The Corpse Exhibition (6)
What in the world...?
Sikan Bauer's body stiffened.
...What on earth is he thinking, provoking Camilo like that?
Camilo von Taribas. The lich who had once plunged the entire continent into a living nightmare was screaming in a voice thick with rage.
The dense demonic energy radiating from the contractor of the evil god choked the surrounding air.
"Why did you ignore the intent behind my preparation?! Why on earth did you do it?!"
"Ugh...!"
Sikan Bauer grit his teeth.
He forced himself to endure the demonic energy, but his vision was already beginning to blur.
Beside him, Adelia was already down on one knee, panting heavily.
I've never felt pressure like this before...
He had considered himself reasonably strong, yet he was completely helpless before a monster of this caliber.
And yet...
Sikan strained to turn his head and look at Gaon.
Amidst Camilo's raging fury and demonic energy, Gaon stood perfectly calm. There was no sign of stumbling, not even a flicker of agitation.
Who is he...?
It was a pressure that even he, having undergone rigorous training as an inquisitor, could barely withstand. A demonic energy so potent it forced a high-ranking knight to their knees. Yet, a man who radiated no aura whatsoever was enduring it with absolute nonchalance.
A wave of nausea hit him. But he had no time to marvel at the sight or question it. Under the crushing weight of Camilo's demonic energy, his consciousness and vision were rapidly fading.
Damn it, I can't hold out any long—
BOOM!
"...?"
At that exact moment, Gaon's figure vanished into thin air, leaving only a lingering afterimage of golden light in his wake.
The long, trailing streak of light traced the exact path his sword had traveled.
And at the end of that path stood Camilo von Taribas... with a thin golden line drawn straight down the center of his torso.
"Huh?"
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating.
The raging storm of demonic energy vanished in an instant. Only the bewildered gasp that escaped Camilo's mouth lingered in the room.
"A-Aaargh!"
The next moment, a scream of agony erupted. The groan gradually faded, eventually dying out completely.
An unbelievable sight unfolded. Through Sikan's blurry vision, the immortal lich who had lived for centuries began to split apart like a sheet of paper.
And through the widening gap, the vanished Gaon reappeared.
With a heavy thud, Camilo's elongated body split in half and collapsed to the floor.
Yes. That was all. There was no flashy technique, no complex movement. Or rather, even if there had been, his eyes could never have hoped to track it.
"What in the world..."
Only one thing was certain: Camilo von Taribas was dead.
"Whew."
I let out a sigh and turned around.
Camilo von Taribas's upper and lower halves lay neatly severed.
Even one of the Five Nightmares favored by the evil god met a miserable end, completely helpless before the Soul of the Sword Master.
...It really is an absurd skill.
Of course, I had expected this outcome, but seeing Camilo die in a single strike still left me somewhat dumbfounded.
Every time I used this Mythic-tier skill, it hit home just how broken the ability I brought into this game world was.
If I had reincarnated into a well-balanced, all-rounder character instead, I could never have dreamed of doing something like this.
"H-How... did you..."
Sikan Bauer's voice drifted from a distance. He was staring at me blankly, his face a mask of bewilderment.
On the other hand, Adelia...
I shifted my gaze to Adelia, who stood right next to Sikan.
Perhaps because she had seen me use the Soul of the Sword Master several times now, she didn't seem particularly shocked. While admiration was written all over her face, the sheer, mind-numbing disbelief she used to show was gone.
"Wow..."
Adelia murmured in awe, as if possessed.
"No matter how many times I see it, it is a beautiful strike—"
"Do not lower your guard yet. Camilo is not dead."
"...!"
Adelia and Sikan Bauer flinched in surprise. Their eyes snapped simultaneously toward Camilo's corpse.
"T-That thing isn't dead yet...?"
Adelia asked, half-doubting.
It was a reasonable reaction. Camilo's corpse lay completely motionless. Furthermore, the eerie energy that had been crushing the area just moments ago had vanished entirely. In a situation like this, no normal person would believe he was still alive.
"Heh... hehehe..."
At that moment, Camilo's relaxed voice began to echo throughout the entire building.
"I was completely fooled. I had guessed you were a follower of those obsolete gods, but to think you were a Sword Master..."
"How did you hide such a massive aura all this time?"
"..."
"I have lived for hundreds of years, yet I have never felt such pressure. At least, at the very moment you swung your sword... you seemed to have reached a realm that far surpasses other Sword Masters."
His gentle voice echoed from all directions, as if he had become one with the exhibition hall itself.
"L-Lord Gaon..."
Sikan Bauer and Adelia's faces turned pale upon hearing this. They immediately took up defensive stances, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
"There is no need to be so guarded."
I raised a hand, gesturing for them to calm down.
While letting our guard down completely was out of the question, there was no reason to be so terrified either.
"He cannot harm us right now."
"...Ah."
Only then did Adelia and Sikan Bauer slowly lower their weapons.
A lich was an immortal being. However, his physical vessel had been completely destroyed by the Soul of the Sword Master. It would inevitably take a considerable amount of time for him to fully regenerate it.
"Whew."
"T-Thank goodness."
Hearing my explanation, Sikan Bauer and Adelia finally let out sighs of relief.
"Heh."
Of course, Camilo could only let out a sinister chuckle.
"Yes. Quite right. I cannot harm you right now, no matter what I do."
"..."
Madness began to creep into Camilo's voice.
"But it matters not. I will resurrect eventually."
"Five years? Ten years? I do not know the exact time... but I will reclaim my flesh. Just as I always have over the past few centuries."
Indeed. A lich was a great mage who had overcome death. As long as their Life-Vessel—the source of their existence—remained intact, they could maintain eternal life.
To a lich, a physical body was nothing more than an empty shell. Camilo von Taribas had discarded and replaced countless 'shells' throughout his existence. That was why he could remain so indifferent to the destruction of his physical form.
After a brief pause, Camilo shrieked in a voice dripping with venom.
"And when the day finally comes that I reclaim my body... I will make sure to slaughter every last one of you!"
"Ugh...!"
Sikan Bauer and Adelia winced, covering their ears.
This time, even I couldn't help but flinch. It was simply because his voice was too loud.
...My ears hurt.
Why is he suddenly screaming like a lunatic? That had to be louder than a mandrake's shriek. I rubbed my ringing ears with a bewildered expression.
Actually, thinking about it, it's kind of funny.
Camilo von Taribas. One of the top five boss monsters in Lost Elder. And yet, the only meaningful damage he had managed to inflict on me was a minor assault on my eardrums.
A chuckle escaped my lips at the thought.
"Ha...? You laugh?"
Murderous intent began to seep back into his voice.
"Fine. If a painful death is what you desire, I will seek you out first the moment I reclaim my body and tear you limb from limb. I promise you that."
The exhibition hall rumbled as Camilo's voice filled the space with mad malice. It was a chilling warning that turned Sikan Bauer and Adelia's faces pale. Yet, I remained perfectly calm as I replied.
"Why wait for the future? You could kill me right now."
"...What did you say?"
"It is possible as long as you have your Life-Vessel, is it not?" I continued calmly, deliberately provoking him. "You could kill me through that 'trial'."
The air froze instantly. A chilling silence hung in the room before a sinister laugh echoed.
"An uncultured fool who knows nothing of art... dares to lecture me? Do you think I do not know what you are plotting?"
"Let me repeat: it is not that I do not know art," I replied, keeping my voice as even as possible. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to create that sculpture in the courtyard."
"Then why did you ignore my exhibition—"
"I was simply, genuinely disappointed by your level."
A brief silence fell. Camilo's voice cut off completely. Soon, a voice on the verge of exploding with rage filled the exhibition hall.
"...Is that so? Fine. Let us see this grand talent of yours."
A low hum vibrated through the air. Slowly, a crystal orb radiating a dark red glow materialized. It was the Life-Vessel that guaranteed the lich's immortality.
"This is what you wanted so badly. The moment you touch this, the trial begins."
"..."
Camilo's voice distorted into something increasingly grotesque.
"If you pass the trial, I will lose my immortality... but..."
"Should you fail, I will fashion your corpse into a truly magnificent work of art."
"..."
"Heh, the corpse of a former Sword Master. Just the thought of it makes my heart flutter."
A chilling obsession seeped through every single word he spoke.
"What is there to be excited about?"
"Why, because the stronger the corpse used as a 'medium,' the more sublime the resulting art!"
"..."
"True art shines brighter when crafted from the rarest materials!"
His voice, drunk on madness, echoed through the hall, sounding as giddy as a child waiting for a new toy.
"So, with your corpse, a masterpiece will surely be born—"
"Ah," I cut him off. "In that case, your corpse would make an excellent medium."
"...What?"
"Didn't you say that the rarer it is, the brighter it shines?"
Camilo's echoing voice faltered. Breaking the brief silence, I murmured coldly, "After all, is there anything rarer than the corpse of an immortal?"
Slowly, I reached out with both hands toward the Life-Vessel. Sikan Bauer and Adelia watched in bated breath.
The moment my hands made contact with the crystal orb, a blinding flash of light enveloped me.
You have entered the trial prepared by '■@■#!?■%'.
...It was the second trial I had faced since waking up in this world.