Chapter 9: Quest 5: Defeat the Skeleton Lord [Part 1]
“We finally made it.”
Makoto looked up at the temple as he spoke.
He had thought the same thing when he saw it from afar.
It looked exactly like the Parthenon.
Except while the real Parthenon could fairly be described as half-ruined, this one stood completely intact.
“We finally made it.”
He repeated the words and turned around.
Countless bones and fragments of red cores were scattered across the ground.
All of them were remains of Skeleton Generals.
Just looking at them made him sick with memories of the battles.
Still, the endless fighting had paid off.
Makoto had reached level 75.
Yuka had reached level 72.
Compared to their old world, where effort did not always pay off, this world felt almost kind.
If there was no boss in the temple, weâre done for, he thought, setting his backpack down.
The food Tom had given them was already gone.
They had spent too much time defeating Skeleton Generals.
Even so, Makoto believed his choice had been correct.
Of course he had hesitated.
If the food ran out, they would starve to death.
Should they have fought multiple enemies at once instead of one by one?
He had nearly given in to that temptation many times.
In that sense, the dwindling food supply had been their greatest enemy.
“It was long.”
Yuka sighed.
Their thoughts were probably not aligned, but he was not tactless enough to point it out.
She was likely recalling everything since being separated from her classmates.
Makoto felt more anxiety than sentiment, but perhaps that was youth.
He decided to let her have the moment.
With nothing else to do, he looked up at the temple again.
Carvings adorned its upper section.
They seemed to depict war.
The story appeared to be thisâ
One day, a circled cross descended from the sky.
Many worshiped it, but not all.
People took up arms and split into two factions.
After a long battle, those who worshiped the cross prevailed.
Yet they could not savor victory.
The defeated factionâmore precisely, their corpsesârose again and challenged them once more.
Makoto hummed softly.
It seemed to suggest that the undead originated from those who did not submit to the cross.
If the cross was a god, the undead were evil.
If it was an invader, then the undead were heroes who resisted.
Either way, falling sparks had to be brushed aside.
The undead might have their own circumstances.
That was enough.
“Alright. Letâs go.”
“…Yeah.”
Makoto started walking.
Yuka followed slightly behind.
He pushed open the doors.
He had worried it might be dark inside.
It was not.
The temple interior was brightly lit.
Looking up, he saw lighting fixtures evenly spaced above the pillars.
Carvings lined the inner sides of the pillars.
They resembled human figures, but their distorted shapes stirred instinctive disgust.
And beyond them stood a single undead.
A skeleton clad in golden armor.
Seated upon a throne, it exuded an eerie nobility.
Makoto swallowed.
Just looking at it made his skin crawl.
If the ones outside were Skeleton Generals, this was a Skeleton Lord.
As it rose, phantom images of a sword and shield materialized.
They solidified into reality.
Both bore intricate engravings.
But what stood out most was the shieldâs size.
A tower shield large enough to conceal its entire body.
“Fantasy, huh.”
“S-Stop joking around!”
Yukaâs voice trembled.
Makoto knew he was being foolish.
But if he did not act this way, he might lose to its presence alone.
“Yuka, back me up. Create openings if you can.”
“Okay.”
“…Ignition, Flame Bullet.”
As he distanced himself from Yuka, he hurled the black flame.
The Skeleton Lord raised its shield.
Idiot, Makoto cheered inwardly.
The black flame dealt continuous damage.
No matter the shieldâs durability, sustained damage would eventually break it.
Butâ
He sucked in a breath.
The Skeleton Lord blew the flames away.
The shield had glowed faintly.
Magic or a skill.
His plan to destroy the shield through sustained damage collapsed instantly.
“Yuka!”
“Checking!”
It was too late to regret not checking status first.
Why did he always make mistakes at critical moments?
His fatherâs face flashed in his mind.
If he had inherited that manâs genes, failure at crucial times was no surprise.
Stop it, he told himself.
Focus.
“Flame Bullet!”
He threw another.
It was blown away again.
This time, he kept the flame in his palm.
The Skeleton Lord stopped moving, as if wary.
It was smarter than the Generals.
Troublesome.
But caution was not entirely bad.
If it was cautious, mind games were possible.
Distance, he decided.
Close combat without information was too risky.
The Skeleton Lord opened its mouth.
Light flickered within.
Thenâ
Impact tore through him.
The flame on his right arm vanished instantly.
A crushing fatigue weighed him down.
Not physical.
Not entirely.
“…Mental attack.”
He had never experienced one before.
Yet he understood.
“…Ignition!”
He shouted.
Flames burst forth.
A boom resounded.
The Skeleton Lord vanished.
The blade appeared before him.
Behind its shoulder, shattered floor was visible.
It had kicked off hard enough to break stone.
“Dammit!”
He twisted just in time.
Its side was exposed.
Nowâno, can I? Yes!
He punched.
No time to converge.
Any hit was advantage.
But the Skeleton Lord reacted instantly.
It turned and deflected his fist outward with its shield.
The blade came again.
“Damn it!”
His roar flared the flames.
The Skeleton Lord braced behind its shield.
A deafening crash.
Makoto was blown back.
It had charged with its shield raised.
He slammed into a pillar and dropped to one knee.
The Skeleton Lord closed in immediately.
“Flame Bullet!”
He threw it, expecting a block.
But it dodged.
“Bind!”
Bands of light wrapped its sword arm.
Level 72 magic should hold.
It did not break instantly.
He exhaled in relief.
Then the Skeleton Lord swung its shield.
He rolled aside.
Something shattered behind him.
Probably a pillar.
“Status?”
He stood before Yuka.
If they knew its abilities, they could adapt.
They had to.
“…I canât see it.”
“What?”
“I canât see its status!”
The words made his vision darken.
So this was despair.
“Why?!”
“Maybe Concealment or Presence Suppression!”
“Itâs that strong and has that too?!”
“I donât know!”
The Skeleton Lord opened its mouth again.
Light gathered.
“Convergence, cleave!”
He slashed downward as the shockwave fired.
A metallic ring.
Wind roared past.
“What was that?!”
“I cut the mental attack!”
More precisely, he nullified it.
But the converged flame had vanished.
The first time, his flame had disappeared too.
That was why he gambled it had a mental component.
The gamble had paid off.
“What now?!”
“We gather info while fighting! Back me up!”
“Fine! Magic Bullet!”
The Skeleton Lord raised its shield.
Pale light enveloped it.
The spell deflected backward.
“Ignition, Convergence!”
He closed the distance, circling to the shield side.
His fist met shield.
A metallic clang rang out.
No pain in his hand.
The pale light deflected attacks.
But when it deflected Yukaâs spell, there was no sound.
No time to think.
The blade descended.
He stepped gracefully aside and moved into its blind spot again.
Another clang.
The light did not weaken.
Still, he learned something.
The tower shield limited its maneuverability.
“Why are you running to the shield side?!”
“Because Iâm scared!”
“You coward!”
“Just support me!”
He would take safety over pride.
He kept striking the shield.
No damage.
Neither side landed decisive blows.
But stamina?
Light novel undead never tired.
Better assume the same here.
The Skeleton Lord crouched.
A shield charge.
He doubted he could counter.
“Magic Bullet!”
It suddenly turned and blocked.
“Now!”
“I know!”
He attacked from behind.
But it dodged as if it had eyes there.
“Reach!”
He punched its sword arm.
Rolled away.
“…No good.”
Then the right arm fell.
Yes!
He lunged.
It hid behind the shield.
He struck again and again.
“Go around it!”
“If I could, I would!”
It kept adjusting its body.
Yuka cast again.
The shield blocked.
Maybe the bodyâs magic resistance was low.
She seemed to reach the same conclusion.
Her spell struck its body.
It staggeredâslightly.
Then opened its mouth.
“Bad!”
He dove aside as the shockwave blasted out.
His core still tingled.
Thenâ
It rammed him.
He tumbled across the floor.
No follow-up.
It had lost an arm.
Only shield charge remained.
Then he heard cracking.
“…Youâve got to be kidding.”
Its right arm was regenerating.
In exchange, the pale glow around the shield vanished.
“…Can we do this?”
He forced himself up.
His body still tingled.
No time to hesitate.
“Yuka!”
She began chanting.
The Skeleton Lord raised its shield to buy time.
It focused entirely on Makoto.
“My enemy, be bound! ManifestâBind!”
Light wrapped the shield itself.
Makoto raised his fist and moved to its side.
Break the armor.
Destroy the red core.
The Skeleton Lord creaked its neck and opened its mouth.
Mental attack again.
Converge to cancel it, then strikeâ
Impossible.
Canceling would take time.
Enough for it to break free.
What to do?
He knew the answer.
It just required courage.
Light gathered in its mouth.