Chapter 49
Episode 49
"Oh?"
As I watched the scene, I suddenly broke into a grin.
"Aha. It's not full-fledged Gang Qi."
Looking closely, I could tell.
That energy wasn't true Gang Qi.
It was exactly halfway between sword qi and Gang Qi.
In other words, it was incomplete Gang Qi—Gang Qi that had been painstakingly produced but clumsily given form.
"Well, it'd be even weirder if real Gang Qi showed up on Floor 3."
So the Dimensional Tower did have a conscience.
If they'd stuck a genuine Transformation Realm master-level boss on Floor 3, that would've been a massacre.
However.
That didn't mean he was easy.
CRUNCH! CRRRUNCH!
Every time Krakk swung his twin axes.
My One Hundred Eight Arhat Formation was being chipped away piece by piece.
Even if it was pseudo Gang Qi, it had the power to tear undead apart like sheets of paper.
"Clear away the small fry!"
Krakk roared and crossed his twin axes above his head.
Then.
FWOOOSH!
From the point where the two axes crossed.
A massive blood-red circular wave burst outward as if exploding.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE!
The wave spread in all directions.
And began sweeping away the surrounding undead wholesale.
"Oh. A trash-clearing skill, huh?"
That blood-red wave blanketing the whole area.
It was obviously an area attack with a "cleans trash mobs in one go" concept!
Everywhere the blood-red wave passed.
Walking Corpses were pulverized and scattered on the spot.
The sight of dozens of undead being ground away in an instant was overwhelming.
And that wave.
Surged straight toward the throne where I sat.
"Hm."
The moment I lightly flicked a finger.
Flash!
Black Impermanence and White Impermanence simultaneously leaped out in front of me.
The two jiangshi blocked the front of the throne and took their stances.
The two jiangshi simultaneously raised their yin-yang palm force.
And met the surging blood-red wave head-on.
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
RUMBLE!
The blood-red wave and the palm force formed from Corpse-Spirit True Qi collided.
And a thunderous explosion shook the entire boss room.
Indeed.
I could see why Black and White Impermanence had said they'd have trouble beating him.
This guy... was positioned at least halfway between Transcendent Peak and the Transformation Realm.
On top of that.
He wasn't just some run-of-the-mill small fry, but someone who had trained in considerable martial arts.
I shouldn't approach this one for fun.
As soon as the explosion subsided, I immediately checked my remaining forces.
Hm. They got chewed up more than I thought.
Only twelve Walking Corpses were left now.
Most had been completely destroyed by that blood-red wave just now.
And even the ones that still had some shape left were all critically wounded, so they were useless for combat.
I'd gathered over a hundred, and now there were only twelve.
Krakk's trash-clearing skill really was vicious.
Well. They were expendables anyway. Might as well use them up productively.
I immediately sent my will to the remaining corpses.
"Corpse Explosion."
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-KABOOM!
The corpses surrounding Krakk exploded all at once.
The powerful shockwaves of the explosions pounded Krakk's massive frame from all directions.
At this level, even a giant should stagger at least once.
But.
"Oho."
Bursting through the heart of the massive explosion.
Krakk was charging straight forward.
And his entire enormous body was engulfed in crimson flames.
It looked like a living fireball rolling toward me.
Was it some kind of body-protecting Gang Qi technique?
That defense, chewing up the explosion's shockwaves with his whole body.
This was definitely a protective barrier of the body-protecting Gang Qi family.
A boss was a boss, after all.
"Call Wind and Summon Rain. Fall back!"
At my command, the palanquin-bearers Call Wind and Summon Rain immediately lifted the throne and executed lightness arts backward.
They retreated at tremendous speed.
At the same time, Black Impermanence and White Impermanence leaped to the front and blocked Krakk.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Along with a ghastly sound like the wailing of vengeful spirits, gloomy palm force poured from Black and White Impermanence's twin palms.
Corpse-Spirit Soul-Shattering Palm!
A divine art of the Corpse-Spirit Sect, and a powerful, vicious strike further augmented by the Internal School Heavy-Hand Method!
It aimed squarely at the face of the charging Krakk.
But.
RUMBLE!
Krakk swung his twin axes and swatted the Corpse-Spirit Soul-Shattering Palm away.
The palm force struck the axe blades and scattered in all directions.
And Krakk's charge didn't stop.
It was exactly that instant.
Shunk.
Before anyone knew it.
Bihallat had driven her sword into Krakk's side.
I hadn't even seen when she'd slipped in that far.
And on that sword.
"...Oh?"
A bluish aura was clearly coiled around it.
That energy rippling along the blade.
It was an Aura Blade at the level of sword qi!
Well, look at that?
An amused exclamation slipped out before I knew it.
That corpse knight.
She'd refused my martial arts instruction and insisted on her own training method.
And it turned out she was the real deal who knew how to wield aura.
The moment Bihallat's sword drove deep into Krakk's side.
CRACK!
At the same time, Black Impermanence's body.
Was split clean in half by Krakk's other axe and scattered.
Whoops. There went Black Impermanence.
Well, I could always make more jiangshi.
Right now, Bihallat's performance was more interesting.
But.
Krakk immediately swung his remaining axe.
Straight at Bihallat, who had stabbed his side.
That was the moment.
Whoosh!
Bihallat's body suddenly moved at terrifying speed.
She released the sword from her hand.
And evaded by flipping backward through the air.
That wasn't a normal movement.
It looked like some kind of special technique, like a martial art.
He had something like that too?
Swish!
I could see Bihallat land lightly and take her stance again.
Krakk glanced at the sword lodged in his side.
Then slowly shifted his gaze to Bihallat.
"Lady knight. What's your name?"
"Bihallat, knight of Elbirant."
Bihallat calmly gave her name.
"Is that so. You're quite impressive."
Krakk nodded in admiration.
"However...."
Shhhk.
At that moment, Bihallat's sword.
Began slowly pushing itself out of Krakk's side.
And the wound deeply cut by the axe began closing up as if by magic.
"Still not fully ripened."
Krakk re-gripped his twin axes.
That sight of him recovering fine even after his side had been pierced through.
He must have troll-type regeneration after all.
As I watched Krakk take his combat stance again, I raised both hands.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Seated on the throne, I slowly applauded.
Both of their gazes turned toward me.
"Fall back, Bihallat. And...."
I opened my mouth toward Krakk.
"Magnificent, Krakk."
"Have you lost your mind, necromancer?"
Krakk spoke as if puzzled.
"Your Vassals are nearly all gone now. One jiangshi has been cut in two, and your legion is down to a handful."
"That's true."
I shrugged lightly.
"It's true you've brought down quite a lot of my Vassals. But."
Wooooooo.
Groooooo.
Graaaaaa.
Screeeeee.
At that moment.
The horde of vengeful spirits circling around my body.
Began emitting an eerie sound that made the fine hairs all over one's body stand on end.
The sound of the vengeful spirits wailing in unison was itself a lamentation of resentment that chilled the spine just to hear.
"You still haven't brought me down. Isn't that right?"
Krakk stared silently at the horde of vengeful spirits.
Then slowly pulled up the corners of his mouth.
"Necromancer... it seems you still have a card you haven't shown."
"Well. Who knows?"
"If that's the case."
Krakk raised the crimson energy into his twin axes again.
"I shall personally take your life!"
THUD!
Krakk, with a terrifying speed that didn't match his massive frame.
Began charging straight at me.
It was a simple, brutish frontal assault to cut down the emperor on the throne directly.
Watching that.
I couldn't help but smirk.
A telegraphed attack, huh.
Thousand Hands of Vengeful Spirits — Grafting Flowers onto Wood.
My will moved the vengeful spirits. The vengeful spirits bound by Necromantic Mana and spirit became my muscles, my arms, and my hands.
The head and legs of the charging giant, from different directions, gently.
Push.
Then.
Whoosh!
That enormous body, in midair, very smoothly, without any difficulty at all.
Spun and went flying off.
KABOOM!
He flew to one side and slammed into the ground.
Confusion filled his face.
Looking down at him, I grinned.
"Did you think I was a mere necromancer, Krakk? I am their master, and I am the one who taught them martial arts. I am the grandmaster of martial arts itself."
Tap-tap-tap!
Call Wind and Summon Rain charged forward as one body, hoisting the palanquin throne.
And at the same time, I infused even more Necromantic Mana into the vengeful spirits and controlled them with precision.
"Receive the essence of my martial arts."
Thousand Hands of Vengeful Spirits — Extreme-Point Break.
The moment Krakk, as if sensing the threat, rose and crossed his twin axes into a defensive stance.
I compressed the vengeful spirits into the extreme point where the twin axes crossed and forged them into a spear.
Yes.
I had become a body that could no longer use martial arts.
However.
If I used the Armor of the Vengeful Spirit Horde, I could deploy martial arts in this limited way.
Take it.
This is the single flash of Intercept-Seize-Thrust.
The foundation, origin, and entirety of spear arts!
WHAM!
The extremely compressed force caused no particular collateral destruction.
In one blow, a hole was punched through the twin axes and pierced Krakk behind them.
KABOOM!
The axes burst apart in an instant, and a hole was bored through Krakk's solar plexus behind them.
"Cough."
His body staggered.
Then he fumbled at his own solar plexus.
"Hah... you're strong."
"Are you satisfied?"
I asked him.
If he was a true martial artist, even a death like this would be satisfying.
"I am... satisfied. I hope... you conquer... the tower...."
As I expected, he was a true warrior.
Thud.
And Krakk collapsed just like that.
* * *
Park Il-chim sat frozen in front of his monitor, mouth agape.
He simply couldn't believe what he had just seen.
"Insane... isn't that sick?"
A three-meter orc general was charging in.
And the Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign, far from fleeing, was sitting on the throne with his legs crossed, applauding.
What kind of person had nerves like that?
"This seriously needs to be preserved forever."
Park Il-chim immediately connected to a certain forum with practiced hands.
[Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign Forum]
It was a brand-new forum, freshly created not long ago by fans of the Corpse-Spirit Martial Sovereign.
At first there had only been a handful of people, but before he knew it, the posts had exploded in number.