Chapter 198
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 198
—Ultimately, Calamidad did not budge.
She merely prepared her magic, targeting the older Yaksha sister who was trying to lure her from a distance.
The plan was a failure.
Boom!
Even though <White Extermination> was high-tier magic, the casting was instantaneous, thanks to the massive pattern drawn on her shell.
A flash of frigid energy, just like before, slammed into the ground. A deafening explosion erupted, and the entire area around the blast site froze over.
"Sister!" the younger Yaksha sister screamed, her composure shattering.
As the icy mist cleared, the faint silhouette of the older Yaksha sister came into view. She was collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain.
It wasn't a direct hit, but she had still been caught in the blast.
Her ankle was frozen solid.
...And immediately, Calamidad began casting her next spell.
"...Sister!"
Immobilized, there was no way the older Yaksha sister could dodge the next attack. It would undoubtedly be a direct hit.
Her sister was going to die.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
The younger Yaksha sister squeezed every last ounce of power from her being, channeling it all into her right hand. Unable to withstand the sudden overload, the skin on her back burst open, and blood sprayed outward like a pair of wings.
It was a strike infused with all her might. Her plan, should her sister’s strategy fail, was to somehow knock Calamidad unconscious.
With a single blow.
Calamidad’s <White Extermination> manifested almost instantly, leaving no time to hesitate. The younger sister's strike slammed into Calamidad's neck.
Thud!
A shockwave rippled out, just like when Calamidad had roared earlier.
Calamidad's massive body staggered. The sudden impact forced its head down, causing the spell to fire harmlessly into the empty ground.
...But Calamidad did not lose consciousness.
She merely shook her body violently, disoriented. Instead, it was the younger Yaksha sister who succumbed.
Her consciousness fading, the younger sister swayed atop Calamidad's neck before plummeting dozens of meters to the ground.
Her strength completely depleted, the older Yaksha sister could only watch helplessly as her younger sister fell.
Ah.
The older sister gritted her teeth. Her mouth was so full of blood she couldn't even speak. She could only watch her sister fall and think:
This is, entirely...
…
...a meaningless sacrifice.
Just as she was about to squeeze her eyes shut, something impossible happened.
"Wait... what?"
—Suddenly, a warhorse appeared in front of Calamidad and leaped into the air.
The knight riding it caught the falling younger sister and landed gracefully on the ground.
The older sister's eyes widened. It had all happened in the blink of an eye. She should have heard hoofbeats, but there had been no sound at all.
Who? Who on earth was it?
As those questions filled her mind, she finally noticed that the knight had no head.
The Administrator of Room 3, Hyeong-ak.
"The time..."
It made no sense. Their battle with Calamidad had lasted twenty minutes at most. How did he get here? She had never heard of a Dullahan being able to use <Teleportation>.
"...I'm sorry we're late."
This time, a whispering voice came from behind her. She didn't even need to turn. It was Rene.
How?
Wait. If they were here...
"Is Lord Swallow here too...?"
"Yes," Rene replied. "He's riding on the back of Hyeong-ak's warhorse."
On the back of the warhorse?
With Rene's support, the older sister slowly stood. Her left leg was frozen, but it was hardly a major injury. Limping forward, she narrowed her eyes and stared at Hyeong-ak's mount.
"He's not there..."
"...Pardon?"
Startled, Rene also looked at the warhorse, but indeed, only Hyeong-ak and the younger sister were visible.
"Lord Swallow!" Rene cried out, her face on the verge of tears as she scanned the area.
Only when Swallow's irritated voice drifted over from afar did Rene and the older sister turn their heads in unison.
"Hey! Learn how to ride properly!"
...He had fallen off the horse and was lying face down in a far corner after rolling several times.
*
Hyeong-ak pulled the reins. The ghost warhorse let out a chilling cry like the scream of the dead and reared its front hooves. A thick, mysterious blue smoke lingered in its wake.
Having safely caught the younger sister, Hyeong-ak turned and galloped toward the field where Rene and the older sister stood.
The older sister watched the scene with a dazed expression. She stared for a long time. Only when the warhorse arrived right in front of her did she begin to comprehend the absurd situation.
It was a speed that could easily be described as godlike.
It was somewhat understandable how Swallow had fallen off.
Hyeong-ak dismounted and gently laid the younger sister on the ground. She coughed up blood a few times and took a shallow breath. Though faint and threadlike, she was still conscious.
"Sis... ter..."
Without a word, the older sister pulled her younger sister into a tight embrace.
"I am glad we were not too late."
The Dullahan proudly straightened his back. The surface of his armor gleamed under the moonlight. Strangely, Rene, who should have been praising him by now, was silent. Her lack of response was concerning.
Hyeong-ak stole a glance at Rene, only to find her glaring at him with an expression fierce enough to devour him.
Huh?
Only then did Hyeong-ak look around, spotting Swallow trudging over from a distance, covered in dirt.
"...!"
He gasped in horror.
"To gallop off without even realizing Lord Swallow had fallen... What can I say? Rene is simply... amazed."
Hyeong-ak stiffened. Whatever his body was made of, even the hazy smoke leaking from the gaps in his armor froze solid. The Dullahan's ghost warhorse was equally frozen.
"Your horse is fast, just like you bragged," Swallow said as he slowly walked over.
"T-Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment, Hyeong-ak."
"I-I'm sorry!"
"No, I mean it. It really is fast."
"T-Thank you?"
"So fast it threw me off halfway and just kept going."
"T-That was..."
"No, no. It's my fault for falling off."
"If you see it that way, then there is nothing more I could ask for—"
"Right? You did nothing wrong, and it's entirely my fault for falling, isn't it?"
"No! I'm sorry!"
The Dullahan bowed his head repeatedly.
He was in deep trouble. As a Dullahan who reaped the souls of the living, he could hear the voices of souls. Right now, a soul on the verge of vanishing was screaming—and it was his own. He wouldn't be surprised if he was killed even before Calamidad.
Swallow scratched the back of his neck, staring pointedly at Hyeong-ak. His narrowed eyes suggested he still held a grudge.
"Well, I understand."
"T-Thank you, my Lord!"
"I understand your desire to look cool, even if it meant abandoning me on the side of the road."
"..."
"Still, because you rode so desperately, you were able to save the younger Yaksha sister."
"My Lord...!"
"Though there was absolutely no need to throw me off in the process."
"I'm sorry!"
"Everything I've said so far was a joke."
"Ah, ahaha! Is that so!"
"...You didn't actually believe me, did you?"
"I will simply take my own life!"
The Dullahan drew his sword. Swallow caught the blade with his hand, let out a smirk as if he had enjoyed himself enough, and took a few steps forward.
So it was a joke. Only then did Hyeong-ak breathe a sigh of relief.
As expected of a Great Evil Cave's boss monster, even his jokes carry a different level of pressure.
Indeed, getting off with just this was a bargain. Normally, if a rookie monster committed such a grave blunder, they would be executed without exception. Swallow seemed surprisingly merciful to his subordinates.
—Swallow, that is.
"...You certainly made quite a blunder."
This time, Rene quietly approached Hyeong-ak and whispered into a gap in his armor.
"I-I have no excuse, Lady Rene..."
"But Rene believes that a monster can make mistakes."
"Lady Rene, you are so merci—"
"Of course, we have no use for such monsters in our Primordial Core."
"..."
"Still, Lord Swallow won't punish you. Rene can guarantee that."
"Lady Rene...!"
"Because Rene will punish you herself."
"Ah... ah..."
"...I'll take you apart when we get back."
Rene pulled a blade from her pocket and tapped the Dullahan's armor. The blade looked exceptionally sharp today. Having crossed the boundary between life and death several times in a short span, Hyeong-ak finally collapsed to the ground.
"..."
Watching their exchange, the older sister still wore a dazed expression. Over in the distance, wasn't an enraged Calamidad aiming right at them? Wasn't this an absolute life-or-death crisis?
Yet, listening to Swallow and Rene's banter, she couldn't feel even a shred of urgency. Was this composure? Was this the composure of the truly strong?
Sure, that was all well and good, but...
"U-Um, Lady Rene? Calamidad is glaring right at us..."
"I know."
Hearing Rene's reply, the older sister, who had spoken up cautiously, slowly turned her head toward Calamidad.
The younger sister's strike had definitely been effective. The only reason they hadn't been attacked while Swallow, Rene, and Hyeong-ak were chatting was because Calamidad had been dazed. She had only just recovered.
Calamidad roared once more. Standing a few paces ahead, Swallow's black hair whipped wildly in the wind.
"Hmm."
With both hands in his pockets, Swallow quietly stared at Calamidad. He remained motionless until the roar subsided. Then, he suddenly turned to look at the Yaksha sisters, his sharp golden eyes sweeping over them.
The older sister didn't seem to have any major external wounds, but she had been clutching her stomach. Her internal organs had likely ruptured from being kicked.
The younger sister was a complete wreck. If Hyeong-ak hadn't caught her, she would have surely died.
They aren't beyond saving.
A full recovery might be impossible, but we have a world-class mage vampire and a Demon King who ranks among the strongest on our side. Once treated, they should recover enough to be useful as administrators of the Primordial Core.
"Are there any dead monsters?" Swallow asked in a flat voice.
The older sister shook her head. "...I don't know."
"What about the eggs?"
"...Two of them were broken."
"Who broke them?"
"One was broken by a human, and the other by Calamidad herself... I have no excuse for failing to protect them."
"I see."
Muttering a dry response, Swallow turned his gaze back to Calamidad.
He was contemplating.
"Kaaaaaaaah!"
Perhaps thinking her previous roar had achieved nothing, Calamidad took a step forward and let out an even louder shriek.
Immediately, a magic circle materialized in front of her maw. It was <White Extermination>, the same as before, but the size of the magic circle was twice as large.
No matter how strong Lord Swallow is, there's no way he can take a direct hit from that unscathed.
Thinking this, the older sister cried out, "Lord Swallow, you must dodge...!"
But before her panicked voice could reach him, a flash of freezing light poured down.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted. The flash scored a direct hit right where Swallow stood, kicking up a thick cloud of dust and smoke.
"Lord Swallow!" the older sister gasped in horror. She reflexively pushed herself up to rush to his side.
The one who stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder, was Rene, who was frowning and radiating a dense, murderous intent.
"..."
Rene merely watched Swallow with an angry expression. Seeing her reaction, the older sister swallowed hard and looked back toward the blast.
"I understand how you feel, but you'll only get in the way if you step in right now."
"..."
"The same goes for Rene."
The smoke cleared in an instant. To be precise, the black energy swirling at Swallow's feet swept it away.
Swallow was calmly walking toward Calamidad.
He was completely unscathed, as if the blast had never even touched him.
"What in the..."
The older sister was so dumbfounded she lost her voice, but the one most shocked by Swallow's appearance was Calamidad.
Her agitation immediately translated into action. Even though the pattern on her shell hadn't fully cooled down, the giant turtle frantically cast another spell.
Another magic circle appeared in front of her maw. Once again, a <White Extermination> aimed for Swallow's life.
Crash!
An even louder sound echoed. It was another direct hit.
And, as if it were only natural, the black energy dispersed the smoke.
Swallow was still completely unharmed.
"Kee-ack, kee-aaaack."
This time, Calamidad took a step backward. Letting out a sound closer to a shriek than a roar, she conjured another magic circle.
"Did you say a human broke one of the eggs?"