My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 57

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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 57
“Then… shall I reclaim Apep’s power?”
―A flinch.
Until now, he’d shown no sign of knowing, but the moment we were trapped in the barrier and stepped beyond the other players’ sight, it became clear he’d known all along.
“…What are you talking about? Apep?”
And so Kim Jae-beom decided to play dumb for now.
“…Stop the act. You’re harboring the power of the Snake of Ammu, who was Apep’s loyal servant. There’s no point pretending.”
Come to think of it, even though Apep had been driven away, she wasn’t dead, so it wasn’t strange that Dalikssor would know about it.
‘Besides, that quest itself was a hidden quest.’
“Right, so you’re saying you’re one of Apep’s servants too? Like that snake?”
“Indeed. The Snake of Ammu that was absorbed into you was my dear friend.”
From his tone, it seemed that snake was even on equal footing with Dalikssor.
That was when it happened.
[You have successfully completed the quest.]
[You perceive the hidden truth.]
[You perceive the true nature of the Overlord and Apep’s power.]
At the same moment, dozens, hundreds of fragmented images pierced into my mind.
‘I was almost certain, but…’
Dalikssor was one of Apep’s servants, and therefore one of Ammu’s members. Not merely a demon, but…
‘Then, does he have a connection to the Shadow Region as well?’
The images were fleeting, so I couldn’t be certain, but there seemed to be at least some connection. And as I turned my gaze, the sight before me came into focus once more.
Dalikssor laughed, radiating dark energy. Within a space similar to Apep’s but with slightly lower density, his demonic power was drawn to its maximum.
Vivid crimson vital force bloomed from his entire body, engulfing the surroundings.
―Shhhhk!
As Dalikssor extended his hand, dark energy swirled into a vortex.
Suffocating terror and despair spread like a tremor.
Jet-black mist formed in his grasp, attempting to swallow me whole.
―Grrrrgh…!
“Come now, let’s see…”
A demon’s hand reached toward me from within the mist.
“Show me the power that resisted Apep!”
―Shk! Shk! Shk!
Dalikssor slowly raised an enormous greatsword.
From the blade flowed an eerie crimson light as if it had tasted blood. The blade, wrapped in dark energy, gleamed in the moonlight.
―Whoooosh!
The sword’s tip, soaring as if to split the heavens, was aimed directly at me.
“Or perhaps… you cannot use that power from back then again?”
I’d wondered why he was so confident facing someone who’d defeated his master, but it seemed he already knew that it wasn’t my own strength that had defeated Apep.
―Fuuuuoooosh!
With a resonant cry, the greatsword fell downward.
A powerful strike cleaved through the air in a brilliant flash, the blade’s momentum overwhelming as it surged forward from the ground.
The instant Dalikssor’s greatsword descended toward Kim Jae-beom, something unexpected occurred.
“!”
―Screech… screech!
A deafening metallic shriek erupted as the greatsword was forced back. The blade collided with something else and recoiled.
―A minion….
Standing before Kim Jae-beom was none other than Dercan.
“What…?!”
Shock flashed across Dalikssor’s face. He quickly regained his composure and attempted to crush Dercan, but—
―Silver… minions against minions.
As the blood-red aura radiating from Dercan’s body caused the greatsword to yield slightly, Dalikssor lost his balance and staggered.
―Clang! Clang!
Dercan’s twin blades clashed against Dalikssor’s greatsword.
The two weapons collided violently, sending sparks cascading through the air.
A tense equilibrium hung between them as they pushed against each other.
Dalikssor gritted his teeth and poured more strength into his strike.
He was determined to overcome Dercan and land a decisive blow on Kim Jae-beom.
Yet Dercan refused to yield.
―Boom!
At that moment, a black sphere hurtled toward Dalikssor’s face.
Arulan extended his hand, unleashing his magic. The explosion detonated in a blinding flash before Dalikssor’s eyes.
―Correct, indeed.
“Gaaaahhh!”
Dalikssor shrieked in agony.
Clutching his eyes, he staggered backward.
Arulan’s attack left him disoriented and reeling.
―Boom!
Dercan seized the moment and pressed forward with all his might. After a violent collision of forces, Dalikssor was driven back.
The unbalanced demon retreated, stumbling.
Yet what struck harder than the physical impact was what they had said.
“How dare you—comparing me to minions like you….”
Dalikssor readjusted his grip on his greatsword.
“Are you saying Apep and that whelp are the same rank as me?!”
A furious growl rumbled from Dalikssor’s throat.
But Dercan and Arulan paid no heed to whatever Dalikssor was snarling and charged forward again.
The tide of battle had shifted.
Though Dalikssor’s strength far exceeded the combined power of the three, the Overlord’s aura—the source of Dalikssor’s power—held a natural advantage over Ammu.
As Dercan, Arulan, and Kim Jae-beom pressed their assault together, the battle unfolded far more evenly than anticipated.
Dercan took the vanguard of the combat.
He wielded his twin blades with magnificent authority, summoning gales with each sweep.
A sharp blade sliced through the air like lightning.
—Shwiiing!
Arulan raised his hand from behind.
He chanted a spell of death, drawing mana toward himself.
Pitch-black mist swirled around him in a vortex.
—Boom!
As Arulan unleashed his incantation, a blood-red aura shot toward Dercan.
The power of the buff spell blazed with brilliant light, enveloping Dercan’s body.
The absorbed mana caused Dercan’s strength to surge explosively.
—Grrrrgh…!
Blood-red energy erupted from Dercan’s form.
The Overlord’s power, merged with Arulan’s buff magic, wrapped around his entire being.
The immense force coursing through him made his eyes blaze with intensity.
—Crash! Crash!
Dalikssor’s and Dercan’s weapons collided.
A deafening metallic ring erupted, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
Concrete shattered and the earth trembled.
Kim Jae-beom stood at the center of it all.
Sometimes he strengthened Dercan and Arulan with blood-red energy that transcended normal skills, and sometimes he wielded his steel staff directly, striking at the openings Dalikssor exposed.
Finally, Dalikssor began to be pushed back steadily.
Deep wounds opened across his arms and legs, blood pouring forth.
“Ugh…!”
Dalikssor gasped in agony.
Shock was evident on his face at this unexpected strength.
—Shwik! Shwik!
Moreover, their attacks grew fiercer by the moment. Though this was Dalikssor’s domain, the blood-red aura was gradually consuming the space itself.
With each inch of space consumed, Dalikssor’s momentum weakened while the three’s power surged ever higher.
—Boom! Screech!
Dalikssor’s skin was torn by the blades, flesh ripping away.
His body burned terribly as fresh blood erupted from the wounds.
He staggered under the relentless barrage of attacks, barely able to withstand them.
“Aaaaaargh!!! How dare you! How dare you worms struggle with borrowed power!”
A roar tore from Dalikssor’s mouth.
With an ear-splitting shriek, tremendous power exploded from his body.
—Boom… boom boom…!
The blood-red aura that had half-consumed the space retreated, and black energy began dominating the domain once more.
Horns began sprouting from Dalikssor’s face.
Black mist flowed endlessly from the horns.
—Boom! Boom!
Intense energy exploded from Dalikssor’s body.
A crimson dark light blazed across his entire body, wrapping around him like a shroud.
“Hahahaha! You’re delusional!”
Dalikssor laughed mockingly as he swung both arms wide.
Following his movement, the two skeletal soldiers were hurled into the air. A powerful force, as if kicked by his legs, sent them flying far away.
―Thud! Thud!
Dercan and Arulan crashed into the ground with brutal force. The sound of bones shattering echoed from the impact.
“A desperation pattern! If he could use this power from the start, he would have unleashed it long ago!”
Kim Jae-beom emanated a crimson aura from his body once more, reinvigorating the two skeletal soldiers.
However.
―…!
Dercan, embedded in the ground, let out a groan.
Broken bones protruded starkly through the gaps in his shattered armor.
The skeletal frame lay scattered and crushed, creating a horrific sight.
One forearm bone was fractured, with sharp fragments jutting out. The shoulder blade was shattered into pieces, scattered in all directions.
Even the leg bones were twisted grotesquely, making their original form nearly unrecognizable.
―….
Arulan, collapsed on the opposite side, was in no better condition.
Crushed ribs protruded sharply through the tattered remnants of his robes.
The ribs that should have protected his lungs were completely shattered and gone.
Part of his skull was fractured, his right eye socket now empty of light, and his broken jaw hung slack.
A faint regenerative aura could be sensed, but it was far beyond what could be resolved in the short term.
―Hisssss.
Moreover, black mist enveloped their bodies, actively hindering their regeneration.
“As you said, this isn’t power I can use indefinitely….”
Dalikssor smiled with contempt.
“But against trash like you, I don’t need to sustain it for long.”
“…This is completely hopeless.”
In truth, until now, it should have been other players calling this a lost cause. Kim Jae-beom, barely level 21—or rather, level 22 after defeating the Ogre—was fighting Dalikssor, whose estimated level was over 80.
No matter how much the White Guild and Black Guild had weakened him through their wheel-turn strategy, or how favorable the matchup was for Kim Jae-beom, the fact that this battle was even happening was absurd.
And yet.
“Good, it’s been a while. This sensation.”
As an Overlord, I had always fought alongside skeletal soldiers….
―Shiiiiik.
The crimson aura pouring from my body now concentrated entirely around me.
“I’ve always preferred fighting solo, after all.”
[Count Heltema’s soul resonates with Dalikssor’s power.]
―Flinch.
Dalikssor stumbled back in surprise at that aura. The opponent before him was clearly just a bothersome brat….
‘That aura… it’s from that Count?’
Until now, what Kim Jae-beom had been emanating was the aura of an Overlord. Count Heltema was also an Overlord, but there was a distinct difference between my aura and Count Heltema’s.
Yet the aura emanating from Kim Jae-beom now was….
‘No, no. Count Heltema hasn’t fully awakened.’
It was Count Heltema who had defeated Apep not long ago. There was no way such a being could emerge so frequently.
His conjecture was correct. But….
[You sense the power of Count Heltema’s soul.]
[Vitality temporarily increases by 20.]
[Mana temporarily increases by 10.]
[Strength temporarily increases by 25.]
[Agility temporarily increases by 21.]
Yet even so, the situation before his eyes was far from favorable.
Dalikssor gritted his teeth and drew the full power of Ammu into his greatsword.
‘Those soldiers said it was a clash between minions, didn’t they?’
If that referred to Kim Jae-beom and Dalikssor.
“Perhaps they were right after all.”
At last, a blood-red aura shot forth toward Ammu.

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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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