Chapter 223
Chapter 223
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: The Uncle Who Was a Death Knight #3
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What are you...?
Lord of Hell, Gigas.
Monsters lurking in the darkness, targeting Luna.
Bastards trying to ruin my comfortable life.
The moment one of those shits shoved its huge face right up to mine, a surge of rage exploded in my head.
So it didn't take much time or thought to swing the club I was holding straight into its face with all my might.
"Die, you Gigas bastard!"
A wooden club about 1.2 meters long and 15 centimeters thick arcs down from above my head in a massive swing.
The Terror Smasher, empowered by ferocious speed, doesn't aim for its saw-like teeth or the vast forehead of its bulbous skull.
No, the philtrum.
That's right. The philtrum.
"Drop dead, you fucker!"
Boom-!
Kreeeeee-!!
When the club connected with its philtrum, a bizarre shock and backlash rippled through me, nothing like hitting a living creature.
The massive manticore recoiled in terror, stumbling back and rolling across the ground.
It had let its guard down, and I'd smashed its vital spot with full force.
No way there wasn't damage.
Honestly, it wouldn't have been weird if it dropped dead on the spot, but was its durability matching that huge body? If only my strength were a bit higher.
Kreee! Grreee!
The giant manticore rolled around wildly before ending up dangling from the cliff edge, as if it might tumble down the slope below.
Gaaah! H-how did I even climb up here! I can't fall like this-!
Its front paw, the size of a compact car, clawed at the cliff with scraping sounds—drag, drag.
It would have been perfect if it'd just fallen.
As I thought that, the skeleton knight—who'd been holding a shield up in one corner and aiming a long spear over it—shouted.
Send it plummeting into the abyss! I'll take the right front paw—you handle the left, Hassan!
The skeleton knight planned to attack its front paws and shove it off the cliff for good.
I agreed with him completely, so I charged at the thrashing beast hanging from the precipice.
Roooar-!
The manticore responded by roaring with its massive maw wide open.
Its gaping mouth was lined with three rows of jagged, saw-like teeth—utterly horrifying. I could confidently say these were the weirdest teeth I'd ever seen.
But the real problem wasn't the fangs as big as my torso, the putrid stench, or the ear-shattering scream.
Shrrrrk-.
Deep in its mouth lurked a bizarre, snake-like tongue lunging straight at me.
Whoosh. Smack-!
Its tongue whipped like a lash, making it hard to target the front paw.
Sure, dodging swords or spears was one thing, but my evasion skills—honed dodging Elfriede's whips—were pretty solid, so the tongue never landed a hit.
But one side attacking relentlessly, the other just dodging.
It was obvious who'd be at a disadvantage as time dragged on. Even one hit would be fatal, so I yelled back.
"Agumon, you take the head!"
Gerrrr....
From the corner where it had been curled up asleep, the bone wyvern rose again, its blue eyes gleaming.
It pounded forward on four legs and latched onto the manticore's enormous head.
You puny runt! I'll just chew you up!
Gerrr!
Was the manticore's head just that massive? Even the sturdy-looking bone wyvern staggered under the tongue's assault, bones cracking.
Still, at least it distracted the whipping tongue for a moment—fortunate enough.
I seized the chance and smashed down on the manticore's left front paw with all my strength.
Boom-!
Eeeeeek-!
But the beast knew letting go meant an endless plunge into the ravine, so even as its paw crumpled and blood sprayed, it showed no sign of backing off.
Plunge back into the abyss? No way! I want to suck the sweet nectar of the living world too. Up to the surface, up to the surface—I'll taste fresh flesh-!
It even crunched on my Agumon—crunch, crunch. The red veins bulging in its flat face showed just how desperate its attachment to this world was.
Even from my advantageous high ground, the sight sent a chill down my spine.
I want out of this pit too-! I want the living winds, the warmth, winter snow, the cool falling leaves!!
"Nox!"
I spent 10 Karma Value to don the Armor of Night. Down to 55 left now. It should block at least five strong hits for sure.
This bastard had to be knocked off here, no matter what.
With that in mind, I smashed my club down on its claws.
Crack-!
As I shattered the claw on its index toe, I felt its body lurch backward.
One of the claws pinning it like a needle to the cliff had broken, unable to bear the weight—it was slipping. So if I smashed all the claws...?
"Skeleton sir! Break the claws! Just break the claws!"
Claws, got it.
And so the skeleton knight and I hammered its claws with everything we had, shattering them all. The manticore flailed and resisted wildly.
But in the end, it plummeted into the pitch-black depths below.
Why, why meeeee-!
I'd been staring down at its vanishing form and echoing scream for a bit when the skeleton knight—still poised with spear and shield—approached and peered over the edge.
To think you'd take down a full-grown manticore in one exchange. I figured that club wasn't ordinary. A weapon blessed by the goddess, huh?
He seemed intrigued by my club. Warriors often took interest in it, so I was used to it by now.
According to them, it felt like getting hit with some chaos damage that ignored defenses.
Of course, this was a holy trinity combo: my club's power, precise vital-spot strikes, and my raw strength.
Better skill than I expected. Blessed by the gods? Never seen a blessing in such a weird form.
Then he eyed the Armor of Night cloaking me.
I worried he might ask to touch it, but luckily this skeleton wasn't into navy blue—he didn't reach out.
He just knelt and stroked the shattered remnants of Agumon.
Banished to the abyss, it'll take that thing at least ten years to show its face again. Should mean some peaceful nights ahead, at least. Though the cabin's totally wrecked.
"You seemed to know that Gigas just now. Mind sharing what you know?"
Molleg of Sloth. He wanted to use me as his vessel. Even just bones left, my heroic flesh must've seemed useful to him.
"Ah."
I recalled that Gigas targeted named monsters' bodies to use as vessels.
Anyway, I owe you. If you'd let it steal all my remaining seeds, I'd have lost my mind and turned into a monster for real. Even now, I'm exhausted... Gonna sleep a bit.
The skeleton knight dragged a chair out from his ruined cabin. He slumped onto it like a boxer after eight rounds.
Then he went completely still.
Up close, he looked just like some long-abandoned corpse's skeleton.
Was he really sleeping, like he said?
First I'd heard of undead sleeping. Or maybe this skeleton knight was special.
Left alone here, I felt awkward, not knowing what to do. I'd come to take down the named monster, the Death Knight.
Smash his skull with my club while he was off-guard?
But that thought faded fast.
Humans are surprisingly sensitive to malice.
If someone hates you or means harm, you can sense it on some instinct or gut level.
Living in this savage world full of malice had honed my senses pretty well. And this guy? Skull or not, he seemed decent.
If he'd just been a mindless undead, I'd have bashed his head in without hesitation.
But we'd just overcome hardship together and chatted about his mom or whatever—I couldn't see him as an enemy.
Ah, good nap.
"Whoa, already up?"
* * *
"Alright then, see ya, Agumon."
Grrooo....
I waved to the revived Agumon. It rubbed its face against my thigh like it hated to say goodbye.
Stroke, strokestroke.
Seeing it like this reminded me of the big dog I'd raised back home.
Spotty.
A huge golden retriever.
It always whimpered like it was lonely whenever the family left the house.
Even knowing we'd come back, it hated being alone, so leaving it was never easy.
Watching that, I'd felt deep down that animals had thoughts and feelings just like people.
Sstrooo-.
I had to admit this undead bone wyvern, glowing with blue eyes, had its own emotions too—just like that big golden retriever.
I'd thought of Necromancy as just controlling mindless robots. But now it felt like I'd been wrong.
This power handled life itself.
Did my bone goblins feel the same way?
Reviving them on a whim. Dismissing them on a whim.
Thinking that now, I felt a bit guilty toward them.
Stroke, strokestroke-.
Grrooo....
But the bone wyvern kept acting like it wanted to follow me, so I had to be firm.
"If you come outside, I'll have to erase you. The outside world isn't ready for you yet, Agumon. You belong in this digital realm—I've got the real world waiting."
....
It finally stopped whining.
This place—full of monsters, with skeleton buddies around—suited it better than the outside anyway.
"Hunt sometimes and send me some Karma Value, got it? I'll visit once every time you hit 200."
Stroke, stroke.
Agumon finally nodded.
Ha-.
The skeleton knight, watching from his chair, spoke up.
You're a bit different from the necromancers I knew. First time seeing one name a revived undead.
"Gotta name 'em to get attached, right?"
Attached? Heh, you're a strange one. Thought so from the start, but the more we talk, the less I get you.
"Everyone says that."
Couldn't help it. Lately, even I was starting to wonder what the hell I was doing.
21st-century Hassan. Samaritan Hassan. Necromancer Hassan. Luna's lover Hassan. Hippolyte's disciple Hassan. Paranoy head Hassan-.
All me, but...
Not quite.
Questioning my identity at this age. Not puberty—midlife crisis or something?
Who knows.
As I pondered that, the skeleton knight said,
Gonna get lonely again now. Molleg won't drop by for a while. A brief racket just makes the eternal silence stand out more.
His blue eyes gazed toward the cliff. Thinking of the giant manticore that fell.
If you stayed here with me, I could make you a hero in two years. Really planning to head topside?
Did this skeleton knight hate parting too?
He seemed to want me as a disciple. Tempting offer, but rotting away here for two years unable to leave? Horrifying.
So I turned him down and prepared to leave this place with nothing left to do.
But he kept asking me to stay, like he really regretted it. Bones feel loneliness too?
Guess there's that phrase—bone-deep loneliness.
"Just take good care of my Agumon."
Sure, will do. Visit sometimes, though. Want to hear about the surface. Feels like if I went up, it'd cause a huge uproar.
I pictured this skeleton knight showing up in Sodoma. Yeah, total chaos.
This world's harsh on the undead.
Everyone'd try to hunt him down. Hell, that's why I'd come here.
But rejecting a conversational, gentlemanly guy just for being undead? I wasn't so sure anymore.
Just looks a bit different, right?
I'd been treated like a savage for my own different looks, so I could see it from a broader view.
Not like it solved anything.
"Heading out for real now. Oh, and a female party might show up soon. Just rough 'em up a bit and send 'em packing."
A party of women? Coming to subjugate me? Sounds lively—nice.
He didn't seem to think he'd get taken down.
I couldn't imagine this seasoned skeleton knight falling to some sloppy White Rose either.
"Oh, and there's a white-haired, red-eyed elf in the group. Feel free to knuckle-rap her."
Knuckle-rap? Sure, why not. Take care.
That wrapped up my talk with the skeleton knight.
So as I boarded the gondola and grabbed the rope to ascend—
I got curious.
"So, uncle—what's your name?"
My name?
"Feels unfair you know mine but I don't know yours."
Ha, fair point. My name is... Nah, ditched names after becoming like this. Since it's come to this, why don't you name me?
Name you?
Right then, text floated before my eyes.
『Pluto's Death Knight requests a faction change.』
『Spend 10 Karma Value to release binding.』
『Naming accepts the request.』