My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 58

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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 58
Dalikssor was Apep’s subordinate, and Kim Jae-beom was Count Heltema’s subordinate.
If that were the case, and Dalikssor eliminated Kim Jae-beom…
‘It would be an opportunity to prove my loyalty to Lady Apep.’
Moreover, once Kim Jae-beom was dead, I might reclaim the power I’d stolen from the Snake of Ammu.
‘Those outsiders have no idea.’
They wandered through this world like tourists, resurrecting the next day even after death. They often acted as though death were merely an inconvenience, as if any power they once gained would never slip from their grasp again.
‘But this power is different.’
Had one glimpsed into Dalikssor’s mind, they would have been astounded by the calculations running through Kim Jae-beom’s consciousness—calculations worthy of Evern’s AI.
In other words.
―Crash! Crash-crash-crash!
Even against Kim Jae-beom, who was buffed to the maximum, Dalikssor still had room to spare.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
Dalikssor spoke thus, subtly adjusting his greatsword to a lower grip.
―Whoosh!
A lower grip meant the center of gravity would make the weight far more burdensome to lift, but a demon of Dalikssor’s caliber could wield a greatsword however he pleased.
‘At this distance!’
―Clang!
However, Dalikssor’s attack pathetically cut through empty air. Kim Jae-beom had leaped backward far more dramatically than usual, evading with ease.
“Indeed, it’s no wonder you’re Count Heltema’s subordinate.”
Kim Jae-beom did not answer Dalikssor’s words.
* * *
“Indeed, it’s no wonder you’re Count Heltema’s subordinate.”
‘What is he talking about?’
It seemed Dalikssor continued to misunderstand me.
Unlike Dalikssor, I was no mere subordinate of Count Heltema.
If anything, I could be called his successor.
Of course, I had no intention of correcting that misunderstanding.
―Screech!
―Crash!
Besides, I had no leisure to correct it.
Dalikssor’s greatsword came down relentlessly.
―Clatter.
I gripped my steel staff low, retreating or blocking with minimal effort, neither counterattacking nor pressing forward aggressively.
My stance was as though I were waiting for something. My steel staff trembled faintly in the position most suited for defense.
“Why do you hesitate? You were so confident when you gained that power.”
Dalikssor sneered as he watched my demeanor shift dramatically from the aggressive posture with which I’d charged into the Barrier Space.
His eyes gleamed with contempt and suspicion alike. The hand gripping his massive greatsword still channeled tremendous power, and the aura of Ammu enveloping him grew steadily denser.
He appeared to mock me, yet―
‘There’s a trap.’
From Dalikssor’s perspective—from anyone’s perspective, really—Kim Jae-beom showed no signs of fear or panic. If that were the case, I needed to discern his true objective.
“Hah!”
Dalikssor continued his assault without pause, his mind working through the possibilities.
―Ugh….
Dercan and Arulan lay embedded in the ground below. My Ammu aura enveloped them completely, making regeneration impossible.
Shattered bone fragments scattered across the arena, consumed entirely by the black energy that left no trace of vitality.
If Kim Jae-beom was waiting for their regeneration, it would be a futile vigil.
‘How disappointing, if that’s your gambit, Count Heltema’s lackey.’
I could have obliterated Dercan and Arulan completely—reduced their bones to powder and been done with it.
But I chose not to. If Kim Jae-beom’s attention wavered toward them, that would be my opening for a decisive strike. Rather than destroy them outright, shaking his resolve would prove far more effective—so I deliberately held back.
‘Or perhaps….’
Another possibility occurred to me. He might be waiting for my transformation to expire. This form was undeniably more powerful than my usual state, and eventually it would fade. All power had its limits, after all.
‘But that too is a fool’s hope.’
As Kim Jae-beom himself had said, I couldn’t maintain this transformation forever. Yet I could sustain it for at least a day without difficulty.
With some strain, even longer was possible. A battle of this caliber wouldn’t drain my transformation. Besides, within this Barrier Space, my power consumption was minimal. This realm was entirely my domain.
I was certain that whatever Kim Jae-beom’s reasoning—whether waiting for Dercan and Arulan’s regeneration or for my transformation to collapse—it was all a miscalculation. Either choice would yield the same result.
“Go ahead and cling to your false hopes.”
Yet I remained vigilant. Calculating the remaining strength within myself and within Dercan, I pressed forward with savage ferocity, but with absolute clarity of mind.
“Kugh!”
Time passed. Then, suddenly, Kim Jae-beom’s stance crumbled.
“Hnngh!”
Seizing the opening, Dalikssor raised his greatsword high. The crimson light within the Barrier Space deepened. The Ammu aura radiating from his body flooded the space entirely. He judged this the moment for his finishing blow.
But at that very instant.
―Kiiiieeek!
A sharp, piercing sound suddenly erupted from one section of the Barrier. Like glass fracturing, a hairline crack began spreading through the space saturated with Dalikssor’s aura.
“Impossible…?”
Dalikssor’s eyes widened. He stared in disbelief at the trembling Barrier. Cracks forming in a space of his own creation—it should have been impossible.
A faint smile played at the corners of Kim Jae-beom’s mouth. Everything had gone according to plan.
“How dare you damage my Barrier!”
Dalikssor’s voice rang out in fury. The cracks spread wider and wider.
His thoughts raced. Regrettably, Count Heltema’s power could erode Apep’s power.
Of course, with an overwhelming difference in strength, such matchups could be ignored. Destroying the opponent before they could erode everything would suffice.
But if the goal was merely to bore a tiny hole in a corner of the Barrier…
‘That’s what he was aiming for!’
Dalikssor’s thought completed, and he cursed sharply.
It was his fatal mistake.
“I should have destroyed Dercan and Arulan while I had the chance to think.”
―Kiiiiiing!
Dalikssor’s eyes snapped toward Dercan and Arulan, but Kim Jae-beom was already standing before them. From the crack in the Barrier, an increasingly deafening sound began to resonate.
―Clang!
At last, the Barrier shattered with a sound like breaking glass.
“Ugh!”
The moment the spatial field sustaining Dalikssor’s transformation vanished, his power began to plummet catastrophically.
“How could I… make such a mistake!”
Even Kim Jae-beom’s final words had been part of the calculation. The instant the Barrier began to crack, I should have destroyed Dercan and Arulan exactly as he’d instructed—but….
‘I should have released the transformation immediately!’
Against my will, the transformation began to unravel. That proved catastrophic.
Releasing the transformation by my own volition and having it forcibly stripped away were entirely different matters.
“Gaaahhhhh!”
My entire body convulsed and shriveled irregularly.
The enlarged horns twisted and lost their balance, taking on a pathetic form. Though I was attempting to release the transformation of my own accord, even belatedly, agony surged through every fiber of my being as all my strength drained away.
I had become far more wretched than before the transformation.
Moreover, simultaneously, the aura of Ammu enveloping Dercan and Arulan weakened. The bones of the two Skeleton Soldiers began rapidly realigning themselves.
“You… wretched… bastards!”
However, there remained considerable time before Dercan and Arulan could fully regenerate. And if one looked closely, the crimson aura pouring from Kim Jae-beom’s entire body had also begun to fade.
If I could eliminate Kim Jae-beom before the Skeleton Soldiers fully regenerated….
―Boom!
―Whoosh!
―Crash!
“Gaaahhhhh!”
My thoughts were severed by a barrage of magic and arrows. These were spells I could not withstand in my pathetically weakened state, still reeling from the transformation release penalty.
“We’ve been waiting for this!”
The Players surrounding the Barrier launched their assault in unison.
From the beginning, Kim Jae-beom’s true objective wasn’t the transformation release itself. If I regained my senses quickly enough, I might have avoided damage from that alone.
But what was certain was that the elite members of the White Guild and Black Guild had been waiting!
“Holy Strike!”
Aran swung his blade from behind Dalikssor. The sword, wreathed in crimson energy, carved deep into my back.
“Spell Chain—Quadruple Spear!”
A torrent of mage attacks descended upon me. Spells of every attribute rained down.
“Ugh…!”
I felt my strength draining away as I resisted desperately. But it was already too late.
―Master.
Dercan, having completed his full regeneration, positioned himself before Dalikssor.
―Rot and crumble.
Arulan’s curse descended upon Dalikssor. Black mist enveloped his body, spreading the miasma of decay.
“You insignificant worms…!”
Dalikssor gathered his remaining strength and swung his greatsword. But his attacks no longer carried any lethal force.
“The finishing blow…!”
Kim Jae-beom channeled the last vestiges of his fading crimson aura into his steel staff and brought it crashing down upon Dalikssor’s horns.
―Crack!
“Krraaaagh!”
Dalikssor screamed and stumbled backward. Ammu poured endlessly from his shattered horn.
“Apep… ma’am.”
Dalikssor muttered in disbelief. He seemed unable to accept the very fact that he had been defeated by such insignificant creatures.
If only he had fought without setting up that Barrier. If only….
“Fall.”
Kim Jae-beom declared as he brought down the remaining left horn.
“I know what you’re thinking… but no matter what you did, I would have won.”
Dalikssor opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.
The defeated had no right to speak further.
―Ding!
[World Message: You have defeated Dalikssor for the first time!]
The players of the Subjugation Force erupted in cheers. They had toppled a Demon Realm boss for the first time.
Moreover, the messages were far from over.
―Ding ding!
[You have defeated the demon Dalikssor.]
[Achievement: Demon Slayer has been unlocked.]
[Your exceptional performance during the subjugation has evolved your Achievement.]
[Achievement: Leader of Demon Subjugation has been unlocked.]
[Through the Achievement’s effect, you can now wield Ammu.]
For me, it was especially significant.
Though Aran had performed brilliantly before, it seemed the decisive factor was the damage I dealt while shattering the Barrier.
‘Ammu? Could it be that aura Dalikssor wielded?’
―Ding ding!
Yet the messages continued. This was the longest one yet.
[The Overlord’s power absorbs Ammu!]
[Skill Acquired: Overlord’s Aura!]
At last, the moment had come—the power I wielded was crystallizing into a concrete skill.

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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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