Chapter 170
“Ugh….”
Drip, drip—
The floor collapsed.
Dust rose in a thick cloud.
Eric, regaining his senses amidst the fallen debris, quickly stood up and looked around.
‘Where is this…?’
A narrow passage.
Familiar walls.
And, crucially, the massive corpse of a tiger in the distance.
‘Damn it. I had to pass right under it…’
This was the tunnel they had passed through after defeating the two Named enemies.
Seeing how much deeper it went than he had initially felt during the fight, Eric tensed and picked up a fallen sword.
“Hm.”
As he bent to grab the sword, his body creaked as if something had caught it.
Thanks to <Anesthesia>, he didn’t feel pain, but even so, it was clearly uncomfortable to move.
Outwardly, nothing seemed wrong, but it was obvious he had seriously injured his back or something when he fell.
‘This is inconvenient…’
And of all times, he had gotten injured while separated from the three priests.
If he had been on the surface, even from a distance, they could have supported him with healing magic. But being deep inside this tunnel, out of sight, even Gregory would have trouble helping him.
‘I have no choice. I’ll just have to hold out as best I can.’
Still, the situation wasn’t entirely hopeless.
At least Yubatus had fallen into the tunnel as well, so Eric could at least pin him down for a while.
‘If I can just hold on a little longer, Haster will bring the three of them here.’
Steeling himself, Eric gripped his sword tightly and watched the swirling dust.
He couldn’t see Yubatus clearly, but judging from where the monster had originally stood, he had a rough idea of its location.
If he could just keep a proper distance, he could avoid attacks even in these conditions…
“Are you alright, my lord?”
Just as he was preparing, a voice came from above. Eric raised his head slightly.
“Wait just a bit! I’ll come down right away—”
“Aurora, don’t come! Go with Serus and bring Haster and the others!”
“Y-Yes? Haster and the priests?”
Eric shook his head at Aurora, sending her to Haster.
Originally, he had planned to face the Demon Lord together with Aurora and Serus, but under these circumstances, sticking to the original plan would have been a grave mistake.
No matter how many people were present, it was impossible to hold out against such a monstrous opponent without the priests’ help.
The priority was to clear nearby monsters with Haster and bring Gregory and the other priests to the tunnel’s entrance.
‘Besides… if it’s not going to be me, Serus, and the others together, it’s actually easier to handle this alone.’
Aurora’s high agility could distract Yubatus, but without Serus supporting her, the effect wouldn’t last long.
If Aurora left temporarily, there was no need to waste time diverting Yubatus’s attention.
He had the <Frost Walk> and <Necromancer Lord> traits anyway.
‘Of course, even with those, I can’t hold out forever against this monster… but I can at least last until the twins bring Haster and the three priests.’
“Done with the chatter?”
After sending Aurora away, Eric remained alone in the tunnel for a moment.
Through the dust settling around him, Yubatus finally emerged and approached in a single bound.
Whoosh—
Before Eric could even respond, a greatsword flew overhead.
KA-BOOM!
Eric hastily raised his mana and watched as the massive sword crashed through the wall behind him, lodging itself in the debris. Cold sweat dripped down his face.
“Jump scare… Couldn’t you at least give me time to answer?”
“Krhahaha. But you dodged pretty well. The floor ice… They say the new goddess’ dog can wield power similar to ours. Seems it’s true.”
Yubatus pulled the sword out of the wall in one motion and turned to examine Eric with a gleam of interest.
Even though he had moved quickly with <Frost Walk> and barely avoided the sword, the shockwave from hitting the wall had almost thrown him off balance.
‘This monster… is way too relaxed.’
A frontal confrontation was impossible.
He never intended to face him head-on, but the sheer power alone required caution.
Even the shockwave alone could make him stagger.
‘I’ll need to keep even more distance.’
Keeping distance from a faster monster was difficult, but there was no choice.
At least with <Frost Walk>, freezing the floor while moving was advantageous, especially in this debris-strewn environment.
“Is that all? Come on, show me all the strength you used to kill that pig!”
Crack— KA-BOOM!
Unlike before, Yubatus shouted with excitement and charged forward, shattering the ice under his feet.
Eric summoned mana toward the nearby tiger corpse.
Grrr…
The beast groggily rose and let out a deafening roar.
“…Quinodon?”
Seeing the Quinodon lunge at him with cloudy eyes, Yubatus blinked in surprise.
“Necromancy? Hahaha! The goddess’ dog really knows how to use that annoying power!”
KRAHH!
The Quinodon intercepted Eric, slashing its claws toward its former master.
Yubatus laughed incredulously and swung the greatsword with full force at his former subordinate.
Whoosh— CRUNCH!
The terrifying sound of wind cutting flesh.
The Quinodon’s body split in two with a single blow. Eric’s face twisted in shock.
‘Even as an undead, weakened by <Necromancer Lord>, a Named with 160 HP shouldn’t die in one hit.’
He had hoped it would last at least a few swings.
Instead, the corpse fell instantly, and Eric raised his mana even higher.
“Alright, what’s next… hmm?”
Crack—
Fortunately, it wasn’t a big problem.
The Quinodon was only meant to buy him a moment. Its job was done until his allies arrived.
Shhhhrrr—!
Cold spread outward from Eric.
The thin ice creeping like spiderwebs from his feet reached Yubatus, instantly encasing his lower body.
“Oh? So it’s not just for running like a little rat.”
Yubatus looked impressed, and Eric swiftly moved behind him.
“Fun, but this alone won’t take down that pig. Curious.”
Crack— Click!
Just as he aimed for Yubatus’s heart, the ice cracked and shattered.
“How did you manage to take down Tritus?”
KA-CRASH!
Through the flying ice shards, Eric’s sword barely slipped through Yubatus’s armor.
Yubatus spun and grabbed the sword in his powerful hand.
‘This idiot…’
Eric hadn’t expected to end him here, but he thought he could at least land a scratch.
Never imagined it would be blocked so easily.
‘Damn it. If only my back weren’t injured…’
“Is that all you’ve got? Pathetic little trick.”
Even as he struggled, Yubatus smiled and lifted the greatsword, seemingly ready to finish him. Eric gritted his teeth, ready to drop the sword—
“Lord!”
From afar, a voice called out from the collapsed tunnel.
Shreak— Thud—!
The greatsword above Yubatus hit something and tilted aside.
“…Them.”
Yubatus turned his displeased gaze toward the source.
“Master! Are you alright?”
“Wait just a moment. I’ll heal you soon!”
Eric looked up and saw them peering down from the top of the tunnel. He smiled brightly.
“Yubatus. Did you have fun?”
Haster and the twins.
And the three priests standing behind them.
“Now it’s our turn, you damn bastard.”
It was time for the counterattack.
