Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Pluto's Black Star
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I carried Luna on my back like that for a while.
The fog had lifted from Kalan's Swamp, revealing a vast open wasteland with nothing around to hinder our march. There was no need to even draw my weapons.
Of course, they said this used to be a plain dotted with rice paddies and fields before it turned into a swamp. That explained the wide-open visibility.
Still, just in case, I kept my eyes scanning all around and my ears perked up, sharpening my hearing.
You never know when some monster mole bastards might pop out from underground and go for my ankles.
"You look heavy, Samaritan."
That's when someone called out to me as I carried Luna.
I turned my head and saw a freckled-faced sword maiden with her blonde hair braided back in a ponytail. What was her name again? Rene?
The moment Rene spoke to me, I felt Luna trembling violently against my back, like she was extremely anxious. Was Luna scared of these girls?
"Want me to take her for you?"
"I'm good."
I gave a short, curt refusal, expecting her to back off and keep her distance. But Rene stuck right by my side, chatting away freely.
"More than I thought, you're pretty impressive. Killed that alligator, sliced through those goblins like nothing. Are all Samaritans as fierce as you? You give off a different warrior vibe from the Spartans."
To think I'd be called fierce by an Amazon who was caked in mud and screaming war cries. Had every last trace of my modern-day self truly vanished forever?
"And it looks like you've even received grace from some great god. You're an interesting guy. The most fun man I've seen lately. That's a compliment."
"R-Really?"
Unexpected praise from a woman made the corners of my mouth twitch upward involuntarily.
For someone like me, who'd only gotten scolded by Elfriede, how sweet was the ring of compliments and praise in my ears?
I could boldly declare that no one in the world hates praise, and I especially liked receiving it.
But then I snapped out of it as I felt Luna's arms around my neck tighten hard.
Luna's relationship with these girls was predator and prey. Bread shuttle and school bully, you could say.
If a scary bully was hovering right next to you, anyone would feel uneasy.
So, I opened my mouth to tell her to buzz off already—
"Talk later then, Samaritan."
Rene waved lightly and rejoined the sword maidens' formation. There was some raised voices among the women after that, but soon Luna's voice drew my attention.
"Ha-Hassan—"
"What? Something uncomfortable? Or has your ankle healed?"
"That thing I wanted to tell you about before."
"Before?"
"When I was on night watch... in the early morning, I prayed to Lord Nox... And the response to the prayer..."
Luna started to say something but suddenly clamped her mouth shut like it was sealed.
Not only that—her body began shaking violently, like someone stripped naked and thrown out into the winter cold.
Is she having a seizure? As worry crept in at the thought—
"Put me down, Hassan—! Hurry!"
"Alright?"
I had no idea what was suddenly wrong, but if she wanted down, no reason to keep carrying her. That's when I carefully set Luna on the ground.
Shh, shh, crackle—
Suddenly, sounds of something bursting through the dry earth echoed loudly from all directions. Then, stark white stick-like things began sprouting up from the ground one after another.
Are those bamboo shoots popping up out of nowhere? The thought crossed my mind, but as they fully emerged, I didn't hesitate and drew my two swords from my waist without a second thought.
It was time to unleash the power of my threefold sword style.
Sss...
What sprouted from the ground were bones. Bones so old they'd bleached pure white. But the fact that they moved with intent, alive, was utterly unnatural.
Skeletons. Undead. Call them what you will—these bastards.
I'd encountered them a few times following Elfriede in and out of Pluto's underground labyrinth.
No matter how much experience I gained, I could never get used to the surreal sight of corpses coming alive.
"Draw your weapons!"
One of the adventurers shouted that. But his voice was thick with panic, slurring. And for good reason—
"There's too fucking many, shit!"
There had to be at least a platoon of skeletons. And they kept bursting through the ground here and there, like some respawn zone.
Heh heh heh...
Then, a low chuckle spread through the panicked crowd.
"Kalan's Swamp is filled... with the restless dead who perished in the bitter winter... Those who died without even a single copper, denied passage on Charon's ferry..."
Eee hee hee—
Fuck, a voice came out of nowhere, sending chills racing up my neck. It was a horrific tone, like a tongue licking the swamp's dank bottom.
Less a voice, more a curse or ominous noise.
Swish—
Soon, a black shadow appeared among the undead. A pitch-black stain, like ink spilled on the ground.
In this treeless open plain, with no reason for shadows on the dry earth. This was no normal shadow.
"The scent of abject fear..."
The shadow swelled up with a whoosh, taking human form on the ground. It wore a deep black robe pulled low over its head.
A necklace of sharp spikes like a flanged mace hung around its neck, and its chest puffed out noticeably—probably a woman.
"The fog... and sticky mud have dried up... But the dominion of death lurking in this land cannot be repelled by feeble holy power..."
Fuck, a witch? I'm weak to magic. Seriously weak to witch-types in every way.
"Show yourself, heretic! Are you the one commanding these undead?"
Hippolyte drew her sword and bellowed boldly. At the same time, the Silver Tier adventurer—Captain Buser—gripped his massive warhammer and assumed a stance.
"Necromancer Koma! We shall take you into custody!"
"No one... can bind death... And the god of death, Lord Pluto, shall rise from the dark underworld to rule the earth, the seas, and all the heavens..."
"Crazy talk!"
Hippolyte couldn't stand listening anymore and charged at the necromancer or whatever she was, sword drawn. But countless skeletal remains piled up like a wall, blocking her path.
Grrr...
"Such petty tricks—!"
Clatter, clack—
At the same time, the skeletons locked in tense standoff with us lunged forward.
No weapons, no sharp teeth, but the moving skulls evoked death itself, instilling primal terror in people's hearts.
Above all, there were too many.
"Eek!"
"S-Save me!"
The bronze tier adventurers had their limbs grabbed by the wrathful, death-hungry skeletal undead, who tore them apart.
Crunch, crack—the ominous sounds as adventurers shattered into fragments.
"Tanatus, Zigtes—Bell Moss Grima..."
With the necromancer's low, sinister incantation over the dry earth, chunks of adventurer flesh clumped together into crude golem forms.
"Go, flesh golem..."
Groooar...
Fuck, necromancers are so OP. Could I change jobs from barbarian warrior? With that unfair thought, I swung my blades furiously.
But edged weapons were ineffective against bone undead, so I sheathed them and switched to bashing with the scabbards.
"Fuck off, you skull bastards! Die again, you shits!"
Whoosh—crack!
Every swing of the scabbards shattered the skeletons, unable to hold form, crumbling to the ground.
As expected, blunt force worked better on undead than blades. Knowledge gained trailing Elfriede proved useful.
"Undead, huh? Time for my Spirit Possession Voodoo!"
Luna's loud cry snapped me back to attention. Wasn't she a voodoo priestess?
Voodoo had its specialties, like making zombies. Basically cousins to necromancers.
"Spirit Possession Voodoo! Hya!"
Luna swung her massive staff in a full swing, smashing a skeleton's torso to pieces.
Fuck, isn't that just a silence totem bash? So much for "Spirit Possession Voodoo"—looks like slapping a name on it doesn't make it real.
But Luna's silence totem was 100% blunt force, super effective against undead. Every swing pulverized clusters of skeletons into fragments.
Seeing that, the other adventurers sheathed their swords and switched to smashing torsos with staffs or scabbards.
Crack, crack!
Soon, the sound of skeletons collapsing echoed everywhere. For things scary enough to freak people out, they were fucking weak.
Armored skeleton warriors or knights took groups to bring down, but these naked dead were weaker than goblins. No strength, no smarts.
"Guys! Stab 'em!"
Graaah—
Even the flesh golem, our final boss, got surrounded by the sword maidens and stabbed to bits, losing form and collapsing.
Necromancer's a total moron. Barbarian warrior's better. Gotta choose your job change wisely.
"Not bad... But how about this... Rise—my servant."
Clatter, clack, clatter—
At the necromancer's words, the piled-up skeletons and adventurer remains on the ground began merging into one.
Like Lego pieces snapping together automatically, it formed a massive skeletal dragon emitting eerie blue glow from its eyes.
Grrr...
"A-A dragon..."
The ones who'd been joyfully smashing skeletons moments ago went limp, weapons dropping from slack hands. Despair etched their faces.
"H-Hippolyte sis...!"
Even the battle-hardened sword maidens trembled and sank to the ground. Shit was serious.
Fuck, a dragon made of skeletons! The size of a three-story building—genuinely terrifying. Could humans even fight that?
No tanks or helicopter strikes came to mind for killing it. Right then—thud—something heavy leaped from the earth into the air.
A hammer raised high, covered in thick fur—it was definitely Captain Buser.
"Vulcanus! Grant me strength!"
Boom—!
The massive hammer smashed straight into the skeletal dragon's head, unleashing a colossal shockwave.
Silver Tier strength plus epic relic-grade hammer—like a direct artillery hit, the impact rippled enormously!
"Argh!"
The shockwave sent some adventurers tumbling far away, losing balance. If I hadn't braced my legs, I'd have flown too.
"Eeee—!"
Fuck, Luna was so light she got blown away like an ant in the wind! Is she okay? But no time to worry about others.
Grrr...
Despite the brutal hammer blow, the skeletal dragon moved unscathed!!
It raised its massive foreleg and slammed Captain Buser's torso as he landed.
Crack—and Buser flew off, crashing far away. Then the dragon whipped its sharp bone claws and heavy tail, rampaging everywhere.
Grrrrr...
"U-Uwaa!"
"R-Run!"
It was a one-sided massacre. Humans smashed and flung by what looked like tons of tail.
Who could call fleeing adventurers cowards? I wanted to run too, scared shitless, but skeletal hands gripped my legs, immobilizing me.
"Get off! You bastards! Let go! Why so sticky!"
That's when it happened.
"Half-dead trash like you think this parlor trick can stop Mars's daughter?"
Hippolyte sliced through the skeletal wall around her with her blade, then poised and swung her sword through the air several times.
Whoosh, whoosh.
What the—air swings? But then—reee!—a razor-sharp whistle tore the air, and an invisible slash wave carved into the dragon's body?
Slash, slash, crash—!
The dragon collapsed, unable to hold form. My jaw dropped; words failed me.
Fuck, sword aura? That shit exists? Or magic? Hippolyte a witch too?
My head spun from the unbelievable sight.
"Tch... As expected of one claiming Mars's blood..."
The necromancer clicked his tongue at the sight, melting back into shadow and fleeing swiftly.
Swish—
I mentally bumped up my job rating for him by half a star. Skillful bastard.
"Koma's fleeing! Everyone, follow me! If we lose her, this expedition and all the deaths are for nothing!"
Hippolyte tried to pursue, but no one could keep up.
Hell, I was the only one still standing firm. Everyone else was down, groaning from injuries.
"Damn it— You there! Samaritan! Follow me!"
"M-Me?"
"If this goes well, I'll completely forget last night's disgrace!"
Fuck, felt like an ankle monitor finally removed. Refreshing, with positivity surging.
"Not just forget—catch him, and you're promoted to Bronze Tier for sure! I swear on the Styx!"
What? Swearing on the Styx? I knew better than anyone the weight of that oath.
"Lady Hippolyte, what are you doing! Hurry!"
"R-Right! I said follow, and you've got some guts."
Not like I wasn't scared.
But the necromancer was post-ult, cooldown on his mage spells. A mage like that—I could take him.
Plus, with Hippolyte, it'd work out. Shit, she shoots sword auras. Walking missile launcher.