"Kukuku… foolish mortals. I am Death Eater Carfes, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army. Prepare for eternal slumber."
The skeleton, draped in gaudy jeweled rings and necklaces that screamed bad taste, rattled its bones theatrically. Magic pulsed from it like a foul heartbeat.
"—Huh?"
Rafine and the others blinked, stunned, as the creature materialized in their midst. Minds racing to catch up.
"Why!? Clairvoyance registered nothing—!"
Rafine's gaze snapped to the skeleton, disbelief cracking her composure.
"Pitiful, truly pitiful… You thought your little spell could find me? I slipped right past it, unnoticed, until I chose to reveal myself!"
"Grr…!"
Rafine gnashed her teeth, kicked back to create distance, and drew a slender rapier. In a blink, Letty and the adventurers fanned out, blades raised, tension coiling like a spring.
The air crackled. To them, this was life-or-death. To me, who'd already clocked the skeleton's full measure, it felt like a badly rehearsed play. Awkward.
"Eat this!"
One adventurer, hot-blooded and overeager, shouted as he lunged first. Wind spiraled around his blade as he unleashed Sky Blade Slash, a fusion of swordsmanship and wind magic. Fast, clean, powerful, and almost master-level.
The crescent of compressed air screamed toward the skeleton's torso.
"…Useless. That toy sword?"
A translucent barrier shimmered. The slash shattered against it like glass on stone. The adventurer's eyes bulged in shock.
The skeleton tilted its skull, voice dripping contempt. "I dislike your type."
"Huh? Like I care—"
Before the words finished, the skeleton extended one bony finger.
*Thump.*
A dull impact. The man glanced down, hoarse gasp escaping. A fist-sized hole gaped through his chest. Blood pooled beneath him as he crumpled.
"Lowly vermin dare challenge nobility? Pathetic."
The skeleton leered down, grinning with nonexistent lips.
"…Recovery magic, now!"
Rafine's shout cracked like a whip. Eve was already moving, hands glowing.
"—Grand High Heal!"
White light poured into the wound. The hole sealed, flesh knitting in seconds. A heartbeat later and he'd have been gone. Still, he lay pale, breathing shallow, temporary organs barely holding him together. He needed a proper infirmary, a team of healers. Impossible while this thing lived.
I flicked a glance, ran the numbers with High-Speed Calculation. Twelve minutes, forty-two seconds until brain death. With Eve's life-support, twenty-five minutes, twelve seconds. Plenty.
I raised my palm. Immortal Erasure, Delete Undead. The ultimate anti-undead spell. One shot, purification guaranteed.
"Immortal Eras—"
"I'm your opponent, bonehead! …Gra? Worde Rudo? Whatever, this holy sword's gonna carve you up! Get ready!!"
Letty vaulted in front of me, holy sword blazing, tip leveled at the skeleton's skull.
"Oh. Seriously?"
She spun, blank-faced, staring at me. What'd I do?
"Hoh… a holy sword. Impressive aura. So you're this era's hero?"
"And he's my master! Ten billion times stronger than you!!"
"Ten billion? Kukuku… delightful joke."
The skeleton rattled with laughter, then flicked its gaze to me. "That dead-eyed slacker? Strong? Please."
Even demons think my eyes look dead. Fair. You're literally a corpse, pal.
"Kukuku… enough games. Someone's stalling."
Its gaze slid past Eve to Leena, crouched beside the wounded man.
"You. Weaving spells in secret since the start. Think I wouldn't notice?"
"—!? …Just your imagination."
Leena's surprise flashed, then vanished behind a defiant glare. She'd been casting something. I hadn't caught a whisper.
"Besides, I must report to the Demon King. No time for children's games."
The skeleton clattered, ecstatic. "I slew the 'black-haired hero' His Majesty spoke of, claimed an entire city… Oh, Lord Demon King, your faithful servant returns victorious!!"
It threw its arms skyward, voice shrill with glee. Annoying as hell. Black-haired hero?
*Clang.*
Rafine's rapier slipped from numb fingers, ringing against stone.
"…Huh?"
She stared, hollow. "No… that's a lie. How could he die—"
"Why would I lie, princess?"
The skeleton pointed toward Etar's open café terrace. A zombie sat there, black hair matted with gore, face slack, just like the hero in every portrait.
"Weak. So disappointingly weak. Holy sword protection? Useless against true power. Like swatting a fly."
Rafine collapsed to her knees, face crumpling, world shattered. "No… no, no, no. That's a lie. He's my hero, my destined… he can't be dead!"
"Aw, poor dear. Maybe don't pin hopes on the feeble."
"That's… enough…"
"Careful now! It's just monster lies!!" Zion shouted, shaking her.
But Rafine's eyes were glass, soul drained.
"Playtime's over. Pesa do Gravity."
Emperor-tier gravity magic erupted. The air thickened, ground cracked. Tenfold weight slammed down.
"Guh—!?"
Wedd, Letty, Eve, Leena, everyone but me, crushed to the earth, limbs pinned.
"Kuku… no escape now."
Ten times gravity. I felt it, shoulders dipping slightly. Manageable.
"Hmm? You still standing? Forgot you. Pesa do Gravity."
Another layer. Twenty times. Shoulders loosened, actually. Stiff neck relief.
"…Missed again?"
Thirty, forty, a hundred. The skeleton layered spell after spell, panting, incredulous.
Three hundred fifty times. Ground cratered beneath my boots. I rolled my neck. Nice massage.
Over a thousand times now. The skeleton wheezed, bones trembling.
"It's… not… working!!"
I smiled.