Chapter 181 Element Master Vs Undead Monsters
(POV 3rd person)
While raising a rumbling sound, the Minotaur Zombie’s giant frame began rushing towards them with a bullfighting vigour but,
“Fiona, take care of that cow.”(kurono)
“صخرة على نطاق واسع لمنع الجدار—[Terra Wall Defan]”
With a quick simplified chant, Fiona stopped the Minotaur Zombie’s charge with a wall of stone rising up from the floor.
With a sound of a great crash that reverberated all over the hall, its charge was easily stopped.
No, it didn’t simply stop the charge. Just like how Fiona had once protected Lily to give her time to activate her DP, the wall reached the roof of the hall and had completely confined the Minotaur zombie inside it.
The ranging sounds of the mad bull came from the other side but for a minotaur that only had simple physical strength as a characteristic even after becoming an undead, it’ll have to wait till the effect of the defensive magic decreases before it could escape from there.
That time is not more than a few minutes but,
“I’ll take care of the skeletons.”(kurono)
It was more than enough time for Kurono to send all these 20 skeleton soldiers back to the netherworld.
“Magic Bullet Arts, Full Burst.”
The black bullets fired simultaneously were not the usual full metal jacket bullets, but were Shot Shell bullet types which were 1 size bigger and the tip was flat.
Since the skeletons were literally just bones, there was no flesh which could be pierced through.
Thus, for attacking them physically, rather than slashing with a sword or thrusting with a spear, a strong blow with a mace or hammer was more effective.
The psedo Full Metal Jacket has a pointed tip and is thus effective in only piercing power but with a bullet that has a big flat tip, it should be more effective in smashing the bones.
And the massive amounts of Shot shell bullets fired by Kurono rushed towards the swarm of skeletons that was charging towards him.
The power of these bullets had already been proved in the previous battles with skeleton soldiers.
Those without any kind of shields had neither the means to defend against nor the reflexive speed to evade these small, hammer -like bullets.
As a result, with a cracking sound, dirty white bone fragments were scattered all over and the the false life force inside them disappeared.
And the lucky ‘survivors’ that had been able to dodge this hail of bullets were met with an attack from Kurono wielding two black and white blades.
“Kuronagi.”
Those who had survived with the help of their round shields, those who had been hit only a few times and had lost only parts of their arms or legs, and those who had been protected due to their allies ending up acting as a shield for them; all of them were cut apart by a slash of the cursed blade that had a dark red aura much more sinister than the undeads themselves.
It was common sense for even a rank 1 adventurer that slashing attacks were less effective on skeletons but depending on the weapon equipped and the martial art used, that fact could be easily overturned.
The hatchet that could cut through steel even before evolving once, it wouldn’t be stopped by mere skeletons with no means of defending even without the use of any martial arts..
“haa—–“
Just after using Kuronagi, Kurono rolled and dodged the blade of a skeleton that came to attack as if it was normal and counter attacked with the holy white blade in his other hand.
In terms of pure sharpness, it was one level lower than [HaraRetsu] which had evolved once but due to the dense white magical energy stored inside the [Mithril Sword], it held purification powers able to drive away darkness.
That means, for undeads that use dark magical energy as a source of their life force, it was not just a simple weakness, it was a deadly poison that could kill them with a single touch.
The white slash created by kurono’s strong swing tore apart the skeleton as if it was cutting through paper.
(“Yeah, it seems [HaraRetsu] really doesn’t like the ‘taste’ of these skeletons.”)
Evading the incoming slashes and cutting through the skeletons with single slashes, Kurono was thinking of such things.
(“I guess, it’s because skeletons don’t really bleed.”)
The hatchet was showing signs of evolution during the time he went on Goblin subjugation alone so Kurono had been trying hard to make it evolve as fast as possible.
This was Kurono’s personal conjecture but maybe thanks to drinking lots of Crusader blood during the battle at Alsace and also able to taste, even if slightly, the blood of an existence as high quality as an Apostle, it had become instantly closer to evolving again.
When Kurono held the hatchet for the first time after the fight with Ai, its magical energy seemed to violently astir as if wanting more power so Kurono considered this to be the sign that it was going to evolve again.
And expecting another evolution, he had been swinging about the hatchet only while purposely not using Sword Arts but it had proved quite useless especially in this [Revival Catacomb].
(“Can’t be helped, I’ll hope for it next time.”)
As he gave up here, he also seemed to be impressed by the Mithril Sword in his other hand which had been showing incredible ability.
“You are the last one!!”
The mace that the skeleton had put up to guard it was cut apart along with tits head by the blade of the hatchet.
Without even able to make any scream, the skeleton’s broken half fell on the ground and scattered.
“My bad, a few slipped through.”(kurono)
Turning back he called towards Fiona and Lily in the rear guard.
“It would be impossible to stop so many of them alone anyway.”(Fiona)
In Fiona’s surroundings who answered coolly, the remaining few soldiers were burning in rumbling flames.
It showed that other than physical blows and light, these skeletons were also weak to fire.
Thus, Fiona was able to take care of them easily with the flames of her [Custom FireBall] wand.
Since all of the skeletons were on fire, it seems there was no chance for Lily to use her light Extra magic.
Even though she’s the one here who has the most effective magic against undeads; Kurono wondered whether this was called being unwilling as he looked at Lily making a bored face.
Now then, let’s collect the [imitation Hearts] and get out of here, is what Kurono was thinking but,
*DOZUN! DOZUNN!!*
Due to the loud ciolent sound coming from the other side of the stone wall, he once again remembered the existence of that Boss-like monster.
“Isn’t it about time he gets out of there?”(kurono)
“Yeah.”(Fiona)
As if it had been waiting for this conversation to happen, the Minotaur Zombie’s giant arm smashed through the stone wall.
It seems the [Terra Wall Defan] lost its power with time and the Minotaur’s strong arm, even if rotting, was slowly scraping and destroying away the wall bit by bit.
As it begins to crumble, soon a hole enough for it to jump out would be created.
It had been in an excited state from the very start but it seemed to have become even more ferocious due to being confined in stone and was delayed from its prey.
“I guess it’ll be a bit tough to beat this one with just swords—–“(kurono)
Kurono had not fought against a Minotaur during the maneuvering experiments but he did face a similar one-eyed giant monster called Cyclops.
Though they didn’t have any special Extra magic, such giant bodied, absolute power-type monsters were tough in general.
He did have a Mithril Sword which was its weakness so it’ll be much easier from back then when he had to fight unarmed but the experience of winning after getting half-killed himself made Kurono feel cautious naturally.
“—-Let’s go.”
Saying that, he tried to move but before that,
“uh, eeeiii!!”
“Eh, wai, Lily!?!”
Lily beat him to the punch.
After entering this dungeon, Lily had been doing the easy job of lighting the whole place so she must have been accumulating up a lot of frustration till now.
No, it’s not like Kurono had been ignoring Lily, it was simply that Kurono was more than enough for a swarm of mere skeletons and Fiona would take care of the ones who were able to escape towards the rear guard.
It was simply that no enemy had appeared where Lily actually had the need to take part in the battle.
But something like that didn’t matter to the child Lily. It was a fact that this had become a boring dungeon exploration for her.
Kurono who guessed Lily’s current state of mind gave an apology to her in his mind and at the same time,
“Farewell Minotaur, sorry I couldn’t take you on myself.”(kurono)
After confirming that a magic circle of light was created over the minotaur, Kurono realized that the battle was over.
Before the Minotaur could begin its charge, the dazzling pillar of light swallowed up its rotting body.
A flash, shockwave, and explosive sound——-the aftermath of Lily’s violent Extra magic reached him.
As it calmed down, there was only dust remaining that flew up due to the attack and a silence befitting a graveyard once again took over the hall.
“Kurono, Lily gave her best!”(lily)
Showing a smile like a child who helped with household chores, Lily approached Kurono with tottering steps.
“Yeah, you did well Lily!”(kurono)
Without showing any regret of being unable to fight the Minotaur, Kurono patted Lily’s head and praised her like an adult.
“As expected of Lily-san.”(Fiona)
Fiona, who read the atmosphere, also complimented her.
“ehehee”
As Lily twisted around embarrassed, Kurono’s mood that had turned gloomy inside this dungeon also became warm.
Such a gentle atmosphere was,
*BUMOOOAAAAAA!!*
Disturbed by the roar that came from within the cloud of dust.
“What, it was still alive?”(kurono)
How can it be alive if it was an undead? But no one was here to retort that.
Rather than those trivial words, the fact that the Minotaur Zombie was still alive was more important.
Once again, making a thudding sound with its legs, the Minotaur appeared from inside the cloud of dust.
“There’s just bones………”(kurono)
Kurono’s words were perfectly correct.
Even while rotting, the minotaur had an iron like thick skin but now there was not even a shadow of that appearance.
The two horns which were a part of bones were as it is and its whole body had also now become only skeletal.
But its size that made Kurono look up to it was still intact and its arms, which were only thin bones now, were still giving off pressure that showed that its physical strength was still the same.
“It became a Minotaur Skeleton it seems.”(Fiona)
“Is this an evolution?”(kurono)
“I wonder about that.”(Fiona)
After talking such useless things with Fiona, Kurono took up the two weapons in his hands and once again faced the Minotaur which was now in skeleton form.
This time I’ll go, the moment he resolved that,
“EEEEEIIIII!!!!”
Lily snapped.
He instinctively sensed that. It was obvious though considering the amount of displeasure her voice contained.
And, a magic circle even bigger than before appeared over the minotaur.
Rest was the same as before.
The Minotaur died.
“Kurono, Lily gave her best!!”(lily)
The Minotaur didn’t revive again, Lily gave an aura wanting to be complimented for that.
“Yeah, you did well Lily……..”(kurono)
While praying for the pitiful Minotaur inside his mind, the members Element Master once gain complimented Lily.