Chapter 11
Now then, from here on out, I'll put my minions actively on the front line. Their attack power seems to have dropped quite a bit too, so they should be able to withstand things well enough now.
But the problem is our lack of firepower. I want to deal more damage while the minions hold the enemy back. In that case, there's only one way.
"Summon: Wisp, Magic Boost, Dark."
The Wisp became summonable after my previous encounter with it. Its only attacks are elemental Ball-type spells and body slams, but when its element is set to Dark while Black Field is deployed, it receives an unexpectedly substantial power-up.
Moreover, as 【Enhancement Magic】 leveled up, I became able to apply two enhancements when summoning. After testing various combinations, this is the optimal setup for now. Incidentally, the two animated skeletons serving as tanks have Defense Boost and Life Boost, while the one handling brute force has Attack Boost and Life Boost. There is a proper reason for that too, but... now is not the time.
"Shiiiyaaaaa!"
The noble charges again. I was the one who robbed the noble of composure, but I think the attack is a little too predictable.
"Shah!"
"Whoa!?"
Just as I was thinking that, the noble leaped. The noble jumped at least five meters straight up. What kind of physical ability does the noble have!?
"Go!"
However, I do have a way to deal with airborne targets. Naturally, it's the Wisp. Apparently, it doesn't have the outrageously unfair ability to change its trajectory in midair, so the Wisp's sideways body slam connected and sent the noble tumbling to the ground. I quickly cast a spell at the landing point.
"Remote Activation, Stone Lance."
Normally, Stone Lance is simply a spell that launches a stone spear. However, by using 【Magic Control】, a Skill that lets me control a spell's shape to some extent, I can make a stone spear extend from the ground and hold it in place. If something falls onto it, what do you think happens?
"Guh!?"
"Good! Remote Activation, Dark Arm! All of you, attack!"
"Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter!"
As a result, the noble ended up like a shrike's impaled prey. The noble won't be moving for a while! Let's keep up the pressure while we have the chance!
I remotely activate Dark Arm behind the noble. This spell has an interesting property: the strength of its arms seems to reference my stats related to magic. Since the stats are hidden data, I don't know the exact figures, but I'm a player completely specialized in magic. At the very least, reducing a Big Slug to mince with a single blow is child's play for me.
How much damage could I deal if I could do whatever I wanted with a Dark Arm like that?
"Ora ora ora ora!"
Getting into the mood, I couldn't help but pummel the noble while reciting a protagonist's line. Well, I'm surrounding an impaled enemy and beating it senseless with four minions, so I suppose it doesn't matter. In fact, combined with the fact that we're all undead, we might look downright evil.
"Gaaaaaa!"
"Oops, fall back."
The noble struggled to escape from its deeply impaled state, but apparently decided it was impossible and resorted to the brutal maneuver of smashing the Stone Lance apart with its staff. It was certainly a rational choice.
But the noble's health has been whittled down considerably. After being beaten one-sidedly for so long, it has dropped below half. The enemy must be cornered too. Now, what will the noble do next?
"Kiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The noble lets out a scream that sounds like it came from another world. That monstrous display is a far cry from the haughty attitude it had at first. Perhaps humans become something like monsters once they turn undead.
"Aaaaaa..."
"Ooooo..."
"Hm!?"
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble...
Hey, wait a second—did this guy call his allies at a time like this!? Did they respond to that scream? Damn it, retreating for a moment appears to have been a mistake!
First, Appraisal! I can't do anything until I know what we're dealing with!
――――――――――――
Race: Zombie Knight Lv15
Job: Knight Lv5
【Swordsmanship】
【Spear Technique】
【Archery】
【Heavy Armor】
【Night Vision】
【Status Ailment Immunity】
【Fire Weakness】
【Light Weakness】
――――――――――――
They look like the samurai of the Heian to Kamakura periods that I've seen in movies and classical-literature textbooks. But their Race is Zombie Knight and their Job is Knight... Are samurai something like knights? No, I've heard that Kamakura samurai were berserkers just as crazy as, or even crazier than, warriors from the Sengoku period... Wait, that's beside the point!
Naturally, these guys are higher-level enemies too. And their Skill loadouts are pure frontline combat. Four of them at once—what kind of difficulty is this? But complaining won't get me anywhere! Strike first and win! Fortunately, they spawned close together, so I'll burn them all at once with their elemental weakness!
"Twin Magic Array, Remote Activation, Firewall!"
"Woooooo...!"
I slam two Firewalls into the group, making sure to catch the noble in the blast as well. Their power should be raised to the limit, but as expected of a higher-level boss and its minions, the four of them still have nearly thirty percent of their health left. The noble has barely lost a sliver. Is this the limit of my non-evolved 【Fire Magic】!?
"Aaaaa!"
"Ooooo!"
"Block it! And then..."
They were hit by my preemptive attack, but they're zombies. They may stagger from the impact, but fear and pain are completely foreign to them. Just as expected, the moment they could move again, they came straight at me.
I ordered my minions to serve as the frontline. The two tanks put themselves in harm's way and took on two enemies apiece. It helped that two carried swords and two carried spears. Since none of them used blunt weapons, the damage was at least somewhat reduced.
But what's important now is that the enemy's advance has stopped again. That means I can cast another spell!
"Twin Magic Array, Activate, Firewall!"
"Aaaaoooo..."
My magic finally burns the boss's minions to ash. Thank goodness this game has no friendly fire. If it did, my minions would have been reduced to charred skeletons too.
"Well, all that's left is the noble... huh?"
Come to think of it, why hadn't the noble done anything while I had my minions attack? The noble hadn't left the frontline to its minions and cast magic like I had, nor had it fought alongside them. Then was it healing? I hadn't seen any sign of that or any healing effects.
"Grrrrraaaaaaaaaaah!"
The noble, who had been silent until now, suddenly let out a roar that sounded more like a kaiju's than a beast's. The noble had already seemed monstrous, but this was different. The sound was no longer human at all.
The noble's build and clothing haven't changed. However, white scales now cover the exposed skin, its claws and teeth have grown as sharp as knives, horns have sprouted from its head, and its pupils have become vertical like a reptile's. The noble has clearly stopped being human in appearance as well as in voice! Is the glowing gem in its left hand responsible? I have no idea what's going on, but Appraisal comes first!
――――――――――――
Name: Obsession with the Moon
Race: Human (Dragonified) Lv25
Job: High Noble (?) Lv18
【Swordsmanship】
【Spear Technique】
【Archery】
【Dagger Technique】
【Dragon God's Curse】
【Acrobatics】
【Summoning】
【Necromancy】
【Fire Resistance】
【Poetry】
【Gagaku】
――――――――――――
Dragonification—that's the name of this transformation! The noble is obviously in a massively powered-up state. Can I really win this!? ...Hmm?
"His health keeps dropping...?"
What is this? Poison? I didn't do that. The marker says... a cursed status ailment? I shouldn't have cast any curse on the noble.
Could 【Dragon God's Curse】 in the Skill list be responsible? I can't think of anything else. Presumably, the noble takes slip damage while Dragonified.
I don't know whether this will continue until the noble dies, or whether it will eventually stop at some minimum amount of health. But using a passive strategy of simply defending and buying time goes against the nature of a boss battle—and against my own aesthetic sense! I'll do this!
"Twin Magic Array, Remote Activation! Dark Arm!"
I activate two Dark Arms to the noble's left and right and try to crush it with their massive palms. I don't expect a powered-up boss to go down so easily, but this should give me some idea of how much stronger it has become.
"Gaaaaaaaaah!"
"What the!?"
The noble catches each of my Dark Arms with one hand! The strength in one hand is equal to or greater than that of a Dark Arm? That's absurd!
"Graaah!"
"Tch, Wisp!"
The noble doesn't merely block the Dark Arms—it dispels them with a single sweep. It throws the staff aside, draws its right hand back as if pulling a bowstring, and charges forward. It intends to pierce me with claws that glitter as they reflect the starlight! I have to stop it!
Only the Wisp can make it in time. It's a waste to use it as a disposable shield, but desperate times call for desperate measures!
"G-graaah!"
The Wisp approaches the noble's head while firing a spell. It deals almost no damage, but the sudden impact to the noble's head obstructs its vision and throws off its trajectory.
It saved me, but the Wisp seems to have earned the noble's ire. Bathed in its furious roar, the Wisp is blown away by the shockwave of the sound alone.
C-can its voice have an attack hitbox too!? That's one more reason I can't let my guard down. But the Wisp's sacrifice wasn't in vain. It gave me enough time to cast this spell!
"Remote Activation, Dark Mask!"
"Gugaga!?"
The black haze from my Dark Mask covers the noble's head. The damage will probably be negligible anyway, but it also inflicts the Darkness status. I don't expect it to last long against a boss, but even a few seconds will be enough if they buy me time.
"Cling to it!"
"Clatter, clatter!"
The enemy's health has fallen below twenty percent, including the slip damage! Now's the time to press the attack! I order the remaining minions to make a suicide charge at the noble as it tries to brush away the haze clinging to its face. Somehow, all three of them manage to cling to its body. Now, let's make this spectacular!
"Explode!"
The minions' bodies shine for an instant, and the three of them self-destruct at my command. A fireworks display, huh? Joking aside, you've done well to get this far. Thank you!
"Grrrrrrrr...!"
Good. Even the noble couldn't come out of three simultaneous self-destruct explosions completely unscathed. I check the marker... Its remaining health is below ten percent. The curse is still active, and now there's bleeding too! The probability may have been low for one minion, but with three of them, naturally the odds go up!
But now there is nothing left to protect me. I have just under thirty percent of my magic power remaining. It's extremely uncertain whether I can finish the noble off.
Taking a passive approach from here is out of the question. If I were going to do that, I would have spent the whole time running away. I will use up every resource I have if necessary, but I am going to defeat this bastard!
"Gwooooooooo!"
The noble is charging again. It must want to close the distance. In that case, I'll intercept it with magic that's difficult to perceive.
"Twin Magic Array, deploy, Wind...!?"
"Gaaaaaaaaah!"
Damn it! It's a dragon, isn't it? Then whether it's in novels, movies, or manga, there's one attack I should always be wary of!
That's right, Dragon's Breath! It puffed out its throat and unleashed a deadly attack. Did it close the distance to make me let my guard down, or to ensure that it hit even a little more accurately? Either way, getting hit means instant death!
"Make it in time! Water Wall!"
It was lucky that I still had the Twin Magic Array deployed. Somehow, I got the Water Wall spell off in time! I set up two Water Walls to prepare for the attack. This should be enough to...
"Guaaaaaaaaa!"
...No, it won't! Of course I couldn't have blocked that completely. Flames spewing from the noble's mouth scorch me. Still, the two Water Walls apparently reduced the power considerably. It seems I avoided instant death. However, the shockwave alone, after breaking through my defenses, sends me flying.
"Ghah..."
Apparently even undead players receive damage feedback. 【Status Ailment Immunity】 keeps me from being stunned, but the damage has left me completely powerless. Is this the end!?
"Gggg..."
The noble seems delighted to see me in such a pathetic state. The noble looked like it had lost its reason, but does it still retain the cruelty to revel in the sight of a weakened opponent? Disgusting.
But no matter what I think, the fact remains that my body won't move. I'm only a player, bound by the system. Skills don't grow during battle, so unlike the protagonist of a story, I absolutely won't awaken some new power at a convenient moment when it matters most. This is, after all, a game.
"And that's precisely why..."
The noble walks toward me with a grin on its face. To the noble, each step must look like a countdown to my defeat.
"I'm not special or anything. I'm just an ordinary player... And that's precisely why..."
The noble comes to a stop right above my head as I lie facedown. Then it slowly raises its foot. It must intend to crush my skull. So it really has retained its cruelty.
"I will win—because I am meant to win."
"Gah!?"
The moment that bastard raises its foot, four black arms seize its supporting leg and yank it backward. Deprived of its support, the noble falls flat on its face in an undignified heap.