Chapter 85: Siege of Base Camp D VI

A spear thrust toward his ribs.

Twisting aside, he felt the tip scrape across his uniform, before bringing Klein’s sword down against the wooden shaft and caused the rotten wood to snap.

And before the Undead Warrior could recover, Rian drove forward with all his might once more. However, without any swordsmanship experience, the strike caught onto its shoulder.

"Tch..."

Rian pulled the blade free and drove it through the creature’s exposed eye socket instead, breaking the skull apart. Another fragment dropped toward the ice, only for Rian to snatch it just before it landed.

’Two...’

He barely had time to pocket it before another undead lunged from his left.

Lightning crackled under his boots as Rian dashed past its raised weapon, turned, and swung with both hands. The sword struck the back of its neck, sending its head tumbling across the frozen surface.

He followed it, planted one foot against the skull, and pried the crystal loose with the tip of his blade.

’This is actually working, but way too slow...’

Rian decided to pick up the pace.

He rushed between two before they could close the gap, dodging their attacks and allowing their weapons to collide. Once they were dazed, a quick strike knocked one skull loose while another swing broke the other’s jaw, exposing the fragment lodged behind it.

Just like that, he darted around the battlefield like a streak of lightning, doing the same thing over and over again.

Dodge, slash, collect, repeat.

But even with the spell, his arms were beginning to ache and his muscles were starting to burn. His grip slipped slightly against the sword’s wet hilt, and Rian nearly lost it while pulling the blade from another skull.

’Just...a bit...more...!’

He tightened both hands around the weapon and looked toward his next target. An armored skeleton stood a short distance away, holding a rusted greatsword.

Unlike the others, it hadn’t rushed to surround him. Rian recognized the armor instantly.

"The bastard that stabbed Klein..."

A jagged piece of black crystal protruded from its forehead, considerably larger than the fragments he collected, and large enough that Rian could make out part of the original gem.

’That has to be the leader.’

Rian crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, trying to catch it off guard by moving toward its unguarded side. But just as he was driving his sword toward it...

CLANG—!

Pain shot through his wrists, and his fingers nearly lost their grip.

’What the—?’

A sudden kick arrived at his stomach, sending him flying backwards into the frozen ground, reeling.

CRASH—!

Rian coughed up blood and his body felt like shit, though not quite as bad as he had in Eisenbran’s crystal mines.

He stabbed the sword into ice, using it as a crutch to pull himself up. The armored undead did not chase, and for a second, he felt like it spoken.

"Disappointing..."

"...What?"

Now he was sure that it had spoken. Even without lips, he could still hear it.

A deep and resentful voice.

"Who would’ve thought that Adrian’s offspring would be such a failure."

"..."

’Does everyone know my family these days?’

The skeleton threw its greatsword over its shoulder, studying Rian curiously as he took heavy breaths.

"I remembered the man who destroyed my body. I imagined what I would do when he finally stood before me again."

"Yet all I find...is a boy wearing his face."

Rian glanced toward the camp. Nobody nearby was in a position to help him, and his legs still trembled from the kick.

’Keep talking. Please, keep talking.’

"If you’re looking for my father, you’ll have to take it up with him," Rian replied, forcing himself upright. "I wasn’t exactly involved."

"No. You weren’t."

The creature stopped a few paces away.

"But you will do."

"What do you—?"

"Do you think he will recognize you when they bring back your body?" the lich asked with so much interest that Rian felt a chill crawl down his back.

"Or perhaps I should make it so that only your face is recognizable?"

Unfortunately, Rian had no intention of finding out. Lightning surged through his legs as he pulled Klein’s sword from the ice and darted backward.

The lich moved along, sweeping its greatsword across the space where his neck had been a moment earlier.

Rian ducked, stumbling as the tip caught his shoulder and tore through the fabric, causing pain to flare down his arm.

"Ggghhkk—!"

He swung in retaliation, but the creature knocked his blade aside with almost no effort. Grabbing Rian’s throat, the thing lifted him clean off the ice before plunging its own greatsword into the ground.

"His talent, perhaps. But none of his strength."

Driving Klein’s sword toward the arm holding him, Rian hoped it would do something, only for the skeleton to twist its grip and slam him back down to the ground.

Freezing water met him, causing his muscles to contract and for the blade to slip from his fingers. Rian tried to breathe, but the pressure against his throat only increased.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and pulled him right back up again.

GASP—!

Air rushed into Rian’s lungs, but the creature only looked at him as though he was some kind of discarded toy. It plucked its sword free and held it against Rian’s chest.

"At least I will give you the mercy of ending you quickly."

’Move...! Come on...move!’

His left hand clawed at his throat, while the other tried to reach for the sword that was now at the bottom of the lake.

"Goodbye."

The rusted blade drove forward.

CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG—!

A second sword struck the greatsword from the side, forcing the point straight into the ice. Before the lich could recover, a boot slammed against its wrist, loosening its grip just enough for someone to drag Rian free.

He slid across the ice, coughing violently as blood rushed upward from his throat.

Blue hair swept past him, and Marie planted herself between him and the armored skeleton. Her sword was raised and a single card held between the fingers of her other hand.

Marie’s body was filled with various cuts and bruises, nothing life-threatening, but he could tell that she was already tired.

"Rian—"

"Please tell me you have a plan."