"What should I do?" whispered the lich.
They were standing on top of Doomsty City’s gate, watching the chaos below. In the lich’s hand was the corpse of a city guard captain. The lich glared at Crowne, who was now battling the creature it had created.
"Just leave it! Let’s go!" said the figure standing beside the lich.
The lich turned to face them. "But that Undead Ogre is one of my precious children. I already lost Creeping Head. I don’t want to lose another one," it said in a bitter tone.
The lich was about to leap down to help the Undead Ogre, but the figure beside it gave a sharp glance. The lich froze immediately, swallowing its intent. Its entire body trembled in fear. The feeling of humiliation burned inside it, but it dared not resist.
"I dis," the lich muttered resentfully.
"I will give you a stronger creature to study. Forget that one," the figure replied coldly, turning away without caring about what was happening below. "Let’s go."
The lich nodded. "Alright," it said quietly.
The Undead Ogre lifted its massive club and swung it down with a thunderous roar. The air howled, and the ground beneath Crowne trembled.
Crowne shifted his foot slightly to the side.
The club crashed into the spot where he had just been standing. A wide crack spread in every direction, and clouds of dust rose high into the air.
From within that dust, chains shot forward.
The chain moved like a serpent. A small dagger attached to its end spun rapidly, piercing through the dust. Crowne pulled the chain back, and the dagger flew straight toward its target.
The dagger embedded itself deep into the Undead Ogre’s left shoulder.
"Grrrraaa!" the creature roared in pain.
Crowne yanked the chain, propelling himself toward the monster. He used the pull to accelerate his movement. As he flew over the ogre’s head, he twisted his sword behind him. The chain in his left hand swirled through the air like a vortex.
"Take this!" shouted Crowne.
He hurled his wooden sword, and at the same moment, the dagger returned to his hand.
The wooden sword spun once and struck the ogre’s head, but the monster blocked it with its club. Yet Crowne didn’t stop. He immediately pulled the wooden sword back and activated his skill, "Wind Step Slash."
In an instant, he appeared in front of the Undead Ogre, then behind it. The creature didn’t even have time to react. Crowne didn’t waste the opportunity. He slashed downward, cutting into the monster’s lower back. Blood dripped from its rotting skin.
But Crowne quickly stepped back.
The spot where he had just been standing was crushed by the ogre’s next strike. Crowne rubbed his chin and clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had fought regenerating creatures before, and they were always troublesome.
"Why does this always happen to me?" Crowne muttered.
He sighed and nodded once. Then he took his stance again, ready for round two against the Undead Ogre. There was one thing he had learned from fighting regenerating monsters: they all had weaknesses.
His task now was to find that weakness. "This will be annoying, but I’ll still destroy you!" he shouted, pointing his sword at the undead in front of him that was beginning to roar again.
"Come on then!" Crowne challenged.
At the same time, the soldiers were stunned, watching Crowne’s fight against the Undead Ogre. The monstrous creature that none of them could handle was being pushed back by one man. They all wondered who the young man was. None of them recognized his face.
"That wooden sword... it can wound an Undead Ogre!?"
No one could answer. No matter how hard they tried to recall his face, no one knew him. They all shook their heads. In the end, all they could do was watch in awe, grateful that the stranger had come to their aid.
"Whoever he is, he’s helping us. We should be thankful."
The other soldiers nodded. "You’re right."
Meanwhile, the Undead Ogre staggered backward. But moments later, the wound on its head began to close again. From within the wound, dark sparks flickered, like a stream of corrupt magic reconstructing its flesh and bones.
Crowne landed lightly on the ground and snapped his chain to retrieve the dagger. "This is seriously a pain," he groaned.
The Undead Ogre let out a louder roar. A dense black aura surged from its body, cracking the earth around it. Its glowing red eyes locked on Crowne with pure hatred for the wounds it had received.
"Die. You will die!" it repeated over and over.
Crowne didn’t flinch at those words. He clicked his tongue in irritation. "Come on, bastard! I’ll kill you."
The Undead Ogre charged again, swinging its weapon wildly. Crowne stayed calm. When the club came down, he leapt backward, throwing his dagger midair and steering it left with precision.
The ogre’s neck was cut again, but that wasn’t all. Crowne pulled the dagger back, and the chain wrapped around the monster’s arm. He spun it, slicing into the arm repeatedly until dark blood poured down like rain.
"Aaaarrrgh!" the undead ogre screamed.
Crowne infused mana into the edge of his sword, taking a deep breath before exhaling slowly. The aura from the Dwarfwood Chainblade flared intensely, draining a large portion of his mana. But he decided to go for it anyway.
As the Undead Ogre raised its weapon once more, Crowne activated "Wind Step Slash" again. He appeared right in front of the monster—only a few inches apart. In one swift motion, he lifted his sword high, ready to split the undead in half. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novelꞁire.net
The magical energy surged violently, pressing the ground beneath him downward. Even the Undead Ogre almost fell from the force. Crowne swung his blade with all his strength.
Crowne’s body was thrown backward. His chest burned with pain, and he coughed up blood. Instinctively, he turned his head north and saw a cloaked figure watching him from afar. The figure’s gaze was sharp, so sharp it sent shivers down Crowne’s spine.
At that moment, the Dimensional Prison Ring on his hand began to tremble. Velrisa wanted to emerge, but just a second later, the cloaked figure vanished. Before disappearing, however, the figure said something—something only Crowne could hear.
"You’re interesting."
Crowne’s right hand trembled slightly. He could feel a faint sense of fear. "Damn it... who was that?"