Meanwhile, the kidnapped Linehit finally came to his senses.
Where... is this...?
He clutched his throbbing head, reeling from exposure to the mana, and scanned his surroundings.
Crumbling, tattered walls of dilapidated buildings, gaping holes in the ceilings, vines snaking everywhere...
It didn't look like something had smashed through—it was just the ruins of a place long abandoned.
Clatter-clatter!
And that was far from all.
Beyond the collapsed walls, skeletons shuffled about.
I-Is this hell?
Linehit's mental fortitude crumbled in an instant at the horrifying thought.
Clatter-clatter!
As the sound of rattling bones approached, he squeezed his eyes shut in panic.
The skeleton that had presumably grabbed him earlier advanced, wielding one of its white bones like a weapon.
F-Fuck... I'm done for...
Linehit gulped dryly.
He'd tagged along without a worry because they had knights and priests for protection, even if they were hunting black mages.
But that had been a grave mistake.
I should've just stayed put when they told me to!
Rattle-rattle!
The skeleton approached, its bones clacking together.
Linehit clenched his eyes tighter.
Rattle... rattle?
The skeleton tilted its skull quizzically as it poked at him here and there.
-He just woke up, right?
It prodded him with the bone held like a sword, but there was no reaction at all.
Even if he hadn't fully woken, there should have been some twitch!
The skull's empty sockets flickered uncertainly.
Rattle-rattle!
The skeleton cried out urgently.
-He's dead!
-What?
-Everyone, come check this out! He won't move no matter how much I poke him!
Though it wasn't audible as human speech, the skeletons had their own way of communicating.
More skeletons gathered around Linehit, drawn by the first one's mysterious signals.
Rattle-rattle-rattle!
The multiplied bone-clatter made Linehit tremble inwardly with fear.
His tightly shut eyelids quivered.
The skeletons cocked their skulls, inspecting whether Linehit was truly alive.
-Is this guy really alive?
-No idea! The master's a cheap bastard and summoned us way too weak!
In the midst of their serious debate, a skeleton with a pink flower-shaped hair clip on its skull stepped forward.
-Move aside, you idiots! Don't you have brains?
-Neither do you!
-I've got a virtual brain! We're on a whole different level! I'll check if he's alive or dead!
-Why should we trust a childish moron with a pink flower pin?
Ignoring the heckler, it raised the bone tied with a pink ribbon.
Contributing to the master for more power mattered more than petty squabbles.
-One stab and we'll know! The master'll heal him if he gets hurt!
-What? What if he dies?
-Humans don't die from a leg stab! You know that!
-True! Do it!
Linehit couldn't understand their words, but he grasped the vibe.
S-Save me...!
They might actually kill him!
He snapped his eyes open and shouted desperately.
"St-Stop!"
-What?
-He declared stop!
-Tch. We were just getting to the fun part...
D-Did it work?
He'd memorized the trendy slang among the youth, never imagining it'd actually land here.
-...You thought that'd work?!
-This bastard tried to trick us!
-Just smack him a few times! He won't die!
It hadn't worked!
If anything, he'd provoked them.
As the furious skeletons gripped their bone weapons and raised them high, Linehit's face drained of color.
"S-Spare me! A-Anyone! I'll pay you... whatever it takes!"
-Money?
-Forget it! I've been tormented by money my whole life!
-Kill him! Make him one of us!
Just as the enraged bone weapons were about to strike Linehit—
Crack!
Something flew in and swept the skeletons aside.
Shattered bones scattered through the air.
"...Huh?"
Linehit stared blankly at the lonely pelvis left behind after the upper bodies were obliterated.
What the hell flew in...?
He glanced over to see a massive tree embedded in the wall of what had been an intact building.
That flew in...?
Thud!
Someone vaulted over the wall and landed inside.
It was Eugene. Priest robes adorned with tiny twigs and leaves, his face slightly flushed as he asked Linehit,
"That thing you just said. That was real, right?"
"?"
"You said you'd pay any amount. That true?"
"Y-Yes, of course! Please save me!"
"Good."
He flashed a grin and raised the weapon in his hand.
The pitch-black blade gleamed, its embedded red gem pulsing with light.
-Don't interfere with our revenge, punk!
-That guy's got a god stink!
-Kill! Kill him!
"What're they yapping about?"
Eugene couldn't understand the skeletons either, furrowing his brow at their noisy rattling.
The skeletons charged en masse.
Crimson divine power began creeping up Eugene's body.
"But seriously, why's that one got a pink flower pin on its head?"
-I'll kill you!! Raaagh! Die!
The sword, coated in blood-red divine power, swung toward the skeletons.
"As expected of the priest! I knew you'd save me!"
While Eugene handled the skeletons, Linehit racked his brain.
Maybe he could haggle down the price a bit if he played it right now?
Splorch!
"But, it'd be too much to pay what you—"
Crunch!
Skeletons shattered.
Crack!
Splatter-crunch!
"...!"
It was literal. Every swing pulverized bones and sent skulls flying.
A one-sided massacre!
And Eugene's expression? He looked utterly delighted.
Th-This psycho...!
Was he the type who enjoyed slaughtering?!
Of course not. To Eugene, these were just mobs that dropped cash when killed—nothing more.
"...want! I'll pay whatever you ask!"
Crack!
Eugene crushed the last skeleton's skull barehanded, then wiped the sweat trickling down his jaw with the back of his hand.
He turned to Linehit.
"What'd you say?"
"Haha! Nothing at all!"
"Yeah?"
Had he not heard?
Whew, close call. If he'd caught the backpedal...
"I was gonna toss you back to the skeletons if you reneged."
...He'd almost joined the bony brigade.
Linehit wiped cold sweat and nodded vigorously.
"Haha, me? Never!"
"Sure. Anyway, there are knights behind me—stick with them. Holy water on you, just in case."
Splash!
He doused Linehit's head. Skeletons wouldn't approach easily now.
"Baron Linehit is here!"
"Baron!!"
The knights and servants rushed in, supporting Linehit.
Finally safe, his color returned as he barked,
"Protect me first!! If this happens again, you'll all pay when we get back!!"
"Talk about an asshole."
"Priest! You alright?"
Nipella Aoman arrived late, unable to keep up with Eugene's sprint, and approached.
Eugene nodded at his question.
"Yeah. Fine."
"These bone fragments... a skeleton pack? You took them out?"
"Yep. Soloed 'em."
"Why are there bone shards left? Divine power burst should've vaporized them..."
...They die to just a divine power spray?
Eugene quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, any issues on your way here?"
"No. But skeletons here means they were holed up awhile."
Nipella Aoman crouched, pulling something from his robe to inspect the area.
An artifact?
Eugene left him to it and fished the shadow from his pocket.
"Hey."
-Y-Yes?
"Where is he? This the spot?"
Eugene had rushed here not just from Linehit's shout, but because the shadow swore it was.
-It is, but...
"Answer straight. Or I'll dunk you in holy water."
-Eek...
The shadow shivered, scanning around.
Then Nipella Aoman shouted urgently at Eugene.
"Priest! Above!"
"Above?"
He looked up to see an enormous spider dangling from a web, glaring down.
Its eight eyes rolled around, eyeing Eugene, the noble, the knights.
Creepy as fuck. Kinda like Earth spiders, but...
-Th-That's the black mage's summon! Arckane from the demon realm...!
"What's that? Strong?"
-7th-grade monster...!
"How strong? Stronger than goblins?"
-Obviously! At least twice as tough! We're screwed! If it's here, this is its turf...!
Kishishi.
The spider rubbed its front legs, emitting an eerie sound.
"...That thing?"
"Arckane... a 7th-grade large monster. Dangerous."
The knights noticed too, gripping swords with grim faces.
Eugene eyed the spider, suddenly gripping his sword tighter at a stray thought.
Why's its name so close to Arcana's? Pissing me off.
Killable?
He assessed the gap between him and the spider.
Result?
More than doable.
No need for tension.
Leap up, one-shot with the sword. Coat in divine power for insurance.
Power surged into Eugene's legs. Crimson divine power coiled around them—
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause echoed.
"?"
He withdrew the divine power and turned toward the sound.
Nipella Aoman aimed his staff at the source, clapping still.
"Who goes there!"
"Splendid, truly splendid. This batch of sacrifices is top-notch! Quality and quantity both perfect. With this, I'll achieve my goal!"
Black robes, sinister glowing eyes, gaunt arms not quite human, staff topped with a goat's head.
He raised both hands, eyes blazing with blue flames.
"Come forth, you foolish lambs!"
"Black mage Rohan!"
Nipella Aoman bellowed, aiming his staff.
"By order of the imperial family and the temple, you're under arrest."
Wasn't he a professor?
Eugene poked a nearby knight's side, eyeing him questioningly. The knight whispered,
"Professors straddle the line between imperial and temple, sometimes acting as continental police."
Ah.
Eugene nodded, glaring at the black mage.
Unfazed before "police," Rohan admired aloud.
"Oho... I isolated you in the forest, yet you survived, Professor. Did that young priest beside you save you?"
"Shut it! Rohan, nowhere left to run. Surrender quietly!"
"Surrender? What's left for me—death? Ha! I sold my soul to the devil to defy even death! You think I'll lose this precious life to the likes of you?!"
Whoosh!
Rohan billowed his robes and leaped back.
Rumble!
The ground erupted, revealing a colossal skull.
Perched on its palm, he swung his staff like a conductor, smirking.
"You're the ones with nowhere to go! You'll make fine sacrifices!"
"Sacrifices?"
"Yes!"
As if he'd never had anyone to tell, Rohan excitedly revealed his plan.
"Using you as the foundation, I'll seize the War God's power in this forest!"
What? Whose power?
Eugene creaked his head toward him with a glare.
"Hey."
"Ahahaha! I will become a god! Not buried in the past like that incompetent War God, but forging a new myth...!"
Crunch!
The ground cratered beneath his feet.
Fierce divine power surged around Eugene in response to his rage.
The sword in his hand growled savagely, sensing his fury.
Light poured from the red gem, deepening his divine power further.
"You... what'd you just say?"
Daring to covet whose power?
Who's incompetent?
"Never mind. Don't answer."
"You asked and now—"
"Just die here."
Boom!
He exploded divine power beneath his feet and charged forward.