Chapter 219: An Insolent Wedge that Swallows the Darkness |
Don’s donation chapter (2/2)
This is Schwarz’s story.
≪――Experience gained.≫
≪Schwarz’s LV has increased from 56 to 57.≫
While listening to the announcement that echoed in his head, Schwarz devoured the magical stone of the monster he had just defeated.
“……”
He chewed it and swallowed it.
It’s not very tasty.
The flavor is bland and the quantity is also small.
The opponent was a high-ranking species of skeleton.
He was an interesting opponent who used a sword and a gun made by humans that he had probably gotten from somewhere else.
However, it was only a nameless high-ranking skeleton.
Schwarz’s shadows destroyed it with one swipe.
“A few more folks with wisdom have shown up huh….”
Not bad.
Not only people, but also monsters are beginning to adapt to this world.
It is not only the humans’ privilege to adapt and grow in the harsh struggle for survival.
It is the equal right of every living thing that has life.
“Now then, let me see what happened to my flock…..”
He searched for signs of life.
Schwarz’s flock was currently divided into different groups, each of which was working hard to improve their level.
The how was left up to each one of them.
This is because the herd has already graduated from Schwarz’s hellish training, and has grown to a level where they could act on their own without much trouble.
“….They are growing up.”
He scanned the herd’s power level, each one was more powerful than the other.
They didn’t seem to have broken the shackles that Schwarz had imposed on them.
He was impressed by their diligence.
“Well, next is …….”
This time, he searched for another sign.
They were thousands of kilometers away from here, but Schwarz was able to search for them without any problem.
This is the effect of his unique “Abyssal Realm” skill.
If there is darkness in a place he has been to, he can search for signs and travel there.
This ability is completely compatible with Momo’s “Shadow Crossing” and Aka’s “Coordinates”.
It was with this skill that he was able to rush to Kazuto’s side in the past.
“….You’ve grown even more.”
That human being – Kazuto and his Shiba Inu Momo and their pack.
In the past, the only strong signs of life were Kazuto, Momo, and a woman who carried a gun, but now it’s different.
The number of strong presences has increased considerably.
In particular, the demon-like and corpse-like vibes were considerably stronger.
They are getting stronger, both as individuals and as a group.
“……”
Schwarz laughed.
At this rate, we will be able to settle this matter much sooner than I had expected.
Perhaps that’s what they want, too.
“I see. So it was like this huh.”
Ah, I’m looking forward to it.
I can’t help but look forward to that time.
You can use all of your strength, all of your skills and tactics to compete and kill each other to the fullest.
If that is the ultimate ending, I will be able to accept it no matter what the outcome will be.
Even if it is our defeat or death.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”
Schwarz lets out a high-pitched howl.
A wave of sound reverberated in the moonlit night sky.
When he turned around, he saw his flock lined up there.
“–I’m backkk.”
“Hii…….”
The one who raised his voice as a representative was the ant monster.
It was picked up by Schwarz, it survived the hellish training, and evolved into a completely different form than before.
It resembled its mother, the Queen Ant, and had evolved during the battle with Nishino and Rikka, but its strength was something else.
It has not been given a name yet, but Schwarz believes that one will be given to it in the near future.
No, it’s not just this one.
The evolved black wolves will also gain names.
This is a pack that has multiple Named monsters of the higher species. Moreover, its chief is one of the Six Kings.
The strongest pack that would make anyone who heard of it tremble is nearing completion.
“The numbers have increased.”
The number of the pack had also increased.
Behind the black ants and black wolves, more monsters were waiting.
Orcs, goblins, giant snakes, spiders, and eagle-like monsters.
Although they were of different races, they all joined the army for one reason only: the overwhelming strength of their chief, Schwarz.
They may be of different races, but once they are captivated by his strength, they can’t help but kneel down in front of him.
Having received their absolute loyalty, Schwarz raised his voice.
“Here we go, the decisive battle.”
Let’s settle the score with that human.
Let’s do it fair and square, risking everything for each other.
I can tell based on his presence. The other side wants it, too.
“Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
At these words, the pack yelled.
For those monsters who lived their life with the slogan of survival of the fittest, Schwarz’s path was unbearably comfortable.
We want to see it. We want to see where our chief is going.
We want to be with him. We want to be with our chief on the battlefield as he fights.
Guided by their enthusiasm, they were about to take their first steps into battle – that was the moment.
“Wait!”
A tactless voice reverberated in the air.
“I’m sorry, but can we please stop fighting?”
At the end of the line of sight, there was someone standing there.
It was a human figure.
But the presence was different. It was the presence of a monster.
“You…..”
“Hello, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, ‘Wolf King’. Do you remember me?”
The intelligent zombie from the past that stood there.
He had a sword strapped to his hip and a light smile plastered on his face.
“…… What do you want?”
Schwarz asked irritably.
The excitement that had been building up in my heart was now being dampened.
“Oi oi, come on, don’t get so worked up. I didn’t come here to pick a fight with you- woah.”
He was about to say something when he took a step back.
In a moment, the place he was standing was swallowed by darkness and disappeared.
“Good grief, ……. I knew you’d do this again, but can you at least hear me out?”
“I told you to tell me…. what you want.”
If you say anything other than that, I will kill you.
Even if you make an unnecessary move, they will kill you.
It was not just Schwarz.
All the members of the flock were ready for battle.
“……My my.”
Even though he was surrounded from all sides, he did not lose his composure.
This attitude made Schwarz even more nervous.
Without saying a word, Schwarz released the darkness.
The darkness swept away the place where the intelligent zombie had been, and it disappeared.
I wasted my time.
He regretted the few seconds he had consumed by asking and answering trivial questions.
But.
“You’re really just listening to me, ……. I guess you don’t like me very much.”
He was standing in the place where he had disappeared.
It was as if nothing had happened.
“……why are you still alive?”
“Do you not understand? How am I still alive after your attack?”
Once again, Schwarz unleashed the darkness.
This time, Schwarz wanted to make sure he was buried.
“It’s useless.”
But he didn’t dodge this time.
He thrust his right hand forward, caught Schwarz’s darkness, and dispelled it with his hand.
“……No way…..”
That’s impossible.
There is no way you can do that.
It’s the ultimate attack skill, ignoring the enemy’s defense and directly damaging their HP.
Without equal defensive skills and a huge amount of HP, there is no way to prevent it.
The only people who can do that are those who have the same six king class skills or that person who Schwarz recognized as his favored rival.
(What is the meaning of this…?)
Schwarz had faced this zombie twice before, but it had not been able to prevent Schwarz’s darkness before.
He hadn’t been able to kill it, but he had thought the zombie was too insignificant.
At the very least, it was unthinkable that it would grow so fast in such a short period of time.
But now…
(Is this really the same individual as the one I met before? ……?
It’s different.
It’s just too different.
This intelligent zombie has grown so powerful that Schwarz’s instincts and skills were ringing alarm bells.
“I’ve grown up. Finally, yes – finally. I finally ‘understand’ the nature of your skill, the power of ‘Pride’.”
“……?”
“It was hard. But it was worth it. My ‘Pride’ is a lesser skill compared to your Six Kings. To be honest, I didn’t want to see you or fight you anymore. But now–“
He held his hand out in front of him.
“…..?!”
With just that one movement, the darkness surrounding Schwarz was peeled away.
It was only a small amount, but it meant that his attack had gotten through to Schwarz.
His smile deepened.
“You know what? ‘Pride’ and ‘Precociousness’ are not just skills that increase your experience. They are merely an added value to your original power. The owner of ‘Precocious’ may have subconsciously understood its nature, but I’m just an ordinary monster with no talent. It took me a long time to realize it and to understand it.”
“……”
“And once I did, there was no power more powerful than this.”
He raised his hand.
The next moment, Schwarz was blown over a hundred meters.
“Gah….!?”
He couldn’t understand what had happened.
“Protect the chief!”
“Kill!”
“Eliminate the enemy!”
A mob of monsters stood in front of him.
They couldn’t just sit back and watch any longer.
Everyone understood.
This is the “enemy” that the flock must use all of their strength to bury.
“――Stop!!”
But before the monsters could make a move, Schwarz shouted.
In a flash, the pack of monsters stopped moving.
“That’s good loyalty. I envy you.”
“I can’t let you kill them.”
If we confront this intelligent zombie, the herd will be killed easily.
A battle that cannot be won is not the same as defeat.
It’s a disgrace for a chief to force his flock to make unnecessary sacrifices.
“Unlike me……, you have grown weak, Schwarz the ‘Wolf King’.”
“What did you say……?”
“I’m saying you have more weaknesses.”
The intelligent zombie held up his hand.
In his hand, he held the head of a black wolf.
“Gah …… Grrrrr!”
The black wolf struggled desperately, but could not break free.
“You ……!”
“See? This alone will slow you down. In your desire to fight humans, you’ve added too many things to protect.”
The intelligent zombie put more strength into his hands.
The black wolf screamed in pain.
“……!”
Schwarz grit his teeth in anger.
At the same time, he could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth.
“Don’t mind me, chief…….”
“You will remain silent! I will not allow you to kill yourself!”
Schwarz stopped the black wolf who tried to manipulate the shadows and tried to kill itself.
“…… You’re getting really weak. The wolf kings of the past never had packs. This is why. You alone could have killed me, even if it was me no,……. Even if you are the strongest, your companions are not. They are slow and useless. Hah, pathetic.”
The intelligent zombie smiled crookedly at the disappointment and the fact that it had gotten what it wanted.
“Well, I could have controlled you without using your friends as shields.”
With his free hand, the intelligent zombie pulled something out of his pocket.
The moment Schwarz saw it, his complexion changed.
“You ……! Why do you have that?”
“It’s because of my collaborator. Fufu, do you now understand ‘Wolf King’? You didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
[T/N: It’s Randall 10/10! With the previous chapter and the flags raised by Kazuto, it has to be him!!!]
“……!”
Schwarz grit his teeth.
“But don’t worry. My goal is not that different from yours. I just need you to match the timing to ‘ours’.”
“Timing….?
“Yes, that’s right. You want to fight, don’t you? You want to fight the owner of ‘Precocious’. Then fight with us. If we join forces, if you, the ‘Wolf King’, and I, the ‘Pride’, and they, the ‘Sentinels’, join forces, all their plans will fall apart.”
It is everyone’s equal right to struggle for survival.
But at the same time, nightmares and bad luck also befall upon everyone equally.
The two disasters, which were never supposed to team up, have joined forces and are about to engulf Kazuto and his friends in an uncontrollable storm.
*****