2
After leaving Keno in the fortress that he had made, Suzuki Satoru stared at Mount Kaidinias — its slopes were barren, with little vegetation. It was time to switch mindsets.
The first problem was how to investigate the destination to which the city’s residents had headed.
He had a higher chance of figuring it out if he cast [Fly], but if there were enemies around he would be spotted easily while floating in the air, as opposed to if he were on the ground. While he had [Perfect Unknowable] to use with it, there was a certain reason why Suzuki Satoru considered it a bad move.
A steady and grounded approach would be best.
While he ought to have cast [Fly] to search from above if there were no enemies, Suzuki Satoru was certain that there was a powerful enemy around.
Of course, while he could not be certain that all the information he had gathered to date was accurate, he was sure that there was some intelligent being behind all this.
His basic objective was to defeat that enemy, and then rescue Keno and her parents from their undead transformation. Ideally, he would be able to restore everyone in Keno’s country.
The chances were annoyingly high that he would not be able to negotiate a settlement with this adversary. After all, he had caused so much damage. At the very least, he was probably a being like Suzuki Satoru, who held no love for others.
Then again, there was a small chance that they might be able to make a deal. The problem would then be the terms that the other party would set.
To begin with, he did not think the other party would make any material
requests like asking for treasure and the like. After all, if he had wanted, he could have ordered the undead residents to deliver it all to him. He had made and could command them, after all. However, all the valuables in that city had been abandoned.
Then could he defeat his foe and demand that he do so in exchange for his life?
Is that possible? Is my opponent someone I can hold back on and still accomplish that?
Suzuki Satoru had already acknowledged his foe as being on his level. No, he imagined said foe to be stronger than him. However, it was hard to imagine a being more powerful than himself.
He had collected information on many mighty beings during his five-year journey. While he had learned it through money or force from various knowledgeable individuals, what they all agreed on was that the mightiest beings in this world were the ones known as the Dragon Lords. In fact, he had already confirmed that one of them had the same fighting power as he had.
However, one could not say it was far stronger than himself.
In that case, he should be able to use strategy and tactics to triumph against his opponent — even if it was a Dragon Lord.
Still, I have the feeling that I’m heading into the enemy’s lair. That gives them the terrain advantage. After that… Suzuki Satoru recalled the lessons contained in “PKing For Dummies.” Right after a patch — that would be the right time. Powerful Players attacking in small groups — that’s the people united.[3] So what about this time? I don’t know. Only… it’s going to be a gamble.
Of course, all this was founded on the assumption that the culprit responsible for the zombification could restore the people to normal, or that he knew how to do it.
If that was not the case—
“—Then he shall pay the price for his foolishness.” Suzuki Satoru changed his gear.
He put away all the equipment he had obtained from Yggdrasil and dressed in the gear he had stolen from “Corpus of the Abyss,” save for a divine-class ring on his left hand.
After that, he wore an icon of “Corpus of the Abyss” around his neck. He also had a crystal with a spell sealed into it.
Truthfully speaking, Suzuki Satoru was much weaker now than he had been just now. Leaving aside the tremendous drop in his ability modifiers and defensive power, his resistances were now riddled with holes.
While he still had the HP of someone of his level, he could not place too much faith in that. In addition, he had to avoid any attacks which would instantly kill him.
There’s one more thing, how should I do it? I’ll prepare a bit more before reaching my destination.
Suzuki Satoru sent a [Message] to Keno, telling her that he would need a little more time.
After that, he teleported to his objective.
After finishing his preparation — which had taken quite some time — Suzuki Satoru returned to his original location and began moving by way of [Fly]. He advanced toward the mountain without lifting too far off the ground — it felt like gliding — and thought about his strategy as he did.
The occasional fallen bone pointed the way to his destination. While they had been crushed to powder and blown away, the denuded mountain was very obvious.
Suzuki Satoru lacked any tracking skills, but he followed the clear traces up the mountain. It was as though the bones were guiding Suzuki Satoru to the being who had made them like this in revenge.
He climbed the mountain without losing his way, and soon— Ahhh, we’re here. An undead being, hm.
His undead detection skill was something like an omnidirectional radar.
There was a blip on that radar.
Suzuki Satoru looked in that direction.
“—Is it over there? Is the culprit behind all this over there?”
This skill could only sense the presence of the undead, not tell him their identity or their abilities. While it was largely conjecture, the creature that had turned the city’s people into Zombies and brought them here ought to be over there.
Having cast [Fly] on himself, Suzuki Satoru advanced a step forward, then ground to a halt, standing stock still.
Although his face could not display any changes in expression — perhaps Keno might have been able to discern them — Suzuki Satoru’s face had gone stiff.
That was because the number of undead reactions had rapidly increased with just a single step.
What’s this…?
The sheer number of blips stacking onto each other made whatever it was seem like a huge ball of light.
Suzuki Satoru held his ground and looked straight ahead. The terrain was very rocky, so he could not see the location of the ball of light.
Did it gather Zombies, bind them together and then do something with them? …What should I do? Should I send a Zombie over to see what’s going on, then think about what to do next after I figure out my opponent’s identity? But… That approach posed a problem.
If his enemy was very intelligent or possessed magical knowledge, then this would be a poor move. Also — Suzuki Satoru snorted. Things being what they are, what are you thinking? Suzuki Satoru mocked himself.
Suzuki Satoru dispelled the [Fly] spell and began walking.
Suzuki Satoru’s mana recovery would not have been affected even if he had not dispelled the [Fly]. However, sustaining the [Fly] spell might lead to his mana recovery going into the negative once he started casting other spells. More to the point, he had to consider that things might develop in a bad direction if he showed his opponent that he could cast the [Fly] spell.
Suzuki Satoru continued walking.
Suzuki Satoru sensed the number of undead reactions growing with every step he took.
“Ahhh, I don’t have any basis for this, but I think I can guess what it is,” Suzuki Satoru muttered to himself. Yggdrasil also had an undead monster which resembled the one he was imagining, but that undead would only display as a single undead reaction.
“Now then — [False Data – Life], [False Data – Mana].” Suzuki Satoru cast two spells on himself.
Then, he shifted his mind into PVP mode.
—No.
He had shifted into PK mode.
The terrain at his destination was surprisingly open. A corner of the mountain was abnormally flat and expanded in all directions. It was over two kilometers in length and breadth. Surely that could not have been some naturally occurring prodigy.
There was no doubt that it had been created by the power of magic.
And then, before Suzuki Satoru’s eyes — a bizarre object made of the people that had once lived in the city came into view.
A gigantic ovoid mass made of countless corpses stacked one on top of the other sat in the middle of this plaza. Its size was enough to make onlookers gasp in awe. To think something so big could be made from gathering 400,000 people together.
Had the opposition gathered all these Zombies just to make an object like this? Suzuki Satoru could not fathom what his opponent was thinking. No, if there was some aim to making this, then surely it would be able to move.
“Is it some kind of armor? Or perhaps a sentry?”
As Suzuki Satoru conjectured, he mentally calculated various things in his head while striding boldly into the plaza, toward that object which he would tentatively call the Big Ball of Undeath.
Though the distance between them shrank steadily, the Big Ball of Undeath did not make any obvious moves. Was it because Suzuki Satoru had not entered its attack radius, or was it simply following orders not to attack? Perhaps it was as stupid as a Zombie and did not attack Suzuki Satoru because it considered him one of them? Or perhaps—
—Who was the one who said it? Ah, yes. It was Luci★Fer-san. How did it go again? “When we gaze at our enemy, our enemy is also gazing at us.” What a marvelous quote.
How shall I put this, it’s quite meaningful. Wasn’t Luci★Fer-san pretty smart?
Suzuki Satoru smiled as he waxed nostalgic over the words of his friend, and then he shouted to the Big Ball of Undeath:
“Alright, alright, what are you gathering Zombies here for?”
There was no answer save the mountain wind blowing quietly past him.
This was no longer just a lack of reaction — it was actively ignoring Suzuki
Satoru. It was just like talking to a wall. It would be terribly embarrassing if this Big Ball of Undeath was completely non-sapient.
“…What’s the matter? Keeping quiet because you’re afraid of me? How boring. I am the Night Lich — Momon. The mightiest magic caster of them all! Look at you, so terrified you don’t even dare to speak. Still, it can’t be helped. I can understand why you’d be scared speechless after seeing all the magic items I have on me.”
But the Big Ball of Undeath remained still.
Was it some kind of guard? That would mean the opposition had gathered a great number of Zombies and ordered them to respond to any attacks in kind, in order to block up the entrance to a cave of some sort.
Or what if there was no enemy after all, just an item stuck in the middle of that ball?
In order to learn about his foe, it was a given that the opposition would react in some way. If the enemy did not react at all, then he would truly be out of options. Launching an attack to force information out of his opposition was a last resort, for when he had no other choice.
“Honestly… speaking of which, it looks like you need to be taught a lesson for not even greeting me. [Summon Undead – 3rd]!” Suzuki Satoru summoned a Skeleton Warrior.
Then, he ordered it to the base of the Big Ball of Undeath.
While it was plain to onlookers that he was wary of his opponent’s actions, walking into the enemy’s attack range was really quite scary. In addition, it would interfere with his future plans.
Still, it hasn’t attacked yet… if the plan was to gather the corpses and then have them wash over any nearby enemies like a crashing wave, then distance shouldn’t be a matter to it. Or is it really just an item in there?
If this was just a mountain of corpses, then it was not impossible for it to be a Necroswarm Giant. The problem was that he was pretty much certain that it was a Zombie horde. In that case, then it would be an undead creature unique to this world that Suzuki Satoru did not know about. Perhaps he should call it a Combi-Zombie for now.
Suzuki Satoru moved the Skeleton Warrior up to the side of the Big Ball of Undeath.
“…What the hell, so it was just a mass of Zombies gathered together. I can’t believe I made such a mistake. To think I actually mistook a group of unintelligent undead for something strong.”
The Big Ball of Undeath wobbled. Then, as though breaking out of an egg, the Big Ball of Undeath slowly changed shape.
“Is that… a Dragon?”
It had a long neck, a reptilian-looking head, and wings. It had six thick legs and a slender, whiplike tail. It resembled a Western-style Dragon.
However, its neck was extremely long compared to the normal image of a Dragon. Also, the extreme thinness of its tail made it look like a mash-up of a Western and an Eastern Dragon. Or rather, it looked like someone had stuck six legs and a winged beast onto the body of a snake. Also, it looked ugly and lumpy, without any of the beauty a Dragon’s form ought to have, probably because it was made out of Zombies.
In addition, it was far too big.
It was 150 meters long from head to toe at the very least. Not even Yggdrasil had something of that size.
Of course, Suzuki Satoru understood that this was a cosmetic change in the Big Ball of Undeath. In other words, it was made from 400,000 or more Zombies joined together. But when he thought about its length and width and the fact that he needed to crane his neck just to see its full size and so on, could a mere 400,000 Zombies be enough to make a gigantic body that was over 150m long? Surely it was not hollow—
“—I had originally intended to ignore you because you were being utterly foolish. But no matter. You have a big mouth for a mere middle-class undead being.”
The Dragon’s mouth slowly opened, and its bass voice echoed in all directions.
What he called a mouth was just something made of piled Zombies. Surely the voice’s owner must be someone else. But where had this powerful voice — which seemed like it was being spoken by all the Zombies at once — come from?
Is its true form in its mouth?
Its mouth was big enough to easily swallow Suzuki Satoru, so it would not have been strange if there was someone the size of Suzuki Satoru in its head.
One would not be able to discover someone like by remote observation. However, Suzuki Satoru could not make out anything else about it.
The mouth was not just made up of humanoid Zombies — there were beast Zombies in there too.
So that was why they had not seen any animals on their way here. All the animals on this mountain must have been zombified and then driven to the Big Ball of Undeath. It would seem there were more than a mere 400,000 Zombies making up that Big Ball of Undeath — that Dragon Zombie.
Also, the opposition had let slip something more important than that.
From his opponent’s reaction, it probably knew about Night Liches. In addition, it had not been able to tell that Suzuki Satoru was actually an Overlord.
In other words, Suzuki Satoru had made it past the first hurdle, but that did not make him careless.
…It might be a bluff. If it were me, I’d pretend that I was fooled even after seeing through my enemy’s lies. Looks like I’ll need to continue gathering information to see what other cards the opposition has up its sleeve…
Suzuki Satoru predicted and double-checked over and over again as he backed up one step.
“W-What are, what are you? Are you not a mere Necroswarm Giant…?”
The Dragon’s face moved. Actually, it was the Zombies moving, but they were very well controlled.
If, for instance, the opposition could not just freely control the Zombies used for facial expressions, but all the Zombies — far in excess of 400,000 — that made up its body, then its ability to control the undead would be far beyond that of Suzuki Satoru’s.
If that was the case, then that left another question.
Why had the enemy not tried to directly dominate Suzuki Satoru?
Was it because Suzuki Satoru was of a higher level than it could control? Or was there some kind of special condition required for domination, like say personally turning the target into an undead creature?
Just as Suzuki Satoru was pondering this, the Dragon’s expression changed. He did not know whether to say it was expressive, or if he should laud its control of Zombies, but it was plain to see that it was sneering at Suzuki Satoru.
“What? You do not know of me — you dare make a fool of me with that pitiful knowledge of yours? No, surely I am the fool for bothering with you.”
“You’ve got a pretty big mouth, you Dragon-shaped Necroswarm Giant. You might have gained intelligence because you formed a big mass, but unfortunately you’re too blind to see how much more powerful I am than you!” The Dragon’s face shifted again, and it opened its mouth.
“Fuhahahaha! To think you could entertain me so! I did not think mocking the ignorant could be so amusing. Fuhahaha—” The laughter suddenly stopped. “Oh miserable little undead, you — will you not be my jester? You need not do anything. Simply stand there and entertain me. While the position of Jester requires a certain degree of intelligence to fill, it seems there are born clowns in this world!”
“What, what’s so funny! I’m an undead creature that’s struck terror into the hearts of people all over!”
“Fuhahahaha! …Oh no no no, everything you say is just so amusing. Alright, now what do you want to do —- I forgot your name, because I was planning to annihilate you… no matter, forget it. Night Lich. Will you serve as my jester? You do know I am willing to spare you if you agree, do you not?”
“…I don’t want to be laughed at by an undead creature who doesn’t even dare state his name.”
The gigantic body moved.
“I see. While it feels foolish to give my name to an undead creature of your insignificant stature — I am Cure Elim, the ⬛⬛ Dragon Lord.”
“What?”
“Ah, yes… indeed! I am — the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord!!”
“I see…”
So it was a Dragon Lord. In other words, it was in the same league as the Brightness Dragon Lord. Simply put, it was very strong.
A bolt of pain stabbed at Suzuki Satoru.
From now on, things would be disastrous if he made one false move.
And the problem now was — was Cure Elim in that thing? Or was it controlling the ball from afar?
“Surely one as impotent as yourself should know the nature of a Dragon Lord?”
“I can’t believe a mere pile of Zombies is calling itself a Dragon Lord. It looks like you’ve moved up in the world. Or does it mean Dragon Lords have fallen far? In any case, it’s rather unsightly for you to act like a big shot in front of a great and mighty undead being like myself, don’t you think?”
“Fuhahaha! What a marvelous jester you are! Truly, you are entertaining!” With that, the air around Cure Elim changed.
“Still — the undead really do displease me. Even when standing before me, even in the face of annihilation, you do not know fear.”
The Dragon’s right foreleg suddenly swelled up, and a vast quantity of Zombies extended forward like a rope. Then, they seized the Skeleton Warrior, dragging it before the Dragon’s foreleg.
The Skeleton Warrior tried to flee, but in the face of superior numbers, defeat was its only recourse.
The Skeleton Warrior was swallowed up by the Dragon’s foreleg and Suzuki Satoru could hear it being crushed to bits even from where he was standing. At the same time, he felt his link to the Skeleton Warrior break.
“—I see… you’re not bad.”
Suzuki Satoru cast [Fly] and retreated.
“Not bad? …Fuhahaha, you really are amusing. Truly, you are a born jester.”
“…Hmph. You think you’ve won just because you destroyed the lesser undead I summoned? [Fireball]!”
The third-tier spell struck the Zombies in the shape of a Dragon Lord and flames erupted in all directions.
It was true that the burst of flames was tiny in comparison to the massive size of the Dragon. However, Suzuki Satoru narrowed his eyes and looked closely. That was because he saw the blasted Zombies crumble and fall.
After the fried Zombies fell away, they were replenished by undamaged Zombies from the interior.
“W-What’s this? Are there Zombies under there too?!”
“[Fireball]… that warped magic spread by that accursed lot. Not only are you pitiful, but infuriating… speaking of which, that should have been a low-grade spell. Night Lich, try a higher-tier spell on me… as it happens, I wish to assess the completion of this body.”
“W-Why you! How dare you use me for your experiments!”
If Suzuki Satoru had been alive, he would have been spluttering and frothing as he said that, but Cure Elim simply replied with mocking laughter.
“Indeed, that was my intention. Despite your vacuous skull, it seems you at least understand that much.”
“—I see. So you turned all the people in the city undead to protect yourself?
Like armor made of Zombies, to protect your fragile body, then?”
“Perhaps.”
Maybe it was because Cure Elim regarded Suzuki Satoru as a being far weaker than itself that it was being so chatty. Or perhaps it had been looking for someone to talk to all this while.
“No, it was not for such a pedestrian reason. The souls of that city — no more than that — have been used by me.”
“Oh — and how did you do that? What’s your aim?”
“I have no reason to tell you.”
“…Surely you can tell me as a parting gift before I depart to the underworld?”
Am I obsessing about this? Suzuki Satoru thought. However, he probably would not be able to learn anything if they really began laying into each other. After considering Keno and the fact that his opponent was still willing to talk, he ought to learn as much as he could.
“Would you tell an inferior lifeform such a thing — tell the ants crawling around on the ground? Then you must be quite the generous soul. Ah, no, you born jester. Perhaps I revealed it long ago without realizing it.”
“—Tch. Hmph. If you call yourself a Dragon Lord, then I must be the Undead Lord. While I have hundreds of servants at my command, I shall make an exception and go one on one with you. You should be grateful.”
“Fuhahahaha! Indeed I am! Undead Lord! Fuhahahaha!”
“What’s so funny?”
“The fact that you do not realize why makes it all the more mirthful!”
The mood in the air changed. Suzuki Satoru had always been a commoner. Though he had experienced things like presences and killing intent over his five years of travel, the truth was that he did not quite understand them. Even so — he could sense the Dragon Lord’s fighting spirit.
However, it was not being serious.
“While I would have liked to take your spell head-on, I suppose it would not be good to go too easy on you, Undead Lord-sama. Perhaps I should essay an attack as well. Take care to avoid it so it does not destroy you, alright?” Cure Elim made its move.
The movement was ponderously slow, but it closed the distance with incredible speed.
Suspicious, Suzuki Satoru immediately realized the source of this disconnect. The Zombies below Cure Elim’s feet that were in contact with the ground were writhing as though on a set of tracks, driving its body forward after it took its first step.
If he was deceived by that movement, Cure Elim would be standing before him in an instant.
Suzuki Satoru narrowed his eyes.
Cure Elim was raising its right foreleg from far away, swinging it like it was going to perform a sweeping kick.
There was no way it could hit him from this distance. He had no idea why Cure Elim had done this, but Suzuki Satoru’s instincts told him that there must be some trick to it, and he reflexively bent down to dodge it.
Just then, the right foreleg unfurled like a paper roll.
The massive forelimb formed of Zombies swept over Suzuki Satoru’s head as he bent down so low he was practically prostrate.
The speed of the sweep was not very fast. Even Suzuki Satoru, whose abilities were comparable to a level thirty-odd warrior, could evade it. However, he did not know if it was because Cure Elim had purposely slowed his strike.
“Fuhahahaha! Well dodged! But you look quite unsightly!”
Suzuki Satoru realized the intention of Cure Elim’s attack as he heard its roaring laughter. It was exulting in its superiority as it watched Suzuki Satoru go face down into the mud. Suzuki Satoru raised his head and shouted angrily. “How dare you make me crawl on the ground!” “Fuhahahaha!
After the sweep, the foreleg rolled back up like a snake, and its shadow fell on Suzuki Satoru. Perhaps it was because it was made of Zombies, but every intense movement seemed to ignore inertia. The Zombies in the joints made squelching and cracking noises, as though they were being pulped by the forceful movements.
Suzuki Satoru desperately struggled to escape from Cure Elim’s attack radius. He did not even have the time to cast [Fly]; all he could do was run on his two feet.
With a thud, the foreleg smashed into Suzuki Satoru’s former location. There was a splatting sound as many Zombies were squashed flat.
He was not being serious yet.
That attack just now, made with limbs of Zombies that extended like rolls of paper could have hit him. There was only one reason why it had not done so.
This was a cat toying with a mouse.
“[Lightning].”
Suzuki Satoru cast a spell at Cure Elim’s forelimb, which was on the ground.
The bluish-white electrical stroke of the [Lightning] spell pierced through the massive, trunk-like limb.
However it had even less of an effect than that [Fireball] just now. Several Zombies fell, and then the Zombies inside flooded out from the inside as though they were being spat out.
The dead Zombies looks like they had been spat out. He did not know if Cure Elim was doing this or if it was happening automatically. However, considering one would need over 500,000 Zombies to make a body like this, it would probably be impossible to control each individual one, so it was probably the latter.
“Fuhahaaha!”
The limb moved again as Cure Elim laughed merrily.
“Nggh!”
The part of the forelimb that stood on the ground expanded and shot out in Suzuki Satoru’s direction.
Ten-plus Zombies reached their hands out for him like they desired his body. The Zombies extended like they were tied together by ropes, with the Zombies at the back holding the bodies of the Zombies in front. In this way, they could extend for several meters without touching the ground.
This was the attack which had destroyed the Skeleton Warrior.
Suzuki Satoru dealt with it in a calm, unhurried fashion.
He pulled away with a [Fly] spell. The Zombies which had failed to grasp Suzuki Satoru slowly retracted into Cure Elim’s leg.
They had pulled back quickly after seizing the Skeleton Warrior, but they were very slow now. Why was there a difference?
“What did you do?! I’ve never seen anyone use the undead like this before! How did you do it?!”
“An undead creature of your caliber would not understand. This is something which only I can do.”
“Why you! [Iceball]!”
While this was an area-of-effect spell of the same tier as [Fireball], ice spells were essentially useless against the undead. And indeed, it had done nothing to the Zombies. Cure Elim did not even bother responding to it.
It was probably going easy on him. Then he would do as he pleased.
“[Acid Arrow]!”
He cast a second-tier single-target spell.
The struck Zombie fell.
“What’s the matter, jester? You will need to cast that weak spell tens of thousands of times to kill me. You are a Night Lich, are you not? Cast a filthier spell of a higher tier at me. Or does this mean — you cannot?”
“Ngh!”
“Then I shall verify it.”
Cure Elim attacked again. This time, he hit Suzuki Satoru.
It was a strike, as he had expected, but the damage it did was trivial for his present gear to absorb. However, the force of the attack was not cancelled out.
Suzuki Satoru rolled several times along the ground before stopping.
Suzuki Satoru shakily rose to his feet.
“Is something the matter, jester? My experiment is not yet over, so take care not to die, will you?”
Cure Elim closed the distance to Suzuki Satoru in that nauseating way again. This time, it raised its left foreleg. Then, it repeated its huge area-of-effect attack from before.
Evading it was simple enough, but that was not the end of Cure Elim’s attack.
The forelimb that had swept past him extended long, thick, tentacle-like objects. They opened their maws, latched onto Suzuki Satoru and entangled him.
Suzuki Satoru thought they were snakes, at first, but then he realized his mistakes.
—They’re Dragons!!!
He could not escape the Dragon Zombie’s gaping maw, and Suzuki Satoru was seized in its jaws from his right shoulder to his chest. The teeth sinking into his shoulder blades creaked as they damaged him. It might have been zombified, but it was still a Dragon.
While he knew of Beast Zombies, not knowing that even Dragons could become Zombies had been a very big mistake.
The strength of Zombies depended on the base creature they were made from. Surely a Dragon Zombie would be several, if not dozens of times more powerful that a Zombie made from a human. In addition, its increased HP meant that he might not be able to kill one with a single third-tier spell.
While they were not especially mighty foes for Suzuki Satoru the existence of Dragon Zombies implied that there were more powerful monster Zombies in store. No, he ought to say that they were definitely out there somewhere.
Suzuki Satoru suddenly had an idea.
It had not collected the people of Keno’s country because it did not need to.
The 400,000 human-sized Zombies of Seruk-3 were enough. It had then turned more powerful creatures into Zombies and stored them in its body.
It was very likely — no, it was the only possibility.
“—To think you’d use your own kind!”
“Own kind? Fuhahaha! What a jester you are. How could I consider inferior living beings to be of the same kind as myself?”
Dragons grew more powerful the bigger they got. Was it saying this in light of that point? Or were Dragon Lords a different kind of creature altogether? Suzuki Satoru did not know about that. However, if it had zombified several Dragons, then part of his battle strategy would need to be altered.
Something picked up Suzuki Satoru’s body.
The Dragon’s body began to retract into Cure Elim’s foreleg, bringing Suzuki Satoru with it.
Escaping was easy enough. It might have been a Dragon, but it was just a Zombie after all. Suzuki Satoru worked his hands into the gaps of the teeth seizing his shoulder and forcefully pulled them apart.
The Dragon’s lower jaw opened. Suzuki Satoru’s strength overcame the Dragon’s might, which meant that this Dragon was not yet fully grown.
Just as he was thinking that he could slowly struggle free, a massive hand came into view.
“What!”
A hand that was several times the size of a normal human’s seized Suzuki Satoru’s body.
“Giants too?!”
The Giant’s body poked out from beside the Dragon and grabbed Suzuki Satoru. He could not tell what species of Giant it was, but it probably lived around here.
The rate at which he was being reeled in suddenly sped up, and Suzuki Satoru was drawn into Cure Elim’s foreleg.
The [Undead Domination] effect which he was most wary of did not take place. Of course, he had never once lowered his [Turn Resistance III] in order to protect against it. It would seem he would not be controlled just by being pulled into it.
In that case, it would seem the [Undead Domination] only happened to the Zombies raised by its own power.
The maw biting his shoulder and the Giant hand holding his body let go. In its place, an arm the size of Suzuki Satoru held and pinned him.
There were so many Zombies around him that he could not see the outside. However, he could feel himself moving like he was being carried by an underwater current. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he was being propelled by the surrounding Zombies.
Just as he was wondering where he would be taken, his head was suddenly thrust outside.
What skillful control of the undead you have, Suzuki Satoru mused with genuine admiration for Cure Elim.
The outside — it looked to be around Cure Elim’s shoulder. It would seem he had been pulled up from below.
A head that was many times smaller than before looked down on Suzuki Satoru from above.
No, that was not it.
That could not possibly be something made out of Zombies.
That was Cure Elim’s true form. Wrapped by Zombies, Cure Elim had revealed its true self.
Though he could only see its head, it looked very much like the head made of Zombies. However, it was beautiful. Its vibrant scales rippled like they were alive. However, Suzuki Satoru could sense Cure Elim’s main body — though he was surrounded by the undead — with his undead detection sense. The massive creature before him was also undead.
The blood-red, vertically slitted red eyes looked straight at Suzuki Satoru.
As he saw those eyes, he suddenly thought of Keno — he hid his anxiety with all his might.
“—Aiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!”
Suzuki Satoru screamed.
It was a hideous cry that one would naturally expect from those who understood that they could not win.
“Fuhahaha,” Cure Elim narrowed its eyes and twisted its neck. “What a pleasing scream. It would seem even the undead can make such sounds when they know their doom is at hand.”
“W-Wait! Dragon Lord. No, Dragon Lord-sama! I, I was wrong! Please accept my apology! You — you’re very strong, I know that now. I was wrong, so please forgive me!”
“Hmph! Only now, at the end, do you understand.”
“Ah! You’re the mightiest Dragon Lord! I was wrong!”
“—Is that so? In that case…”
Suzuki Satoru could imagine what the Dragon Lord would say next. That was why the Zombies holding on to his right arm were beginning to exert force on him. They — the Zombies — were probably using a lot of strength. Their muscles made a pulping sound as they were torn apart, and he could feel rotting fluids splashing onto his body. But no matter. He pretended that his left arm was stuck. At the same time, he took out his hidden item and prepared to use it at any time.
“Fulfill your duty as a jester to the very end. Allow me to enjoy the screams of a foolish undead creature as he is crushed flat!”
“Noooooooooo!”
The crushing sensation grew stronger, and Suzuki Satoru wailed in an uncharacteristic way. At the same time, he raised the crystal he was holding to a place where Cure Elim could see, and then released the spell within. “[Greater Teleportation].”
●
He arrived at Seruk-3’s main gate, which he had memorized beforehand so he could teleport to it.
Suzuki swiftly passed through the gate and hid behind cover that Cure Elim could not see past from his current position. He pricked up his ears and observed his surroundings. The empty city was dead silent, and the mountains above were also quiet.
It would seem his escape had not driven Cure Elim into a rage, and there were no signs it had pursued him.
Was it because moving that huge body needed time, or did it not see the value in squashing a single bug? Suzuki Satoru continued observing for a while before concluding that it was the latter.
“And now…”
Suzuki Satoru’s expression suddenly changed. His pathetic demeanor from just now was gone, and in its place was a calm thoughtfulness, as though he was following up on the results of an experiment.
Suzuki Satoru deployed his anti-divination defensive spells. This way, he would be able to instantly sense if the opposition was trying to find him with magic.
Even so, it would seem the Wild Magic his foe could use was different from the spells that Suzuki Satoru could use. It was not impossible that it could pierce his defensive spells. Therefore, it would be safer for him to act as though every move he made was being observed by his opposition.
Suzuki Satoru narrowed his eyes.
He had spent so much time on preparations precisely because he had considered this possibility.
As he analyzed the information gained from that battle, he looked over at Cure Elim’s direction.
“You really are strong.”
He had to admit that even the phrase “mighty foe” was not enough to describe it. One could say it was an extremely tough opponent.
The Brightness Dragon Lord was strong too, but Cure Elim was stronger still, and—
“How troublesome.”
The most basic thing was that Cure Elim’s original body was undead.
Suzuki Satoru — or rather, the character Momonga — had mastered various skills which fit his role as an undead magic caster. Now that he was fighting an unliving enemy like one of the undead, his options for effective resistance were extremely limited.
He could be certain that Cure Elim had surrounded himself with a mass of
Zombies. While Zombies were the weakest kind of undead, defeating that many Zombies would need a great deal of time and mana. Worse still, it was not just human Zombies in there, but even Dragon Zombies. Even if he killed all those Zombies, a mana-depleted Suzuki Satoru would then have to face an untouched Cure Elim. It was an overwhelming disadvantage.
However, from the spells he had cast earlier, it would seem there were no special Zombies in there, and it would seem they could not breach Suzuki Satoru’s [High-Tier Physical Immunity]. Therefore, he ought to be able to ignore the damage and focus on keeping enough mana to maintain that skill, letting them hit him as much as they wanted — but things were not that simple.
If one’s armor was damaged, normally one would choose to retreat, repair one’s armor, and then fight again. Thus they would choose to flee. Therefore, he felt that it would make sense for Cure Elim to escape, unless there were some special reason to make him stay there. However, there did not seem to be anything like that.
If it had some way to collect the Zombies from its surroundings, then while he was not sure exactly how many Zombies there were in the surrounding countries, their numbers would run into the eight-digit range at the very least. If he let it escape, he might end up having to fight Cure Elim through tens of millions of Zombies.
When that happened, the same tactics would probably not be effective again.
The more times he fought, the more likely it was that Suzuki Satoru would lose.
He had managed to escape this time, but it would be best to assume that his [High-Tier Physical Immunity] would only be effective for the next battle.
Analyzing the knowledge one had gained and working to counteract the abilities of one’s opponents was a matter of course. Cure Elim would definitely do such a thing. Only a fool would assume all their enemies were fools.
More to the point, the enemy might have found a countermeasure in the next battle, if he was unlucky. Since he was a Dragon Lord like the Brightness Dragon Lord, it was possible that he might wield Wild Magic — an incomprehensible power that did not exist in Yggdrasil.
No — he ought to take that into consideration too.
You lose less by overestimating your opponent compared to underestimating them.
Also, if he let it flee, the worst-case scenario might play out — he would join forces with the Brightness Dragon Lord and attack Suzuki Satoru again.
It was very likely to be the case if it was as strong as Suzuki Satoru and he managed to strip away its Zombie armor.
When that happened, Suzuki Satoru would be out of luck.
In other words—
“I need to win the next battle and make sure I kill Cure Elim.” He did not know if he could do it.
But he had to do it.
First, he had to destroy that layered armor of Zombies. Otherwise, he would not be able to strike at Cure Elim’s body. But it would be more dangerous the more time he spent on it. While he had no idea how far its Zombie-summoning ability could reach, Suzuki Satoru would have no chance once it managed to replenish its shield of Zombies.
In that case he would need to use an attack spell that could penetrate all the way into the interior and cover a wide area at the same time. In that case, his options were—
“Super-Tier magic.”
Suzuki Satoru thought about the most potent spells he knew. Could any of them destroy all those annoying Zombies around Cure Elim?
He thought of several options, but each of them lacked an element of decisiveness.
Also, even if he destroyed the Zombie conglomerate, the fact that he knew nothing about the abilities of Cure Elim’s true form meant that he would simply be engaging in a blind gamble.
Could the rewards of this battle, or rather, this victory, satisfy him?
As Suzuki’s thoughts wandered unbidden in that direction, he suddenly laughed.
“What am I thinking? Isn’t the reward of this greater than anything else? I’m doing this for Keno.”
Suzuki Satoru — or rather, the character Momonga — might have been the Guildmaster, but in truth, all he had been doing were miscellaneous tasks or making sure things went smoothly between everyone. He was not someone who stood at everyone’s head and pointed the way for them to go.
Therefore, there was a powerful sense of fulfilment in Suzuki Satoru’s heart now.
It was because he was fighting on the frontlines for his friend.
He was the one making sacrifices for his friend’s happiness.
“Cure Elim — you’re going down today,” Suzuki Satoru declared in a quiet, calm voice.
However, his words were filled with powerful emotion.
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3. Refers to a work by 孟子 (Mèngzǐ or Mencius). It is best to go to war when 天时地利人和; the time is right, the terrain is favorable, and social conditions allow for it (the people are united).
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