Chapter – 65
“Aren’t you going to ask? Is that really the attitude you use to ask your noona a favor?”
“…….”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
Instead of answering, Carlisle looked back at Maranello.
“They say if you shake anyone, dust will fall out, but you seem to have an awful lot of dust. Did you embezzle the tribe’s funds or something?”
“What kind of bullshi… Argh!”
“Hoho. I see no sign of you learning any manners, my boy.”
“Gaaah!”
Carlisle had sent a request for help in his own way, but Maranello, though aware of it, pretended to focus on Jarkhan and just kept swinging his dust-beater.
‘That sly old fox.’
Carlisle gritted his teeth at Maranello, who was pretending not to notice even though they had clearly made eye contact.
“This is a battlefield. Before I am your noona, I am a high-ranking commander of the Decaron Army. How dare a lowly private speak to a flag officer with that kind of attitude?”
“…….”
“If you really want that dark mage, ask me politely and respectfully. Then my mind might change.”
“Urgh.”
Carlisle tore at his hair in agony.
“What, you don’t want to?”
“No.”
“Do it.”
“Ple… reques…?”
“What was that? Again.”
“Request… please.”
“Properly.”
“Please.”
“Huh?”
“Please. Noona.”
A victorious smile spread across Selena’s lips.
‘Urk.’
Carlisle trembled with a sense of defeat.
For some reason, he felt like he had lost by calling Selena ‘noona’ and asking politely.
“Good, well done.”
“…….”
“Do you only speak properly when pushed this far? What would be wrong with acting like this normally?”
“I did it, now stop.”
“Stop what?”
“I apologized properly, so why are you still lecturing me?”
“Does this sound like a lecture to you?”
“Yeah.”
“Unbelievable.”
Selena’s eyes widened, but Carlisle didn’t even blink.
If it were sword against sword, he wouldn’t stand a chance, but in a staring contest, he could hold his own anytime.
“Keep your promise. As your noona, you shouldn’t say one thing and mean another.”
“You really…….”
Selena was about to say something, but then seemed to change her mind, shaking her head side to side before taking a step back.
“Fine, I’ll keep my promise. As your noona, I can’t say one thing and mean another. Handle that dark mage yourself.”
At that, one of the knights, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
His name was Christian.
He was an aide-de-camp favored by Grand Duke Guntram.
“Miss… no, Brigade Commander. Have you forgotten His Highness the Grand Duke’s order to capture the dark mage alive?”
“Won’t you shut up?”
Carlisle growled at Christian.
“If you open your mouth one more time, I’ll kill you first, so you’d better remember that.”
However, as if Carlisle’s threat didn’t even register, Christian spoke to Selena again.
“Brigade Commander, do you intend to disobey the order? His Highness the Grand Duke’s command was to capture the dark mage alive if possible. Handing him over to Young Master Carlisle here could be construed as insubordination and punis……”
Swish!
Grimmund touched Christian’s neck.
Drip…… .
Grimmund was so sharp that red drops of blood trickled down where the blade made contact.
“I told you, didn’t I? If you open your mouth one more time, I’ll kill you first.”
Gulp, Christian trembled.
It wasn’t really because he was afraid of Carlisle.
Christian was an aide-de-camp favored by Grand Duke Guntram and one of the top three strongest even among non-Sigmunds.
In a one-on-one fight, Carlisle wouldn’t even be a match for Christian.
Nevertheless, the reason Christian flinched was because he had met Carlisle’s eyes.
Fwoosh!
From Carlisle’s eyes, dyed a deep purple, blue will-o’-the-wisps flickered.
Carlisle’s rage and hatred towards Crowley were so intense that even the overwhelmingly stronger Christian couldn’t help but be shaken.
“Keep talking.”
“Tch. Do you know that assaulting a superior officer is punishable by death, Private Carlisle?”
As Christian psh-ed, let out a derisive snort, and tried to press down on Grimmund with his finger, Carlisle pushed the blade deeper.
Dribble!
More blood flowed from Christian’s neck.
“I said I’d kill you.”
“Are, are you going to do this?”
A note of panic entered Christian’s voice.
No matter how much stronger Christian was compared to Carlisle, with a sword at his neck, a wrong move could mean his head really getting cut off.
Moreover, judging by Carlisle’s intensity, he thought Carlisle might actually kill him.
In truth, Carlisle intended to kill Christian.
‘I planned to kill you with my own hands someday, and you walked right into it. You filthy traitor bastard.’
Christian was actually a spy from a rival family and a person who would betray the Sigmund family in the future.
Killing him would only bring benefits, not losses.
The problem was that killing Christian without a plan would make the aftermath incredibly troublesome.
“Both of you, stop. That’s an order.”
Finally, Selena, who could no longer stand by, intervened.
“Sir Christian.”
“Yes, Brigade Commander.”
“Regarding this matter, I, the Brigade Commander and on-site commanding officer, delegate it to Private Carlisle as per my judgment.”
“But……”
“I will take responsibility, so Sir Christian, please say nothing more on this matter.”
“Yes, Brigade Commander.”
Christian bowed his head to Selena and then glanced sideways at Carlisle.
The fact that he didn’t mention the charges of assaulting and threatening a superior officer suggested he didn’t particularly want to make an issue of it.
Of course, there was also the possibility he would act quietly but hold a grudge…
“I kept my promise, so now you handle it. However, I absolutely will not help you, so keep that in mind.”
“I’d refuse help anyway.”
Carlisle felt he had already received enough help.
At the very least, in a one-on-one fight, he didn’t want anyone’s help or interference.
Even if the cost was death.
“You damned bastards……!”
Crowley was genuinely furious.
How dare they bicker amongst themselves over him?
But that was the reality.
“Heh heh. So this is the price for messing with the Sigmunds. Heh heh heh.”
A laugh full of despair suddenly spilled from Crowley’s lips.
Strictly speaking, while Crowley might not be a genius, he was by no means a mage without talent.
After all, if he were a person without magical talent, he wouldn’t have been able to create an undead army.
But although he had devoted his entire life to dark magic, he was nothing more than prey to the young brats of the Sigmund family.
Hadn’t his life’s savings, painstakingly built up—his undead legion—been wiped out by a single stroke of Selena’s sword?
Crowley simply couldn’t accept such irrationality.
Of course, that was only from Crowley’s perspective.
‘I’ll kill him.’
Whether Crowley was angry or not, Carlisle gripped Grimmund and steadied his stance.
‘This is enough.’
By now, Carlisle’s body had recovered enough to fight.
Thanks to Selena’s appearance, he had gained time for the various potions to take effect.
Whooosh!
Carlisle was engulfed in a black aura.
[Alert: Berserk, activated!]
[Alert: 60 seconds remaining until termination!]
The moment Carlisle activated [Berserk], the unique power of the Sigmunds, he charged at Crowley.
“How dare you!”
Crowley roared and swung his wand.
Swish, swish!
Dozens of spears made of bone poured towards Carlisle.
‘I can see them.’
Chwak, chwarak!
Grimmund danced wildly, slicing through all the spears.
“Even if you are a Sigmund, do you think I’ll lose to a brat like you?!”
Crowley shouted furiously, showering Carlisle with various curses.
[Alert: Magic Nullified!!!]
However, against Carlisle, who had transformed into the [Nether King] through Bloodline Awakening, Crowley’s curses had ‘absolutely’ no effect.
One of the specialties of dark mages is weakening enemies through curses.
But if that doesn’t work?
It was no different from fighting with limbs cut off.
Moreover, not only curses, but even restraints like [Skeletal Shackles] had no effect on Carlisle.
“My minions! What are you doing?! Attack him now, I say!”
“…….”
Crowley commanded the few remaining corpse soldiers and death knights, but for some reason, their response was very passive.
Generally, undead are beings bound to the dark mage who created them.
For them to be passive in following orders was an extremely unusual occurrence.
“Attack him! Now!”
It was only after Crowley infused his skull-shaped wand with a massive amount of dark mana, strengthening his control over them, that the undead reluctantly moved.
“O thou who dwellest in the prologue of the vast netherworld……”
A prayer flowed from Carlisle’s lips.
It wasn’t something anyone had taught him, nor was it memorized.
He just knew it.
By the power of the ancient, monstrous gods engraved in the bloodline of the Sigmund family.
“Awaken the karma of the dead, bind the souls, and let the blade of judgment fall upon the sinful flesh. O Grathim, First Archduke of Hell… answer my call.”
Chwa, chwaaaaaaaaaaa!
Hundreds of blades surged from the ground, piercing the bodies of the undead charging at Carlisle and sealing their movements.
“Grrrl!”
“Gwak, Guwaak!”
While the undead were trapped in the [Blade Hell], Carlisle quickly closed the distance to Crowley.
“……!”
A startled Crowley hurriedly summoned a shield made of bone to block Carlisle’s assault.
Clang, Kaaang!
Grimmund relentlessly struck down on the bone shield.
Crack, craack!
With each swing of Grimmund’s blade, bone fragments scattered in all directions as the shield shattered.
“Kheuk, Kheuuk!”
Crowley tried desperately to escape Carlisle’s onslaught, but as a dark mage who had devoted his entire life to the study of dark magic, close combat with a swordsman like Carlisle was inevitably burdensome.
Moreover, wasn’t Carlisle in a state of [Berserk] activated through Bloodline Awakening?
‘Now.’
Soul Severing Sword, Piercing Heart.
The ultimate thrust pierced through the bone shield, aiming for Crowley’s heart.
Stab!
Grimmund pierced Crowley’s heart.
“Khek, Keheuk!”
Blood gushed from Crowley’s mouth.
“Si, Sigmund brat… You coward……”
It seemed Crowley found it unbearably unfair that things had gone wrong due to Selena’s interference.
For a necromancer who controls undead to complain about it being unfair…
“Tch.”
A scornful smile appeared on Carlisle’s lips.
“What, are you upset that I called her noona?”
“Khek, Keheuk!”
“If you’re upset, you call her noona too.”
“Th, that’s not something to… Keheuk!”
“Ah. Don’t you have a noona to call?”
Carlisle said as he pulled Grimmund out of Crowley’s chest with a shluck.
Thud!
Crowley collapsed, kneeling on the spot.
“Then again. A piece of trash like you probably has no family. Even if you did, they probably all left you.”
“Th, that……”
Was it because death was before his eyes?
Crowley’s face twisted mercilessly, as if he had been hurt.
“You won’t rest in peace even after death. Just like you enslaved the dead.”
Chwaaaaaaa!
Stab, stabbab!
Dozens of blades surged from the ground, piercing Crowley’s entire body as if filleting him.
And then…
Ah, no! Nooooooooo! Please, please don’t take me! Pleeeeeease!
A mournful wail echoed.
It was the scream of a sinful soul being dragged to hell.
