Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Moving Black Castle
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Moving Black Castle.
Pauli Foatriche.
He possessed a total of eighteen skills.
Leyzon had already grasped Pauli's skills in advance through the Pioneer ID.
Thin insect wings sprouted from the skeleton's back.
Geeriririririk!
At the same time, a chilling, ear-piercing sound reverberated through the air.
Arthropod Physiology [SSS]
One of Pauli's two SSS-grade skills.
Pauli could manipulate anything related to arthropods.
The sprouted insect legs morphed into the shape of scythes.
Chiiiiiik!
Thick droplets of venom began dripping from the scythes.
Pauli must have truly lost his mind.
Venom against a Poison Necromancer?
That would only end up healing the Poison Necromancer instead.
"Syria, don't worry about me."
Syria stood by Leyzon's side, shadows rising around her.
This would only restrict her movements.
"But, Lord Leyzon."
"Don't worry. Pauli has become the dungeon's boss."
"His attention is inevitably drawn to the one who suffered the most damage."
Now that he was the dungeon boss, even Pauli couldn't escape that constraint.
"I see. In that case."
"Right. Go all out."
Syria's red eyes gleamed with a shiver-inducing light.
Boom!
In that instant, Syria stomped down on the floor.
A sea of blood formed around the point where her foot struck.
It was on a scale utterly incomparable to Leyzon's Bleeding Repair [C].
The pinnacle of bloodflow magic was on full display.
"As you command, Lord Leyzon."
Syria exploded forward alongside the sea of blood.
Watching this, Leyzon gripped the Staff of Abundance.
'I never imagined my undead would end up like this.'
Still, there would be no holding back.
His opponent was a Corrupted Level 18 corpse ant.
To subdue it, he had to go all out.
'Pauli is small.'
And being small meant exceptional durability.
'The fusion magic I usually use, Abyss, won't deal a fatal blow to Pauli.'
In that case.
Time to change tactics.
Leyzon's eyes sparkled with intent.
At the same time, he activated Haron's skill, Camouflage [C], and vanished smoothly.
An inexplicable sense of dread lingered quietly in the space he had occupied.
Back when they were ascending the tower.
Syria had been briefed by Leyzon on Pauli's skills in advance.
Just in case something like this happened.
Leyzon had explained it all to her.
Most skills were fine.
But there were two Syria needed to watch out for against Pauli.
His SSS-grade skills.
'Normally, I wouldn't have to worry so much.'
A swarm of flying insects appeared out of nowhere, baring their fangs as they charged.
Syria pierced them all, turning them to blood.
In the distance, she spotted Pauli perched in the skeleton's eye sockets.
'It's not about killing—it's about subduing.'
Syria was Corrupted Level 19.
A full level higher than Pauli, and she'd even evolved.
She could definitely overwhelm him completely.
Once you surpassed hero-grade, a single level difference was enormous.
But this only applied when killing the opponent.
Pauli was Leyzon's undead.
To Syria, he was like family.
She couldn't kill him.
This constraint was more troublesome than she'd expected.
Saving was always trickier than killing.
On the other hand, Pauli, as the dungeon boss, was going all out.
'What an unfair fight.'
But it was the battle Leyzon had requested.
Syria's lips curled, revealing her fangs.
Her master had asked personally.
Her role was to fulfill that faithfully.
"Pauli, I never thought we'd clash like this again."
Dozens of blood orbs floated up behind Syria's back.
Shadows began mixing into those blood orbs.
Attribute Fusion [Special]
A new skill Syria learned upon evolution.
"I'll remind you of the old days."
Syria flashed a brilliant smile, like a flower blooming.
In that moment, the blood-and-shadow orbs stretched out, transforming into spears.
Kiiiiing!
Syria's hair whipped in the gale-force winds.
Sensing danger, Pauli moved his insect legs.
Spears launched from beside Syria, shooting toward him.
The blood-and-shadow spears clashed against Pauli's insect legs.
Thud!
The sturdy insect legs shredded like they'd been thrown into a blender.
The spears that pulverized leg after leg reached the skeleton containing Pauli just before—
Clang!
A black shell like a shield protruded from the skeleton.
Far tougher than its legs.
The blood-and-shadow spears failed to pierce and bounced off.
But that didn't matter to Syria.
She lowered her stance, extending her front claws.
A playful smile played on her lips.
In an instant, veins bulged across her entire body.
With that, Syria's figure vanished.
Boom!
In that instant, Pauli's skeleton plummeted downward.
Before it could even register the attack.
Syria's pale fist slammed into the skeleton Pauli rode once more.
Kaaaaang!
The shell hastily enveloped the entire skeleton.
But Syria didn't care, hammering away relentlessly.
Thud! Boom!
With each strike, the shell dented inward.
Syria's eyes glowed red, veins pulsing on her face.
During this time, her physical abilities far surpassed her normal state.
Holes multiplied in the skeleton as if spikes were being driven into the shell.
Kwaaaang!
Finally, the moment Syria pierced and tore through the shell.
She realized the inside was empty.
A small hole lay beneath the shell.
Pauli had slipped out through it.
Kiiing—
The air compressed, producing a hair-raising roar.
A beam of light shot toward Syria to impale her.
Syria tilted her head back, erecting a wall of shadow.
Kwaaang!
The explosion from the shadow wall shook the entire tower.
Syria peered beyond the shadow wall.
The tower's entire structure was changing form before her eyes.
All manner of arthropod bio-weapons filled the tower's interior.
Citadel Transformation [SSS]
One of the SSS-grade skills that gave Syria chills.
This black castle was Pauli's battlefield alone.
Here, it could transform into anything Pauli desired.
Thousands of cannon-barreled insects protruded from the tower's inner walls.
Kiiiiing!
Light gathered before the barrels.
Unlike before, thousands fired in unison.
And not single shots, but bursts.
Countless light projectiles filled the tower.
It was like meteors raining across the night sky.
Even as the meteor-like projectiles rained down, Syria's mind wandered.
'Lord Leyzon.'
She worried he might get caught in it.
But she sensed no trace of Leyzon anywhere.
He must have pulled back upon seeing the situation.
This was Leyzon, after all.
If he needed help, he'd call for it himself.
Besides, Syria knew Leyzon had plenty of defensive options.
She decided to trust him.
"In that case, all out it is."
She just needed to rampage enough to draw Pauli's gaze.
Syria stomped forward.
Bat wings sprouted from her back.
Her body lurched forward like a cannonball.
Thousands of projectiles chased after her.
Not only powerful, but with homing capability.
Yet Syria ignored them, flying onward.
All the while, her shadow seeped into every corner of the tower.
The moment it had spread far enough.
Syria's eyes snapped open.
'Found you.'
Pauli, hiding inside the tower walls like an ant colony.
She'd located him.
Syria immediately changed direction.
Then, she turned to face the pursuing light projectiles.
Whoosh!
Folding her wings, she halted, and the lights swarmed toward her.
Just before the light projectiles exploded with Syria.
Shadows surged from the wall behind where she'd stopped.
The shadows stretched out like a massive net.
All the light projectiles were swallowed by the shadow net.
The shadow that devoured the light projectiles began to swell.
The moment it expanded to fill the tower.
The shadow compressed.
"If you're going to hide so stubbornly."
Light began emanating from the shadow.
"I'll leave you no place to hide and drag you out."
In that instant, the shadow exploded, and light pounded every inch of the tower's inner walls.
Kwagagagagagagang!
With the explosion, the tower's ceiling and walls blew away entirely.
Amid the debris of ceiling and walls.
A tiny ant fluttered its wings and flew off.
Pauli.
As Syria moved to catch him.
She realized the sky above had turned pitch black.
Above the tower.
A giant made of castle and rock, larger than the tower itself, loomed.
The giant swung its hammer-like fists down toward the tower.
From the moment Syria had begun her assault.
It had already been formed by Citadel Transformation.
"Oh."
The moment Syria let out a short sigh, the giant smashed down on the tower.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!
The tower crumbled amid the deafening blast.
Shattered debris rained down across Citadel Village, laying waste to the surroundings.
Smoke rose from all directions.
Amid the smoke, Syria took flight with wings spread.
Pauli had slipped away again.
The moment she clicked her tongue.
"Syria."
A voice called to her.
"Lord Leyzon!"
Syria whipped her head up to see Leyzon flying on a Bone Broom.
Leyzon's legs were tightly bound with venomous thorns.
Proof that Poison Recovery had been constantly active.
"I'm ready. Let's go."
Beside the collapsing tower.
Syria belatedly noticed the tower's debris melting upon collision with something.
There was a sphere as enormous as the tower itself.
How much mana had been poured in, how much output boosted?
It was a massive aggregation of power that left even Syria's eyes wide.
Leyzon's original magic.
Abyss.
The ultimate firepower born of Attribute Fusion was there.
"When did you...?"
Syria reacted with shock.
And understandably so—this massive power should have been impossible for her to miss.
Soon, she realized one reason.
The skill Leyzon had acquired from Haron not long ago.
Camouflage [C].
He'd definitely used it.
'But.'
Camouflage was a C-grade skill.
It shouldn't have been able to hide from her senses.
"When fused with Attribute Fusion, every skill gets amplified through synergy."
Leyzon gave a curt answer to her question.
Syria's eyes widened.
The moment Camouflage was fused into the Abyss sphere via Attribute Fusion.
Camouflage synergized with Abyss's power, boosting its potency.
As a result, the magic completed unnoticed until Abyss was fully formed.
And as proof, even Syria hadn't noticed until now.
Chills ran through Syria's entire body.
Now, if Leyzon prepared Abyss with intent.
No one could stop it.
"Lord Leyzon, you're the best!"
And the chill Syria felt was one of pure joy.
Utter delight at her master's achievement.
"Save the admiration for later."
Leyzon whipped his hair in the wind, gazing upward.
There, the citadel giant was swinging its fist-hammer once more.
An attack aimed at Leyzon and Syria.
Leyzon aimed the Staff of Abundance at the sky.
"Syria."
"Yes!"
Syria beamed happily at his call.
"Undead Union."
Time to show Pauli the ultimate firepower.