My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 56

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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 56
Among the elite players confronting Dalikssor was Aran, yet Dalikssor pressed forward relentlessly, as though such opposition meant nothing to him.
“Surely you’re supposed to defeat at least the ogres before engaging us?”
Kim Jae-beom muttered softly to himself. In Warlord Online, the standard pattern dictated that if a boss summoned minions, the players would dispatch them first before the boss himself deigned to appear.
But Dalikssor, as if dismissing such foolish conventions, had summoned the ogres only to immediately hurl himself at the players.
“…We have to fight that thing?”
The players murmured with exhaustion at the sight. They had barely finished clearing the ogre horde, yet already more than half their forces had suffered casualties.
No—it wasn’t merely half in numbers; those who remained were utterly depleted of both health and mana.
Moreover, the average level of the players on the opposite side was far superior to theirs. Had they not just witnessed that when the power gap was too great, numbers alone became worthless?
Dozens of rational justifications—though in truth mere excuses—flickered through their minds.
Yet.
―Thud!
Without a word, Kim Jae-beom charged toward Dalikssor.
“…Let’s go!”
Ye-jin followed close behind.
“…Charge!”
“We’ve come this far—we finish Dalikssor here!”
At last, the players surged forward in their wake.
* * *
The battle was equally fierce at the front lines. There, a desperate struggle to contain Dalikssor raged with every ounce of strength.
To hold back the demon, they marshaled their full power. The elite members of the White Guild and Black Guild united their efforts, yet it proved futile.
If the power disparity between the ogres and ordinary players in the rear was hopeless, then Dalikssor here was far more dire—possessing not only a catastrophic level advantage but wielding various skills as well.
“Krraaaagh!”
A roar erupted from Dalikssor’s maw, shaking the entire battlefield. The ear-splitting shriek sent chills down the players’ spines. Their eyes, clouded with terror, fixed upon the demon.
―Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Dalikssor swung his colossal greatsword, brilliant light flashed. The blade tore through the air with devastating force. At a speed that seemed to chase the wind itself, the sword bore down upon the players.
―Boom!
Those struck by the blade were sent flying backward in agony. Armor shattered and blood sprayed. Grievously wounded players shrieked and collapsed. The formation crumbled in an instant.
“How are we supposed to defeat that thing?!”
Someone muttered in despair. Merely enduring a single strike from Dalikssor was difficult, and their own attacks seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
Gradually, morale plummeted among the players as dread took hold.
―Crash! Crash!
Yet they could not retreat. To yield even a single step to Dalikssor would mean the collapse of their entire line. Only the top-tier tank and Aran, gritting their teeth and pressing forward, barely maintained the front.
The players, resigned to death, clenched their jaws and raised their weapons. A desperate defense unfolded.
―Whoosh!
The knights of the White Guild stood foremost. Clad in silvered armor emblazoned with golden runes, they met Dalikssor with indomitable resolve. Shield-bearers faced the enemy’s onslaught directly. The demon’s blade struck with a metallic shriek.
―Crash! Bang!
The sorcerers of the Black Guild chanted their incantations. Flames roared and lightning crackled. Darkness swirled in chaotic spirals. Overwhelming magical power engulfed Dalikssor. Thunder and explosive fire erupted skyward.
―Shhhhiiing―
Yet Dalikssor did not flinch. Radiating an aura of absolute darkness, he stood unmoved. No matter how devastating the assault, it was but a gentle breeze to him. His form, shrouded in black mist, stood like an impregnable fortress.
―Crack! Boom!
The attack ricocheted off the black barrier without penetrating it. Magic and physical strikes rendered useless. Before that shield, players collapsed, spewing blood. Dalikssor’s counteroffensive shattered their formation. With each thinning rank, despair deepened.
“This… we really need to retreat, don’t we?”
“We probably need a bigger guild for this.”
“If I die this time, my equipment gets destroyed!”
Panic rippled through the players. Eyes that had gleamed with confidence at the expedition’s start were now corroded by uncertainty.
The White Guild and Black Guild were certainly major guilds, ranking within the top 100. That alone was enough to boast of being among the finest, but compared to the truly colossal guilds in the top 10, they fell considerably short.
“Haa… hah.”
As the battle intensified, the commander of the subjugation force, Aran, was steadily deteriorating.
Aran was one of the few who could actually damage Dalikssor, and the only one who had endured fighting him from nearly the beginning—credentials sufficient for a commander.
Yet that did not make him invincible.
Aran’s form, covered head to toe in wounds, was pitiful.
Torn and shattered fragments of armor barely clung to his body.
The once-radiant white armor had become nothing but rags.
Through holes torn throughout, blood-soaked flesh was exposed, and fresh blood streamed from the gaps between broken plates.
The sword in his hand was equally pathetic.
Deep cracks ran along the blade from blocking Dalikssor’s attacks, and scarcely any luster remained.
This was already the third spare sword he’d drawn, and still it was like this. He had no more blades left.
“Now…”
I had reached my limit.
Stamina, equipment, even the healing support that should have come from those around me—all were insufficient.
My life wasn’t truly in mortal danger.
This was only a game, after all.
Yet the weight of it was not so light simply because it was a game. The White Guild was filled with those who had staked their livelihoods on it. Evern Online had many such people.
If I fell here, White Guild members would plummet several ranks. Beyond the simple death penalty, their reputation would be severely damaged.
―Grrr.
So I ground my teeth.
I was furious.
How long had the Demon Realm been open? This was merely the region’s first hidden boss.
The fact that we couldn’t defeat something so trivial, even with the Black Guild and every user allied together, infuriated me beyond measure.
Then, a user brushed past me.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
And he whispered something in my ear before charging straight at Dalikssor.
“Wait… wait a moment… it’s dangerous!”
I opened my mouth urgently.
Judging by the staff in his hands, he appeared to be a mage—a rear-line user rushing to the front would only risk collapsing our entire formation.
But Kim Jae-beom ignored my warning and continued forward.
―Whoosh!
And finally, when the distance to Dalikssor narrowed to 50 meters.
Tap-tap-tap… tap-tap-tap-tap!
Kim Jae-beom charged toward Dalikssor.
―Whoooosh!
And he swung the steel staff with tremendous force.
* * *
When the distance between Dalikssor and Kim Jae-beom had narrowed to fifty meters, a violent gust erupted from the center of the battlefield.
All eyes turned toward it.
―Tap-tap-tap… Tap-tap-tap-tap!
The sound of footsteps kicking up dust as he surged forward.
―Whoosh! Whoosh!
The steel staff in Kim Jae-beom’s grip tore through the air.
The swinging staff traced a silver arc, flashing with brilliant light.
―Whoooosh!
“Reckless….”
Aran muttered as he watched the spectacle. From his movements, he didn’t appear to be a mage, but even so, a warrior of that caliber would surely be sent flying in a single blow from Dalikssor.
However.
―Crash!!!
Indeed, Dalikssor had blocked the attack with ease.
Kim Jae-beom’s staff collided with Dalikssor’s greatsword and was forced backward by the overwhelming strength.
―Clang!
Yet as the steel staff slipped away, Kim Jae-beom, though driven back and staggering, managed to stay upright.
“W-what?!”
“He withstood it?”
Kim Jae-beom rose to his feet unscathed. A warrior of that level should have lost his life in a single strike.
“Ugh…!”
Kim Jae-beom, barely maintaining his balance, gritted his teeth.
He cared nothing for the reactions around him. His sole objective was to land a blow on Dalikssor.
Dalikssor regarded Kim Jae-beom with eyes filled with contempt.
“Insignificant wretch!”
With a thunderous voice, Dalikssor swung his greatsword.
More than Kim Jae-beom’s frustration, Dalikssor was far more displeased. A pathetic human had withstood his blow.
However.
―Crash!
“Ugh!”
Kim Jae-beom blocked the greatsword once more.
“Support him!”
Only then did the users simultaneously cast buffs on Kim Jae-beom and unleash attacks on Dalikssor. Yet Dalikssor seemed oblivious to the other users’ assaults, his attention fixed on the crimson mist that briefly bloomed from Kim Jae-beom’s body.
“Ho, indeed. So it is that one.”
At those words, countless thoughts flashed through Kim Jae-beom’s mind.
‘Does he remember me from when I was first summoned? Or does he remember Apep’s presence? Which is it?’
“Do you know me?”
“Even if your face changes, I can still recognize you.”
“How amusing.”
Judging by his tone, he seemed to remember our first meeting rather than simply sensing Apep’s aura.
“You know Dalikssor?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Though Dalikssor had been speaking all this time, he’d been monologuing while trampling everything rather than having a real conversation—so the surrounding players began to panic at the sight of him actually engaging in dialogue.
“Hmm. No need to give the other small fries any more information.”
―Whoosh!
A massive barrier suddenly began to spread around Dalikssor and Kim Jae-beom.
―Uuuuuung!
A crimson radiance erupted from Dalikssor’s colossal frame.
A sinister aura infused with demonic power enveloped his entire body.
Scarlet veins stood out starkly against his pitch-black skin.
―Thump! Thump! Thump!
The space surrounding us pulsed like a heartbeat.
It felt as though we had stepped inside the body of a living creature.
―Shiiiiing―
“Wh-what?!”
“Stop it! He’s abducting players!”
The surrounding players unleashed every attack they could muster at the barrier, but it didn’t budge an inch.
The crimson aura intensified further before finally detonating.
A brilliant scarlet wave rippled outward in all directions.
A suffocating malevolent force engulfed the Battlefield.
―Boom! Boom!
The space enveloped by the crimson wave began to distort.
Spatial rifts tore open as if the very fabric of space were being ripped asunder.
―Crack! Crack!
A colossal sphere formed with Dalikssor at its center.
A massive protective dome of crimson energy—a spatial separation that blocked interference and divided the inside from the outside.
―Uuuung… Boom!
A space connected to an entirely different dimension.
Within the barrier created by Dalikssor’s power lay his world.
Those who set foot in the demon’s domain stood at the threshold between life and death.
“Now it is just the two of us.”
Dalikssor gazed into the barrier with an arrogant smile playing at his lips.
His eyes blazed with a hellfire-red radiance. The confidence of absolute power that could drive all to their doom emanated from him. A fierce determination to kill Kim Jae-beom burned in his gaze.
Dalikssor’s crimson eyes laid bare his murderous intent toward Kim Jae-beom.
An intense will to drive him to death blazed from his eyes.
A madness capable of incinerating everything was rising within him.
―Thump! Thump! Thump!
Dalikssor began to slowly advance toward Kim Jae-beom.
With each step, the earth trembled beneath his feet. His colossal frame had grown even more massive than before, radiating an overwhelming presence.

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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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