Chapter 113
Boom! Thud!
KWAaaaaang!
Dust rose like mountains, and trees were swept away.
Through it all, Erzebet, dressed as a priest, was fleeing in a panic.
“Feels like I’m being hunted by a beast.”
Following Simon’s orders, Erzebet had been guarding the Forbidden Forest when she spotted a suspicious man.
He wore a plain brown robe pulled up over his head, clearly trying hard to conceal his identity. On top of that, he kept glancing around nervously, as if searching for something.
She suspected this giant of a man might be the priest Simon had mentioned.
She immediately sent Corpse Spiders to call Simon and Feer, but before they could arrive, the man was already preparing to leave the forest.
In the end, Erzebet had no choice but to act alone.
She transformed into a priest according to plan, greeted him in a proper priestly manner, and tried to extract information.
What she received in return wasn’t information, but a flurry of wild punches.
‘!!’
Erzebet flinched in shock and ducked. House-sized boulders and logs came flying at her as if hurled from a catapult.
The man was definitely human, but his strength rivaled that of an Ancient Undead.
“No choice, then.”
She didn’t enjoy fighting, but there was no other way. As she spread her hands, dark blue spider threads extended from each fingertip.
Swish!
She crossed her arms, and nearby trees split with loud cracks.
In the chaos of fallen, entangled trees, the priest suddenly surged upward, glinting in the light. Spinning like a top, he swung his right arm, leaving a massive claw mark across Erzebet’s front.
Her legs and the area above her knees were gashed.
“Kuh!”
Erzebet staggered in pain.
Meanwhile, the priest landed and charged at her. Erzebet flung spiderwebs in all directions.
It was a secret technique that severely limited the enemy's movement, and any contact with the threads would slice through flesh and bone. But the priest dodged each web with eerie, inhuman agility, steadily closing the distance.
“He’s more beast than man!”
She flipped her palms and crossed her arms again, and the webs hanging in the air reversed, shifting positions all at once. The threads dug into the man’s body, drawing blood.
Just as Erzebet curled her lips in victory—
‘......!’
Suddenly, the sole of a shoe rushed toward her face.
CRAAACK!
His kick struck her square in the forehead, sending her crashing through trees and slamming into the ground hundreds of meters away.
“Guhhh!”
Before she could even push herself up, the priest pounced, straddling her torso. His fist rose, blocking the moonlight.
“Oh dear.”
Erzebet forced a smile.
“I’m a woman, so at least my face—”
CRACK!
With the impact, her head twisted to the side.
SMACK!
CRUNCH!
WHAM!
A barrage of punches rained down with no rhythm, no restraint—pure, chaotic brutality.
Then, amid the one-sided beating, Erzebet twitched a finger.
“......!”
The priest’s robed body suddenly lifted into the air. At some point, a spider thread had wrapped around his neck.
[I told you to spare the face, you bastard!]
Her face now partially skinned, eyes glowing a monstrous crimson, Erzebet shouted.
[Die!]
SNAP!
The thread around his neck tightened sharply. The priest clutched his throat, grimacing in agony, then suddenly raised his right arm and punched the air.
KA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM!
A massive shockwave erupted, uprooting the trees in the surrounding terrain. One of those trees must’ve been tied to the spiderwebs, because the previously taut thread loosened. Seizing the moment, the priest broke free and dropped back to the ground.
Ptuh.
He spat bright red saliva onto the earth and slowly rose to his feet.
Just as Erzebet scowled and prepared to summon Darkness—
“Erze!!”
Simon’s voice rang out. Erzebet’s hardened expression instantly brightened.
‘Legion Commander! You’ve come to save me!’
But the priest reacted sensitively to Simon’s voice, and instead of finishing her off, turned and sprinted toward the sound.
‘Ah!’
Erzebet chased him in a panic, but couldn’t match his speed. Simon, still just a student, wouldn’t be able to defeat this monster alone.
Tatatatatat!
In a flash, the priest covered hundreds of meters and found Simon, then leapt into the air with a flying kick.
Simon, no longer in his Keyzen school uniform since coming to Rochest, wore a robe like the priest.
‘Gasp!’
Simon reacted quickly, jerking his head to the side. The priest’s foot sliced through empty air.
Landing, the priest looked at Simon in mild surprise.
THUD!
But the surprise didn’t last. He pressed forward, crashing into the ground with force, and charged head-on. Simon clenched his teeth and threw his arm back.
“Feer!!”
SHHHHHHHK!
Bones from Feer, who had arrived from the ruins, attached to Simon’s right arm. He thrust it forward.
THUUUUUUUUD!
Their fists collided midair, creating a massive shockwave.
“......!”
And it was the priest who was pushed back. Simon exhaled and steadied his fighting stance.
Step. Dash. Step.
The priest began moving in a bizarre footwork. His body twisted sharply, nearly grazing the ground with his head, then twisted the other way, over and over.
It was impossible to read his movements.
“Huff!”
Eventually, Simon made the first move, swinging his bone-clad right arm. But the priest ducked, slipped past, and spun behind Simon, aiming a kick at the back of his head.
SMACK!
But the pain shot up the priest’s leg instead.
Before the foot landed, Feer’s skull had encased Simon’s head like a helmet.
The priest immediately spun, trying a low kick at Simon’s leg, but again, Feer’s bones moved faster, shielding him.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Like puzzle pieces falling into place, Feer’s bones continued to cover Simon’s body.
Just as the priest prepared to rush again—
Grab!
There wouldn’t be a second mistake.
This time, Simon grabbed the priest’s arm, stepped into striking range, and pulled back his left fist. The priest gritted his teeth and moved Darkness to his face to shield it.
He planned to counter by letting his opponent’s fist break against his defenses.
Shraaaak!
Before anyone noticed, Feer’s bones, which had been wrapped around Simon’s right hand, had shifted over to his left hand.
“......!!”
CRAAACKK!!
With a massive impact, the priest’s body shattered countless trees as he was launched, flying out of sight.
Coughing up blood, the priest struggled to his feet from the ground.
Simon, now fully equipped with Bone Armor, charged at him.
BUAAAAANG!
A narrow escape.
The priest threw himself aside to evade Simon’s punch and extended his right hand. Darkness swirled and morphed into the shape of a spear.
Just as Simon was finishing his charge and skidding across the ground to slow down, the spear of Darkness was fired at his exposed back.
Hiss...
Simon reached out his left arm, now clad in Feer’s bone.
‘Restoration!’
Thwip!
Immediately, Feer’s greatsword flew into Simon’s grasp. Twisting it in his hand, he spun his waist and slashed through the air.
Slaaaaash!
The priest flinched and dropped low in alarm. Feer’s sword strike tore the spear of Darkness in half and went on to slice the trees behind him down the middle.
“.......”
Cold sweat poured down the priest’s body.
He was strong.
Stronger than anyone the priest had ever faced.
But he couldn’t stop here. He bent his knees and charged toward Simon again.
THUUUUD!
But Simon didn’t bother engaging. He stomped hard in place, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
With his vision blocked, the priest was forced to halt—just in time for:
Whoosh!
Cutting through the dust, a legion skeleton swung its sword. The priest stepped back to dodge.
BUAANG!
This time, swords swung from behind and from the side.
Before he knew it, over ten legion skeletons had surrounded the priest.
Clatter-clatter!
Clack!
The legion skeletons all charged in at once.
The battle suddenly turned into a fight against many, but the priest didn’t falter. He moved with dazzling agility, dodging spears and swords as if he had eyes on his back, counterattacking with punches and kicks in all directions.
Crack! went the skeletons as they were shattered.
Ssshhh...
At that moment, the shattered bones scattered across the ground began to rise into the air. Simon was casting black magic with the hand not holding the greatsword.
‘Bone Nail!’
Thud! Thud! Thud!
While the priest was distracted fighting skeletons, sharp bones pierced into various parts of his body.
He winced and tried to break free of the encirclement—
Slaaash!
His back was sliced by something sharp.
[I won’t let you escape.]
The area was now tangled like a maze with dark blue spiderwebs. Erzebet, filled with venomous fury, had sealed off the space around the priest with webs.
Slaaash! Slaaash!
From the trees above, Corpse Spiders spat webs and descended along the threads.
Clatter-clatter!
Clack!
From the front, skeletons closed the gap with no openings, swinging their weapons.
Slide.
Ssss—shk.
Even when he destroyed the skeletons, the bones on the ground moved and attacked him again.
The priest couldn’t find a way out of the Legion’s relentless assault. He had lost too much blood, his stamina was running out.
In this worst-case scenario, there was only one gamble left.
‘Take out the leader first.’
The priest kicked off the ground and rushed straight toward Simon.
Erzebet’s webs dug deep into his flesh, spilling blood, and he simply absorbed the skeletons’ attacks as he hurled a fist toward Simon, the one controlling the undead.
Simon hastily raised the greatsword in front of him.
KWAaaaaANG!
The greatsword and fist clashed at the center. As soon as he landed, the priest swung his opposite fist to strike the ground.
Thud!
The earth beneath their feet sank. Simon, unprepared, lost balance and staggered.
The priest recovered his footing first, and just as he charged his right fist with Darkness and thrust it toward Simon’s face—
SPLAAASH!
A fountain of blood erupted.
Out of nowhere, a massive blade-like object slashed up from behind and cut across the priest’s back.
“Grgh!”
Pretending to lose balance was a feint. Simon was pulling a lever with his other hand.
‘Alright, Overlord!’
As the priest stiffened from the pain, Erzebet’s web wrapped around his arm, and Simon pointed the greatsword at the priest’s neck.
[Give it up.]
Simon spoke coldly, channeling Feer’s voice through the Bone Armor.
[You’ve lost.]
“.......”
The priest, blood-soaked from head to toe, let out a long sigh. Then, he took off the hood that had covered his head.
Simon’s eyes widened in shock.
[You’re......!]
Superb.