Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

[Translator – Kie]

[Proofreader – Kawaii]

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Chapter 261: Recapture (3)

***

“What’s that sound?”

“What is happening?”

Dark Knights were drawn by the terrifying screams of the skeletons and gathered at the castle gate.

“What is this? S-skeletons?”

“Where did they come from… Wait a minute, the skeletons are using aura!”

Skeletons flooded into the castle.

The Dark Knights caught in the onslaught were literally torn to pieces.

“Skeletons using aura…?”

“Come to your senses and swing your sword!”

“Damn it, no matter how many we break… Gaaaah!”

Dark Knights were caught off guard so they couldn’t even defend properly.

Some quickly regained their senses and fought back, but it was futile.

The skeletons regenerated almost immediately after being destroyed and resumed their attack on the Dark Knights.

While the skeletons were fighting the Dark Knights, Damien moved further inside. The Dark Knights spotted him.

“It’s the Necromancer! He must be controlling the skeletons!”

“Kill him first! Then it will all be over!”

Determined to end it, the Dark Knights charged at Damien.

But they couldn’t get close to him.

Suddenly, a Death Knight appeared and swung a great sword.

The long aurablade it released cut down the charging Dark Knights. Their bodies split in half and fell to the ground.

“Unbelievable… An aurablade… He’s commanding a Master Class…”

Even as they were dying, the Dark Knights couldn’t accept the reality.

“Dominico.”

-Yes, my lord.

“I’ll leave the skeletons to you. Clean up this place.”

-What are your plans, my lord?

In response to Dominico’s question, Damien pointed to the forge building.

“I’m going to take those fuckers head.”

***

“Ugh, what’s that noise?”

The Weapon Master’s elite disciple, Alexander, rubbed his glabella and sat up.

He had a terrible hangover from last night’s heavy drinking. It felt like a swarm of bees was buzzing in his skull.

“Why is it so loud? What are those guys outside doing?”

He was already suffering from a headache, but the noise outside made it worse.

“Damn it. Fucking hell.”

Alexander was known as a heavy drinker. But he usually didn’t drink this much.

His drinking had increased ever since he started guarding this forge.

“How long do I have to be stuck in this boring place?”

He was very dissatisfied with the task his master had assigned him.

He wanted to roam around like the other disciples, enjoy good drinks, and meet beautiful women.

Since he couldn’t do that, he drowned his boredom in alcohol.

“I don’t get why Master is so wary of the dwarves.”

It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

The dwarves in this city of Hammerfell preserved ancient knowledge and techniques.

If they decided to, who knows what kind of weapon they could create.

But that was only if they had the proper facilities and materials.

Unarmed dwarves were not scary at all.

“Ugh, my head hurts. I need another drink.”

Alexander reached for the bottle under his bed and took a big swig.

“Ah, that’s good. Really good.”

As Alexander wiped his mouth with his sleeve in satisfaction, the door suddenly burst open. One of his subordinates stumbled in.

“Master Alexander! We’re in big trouble!”

“Hey, you’re bleeding from your head.”

“That’s not important right now! We’re under attack!”

Alexander dropped the bottle he was holding.

The precious liquor spilled on the floor, but he didn’t have time to care.

“Attack?”

“Yes! We’re trying to hold them off, but we’re outmatched! Many of our knights have already been killed…”

Suddenly, the door was smashed to pieces. A giant wolf leaped in and crushed the subordinate’s head under its paw.

There was a sickening crunch, and blood and flesh splattered.

“Wh-what?”

The suddenness of it left Alexander’s mind blank for a moment.

-Grrr.

The black wolf growled, staring at Alexander.

Then, a stranger’s voice was heard.

“Good job, Munchi.”

A man walked in through the gaping hole. He was wearing a strange mask.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Victor the Woodcutter.”

Victor the Woodcutter.

Alexander had never heard of him before, but he knew not to underestimate him.

The ominous feeling emanating from that man was overwhelming.

“Why are you attacking this place?”

“I have business with the Weapon Master. To enter the city, I need the facilities here.”

“So, you’ve teamed up with those dwarves.”

“Something like that.”

“You fool. Do you think you can stand against my master?”

Alexander reached out, and a large axe flew from the wall into his hand.

“Do you think I’ll allow that? You’re going to die here. Then my dead subordinates’ souls have some relief.”

Alexander’s killing intent filled the room.

Even though he considered himself a poor leader, he felt it was his duty to avenge his subordinates.

It was then that Victor suddenly focused on Alexander’s axe and asked.

“You’ve killed a lot with that axe, haven’t you?”

“What? Are you reading the remnants of the souls left in it?”

The Demonic Axe Cecilia.

It had the ability to absorb the souls of those it killed and grow stronger with each killing.

Highly skilled dark mages could read the traces of souls Cecilia had absorbed.

“You didn’t just kill your enemies. There are children, the elderly, and women among them. What were you thinking while killing all those people?”

“Who knows? I just fed everyone I saw to Cecilia, never really thought about it.”

The number of people Alexander had killed with Cecilia was in the thousands.

Thanks to that, Alexander had never experienced defeat since obtaining Cecilia.

At that moment, a chilling aura emanated from Victor.

“You should give up the idea of dying easily.”

“That’s my line.”

With a twisted grin, Alexander pushed off the ground, and Victor immediately unleashed his dark magic.

Explosions resounded repeatedly within the forge.

***

While Damien and the undead fought the Dark Knights, the dwarves were rescuing their kin.

“Careful, lower it gently! Gently!” Kilo shouted urgently. The dwarves followed his instructions and slowly lowered the pole.

“Hurry up and free them! Quickly!”

The dwarves cut all the wires binding their kin.

Even after being freed from the poles, their kin showed no reaction.

They were barely breathing, their spirits too shattered to respond to external stimuli.

“Medicine… they need medicine…” Kilo hastily pulled out a pre-made salve from his leather pouch.

Dwarves were not only skilled in metallurgy but also had profound knowledge of alchemy.

To apply the salve, Kilo removed their clothes. The sight of the wounds hidden beneath brought tears to his eyes.

“Damn it… these bastards…”

They were skinned alive.

Their bodies were shredded like old, heavily used rags.

Even with the dwarves’ salve, it was impossible to heal these wounds completely. They would be left with permanent disabilities.

“Damn it… damn it… damn it.”

Kilo cursed continuously as he applied the salve.

“Kilo… is that you, brother?”

At that moment, Kilo was treating slowly opened his mouth.

Hearing his voice, Kilo exclaimed with joy.

“Todal! I never thought it would be you!”

The wounds were so severe that he couldn’t even recognize his face.

Kilo felt his heart swell at the sound of his foster brother’s voice.

“Brother… you’re as loud as ever… some things never change…”

“Is that all you have to say after all we’ve been through to find you?”

“Heh, heh… what about the enemies? What happened to them?”

“Don’t worry. They’re being dealt with.”

“Is that so? That’s… impressive… must have been tough.”

Todal was exhausted and paused to catch his breath before asking Kilo again.

“The city… is it safe?”

Kilo froze at those words.

How could he tell the truth?

How could he tell his dying foster brother that the city had fallen to the enemy and they needed to reclaim it?

Kilo’s face showed a whirlwind of conflict in that short moment.

“You fool! Of course, the city is safe. If there was any trouble, how could I have come to rescue you?”

In the end, Kilo had to lie.

“Ha ha… that’s a relief.”

A smile spread across Todal’s lips. In contrast, Kilo’s face twisted even more.

“What about my wife? Is she alive too?”

“…Yes, she’s alive.”

“And mother? Is she still alive?”

“Of course!”

“What about that idiot Galleon?”

“Naturally, he escaped safely too!”

“That’s a relief. I was really… really worried…”

A satisfied smile appeared on his lips. But the next words never came.

“…Todal.”

Kilo shook Todal’s body.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

He kept shaking his body, but the smiling lips remained closed.

“Todal… you idiot… say something…”

Kilo continued to shake Todal’s body. Finally, one of his subordinates had to stop him.

“Captain… please stop now. You know it’s over.”

One subordinate pleaded making Kilo halt.

“Ah… Ahhh…”

Kilo surveyed the forge.

The battle raged on. Skeletons were killing the Dark Knights.

Rage boiled within him.

He wanted to rush out and kill the enemies.

To avenge Todal’s death, to help his soul rest in peace.

But the reality was harsh.

If they intervened, they’d only be a hindrance.

With their skills, they couldn’t even handle a single Dark Knight properly.

“Please… I beg you…”

From a young age, he learned to uphold the pride of the dwarves of Hammerfell. He was taught that the tribe should handle their own matters.

“Please… kill these bastards…”

Kilo never forgot these teachings. He lived by them.

As the last tribe carrying the ancestors’ legacy and skills, he maintained his pride.

“Everyone… all of them… not a single one left…”

But at this moment, Kilo cast aside his pride and dignity. He accepted shame and humiliation.

He buried his head into the ground, scraping the earth with his fingers, and shouted.

“Kill all these scum!”

At that moment, an explosion erupted.

The entrance to the forge shattered. Someone appeared through the gaping hole.

A man in a mask.

Victor was dragging something along.

The moment Kilo saw the man’s face, he recognized him.

How could he forget? This was the apprentice who had accompanied the Weapon Master on the day the city fell.

On that day, Kilo saw him as a demon crawling out of hell.

“Urgh… urgh…”

That terrifying man was now groaning in pain.

“You… you damn… bastard…”

That once fearsome man was now struggling to curse.

But the Weapon Master’s apprentice could do nothing more than speak.

His limbs had rotted away, exposing his bones.

Victor threw Alexander to the ground, and he rolled helplessly.

“Alexander.”

Victor said as he stepped on Alexander’s head.

“I have a few questions. Answer sincerely, and I’ll leave your soul intact.”

***

[Translator – Kie]

[Proofreader – Kawaii]