Shall I Help?
Kalderet asked Adel.
Shall I help?
But it sounded more like he wanted to jump into the fray himself than actually assist Adel.
‘Too many eyes watching. I’ll just borrow Garon’s blessing.’
[Hmph…]
Kalderet smacked his lips in disappointment at Adel’s reply.
‘A wolf fighting should be fine. Black wolves are a rare breed—even the Nakrang hunters have never laid eyes on one.’
Sensing Kalderet’s eagerness, Adel added,
‘They probably don’t know how skilled you are at hunting either.’
[Music to my ears.]
Grrowrrrr…
Kalderet leaped toward the Dragon Bone Soldier like he’d been waiting for the invitation. His razor-sharp fangs sank into the creature’s thigh bone with a vicious crunch! Astonishingly, the bone crumbled to pieces.
[Not tasty.]
He said it matter-of-factly, as if it were nothing, but the sight of a wolf shattering a Dragon Bone Soldier’s bone was plenty to sear itself into the minds of the Nakrang hunters.
“A D-Dragon Bone Soldier in one bite?! …What an incredible wolf!!”
“Where the hell did he tame that thing?”
“As expected of Lord Hien’s son.”
Unaware of Kalderet’s true nature, the Nakrang hunters marveled at his fearless rampage across the battlefield. But their ability to cheer for the wolf meant they betrayed no fear of the Dragon Bone Soldiers themselves.
‘Dragon Bone Soldiers are no pushovers. But Nakrang’s already battle-hardened against giant beasts, so these don’t faze them.’
“Then let’s pick up the pace.”
Adel nodded approvingly at their performance.
Kwa-duduk…!!
The arrowhead on his drawn bowstring ignited in crimson flames. Garon’s blessing.
[Kyak!! Kyaaaak!!!]
The undead Dragon Bone Soldiers sensed the blessing’s power, halting their pursuit of the Bi-gung tribesmen to turn toward Adel.
Thud thud thud…!!!!
They staggered into a charge.
Bang-!!
With a cannon-like boom, the arrow tore free and pulverized the lead Dragon Bone Soldier’s chest plate. Its momentum unchecked, it pierced the one behind clean through.
[Grrrrowl…]
Even with heads shattered and tumbling, the creatures’ jaws clacked hungrily, jaws snapping in search of prey.
Thwack-!!!
Adel stomped the thrashing skull with all his might.
“Undead shrug off anything but flames without a blessing!! Nakrang hunters—prepare fire arrows!”
“Yes!!”
“Understood!!”
Confirming Garon’s blessing, the hunters realized Adel bore the desert’s grace. Grace was a power reserved for Ulan’s chosen few—displaying it alone proved his worth.
“Advanced flames, even among the power of conflagration. Don’t tell me… you didn’t just borrow the blessing—you’ve contracted directly with Garon.”
“That’s right.”
“Impressive. You’re the only one among our brothers to claim a contract from the desert’s grace. Word is you wielded Nazan’s bow before reaching the nest? Looks like the gods have taken a shine to you.”
Hul beamed, eyes fixed on Adel’s devastating shot.
[Shine my ass. The punk scams gods for a living…]
Garon grumbled dryly, but of course Hul couldn’t hear. Adel chuckled.
Chaaang-!! Clang… Cha-jaang…!!
Weapons clashed from all directions. Dozens of Dragon Bone Soldiers swarmed, yet the Nakrang hunters dispatched them with practiced ease.
Kwak-!!!
Adel bashed a Dragon Bone Soldier’s head with his bow like a club, holding the line.
‘This shouldn’t have ended like that.’
Annihilation-level devastation. Hul’s death amid the carnage.
“Push harder!!!”
“Hunt the bastards!!”
As the Dragon Bone Soldiers thinned, the hunters’ fervor surged.
“You alright?”
Adel hauled a fallen Bi-gung tribesman to his feet, pressing a waterskin into his wounded hands.
“Dragon Bone Soldiers out of nowhere… What the hell happened?”
“We don’t know. A few days back, undead hit the village out of the blue. Two villages wiped out already. Even the chief… he’s gone.”
“What? The Bi-gung chief… you mean Ranmyo?”
“Yes.”
Hul and Adel exchanged stunned looks. Adel especially—he’d been en route to the great plains to warn the Bi-gung of this very raid.
“The Bi-gung are one of the great plains’ three major tribes… How the hell…?”
Hul muttered. Adel’s mind raced.
‘After the Shallon disaster, Hul died—and Father pinned the blame on the great plains. They demanded blood debt for their dead, accusing the desert of invading the plains.’
The puppeteers behind the Dragon Bone Soldiers were clearly stoking that rift. But another problem loomed.
‘Definitely…’
Adel bit his lip.
‘Back then, the Bi-gung chief—Ranmyo—was alive.’
So why claim the chief was dead?
‘No.’
What if he had died? What if Adel’s memory was wrong…?
Gulp.
He swallowed dryly.
‘If the Ranmyo from my previous life was already dead—an undead revived by necromancy…’
Entirely plausible.
‘We need to hurry.’
If they’d already exterminated the Bi-gung, the enemy’s advance outpaced his estimates.
“Aaaagh!!”
“S-save me!!!”
Screams erupted from the rear as Adel pondered.
“More monsters…!!”
“Hold the rear!!!”
Kwaaaaang---!!!
A deafening blast—Kargon riders exploded mid-stride, bodies flung skyward.
Hwaruruk…! Shwaak…!!
Flame-wreathed arrows sliced through the rising dust, grazing Adel’s shoulder.
[Kak!! Kyagak!!!]
The struck Dragon Bone Soldier convulsed, unnatural flames devouring its frame.
Kasla’s arrows.
“Adel!!”
She lagged behind him in grace, but he’d stationed her with the rearguard for cover. Her presence here spelled trouble—tied to that boom.
“What happened?”
[Kuuaaaaaaaa---!!!!]
No answer—just a roar from the flung hunters’ midst.
“Guhk… Keheok…”
“S-save…”
The airborne hunters dangled bloodied from something.
Dust settled: gripped by the head.
Crack.
One neck snapped clean.
The other’s skull burst with a wet pop!!
Adel’s gaze flickered. Blood sprayed everywhere.
‘That thing…’
[Grrrrrowl…]
The beast that pulped two hunters fixed him with glowing red eyes.
Dragon-bone undead fell into two breeds: forged from scraps, or whole corpses revived.
The former: Dragon Bone Soldiers.
“Bone Dragon.”
Unlike them, this was intact—a full dragon corpse reanimated.
[Kuaaaaaaaa---!!!!]
The colossus reared, hurling the mangled corpse, unfurling wings of exposed bone laced with rotting flesh. Putrid stench billowed.
“Fall back—everyone!!!”
Even Nakrang’s giant-beast veterans froze at the roar.
Hul bellowed, but the tail lashed first.
Splat---!!!
Skulls caved, ribs pulverized—three, four Kargon riders flung lifeless.
“Ke, keheok…!!!”
One survivor tumbled, gasping bloody froth. Pitiful, but fortunate.
“…”
The rest died on impact.
‘Because of that?’
Hul’s death. Shallon’s carnage.
‘No.’
Adel eyed the Bone Dragon.
‘Ordinary monsters? Sure. But undead don’t spawn naturally.’
This horde plus a Bone Dragon trekking would’ve alerted every power on the continent.
Yet the vast Bi-gung missed their descent? Meant summoned here.
‘Necromancer nearby. That’s the real threat.’
“Retreat!!!”
“Pull back the line!!”
“Grab the wounded—move!!”
Panic gripped the hunters briefly, then discipline kicked in.
“Adel!! Too dangerous here!”
Harun called, hauling wounded from the rear.
“Yeah, we retreat.”
Kasla bit her lip, reading the peril.
But Adel stood firm.
“Harun, Kasla.”
He halted them.
“Chance for glory.”
“...What?”
Two paths. Flee with Nakrang: safe, but leaves the threat alive. Couldn’t abandon them for the plains—stuck awaiting Muel’s main force.
‘Necromancer cuts summons while we’re pinned? No tracking them.’
Undead summons leave gray-ash trails. Followable.
‘Kalderet—possible?’
[Child’s play.]
A void god outranking necromancy? He’d sniff the traces easy.
‘Best shot at the bastard is now, while the undead persist.’
Crisis flipped to opportunity. Adel chose bold.
“Hyah!!”
He spurred Kargon’s flank, charging ahead.
“We hunt the Bone Dragon.”