Book Eater

Chapter 325: The Night that Swallowed the Sun (1)

As the leaders of both sides confronted each other, a terrible phenomenon was occurring on the border. A fraction of Nídh?ggur’s power was coalescing!

The power coming from the land of the dead wasn’t enough to strengthen Jerem and the Four Horsemen, but it was sucked into the bodies of the undead army. It was poisonous mana to normal life, but there was no better energy for the undead.

Animate Dead, the most basic yet feared spell of necromancers, was being cast with the power of a dragon’s breath behind it.

Kuoooooh!

Shattered armor reformed as the restored doom knights roared vigorously. The holes the arrows had left in the bodies of the undead closed, and the liches that had been reduced to ashes were returned to their prime. Close to half of the undead that had been wiped out in the preemptive attack came back to life, making it literally a nightmare.

The tide of battle was falling to one side as the rocks thrown by the ents and the arrows from the archers lost their strength against the undead army.

I never imagined this. How should I respond?

A few kilometers behind the front lines, Titania observed the ghastly phenomenon through Geros’ eyes. Should she fire the Hurricane Bow one more time to blunt the initiative? No, it was pointless. There were only three uses remaining. It was impractical to waste it on ordinary undead.

Titania calmed her confused mind as she looked at Theo’s back. “... Teacher.”

She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t help mumbling as long faded memories came to her mind. Myrdal Herseim, the nonhuman who seemed human, had rescued Titania when she was just a child and taught her unfathomable things before disappearing. The only thing they shared were their piercing blue eyes, but Theo reminded her of Myrdal. For some reason Titania felt like she could trust in Theo.

At that moment, a thunderous voice rang out from the sky.

[Don’t be afraid!]

Theo was using magic to make his voice ring out through the battlefield. Realizing the effect Nídh?ggur’s presence was having in the battle, Theo encouraged Elvenheim.

[This evil dragon is an uninvited guest to this material world! He can only stay for a short time if he uses his power like this! Our resistance right now isn’t futile!]

Theo had experienced war several times and knew fear alone could break an army. If their attacks didn’t work and the enemy didn’t fall, the reduced morale could become toxic. His words came at a perfect moment. The revival of the undead made the elves step back, but they were no longer afraid.

“Pull your bowstrings! If it doesn’t work with one arrow, fire ten arrows!”

“Our benefactor is watching! Don’t show an ugly side!”

“Don’t back down from the rotten bodies! We are the descendants of the Arv!”

Silver arrows poured down, and the momentum of the rock showers crushed the undead after several attempts. The arrows Edwin fired and the spears Ellaim threw stopped the wave of dead bodies for a while. In addition to them, two other guardians made an effort to chop up the undead like fallen leaves.

Lastly, Elvenheim had one more trump card.

Kukukukukung…

The earth itself rose in protest. No, an enormous amount of earth moved, giving that impression. Hands? Feet? A massive, several hundred ton mountain rose into the air and fell on the undead. Unlike the arrows which could only injure, this was a blow that shattered their immortality!

This was the earth elemental ruler, Nohengrin. A high elf had exerted themselves to the fullest and summoned an elemental ruler. Titania was handling Geros, while four high elves were finishing the summoning of Hraesvelgr, leaving only one high elf who could call Nohengrin.

- Ellenoa, you...?

- I was only barely successful, Titania.

Ellenoa almost seemed embarrassed after summoning the elemental ruler. It was with the aid of Ratatoskr and the world tree, but the result was still amazing. Titania was flabbergasted. Summoning an elemental ruler after only being in Elvenheim for ten years? According to Titania’s memories, none of the high elves had become accustomed to the world tree’s power so fast.

Maybe the power of love really exists.

Titania laughed at the thought.

“... It is time to start.”

As the two sides struggled on the ground, the atmosphere in the sky was changing. Red robes and black robes were flitting back and forth in the sky… Titania looked at the six shadows and gripped her bow tightly. The wind ruffled her hair as she prepared to fire at any time.

***

“A last ditch effort.”

Jerem dismissed his actions after the battlefield was re-energized by Theo’s cry. However, the discomfort on Jerem’s face proved that Theo’s words weren’t wrong. Nídh?ggur’s summoning was incomplete until it could consume the world tree. Therefore, his power shouldn’t have been used in this way. Jerem needed to overcome this battlefield as soon as possible.

“A last ditch effort, doesn’t that apply to you?” Theo said with a cold laugh.

“Cheeky fellow, feeling confident just because of one blow.”

“That isn’t the case. Last I checked, isn’t it two blows? Well, you probably don’t have any brain cells left after dying.”

“... You.” Darkness roiled around Jerem’s body. Evidently, Theo’s taunts were working.

The Four Horsemen read their master’s mood and stalked forward, while Veronica radiated an intense heat as she prepared for battle. It was an atmosphere where a fight could start at any time. Meanwhile, the two magicians talked through their contract.

I will play with Jerem.

The other three are mine?

Don’t be careless. They aren’t easy.

I know that much.

At that moment…

“Four Horsemen,” Jerem’s voice was filled with fury, “Deal with that young man. Don’t kill him. Bring his flesh before me.”

“As Your Majesty wills.”

Unlike Theo, Jerem planned to use his subordinates to deal with Theo. He didn’t doubt that the two magicians would intervene, so Jerem raised both hands to cast a spell. As the two magicians reflexively responded, waves of darkness surged from all over the place.

This...?

Theo’s five senses disappeared. No, it was the distinctive dizziness of space magic. Theo’s eyes widened.

Space disassembly!

It was different from space movement which moved one to a desired location or spatial distortion that interfered with the existing space. This was a special spell which scattered the targets with no specific coordinates. A magician with enough ability could interfere with it. However, it was a trick that Theo hadn’t thought about, and as such, he responded too late.

As soon as the darkness was lifted, Theo asked through Ratatoskr,

Titania, can you still see me and Veronica?

- ... Veronica and Leader are still in the same place. The other three moved with you.

Titania’s voice was emotionless, however, her quick reply allowed Theo to understand the situation quickly.

“Your master used you to grab my ankles.”

White Knight Hipatia, Red Knight Elohim and Black Knight Delos, three of the Four Horsemen faced Theo. Theo kept an eye on the three Knights in front of him as he oriented himself. He was thirteen kilometers away from the battlefield.

I can use the lightning magic to rejoin them, but...

It would just lead to the original situation repeating itself. If the difference between enemies wasn’t large, he couldn’t win by pursuing safety. He had to understand the enemy’s intentions and beat their trick. Theo laughed. Each one of the Four Horsemen was a top-grade undead, and only top-level masters were capable of going against them.

“You and your master are too slow to grasp the situation.”

“What?”

The three people surrounding him were convinced of their superiority, so they looked at him in disdain.

Nevertheless, Theo was still openly mocking. “Don’t you understand? The three of you can’t block me.”

He took a step towards the undead. “I will go back after cleaning all of you up. I believe in Veronica’s strength, but it is too much on her own.”

“... Speaking nonsense, human!” Finally, the Red Knight lost patience and sprang toward Theo with claws outstretched.

The claws of a vampire could even split mithril. A vampire grew stronger with blood and magic power. After the war in the north, the Red Knight had reached the peak of his power. After the fight with Invidia, he was now the most powerful among the Four Horsemen.

He was officially an elder vampire. In some legends, it was the highest ranking undead that could blast through the wall of sound with sheer physical ability.

Peeeeeong!

The Red Knight reached Theo in just three steps, but Theo still had time to react to that amazing speed. The perfectly restored version of Forward Facing Array exerted its ability for the first time in centuries. Based on the grimoire, Baopuzi, the technique that drives out evil unfolded in the hands of a master.

“Keok?”

The elder vampire came to an abrupt stop. Blood suddenly poured from Red Knight Elohim’s mouth as he froze in midair. It was a ridiculously powerful binding spell. He was completely frozen in space and couldn’t even move a finger. Theo didn’t miss this moment in which the red knight was wide open.

Memorize. Three Slots Open. Trident of Keraunos.

Three lightning spears were combined into one, forming a trident. The 7th Circle spell that compressed lightning evaporated the air around it. The brow, the neck, and the heart, the hundred and fifty foot long thunder trident aimed for three of the weakest points on the Red Knight’s body.

Kwarururung!

Magicians might not care, but in the East Continent, it was long believed that lightning was God’s judgment and had the power to destroy wickedness. More than a few shamans had made their foundations based on fighting against evil, and that strength now lay in Theo’s thunder trident.

“―――?! ――!!? ―――!?!”

The Red Knight couldn’t even scream. Elohim’s vocal cords were already burned away as he started to boil up, turning into a puddle of pure blood. If this continued, it would be the destruction of the highest ranking undead!

Kieeeeeeek-!?

At this moment, White Knight Hipatia let out a scream that attacked Theo’s spirit. Of course, it didn’t last long. However, this interference was enough for the Red Knight to escape from the thunder.

During this gap of half a second, dozens of strands of black magic power emerged from the Black Knight’s staff. He wasn’t complete like Jerem, but he was still a 8th Circle dark lich, an incarnation of evil that could kill a thousand people with a single word.

In an instant, eight curses, decay, erosion, poison, confusion, silence, darkness, binding, and pain, bound Theo. It was better to commit suicide than be cursed like this, but Theo’s magic power and strength from his left hand fought against it.

Even so, a few seconds of paralysis was inevitable. Theo’s movements stopped for a moment, and Hipatia appeared in front of him.

[I will help you become comfortable. You are the king.]

It was a soft and kind voice, but Theo wasn’t deceived. Hipatia was the highest ranking ghost type, a terror wight that could destroy an estate with one scream. Furthermore, the scariest thing about undead ghost types was that they could directly interfere or injure the soul. Even if Theo’s magic power increased several times over, he didn’t have the ability to fight against it.

“S-orry… but,” Theo barely managed to say, “No, thanks.”

[Huh?]

As Hipatia looked bemused, an eerie noise rang through the battlefield.

Puk!

There was the smell of blood.

[... E-h?]

Hipatia’s face distorted with pain. The man in Theo’s right hand wasn’t affected by the Black Knight’s curses, and Soul Caliber rose from Theo’s right hand, piercing Hipatia’s heart. The great hero contained in Umbra, Reynolds Spencer, pitied the slender woman as he murmured in a profound voice.

[Sleep well and atone, nameless lady.]

At that moment, White Knight Hipatia shattered like glass.

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