Akatsuki Translations

《It managed to… evade》-Shizuku

Immediately after receiving the communication from Shizuku, Ur was tripped up by a sudden tremor.

“What’s happening…?” -Ur

The ground was shaking. He first thought that the fortress was about to collapse, but this tremor was accompanied by that “pulsation.” The whole area was shaking. Faced with a phenomenon he had never experienced before, Ur looked around while crouching.

Is the ground shaking? The only things underground are the dungeon and the treants…

“Wait…” -Ur

Shizuku had said they escaped. Escaped. Downward. To the underground dungeon. Toward the…

The tremor intensified. Then, something burst out from various places. Brown, snake-like entities emerged — but upon closer inspection, they weren’t snakes. These creatures, with their rough, stone-like skins, were…

“The ‘roots’?!” -Ur

What appeared to be roots of the treants crawled out from the ground, and not just a few. Countless tree roots sprouted, and they began to destroy the already crumbling fortress.

“Whoa!?” -Ur

“U-Ur-san!!” -Laura

Laura’s scream echoed. But Ur had no time to respond.

The shaking was now more intense than before. Canaan Fortress had already been deteriorating over hundreds of years. It was almost miraculous that it still held its shape. However, after the repeated attacks from the Gashadokuro and this destruction from below, it had reached its limit.

The remaining structure began to collapse. The path between Ur and Laura crumbled, and the destruction continued.

“Jump over here!!” -Ur

“I-I-I can’t!” -Laura

“You’ll die!!” -Ur

In desperation, Laura leaped, and Ur caught her just in time. Immediately after, the ground beneath Ur’s feet also gave way. Shielding Laura, they slid downward, hitting various surfaces along the way. Finally, after a harsh impact on his back, they landed below the defensive wall.

“Guh…!!” -Ur

“A-a-are you okay?!” -Laura

“Some, how…” -Ur

Ur responded to Laura’s worried voice. At least they were physically unharmed. He felt one of his anti-impact accessories shatter — a disposable item for times like this. He comforted himself with that thought as he got up.

“…So, what just happened, and where the hell are we?” -Ur

“The d-dust is too thick to see. A-and I’m sorry, my magic is…” -Laura

“Stay behind me, Laura. Shizuku? Shizuku? … The magic tool’s noise is really bad.” -Ur

Even though he tried to survey his surroundings, visibility was poor. On guard for the appearance of undead soldiers, Ur readied his spear, but no signs of them approaching were felt. Instead…

『……LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!! 』-Skeleton Knight

“Gramps?” -Ur

While an enemy, if he could provide information in this situation, it would be welcome. Ur refocused and prepared for the approaching voice. Soon, from within the dust cloud, a skeletal knight emerged.

The Skeleton Knight raised its voice while rattling its skull.

『Laaaad! We’re in trouble! 』-Skeleton Knight

“What is it?” -Ur

『I’m in top form!! -Skeleton Knight

“I’ll beat the shit out of you, you son of a bitch!” -Ur

He was about to ask for more useful information. But the force of the descending sword took Ur’s breath away. It was truly powerful, even stronger than before. Frantically bracing both feet and supporting his spear against the attack, Ur grimaced at the overpowering strength.

『Nuuh!! 』-Skeleton Knight

Just as he felt like he was about to be overpowered, the knight’s blade stopped abruptly. Seizing the opportunity, Ur parried the blade and distanced himself. ‘In top form’ was an apt description.

Has the knight’s flow of magic power increased? Was it enhanced by that earlier pulsation?

『A Large amount of magic power is being sent to me. However, the sense of starvation is decreasing. I can resist a little longer… What now? 』-Skeleton Knight

Once again, the ground trembled. The sound of something colossal approaching was undeniable.

“Is it the Gashadokuro?” -Ur

The Gashadokuro had been frozen solid by Shizuku’s magic. While it hadn’t shattered completely, there was no way it could move easily. But if that’s the case, then what was this—

『……………ＺＩＩＩＩＩＩ』

The eerie sound of the treants rubbing against one another echoed, accompanied by the ever-nearing tremors.

As the dust settled, Ur caught sight of it. Two massive trees, moving alternately like the legs of a giant, were trampling the destroyed fortress. But it wasn’t just the legs. The torso, both arms, and even the head were all constructed from an amalgamation of treants. A titan made of trees stood before him.

『ＺＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩ！！！！』

The Giant Treant roared.

“Did it… change its body?” -Ur

Had it discarded its immobilized bony vessel and transferred its essence to the massive tree of the underground dungeon? Was such a thing even possible? If it was, it felt like a cheat. If it could just hop from one vessel to another whenever one was about to be destroyed, the inevitable exhaustion would be on Ur’s side.

However, Ur didn’t have the luxury of time to be consumed by fear and confusion. The ground trembled once more. Recalling the previous sight, Ur instinctively leaped to the side. The very next moment, roots from the treant burst forth from the ground where he had just stood.

“After the undead soldiers, now this?!” -Ur

This was not good.

If they approached slowly like the undead soldiers, it might still be manageable. However, the “roots” that suddenly shot out from the ground were incredibly difficult to predict. The only possible warning was a subtle tremor, but ever since the collapse of Canaan Fortress, the ground had been constantly shaking, making it nearly impossible to discern.

“Kyaaah!!!” -Laura

As she spoke, Laura was ensnared by a wooden root that emerged from beneath her feet. The roots quickly wrapped around her, tangling up her legs and swiftly climbing to her torso. This wasn’t a mere restraint; they seemed to dig into her flesh, threatening to crush her bones.

“Ah… Gah!” -Laura

“Damn it!” -Ur

Ur thrust the Dragonfang spear with all his might. No matter how much the exposed roots wriggled like snakes, their base remained stationary. Aiming carefully, Ur’s spear struck and shattered the root, freeing Laura from its grasp.

“Keh… U-Ur, Ur-san!” -Laura

“Keep moving! Get away from here! Don’t stop!” -Ur

After freeing Laura, Ur quickly shouted instructions. She had already been attacked on the Island-Eating Turtle, captured, fought her way out, and exhausted all her magic. She was at her limit. Recognizing this, she desperately nodded at Ur’s orders and began to run.

However, Ur himself was nearing his breaking point. Since their intrusion, he had been constantly battling treants, bandits, undead soldiers, and the Gashadokuro. Even the effects of the potent drug he had taken were wearing thin. Once its effects wore off, he’d be debilitated, unable to move.

“We need to find the main body, quick… Ah?!” -Ur

The wooden roots emerged from the ground once more. Thinking they would bind him, Ur leaped backward. However, the elongated root, now resembling a whip, lashed out at Ur.

“Gah!” -Ur

Ur failed to block it with his shield. The whip-like root struck him squarely, throwing him into a pile of rubble. The last of his anti-impact gear shattered. His last line of defense was gone, and the danger was far from over.

『ＺＩＩＩＩＩＩＩＩ』

“—!” -Ur

With the sound of trees rubbing against each other, more roots sprang from the ground. Gritting against the pain in his abdomen, Ur leaped away from his position.

The situation was deteriorating rapidly, without a moment’s respite. He needed to find a way out, and fast.

『Lad! 』-Skeleton Knight

In the midst of the chaos, the voice of the Skeleton Knight seemed to rush over him. The movement of his arm, gripping the Dragonfang Spear, was sluggish. He thought he should at least brace himself with his shield, but the swing of the Skeleton Knight’s sword was overwhelmingly faster than he could raise his shield.

However, the blade’s arc narrowly missed Ur and instead grazed just above his head.

『ＺＩ！』

From behind, the sword of the Skeleton Knight sliced through the “root” that was about to ambush him.

“G-gramps?” -Ur

『Hold on, lad! Just a bit longer!! 』-Skeleton Knight

The Skeleton Knight shouted, swinging his sword. He did so in Ur’s direction, expertly shifting the tip of the blade to graze past him, tearing through the surrounding tree roots as he did.

『Look at those monstrous trees! They haven’t been completely consumed by the necromancer, nor fully ‘predated’ upon! 』-Skeleton Knight

Heeding the advice, Ur observed. Indeed, the Giant Treant pulsed with a reddish-black glow similar to the Gashadokuro. However, the influence of that glow was minimal. While the tree roots attacked Ur one after another, the main body, the Giant Treant, merely moved around its spot and did not directly target Ur.

Just when it seemed to approach, it suddenly changed direction as if it had lost sight of him. Then it swung its arm in a random direction. Its movements were inconsistent and disjointed.

『It’s cornered, and in its desperation, it has hastily channeled a vast amount of magic to capture its prey! Stand firm! 』-Skeleton Knight

Cornered? Really?!

Ur wanted to scream. But he had to believe they were pushing it back. If they weren’t cornering it, they’d be finished.

His objective remained unchanged. He had to destroy that core.

“Gramps! Do you know where the core of the necromancer is located inside the Treant?!” -Ur

『It’s nearby! 』-Skeleton Knight

“That’s not an answer?!” -Ur

He shouted this time. Without that knowledge, they were at a standstill. If they didn’t know the enemy’s location, how could they defeat it? No matter how many tree roots they cut down here, those treants were merely being controlled — wait, being controlled?

Ur took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He sent air rushing to his brain, trying to get his thoughts spinning.

Think.

If you don’t have innate talent, if you haven’t put in an extraordinary effort, at the very least, don’t stop thinking.

The control of the treants by the “Core” is imperfect.

That much was evident from the movements of the Great Treant. If the control had been complete, Ur would have been crushed by that colossal wooden giant long ago. It’s not like they can freely manipulate it as like the Gashadokuro.

This raises a question.

Would they really hide a vulnerable heart inside the body of such a powerful monster, one they can’t even control properly?

“Ur! Ur!” -Nena

At that moment, a voice called out to Ur. He looked and saw Nena, dodging the tree roots and coming closer.

“Ur! Shizuku-san collapsed after using her magic!” -Nena

Shizuku was leaning heavily against Nena’s back. Ur recognized her symptoms. It was magic exhaustion. She had used advanced magic, consuming her magic power in an instant, and her physical strength had also been drained considerably.

But this might be a good thing.

“Shizuku, wake the hell up!” -Ur

“What are you, a demon?” -Nena

“We’ll die if we don’t hurry.” -Ur

“Shizuku-san, hang in there!” -Nena

Ur forcefully made a semi-conscious Shizuku swallow both a healing potion and a magic recovery potion. Her face was pale blue, but a bit of color returned, and she slowly shook her head. Even in such a situation, she managed to give Ur a faint, yet beautiful smile.

“Ur-sama.” -Shizuku

“You okay?” -Ur

“No problem. Advanced magic is quite draining.” -Shizuku

Relieved, Ur started giving instructions.

“Shizuku, magic.” -Ur

“For an attack?” -Shizuku

“No, something else.” -Ur

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

The necromancer became aware of his state only after some time had passed since “becoming” that way. It was an intense feeling of “hunger” unlike any he had ever felt since mastering the art of necromancy, which roused his consciousness.

He realized he had lost his hands, feet, and entire body, having been completely robbed of his physical form.

His first emotion was shock, followed swiftly by ecstatic joy, and then a rising fury. The trauma of losing his flesh and blood was trivial to him, a man who had always played with the souls of others, including his own, at his whim. And now, his long-held ambition: he was certain he had successfully contributed to the “Malevolent God”. Joy bubbled within him, alongside the anger towards the woman who had killed him.[1]

Those who dare interrupt our noble mission,

They shall not be forgiven. They shall not be pardoned. With their souls they must pay――――

He had been caught off guard and killed by that woman.

But not this time. Because now, he had been blessed with the protection of the “Malevolent God”, the dragon they worshiped. In fact, he could feel the power brimming from within. A sense of omnipotence filled him, quenching his hunger.

He was certain he could consume anything and everything.

Oh, my God! Look! Look upon as thine servant devours the livestock that resides on Isralia!

And so, the necromancer began his rampage. He wielded his power, trying to consume all in his path. It was overwhelming. The Gashadokuro, which originally required the literal expenditure of one’s soul to control, was now entirely at his command. The power to control the souls of others, to dominate monsters, and to “predate” was an overwhelming privilege.

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!!

He swung his power around, brandishing it. Crushing the flies that swarmed around him. It felt good. For the first time in his life, after continuously chipping away souls as a necromancer and having everything whittled away from him, he felt genuine joy.

And so he swung his power around, consumed by it, swung it again, consumed by it again, and on and on—until now, he found himself cornered.

…Huh?

He wondered in bewilderment. Why was he cornered now? Despite gaining power. Despite receiving the protection of the god he worshipped—the “Malevolent God.” Why was he now forced to hide in the dim depths of darkness?

Why? Why? Why?

The answer was obvious to anyone watching from the outside.

He had become the same as the undead soldiers he had once used. For the wicked dragon, he had turned into a convenient, disposable tool. A tool to be used appropriately and then discarded.

Therefore, this outcome was inevitable. Sooner or later, this would have been his fate. It was nothing more than following the same fate as the undead soldiers he had been discarding.

Thus, destruction was imminent.

“【Roar】”

A voice came from the darkness. Moments later, a deafening explosion erupted above him. The ceiling collapsed, and his body, turned into a magical stone, was buried under the rubble. He had no time to comprehend what was happening.

“Pierce.”

Immediately following, a spear struck down from the heavens like a lightning bolt, and he was shattered into pieces.

---

TL Note(s)

[1] Changed “Evil God” to “Malevolent God” since it sounds better