Chapter 34: Ruler Of The Dead

-----

It was a group of at least six Demonic Humans. They were probably not as strong as the one guy I fought back in the first dungeon I got trapped in, but six against one was still harsh. Well, Fenrir was here to help out, but would that be enough?

At first, Fenrir tried to run away as fast as he could. But they surrounded us while bringing out forcefully tamed monsters with them. The monsters were dozens Glacial Wolves led by yet another Giant Glacial Wolf. And of course, there was also a Giant Polar Bear Tyrant, both of these guys were C+ Rank.

Fenrir was forced to stop. He was only a doppelganger of his true strength and was rather limited in what he could do. He glared around and gritted his teeth.

"Anna, stay put; I'll open the way and escape in time." He said.

"No, we can't just keep running away, even less when these bastards will probably chase us down and kill us eventually." I said. "Also, don't you see them? Their faces are covered in blood, and their eyes look like rabid dogs; these demons have already preyed on some innocents here."

"Tsk, to think you would be the same kind of fool as your brother!" Fenrir sighed. "So what's your plan? I could at least deal with most of them, but they'll overwhelm us with their numbers."

"I have a trick," I said with a smile.

"Trick?" Fenrir felt confused.

The Demonic Humans slowly approached us, looking down on us while riding their forcefully tamed monsters. One of the powers that the Stigma of Leviathan granted to their demonic humans was the power to enslave monsters that were overpowered by the user—nothing similar to taming them or befriending them.

"You must be somehow related to the bastard named Jack, aren't you?" Said one of the Demonic Humans, a black-haired man with brown eyes. "That black dog with you... Ah! You must be his damn sister!"

"So it's her!"

"Gahahhaha!"

"Jackpot!"

"IT'S REALLY HER!"

The Demonic Humans began growing more and more happy as they realized I was Jack's sister. Indeed, I can tell why they're so happy. After all, one of the subleaders of the Leviathan Demonic Cult is nobody else than Rick, the bastard who used to treat my brother like trash when he was a Porter and the one who also threw him into the middle of a swarm of monsters to escape in time.

My brother must have already found him, and the two are probably fighting right now. He's strong, but against the Protagonist, it shouldn't be so hard. He was only a mob in the story, after all. Though things could go differently this time, I am almost sure.

"Then there's no reason to hold back, right?"

"We can slowly chew her little arms and legs."

"Oh man, I can't wait to bite that pretty face of hers."

"I want to slurp her eyes!"

"I bet her blood must be so sweet and refreshing."

The Demonic Humans slowly started transforming, taking on aberrant half-beast forms. The powers Leviathan granted to his slaves included the ability to turn into half-beast monsters. Most of the time, mammals such as wolves, bears, cats, or rats would become their half-beast forms.

They were coming at any second.

"Fenrir, make way!" I said.

"Huh?!"

I quickly opened my inventory and dropped several monster corpses around the snow, including the Giant Glacial Wolf corpse, which was lacking a head. It was still good enough. Alongside him, there were dozens of Abyssal Dweller Corpses and other bugs from the first dungeon, such as Black Spiders, Cannibal Mantises, or Giant Cockroaches, all of them around E Rank. Of course, when I grabbed such corpses, they suddenly became D-Rank.

"What is she doing?!"

"Hahaha! Are you desperate?! We won't just let you go by giving us some monster corpses!"

"Our hunger cannot be satiated with these ugly bugs; we want that delicious flesh of yours!"

"And we'll get it!!!"

A large bear man jumped straight towards me from my back as I concentrated my Mana into my surroundings and imbued it into each corpse.

"Rise."

[The effects of the [Ruler of the Dead (S)] Skill has taken effect!]

[The Corpses of the Dead had taken your Mana and Ki as sufficient sacrifices for their temporary servitude!]

Suddenly, all the corpses began moving. Some of their body parts were repaired, gaining skeleton-like parts, even the bugs. They started overflowing with phantasmal auras as their bodies started moving even after death.

[The Souls of the Dead have answered your call!]

[You have raised several Undead at once!]

[Amongst them, the [Giant Glacial Wolf Zombie (B Rank)] seems to be the strongest.]

"Assign as commander," I said with a smile.

By pointing my finger at the wolf, a sudden power reached it. His entire body evolved as he grew larger and more ferocious, with an armor made of bones and an even stronger phantasmal aura, which now turned red.

[You have assigned the [Giant Glacial Wolf Zombie (B Rank)] as your Undead Commander for the duration of his summoning.]

[The [Giant Glacial Wolf Zombie (B Rank)] has evolved into a [Giant Glacial Reaper Wolf (A Rank)]!]

"AWOOOHH!"

The newly raised Undead howled into the skies, unleashing a powerful and frightening aura around our surroundings. The weaker Glacial Wolves were instantly paralyzed, while the other monsters became wary of him, even the Demonic Humans.

[The [Giant Glacial Reaper Wolf (A Rank)] has activated the [Howl of the Dead (B)] Skill!]

[All foes' Stats have decreased by -15%]

[Weaker foes have been inflicted with [Paralysis]!]

"W-What the…?!"

"That damn little bitch's a necromancer?!"

"I thought the only one in the entire country was that one bastard?!"

"How come this little girl has an S-rank ability such as Necromancy?"

"S-Shit, the wolves are paralyzed!"

As the Demonic Humans were shocked by the news, Violet and the Undead Wolf attacked the bear-like half-beast with their strongest attacks. Two powerful slicing attacks and a deadly beam of phantasmal power reached the bear half-beast, blowing him out of the ground and throwing him down onto the floor, his legs were suddenly gone.

"W-Wha…?! My legs?!" He cried. "You damn bitch! Kill them!!!" He desperately ordered the Giant Polar Bear Tyrant to attack us as the beast rushed towards us. However, a slashing attack made of flames received it, and I attacked it from above Fenrir, while the rest of my Undead Army started attacking everyone else.

"Kill them all! Fight even if your bodies fall apart!" I ordered them.

The swarm of Undead insects jumped over our foes while Violet and the Undead Wolf started attacking the Giant Polar Bear Tyrant, working as tanks while I attacked it from the rear.

"T-This… What the heck, kid?! You're a damn necromancer!" Fenrir was surprised. "You didn't have such power before! W-Where did you get it?!"

"I just awakened it," I said, without intending to tell the truth about its origins. Nobody would believe I fought Anubis and stole his weigher, right?

The bear half-beast Demonic Human was quickly finished off by my swarm of bugs, but the other five were much stronger, devastating my bugs easily and tearing them apart with their bare hands. Their jaws and stingers didn't do much damage to them, and they seemed to be able to innately resist poison too.

Unlike the wolf, the others weren't able to rise to D Rank, only the Commander seems to have such a privilege. And once their bodies are completely torn apart, they can't really move once more and become useless even to rise back once more.

"Hah, aside from that big wolf, you don't seem to be that big of a deal; your Undead are insanely weak- UGH?!"

One of the remaining five Demonic Humans suddenly vomited blood. As he realized his entire body was turning purple-colored, the venom of all these bugs was finally working, even more so when I made sure to preemptively fill their venom glands with my own, super deadly venom made using my Skill.

"Aarrgh! M-My body…!" The man began squirming on the floor, trying to grab a potion to heal himself. However, Fenrir reached him and took him down with a single blow to the head, crushing it into the floor.

CRASH!

"These beast bastards are strong, but that venom was pretty good!" Fenrir praised me. "Did you think about this beforehand?!"

"We'll discuss this later," I said, quickly jumping into action as I left Fenrir. "Take care of her!"

"Wait, where are you going?!" Fenrir chased me down only to be surrounded by two Demonic Humans, while two more targeted me.

They were a wolf-like half-beast and a rat-like half-beast, both ugly as hell.

"Do you think you can handle us by yourself or something, little lady?" The rat bastard wondered, giggling evilly as he crushed my bugs with his bare hands.

"Some of the weaker idiots must have died already, but we aren't as weak." The wolf-faced one spoke.

"I know," I said with a smirk. 

The two only grew angrier over my cockiness. It was intentional; I wanted them to be as angry as possible.

"You're too cocky…"

"We'll have to kill you fast; I am getting tired of your SHIT!"

The two jumped at the same time towards me. I quickly pointed my empty hand at one of them while they were in midair, unleashing a beam of Sunshine into his eyes.

BOOOM!

"Uuaargh! My Eyes!"

The rat-faced bastard rolled over the snowy floor while screaming, as his eyes had been roasted and he was unable to see. However, the wolf half-beast managed to land a few hits.

"Die! You little shit!"

However, what received the blows wasn't my body, but a big red-colored spartan shield. Indeed, this was the item I had acquired a while back, the [Bastion's Shield (C Rank)]!

-----

[Bastion's Shield]

{Item Type}: [Shield] [One Handed] 

{Item Quality}: [C Rank]

{Item Requirement}: [None]

{Item Durability}: [5000/5000]

{Item Effects}

[DEF]: [+1000] [HP]: [+400] [STR]: [+25] [VIT]: [+50]

{Item Abilities}

[Bastion's Fortress]: A Powerful Shield that was once wielded by a large bastion of heavily armored warriors. Whenever it takes a hit, it'll increase the user's DEF by +1% for a maximum of +20%, and it'll decrease a foe's ATK by -1% for a maximum of -15%. Can Restore Durability With Blood.

-----

This was one hell of a shield, and it was only C Rank! I haven't used it before because it was so heavy that I couldn't even lift it. But now? That's different; with my current strength, I can lift it with a single hand.

"What is that shield?!" Asked the wolf half-beast.

I imbued my Sunshine Skill into the shield and then slammed the wolf half-beast with it.

"{Shield Charge}!"

BAAAM!

The wolf half-beast rolled over the floor. The attack of a Shield Charge is comparable to the Durability of a shield, and this shield's Durability was 5000!

"W-What the fuck are you?!"

"She's stronger than I imagined."

[Several Constellations are asking for more battles!]

[Some are requesting that you crush your foes mercilessly.]

[The Constellations have sponsored 500 Plot Points.]

[The Cosmic Throne {Warrior That Seeks Calamity} is pleased by your fighting spirit!]

[Due to the sheer impression he has taken on you, he has offered you a {Special Quest}!]

[You have been offered a {Special Quest}: [Mercilessly crush all the Demonic Humans with your own strength!]

[Conditions]: [Kill at least 4 Demonic Humans.]

[Rewards]: [A [Privilege] of the Incarnation of the {Warrior That Seeks Calamity}]

[Failure]: [The disappointment and no further sponsorship from the {Warrior That Seeks Calamity}]

Ugh, he's giving me one hell of a quest! If I can get this Privilege, my fighting abilities will improve tremendously. Alright, then if you want blood, I'll give you blood, Ares. I pointed my index finger at the dead half-beasts, imbuing Mana into their corpses.

"{Rise}!"

[The Effects of the [Ruler of the Dead (S)] Skill has taken effect!]

[The Corpses of the Dead had taken your Mana and Ki as sufficient sacrifices for their temporary servitude!]

There was no way I was going to miss these guys.

-----