------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 164
The skull, wreathed in dark mana, shattered.
No matter how sturdy the hardest part of the body was, it was not enough to withstand a spear forged from compressed flames.
The dark purple barrier that had surrounded him like a shield melted away, unable to endure the searing heat, and the bones crumbled under the physical force of the fire.
The elongated spearhead lodged itself deep into Galan’s skull.
"……."
-…….
The two silently stared at each other. Their gazes locked, unmoving, as if time had come to a halt.
Ian withdrew the spear.
Galan did not move. The crimson glow in his eyes gradually dimmed, flickering until it finally vanished entirely. His bones collapsed with a clatter.
All that remained in his place was an old, worn sword.
‘Is it over?’
Ian steadied his racing heart as he watched the flames consume the fallen bones.
There was no movement. However, each time the surrounding flames flickered and swayed, the shadows cast upon the ground trembled.
And they were silently expanding their domain.
A faint gathering of hostile mana caused a twitch in the corner of Ian’s eye.
“!?”
The moment he noticed the writhing mass, he swiftly kicked off the ground and retreated.
Crash!
Dozens of sharp spikes erupted from the ground, stabbing into the empty space where he had just stood.
Had he let his guard down, believing he had already defeated Galan, he would have been skewered on the spot.
‘Magic?’
It was a pattern he had encountered before.
Ian recalled the moment he first met Riorg Ribella in the ruins.
The skeletal knight Galan had fought against the hero Gailgron, while a specter had guarded the necromancer chanting spells.
‘Is it that thing?’
Ian remained vigilant, but there were no enemies within the range of his heightened senses. Yet, the shadows along the ground continued to rise one after another.
Pa-pa-pa-pak!
All he could do was keep retreating.
To secure his vision, he controlled the raging flames around him, compressing them and forcing them to settle. As the fire receded, the ruined temple came into view.
At this point, calling it a temple was almost laughable. Nearly all the furnishings had been devoured by the inferno, leaving behind nothing but ashes.
An empty space. And far in the distance, a vague figure stood motionless.
‘I found it.’
It was the specter that had guarded Riorg Ribella’s back. Its appearance had not changed.
Still hovering like a shadow in the air, as if it lacked a true form.
—Huuuuuh….
A chilling breath echoed as the specter gazed at him with an eerie glint in its eyes, raising its hand.
It was unmistakably a wraith—its hands were pitch black. Yet, this was no laughing matter.
The moment its fingertips pointed at Ian, the mana in the air surged, and the shadows spread further across the ground.
Ian attempted to manipulate the flames to control the shadows' reach, but the darkness ignored the direction of the light entirely.
He frowned as he observed it.
‘The blessing is still intact… and I have enough mana.’
The continuous battles were exhausting, but at the same time, with the environment now favoring him, he felt an urge to keep fighting.
This kind of opportunity was rare. It was uncertain when he would face the necromancer of the Ten Thousand Demons Battlefield, but weakening their forces even slightly would surely be beneficial in the future.
Ian extended his left hand.
Fwoooosh!
From within the flattened, smoldering flames, sharp blades shot up.
When bombarding Galan, he had mimicked Eor, the Arbiter of Hellfire, and formed swords. However, recalling an image, spears were much easier to manifest than swords.
Dozens of spears rose into the air, then, one after another, shot forth like arrows in graceful arcs.
Each falling spear resembled a meteor trailing a long tail, and the overall sight was akin to a meteor shower unfurling.
However, the wraith was not merely watching. Dark currents gathered in the air around it, forming into identical spears to intercept the attack.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwaang!
It struck down the descending spears with precision.
“Huh?”
It was absurd. And yet, a question arose.
‘How long has it been watching?’
It seemed likely that it had arrived here with Galan.
Perhaps the one summoning the white bones outside had not been Riorg Ribella, but this wraith instead.
It could have joined at any time. If it had attacked together with Galan, the situation would have been unimaginably dire. Yet, it had only been observing, which made no sense.
Could it be that they were not on good terms?
That thought barely formed before the wraith’s figure collapsed like a crumbling shadow, revealing itself behind Galan’s burning bones.
—Sir Galan.
Its voice was grating, as if it were tearing through the air.
—Sir Galan.
The wraith called out the skeleton’s name. Naturally, there was no response.
—Sir Galan.
It was not a cry of sorrow. It simply sounded like a reprimand.
The wraith then enveloped Galan’s burning bones with mana, extinguishing the flames entirely.
Ian silently watched. The opponent showed no intent to fight.
—Sir Galan, is this the death you desired?
Silence lingered. The wraith lowered its hand, then raised it again. The collapsed bones of Galan began to reassemble.
Was it said that the human body had 206 bones?
Countless fragments returned to their places and fused together. It was a sight he had witnessed many times before, yet this time, it felt truly eerie.
However, no matter what was done, the shattered and melted skull could not return to its original state.
The hollow eye sockets would no longer burn with a red glow.
Fwoooosh—
While the wraith stood dazed, Ian spread the flames further, preparing to surround his opponent.
Yet, even though it must have known the threat was approaching, the wraith showed no reaction.
As if it did not care, it gazed at the limp bones and continued speaking.
—How futile. A swordsman like you did not die for his master, nor did you perish in a glorious battle against a nemesis.
The wraith turned its body to look at Ian.
—Nor was your opponent an overwhelmingly powerful foe. Perhaps the environment was unfavorable. The presence of the lord weakens us, after all…
It was a murmured monologue, but Ian did not miss a single word.
Had its pronunciation been even slightly slurred, he might not have understood. Yet, despite its dreadful voice, its speech was eerily clear.
—I have long known that you harbored doubts about the life you regained. But I did not mention it, as you still fulfilled your role as our master’s tool.
The wraith raised its fingers and placed its hand upon Galan’s skull.
- However, I cannot understand your actions today. What in the world has made you so weak? If you had fought with your full strength, you would have easily defeated that wretched brat. Why did you give him a chance? Why did you act so leisurely? Speak, Sir Galan.
But a being who had already lost its will could not possibly respond.
At last, the wraith grabbed Galan's skull with both hands and shook it. Each time the jawbone moved, the teeth clacked together with a crisp sound.
- I observed you from beginning to end, but no matter how I think about it, you were nothing but arrogant. If our lord were to find out, he would surely be disappointed in you. He trusted you and sent you here while he was fighting the Hero.
The Hero? The existence of Gailgron suddenly came to mind. Hadn't Bishop Tarmynan said he contacted him just in case?
So this was why he hadn't come. It seemed he had been preoccupied with restraining Riorg Ribella. That must have been the reason he couldn't make it here.
However, what was surprising was that he had not been able to subdue the necromancer of the Ten Thousand Demons War in such a short time.
If the opponent was truly Level 7, as the world believed, he should have been defeated long ago. Moreover, the skeletal knight and the wraith who had been protecting him were not even present.
Ian summoned his flames.
Fwoooosh!
Thanks to his opponent leisurely allowing him time to prepare, he was once again able to create a favorable environment.
Pillars of fire erupted in all directions, intertwining and forming the shape of a dragon.
Like a living creature, it opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of densely packed teeth.
- To think you've ended up like this just because you failed to reclaim a single sword.
The wraith let out a chuckling laugh. At the same time, it gripped the skull tighter with its incorporeal hands.
Crack—
Already weakened from being impaled by Ian's spear. Or perhaps the wraith's physical strength was greater than expected.
A fracture appeared on the skull, and soon after, it shattered completely.
- I am different from you. I have no intention of disappointing our lord.
Ian raised his left hand. The pillar of fire in the form of a dragon struck down toward the wraith. And then, he witnessed an unexpected sight.
- I...
Except for the shattered skull, the remaining bones were drawn toward the wraith, seamlessly taking their places.
He had heard of fusing different species together to create chimeras, but he had never seen anything like this before.
It wasn't as if one skeleton was replacing its bones with another's. The only way to describe it was that the wraith had absorbed the skeleton.
- ...am different from you.
Then, as the wraith became the center of surging mana, shadows covering the ground rose like blades at the motion of its hand.
Slash!
The fire dragon's neck was severed, and the pillars of fire unraveled completely.
- I should have given my all from the beginning.
Slashslashslashslash!
The fire dragon's neck fell piece by piece. Watching this unfold, Ian felt a throbbing pain in his head.
Life was never easy. He had already achieved his goal, as the cursed weapon—the root of this calamity—had been purified with the lord’s help.
Even if he were to retreat now, no one would blame him. But there was no way the wraith would let him leave so easily.
‘I have no intention of leaving.’
Adjusting his grip on his sword, he drew a dagger with his left hand.
At that moment, Ian sensed a presence. Someone was approaching. And at an incredible speed.
Beeeeeeep!
What entered his vision was an exceedingly thin golden line. It felt as if it was foreshadowing what was about to happen.
The line stretched unwaveringly toward the wraith. And the next moment, a woman arrived before the wraith at lightning speed.
Jet-black hair neatly tied up. A sculpted face so beautiful it evoked admiration at a mere glance.
Thump—
Ian felt his heart pound violently.
------------------
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
------------------
