Chapter 521: The Surprise Attack Skeleton

The Surprise Attack Skeleton

* * *

『There have been comrades who were defeated in battle, and turned into dust. The Silver Knight, although his movements were predictable, was strong, and among the ‘challengers’ that ‘Doll Princess’ sent… there were some who were quite formidable. But…』

The surprise attack skeleton, rolling on the floor, had been speaking quietly… but with a carefree tone.

『But you, despite being surrounded by so many of us, killed them all! Kakaka… Kakakakakaka! Truly amazing! You’re in a league of your own, among all the previous ‘challengers’! What is your name?』

He finally burst into laughter, and asked for my name.

“I’m a traveler. Emi Rune.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

『Emi… huh… Say, Emi, I don’t have much time left, so could you humor this old skeleton and listen to my last words?』

And the surprise attack skeleton, with a very kind, grandfatherly demeanor, said that.

“…………”

I silently listened for any sounds around me.

Silence.

Next, I deployed my 【Mana Sensing Threads】.

I extended colorless and transparent mana threads everywhere, confirming that there are no other enemies.

If that’s the case—

To be honest, I’m not completely unsympathetic to these enemy skeletons.

If he just wants me to listen to his story… well, I think I can do that much.

If it’s a trap, I’ll spring it… and then break it.

Extra-sama sighed deeply.

Now then, the surprise attack skeleton, rolling on the floor…

Seemingly sensing that I was waiting for him to continue, from my silence and my gaze on him…

『It seems… that we’re cursed.』

He suddenly… said that.

『No matter how many times he’s defeated… Although we deteriorate, the Silver Knight is infinitely resurrected, but we’re finished once we die. But we ‘can’t end if we don’t die’. Somehow, we keep moving… even in these bodies, nothing but bones… And to top it off, even if we wanted to run away, we can’t leave the grounds of this fort.』

The surprise attack skeleton’s tone changed, from his previous carefree tone, to an incredibly exhausted one.

For them too, the five hundred years of being bound to this fort was a curse.

『Eventually, we realized… We’re ‘sacrifices’. Whoever cursed us wants the Silver Knight—that protagonist skeleton—to win… and for us, the enemy skeletons, to be defeated. He wouldn’t accept any other ending. That desire became a curse, and created the current state of this fort.』

And the next thing the surprise attack skeleton said… largely matched what Extra-sama told me about the gods.

The god was fixated on his own scenario.

He wished for the Silver Knight… the protagonist skeleton… to win, and for them, the enemy skeletons, to lose.

He wouldn’t accept any other outcome.

That desire became a curse, and created the current state of this fort.

『But, how could we… accept such a fate?』

…Here, the surprise attack skeleton’s tone, which had been exhausted, changed.

It was a suppressed voice… filled with anger.

『So we stubbornly trained. These past five hundred years… Training was practically the only way we could rebel against fate.』

The surprise attack skeleton’s body trembled, perhaps from anger.

His bones clattered against the floor.

And then—

Ah—

This is—

『And you… ruined all that!』

It was at that moment!

The surprise attack skeleton, rolling on the floor, swung his only remaining arm, and threw the dagger he was holding at me!

“…………”

But that attack—

I was expecting it, from the movements of the surprise attack skeleton’s bones.

His body trembling with anger—it was an act.

To hide the signs of a surprise attack.

So I effortlessly caught the dagger, flying towards my forehead, between two fingers!

But…!

『Kakaka… You touched it, didn’t you?』

The surprise attack skeleton, despite his attack being blocked… laughed.

『The blade of that dagger… is coated with a deadly poison… ‘Dragon Killer’…! Even a dragon would die if stabbed with this! And a human would die just by touching it! Even just inhaling a small amount of the vaporized poison would kill you! Your life… only has a few seconds left… Kakakakakaka!』

The surprise attack skeleton laughed!

『Kakakakakaka… Kakakakakaka!!』

He laughed hysterically!

『Kakakakakaka… Kakaka… Huh…?』

He laughed and laughed…

『Why… Why isn’t the poison working…!?』

He was confused, seeing me still standing there, without showing any signs of suffering.

…I got a little angry.

“I’m not going to die from a poison that kills something like a lizard!”

After all, poison doesn’t work on me!

Driven by my anger at being underestimated, compared to the weakness of a lizard, which I hate… I snapped the dagger with my fingers.

Kan, ko…

The dagger, broken in two, rolled on the floor, making a dry sound.

And silence filled the room.

『…Kakaka! Haa… I’ve been completely defeated… I even abandoned my pride, and used poison, just to land a single blow… Kakaka…』

After a while, the first to speak was the surprise attack skeleton.

『This hell… is finally over. It’s both happy… and lonely… Kakaka…』

The surprise attack skeleton’s body is quickly turning into black dust.

Probably because he’s lost his will to fight, after his last resort was defeated.

『Well, anyway… Emi, you were amazing.』

Lastly.

Lastly, the surprise attack skeleton, looking at me, said—

『There are only three Superbad Empire soldiers left in this fort, including the general. I don’t know why you’re challenging this fort, but…』

After giving me that information, he said—

『Well, good luck.』

And then, completely turned into black dust, and disappeared.

And at that moment!

『The one you’ll likely fight in this great hall… is Sakkapan, the master of ambush. Be careful of your back. His weakness is fire magic.』

『Congratulations on defeating Dabigshild. But don’t let your guard down… There are still more Superbad Empire soldiers. May your righteous power illuminate the world…』

『You have been defeated, brave one… But it’s okay. As long as you’re alive, there’s still a chance. Review your equipment, and try again.』

『Congratulations on defeating Bargathoma. But don’t let your guard down… There are still more Superbad Empire soldiers. May your righteous power illuminate the world…』

『Congratulations on defeating Sapoiraizen. But don’t let your guard down… There are still more Superbad Empire soldiers. May your righteous power illuminate the world…』

『You have been defeated, brave one… But it’s okay. As long as you’re alive, there’s still a chance. Review your equipment, and try again.』

『You have been defeated, brave one… But it’s okay. As long as you’re alive, there’s still a chance. Review your equipment, and try again.』

『The one you’ll likely fight in this great hall… is Mucharamucchi, the whip user. Be careful of his unexpectedly wide attack range. His weakness is fire magic.』

『The one you’ll likely fight in this great hall… is Kirekaataruna, who can cut through anything. He’s strong overall, so be careful. His weakness is fire magic.』

POPO-POPO-POPO-POPO-PON! The princess’s illusion appeared multiple times!

She started giving advice for enemies I’ve already defeated, victory messages, and even error messages like ‘You have been defeated’—all at once!

U-U-U-SHUT UUUUPーーー!!

It’s so annoying, I’m starting to doubt if she’s really trying to help me!

This princess is truly a formidable enemy.

I’ll make her pay for making me suffer this much.

Just you wait…!

I burned the images of my enemies into my mind to increase my motivation, and once again, filled with determination, I started heading deeper into the fort…!