Chapter 14: Demon’s Lair – 22
In the audience chamber stood four humans.
One was a middle-aged knight, spear at the ready, likely another of the Royal Guard Knights.
Behind him was a man dressed in flamboyant attire, instantly recognizable as the king. His silver hair was slicked back, and a matching silver beard hung down to his chest. Though he appeared to be in his twilight years, his straight posture belied his age. However, his expression lacked the dignity of a king, resembling more that of a miserly, corrupt CEO.
Next to him was presumably the queen, a beautiful woman with a sharp expression, glaring at us—especially at the boy, Ryusha.
But what caught my attention was the fourth figure.
A gaunt man with a pale face, his age indeterminate. His wild black hair and pointed nose left a strong impression, yet he had an oddly faint presence. Dressed in a black robe and wielding a staff, he seemed to be a mage, but there was an air about him that suggested he was no ordinary individual.
We formed a line and approached, stopping about ten meters away from the royals.
The first to speak was Marquis Lagantz.
“Your Majesty King Giselfa, it is time to step down. I humbly request that you relinquish the throne to Ryusha.”
“How dare you speak such insolence, you little wretch of Lagantz! You deceived my late brother, and now you seek to ensnare his child, Ryusha? You cunning vixen, know your place!”
In stark contrast to the calm demeanor of the marquis, King Giselfa was nearly frothing at the mouth. Unfortunately, it was clear that the roles were mismatched.
“No matter how much you accuse me of crimes I did not commit, it does not change the fact that Your Majesty has lost the divine mandate. If you willingly abdicate, your name will remain as the King of Mecalinan. However, if you oppose the divine will, you will be remembered only as the regicide. I implore you to make a wise decision.”
“Y-you! What proof do you have to label the king a criminal? This is the height of disrespect! I shall strip you of your title and have you executed!”
“Regrettably, Your Majesty, you alone cannot revoke titles above that of a count according to national law. I ask once more: please hand the throne to Ryusha. If you do so, you will be remembered in history as King Giselfa.”
“You wretched vixen!! Zonket, it is my royal command! Behead him!!”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty!”
At the king’s command, the knight Zonket stepped forward, spear at the ready. However, his expression was one of considerable distress, reminding me of a colleague burdened by an unreasonable order from a superior.
“I’ll handle this.”
As Earthlin and his companions attempted to step forward, I realized that, being former A-Rank adventurers, they were likely overestimating their abilities. I took the initiative and stepped up.
“You are an adventurer? I am Zonket, Royal Guard Knight of Mecalinan! Prepare yourself!”
Zonket appeared to be a serious individual.
With his introduction, he lunged forward, delivering a thrust as swift as lightning. I raised my shield to block, but he quickly circled to my right.
His movement was nearly instantaneous, and his next thrust could only be described as divine speed.
The tip of his spear grazed my side. However, before it could reach me, my mace shattered his spear.
Zonket, reacting with sharp reflexes, stumbled back. But he could not evade the shockwave unleashed at the same moment, which sent him crashing against the wall.
“Fool! Zonket, what are you doing?!”
As King Giselfa scolded him, Zonket attempted to rise, but Earthlin’s subordinate rushed in to restrain him. With that, we had successfully captured two Royal Guard Knights.
“Your Majesty, the time for your decision has come.”
The marquis pressed again. Yet King Giselfa remained silent, grumbling as he glared at the pale man beside him.
“Isunani! It is your turn! Annihilate these intruders!”
The man called Isunani twisted his lips into a smirk as he spoke.
“Your Majesty, are you certain? The beings I summon will require the sacrifice of ten thousand souls to remain.”
“I care not! I can spare ten thousand useless soldiers! Hurry!”
“As you wish.”
His ominous words suggested we should act quickly. I dashed towards Isunani.
“Do not interfere.”
Reacting to my movement, Isunani waved his staff. Dozens of black fireballs arced through the air from all directions. I instinctively raised my shield to absorb the impact, but the magic was formidable, restricting my movement.
“Answer my call and manifest, the fate of the seeker who fell into darkness seeking power.”
With an ominous incantation, Isunani raised his staff to the heavens.
Suddenly, a massive symbol—something akin to a magic circle—materialized on the floor of the audience chamber, and something began to rise from it with a slithering sound.
“Everyone, fall back!”
The marquis shouted. I returned to his side, focusing on the emerging entity.
It was a bizarre monster. Perhaps ten skeletons had been disassembled and haphazardly reassembled into a spherical shape. Among the chaotic arrangement of bones, ten skulls were neatly aligned in a circular formation.
The skeletal sphere was about three meters in diameter, floating in the air without wings, which was perplexing.
Regardless, since it was composed of bones, it was undoubtedly an undead monster.
“Your Majesty, the Lich Legion stands before you.”
Isunani twisted his lips into a smile as he spoke, while King Giselfa, pale-faced, nodded awkwardly.
“Y-yes. Well done. Immediately crush the traitors!”
“Ha ha! Then, Lich Legion, feast upon the souls of the fools before you.”
At Isunani’s command, the massive skeletal sphere let out a low, ominous growl.
The sound sent a chill down my spine, and the marquis approached me.
“Soushi, the Lich Legion is said to have reduced an entire city to ashes in ancient times. Do you think you can handle it?”
“I have a chance. For now, I will engage it, so please lead everyone to safety.”
“I’m sorry, I leave it to you.”
The marquis looked momentarily surprised but quickly turned to his soldiers, shouting.
“Retreat! Quickly!”
At the marquis’s command, the soldiers hurriedly fled the audience chamber.
“Woooaahh!”
The Lich Legion roared, and multiple rings of fire erupted from the floor. Signs of an area spell, but the ability to activate more than ten at once was abnormal. It was indeed a magic-based monster, the “Lich” of the “Legion.” Though it appeared to be a mass of bones.
I instinctively unleashed a shockwave at maximum output, striking the Lich Legion. The skeletal sphere shattered into pieces, but they quickly reassembled into a sphere once more. It seemed to possess a skill that nullified physical attacks. The silver lining was that I had managed to interrupt its spellcasting.
“Normal attacks will not affect the Lich Legion. Holy Attribute Magic will not work easily either. It is one of the highest-tier undead.”
Isunani declared gleefully.
“Ooouuuunnn!”
The Lich Legion growled again, this time unleashing hundreds of spears made of fire, rock, and ice upon me.
However, this level of attack could not penetrate the Immovable Fortress Wall.
I advanced while absorbing all the magic, swinging my mace at the moment the magic ceased, sending the skeletal sphere flying.
“Kuhiha! A powerful attack, but such efforts are meaningless no matter how many times you repeat them.”
The skeletal sphere quickly reformed. Simultaneously, a combination of magical spears and area attacks came at me. I dashed around, using my shield to deflect the magical spears. For a moment, I considered blasting Isunani away, but with King Giselfa nearby, that was impossible.
While running, I attempted to close the distance to the Lich Legion. I took a few hits from the magical spears but realized the damage was surprisingly low. My Adamantine Body and various resistance skills were doing their job.
“Shii!”
With a shout, I struck directly with my mace. The Lich Legion broke apart and reformed, but this time I felt some resistance. Looking down, I saw several broken bones scattered across the floor. The effect of the Water Attribute +3 I had just acquired seemed to be in play.
I continued to chase and strike, each blow shattering several bones.
“Hiiiiiiaaaah!!”
Perhaps sensing danger or growing frustrated that magic was ineffective, the Lich Legion emitted an even stranger growl.
Then, with a loud clatter, eight skeletal arms shot out from the sphere. Each arm was at least two meters long, and each fist radiated auras of red, blue, green, and yellow, indicating they were using Enchantment Magic.
The Lich Legion glided through the air, swinging its eight arms in a chaotic assault. Despite being a magic-based monster, it was engaging in hand-to-hand combat.
I defended against the onslaught of skeletal fists with my shield and mace. However, eight arms were too many to evade completely, and I took several hits.
The impact itself wasn’t too severe, but the elemental attributes added considerable damage. It felt akin to the attack power of Zaikal from the Kin of Twilight’s ultimate technique, Mugen Soubou.
“Kuhiha! To engage the Lich Legion in a direct brawl is quite amusing.”
“Isunani, stop toying with a mere adventurer and quickly eliminate that vixen!”
King Giselfa’s voice was laced with irritation as he addressed the gleeful Isunani.
“Oh, but this adventurer has potential. I intend to kill him slowly and take his corpse back with me.”
“Just do it already!”
“There’s no need to rush. The marquis cannot escape; the entire castle is surrounded by undead.”
“What? Then so be it.”
I overheard a troubling conversation. It seemed I didn’t have much time left.
Just then, my vision suddenly turned red. It was that sensation again—the Excitement skill. It appeared to activate even when I wasn’t in immediate danger. The activation conditions were likely—
“Ooohhh!”
I deflected the Lich Legion’s arms, discarding my mace and shield, and grabbed onto the massive skeletal sphere with my bare hands. Climbing up its surface, I felt an overwhelming barrage of strikes against my body. Several arms tried to grab me and pull me off. Do not think you can stop me with those flimsy limbs.
As I climbed, I found myself face-to-face with a skull, larger than that of an ordinary human. When I grasped it with both hands, it trembled in fear, its jaw clattering. This must be its weak point.
“Crush!”
I poured strength into my hands, and the skull shattered easily. Moreover, it seemed the decomposition and escape skill did not activate. I reached for the adjacent skull, which also trembled in fear.
I continued to smash skull after skull. Upon breaking the tenth, the skeletal sphere exploded, scattering bones across the ground. Was that it? After all, it was just bones.
“Kuhiha!? To defeat the Lich Legion with bare hands! This only makes me desire the corpse even more!”
Despite the trump card being defeated, Isunani appeared oddly pleased. Who was this guy? No matter; it didn’t matter.
I seized the pale man’s neck with my left hand and grabbed his head with my right. However, the sensation in my right hand felt strange. The head squished and deformed. Could it be that he had no bones?
“Oh ho, do you intend to kill me? You won’t even ask for the circumstances?”
“I have no interest.”
“Kuhiha! If you are curious about the Candlestick of the Netherworld, seek it out!”
“I might if I feel like it.”
I tightened my grip. The sensation was akin to crushing a ripe persimmon, and Isunani’s head burst in my hand. However, what splattered wasn’t blood or flesh, but an unidentifiable blue liquid.
In the next moment, Isunani’s entire body transformed into liquid, spreading across the floor. It seemed he was some kind of magical puppet.
“Hii!!”
As I glared, King Giselfa and the queen collapsed to the floor, clutching each other.
I had no use for them. I dashed out of the audience chamber, hearing commotion in the entrance hall. They were likely battling the undead.
I sprinted in that direction.