Chapter 74
“Who… are you?”
“…Curiosity in the face of death. How admirable.”
“How can… this…!”
A middle-aged man lay sprawled on the ground, staring up at someone with disbelief.
The middle-aged man, his clothes torn and bleeding, bore marks on his garment indicating his affiliation with the Church.
Yet the black-robed man standing before him showed no hesitation.
Crack-
“Aaaargh!!”
The black-robed man lifted his foot and then brought it down.
A sickening crunch followed, accompanied by the middle-aged man’s scream of agony.
His left ankle was shattered.
“Aaaaargh!! Ungh… Haaaah…”
Crack-
“Aaaaaah!!”
As the middle-aged man’s screams began to subside, the robed man moved again.
He raised his foot and brought it down once more.
Another sharp sound and a cry echoed.
This time, it was his right ankle.
“You scoundrel! Do you not know who I am? I am the captain of the First Knights of the Church of the Goddess…!”
Crack-
“Aaaaaagh!!”
“I know. Captain of the First Knights, Brown. And I know you’re carrying ‘the ring.’”
“Ugh… How… do you know that?!”
Crack- Crack- Crack-
The robed man stomped on Brown repeatedly, as if annoyed.
With every impact, Brown let out an agonized scream.
Both his ankles twisted grotesquely, and his wrists fared no better.
It was hard to believe this was once Brown Berrius, one of the Church of the Goddess’s mightiest warriors who had ruled the continent.
“Ghhhhh…”
Brown murmured something in a dying voice, but it was unintelligible.
“There it is.”
The black-robed man’s gaze fixated on something glimmering from the pendant around Brown’s neck.
The pendant held not an ordinary gemstone but a ring.
Slide- Snap-
“Ghh… Ghh…!”
Without hesitation, the black-robed man tore the pendant from Brown’s neck.
The ring fell into another’s hands, and Brown let out a final guttural scream.
Though incomprehensible, the robed man seemed to understand.
“I know. That all four pieces must be brought together for them to work.”
“…!”
The robed man responded calmly, as if he understood Brown’s unintelligible cry, his eyes fixed on the ring in his hand.
Brown’s eyes widened in horror.
“I’ll tell you before you die.”
“…!”
Brown glared at the robed man with wide, bloodshot eyes.
Though the man’s face was hidden, Brown was sure he was smiling.
It was just a feeling he had.
“I am the rightful owner of this ring.”
Thud-
Simultaneously, blood spurted from Brown’s chest.
His heart had been pierced by something sharp rising from the ground.
“And the rightful owner of the bracelet, necklace, and earrings.”
Brown’s unblinking eyes remained fixed in place.
“By tomorrow, all of them will once again be mine.”
For a brief moment, an emotion akin to joy flickered in the black-robed man’s voice.
Meanwhile, across the continent, similar events were unfolding in four other locations.
***
Erica perched atop the tallest tree nearby, silently surveying the area.
The soft moonlight gently illuminated the Crescent Academy.
Aside from the lively noise coming from a nearby building, the Academy was eerily silent.
“Is something really going to happen?”
Erica pursed her lips, remaining vigilant despite her dissatisfaction.
Even if she wasn’t pleased, this was still her job, and she couldn’t afford to be careless.
“Ugh, it’s so noisy.”
She grimaced in annoyance at the raucous sounds coming from a nearby building.
Though technically a gathering of Academy students, Erica knew the truth.
The event unfolding inside was nothing more than a noble’s social gathering disguised as a party.
Status dictated rank.
The lower-born would flatter those of higher status.
Everyone would desperately try to curry favor with the nobles, carefully gauging their every move.
And, of course, there were the formal manners and etiquette expected at such events.
Having lived through those oppressive customs in the past, Erica was thoroughly disgusted by them.
“Yaaawn.”
Turning away from the building, Erica let out a bored yawn.
Though she was obligated to guard the area, given the number of students inside, she found it utterly unpleasant.
A cool breeze swept past Erica, brushing against her hair.
The wind’s sound was so distinct, underscoring just how silent the academy was, save for the building where the party was underway.
“It’s too quiet,” Erica thought to herself.
She understood that it was festival season and that most of the academy’s students were attending the party, but this level of silence seemed excessive.
Having sneaked into the academy several times to tail Cynthia, she felt the stark difference even more.
No matter how many students were in that building, the stillness was unnerving.
Thunk-
Just as Erica stood up on the tree to focus her hearing more keenly, she caught a sound.
At first, it was hard to discern. It could have been the sound of something being stabbed or something soft being struck.
“What is that?”
Erica scanned the ground below, trying to locate the source of the noise.
Thunk- Thump- Thud-
“What the…”
The sounds grew louder and began resonating simultaneously from multiple directions.
Erica instantly knew something was wrong.
<Captain?>
<…Yeah? Did you find something?>
<Strange noises outside. They’re coming from multiple spots.>
<Strange noises?>
Erica promptly messaged the captain.
Even though she strained her eyes, she couldn’t see anything yet. But the sounds persisted.
<Yeah. Not sure what they are, but can you come out and take a look…?>
Thunk- Crunch-
“Ah.”
As Erica was messaging the captain, she froze.
This time, it wasn’t just the sound; she saw it.
<Erica? What’s wrong?>
<…The ground!>
<The ground?>
<They’re coming out of the ground!>
Boom-
As Erica relayed the message to Ryu Yeong, a series of explosive sounds erupted from the ground surrounding the building.
It was as if something were bursting out.
The earlier “thunk” noises weren’t from stabbing or hitting.
They were the sounds of the undead clawing their way out of the ground.
The first thing Erica saw was a skeletal hand.
A Skeleton’s hand.
“Damn it.”
Following the first skeleton, a wave of bones began emerging from the ground almost simultaneously.
And it wasn’t just Skeletons. Among them were Death Knights.
Similar in structure to Skeletons but far larger and far more menacing.
From beneath the earth, the undead were rising.
“No wonder we didn’t catch anything!”
Erica immediately realized why she, the captain, and Yuria had failed to detect anything, both yesterday and even now.
None of them had thought to check underground.
The captain and Yuria must have overlooked it as well.
<Captain, you need to get out here now. We’ve got a horde of crazy skeletons emerging.>
<I’ll find Yuria and head out immediately. Try to keep them from entering the building.>
<Got it. I’ll try.>
Whoosh-
Erica leapt toward the building, her black hair streaming behind her.
The skeletons and Death Knights kept rising from the ground, seemingly without end.
Boom- Crash-
As Erica drew mana and landed among a group of Skeletons, the clattering sound of bones echoed as they crumbled under her impact.
But it didn’t last.
Despite being shattered, the Skeletons quickly reassembled, their bones reconnecting and regaining form.
“There’s quite a lot.”
Erica muttered as she pulled out two daggers from her thighs.
Though they were resilient, their individual combat strength didn’t seem formidable.
The real problem was the towering Death Knights mixed among them.
Even from a glance, the sword-wielding Death Knights looked formidable.
No matter how skilled Erica was, she couldn’t hold back such a massive swarm alone.
<I’m trying, but no promises.>
<…Alright. That’s enough.>
Just as Erica smirked and prepared to charge at the Skeletons and Death Knights, the faint moonlight suddenly disappeared.
“Huh?”
Instinctively, Erica looked up to see what was blocking the light.
As expected, something large and ominous obscured the moon.
“What… is that?”
In her line of sight, the silhouette blocking the moon had massive, majestic wings and a colossal body.
And atop it, a figure sat.
“Bones…?”
Upon closer inspection, the creature’s wings and body were made entirely of bones.
Erica realized it wasn’t a living being.
It was an undead entity, composed of bones.
Whoosh-
“…Oh.”
As though waiting for Erica to notice, the winged skeleton began flying rapidly.
Erica could only watch in a daze.
It was too late to stop it, and it wasn’t heading toward her.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion followed.
The winged skeleton had slammed directly into the building where the students were gathered.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment