Chapter 31: Lord of the Flies (2)

Acrid smoke, scattering ash, and walls and ceiling cracked all over.

A woman clad in bone armor began to walk into the devastated lobby lounge.

Thud- thud thud- thud-

The Death Lord, watching the scene, slowly opened his mouth.

Soon, a cracking voice flowed from his parched, shraling lips.

[Jeanne d’Arc. And in that form…….]

The Death Lord stared silently at Jeanne with his sunken eyes.

The flushed skin visible beyond the bone armor. And the eyes brimming with life.

It was no different from Jeanne’s appearance when she was alive.

Eventually, the Death Lord spoke in a displeased voice.

[……Is this Isaiah’s prank? What a nasty hobby.]

The Death Lord slowly took a step forward.

At that, Jeanne raised her Spinal Sword and said.

“So you gained power from a demon at the cost of your wisdom, Peter Winsfelt! Do I look like a puppet doll to your eyes?”

[………]

The Death Lord’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

“Ravianglily was a matriarchal nation where the culture of valuing women over men was deeply rooted. Men couldn’t even set foot inside the palace. But you, Winsfelt, were an exception.”

“Her Majesty personally entrusted you with a heavy responsibility, admiring your outstanding martial prowess, strategy, and the lofty spirit that led you to castrate yourself!”

[…….]

“Yet you repaid that grace with enmity! You black-haired beast, I am ashamed that I once served a man like you as my master!”

[…….]

The Death Lord remained silent to every word.

He merely gazed at Jeanne in silence with hollow eyes.

Jeanne spoke in a cold voice.

“Peter Winsfelt, I will bury you here.”

Jeanne’s form began to shimmer like a heat haze.

And in the blink of an eye, she completely vanished.

Perfect silence.

No footsteps, no breathing, no shadow, not even the slightest presence remained.

At that moment, a sharp bursting sound exploded.

KWAJIK!

The Spinal Sword pierced through the Death Lord’s side.

Tar-like sticky blood poured from the torn wound.

And at the same time.

•CHWAAAK-! CHWAAAAK-! CHWAAK~! CHWAAAAK-!

The bones of the Spinal Sword, jutting out like saw blades, began to shred the Death Lord.

Each time, Jeanne’s afterimage faintly appeared and disappeared like a shadow reflected on water.

The Death Lord muttered lowly.

[Kidovnik……. Highbaren’s technique. Did you kill her, Jeanne.]

The sharp blade tip rushed ferociously right up to the Death Lord’s eyes.

However.

Tak!

The Death Lord caught the sword with just his index and middle fingers.

At the same time, Jeanne revealed herself.

“You are the ones who killed Highbaren, who defiled her! How dare you…… spout such filthy nonsense with that dirty mouth of yours!”

[…………..]

The Death Lord’s mouth slowly opened, then slowly closed again.

What followed was a single short sentence.

[……You still know nothing.]

Cracks began to form CHYEOKCHYEOK in the bone blade caught between the Death Lord’s fingers.

Soon.

BBAK-!

The tip of the <Spinal Sword of the Deceased> broke off.

At the same time, the Death Lord slowly raised his hand.

[Igrorance while dying. Sometimes that is a blessing.]

The Death Lord’s hand blade lightly struck downward toward the ground.

Along its trajectory, a pitch-black aura exploded upward.

KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA~!

The black slash advanced, sucking in everything around it like a black hole.

Jeanne immediately widened the distance while condensing black mana at her blade tip.

『Seven Demon First Strike: Gluttony Slash, Beelzebub.』

A pitch-black aura spewed from the tip of the Spinal Sword like lava.

The Death Lord also released black mana.

KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA~!

Where the sword auras clashed, a jet-black vortex raged.

Marble tiles and concrete fragments, steel frames and wires, all sorts of furniture.

Anything touched by the black aura turned to dust and scattered everywhere.

Soon, a massive explosion swallowed the entire area.

KWAAANG-!

As the dust cloud cleared, the Death Lord revealed himself.

Not a single scratch, let alone a wound; he was perfectly intact.

In contrast, Jeanne’s state was utterly miserable.

HUDUK-! HUDUDUDUK-!

Dark red blood poured from her severed left arm, and the Spinal Sword of the Deceased had shattered beyond recognition.

But at that moment.

TSUTSUTSUTSU!

The black mana flowing from Jeanne’s body began to heal the wound.

The lost bone joints regrew, and blood vessels and muscles instantly covered them.

At the same time.

KKADEUK- KKADEUDEUK-

The blade of the Spinal Sword of the Deceased slowly began to restore itself.

-<Spinal Sword of the Deceased> / One-Handed Weapon / A

A one-handed sword once used by the Skeleton Queen. 

Made from an unknown spine, its hardness and sharpness far surpass top-grade steel. 

It also possesses regenerative ability that quickly restores it even if destroyed.

-Attack Power +1450

-Skill ‘Growing Bone’ available

└Growing Bone (A): Rapidly regenerates damaged parts to restore original state. This skill effect does not apply to other weapons and is always active only on the ‘Spinal Sword of the Deceased’. (Cooldown 5 minutes)

“Already died once, how could I die again.” – Nameless Sword Demon

An immortal Death Knight and an endlessly regenerating sword.

It was a combination with unparalleled synergy.

Jeanne gripped the Spinal Sword of the Deceased with her regenerated left arm.

Then.

DAEDAEDAEDAE_

Black mana began to overlay the Spinal Sword.

Black mana rippling like sticky liquid along the blade.

It was an aura comparable to a high-rank graduate.

The Death Lord spoke with an indifferent expression.

[It is a futile and worthless act.]

Yet Jeanne calmly raised her sword and said.

‘Carelessness leads directly to death.’ That’s what you always said.”

At that moment.

KURURURURURUK~!

Black aura began to surge around Jeanne.

『Seven Demon First Strike: Gluttony Slash, Beelzebub』

A vivid sword aura began to extend, slicing the ground.

KWAKWAKWAKWA!

A fierce gale raged.

The black crescent destroyed, disintegrated, and swallowed everything in its path.

The Death Lord extended his hand toward the incoming Gluttony Slash aura.

KWAGWAGWAGWAGWAGWA~!

[……..!]

The Gluttony Slash’s aura began to fiercely crush the Death Lord.

His body was mercilessly shredded as if clawed apart.

At that moment, Jeanne’s second slash flew toward the Death Lord.

『Seven Demon First Strike: Greed Slash, Mammon』

A high-heat slash melted the glass shards and cement floating in the air as it rushed forward.

Gluttony Slash and Greed Slash.

As the two Seven Demon Strikes merged, a hot wind blade storm began to rage across the area.

It instantly swallowed the swarm of flies.

Soon, the thin wings of the flies burned to ashes, and their plump bodies were torn to pieces.

PAK! PAPAK! PAPAK! PAK!

With sounds of something frying, blackened fly corpses piled thickly on the floor.

Eventually, the hot wind blade struck the Death Lord.

KWAGWAGWAGWA-!

The Death Lord was pushed back fiercely.

[……………..]

The Death Lord’s brow furrowed.

It was the first change in his expression since the battle began.

CHWACHWACHWACHWACHWACHWAK!

Boiling lava-like blades began to shred the Death Lord’s entire body.

Blown away by the hot wind, he crashed into the wall.

KWAAANG!

From the violent impact, the ceiling collapsed, crushing the Death Lord beneath.

Jeanne caught her rough breath and readjusted her grip on the sword.

Red steam like blood was rising faintly from her body.

<Aggressive Immortal’s Armor>/ Armor/A

Full-body armor made from the Skeleton Queen’s bones.

It sacrifices defense to grant extreme attack power and regeneration, allowing endless battle.

-Attack Power +1300, Regeneration +150%

Skill ‘Mutual Destruction’ available

└Mutual Destruction (A): Damage received from the opponent is doubled, but damage dealt to the opponent is also doubled. (Duration 1 minute/Cooldown 60 minutes.)

The item skill of the Aggressive Immortal’s Armor, Mutual Destruction.

Thanks to it, Jeanne could momentarily unleash destructive power close to S-rank.

At that moment.

KWADDEUK!

Rubble flew in all directions as the Death Lord rose from within.

But his appearance was markedly different from before.

His left shoulder had melted pitch-black, and black blood poured from the deeply gouged side.

Above all, the wounds showed no sign of regenerating.

The Seven Demon Strike aura lingering around the wounds.

It was completely blocking the undead’s characteristic rapid regeneration.

Soon, Jeanne spoke in a low voice.

“The Seven Demon Strikes are secret techniques to annihilate demons. Nothing could be more threatening to you.”

[………]

Instead of answering, the Death Lord drew a sword from his waist.

A long, sharp black blade was aimed at Jeanne.

At that moment.

TADADADAK~!

Jeanne turned and began running.

She was sprinting in the exact opposite direction from the Death Lord.

Watching this, the Death Lord muttered indifferently.

[Are you now afraid of death? Everything is futile and impermanent.]

The Death Lord slowly began to take steps.

Meanwhile, the place Jeanne headed to was the elevator in the 1st-floor lobby lounge.

Jeanne powerfully kicked the elevator’s iron doors.

KWAANG!

The elevator doors crumpled like aluminum foil and fell away.

Perhaps the lift was on another floor; the inside was completely empty.

At that moment, a pitch-black sword aura rushed from behind Jeanne.

CHWAAAAK-!

The Death Lord’s strike sawed through Jeanne’s shoulder like a cogwheel.

But Jeanne paid it no mind and leaped into the elevator shaft.

..A moment later.

The Death Lord, chasing Jeanne, entered the elevator interior space.

He slowly surveyed the surroundings.

A landscape like a rectangular vertical cave.

The downward passage was tightly blocked by a lump resembling bundled muscle and flesh.

The protruding blood vessels atop the fleshy mass pulsed BULGE BULGE as if alive.

[………]

Jeanne’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

Above, only the lift cabin stopped dozens of meters in the air was visible.

Then, Jeanne’s voice rang out.

“Now, Master!”

Unexpectedly, her voice came from outside the elevator.

Soon, Jeanne, who had shrunk to miniature size, returned to her original form.

And at the same time.

……SEOGEOK!

A sound of something being cut came from above.

It was the sound of the lift cabin’s ropes, stopped dozens of meters up, being severed.

KKIGIK! KKIGIGIGIGIK-!

The elevator cabin began plummeting with ferocious speed.

Soon, a resounding shout echoed from above.

“Welcome to Korea! Welcome to Lethe Tower! You illegal immigrant bastard!”

The owner of the voice was Korea’s F-rank hunter, Cha Hasang.

…That’s right.

It was me.