Chapter 61
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Ember
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The energy Gallipa unleashed was horrific.
A vortex marked with the lingering image of a human face hurtled toward Karen, cursing Gallipa as it went.
“Hngh!”
Karen sensed its insidious nature and swiftly tried to dodge.
But.
Shwaaaack-!
The vortex bent toward her armor and struck true.
“Urk...”
“Heh heh... It's no use! The energy of grudges can't be evaded by the dead.”
True to his necromantic expertise, Gallipa knew exactly how to handle corpses.
Fsssh...
Karen's armor held up reasonably well, but her skin began to crumble.
“Not on my watch!”
Roooar-!
[Karen's Pride activates.]
[Ignores most damage for a short time.]
Flames erupted from Karen's body, trying to burn away the impure energy. But the grudge vortex clung to her tenaciously.
“Now, your body will shatter into pieces soon enough! Keh heh heh... After that, it'll be a hassle, but this old man will piece you back together.”
Gallipa said this while glancing at Kang Seol.
“Now! Finish her off.”
“Isn't it over already?”
“If the corpse resists decay, the fight won't end quickly. If the grudge fades in the meantime, she'll rampage again. Still, since she's been hit once, the decay should progress.”
“...Understood.”
Kang Seol looked at Karuna.
Karuna charged at Karen with resolute eyes.
Whoooosh...
A breath slashed toward Karen.
Kang Seol finally thought he'd cut her down.
Claaang-!
But she was tenacious.
Resisting the decay, she held her disintegrating body together.
“You're still... not answering.”
“...Karen.”
“Brother who broke his promise, you who abandoned the empire.”
“Karen, I'll explain everything. The emperor is dead, and the Montran Empire has already fallen. A new world has come.”
“Fallen? Montran? No, that's impossible.”
“Snap out of it! Our time is over! We're... dead.”
“Heh heh... Yes, I'm dead. But the empire lives on. It's still here...”
Kang Seol felt a chill in that instant.
In a place filled with blazing heat, an inexplicable chill hung in the air.
'No, it's not just a chill.'
It's ominous.
He trusted his instincts.
At that moment, Karen's face twisted into an expression. She smiled.
And she reverted to her living self.
Her speech, habits, memories—all of it. And her power too.
“The empire lives within me. I am still a knight of Montran.”
Kang Seol shouted urgently.
“Karuna! Dodge—!”
“What—?”
KABOOOOOM-!
Riiing-
A massive explosion that rang in their ears.
Kang Seol sensed something had gone wrong, and Gallipa did too.
“My god... This can't be... My magic...”
[Karen's Last Reversal activates.]
[Defers all status ailments and damage taken so far.]
[Deferred damage and ailments will return later with double duration, intensity, and amount.]
[Main content of 'Burned to Ashes' has changed.]
['Burned to Ashes' changes to 'Ember'.]
Gallipa rambled in disbelief.
“The grudge... vanished? How, how is that possible?!”
Karuna was charred black but fortunately unharmed.
The explosion was merely a shockwave from Karen regaining her power, so the destructive force around them wasn't that severe.
In any case, with her now immune to decay for the set time, Kang Seol and Gallipa's plan to stall and finish her off had gone up in smoke.
Now, hunter and hunted had switched places.
Awooooo-!
[Wolf's Warning activates.]
[The wearer is in a dangerous situation.]
As Karen regained her strength, the Wolf's Warning Kang Seol had gotten from Keybo activated.
No need to think twice—he knew they were in extreme danger.
Adventure 10-1. 'Ember'
Ancient knight Karen.
The once-glorious Crimson Lotus Knight stands before you, burned to ashes. Yet she still seeks answers.
Archbishop Gallipa landed a critical hit on her as a frayed necromantic construct, accelerating her decay. You seized the opportunity in this unexpected turn.
But with half her power remaining, she pushed back the power of decay, deferring her doom for a time.
Now, the situation is simpler than before.
Either die to her, or survive until her destruction arrives.
Goal: Survive for 5 minutes
Time Remaining 「04:37」
'Dangerous!'
Unlike a mindless necromantic construct, the current Karen was incredibly tricky to face.
He didn't know the details of her abilities, nor could he gauge how much power she could unleash.
Only one thing was certain.
'I have to survive. Until time runs out!'
By any means necessary, endure the next four-plus minutes.
Gallipa, amid his panic, seemed to think of a way out and spoke to Kang Seol.
“Then... this is our only option. Lord Kindric, I still have my best trick left.”
“What's that?”
“...This.”
Fsssh...
Gallipa shriveled up rapidly in an instant. He looked as if his lifespan had been drastically shortened, aging even more than before.
Like a man on his deathbed, he gasped for breath and said,
“Everyone... will die.”
[Gallipa uses special ability: Night of Corpses.]
[Gallipa's lifespan decreases.]
[All corpses within range rise.]
[Corpses fight for Gallipa.]
[Corpses explode on contact with living beings.]
[Corpses explode on impact.]
Crack... Craaack...
At Gallipa's gesture, as if changing a melody, the corpses rose. Those killed by Gallipa, those burned by Karen—they slowly turned their heads toward her.
“Grraaaahhh...”
“Urrrghhh...”
As dozens of walking bombs stood up, Gallipa laughed triumphantly and declared,
“Kill them all.”
On his command, the corpses charged—at the blazing Karen, and even at Kang Seol.
Kang Seol shouted at Gallipa without much panic.
“Archbishop! What the hell is this?!”
Gallipa, not thinking deeply about Kang Seol's boldness, revealed his true intentions.
“Heh heh heh... You thought I wouldn't know? A clueless messenger who doesn't even know the church's doctrines, lingering in a ruthless place like the Eternal Church? Don't make me laugh... Your usefulness ends here. She's mine!”
Most of the risen corpses headed for Karen, with only a few targeting Kang Seol. He figured that would be enough to deal with a summoner separated from his summons.
“Pity, Gallipa. I thought we'd stick together longer.”
“Don't make me laugh! Become one with the corpses already!”
“If that's what you think. But the one merging with them isn't me.”
As he spoke, the corpses nearly reached Kang Seol.
Kang Seol ducked his head and called out to Gallipa.
“Jamad.”
“Hmph! All talk!”
Whoooosh...
Swish-!
Gallipa expected Kang Seol to explode with the corpses. He was that confident in the ability.
But black light spread from Kang Seol's hand, and the lead corpse charging at him suddenly grew taller.
“Graaaah...”
A massive hand rested atop the corpse's head. It had grabbed and lifted it.
“Jamad, if you please.”
“As long as I don't squeeze too hard, it won't explode on this shadow version of me. Got it.”
[Jamad uses Rock Armor.]
[Mountain Fist's special effect activates.]
[Snowman receives Rock Armor's effect.]
“Wha—what? Another one like that? Another monster that size? N-No... Come back! Protect me!”
“Grraaaahhh...”
From the horde heading to Karen, the rearmost corpses turned back toward Gallipa.
But they were already quite far away.
Jamad and Kang Seol charged fiercely at Gallipa.
Fwosh-!
Jamad hoisted the corpse high.
Whoooosh-
And hurled it somewhere.
KABOOOOOM!
[Corpse explodes.]
[Corrodes explosion radius.]
In the end, Kang Seol's judgment to hide the Jamad card had been correct.
Gallipa, who had bared his fangs too hastily, floundered helplessly.
“N-No! Stay back!”
As Jamad hurled corpses aside and closed in, Gallipa panicked, stumbling backward and falling.
Once out of the corpses' range, Kang Seol sighed and said,
“Your usefulness ends here, Gallipa.”
“No, stop! Don't!”
“Jamad.”
Jamad was already in front of Gallipa, lifting one foot.
“Sweet dreams, old timer.”
“Nooooo!”
Crunch!
[Archbishop Gallipa defeated.]
[Achievement 'Distant Acquaintance' unlocked.]
[Title 'Con Artist' acquired.]
[Additional rewards granted.]
Messages scrolled up, but that wasn't important now.
The moment he eliminated Gallipa, Kang Seol turned to Karen.
[Necromancer dead. All corpses explode.]
[Corrodes explosion radius.]
BOOM-! KABOOM-! BOOM!
Chain explosions rocked the great forest once more. Fortunately, Karuna hadn't been targeted by the corpses, so he could watch from a safe distance.
'Insane power.'
Gallipa's special abilities each boasted tremendous destructive force. The problem was the heavy price they demanded.
Recalling his viciousness, Kang Seol checked Karen's status, hoping her momentum had been dulled even slightly.
Fwoosh...
“...Impossible.”
Karen was fine.
Even with her Last Reversal, enduring that much damage was unbelievable.
Kang Seol suddenly recalled the earlier message.
[Defers all status ailments and damage taken so far.]
'All status ailments... Does that mean even the necromantic construct penalty is gone?'
The necromantic construct penalty sealed half her power. She'd erased even that temporarily.
The implication was clear.
'This... I can't win.'
Kang Seol had cleverly wiped out the camp and damaged Karen, but everything after was uncertain.
Could they hold off her restored power for the remaining time?
He judged it impossible.
But then, Karuna spoke to Karen. With everything going south, Kang Seol thought fleeing was the next best option—yet an unexpected turn unfolded.
“Karen, I tried to keep my promise.”
“Don't lie! You abandoned Montran and dare say that...?”
“No, it's true. That day, I was heading to the capital.”
“Traitor!”
KABOOM-!
[Karen uses Crimson Lotus Slash.]
Flames surged on Karen's half-remaining sword. Karuna gathered moonlight power in response.
[Karuna uses Full Moon Slash.]
Zzzzzap-!
After the clash, Karuna was predictably pushed back.
But the collision felt off.
KABOOM-!
“Urgh...”
Karuna was overwhelmed by Karen's momentum but didn't suffer irreparable damage. This was definitely strange.
Watching this, Kang Seol formed a hypothesis.
'Karen... is hesitating?'
With their stat and skill gap, Karuna should have been utterly crushed. If Karen swung seriously now, she could sever Karuna's head effortlessly.
Yet she didn't.
'Her goal isn't our deaths!'
Kang Seol concluded.
“You're weak, Karuna. Too weak. Did the world you chose after abandoning the empire make you this frail?”
“Urk... I didn't abandon the empire.”
“Enough! Lies to the end! You... you...”
Whoooosh-!
While they talked, Jamad seized an opening and attacked Karen.
But it was a futile swing.
Karen spun, kicking Jamad at invisible speed.
KABOOM-!
Craaack...
“Gah... What power...”
Jamad was sent flying by Karen's kick.
Despite the massive size difference, her strength was immense enough to hurl him.
But still, she didn't kill him. Kang Seol nodded.
She seemed intent on sparing Kang Seol's group.
“Why interfere? What is Karuna to you?”
“Keh heh... Don't bully the tin can... Or fight me too, monster.”
“Monster? Me?”
And finally, her deferred doom arrived.
[Karen's Last Reversal effect ends.]
[All accumulated damage and ailments double and strike.]
Fsssh...
Karen's pupils faded once more.
And her skin began to shrivel.