Chapter 96. Stone Snake (1)
The moonlight illuminated the abandoned building with a pale glow. The cold night wind swept past the walls and pillars inside the building, making a strange howling sound.
It was the masked man who spoke first.
"Ahaha, was she a mage close to Tier 10?"
His tone was far too casual considering what he had just done. He muttered, examining Skia's corpse which he was clutching.
At his words, Enoch paused for a moment.
"She also seems to have manifested some unique magic, though it's quite incomplete. It would have been better if she had grown further."
He said, briefly examining Skia's corpse in his hand, then shook his head.
"Since she was stealth-type, I aimed based on estimation and ended up crushing her head. I won't be able to use her with my unique magic."
He tossed her corpse onto the floor with a thud.
An evaluation made with the premise of turning a person's corpse into a zombie, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Th-, this is!"
Immediately, April pulled the charging handle back with all her might, shouting in anger.
She gripped the stock against her shoulder and bit her lip.
"Die!!"
Immediately, her mana was conducted to the trigger. The rifle fired, spitting fire forward.
Chaaang!
But the bullet that flew through the air shattered uselessly. The pulverized bullet scattered into powder in the air.
"Huh—?"
In an instant, April's pupils widened in shock. She couldn't believe what she saw.
At the masked man's simple hand gesture, sharp rock spikes had surged up from the floor.
Those spikes had intercepted the rifle bullet.
"He blocked a bullet, head-on..."
April muttered blankly, staring at the masked man, having even forgotten to load the next round.
"Interesting. I never thought a freelancer would have such strong camaraderie."
He tore the lip of his mask and laughed.
Just then, Arcato placed a hand on Enoch's shoulder.
"Earlier. I thought you said you'd stick to the plan."
According to the plan, Enoch was supposed to face the Tier 10.
Arcato asked in a low voice, his eyes filled with agitation.
"I know you're strong. But can you win against that?"
"Time remaining for cargo transport?"
Enoch asked back with a blank expression.
"It'll be close even if we start preparing to leave now. About 20 minutes of leeway."
"Then."
Enoch slowly gripped the greatsword diagonally and walked forward. The blade, clearly imbued with dark blue mana, cast a blue glow on his body.
His footsteps echoed clearly in the dark interior.
"Leave the preparation for departure to me."
Arcato nodded.
Then he glanced at April, who was holding the case Enoch had given her, and said.
"There were vehicles that the Scavengers came in outside. It'll take some time to find one that's intact. We'll prepare for departure and wait downstairs."
"...Understood."
Anyway, unless Enoch was in sync with them from the start, there was a possibility they would hinder each other during combat.
If so, it was rational to follow the instructions of the one judged capable.
The two freelancers, having understood that fact, calmly glared at the masked man and retreated.
Soon, only Enoch remained on the 5th floor of the abandoned building.
The masked man before him watched everything with an expression of interest. Then he glanced at Enoch and said in a languid tone.
"I have business with the cargo those people are holding. Hand it over willingly, and I might spare your life."
"Interesting. Faust."
For a moment, his eyebrow twitched.
The one suddenly called Faust glared at me menacingly.
"You, you know me?"
Enoch did not reply.
He might ignore me and chase the freelancers. This conversation was aimed at drawing his attention.
It seemed to have worked quite well.
"For a mere freelancer to know my name. Who the hell are you?"
Faust frowned from behind his mask.
"No. Never mind, never mind. Torturing him after capturing him would be easier to get answers."
And then he shook his head to himself and decided.
"If a mere freelancer knows a Black Mage belonging to our [Pandemonium] sect, then I must definitely hear the circumstances."
Meanwhile, Enoch stared at him expressionlessly.
Pandemonium.
Also known by the alias Myriad Demons Hall, a group of extremely evil and powerful Black Mages.
Unlike Vendetta, which followed a path of secrecy. A group of lunatics that existed by openly proclaiming a deranged cause that 'only Black Mages have value'.
One of the definite villainous organizations in the original work. A mage belonging to Pandemonium was also such an existence.
"No matter how I think about it. You, you're really strange."
Faust peered at Enoch from behind his mask, his unseen gaze scrutinizing him.
"Even though I'm currently acting as the leader of the Scavengers' insignificant flies... I haven't revealed that name here in the Outskirts yet."
Enoch, paying no mind, asked calmly.
"What's your reason for targeting the cargo?"
"Money. Naturally."
Faust replied unexpectedly readily.
He spread his arms wide with an exaggerated gesture, using his elite corpse members as a backdrop.
"You, freelancer, must have somewhat noticed? The Magic Empire is already stirring greatly from the shadows. And this Outskirts is no exception."
"..."
"A great storm is coming soon to the Magic Empire. Freelancer. And to achieve my ambitions within that storm, capital is needed first."
Faust let out a twisted laugh from under his mask.
"I am moving to realize my own grand cause within that storm. This gang is the foundation. It's a quite good means to accumulate money."
Faust looked for a moment at the corpses of the gang members scattered around and shook his head.
"But since you've broken my ambitious foundation, you must pay the price. Your body would be good?"
He said, touching his chin, which was visible beneath the mask.
"I have a premonition you'll make a good zombie."
Enoch replied calmly with a blank expression.
"You're spewing a lot of nonsense."
"What? Hahaha!"
The masked man burst into a loud laugh, as if bewildered. Then he twisted the corner of his mouth.
"Alright. I'll tell you briefly as you wish. What I need is money and power. So..."
Faust smiled fiercely from under his mask.
"I'll kill you and take your body and the cargo, freelancer."
Enoch tilted his head dismissively and confirmed.
"Your dreams are too big."
There was no need for further conversation.
Enoch, with a blank expression, naturally gripped his sword diagonally and began walking forward.
Seeing that, Faust twisted his lips and began walking towards him, raising his hands low.
Woowooong!!
Mana radiating light condensed in Faust's hands.
Enoch also raised his sword imbued with dark blue mana.
Dazzling halos of light emanated from their respective hands and sword blades, steadily closing the distance towards each other.
The next moment. Enoch gripped the sword at his waist and immediately condensed mana in various parts of his body, kicking off the ground as if plunging down—
[Explosive Sword]
Enoch, gripping the sword imbued with dark blue light, accelerated explosively, immediately approaching the enemy.
"—!!!"
Faust violently twisted his head.
Enoch's sword grazed the side of his head and plunged in, piercing through the concrete wall behind him.
Faust's mask, which he hadn't managed to avoid completely due to not fully reacting to the sword speed, was half-severed.
"Tsk!"
Enoch immediately pulled out his sword, spun it around, and launched a series of attacks, scattering fragments as the diagonally cut pillar gave way.
The sword trajectory, pushing the enemy back as it advanced, spread out sharply around Enoch, emitting dark blue light.
But Faust did not stop and continued to retreat, quickly swinging his hand once.
Clatter Clatter Clatter!!
Immediately, fist-sized rock spikes surged up from the ground and pillars, like sharp spears aiming for Enoch's life.
However, Enoch, in the midst of his charge, twisted his body and rapidly rotated. He unleashed two sword strikes.
Dark blue cutting lines raced through the air, instantly shattering the surging spikes into pieces, scattering fragments.
"Kuhat!!"
Not missing that brief opening, Faust retreated further and brought his hands together in a large clap, twisting his palms.
And the moment he crossed his arms like a splice.
Kururururu—
The ceiling stone turned into rock spears, lunging from left and right in an X shape with the momentum to pierce Enoch's heart completely.
Enoch immediately grabbed one of the suddenly lunging spikes, lightly threw himself into the air, and swung his sword.
Immediately, the dark blue sword strike that carved a trajectory in the air cut the two spikes in one blow, scattering fragments in all directions.
Immediately after landing. Enoch spun his sword around and pursued the retreating Faust with a fierce charge.
The distance between Enoch, who gripped his sword diagonally, and the enemy shrank rapidly with the wind brushing his cheeks.
"That's quite good! Then how about this!"
He shouted, grinning at Enoch who was closing in.
Piiing.
As he swung his hand, rocks quickly rose before him, compressed into the shape of bullets, and lined up in a row.
Tatatatatata!!
In an instant, small rock bullets were fired simultaneously, emitting sounds like a machine gun.
Enoch immediately gripped the railing on the side, throwing his body into the air like an acrobat. He abruptly changed direction.
Immediately after, the rock bullets, a beat late, landed where he had just been, carving into the ground.
Enoch, who had slid down the collapsed building's floor, sent his body flying as if gliding to the lower floor.
As Faust immediately swung his arm, the rock bullets that had been firing forward tracked Enoch's movement.
Tatagagagak!!
Just behind Enoch, who was sliding down rapidly, the rock bullets repeatedly plunged into the ground, emitting intense sparks and fragments.
Enoch, who slid to the lower floor, twisted his body once and landed by widely bending his legs, bracing his feet against the abandoned building's pillar.
Immediately, he pushed off the pillar with both feet, closing in on the Necromancer who was standing on the upper floor, as if being shot forward.
"Tsk! What, speed—!!"
In the instant Faust's eyes widened in shock at Enoch's surge with explosive mobility.
A sharp sword strike was swung, instantly slashing Faust's chest.
Cold blood erupted like a fountain in the air.
"Kuugh!"
Faust staggered heavily and retreated, yet immediately swung his arm at Enoch who had approached.
Whoosh!
Corresponding to the horizontal swing of his arm, rock spikes surged up in front of him, shattering the concrete.
His final desperate attempt to prevent Enoch from approaching within the lethal sword range.
But Enoch, who was still racing through the air, pulled his sword back deeply behind his waist to take a stance immediately after.
[Fire Wheel]
Taah!
Immediately, a series of strikes, along with a dazzling explosion from the sword blade behind him, cut the rock into dozens of pieces.
Just as the expression inside Faust's mask was about to contort into even greater shock.
Enoch, who burst through the shattered rock fragments, immediately spun his body, which had been launching the sword strikes, and kicked Faust in the face.
Tuuuuurrrng!!
"Kuheohk!"
Faust's body was greatly thrown back by the impact that pierced through his entire being. He crashed through the railing of the abandoned building and slammed into the opposite wall.
A shock that vibrated the entire building. Having created a large crater in the wall, he then fell and lay prone on the ground.
Faust raised his head, struggling with all his might. His half-severed mask shook in agitation.
"Wha, what are you!"
Thus, staggering and crawling on the ground, he shouted in a loud voice.
"Don't be ridiculous, saying someone like you had such skill among freelancers!! If so, I wouldn't not know!!"
He extended both arms and grabbed towards the approaching Enoch.
Mana exploded brilliantly from his outstretched fingertips, collapsing the pillar of the adjacent stone building.
As Enoch was walking, it fell to the ground, covering him, and a heavy sound of destruction echoed in all directions.
Piiiiiing—
But instantly in the darkness. A dark blue flash of sword light suddenly shone diagonally, and the pillar was cut in half as if it exploded.
Between the fragments and dust scattering from the collapsed rock pillar, Enoch walked out and said coldly.
"The corpse is talking."
In that instant, Faust, who had stood up and was staggering, froze as if his body was being taxidermied in the air.
And then, towards Enoch who was walking out before him, he slowly raised his head.
"...What?"
"You seemed to be trying to deceive me. Stop acting."
Enoch spat out, looking at the man before him, who was stiffly frozen as if taxidermied in the air.
"That body isn't your main body either, Faust."
"You...! You even noticed that?"
Seeing his glaring eyes fill with even greater shock, Enoch simply looked down at him coldly.
He knew a lot about Faust.
He had appeared as a powerful villain in the original work.
Therefore, I was very well aware that he, a Necromancer, would use his strongest available corpse as a clone, specifically controlling it directly for combat as a substitute.
It was the ultimate method of utilizing his unique magic, Necromancy. A combat style typical of a Black Mage, trampling on the dignity of the dead.
And as such, it was also a powerful unique magic that could increase the corpse's abilities by more than 180 percent of its life's potential.
「...By analogy, it is the superhuman strength of a mother lifting a car with only muscle power to save her child crushed beneath it.」
「The fact that such a phenomenon exists proves that humans normally don't use all their strength unconsciously to reduce the burden on their bodies.」
「Mages' magic is not significantly different.」
「Therefore, Faust's [Unique Magic], which deals with 'corpses' that can ignore the limits of life is...」
"That corpse."
In the darkness, Enoch slowly opened his mouth.
"He was a combat mage of the elemental type, close to Tier 10. He also seemed to have very high combat sense."
At Enoch's words, the man's lips, beneath the half-severed mask, curled up as if they would tear.
"...You. How, how could you..."
"As it's an extremely rare, top-grade corpse, you've synchronized its senses and pain and have also placed a magical limit on it as a sort of long-term substitute."
Enoch said to Faust, his dark blue eyes shining clearly from the shadow of his hood.
"Release it."
Yes. To be honest, an opponent of just this level was still far too insufficient.
At this level, he couldn't even gauge the limits or possibilities of [Reverse Flow], or his own growth.
"Heh, heh heh heh. Hahahaha! You bastard!!"
Then Faust began to laugh madly.
Swoosh.
Instantly, Faust's mask, which had been partially cut by Enoch's sword strike, finally fell to the ground.
Unlike the intact side of his face underneath, the other half of the corpse's face was revealed, with only the bones of the left side of its skull remaining, completely empty.
He glared with his one remaining eye and shouted.
"Alright, freelancer!! I've changed my mind!!"
The corpse, finally admitting that its identity had been discovered, twisted its mouth and let out a controlled laugh.
"I'll have to tear off your limbs and ask you. How do you know so much about the Necromancy sect of Black Magic? Especially about my unique magic!!!"
And the next moment, the corpse's body bent greatly backward with a strange cracking sound.
"Ugh, aah!!"
And then, it began to explosively raise mana throughout its entire body, surpassing the limits of human physicality.
Clack.
Simultaneously, Enoch gripped his sword and took a stance.
Holding the sword hilt horizontally against his arm, the long blade lay straight above his bent left arm, aiming at the opponent's neck in a complex stance.
Weeeing—
The blade, shining a chilling blue from the moonlight, was aimed near his eye, which had become sharp.
Simultaneously, Faust, who had bent his body back abnormally, lowered his head and shouted boldly.
"Be prepared!!!"
Kwooouuung!
The corpse, wrapped in a halo of mana light as if exploding before his eyes, flared its glowing eyes and charged towards me.
Beneath the white moonlight cast in the darkness of the abandoned building.
Behind him, fragments of shattered rock floated high, forming a massive rock halo above the head of Faust's shadowed silhouette.
From Enoch's blade, aimed precisely at it, dark blue light began to rise, pushing back the darkness.
Good.
Phase 2 begins.