095. Hatchery 1
The moment a bolt of blue lightning surged toward Bin's Luminare.
Shwaaaaa.
A vortex of blue light emerged from Luminare, beginning to absorb the thunderbolt hurled by the Previous Family Head. Moments later, Bin swung his greatsword, batting away the now-fading spear of light.
Thud.
Clatter.
The sound of metal clashing rang out, followed by a thrown spear rolling across the floor. Zeke, slumped nearby, stared in slack-jawed astonishment.
To block a strike from the Previous Family Head...!
Though his flesh had rotted away to leave only a skeleton, he had once ruled the Taia family. He was no pushover.
Irin, too, gaped in disbelief at the sight.
The Previous Family Head's Absolute Weapon, Astraphe...
Astraphe.
An armament capable of summoning lightning—not your average superior-grade weapon. It was an Absolute Weapon, the pinnacle among superior-grade armaments.
Absolute Weapons.
The ten supreme armaments rated highest even among the elite. It was said that possessing just one granted the power to rule a family.
Among them was Tombstone, the armament of Moden Bascon, head of the Bascon family.
The old Bin might have taken damage from an Astraphe attack. But this was Trist. The power that amplified monsters' magi was affecting Bin's body as well. And Luminare had runes etched into it now, too.
With the Previous Family Head's attack thwarted, massive skeletal soldiers advanced from behind the hatchery's eggs, their faces twisted in clear displeasure.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Outsider..."
"Do you even know what this place is!"
The giant skeletons rode bone-constructed monsters toward Bin, resembling a cavalry charge.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
That was when Codic, transformed into Gust's body, blocked their path.
"How dare you interfere in my lord's battle!"
Behind him materialized a horde of skeletons: four 4th-grade elite Skeleton Knights—the O-Fang Knights; 3rd-grade monsters Starfish, Gold Tooth, and Behemoth; and even 2nd-grade monsters King, Queen, and Jack.
Codic raised his massive, bandage-wrapped right arm and bellowed,
"Protect the lord!"
"Protect him!"
As Codic shouted, the army of bone monsters charged at the giant skeletons.
"Uwooooo!"
Starfish led the assault, barreling forward like an enraged bull and slamming his head into the giants.
Thud! Thud!
But the giant skeletons parried Starfish's attacks with their armaments, holding their ground.
"What do you take us for?"
They were the guardians of the Taia family's core—the hatchery—alongside the Previous Family Head. In life, they had been the family's top executives, at least 3rd-class knights. They wouldn't yield easily.
And so the chaotic melee of skeletons erupted.
"Uwooooo!"
"Land-dwelling weaklings!"
As Starfish and Gold Tooth clashed, Codic's eye sockets widened dramatically.
Th-that's it... Perfect build, flawless proportions. Those are my legs without a doubt!
Codic stared piercingly at the legs of one giant skeletal soldier.
He yelled at it,
"Hand over my legs!"
As Codic, in Gust's form, approached, the elite Skeleton Knights—Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta—were battling the giant skeleton. Dual swords, dual chariots, triple-section staff, and spear.
Each wielded different weapons, but all targeted the giant's legs.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...!
Dual swords slashed at the left ankle.
Two dual chariots stabbed the left knee.
A whirling triple-section staff smashed the shinbone.
A soaring spear stamped the instep.
Being relatively short, the elite Skeleton Knights focused on the legs.
Codic's eye sockets bulged as he shouted in shock,
"Stop that, you fools! Those are my legs!!"
Codic felt no pain, but his sockets welled up anyway.
Meanwhile, Bin swung his greatsword at the Previous Family Head's arm.
Clang!
The Previous Family Head scowled.
"A Bascon whelp dares soil this sacred hatchery with your filthy feet!"
His voice brimmed with menace. But Bin wouldn't be cowed.
Bin eyed the half-mirror necklace around the skeleton's neck.
"If you don't want to die twice, hand over the family heirloom."
"Kekekekek. Kill me? Cheeky brat."
The Previous Family Head threw his head back in his signature cackle.
Bin frowned at him, sensing the overwhelming mana.
Not an ordinary foe. I'll have to snatch the heirloom in one go.
Swish.
As air whistled