Chapter 16: Spoils Of The Crypt

Regina’s longsword blazed with crimson light. A sharply refined, pure aura began to surge.

“?!”

A gasp of astonishment escaped Alexctus. At the same time, Regina swung her longsword, imbued with blood-red mana.

Alexctus hastily gathered bones to create a barrier, but it was already too late. In front of a swordsman who could use aura, physical defenses were meaningless.

Hundreds, thousands of bones that made up the barrier were sliced through like tofu. Retreating hastily, interrupting the magic incantation, Alexctus raised his mana.

Whoosh…

The magic circles that filled the ceiling lost their light. The overwhelming mana that weighed down the space disappeared, and a large scythe appeared in Alexctus’ hand.

The second phase of Alexctus, where he wields a scythe and engages in close combat. The speed of the scythe-wielding lich was incredibly fast, unfitting for his size.

“…Huh?”

The first thought that came to mind when I saw Alexctus’ scythe was, ‘Why is the second phase starting already?’

I had planned to get Regina close to Alexctus before the second phase began to take him down. In the game, the start of Alexctus’ second phase was…

“Oh.”

Only then did I realize my mistake.

This place was reality, not a game.

The phases 1 and 2, arbitrarily divided by the game developers, were meaningless in reality.

Just as I could use Blink to turn the dungeon, a move that deviated from the constraints of the in-game, there was no law saying the opponent couldn’t do the same.

“Regina, be caref…!”

Clang!

At the same time, sparks flew in the air. Alexctus’ scythe drew a strange curve and deflected Regina’s sword path. A clash of aura and condensed mana followed.

“Ugh…!?”

With a loud bang, Regina’s body was pushed back. Regina gritted her teeth and held her sword tightly.

Normally, she could have defeated this opponent without much difficulty. But her body couldn’t keep up with her speed. Her arms trembled after just two exchanges.

Still, Regina didn’t let go of her sword. She couldn’t afford to be pushed back here. If she died here, she didn’t know if Sian would be there in the next playthrough. She might lose her last hope.

Meanwhile, Alexctus, having regained his composure, summoned his army, which had been in disarray. The Death Knights turned in unison, and the well-ordered knights slowly closed in.

“Si, Sian…what do we do now…Kyaak?!”

Boom!

Once again, a scythe imbued with heavy mana was launched at Regina. Regina’s frown deepened as she barely managed to deflect the blow.

“Ugh….”

I blocked the strike meant for Regina, who was regaining her posture. With a heavy thud, my body was pushed back slightly.

At the same time, a new magic circle appeared over Alexctus’ left hand. The magic of the ancient liches, now forgotten. I took a step back and grabbed Regina’s arm.

[Ancient Lich’s Dungeon Core][5☆]

[Mana Drain][E-  -> E]

[Mana Storage][E-  -> E]

Thanks to the abundant mana in the space, the dungeon core had already risen to rank E. Combining the remaining mana and the mana stored in the dungeon core, there was enough mana for two uses of Stigmata.

Having finished the calculation, I readjusted my grip on the sword. At this point, I had no choice but to gamble.

“Regina.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Even if I’m in danger, don’t come to help me.”

“What? What do you mean by that…”

I didn’t have time to wait for Regina’s answer. Alexctus, who had already retrieved his scythe, fixed his hollow gaze on us.

At the same time, with a terrifying whooshing sound, the huge scythe was swung. My Stigmata shone on my hand.

“Hold on tight!”

As the Stigmata activated, our bodies turned into black particles. The scythe cut through the particles, slicing through the air, and bewilderment appeared in Alexctus’ movements.

Alexctus quickly moved back and retrieved his scythe, remembering that the girls had appeared in front of him earlier. And the moment Sian appeared in front of him, he swung his scythe with all his might.

Boom!

With a huge explosion, Sian’s body, which had barely blocked the scythe, was sent flying. Alexctus let out a bizarre laugh and aimed his left hand, where a magic circle had appeared, at Sian.

Unaware that Regina, who had disappeared with Sian, was not in his sight.

Alexctus didn’t understand Sian’s actions when she looked at him and gave a mocking smile. He just brought up the magic circle as usual, to make Sian his subject.

“Now!”

Whoosh-

Therefore, Alexctus couldn’t react quickly to the eerie sound of aura activation coming from behind him.

“?!”

With Alexctus’ horrifying scream, a crimson sword path was etched on his body. At the same time, a sword imbued with aura pierced through his skull.

The body of the lich, which seemed to be trying to say something, was split in half. At the same time, the Death Knights collapsed in unison.

Crack…

The colorful magic circles that filled the ceiling of the temple began to break one by one. The purple torches that had been burning for hundreds of years gradually faded.

Along with that, the ancient lich’s dungeon core in my pocket glowed blue.

[‘Ancient Lich Alexctus’ has been defeated]

[‘Ancient Lich’s Dungeon Core’ absorbs the mana of ‘Ancient Lich Alexctus’]

[Mana Drain][E  -> D+]

[Mana Storage][E  -> D+]

“Sigh…”

I dismissed the message windows that appeared before my eyes and slowly got up. At the same time, an agonizing pain was felt around my chest.

…Perhaps, I had been too careless.

The first thought that came to mind was regret.

I had defeated Alexctus dozens of times in the game.

“…’Doubt everything.’ The Adventurer’s Guild’s first rule, was it?”

I muttered quietly and slowly closed my eyes.

If this place had become reality, it meant that nothing would proceed as it did in the game.

I was just lucky in the duel with Yelena. Because she showed the same patterns as in the game, it was easy for me to deal with her.

If the opponent’s patterns were different from those in [Arcana Academy], I would have a hard time again.

“…I need to get stronger.”

Whether I liked it or not, I had already intervened in the original story.

I had seen the hidden side of the cold ice princess, Yelena Frost. I had become friends with my favorite character, with whom I could talk freely.

Regina Strelachia, who was suffering because of my rerolls, was relying solely on me. The only light found in thousands of years.

So, I couldn’t die carelessly for her sake. If I died here, Regina would truly break.

I steeled my resolve and tried to get up. No, I tried to.

“Ugh…?!”

Thump. My body slumped involuntarily. When I was hit by the lich’s scythe and flew back, I hit a wall, and every time I breathed, a stabbing pain was felt around my ribs.

“Si, Sian…? Uwaah!?”

Regina’s condition wasn’t good either. She had pushed her seventeen-year-old body to its limit to use aura.

Regina, who was trembling, approached me and leaned her head against my body powerlessly.

I gently stroked Regina’s head as she leaned on my shoulder, and whispered.

“Regina, you’ve never dealt with an ancient lich before this playthrough, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Good for you.”

Perhaps because the tension had eased, I started to feel tired.

Along with that, a white magic circle appeared beneath our feet. I held Regina with my left arm and let my body be carried by the activation of the return magic circle.

When the magic circle activated, we were greeted by the night sky with a bright moon. A forest full of fresh grass scent. I let out a sigh of relief and called out to the girl leaning against me.

“Regina, Regina?”

“Zzz…”

“Ah, she’s asleep.”

I looked up at the sky, leaving her as she was.

We had to go back to the academy, but would we even be able to walk properly in the forest at this hour?

Neither Regina nor I were in a normal state. Honestly, I felt like passing out right now too, but I was forcing myself to stay awake because we would both be in danger if I did.

“…How, should we get back?”

A helping hand came from an unexpected place.

At that moment, the familiar figure of a silver-haired girl appeared from beyond the bushes. Yelena Frost, holding a lamp in her right hand, had a complex expression, a mixture of worry and relief, as she approached me.

Only then could I relax.

“Sian? Where on earth have you been…”

As Yelena muttered with a relieved voice, her gaze fell on the girl who was dozing off while leaning against me.

Yelena’s expression, which had been filled with worry and relief, hardened. I could feel a chill from Yelena, but was it just my imagination? I didn’t really want to know what the ‘dead eyes’ that were often mentioned in novels were like.

Yelena looked directly into my eyes, and asked in her usual ice princess mode.

“…Sian. Who, is she?”