STGB Chapter 733

Episode 733: The Clown (2)

As soon as the battle started, Abet Necrafeto moved to the relatively safe rear.

Driven by his innate desire for attention, he had recklessly stood at the forefront during the invasion of Sector 9 earlier, but he had no intention of repeating the same mistake.

While he was confident in close combat to some extent…

‘…How can anyone stand in front fighting such monsters?’

In reality, his close combat ability was barely at a self-defense level, and he knew that even that was ineffective against those foes.

Ah, of course, beyond skill, there was also a matter of professional difference—

“Stop hiding and come here! You bastard!!”

A woman who had once been his comrade shouted as she saw him retreating to the rear.

Of course, such an insult did not bother him in the slightest.

For people like them, it was almost a form of praise.

“Heh! You say strange things! How is a necromancer moving to the rear considered hiding?”

It was a reasonable statement, but the one shouting, who had been captured by the enemy for not following such common sense, yelled in disbelief.

“Then why did you do that back then…! If not for that…! I would have…!”

“Heh, but thanks to that, didn’t we forge a good connection?”

“You, how could you say that…!”

Their argument held enough potential to continue for days if time allowed, but unfortunately, the situation was not in their favor at the moment.

They were both positioned at the rear of their respective sides, and the distance between them was far too great.

“Enough chatter, cast your magic!”

“…Ah, understood!”

“Necrafeto!”

“Heh…”

Their argument naturally ended as they joined in supporting the battle from the rear.

For him, it was quite fortunate.

「Liranne Vivian casts the 4th-level dark spell [Curse of the Rotten Land].」

「All enemies within the radius have their defense significantly reduced.」

That foolish woman might be a mere curse caster, but he was different.

“Heh… such trivial efforts.”

「Abet Necrafeto casts [Blessing of the Legion].」

「All allies within the radius receive a 50% reduction in harmful effects and a 20% increase in their highest stat.」

He had recently acquired a 2nd-level area buff as well.

“…Damn it! Layton is dead! Necrafeto!”

“Heh, leave it to me!”

Unlike dark mages who had vague skills outside of curses, necromancers possessed abilities that could excel even in small-scale battles.

「Abet Necrafeto casts [Puppet].」

Necromancers could revive the fallen to fight again.

Of course, they weren’t as strong as when they were alive.

But with buffs layered on, they became serviceable.

「Abet Necrafeto casts [Blood Infusion].」

「All of the caster’s passive skills are granted to the minions.」

The blood was infused with poison, the bones were strengthened, and every attack carried a debuff.

And even that wasn’t all.

「Abet Necrafeto casts [Modification].」

「One minion is randomly modified.」

Only the elite of Orqulis, those skilled enough to be summoned here, qualified.

These warriors would revive immediately after death, gaining a random new trait.

For example…

「Great Success.」

「Minion: Coral Layton gains the [Great Beast] trait.」

Coral Layton, who had been a melee warrior, transformed into a massive beast capable of contending with that barbarian upon resurrection.

“Heh… A great success from the start. How fortunate.”

Boom—!

This new summon, Coral Layton, now possessed greater strength than in life, confronting the giant barbarian.

“Heh… A strength stat that can stand against that brute!”

Necrafeto sincerely hoped that this newly created summon would survive.

If its value was that high, it would rank among the best in his dimensional collection—

Slash—!

“…What?”

He rubbed his eyes as he watched from the rear.

Thud—!

…It died from a single slash?

‘…But it was a great success? With the best base?’

He couldn’t comprehend it.

He had heard there was a strong dealer beside that barbarian, and seeing Layton cut down in one blow made him more certain he should stay away…

But even so!

“…W-what kind of knight is that…!”

Though he voiced it, every Orqulis member present was thinking the same thing.

It was only natural.

Even someone as slow and inexperienced in close combat as Necrafeto could sense it, so those fighting on the front lines must have felt it even more.

Slash—!

That unknown knight was dangerous.

Not just in one aspect, but in every way.

Thud—!

More so than that barbarian, known as the ‘Giant.’

Whoosh—!

With each swing of the sword, blood fountains erupted.

The twenty elite troops who had been confidently awaiting their moment.

And the hundreds of support troops positioned around them.

“…”

“…”

Before anyone realized, they were stepping back and no longer participating in battle as actively as before.

Everyone was holding back.

It was a common occurrence when a battle turned grim.

Until the order to retreat came, people would pretend to fight, playing a game of nerves…

‘…I need to prepare.’

Abet Necrafeto, who had lived a life of taking advantage of the weak and avoiding the strong, was the first to sense the ‘atmosphere’ and envision an escape plan.

But, of course, fleeing immediately was impossible.

After all, the order to retreat hadn’t been given yet.

‘I’ll pretend to help for a while…’

If an Opportunity Arises, Let’s Escape Without Looking Back.

Ah, just in case, I should retreat a bit further for now.

「Abet Necrafeto casts [Puppet].」

He did not hold back on support skills.

He needed to contribute at least minimally so he could justify retreating later, and without these efforts, the front line would likely collapse immediately.

However…

‘…Huh?’

His judgment was reasonable, but at the same time, it was a significant mistake.

The moment the new [Puppet] rose.

The knight’s gaze turned toward Necrafeto.

Eyes that were cold as a machine yet glimmered like those of a hunter.

‘Why, why is he looking at me…?!’

He screamed inwardly in anxiety, but he knew why the knight’s gaze was fixed on him.

It was obvious from the moment he saw it.

The thought the knight harbored as he looked at him.

‘Ah, I need to kill that one quickly.’

There was no hint of malice or annoyance in the knight’s eyes.

Yet, precisely because of that, Necrafeto felt a shiver run down his spine.

Therefore…

Thud.

Without realizing it, he took a step back.

Thud, thud-!

As if that had become a signal, the knight’s body leaped upward.

“What the…?”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

The knight, who had made a great leap, lightly stepped on the massive barbarian’s shoulder and, using that momentum, swiftly flew toward Necrafeto.

“…”

It was an incredibly strange sensation.

As if time was flowing slowly?

Even as the knight closed in quickly, his mind was racing faster than ever, searching for a way to survive.

‘Moment of Immortality.’

At first, it didn’t seem like a good idea.

Sure, using it would make him invincible for one minute no matter what happened…

But could he survive after that?

‘…I shouldn’t have come here! Why does everything go wrong whenever I meet that barbarian?’

A surge of frustration and regret welled up in him, but he quickly pushed aside such distractions.

These thoughts were of no help for survival.

Alright, so…

‘…Damn it!’

Necrafeto swiftly executed the method he had thought of in that fleeting moment with the highest chance of survival.

「Abet Necrafeto uses [Staff of the Netherworld].」

The Staff of the Netherworld.

A treasure ranked among the highest of the Double Numbers at No. 17, considered the ultimate weapon for a necromancer.

It carried various risks…

‘Call of the Netherworld.’

Without hesitation, Necrafeto activated the staff’s effect, ‘Call of the Netherworld.’

Ah, naturally choosing the most manageable and tormentable among those four…

‘Liranne Vivian!’

As he focused his gaze to complete the ‘target designation,’ the aura in front of him vanished, replaced by a swirl of green light.

「The character and the designated target are summoned to the Netherworld.」

A realm of the dead where no external entity could interfere.

‘Heh… even I have to admit, this was a wise move.’

Now, all he had to do was endure and hold out in this place.

Well, it might get a bit monotonous, but he could alleviate that by tormenting Liranne Vivian to keep things interesting.

…Or so he thought.

“Wow… the scenery here really is something.”

Until he saw a barbarian casually admiring the surroundings.

_____

「The character has used [Aegis Barrier].」

「The effect meant for the designated target is transferred.」

_____

Three green moons hovered in the sky.

They were so vivid and close, as if one were in space. On closer inspection, one would realize these moons were composed of writhing corpses.

[Grooaaar…]

The sound of zombie-like moaning surrounded them like background music.

Ah, and while that was just above, below them stretched an ominously barren plain that seemed endless—

Boom!

Green substance erupted from the cracks in the ground as if magma were being spewed.

‘I need to be careful not to get hit by that; it stacks debuffs.’

So, this is what it feels like.

It’s definitely different from what I saw in the game.

The green light bathing everything from the sky made it feel like a true otherworldly experience.

‘Anyway, sightseeing is over.’

Business before pleasure; there was no time to delay necessary tasks for a scenic tour.

Therefore…

Swish.

Turning his gaze to the front after finishing his survey, Necrafeto flinched when their eyes met.

“B-Bjorn Yandel! Why are y-you here…?!”

Well, the active skill of [Aegis Barrier] allows one to take the place of an otherwise unblockable ‘designated target’ instant skill.

I’d never used it in real combat before, though.

“Who knows?”

There was no need to explain it to him—

“But, but I definitely targeted that witch Vivian…!”

Oh… So he hadn’t targeted Raven?

I assumed as much, so I activated the shield without asking questions.

‘Well, they were both in similar positions.’

It was an incident born of misunderstanding, but on reflection, it wasn’t such a bad situation.

Abet Necrafeto, the collector of corpses.

He was someone I wanted to kill myself.

Grinning, I raised my hammer.