Skeleton 7 clattered his jaw as he confirmed his status. He had a feeling that he could almost reach evolution. He will be lying if he said he wasn’t in a hurry. The other nine had already finished their evolution and gained new powers. Only he, number “7”, remains.
In other words, he was the weakest of the ten skeleton commanders. The only saving grace is that the general, Suketarou, and the second-in-command, Sukejiro, have not evolved yet. If the higher-ups have evolved, he may be asked what was he, subordinate “7”, doing.
While thinking that hierarchical society is hard, the smile of the master appeared in his mind and he felt his chest tighten. Even though it is a hard labor, once he thought of his master, he felt that he could do more.
“It became clear when you showed up. Shinichi Tanaka seems to know what we are here for. It was meant to be a surprise attack, but well, it’s okay. I’m going to crush Homeless head-on!”
Arvish burst out like a bullet due to sudden acceleration. On the other hand, Skeleton 7 also attacks. Spears and swords clashed violently, and each time, a shock wave sent the sand flying. The soldiers on the sidelines can’t follow their movements. It was so fast that they don’t even know what’s going on.
“This guy! Are you trying to keep up with my speed!? Don’t get carried away!”
“Katakata!”
Arvish narrowly dodges the brunt of the sharply stabbed spear, he turns his body around and unleashes a sword flash. Skeleton 7 arched his back and dodged Arvish’s attack with minimal movement. Skeleton 7 then counter attacked with a roundhouse kick aimed at Arvish’s face. However, the kick is blocked by Arvish’s arm guard.
“Kuu! You’ve done it!”
Arvish’s arms were numb. He inwardly clicks his tongue at the heavy blow that exceeds his expectations. He didn’t think that Skeleton 7 was just a magical beast, but he didn’t know that he had the physical ability to match his current state. He may even lose if he is not resolved in a short time.
Thinking of this, Arvish unleashes his trump card. A red aura suddenly erupted from his whole body, and the aura that had been drifting in the air spread even wider. Skeleton 7 became wary of this sudden change.
“Haah-, I can feel the power flowing all the way to my fingertips. A feeling of omnipotence is flowing through my whole body. This is my power. Look at the true power of the hero, Arvish Gloris.”
After he said that, Arvish’s figure blurred and he instantly appeared in front of Skeleton 7. He tried to enter a defensive stance with his spear, but he couldn’t do it in time. A flash that sliced through the air hit him directly. The strong impact knocked 7 into the wall of the building.
“Hahahaha! Don’t think I am the same as before. By activating the rare skill ‘Superhuman transformation’, all of my abilities have tripled!”
7 pushed aside the rubble and stood up. When he looked at himself, he saw a large crack in his ribs, he could tell how strong the opponent’s attack was. If he has flesh and blood, he would have been in a cold sweat.
“Katakata”
“What? Do you still want to fight me? In that case, I’ll shatter you into pieces as you wish.”
Arvish’s figure blurred again. 7 raised his spear and let his eyes wander around him. Earlier, he came to the front. Is it the left or the right next? He sharpened his senses in anticipation of Arvish’s attack.
“Behind.”
When he turned at the sound of the voice, he saw Arvish with the corners of his mouth raised. Arvish has already raised his sword and 7 defends against the slash with his spear. However, the blow was too strong to be parried, and he was sent far backwards. Skeleton 7 bounced and rolled on the ground because of that impact and then he finally stopped moving.
“It’s just a magical beast after all. It’s not my opponent at all! Soldiers! You have just witnessed the hero’s ability!”
The soldiers cheered in response to Arvish’s remarks. Skeleton 7 remained motionless. Everyone thought that the magical beast was dead. Professor Jill runs up to 7 and touches his arms and legs to see how they feel.
“What a wonderful material! I didn’t expect that there is an undead beyond the lich! I have to take it to the lab and dissect it! Aquanis, Tila! Carry this one!”
The two artificial lich put 7’s arms around their shoulders and slowly lifted him up. The red light has disappeared in 7’s eyes’ socket and there is no sign of his silver body moving again.
Feria watched all this with a furrow of brows.
“My dear Feria, why do you look like that?”
“I’m against it. Carrying the corpse of the enemy is just crazy. It’s already an incomprehensible magical beast you see.”
“Maybe, but I’m also curious. How did Shinichi Tanaka get such a magical beast in his hands? I want to know how he did it.”
“You mean…., the professor will unravel that mystery for you? Is that so? I understand your reason, but I still disagree. We are not even sure if it is really dead.”
“Don’t worry, there is no one in this world who can survive my attack. Even if it is the undead.”
Arvish ordered the soldiers to form a formation and move on.
◇◇◇
“Report. I couldn’t find them Sir!”
“Understood. You can go.”
“Yes”
Arvish sits in a makeshift chair with his arms crossed, and he falls silent. They are now on the 24th floor. The kingdom’s army had discovered and occupied a livestock farm owned by Homeless.
“The fact that they built such a large-scale livestock farm is really something. As expected, Homeless cannot be underestimated.”
“Hmmm, well, so what will you do from now on? I have guided you to the 24th floor which was the target destination.”
“I’m pretty sure they are living around here. If I remember correctly, they said you could guide up to the 30th floor, right?”
“Of course I can. But, are you sure you don’t have to turn back? If it is just the 25th floor, it is easy to say as there is a temple of teleportation there…”
Hearing Coby’s words, Arvish silenced him, saying, “If it’s the money you are concerned about, I’ll pay more.”
At that moment, Professor Jill and the the artificial lich carrying Skeleton 7 on their back, approached them.
“Can I dismantle this skeleton here? I’m itching to analyze it.”
“I can’t allow that. We’re are now aiming for the thirtieth floor.”
“Oi! The mission was supposed to be up to the twenty-fourth floor! Why do we have to go to the thirtieth level!?”
“You seem to have forgotten but, our mission is to destroy Homeless. We now have to go to the thirtieth floor to achieve that. If you’re willing to give up your rewards, then you can go home.”
“Kuu! Damn brat!”
The professor spit out and leaves. After the professor left, a soldier rushed to Arvish.
“We found a lot of grain. What would you like us to do?”
“In that case, I’ll allow the soldiers to consume it. Also, instruct them to destroy the building before we leave.”
“Yes”
As the soldier run away, Coby asks Arvish a question.
“Are you really going to tear down so many buildings?”
“Why? You felt it’s such a waste? However, in case we let them escape, we have to destroy their base. We have to make them understand that they don’t belong in this kingdom.”
After a while, the sound of crushing sounded from the cattle farm. Livestock flee from everywhere, and dust and smoke rise from the collapsed buildings. The soldiers laughed as they packed barley and wheat from the warehouse into burlap sacks.
◇◇◇
Inside a dimly lit room with candles.
I waited alone for the report to come with my arms crossed.
(7 was caught.)
I heard the voice in my head. I felt my heart contract as if it had been grabbed tight when I heard the report. I didn’t expect that one of the executives would be knocked down. Although 7 had not evolved, he was the most skilled of the ten.
“Who defeated him? And, is 7 alive?”
(Arvish did it. Now he was held by the artificial lich and remained motionless.)
“I see… It might not be good to attract them in their current state. But are they are coming here?”
(He said he would go up to the 30th floor. Maybe he’ll go there.)
I didn’t expect 7 to get caught, but as long as Arvish and his party comes here as planned, there will be no problem.
I told them to fight in moderation but… does it mean that Arvish’s combat power was higher than I had imagined?
(One more report. Arvish used Superhuman transformation skill. Be careful.)
“Superhuman transformation? What’s that skill?”
(Dragoneuts have dragon transformation. Just as beastmen have beast transformation, humans also have superhuman transformation.)
Hoh-, I didn’t know that. To be precise, it’s a rare skill. So, wingmen, elves, and dwarves may also have special skills. It’s a really interesting topic.
“Alright. I’ll leave the monitoring to you.”
(Understood)
After talking to the lookout, I put my weight on the backrest. Even though it was just a fight against the kingdom’s army led by the hero, this operation has already made a considerable damage. It will take a certain amount of time to clean up after it is over. But at the same time, it can be said that acting cautiously was the right thing to do. I didn’t think that the kingdom would send troops without any preparations at all.
“Artificial lich and superhuman transformation huh… It’s worse than I thought.”
With a sigh, I picked up the wine glass on the table. When I put it in my mouth, it has mellow aroma and sweetness that delighted me. Just then, I heard a knock on the door. It was Suketarou who entered the room.
He knelt down near me and speaks his thought,
“Katakatakata”
“Hmm, I guess the preparations are now complete. Alright then, I’ll order you to wait until they come.”
“Katakatakata”
“Huh? When are they coming? Well, I heard that they are currently at the 24th floor. If they were to proceed from there, they would arrive around noon the day after tomorrow. By then, me and the other members will be in our position.”
“Katakatakata”
“Mmm, 7 has been caught by them. I know how you feel, but for now we will prioritize the operation. Understood?”
Suketarou replied briefly, then he flipped his black cloak and left the room. As a general, he seems to be concerned about the safety of his subordinates. Besides, he loved the ten army commanders. Personally, I don’t think I can remain indifferent.
“Let’s be patient until they get to the twenty-eighth level.”
I stood up and approached the window to see what was going on. Countless red lights spread in the darkness, silently waiting for the right moment.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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