Skeleton Knight, in Volume 7 - Ch 4

Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax

Those Who Bare Their Fangs

I materialized in-between King Asparuf and Palermo with my shield raised to block the cardinals swing.

The impact of the collision sunk my feet into the streets stone pavent.

I clenched my teeth and pushed against the force of the blow with my shield, creating an opening for

to slash at Palermo with my sword.

Although the air itself was parted, Palermo had leaped back to avoid the blow, furthermore, he added a backflip to his retreat, to put even more distance between us.

Palermos massive size caused cracks to form in the patch of stone pavent he landed on.

Hm, never ca across a monster like this before

I shook my left arm to get rid of the numbness as while I grumbled.

My easygoing manner only seed to anger Palermo. His bloodshot red eyes grow brighter and brighter as his face transford into an even more frightening visage.

What in the world are you!? You share the Popes transfer thods! Theres no way a human could block my attack with one hand!!

While saliva flew out from Palermos beak-like mouth as he yelled at , Ariane, Chio and I shared a look.

If his words were to be believed, the Pope of the Hiruku religion was capable of using transfer magic just as I was. While it was extrely useful in it of itself, it beca a rather troubleso tool in enemy hands.

I thought wed found the mastermind behind these church-related incidents when one of the cardinals appeared, but it appeared that the Pope was the true ringleader.

No, even if undead soldiers didnt require much logistical support, it would be strange if the one controlling the organization hadnt been involved with preparing a hundred thousand soldiers.

I bottled that chain of thought for now, and I fixed my gaze on the enemy before .

Ariane and Chio were slowly approaching with weapons raised, most likely intending to aim at Palermos blind spot, so I needed to offer them support in the front.

Im not a human, but an elf. Sorry that your opponent is of such a lowly race.

The hairs on Palermos body stood up when I shrugged my shoulders and spoke.

An elf!? Youre an elf too!!

Palermo smashed one set of his hands against the ground in anger while the other set of hands caught the debris that created, launching the chunks of pavent towards Ariane and Chio.

Kch! Wha!?

Their preternatural reflexes allowed to two to dodge the surprise attack.

However, so of the other soldiers standing behind them were torn to shreds by the flying debris.

He hadnt taken his eyes off of

when hed attack them, so he must have had a wide field of vision.

The soldiers morale plumted when they witnessed Palermos overwhelming destructive power.

Palermo smiled when he noticed that his encirclent had been broken before he returned his focus to , apparently noticing sothing.

I rember now. Youre that silver knight who killed Charos!

Palermo nodded his head along with that insertion while I was left there holding my sword and trying to figure out what he ant.

Around my neck, Ponta let out a Kyun?, seemingly as confused as I was.

Whos Charos? I dont rember killing anyone nad Charos.

Though I never even t the person Palermo called Charos, a forr enemy that the na belonged to suddenly ca to mind.

I had no proof, but he could have been the monstrosity I fought in Tajiento.

Palermo, as if hed been reading my thoughts, pointed at

and started laughing.

Thats right! The one you fought in Tajiento was cardinal Charos!! That guy was the weakest among the seven of us, but he wasnt so weak that an ordinary man could defeat him! However, dont even treat

in the sa way!!

Ariane and Chio watched our exchange play out with shocked expressions.

There were at least five other monsters such as this one.

So, the monstrosity Id faced Tajiento wasnt only this Charos person, had been clearly stated that hed been under control of the Hiruku religion.

So that vulgar caterpillar was a friend of yours?

Was the Hiruku Theocracy just a country of undead?

Gahahaha, caterpillar! A fitting description of that groveling fool I have to ask though, what are elves doing in a human city?

A brutal smirk ford on Palermos face as he laughed.

Even though he was aware that Id killed Charos, due the fact that hed been the weakest of the seven Palermo didnt fear .

Although I wouldnt say that Charos had been a powerful foe under any circumstances, he wasnt soone Id call weak either.

And Palermo had ranked himself above the fallen Cardinal.

I was still feeling the after-effects of using the heavenly Knight Skill outside the city, so this would be a difficult fight.

I cast my gaze on both sides of Palermo as I thought things over.

However, this ti I had reliable companions by my side.

Arianes golden eyes and Chio blue eyes t my own beneath my helt. We were all in agreent.

We have our circumstances. I dont have to explain myself to a monkey general.

It was a cheap provocation, but I wasnt used to provoking people, and it was the best I could co up with on the spot.

Thats what I thought, but the enemy didnt think the sa.

Bastard!! How dare you, an inferior race, to ridicule the power bestowed onto

by the Pope!!

He was exactly like an angered monkey.

His muscles swelled up and veins bulged on his head as he scread his curses.

His eyes were consud by an even bloodier red as Palermos massive body leaped towards .

It looks like he beca really reckless.

The destination of Palermos leap was just in front of , my sword began to light up as I invoked a skill in retaliation.

Sword of Judgent!

A magic formation appeared at the location that Palermo would land before a sword of light ant to hit him shot into the air.

However, Palermo let out a mighty roar and smashed the sword with his hamr-like fist.

The sound of shattering glass filled the area as Palermo utterly destroyed the sword of light.

What!?

Although I expected him to dodge the Sword of Judgent, I never thought hed crush it with his bare hands.

Honestly, his hulking ape-like form had

treat him like a run of the mill physical-based monster instead of an undead.

Heheh, while its the first ti Ive seen this magic, its not that strong!

Even as he chuckled upon landing, Palermos body tensed in preparation for his next attack.

I blocked the first blow with my shield but hed already prepared himself for the follow-up.

Hed readied his third fist for another blow, but Palermo fled onto the sidewalk in order to avoid my counterattack.

However, Ariane and Chio had already covered the distance between us and launched their own attacks.

Infernal Fla, reduce all that you consu to ashes

Ariane unleashed her fire spirit magic the flas started to coil around her blade before extending out like a whip, lashing out at Palermo as if they had a will of their own.

However, the flas were extinguished with a swing of his arm.

Hed easily blown away the Holy Knights magical skill Sword of judgnt with his bare hand, and it appeared that he could do the sa with other magic.

However, there were results.

Small patches of burnt fur appeared on the arm hed used to extinguish Arianes attack.

While he was capable of resistant magic, he wasnt able to prevent the heat generated by the magic. Moreover, he seed to lack the rapid regenerative ability that Charos had possessed.

Water Style: Water Spear!!

Chio made her move and attacked Palermo with her ninjutsu.

Her right hand glowed slightly before a small, undulating stream of water gushed forth. The stream imdiately took the form of a spear which Chio proceeded to throw at our enemy.

A beastn capable of magic!? Impudent wretch!!

Palermo glared at Chio as he cursed her.

I expected Palermo to simply knock the water spear away as hed done with the other forms of magic, but he must have been bad with penetrating attacks because he simply leapt away.

However, Chio had predicted Palermos reaction and prepared another attack in advance.

The instant he leaped to avoid the spear, two water wolves created by Chios ninjutsu attacked him from behind.

Her nearly transparent wolves were hard to detect if given enough distance.

The flashy manner in which she threw her spear had been nothing but a distraction to conceal the true attack.

Such was the tactic of the ninja Chio

Unlike wild wolves, which would have gone for their victims throat, under Chios control the water wolves targeted Palermos ankles.

Palermo was four ters tall, his sheer size and muscle mass should have been a natural blind spot. Not to ntion that the water wolves were nigh-invisible.

Ghaa! Damn it! Beastn pest!!

Palermos grimaced as one of the wolves bit into his ankle, indicating that damage had gotten through.

Still, before the other wolf could attack, Palermo hopped away on one leg. However, Chios wolf hadnt released its grasp.

Her ninjutsu was a technique gave her complete control over the manifested water wolves.

She wouldnt allow her prey to get away that easily.

The mont Palermo leaped into the air, Chio climbed atop a nearby building and used another ninjutsu.

Water Style: Water Spear!!

Palermo was still being carried by the montum from his leap and had no way to avoid the spear flying towards him.

The spear managed to pierce the surface of Palermos shoulder. Unlike Arianes wide-spreading flas, the spears power had been focused into a minimal strike zone.

Gaaaaaaaaaa!! Fuck!

Palermo shouted as his posture was shattered while he was still in mid-area.

Regardless of being a human or an elf, Palermos trendous power was a threat best neutralized by restricting his movents.

Perhaps for soone like Ariane, Chio, and Glenys his attacks were nothing more than brutish movents.

Power was aningless if your attacks could be predicted well in advance.

As the saying goes, Theres no such thing as the unhittable.

I stepped forward to deliver a decisive blow.

Evil Sealing Holy Sword

It was a Holy Knight skill super effective against the undead. The Holy Thunder Sword began to shine with a brilliant light as my eyes locked onto the falling Palermo.

When I tightened my grip and raised my sword to cut him down, Palermo managed to jerk away at the last second, but his bodys sheer size and abnormal form made it easy to hit.

One of the arms growing out of Palermos back had been severed by my slash, his body rolling to the side by the ti I readied my sword again.

The light that had coated my sword was extrely toxic to Palermos undead body, as the flesh around the wound was charred and crumbling.

Ghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

The air vibrated, as the monster that Palermo had beco scread in agony.

Cracks started to form in his chest, leaking blackened blood, as Palermo managed to dodge my next attack by desperately rolling away.

Victory wouldnt be so easy to obtain.

You You

Sli-like drool dripped out of Palermos beak as his round eyes frantically darted around the area, apparently searching for sothing.

His gaze finally honed in on his own severed arm.

However, along with his arm, Palermo was also treated to the sight of Ariane fearlessly laughing as she rolled it across the ground with her foot.

Infernal Flas, reduce all to ash

In response to her chant, an intense fla ignited the severed arm, completely devouring it in a matter of seconds.

Every hair on Palermos body stood up as he let out another angry shout.

Based on the way hed acted, Palermo didnt have the ability to regenerate the arm but so way of reattaching it.

However, Ariane had literally reduced those hopes to ash.

You whoreeeee!!!

With a primal shout, Palermo charged towards Ariane with superhuman speed.

Stopping a heavyweight wouldnt be easy.

Ariane-dono! Flying Dragon Slash!

I urged her to dodge while launching a mid-ranged attack.

The beam of energy the Holy Thunder Sword released hit Palermo head on but it imdiately dispersed.

While his montum was slowed, the attack was ineffective overall.

Elsewhere, the resulting shock wave from my attack blew the shingles off the rooftops.

It couldnt be helped, the narrow streets made it difficult to use mid- and long-range attacks.

Ariane clicked her tongue and had an exasperated expression when I used Dinsional Step to place myself in-between her and Palermo.

The implications of her look were clear.

Mother Earth, return all things to tranquility, swallow everything beneath the ground

Ariane gradually pierced the ground with her sword as a song like incantation escaped her lips.

The tip of her sword sank into a gap in-between the pavent, and ripples began to spread out in a fan-like pattern from the point of contact. Mud erupted from the ground and began to erode the stones one by one.

The ground had been turned into a quagmire, but it moved as if it were alive, swallowing everything into a bottomless swamp.

The quagmires range rapidly spread, causing so of the nearby buildings to start collapsing as it devoured their foundations, while the soldiers who had been watching the fight fled screaming.

In the middle of Arianes carnivorous bog stood a halted Palermo.

He was already knee deep in the quagmire and his weight was causing him to sink even further.

What is this!? My legs wont move. No, sothings entering my body!!

Shouted the enormous confused monkey monster within the quagmire.

As his maneuverability was lost, Palermos movents gradually beca more sluggish as a white substance began to creeping up his body.

The spreading of the quagmire eventually halted and almost every living thing that had been caught in it was returned to the earth.

Thered been a considerable amount of collateral damage done to the city, and I was mildly surprised that Ariane would use area-of-effect magic here.

Im surprised that this undead was able to retain its body even after being affected by this magic. Still, once sothing is dead it will sooner or later return to the earth

Ariane had a small smile on her face as she removed her sword from the ground and cleared off the dirt with a graceful swing.

Imbecile Imbecile I-Immm!!

Even as his gigantic chest began to turn white and his body started to resemble a dead tree, Palermo was slowly approaching Ariane through sheer rage and determination as he scread at her.

Infernal Fla, reduce all that you consu to ashes

Intense flas sprung from the base of her sword once more when she repeated her chant, simultaneously raising the temperature as it took shape.

Ariane ignored Palermos curses as she pointed her sword towards his chest.

The flas that flew from the tip of her sword buried themselves into Palermos chest, the fire spreading across his body for a mont before they erupted into a pillar of flas.

!!!

As his body was consud by the flas, Palermos death wail could be heard throughout all of Soulia.

However, it was but for a mont and only the sound of burning flesh remained afterward.

Hmm, I guess thats it then.

Kyun.

As I sheathed my sword, Ponta uncoiled herself from around my neck and let out a cry to signify the conclusion of the battle. Before hopping onto her favorite spot, she dusted off my helt with her bushy tail.

While I smiled at Pontas antics, my eyes gradually combed over the area once more.

Though the citys inner wall sohow got away unscratched, several of the nearby houses had been half swallowed by the earth.

However, it was still a better outco than Tajiento had received.

Not that that would be a consolation to the affected residents.

That was amazing, Ariane-dono.

Chio-chan, you were pretty good yourself.

The two of them expressed mutual praises for a well-earned victory.

While Ariane said that she and Chio were friends, the two were closer to comrades in arms than anything else.

Sotis it seed as if the two of them had made an arrangent between themselves, and that bond shined through here.

Personally, I thought it was very pleasing to watch a cute girl and a beautiful woman interact with one another, but I seed to be the only one.

All the humans who had witnessed our battle were left in a state of shocked awe as they gazed at us from a distance.

Without paying them any mind, Ariane looked by at what had once been Palermo, before opening her mouth again.

I overdid things a bit, but hopefully their impression of Arc has faded sowhat.

When she let out a slight sigh and made her statent, I understood the point of this whole incident.

Shed been trying to diminish the impact of my rampage outside the city.

Certainly, the reveal of Palermos true form and the magic that destroyed part of the city would leave a strong impact on the people.

However

Hou, you were acting in an unusually over-the-top manner, Ariane-dono. And while it had been a bother for

is this alright? All that seems to have been accomplished is that the people now think theres more than one monster

Ariane shrugged her shoulders and avoided eye contact when I questioned her.

Its okay. Were speaking with the King after this, right? Having an effective threat should move things along easily, shouldnt it?

My eyes looked for the person she was casually speaking of and found King Asparuf standing in the center of a circle of soldiers with a solemn look on his face.

While I think that too much of sothing could be poisonous, I didnt have any idea about how Asparuf would approach this situation.

Nevertheless, we have to consider what Palermo said. Since we were here, the damage was kept to a minimum, but there are five more monsters just like him out there. Arc, he boasted that hed been stronger than that Charos fellow we dealt with in Tajiento, was that the case?

Ariane looked at

again when she asked that question, while Chios ears perked up because she was also interested in my answer.

I recalled my battle with the monstrosity nad Charos before I responded.

Well, I dont an to boast about my own heroics, but Charos had definitely been the more troubleso of the two.

I looked straight at Ariane as I spoke my honest opinion about both fights.

She seed to have taken my opinion to heart and started stroking her chin as she thought sothing over.

I see

Of course, my opinion is based on having Chio-donos and your help this ti.

I didnt understand the purpose of her initial question, but Ariane bushed off my additional comnt.

I dont care about that, but sothing has to be done about the Hiruku religion.

She narrowed her eyes as she looked off in the distance.