Encore 8 — Right on Time (IV)

"That's... not a Lich."

I said when I reached the end of the tunnel. I entered another room, the boss room. Strangely enough, the boss wasn't a Lich but a Skeletal King. Something way stronger than a Lich.

[Hello there, human.]

"You... You can speak?"

The Skeletal King was sitting on a throne. His sword was in front him. He was dressed in silver armour, with his helmet on the arm of the throne.

[You are the first to enter this area. I was getting bored.]

He rose from his throne and put his helmet on before taking the sword out of the ground.

First one? Then, does that mean...

"You're the boss of this dungeon, right?"

I asked, taking Dawn and Dusk out.

Remember, I have two electromagnetic grenades and a Diverter.

[That, I am.]

I was right.

"What's down that other tunnel?"

[A Lich. Because of the tracks, humans use that as a clue and follow it and die by the hands of that Lich. However, you--]

He raised his sword and pointed it at me.

[You are a formidable opponent. You are the first to come here. I know because you came in a group of four but only you are here. Meaning, you argued with your teammates and came here.]

For an Imperi, this guy's perceptiveness is better than most humans. He had only a little information but used it to pry his way to a definitive conclusion.

It'll be dangerous if he breaks out of this dungeon.

I'll need to sharpen the Fire spell I'm using to be able to pierce his armour.

I aimed with Dawn.

"Infernal Bullet."

I fired.

The bullets that came out were faster, bigger, and had much more force compared to the bullets of True Flame.

The Skeletal King deflected it with a slice of his sword.

"Impressive that you can cast with only words. Or, perhaps is it the doing of that gun in your hand?"

Not only is his perceptiveness frightening but also the way he structures his sentences.

He rushed in toward me.

I already know what I'm aiming for but I can't let him suspect anything. To defeat him, I'll need to use Hollow Void.

He sliced at me several times at incredible speeds. It took me most of what I had to dodge.

The weight of the bag, though it wasn't so much, disrupted with the speed of my dodges.

Suddenly, I felt something push me back.

He kicked me in the stomach and looked at me, instead of rushing in.

I threw an electromagnetic grenade at him.

[What in the--Ahhhhhhhhhhh!]

The grenade exploded and the Skeletal King was shocked within a sphere of lightning.

He broke out of the sphere of lightning and dashed toward me, almost as if he was unfazed by it.

The Skeletal King swung at me, narrowly missing.

I shot him in the chest with Infernal Bullet but the bullet merely rebounded.

Not even Infernal Bullet can damage him.

Before he was able to raise his sword, I shot his arm so that it would take longer to raise his sword.

In response, the Skeletal King sent another kick at my head; I blocked but was pushed back.

God, this Skeletal King does not even fight like a knight. I've read about Skeletal Kings. They're not supposed to talk and they only use their swords but...

I narrowly dodged his next slash.

[What a scampering fellow you are.]

He said.

I nervously smirked before jumping backwards.

An electromagnetic grenade was used and it barely did anything. I have one more of those and a Diverter.

I doubt he'd let me leave. What's bothering me is the fact that disarming him won't do anything.

The usual strategy for fighting a Skeletal King is to disarm it so that it can't fight but this Skeletal King can fight unarmed...

The next plan I formulated in my mind was a foolish one.

I shouldn't do it but... it's the only way. There's no point in protecting myself with his level of observation. I'll have to distract him by attacking continuously.

[Have you finished trying to make a plan for defeating me?]

The Skeletal King primed himself. The stance he took looked familiar to me.

"Blade Emperor Style…"

There's no way the boss of a dungeon would know a man-made sword style.

Blade Emperor is an offensive sword style and the most popular sword style all over the world. A dungeon boss can't leave the dungeon unless there's a dungeon break, so...

How does he know such a style? Unless...

"Were you... human?"

The Skeletal King dashed toward me with his sword by his side.

"Shit, there's no time to regret my actions now."

I went into my pouch and threw the Diverter into the space in front of us.

[What?!]

Fuck. I regret it.

The Diverter blasted a high-frequency tune, immobilising the Skeletal King and making my body and my mind separate.

I couldn't move my body, I just swayed uselessly, similar to the Skeletal King.

After a few seconds, I was able to move my fingers and so I shot my foot.

"...!"

I gritted my teeth, baring the pain.

Swiftly, I turned Dawn to the Skeletal King and did not hesitate to use my next spell.

"Hollow Void."

The torso and head of the Skeletal King vanished, leaving only the arms and legs to drop to the ground.

I dropped to my knee, exhausted from using a lot of mana.

My body began eating itself, inside out. It was probably due to using Hollow Void too many times in a short period.

Shit! It's so agonising!

I held my stomach and bit my lip so that no scream would escape.

Oh, fuck...

I'm losing consciousness...

[Nice try, human.]

I heard the voice of the Skeletal King.

Crap... I'm dead.

·———·

"...n. It's a surprise that we're still here after all of that."

I woke up to voices speaking.

"She let us go out of pity."

"We barely got to Kazuya in time too."

This time, Ms Kin spoke.

"That Skeletal King was all battered and without armour. Beating him was fairly easy."

The red-haired teacher seemed to be boasting.

"Well, isn't that thanks to me?"

I asked with a croaky voice.

Shit, my whole body is aching. It feels like my muscles are being pulled apart.

"Oh, you're awake."

"Say, what time is it?"

I suddenly remembered my bet with the old man.

"The time?"

Isla repeated. She took out her phone.

"11:23 am."

I smirked.

"Right on time."