Trials, and (3)
“Hah...!”
Another ten-shot barrage on top of the first one.
After the skeleton knight that crossed the Jordan following a full Honeybee Punch combo, three more of the bastards showed up.
Since I'd already tangled with them before, I charged right in, slammed my Dragon Claw into its body, and shattered it with another ten shots.
But the last fucker, right before it bit the dust, thrust a dagger at Karura. I tried to block it, and ended up taking the hit in my side instead.
Which is why I'm in this state.
Gasping like my mouth's full of acetone.
“My lord... are you alright...?”
“I'm fine, so don't worry. This'll heal up quick.”
I wasn't fine.
Was the sword rusted to shit? Or coated with something? Or maybe I didn't have the stamina left to regenerate?
The wound in my side from that skeleton knight's dagger was healing way too slowly.
Dizzy as fuck, so it wasn't empty stamina—it had to be something on the blade.
I'm pretty resistant to poison thanks to all the elixirs I've scarfed down—not immune, but tough. For it to hit me this hard, it was some potent shit.
But how the hell could I say I wasn't okay right now?
I had to pretend I was, even if I really fucking wasn't.
Clack, clack.
Clack clack... clack clack.
Clack.
Clack...!
While I was dealing with those three skeleton knights in a row, we'd gotten surrounded again—thicker than any of the skeletons we'd bypassed so far. It made our breakthrough pointless.
And unlike before, I wasn't in decent shape. Stamina and body both trashed to hell.
Clack...!
Clack clack...!
Fucking skeleton knights, and two more had joined the party.
Honeybee Punches left: about thirty shots.
No, if I ignored the side wound and squeezed to my limit, maybe fifty.
With that, I had to take down at least two skeleton knights—each needing ten punches to drop—while smashing through dozens of random skeleton trash mobs at the same time.
This was a death sentence. That's how it felt. But I gritted my teeth.
I reached for my pocket, then realized I didn't have time for that shit. So I asked Karura, cradled in my arms.
“Hey, sorry, but could you grab the candy-like thing from inside my clothes pocket?”
“C-candy...?”
Karura, who'd been dead serious, shot me a suspicious look.
“Quick.”
“R-right.”
She nodded and rummaged in my pocket.
Clack, clack clack!
The skeleton knights weren't waiting—they thrust their swords, teeth clacking, and the trash mobs charged.
“Found it... but what the hell is this for—?”
“Feed it to me!”
“O-okay.”
She reached out and popped the Overdrive Pill into my mouth—Yustitia made it, not exactly for this, but it was the closest thing to an elixir I had that might work.
I chewed it.
Crunch!
Thump thump thump thump thump...!
The moment I swallowed, my heart pounded wildly...
No.
My dick.
“Fuck.”
It was my custom Gift overdrive pill, so of course. My Gift-activated dick surged up rock-hard.
But in exchange...
My rampaging Gift started pumping out power beyond my limits.
Kiiiiiiing...!
Clack, clack...?
Shots left: about fifty.
My max Honeybee Punches.
I focused them all into one.
Crack, crrrack, crrrrack...!
The Dragon Claw twisted and tore as an enormous Wearhoneybee stinger formed, pulling out one massive, beautiful needle.
“Finisher.”
I wrecked half the Dragon Claw Yustitia made, staring at the spinning mega-stinger. The skeleton knight clacked wildly, probably yelling something.
I didn't major in skeleton-ese, but it was probably “block” or “die.”
Too late.
“Fucking huge Honeybee Punch.”
Kwaaaaaah!
A sound no arm should make exploded out, grinding knights and trash skeletons alike into dust as it blasted forward.
Clack, clack clack...
Claaaaack—
Rumble, rrrumble.
Skeletons sucked into the spinning stinger, shredded to bits.
Fucking satisfying, but no time to enjoy it.
The recoil snapped my arm back, shattered beyond regen. I barely stood.
Squelch squelch...
Blood leaking from my side, DoT ticking away.
“Hah, huff... huuup... Karura, one more.”
“B-but.”
“Quick.”
I'd blasted a path, but it'd fill soon.
I only cleared front—rears still swarming.
Right now, I needed to move, whatever came later.
Best would be elixir, but...
Karura's wing was wrecked. Had to save it for her.
Process of elimination: Overdrive Pills were all I had left.
“...From now on, let me fight instead.”
“......”
I stared at Karura, then spoke.
“Shut up and give me what I asked for.”
She looked fine—just one wing gone.
But I knew she was worse off than me, on the brink.
Probably poison or curse like my side wound.
Her wing wasn't healing slow—it was rotting, blood unstaunched.
That's why I wanted to give her the elixir.
Hoping one could fix it.
“Karura—no, Karura.”
“......”
I ground my teeth, nodded as she pulled another pill from my pocket. Barely opened my mouth.
No more mega-punches.
This time...
I shifted to sprint, chewing the pill for a burst—
"Thou who possessest the qualities of a noble hero! I, Ammut, lend thee my power!"
Before my teeth crunched it, a roar—and a massive, bloodied beast leaped out, trampling skeletons.
“Wha...”
“Ammut...! You're alive...!”
Good she came to help.
But compared to swallowing that bone dragon, or even first sight, Ammut was tiny.
Blood-soaked, half her body blackened and rotting. Who was helping who?
"Time is short, thou who holdest the hero's qualities of this world. Wilt thou borrow my power? Answer!"
Why the sudden hero bullshit?
“Whatever, just help!”
Wasn't the time. I was dying, she looked half-dead, but help was help.
"I, Ammut who judgeth death! I try thee! Behold thy deepest fear, 'death' itself, thou who seekest heroism! To borrow my power, overcome thy 'death', aspirant hero!"
What the fu—
Ammut's maw split wide.
Last thing I saw: inside her jaws.
"Oh, even in this plight, thou worryest for thy subjects. Such tearful sacrifice. Beautiful, my mate!"
“I've no memory of mating with a bald fuck like thee! Shut thy foul mouth!”
"Kuhuhu, hahahaha! Thy 'half' flown, divinity severed, yet still impudent. I yearn to embrace thee. How beautiful my bone bride, flayed and bared, shall be!"
“Damnable spawn...!”
Chains bound my arms and legs—I strained, but no give.
What was this?
Didn't matter.
How did that wield such?
That was all.
The necromancer who'd come soon after arriving in this world—I'd repelled him easily enough then. Now, he'd dragged in horrors, ambushed us, even struck Ammut down with his bone dragon.
Even now...
The thin link held, but only because Ammut tied to me, clinging to life.
But even that...
"Ooo, beautiful. Wraith-wielder with such pure soul. Tempting—I crave to dye thee in my hue. Imagine thy fall, soul-mate."
Sealing circle suppressed my divinity; bound after Ammut's rout. Now dragging my fragment with unknown tools. The pharaoh resisted.
"Kuhuhu, hahaha—even so, is it worth it? Thy subjects' lives end the moment thou resistest."
“Bastard...!”
"Cute, loveliest curse. Noble, pure otherworld pharaoh. Thy tongue's filth tastes sweet as love."
“Bald fuck...!”
"...Not bald—white bone it is."
“Even if thy baldness shames thee, flaying all flesh to bone? Commendable resolve.”
"...Fine. Soul-mate, I'd extract thee beautifully. But if thou insistest..."
Thud. Necromancer gripped his crystal orb—fragment inside thrashed, pulling out.
“Nngh, hnnngh... kuhhh...!”
"...Marred a bit, yet beautiful still. Come forth. Show me thy soul."
I endured with all remaining strength.
Not now.
If I died now... hundreds of subjects teetering on death's edge from the ambush would follow.
I hadn't endured those years for the children to die like this.
Not me—them...
In this new world, I wished them happy lives, peaceful rest.
Not this.
But resistance was futile.
Riiiip...!
"Oh, oooooh, ooooo...!"
Flesh-soul link weakened.
Soul peeling from body.
Threadbare hold—limit.
Grind.
Soul separating, chained, dragged out—visible.
"Such beautiful soul...! And this, 'god's fragment'...! Truly exquisite...! Aye, thy empty vessel I'll raise as lich. Fear not, soul-mate. Thy subjects too, my lovely slaves. Rest easy."
“N-no...”
"Come to me, thy new master—"
Hand reaching for my soul—that filthy, bony claw. Last strength to resist—
Boom!
Hand blasted off, pulverized to nothing.
"Kuaaaaaah—?!"
Necromancer clutched stump, staggering back.
Above him, pitch-black beast descended.
“Fuck, pedo necrophile piece of shit.”
The beast grumbled like a growl, rising.
“A-Ammut...?”
“That guy's out cold. Anyway, that fucker didn't do shit to you, right?”
The black beast—no, man in full beast-like armor—eyed me.
Blue glow in his eyes. I knew him.
“Thou art... Karura's mate...”
“Haven't agreed to that yet. Anyway, drug's wearing off—topping up.”
He rummaged, popped something, chewed.
“And shit's about to hit the fan, so if you can move, get back.”
