Chapter 166. Viola of White Bones (4)
'So that is mado.'
Verden looked down at Viola.
Five pillars of bone stretched out around her. Through Bishop Ronanderk he had already learned that she possessed a unique way of magic that freely manipulated bone, but the precise characteristics remained unknown.
So, he had no choice but to confirm it.
Verden cast a spell toward Viola, who was smiling up at him.
Spears of blazing thunder rushed forth.
As the dazzling light struck the place where Viola had been standing, lightning and fire flared, bursting with explosive sound.
The firepower was enough to collapse parts of the ruins.
Yet, the reaction of magic power within the flames still persisted, unscathed.
The five bones tangled together, forming a spiral dome.
Even though Verden's magic had struck it head-on, all it bore were mere scorch marks. It meant its physical resistance and fire resistance were considerable.
Soon, a gap opened, and Viola appeared.
"Sure enough, since it's composite magic, the firepower is enormous. But to someone like me, who manipulates the material realm, it isn't much of a threat. Anyway, more importantly..."
Viola's expression turned cold.
"Stop looking down on me, and come down already, will you?"
Viola unleashed vast magic power as she swung her hand upward.
Three of the five pillars tore free from the ground, surging rapidly toward Verden.
Meeting them head-on would be folly.
Verden performed evasive maneuvers in midair, lightly dodging the pillars. During that moment, cracks appeared along a pillar that had risen high into the sky.
Kwa-ja-ja-ja-jak!
The pillar exploded, scattering countless fragments of bone in all directions.
Verden immediately lowered his altitude, barely escaping the range. Landing on the ground, he looked up at the space he had just vacated.
The fragments embedded in the ceiling and walls of the ruins sprouted, then connected with each other.
White-bone tendrils engulfed more than half the ruins.
The sight resembled a spider's web woven of bone.
Verden narrowed his eyes.
'If I charge inside, my body will be torn to pieces. Which means....'
"You're trying to prevent me from flying?"
"Chasing after a fly buzzing about everywhere is annoying in more ways than one."
And then,
"This also happens to give me the advantage."
Viola placed her hands on the two remaining pillars.
The bone pillars were sucked into her body and vanished in an instant. After rotating her wrist once, Viola extended her hand lightly.
The moment magic power was felt, spears of white bone came rushing forth.
The casting speed had no calculation delay.
'So she can absorb the bone pillars into her body and wield them freely.'
Verden engraved the fact into his mind, recognizing it as one of Viola's way of magic abilities, and in response he swung the Oculus.
───Kwa-ang!
Struck by a sphere of gravity, the trajectory of the spear twisted and crashed far away from Verden.
Viola floated slightly above the ground and charged at Verden.
Twisting her path back and forth, she began scattering bone spikes again, and the distance between them closed rapidly.
Verden's blue eyes read her movements.
Having grasped her path, he unleashed
A blue beam aimed squarely at her chest.
But from Viola's body sprouted a shield of bone that easily blocked the magic.
The elemental resistance was nearly the same as the bones that had blocked
For an elemental mage, it was an exceptionally troublesome way of magic.
Then, this too must be close combat.
At once, he used a 5th-tier enhancement spell to strengthen his body, concentrated magic power into the Oculus, and imbued it with gravitational properties. At last, Viola and Verden clashed at close range.
Ka-kak... Ka-ga-ga-gak...!
The bone blade sprouting from Viola's forearm locked against the Oculus. The unexpected development widened Viola's eyes.
"A mage who can fight in close combat?"
That was true for both sides.
Verden answered inwardly, stepping back one pace.
In that instant, he spun the Oculus in a circle, releasing a shockwave. Unable to completely withstand the impact, Viola was blown back into the air, widening the distance again.
A brief lull.
The magic battle had only just begun.
***
"Gghhhoooo...."
Thud.
Those standing at the edge of the ritual ground began collapsing one by one.
Because most of the deathly aura accumulated through Nosa's way of magic had been extracted, they could no longer even maintain their half-Undead state.
Sensing that the end of the ritual was near, Nosa opened the corpse's mouth atop the altar. He carefully placed the 3rd prince's blood and flesh into its mouth.
'Just a little longer, and the ritual will be complete.'
Soon, an abnormal species surpassing high-level Undead, the Reaper of Death, would be summoned, and it would form a contract with the 3rd prince.
Of course, it was wasteful to grant such great power to someone like the 3rd prince… but there was no other choice.
The moment one wielded the Reaper of Death's power, an equal price would follow. Especially for someone like Nosa, that price would bring fatal side effects.
The sole purpose was to confirm whether the ritual ground would activate. Nothing else mattered.
'The problem is the intruders.'
Nosa had dispatched both Viola and the Undead horde under his command.
Surely, even if the diocese sent paladins, they would be no match.
There were only two passages leading to the ritual ground.
The enemy would likely split their forces. Or perhaps, relying on luck, concentrate their strength on a single passage.
Either way, it didn't matter.
If they split their forces, he could destroy them one by one. If they concentrated their strength, then Viola or the Undead in the other passage would quickly provide support.
'There are no variables.'
So Nosa thought, when suddenly, presence was felt from the passage.
"At last, I've found you."
A strange voice brushed his ear.
Calia and Gloss stepped into the ritual ground.
"...!"
Nosa's eyes widened as he recognized Calia.
'Calia de Esperanza? How is she here...!'
The burial trap of the mausoleum was a snare Nosa had personally designed.
The moment he heard that the White Crest Knight Order under Calia had moved, Nosa had been certain of their deaths.
By now, they should have been rotting beneath the mausoleum.
'Could it have failed?'
Nosa had received no report about Calia's life or death.
Truthfully, she had never been within his consideration. No matter how much they rampaged, the actual plan itself would not be greatly hindered.
It was nothing more than retaliation for obstructing the Glory of the Dead.
'So after sending them into the trap, I paid no further mind.'
Perhaps that was a mistake.
As annoyance twisted his expression, Calia sneered.
"What's wrong. Are you displeased that I'm alive?"
"Merely surprised. That a mere noble lady, who does nothing but chase criminals, managed to escape the trap I created. How did you do it? No, more than that, how did you even find this place? What clue did you discover in the diocese?"
Nosa hurled questions.
Of course, there was no answer. That was clearly just to stall for time. The two, their physical abilities strengthened to the limit, sprinted across the ground.
'Damn it, as expected, it doesn't work.'
The corner of Nosa's eye twitched.
Just a little further and, 'as planned', the ritual would be complete. The timing was the worst possible.
'She boasted so confidently, so where the hell is Viola, what is she doing...!'
Kkaduduk.
Swallowing his fury, Nosa swung his staff.
From beneath the ground rose Undead, corpse devourers.
With skin stripped away, red muscles exposed, the two monsters guarding Nosa sensed life.
Then, the creatures, each two and a half meters tall, spread open the ribs in their chests and charged at Calia and Gloss.
"I'll handle them!"
Paaat!
The light Gloss unleashed disoriented the corpse devourers.
Behind him, Calia leapt forward, stepping on Gloss's shoulder and the head of an Undead in quick succession. No obstacles remained. Landing on the ground, she sprinted once more.
"Tch!"
Nosa hastily manipulated magic power.
The grotesque bodies of humans collapsed at the boundary swelled, then exploded. Flesh imbued with curses scattered in all directions.
Maintaining her speed, Calia gathered aura.
A martial art that only the bloodline of Esperanza could master.
White Shadow.
Calia's body, imbued with white aura, blurred.
The fragments of flesh passed through the afterimage she created, and before anyone knew it, she was already within reach of Nosa.
The white blade, closing in right before his eyes.
With his physical abilities, Nosa could not possibly evade. He sighed, resigned.
"It can't be helped."
Puk.
The sword's tip pierced Nosa's lungs and heart. Then her wrist twisted, tearing apart his insides.
Kuh-luk!
Blood gushed from Nosa's mouth.
A fatal wound and blood loss no human could endure. Calia was certain he was dead.
Yet, Nosa's eyes rolled, and fixed directly on her.
"With variables arising, there is no choice but to adjust the plan."
"What...?!"
Kwaaaaaa!
Suddenly, light erupted from the Orb of the Undead.
An immense pressure pressed against her entire body.
Calia tried to endure it, but with her strength, it was impossible.
"Kuugh!"
Struck by the violet wave, Calia tumbled across the ground.
Coughing lightly and regaining her breath, she lifted her head. And then, she froze in shock.
"The corpse..."
The body upon the altar turned into black smoke.
The smoke wrapped around Nosa, then surged upward into the air, beginning to take form.
A figure clad in a black ragged cloak.
Within that cloak, even a magic item imbued with
The Reaper of Death, the Grim Reaper.
The high-ranked Undead, having sealed the contract, at last revealed itself.
"I had hoped, if possible, that it would not come to this."
Nosa clicked his tongue as he spoke.
And the mortal wound in his body was nowhere to be seen.
With eyes blazing with fury, Nosa pronounced judgment.
"You brought this upon yourselves. Do not resent me, simply die."
The whole chamber sank into despair.
The Grim Reaper swung its enormous scythe.
***
Verden and Viola crossed paths in an instant.
At close range, the spells aimed at each other grazed aside, and before they even vanished, new magic took form.
Viola tilted her head back.
Above her, fragments of earth that broke the sound barrier whizzed past. Spinning her body, she aimed the bone blade sprouting from her elbow at Verden's neck.
Saaaak!
The sound of air being cleaved rang in his ears.
Verden slipped inside her reach and thrust out his hand. Blazing fire roared, forcing Viola back a few steps.
Next, talons of earth lunged at Viola.
She too extended a bone blade from her fingers to meet them. Soon, shattered fragments of bone and stone burst right before her eyes.
"Ugh...!"
Though she donned bone armor at once, blocking it all was impossible.
Shards grazed her nape, and while her vision was obscured, Verden's magic exploded once more.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!
Red lightning crashed onto the ground.
Seeing the circular waves of current spreading out, Viola hastily retreated.
As the two glared at each other, blood trickled down Viola's neck.
It was clearly no major injury. A mere scratch, one that would heal quickly even with the lowest-grade potion.
On the other hand, Verden's condition was far from good.
By deflecting unavoidable attacks with glancing blows, the equipment he had only recently serviced was torn and tattered.
Some deeper cuts even bled.
'Simple, but powerful.'
There were no special magical effects, yet the bones flying from her blind angles possessed penetration and durability beyond imagination. If even one struck, it would pierce his body through.
The gear Verden wore did nothing to serve as armor.
Still, there was progress.
He had nearly grown accustomed to Viola's way of magic, the spells derived from it, and her movements.
She seemed to still have hidden cards, but that didn't matter. He too had his own.
Once more, Verden stepped forward.
Clear confidence radiated from him.
And then,
'What, is this.'
Viola was shaken.