My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 243

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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 243
The battle between the Volcano Spirits and the Water Spirits seemed balanced at first, but gradually the tide turned in favor of the Volcano. The intense heat continuously weakened the Water Spirits, while the Volcano Spirits drew endless energy from their master, the Volcano Monster.
The Water Spirits began losing their forms one by one. Their bodies grew increasingly transparent until finally they evaporated into the air as steam.
It did not take long for the last Water Spirit to dissipate. Before the overwhelming heat of the Volcano Spirits, the Water Spirits lost their forms one after another. First their limbs evaporated, then their torsos became translucent, and finally even their faces transformed into steam and vanished into the sky.
In the moment the last Water Spirit perished, it reached its hand toward the heavens.
“Uuuugh….”
But before its hand could fully extend, its entire body became transparent and disappeared. All that remained was a faint mist lingering in the air, which was soon scattered by the Volcano’s heat.
With the complete annihilation of the Water Spirits, the Volcano Monster unleashed a triumphant roar.
―Kuuuaaah!
From its crater erupted even more volcanic ash and flames, painting the sky crimson.
The Volcano Monster crouched its body. Intense heat poured forth from its form, causing the surrounding air to shimmer. All the craters along its back activated simultaneously, sending far more lava chunks skyward than before.
The lava chunks ejected into the air transformed into Volcano Spirits as they fell, just as before. But this time their numbers were far greater. Thousands upon thousands of Volcano Spirits—not mere hundreds—rained down from the sky like a deluge.
The newly summoned Volcano Spirits were smaller and more agile than their predecessors. Their size was roughly half that of an adult human, yet their movements were more than twice as swift. Their bodies still consisted of lava, but with far more fissures, through which brighter magma flowed.
The Volcano Spirits moved the instant they touched the ground. Rather than running, they flowed across the earth like lava itself, moving with tremendous speed. The paths they traversed were scorched black, leaving small flames in their wake. They all moved toward a single objective—the Mages gathered in the Central Castle Garden.
The Mages who had summoned the Water Spirits now found themselves in a desperate situation. With their primary weapon—the Water Spirits—completely defeated, their remaining options were few. Some had already begun retreating, while others prepared for a final stand.
The sight of the Volcano Spirits pouring into the garden was overwhelming.
“Hold the line!”
The Mages attempted their final resistance. They raised their staffs high and cast various defensive spells.
But before the sheer numbers and heat of the Volcano Spirits, these defenses crumbled rapidly. Ice evaporated, water became steam, and lightning was absorbed by the volcanic ash.
The morale of the Demon Players watching from atop the Castle Wall surged once more. They felt victory drawing near, thanks to their powerful leader Kim Jae-beom and the Volcano Monster he had summoned.
One Demon Player raised his sword high and cried out.
“Let us join the fray!”
His cry was answered by the other Demon Players. They seized their weapons in unison and leaped from the Castle Wall. Some soared through the air on Demonized Griffins, while others jumped directly and spread their wings mid-fall. Those without wings used magic to slow their descent or simply absorbed the impact with their sturdy legs.
The Demon Players converged on the garden from all directions simultaneously. They merged with the Volcano Spirits, completely encircling the Mages.
The Mages maintained a circular formation, attempting to face the enemies approaching from all sides. They stood back-to-back, casting their final spells with their staffs. Streams of blue light extended in all directions, but they proved ineffective against the overwhelming numbers of Demons and Volcano Spirits.
The first Volcano Spirit broke through the Mages’ defensive line. Without hesitation, it seized a Magician’s robe. The moment the Volcano Spirit’s scorching body made contact, the robe burst into flames.
Other Volcano Spirits poured through the breach in succession. They surrounded the Mages, drawing ever closer. As the heat intensified, the Mages’ resistance weakened. Their robes burned from the edges, and the blue gems embedded in their staffs lost their radiance.
“Aaaaah!”
One Magician was completely engulfed in the Volcano Spirit’s flames. His robe ignited instantly, and he screamed as he collapsed. As his body melted in the inferno, he reached out one last time to his companions for aid, but they too were already in similar straits.
Another Magician was pierced by a Demon Player’s blade. As the sword passed through his chest, his face froze in shock. Blood dripped from his lips, and he slowly fell to his knees. When the Demon Player withdrew the blade, the Magician’s body toppled forward.
As the Mages fell one by one, the circular formation they had maintained crumbled. Now they could only fight individually, hastening their demise. Some fell to the Volcano Spirits’ flames, others to the Demons’ weapons, and still others to both. They were cut down without mercy.
The last Magician was completely
surrounded by Volcano Spirits. He raised his staff high, attempting to cast one final spell. A faint blue light gathered at its tip, but it quickly faded. The Volcano Spirits rushed at him in unison, and he was instantly consumed by flames. His scream echoed briefly through the air before vanishing.
With the complete annihilation of the Mages, the Demon Players and Volcano Spirits erupted in cries of victory. Their voices merged into a single, magnificent resonance that echoed across the entire City. The garden was now filled with the heat of the Volcano Spirits, and the ground was covered in ash and lava left in their wake.
I sat upon the Volcano Monster’s shoulder, gazing down at this entire scene. A smile played across my face, and my eyes gleamed with the joy of victory. I was now ready to seize complete control of the Capital City.
Then it happened.
Thump….
A strange sound echoed from afar. At first it was merely a faint vibration, but gradually its intensity increased, transforming into a distinct mechanical noise. Click-clack, click-clack, thump, thump. It sounded like a massive clockwork mechanism grinding into motion.
The source of the sound was the heart of the Capital City—the Emperor’s Castle. The castle’s main gate began slowly opening. At first it was merely a narrow crack, but gradually the gap widened, revealing what lay within.
As the gate opened fully, a strange object emerged from inside. At first it appeared to be merely a massive mass, but gradually its form became clear.
It was a steampunk war machine forged entirely of gold.
Emblazoned across the machine’s front was the Imperial seal in grand relief—an eagle and dragon intertwined in eternal struggle, a symbol of the Empire’s dominion. Around it, countless sacred runes blazed with ethereal light.
The war machine emerged from the Fortress with thunderous steps. Rather than wheels, it moved upon two colossal treads that churned beneath it. With each rotation, the earth trembled violently, leaving deep gouges carved into the stone floor.
Whirrrrr….
The machine’s cannons swiveled in unison toward them. Golden radiance began charging within each barrel, and steam erupted with intensifying fury.
“Hmm.”
My eyes locked onto the golden war machine.
“At last, the real game begins.”
My voice drifted quietly into the void. The moment I finished speaking, the machine’s cannons unleashed a torrent of brilliant light in a cataclysmic burst.
The searing beam of radiance shot forth from the war machine’s cannons, tearing through the air in an instant toward the Volcano Monster.
KABOOOOOM!!!
Before the beam could strike the Volcano Monster, it detonated mid-air. The blinding flash of golden light scattered in all directions, fragmenting into hundreds of smaller projectiles.
The projectiles dispersed outward, raining down upon the earth. They targeted every concentration of Volcano Monsters, Volcano Spirits, and Demon Players. Each projectile exploded again upon impact, scattering golden shards in all directions.
The Volcano Spirits’ bodies froze instantly where the golden fragments touched them. Their crimson magma transformed in a heartbeat into black stone, utterly inert. Dozens of Volcano Spirits lost their vitality simultaneously, becoming statues of obsidian where they stood.
For the Demon Players, the devastation was far more catastrophic. Each fragment that pierced their forms tore gaping voids through their bodies. This was no mere physical wound—it seemed to annihilate their very life force itself. The intermingled black and golden radiance that had poured from their forms dimmed rapidly, and fractures began spreading outward from each wound.

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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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