The dark-glinting flash flew in, and in an instant, the Bone Lord's tentacles that had ensnared the Turncoat Bishop were shattered.
More precisely, they were utterly destroyed.
"..."
A moment of silence passed.
No one present failed to grasp the significance of how easily the Bone Lord's bindings had been broken.
A part of the Bone Lord had been shattered.
Which meant that the dark-glinting spear that flew in from somewhere had the potential to deliver a fatal blow to the Bone Lord.
Perhaps because of this, the Bone Lord's attacks against the Turncoat King and Queen began to wane.
Even the Bone Lord could not ignore the previous attack.
The Turncoat Pawn's group, who had merely been observers in this sacred battle to choose the true king, had, at some point, begun to seize the core of the fight.
"This wasn't what I called you for, but… well, not bad."
Just as the Turncoat Queen smiled faintly—
As if striking a blind spot in awareness, the Turncoat King vanished from everyone's sight and instantly snatched the limp body of the Turncoat Bishop.
It was an ultra-high-speed movement that not only escaped the Bone Lord's perception but even that of his ally, the Turncoat Queen.
At this point, one might suspect he was in contact with some divine power—such was the awe-inspiring speed of the Turncoat King.
"How is the Bishop?"
"…He's alive."
"That's a relief."
Swish.
After quickly checking the Turncoat Bishop's condition, the Turncoat King immediately embedded several bone tendrils into the Bishop's body to administer aid.
Despite the Bishop having wasted energy right before such a crucial battle, the Turncoat Queen said nothing.
A king who cherishes and cares for their retainers.
That, too, is a kingly virtue.
"Gurgh…"
No sooner had the Turncoat King begun his treatment than the Turncoat Bishop vomited blackish-red foam from his mouth.
This meant that the Bone Lord hadn't simply devoured the Bishop's power—he had even poisoned him in preparation for unforeseen circumstances.
It could be seen as chilling thoroughness, but it also signified that the Bone Lord was engaging in this battle without a shred of carelessness.
"…A false king, yet you didn't intend to let the king's servant go unscathed, did you?"
Fortunately, thanks to the Turncoat King's quick action, the Bishop was merely incapacitated for now and seemed to have no threat to his life.
It was a miraculous survival made possible only by the Bishop's unnatural vitality as a bone-parasite creature, something beyond common reasoning.
"Still…"
The Turncoat Queen narrowed her eyes, sensing a strange discord that had been lingering for a while.
There was one oddity.
Even though both the King and Queen had briefly left the front line to save the Bishop, the Bone Lord did not pursue.
Even with the Queen's interference, he should have taken that opportunity to launch an even more relentless assault.
"No way…"
Her gaze turned toward the distant Bone Lord.
The Bone Lord merely kept the bare minimum of pressure on the Turncoat King, doing nothing else.
"Ha, haha…"
The Turncoat Queen couldn't suppress a bitter laugh.
What did this mean?
The Bone Lord was now looking at something other than the Turncoat King.
As if there was something even more threatening than the King in this battle.
"…Ha."
The low laugh, echoing like a mad cackle, gradually faded from the Turncoat Queen.
Had there ever been a time when the Bone Lord had completely turned his gaze away from the Turncoat King?
Could it be that the Bone Lord was outright disregarding the King?
"How dare you…"
Even the usually composed Turncoat Queen couldn't hide her fury.
From her position as the King's retainer, there was no greater insult than her king being ignored.
Who was the Turncoat King?
None other than the one she had chosen to be king.
Therefore, he alone was worthy of ascending to the apex of all bone-parasite creatures.
"..."
The Turncoat King, as always, remained silent, but that didn't mean he took the situation lightly.
Though he had narrowly saved the Bishop, the Bishop was in critical condition and unable to fight. If they lost this battle, even his miraculous survival would be meaningless.
What needed to be done was clear.
Kill the Bone Lord—and devour him.
The objective had already been set, and no further signals were needed.
Without a word, wings burst from the backs of both the Turncoat King and Queen and shot forward at supersonic speed.
BOOOOM!
Only when a violent sonic boom erupted did the Bone Lord turn his full attention back to the Turncoat King and quickly erect a massive wall of bone.
A wall that would be nearly impossible to break.
But even that barrier, which seemed like it could block anything, crumbled effortlessly before the Turncoat King and Queen.
RUMBLE…
As soon as the bone wall collapsed, hundreds of bone tendrils extended toward the Turncoat King and Queen.
A grand reception.
Though it was an obvious form of suppression at this point, it was still too dangerous to completely ignore.
"You truly underestimate us!"
Bone tendrils trailed along the Queen's body and began to bloom.
At first glance, it resembled a technique she had used before—but this time, there was a key difference.
It wasn't just petals.
This time, the flowers she bloomed had stems and leaves.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
Like endlessly growing vines out of a fairytale, the flowers and stems the Queen produced grew without pause.
CRACK, CRACK, CRAAACK!
Beautiful flowers always carry thorns for protection.
Lethal thorns.
CRACK!
The rose stems bloomed in an instant and ensnared the Bone Lord's domain.
Though they alone couldn't inflict serious damage, the Queen still bound the Bone Lord's body even tighter.
A brief opening.
The Turncoat King had no intention of missing the perfect opportunity the Queen had created.
CRACKLE…!
Bone tendrils wove together in the King's hands and began forming a massive siege weapon.
It resembled a siege engine designed to break castles—fitting, considering the Bone Lord's massive size.
Prepared—massive.
With the siege weapons in both hands, the Turncoat King launched himself.
This was no mere throwing spear.
It was a violent charge akin to a lance rush, and the weapons in the King's hands collided with the Bone Lord's body.
KA-BOOOOM!
A thunderous roar, like a meteor crash.
In the bizarre landscape of rising dust and bone powder, the Bone Lord's shadow gradually came into view.
Cracks everywhere.
Clearly struck, the Bone Lord's body bore a mix of fine fractures and large fissures.
The joint attack of the King and Queen had landed successfully.
CRACK—
CRAAAACK!
But the Bone Lord did not remain still.
Roaring, he shattered the massive weapons embedded in his body, breaking free of the Queen's bindings.
"…!"
The ease with which the colossal weapons broke caused a flicker of surprise on the Turncoat King's face.
The power he had poured into those weapons was immense—enough to seriously injure even the Bone Lord.
And yet, the Bone Lord broke them so easily?
Even considering his strength, this was unacceptable.
RUMBLE!
Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on it.
The Bone Lord, having recovered, launched a fresh offensive.
Much faster than expected.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
A tide of bone surged forward.
Only bones filled the surrounding landscape.
The Bone Lord's entire domain began attacking the Turncoat King and Queen like a living entity.
Though it seemed similar to previous assaults, the tide now began to push the King and Queen into a defensive position.
"…Hmm."
It had been a battle where they held the high ground.
And yet, facing the Bone Lord was growing increasingly difficult.
The reason was not hard to guess.
Considering what change the Bone Lord had undergone, the answer was already clear.
The Turncoat Bishop.
By devouring a part of the Bishop, the Bone Lord had naturally absorbed a portion of the power the Bishop carried from the Turncoat King.
If that had been all, it wouldn't have shifted the balance.
But the real issue was that by analyzing the King's power, the Bone Lord had also discovered its weaknesses.
Just as the Turncoat King had begun to understand the Bone Lord by devouring part of him.
"…Hmm."
No need to be surprised.
This was always the nature of the battle.
A fight to devour one another.
In a battle where both sides eat and are eaten, their true nature is inevitably revealed, and they gradually become alike.
It was as if the two beings claiming kingship were undergoing a ritual to become one complete entity.
"Haha! The Bone Lord's not so tough after all!"
With a manic laugh from afar, the Turncoat Rook's terrible aura surged toward the Bone Lord.
In this battle, the ones who survive are bound to resemble one another.
And as proof, the Turncoat Pawn's group—initially the weakest—was growing stronger.
A fight to devour one another.
If it's about stealing from each other, then those who started with less would naturally have the advantage.
'But…'
That didn't mean the Turncoat Pawn's side had nothing to lose.
Take, for example, the dark-glinting spear from earlier—it was powerful enough to pierce even the Bone Lord.
If that power fell into the Bone Lord's—or the Turncoat King's—hands, the battle could tilt drastically.
'Hmm… if that power goes to the Bone Lord… then perhaps the true battle for kingship will have to wait.'
The Turncoat Queen's eyes scanned the location of the Pawn's group.
Though she'd love to offer Pawn's tempting head to her king, doing so would cost them a vital asset in this battle.
Besides, the process wouldn't be easy either.
If she tried it, Pawn would undoubtedly aid the Bone Lord in some way.
'For now, we'll have to wait and see.'
Even under the guise of an alliance with a common goal, the Turncoat Queen never believed the Pawn was cooperating out of sincerity.
In fact, if he were that naive, she'd never have reached out to him in the first place.
And then…
The fierce battle continued.
While the Turncoat King's side reached a tense stalemate, the Pawn's group began landing successful hits on the Bone Lord and grew rapidly in strength.
Thanks to the very nature of this battle, where time only made everyone more alike.
[KIIIIIK!]
"Eat this!"
And then it happened.
"Hmm?"
The sense of wrongness wasn't felt by the Queen alone—both the Turncoat King and the distant Pawn's group momentarily halted and turned their gazes to the same spot.
The outskirts of the Bone Lord's domain.
Where the Bone Lord and the Turncoat King's armies should have been clashing—an unexpected presence emerged.
"That's…"
The Turncoat Queen's expression began to harden.
Even she had not anticipated this development.
"…The Church of Morte."
A sacred battle to determine the true king.
Into it, uninvited guests had suddenly intruded.
===BREAK===
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