Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Night Crawler 6
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“There, Naga woman! What’s your name?”
“Man, what’s yours?”
The Nagas demanded Shati and Azadin’s names as well.
“This woman’s name is Shati, and…”
As he spoke, Azadin subtly applied pressure to Shati. He tightened his arm around the torso holding her aloft.
In that instant, Shati realized how utterly delusional it had been to think she could strangle him to death with her snake tail and body. Instead, his squeeze made her feel like her own body might burst apart.
*What kind of human strength is this? These warm-blooded creatures are terrifying!*
With no choice, Shati gave the name of a fellow sorcerer who had died when Azadin raided the count’s castle.
“He’s Capella.”
“Capella and Shati…”
“They’re the friends who went to Count Salas! It’s them after all!”
“What the hell happened? Who were those guys shooting arrows from behind?”
“More importantly, this…”
Azadin set his longsword down on the ground. Of course, he didn’t release the dagger hidden in the hand gripping Shati. Instead, after placing the longsword on the ground, he drew a copy of the New King Scripture from his bosom with his empty hand.
The moment they saw the white paper glowing with its own light, the Nagas gasped in admiration.
“The New King Scripture!”
“It’s a copy of the New King Scripture!”
“Yes. I was going to deliver this to you.”
While the Nagas’ attention was fixed on the New King Scripture copy, Azadin dipped his head slightly.
“Everyone, get away!”
Shati screamed a warning. But it was already too late.
*Whizz!*
Azadin hurled an arrow at the Nagas.
The startled Naga youths scrambled to defend themselves, but the one nearest Azadin took an arrow straight through the head. Even the one who raised a shield in time couldn’t block it—the arrow pierced the shield and embedded in his face.
“Grah!”
It was a blue arrow. Azadin had used the Azure Iron Arrow he’d obtained from 75th Rank Nefti, the Emperor’s Herald, to punch through the Nagas’ shields and wound them.
Even though it had been used once before and its tip was somewhat dulled, the Azure Iron Arrow tore through the shield like paper and plunged deep into the Naga youths’ faces.
“Kyaaak!”
Shati bared her claws and fangs, but Azadin swung the hidden dagger and backhanded her across the mouth.
*Crack!*
One of Shati’s fangs snapped off, blood spraying. A Naga larger than a human had been sent sprawling by Azadin’s strike.
“Ugh!”
The orc necromancer, Scott Macgreen, had already suspected Azadin and reacted swiftly.
“Ghoul!”
A ghoul—an evil spirit-possessed human corpse twisted into a four-legged beast—leaped at Azadin. But when Azadin seized the longsword he’d set down and swung it, the ghoul flew sideways.
*Impossible!*
Scott wheeled his chair backward. The necromancy-controlled wheelchair slid back wildly. He then erected a wall of undead to block the enemy’s charge.
Or so he thought…
The longsword flew straight at Scott. Azadin had unleashed a sword throw, hurling the blade at him. The sword hurtled forward with the momentum of a ballista bolt, fierce and deadly. If it hit, it would punch clean through to his back.
*Ah! Damn it!*
The undead under Scott’s control tried to block with their bodies, but the attack was too fast for their sluggish movements.
At that moment, a shadow demon burst from Scott’s shadow.
[Kraaak!]
It was the Night Crawler. The massive shadow fiend swiped with its claws, batting aside Azadin’s thrown sword.
“Tch.”
Azadin was stunned once more that the Night Crawler had blocked his perfect strike.
*Any ordinary necromancer would’ve died to that first arrow attack. It survived then, and now again. That shadow demon’s the problem. I sensed it from the start—it’s one hell of a monster. What now?*
But the orc controlling that monster’s face was turning a deep green. Suddenly, the shadow demon seized the orc’s head and hoisted him up.
[The contract is fulfilled! Scott Macgreen! Now it’s time to pay the price!]
“N-No!”
The orc necromancer tried to chant a spell, but the shadow demon gaped its maw and swallowed him whole.
But then…
“Huh?”
Azadin, watching it all, was caught off guard by the sudden turn.
[Kuhahaha!]
The shadow demon’s body was growing denser.
*Ah, I see. It’s absorbing the sorcerer into itself, using him as a mana source to manifest in this world.*
Azadin clicked his tongue as he realized the orc absorbed into the shadow demon was now its power supply.
Summoning or conjuration magic required sacrifice and devotion from someone native to this world to maintain over long periods. As both a wraith and a demon-like entity, the shadow demon needed a living sorcerer as a medium to linger here. Likely, it let contracts pile up until the price was due, then devoured them like this.
“Come! Despair, human!”
Thick darkness poured from the empowered shadow demon, now fueled by the devoured sorcerer, enveloping the surrounding undead.
“Kyaaaak!”
“Kraaa!”
The shadows wrapped around the undead, becoming their armor and muscles.
Seeing the shadow demon’s colossal form, Azadin spun on his heel and bolted. Such powerful wraith-type monsters couldn’t be sustained forever anyway. No point wasting energy fighting it here—better to run.
*Too bad I couldn’t figure out what the Nagas are up to, but no reason to exhaust myself. My wounds haven’t fully healed yet.*
As Azadin fled, the Nagas began fleeing too. The Nagas he’d shot in the face didn’t die from that alone. Nagas didn’t go down easily unless their brains were scrambled.
Likewise, Shati—with her broken fang from the dagger—staggered to her feet and ran hard after him.
“Huff! A-Azadin!”
Shati called Azadin’s name in the ancient Aragsa dialect. Her broken tooth caused the lisp, but Azadin was shocked to hear his own name spoken.
Just then, the pursuing shadow demon went for a lagging Naga instead of Azadin.
“Tch!”
Azadin flung his dagger backward, aiming for the Night Crawler’s heart. That’s where the orc necromancer who’d controlled it until moments ago should be. Sure enough, the Night Crawler flinched hypersensitively and blocked the dagger.
“Everyone, scatter and run!”
Azadin shouted for the Nagas to flee as he sprinted off. Shati followed right behind him, while the other Nagas veered away to avoid him. As the swift-footed Azadin pulled ahead, the Nagas began chanting spells.
“Ah!”
Thick vines sprouted before Azadin, up to calf height but barbed and clinging, ripping cloth and skin—perfect obstacles.
*What? They wanna play games? If they hinder each other, I benefit more! You bastards!*
Azadin veered to dodge the thorny vines.
The Night Crawler chased Azadin, but the shadow-clad undead pursued the Nagas.
“Urk!”
“Damn it!”
The wounded Nagas found themselves surrounded by undead. Thinking them ordinary undead as usual, they drew their large curved swords and swung wildly…
*Clang!*
A metallic ring echoed from the zombie’s body.
“Huh?!”
“Oh no!”
The black shadow armor rang like iron, deflecting the blades. The black-armored undead charged the Nagas, sparking a chaotic melee.
*Looks like I can leave the undead to handle them. Now the problem is…*
Azadin glanced back at Shati chasing him—and the Night Crawler surging behind her.
“H-Help me!”
Shati pleaded with Azadin.
“What? Are you insane?”
She’d just betrayed him and attacked moments ago, and now she wanted help?
Stunned by Shati’s audacity, Azadin nonetheless changed his mind for some reason and unslung the Moon Horn Bow from his waist, stringing it.
“Hey, undead!”
Azadin drew a Black Iron Arrow from his quiver—the same one he’d fired at Zekt before—and nocked it. Astonishingly, he then pulled out the New King Scripture copy and wrapped a page around the arrow.
“Go on, undead! Despair!”
Azadin loosed the Black Iron Arrow. It flew from his bow with terrifying force, targeting the Night Crawler’s heart—the orc necromancer within.
*Thud!*
The Night Crawler raised an arm to block, but the Black Iron Arrow shattered its arm in one shot, burrowing inside and striking the torso.
[Krahat!?]
Such was its power that even the Night Crawler panicked. Azadin’s arrow pulverized the arm and hit the heart dead-on.
*Thud!*
The Night Crawler staggered back and collapsed to a knee.
“Kahk!?”
The orc necromancer revealed himself from within that heart.
“Urgh…”
“Good. It’s working.”
Azadin grabbed another page from the New King Scripture copy, clutched it in his hand, and charged the Night Crawler.
[Fool! You think you can beat me with the New King Scripture? A grimoire against me?]
The Night Crawler instantly absorbed surrounding darkness to regenerate its missing arm and tried to reinter the emerging orc necromancer into its chest.
But Azadin whipped his cloak to cover the orc necromancer’s position and unleashed a palm strike simultaneously.
*Azure Sky’s Thunderclap! Kazas Haset!*
Originally a technique to spread shockwaves against swarms of insects or rats, but layering it with the New King Scripture copy imbued it with white mana power, sweeping away the darkness.
[Kraaak?! Such recklessness!]
“Orc!”
Azadin reached out, seizing the arm of the orc necromancer buried in the Night Crawler’s chest, and yanked him free.
“Use your strength too! What good are those muscles!”
“Guh… my muscles are stabbed…”
Muttering that, the orc necromancer gripped Azadin’s hand, tensed his body, and escaped the Night Crawler’s form.
“Urp!”
With its mana source pulled free, the Night Crawler weakened rapidly.
“Exile it, quick!”
At Azadin’s command, the orc formed hand seals and chanted a spell.
“T-The contract’s price is paid! Begone, Night Crawler!”
Wails from countless evil spirits erupted from the Night Crawler.
[Kyaaaa!]
[No!]
[Th-This isn’t the end!]
The Night Crawler lashed out in fury with its arm, aiming for Azadin and the orc necromancer, but Azadin grabbed the orc by the scruff and leaped aside, dodging the blow.
As the Night Crawler’s final spasm faded into transparency and vanished, the undead lost their mana supply too—the black armor and muscles dissolved. No, more than that: the necromancy unraveled entirely, reverting them to ordinary corpses.
The Nagas seized the opening to leap past the undead encirclement and flee.
“We’ll remember this!”
“Traitor!”
They gnashed their teeth at Shati as they ran.
“Ugh, n-no, it’s not like that!”
Shati was going mad with injustice. To save them, she’d done everything in her power—even lunging at Azadin and breaking a fang. But to the Nagas, she was nothing but a traitor who’d betrayed her kin.
*If it’s come to this, maybe Azadin could just shoot them with arrows…*
Shati thought that, but Azadin seemed intent on securing the orc necromancer regardless of whether the Nagas escaped.
“Aw, would you look at that—my quiver’s empty right now. If only I had arrows.”
Azadin feigned innocence as he helped the orc to his feet.