Chapter 514: This Chapter''s Small Fry Enemy Battle<ol><li><strong> This Chapter’s Small Fry Enemy Battle</strong></li></ol>


    * * *


    “…………!”


    Skeletons, moving around eerily!


    Although they’re amon sight in fantasy, this is the first time I’ve actually seen them in person, so I’m incredibly wary.


    I lower my hips, clench my fists, and assume a fighting stance.


    『Oooh? Oooh? Looks like you’re ready, ‘challenger’ーーー!?』


    『Gyahahahaha! Alright, we’re going to kill you! It’s our job, so don’t take it personallyーーー!!』


    The skeletons, stillughing—<em>geta-geta</em>—readied their swords!


    And then, at that moment…!


    <em>…Rin—</em>


    The atmosphere instantly became tense.


    An incredible feeling of tension.


    “…!?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I involuntarily held my breath.


    Cold sweat poured out from my entire body.


    That’s how intense… the 【Intimidation】 emitted by the two skeletons holding swords… was.


    There’s no wasted movement in their stance, frozen and still.


    The image of the skeletonsughing vulgarly is nowhere to be seen.


    Standing there are… two true masters!


    I don’t know anything about swords, but… my instincts, screaming a warning, are telling me that they’re incredibly strong.


    What are they!?


    <Divinely-made… undead… They’re the ‘few exceptions’ in this world. And they’ve been aged for five hundred years…>


    In response to my question, Extra-sama, her voice tense, tried to exin further.


    But she didn’t continue.


    『【Vertical sh】.』


    Because the moment I recognized that… one of the skeletons muttered those words…!


    That skeleton closed the distance without a sound, stood before me… and swung its sword down!


    “Tch!?”


    I don’t want to take that sword!


    The skeleton’s intensity made me instinctively jump to the side to dodge.


    I fell to the ground, rolled, and tried to stand up.


    And then—


    I saw that the skeleton’s swing… created aceration on the ground with a magical sh, far beyond the reach of its sword.


    『【Horizontal sh】.』


    I’m d I didn’t dodge backwards…


    As I felt relief, thinking that—


    It seems that the skeletons in front of me aren’t going to let me catch a break.


    Towards me, trying to regain my bnce… the other skeleton… unleashed a horizontal sh!


    A sh… right where my head would be if I were to stand up!


    “Rah!!”


    I dodged again, instinctively!


    I fell backwards, rolled, and jumped into the air, creating distance!


    But…!


    But… ah, this is frustrating!


    『【Vertical sh】.』


    As I jumped up, floating in the air, unable to move…!


    The first skeleton unleashed another vertical sh!


    That… that sh… is flying!


    I can’t dodge it!?


    “Don’t underestimate me!!”


    I instantly deployed giant 【ck Arms】 from my shoulders!


    And then, I fired one of them… towards the vertically-shing skeleton… with the force of a cannonball!


    <em>ZU-PAAN!!</em>


    The skeleton’s 【Vertical sh】 and my 【ck Arm】—


    The result of their sh… is a draw.


    The flying sh of 【Vertical sh】 disappeared.


    But my 【ck Arm】… from the fist to the elbow, about half of it… was cleanly cut off.


    『Ooohーーー!? What a strange thing!?』


    『Gyahahahaha! Are you a monsterーーー!?』


    “You’re the ones… to talk!!”


    I transformed my jet-ck attire from a ‘cloak’ to ‘armor’, as Inded.


    Thicker armor than usual.


    And then, I clenched my fists… and started charging… towards the horizontally-shing skeleton!


    『【Horizontal …』


    The horizontally-shing skeleton, incredibly calmly, tried to deal with my charge—


    By swinging his sword horizontally.


    If I were to punch him, that sh would have been in time.


    But—


    “【Great Mantis】!!!”


    I opened my clenched fists, extended my fingers… and formed long mana des there!


    And with those des… at a range that the horizontally-shing skeleton wasn’t expecting… I sliced him to pieces with a single sh!


    『Gyaha!? Hahaha, seriouslyーーー…!?』


    And this skeleton… although his swordsmanship is incredible, he apparentlycks durability.


    His armor, his bones… many of them were sliced off by my 【Great Mantis】, and he fell to the ground with a ng, breaking apart… turning into ck dust… and then, blown away by the wind, hepletely disappeared.


    『【Vertical sh】.』


    The remaining, vertically-shing skeleton, without grieving or getting angry at his partner’s death, calmly unleashed a sh towards me.


    “Rah…!”


    I narrowly dodged it, and then charged at the vertically-shing skeleton!


    Straight… at him!


    Before he can sh me!


    『【Vertical sh】.』


    But I was a few moments toote!


    Before I could reach the skeleton’s attack range—


    A deadly sh… was unleashed towards me.


    An attack from point-nk range.


    No time to dodge.


    So—


    I’ll… take it!!


    “RAAAAAAHーーー!!!”


    I screamed, putting all my strength into it, my entire body surging with mana… and took the skeleton’s sh head-on!


    <em>ZU-PAAN!!</em>


    With a loud sound, arge wound appeared on my body, from my forehead to my chest!


    But…!


    …It’s not fatal!!


    My tough body… withstood the master’s blow!!


    “【Magic Strike】!!!”


    And then, blood gushing out from my wound, I punched the vertically-shing skeleton with all my might, my fist filled with mana!


    <em>GUSHAA!</em>


    This skeleton, just like the previous one, alsocked durability… and his entire body was shattered by my punch.


    『Ooohーーー! Amazing! You’re amazingーーー!』


    The skull, rolling on the ground, happily shouted, as its body turned into ck dust.


    『We… are fools! But the training we’ve umted over five hundred years is no lie!』


    “…Fuu…”


    I took a deep breath, listening to its words.


    The vast amount of mana gushing out from my soul circtes throughout my body, activating my healing ability.


    My wound closes, with a sizzling sound.


    『You have defeated us! Proceed, ‘challenger’ーーー!!』


    Saying that, the skull also turned into ck dust… and the vertically-shing skeleton was blown away by the wind, disappearing without a trace.


    “…Haaaa…”


    After confirming that there were no more hostile presences around, I exhaled deeply.


    The wound on my body has alreadypletely disappeared.


    There’s no problem with my future activities.


    However—


    What was with those skeletonsーーー!?


    Contrary to their incredibly pathetic first impression—weren’t they too strongーーー!?


    <Y-Yeah… I was also surprised… I didn’t think they’d be this strong…>


    Hey, Extra-sama.


    You said those guys were ‘divinely-made… undead’, right?


    What does that mean?


    Did some god make them into super strong undead?


    Is that god the one who did something ‘unnecessary’?


    <W-Well… it’s a little…plicated to exin… Well…>


    And here—


    It’s as Extra-sama was trying to organize the information and exin it to me.


    Looking around, I noticed that the phantom princess was standing nearby again.


    『Brave one, be careful. This is already enemy territory. The evil soldiers of the Superbad Empire are after your life.』


    As I walked towards her, the phantom princess, sensing my approach, started rattling off the predetermined lines.


    And the words she spoke…!


    『The ones you’ll likely fight near this gate are the two gatekeepers… ‘Ozekumuto’ and ‘Gyahalsu’. Their weakness is fire magic.』


    …Useless… strategy information…!