rapidly.
The advantage they had maintained until now reversed in an instant.
The Demon Players logged out one after another under the Water Spirits’ assault, their numbers steadily decreasing. Their abilities—once a hybrid of formidable demonic and sacred power—proved useless before the pure force of the elements.
From the Upper Deck, I watched this entire spectacle unfold, my eyes narrowing. I fell silent for a moment, analyzing the situation. The Water Spirits were an unforeseen variable. My fingers moved slowly as if calculating something in the air.
I opened my mouth leisurely.
“This won’t do.”
The Demon Players around me turned their gazes toward me. Unease flickered in their eyes.
I slowly rose to my feet.
The dawn sunlight behind me emphasized my silhouette. I flexed my fingers for a moment before continuing.
“I’ll have to summon Volcano.”
The eyes of the Demon Players around me widened. The word “Volcano” was utterly unfamiliar to them.
I slowly extended my right hand toward the empty air. A red glow began to gather in my palm. At first it was merely a small spark, but in an instant it transformed into roaring flames. The fire did not stop at my hand but grew increasingly intense, heating the surrounding air.
When my hand fully opened, the flames expanded explosively. Beams of light pierced through the clouds, reaching higher and farther. Then they suddenly stopped. The flames hung suspended at a single point in the void.
That was when it happened.
A strange phenomenon began to occur at the point where the flames had halted. At first, a subtle tremor was detected.
The very air itself seemed to shudder. Soon the vibration grew stronger, transforming into visible waves.
A massive fissure began to form in the empty sky. Initially no larger than a finger’s length, it rapidly expanded to the width of an arm, then to human height, and finally to the size of a house.
Intense red light seeped through the cracks. The temperature of the surrounding air rose sharply.
As the fissure opened completely, something began to move within. First, what resembled an enormous claw grasped the fissure’s edge. It appeared to be fashioned from black basalt, yet molten lava flowed through its crevices. As the claw firmly gripped the fissure’s edge, it wrenched it open with tremendous force.
Then a magnificent head emerged through the fissure into this world. It was a head shaped like a volcano. Its crown was pointed like a mountain peak, its face composed of hardened lava, and its two eye sockets resembled deep craters.
Next, a colossal body revealed itself through the fissure. It was a creature shaped like a volcano, yet possessed four powerful legs. Each leg was like a massive column, and its feet were boulders through which lava flowed. Along its back were several smaller craters, ceaselessly belching smoke and flames.
The Volcano Monster’s size was overwhelming. Its height reached three times that of the Castle Wall, and its width could cover an entire small village. The ground trembled faintly beneath its weight, and each step it took caused minor earthquakes.
As the Volcano Monster fully crossed into this world, it raised its head and roared toward the sky. The sound was louder than thunder, striking the ears like a volcanic eruption. With the roar, lava spewed from its mouth, transforming into small flames in midair that scattered in all directions.
“Volcano, it’s been a while.”
I spoke toward the Volcano Monster.
The Volcano Monster’s eye sockets turned toward me. It gazed at me for a moment, then lowered its head in a gesture of respect.
“The Water Spirits are interfering with us. Summon your subordinates and deal with them.”
At Kim Jae-beom’s command, the Volcano Monster roared once more, a sound that shook the very air. This time, every crater along its back activated simultaneously. Lava and volcanic ash erupted explosively from the fissures, shooting skyward in a magnificent display of primal force.
As the molten masses arced through the air, they began to transform. Taking shape mid-flight, they coalesced into small living entities—miniature versions of the Volcano Monster itself, yet far more agile and nimble. Each stood roughly human-sized, their bodies forged from hardened lava, with crimson magma flowing through the joints where their limbs met.
Hundreds of diminutive Volcano Spirits rained down like a deluge from the heavens. The moment they struck the ground, they surged forward in unison toward the Water Spirits. Their movements were swift and decisive, leaving scorched earth and blackened trails in their wake.
The first Volcano Spirit collided with a Water Spirit. Intense heat radiated from the creature’s body, directly assailing its aqueous opponent. Portions of the Water Spirit began to evaporate instantly, its form growing unstable and fragmented.
The Water Spirit fought back with desperation. Gathering its essence, it unleashed a torrent of water toward the Volcano Spirit. Where the stream made contact, steam erupted violently, and the Volcano Spirit’s surface began to harden and cool. Yet the creature intensified the heat roiling within itself, melting away the solidified crust as quickly as it formed.
The Water Spirits adapted with strategies of their own. Working in concert, they constructed massive barriers of water to deflect the Volcano Spirits’ assault, while others fashioned spears of crystallized liquid to pierce through their foes. Most effective of all were the whirlpools they conjured—spiraling vortices that trapped the Volcano Spirits within, gradually sapping their heat and strength.
The battle between these two elemental forces captivated all who witnessed it. It was as though nature itself had split into warring halves. Wherever flame met water, steam billowed forth, shrouding the Battlefield in thick mist. The advantage shifted constantly—now the Volcano Spirits pressed forward, now the Water Spirits gained the upper hand.
The Volcano Monster itself joined the fray directly. Its colossal feet crashed down upon the earth, triggering tremors that shattered the Water Spirits’ footing and balance. From its maw flowed rivers of molten lava, cascading toward the concentrations of Water Spirits with relentless purpose.
The Mages found themselves caught off guard by this unforeseen turn. They attempted to channel greater reserves of mana into their Water Spirits, yet the Volcano’s oppressive heat interfered with their very spellcraft. As moisture in the air evaporated rapidly, the efficiency of their water-based magic plummeted dramatically.
Kim Jae-beom gazed down upon the entire spectacle with a satisfied smile. Perched upon the Volcano Monster’s broad shoulders, I commanded a panoramic view of the Battlefield and could issue orders as needed. The creature’s radiating heat enveloped me, yet it posed no threat—my will and the beast’s were one.
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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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