Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Trigger Warning: Sexual abuse. Mostly begins at mid-way credits, although smaller elements happen before.

Thud.

Tumble.

Prince's head fell to the floor and rolled around. Only then did Simon let out the breath he had been holding back.

[Not yet! Don't let your guard down, Boy!]

Psssshhhh.

The headless corpse of Prince turned black as though his soul was leaving his body, then scattered like smoke. When it cleared, only the body of a regular zombie remained.

'Don't tell me!'

Simon snapped his head back.

Black lightning struck one of the now-leaderless zombies that had just come down from the ceiling.

Criick Ka-DOOOOOOOM!

The zombie's body turned dark. It seemed like the soul was engulfing the body.

The darkened zombie's body contracted, and its shape had completely changed within seconds.

[Impressive. I didn't expect to lose a life so easily.]

The zombie transformed into the exact same Prince who had been decapitated earlier. He even wore the same crown and attire.

Simon tightened his grip on his sword.

[You'd better not come close.]

Prince grabbed the unconscious Meilyn's arm. Simon gnashed his teeth.

"Don't lay a hand on Meilyn!"

[Thatll depend on you.]

Prince grinned as he effortlessly slung Meilyn over his shoulder.

[Was it Simon? If you want to save this kid, come to that mansion from before. Of course, you have to come by yourself. Without Pier. I'll tell you in advance, but there's no point in hiding him in your subspace.]

Prince slammed his feet into the ground. With a single jump, he got up to the ceiling.

[Well then. See you later.]

"Prince!!"

With a wave, Prince disappeared.

Simon tried to chase after him, but with a roar, zombies rushed at the still-unconscious Rick and Camibarez.

"Dammit!"

Simon hurriedly ran in and swung his greatsword, cutting the zombies into chunks.

As Simon was about to chase after Prince upon eliminating all the zombies

[Calm down, Boy!]

He heard Pier's voice.

[There's no point in chasing after Prince right now! Isn't it obvious that he'll play dirty, using that girl as a hostage?]

""

[Gathering information comes first! I caught some interesting humans in that mansion earlier. Try interrogating them!]

Simon's eyes widened.

"Humans? In Death Land?"

* * *

Prince arrived at the mansion carrying Meilyn on his shoulders.

'Pier, you really did play around gaudily, huh?'

Zombies were piled up like mountains. Their black blood dyed the garden black and formed a river.

Still, Prince thought that it was a good price to pay in exchange for holding off Pier.

Prince entered the mansion with a leisurely gait.

"Two people were taken away? What the fuck were you lot doing!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

"It just happened in a flash, so!"

Voices of humans could be heard within the mansion. Prince frowned and kicked open the door.

Bang!

The door slammed open, and he saw three humans inside flinching at the sound.

[When did you get here, Javier?]

Javier was an elderly necromancer full of wrinkles. He had a staff in his hand and, as always, two cigars in his mouth.

"Hahahah! So you're here, Prince!"

Javier put on his good-natured smile.

"I just arrived, too. I stopped by myself for our usual transaction."

When Javier nodded at his men, they wheeled over a large box in a cart.

"I added two more than the typical amount. Check it out."

Prince approached and opened the box.

Inside was an ore similar in appearance to a lump of charcoal. It was obsidian containing high-purity jet-black.

[The number seems to be correct.]

"Hoho! Have I ever cheated you?"

Javier had been running his corpse business ever since he retired from his professional necromancer career.

He took care of the corpses that couldn't become natural zombies throughout Death Land, sold them in the market, and made a profit. In exchange for using those goods, hed offer obsidian to Prince, who technically ruled Death Land.

It was sort of a symbiotic relationship.

After all, Prince had to consume that obsidian to maintain his strength.

[Alright.]

Javier licked his lips without showing any signs of feeling intimidated. She got on her knees and lifted her body up.

"I'm a first-year student in Kizen and a member of the Ivory Tower, Meilyn Villenne! Do you know what forces you're messing with?"

"To be precise"

Javier grinned.

"Youre a corpse that used to be from Kizen and belong to the Ivory Tower. Or thats what it looks like to me."

"!"

"It's a pity, but this old man isn't so courageous to use a Kizen student as a hostage and ask for ransom, you see. You'll become a very good undead."

Javier abruptly pulled Meilyn's tie.

She was powerless to avoid falling into Javier's legs, and Javier held her up by the chin.

"Kugh!"

"If you're from the Ivory Tower, you'll make very good material! Could be material for a skeleton mage or a banshee."

Javier's fingers brushed across Meilyn's cheeks.

"Of course it's a waste. Such a waste. A face so beautiful and hair so pretty will be gone. But it can't be helped. I wish you to meet a good master after becoming an undea"

Cleeeench!

Meilyn bit Javier's fingers as hard as she could.

"K-Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

She screwed her eyes shut and bit down with all her strength. Her teeth dug into his fingers, and she tasted blood.

As Javier struggled in pain, she let the fingers go and reared back her head. Then

Thunk!

She headbutted Javier with all her might.

The old man rolled around the wagon, groaning.

'Okay!'

She bought some time.

Her gaze turned to the wagons window.

She was terrified at the thought that she might die, falling from a running wagon without use of her jet-black or hands, but she thought that it was still better than becoming an undead for a guy like that.

Once the decision was made, there was no hesitation. She threw herself out of the wagon window.

Grab!

"!"

A tough grip caught her ankle as she tried to escape through the window.

"Bwahaha! It's no use!"

Then, with great force, she was yanked back into the wagon.

Thud!

A sharp pain was felt in her abdomen, and she dropped to the carriage floor.

Soon, Javier pulled back on Meilyn's light-blue hair and licked his cracked lips.

"Well done, young lady! To bring up this courage and show such wit while not being able to use hands or jet-black! As expected, not everyone can enroll in Kizen. However!"

Javier brought a hand to her school jacket.

"That, too, is over now."

She closed her eyes tight.

An angry tear rolled down her face. To not be able to achieve anything after coming to Kizen, and dying like this in

Thuump!

Something landed on the ceiling of the carriage. The horses pulling the wagon swerved with frightened whinnies, making the whole thing rattle.

"Hm? What's wrong!"

Pshk!

A white greatsword pierced the ceiling and descended. Meilyn was so startled that she started hiccupping, and Javier's face turned pale.

Soon, the greatsword drew a triangle on the ceiling and made a hole. And from it, a man entered the wagon.

"Wh-Who are you?"

He had a cape around his body, and khaki clothes that resembled overalls could be seen underneath. Bones were glued all over his body.

As the man looked back, Meilyn pressed her back against the end of the wagon and trembled in fear.

'I-I can't even breathe!'

It was a sense of intimidation that could turn somebody insane.

Half of his head and face were covered by the skull, exposing only his mouth. A blue aura like a torch rose from one eye of the skull.

The man silently looked at the rope that tied Meilyn's hands and the loose clothes.

Then he turned his head to look at Javier.

"I-I'll ask you again, who are y?!"

Slaaaammmm!

The man's foot shot out at an incomprehensible speed and struck Javier right in the abdomen. Javier doubled over and coughed up blood.

Thump!

This time the man trampled the back of Javier's head. The force was enough to splinter the wagon floor beneath, pushing the head beneath.

Crush! Wham! Thud!

The man didn't stop his violence.

"A-ahh......"

Meilyn trembled in fear at the scene.

Leaving Javier's torso a bloody mess, the man took a step back before kicking him through the wagons wall.

Javier's body rolled limp across the rough road beneath.

A scream of pain echoed through the still air, the sound of his bones getting crushed by the carriages wheels soon following.