The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

A brilliant blue aura surged like waves, sweeping through the air. Elwin raised her hand to her mask. The blue energy emanating from the sword once again passed right through her but tore through the sail, leaving it half-destroyed.

Fwoosh!

The remaining half of the sail unraveled messily, and the heavy mast crashed onto the deck.

Thud!

Crack!

A powerful vibration followed a loud noise. I lost my balance and grabbed the railing near the cabin to steady myself. The fallen mast pierced through the deck, causing the ship to lurch violently as if screaming in pain.

Amidst the chaos, Elwin’s gaze briefly turned to the beetle. The marquis fixed his eyes on it simultaneously.

He’s realized it. We’re supposed to cross the sea using that thing!

”Stop him!” I shouted to Elwin.

Rattle!

I leaped down from the cabin roof, landing on the rain-slick deck without losing my footing. I charged at the marquis, trying to buy even a moment of time, but it was already too late.

The marquis aimed his glowing blue sword at the beetle and glared at it as if it were a living being..

”Does the defendant admit to smuggling criminals across the border?” the marquis shouted.

His pale blue hair fluttered in the fierce rain and wind. The broken helm spun idly, and waves crashed onto the deck.

”Hey! You crazy bastard! Are you trying to kill us all?” Elwin shouted to him.

However, the thunder drowned out Elwin’s voice.

Boom! Crash!

The marquis raised his sword and narrowed his eyes slightly. He stabbed the beetle repeatedly, driving the sword deep into its carapace.

Crackle! Crash!

Sparks erupted from the beetle. Its wings shattered, and its shell crumpled under the assault. As the marquis twisted his sword, trying to rip through the beetle, Elwin swung her hook. The marquis dodged it, retreating to a safe distance.

Elwin quickly inspected the beetle’s condition. A string of colorful curses, unlike anything I’d heard before, spilled from behind her fox mask.

Is this... the end?

Suddenly, something dark began to climb onto the deck.

Thud.

Crash!

Grotesque creatures emerged in groups, clawing their way onto the deck.

Mermaids?

Their torsos were about two meters long. The upper bodies resembled monkeys, while the lower halves were fish-like. Their teeth jutted out in jagged formations, and their hands were sharp like scythes. They looked like they could easily dismember most land animals. Dozens of them swarmed onto the deck all at once toward the marquis.

”This is insane... Skeleton friend! Sorry about this,” Elwin said.

”Do not apologize! How can I assist you?” I asked.

”Sorry... you can’t.”

As Elwin shouted to me, more than twenty mermaids surrounded the marquis, slashing at him wildly with their scythe-like claws.

Whoosh!

The sound of their strikes cutting through the air was deafening. The marquis dispatched the mermaids one by one with his sword.

”Order! Order!” the marquis shouted.

Splatter!

Instead of being pierced, the mermaids burst apart where the sword struck.

”Spectators! Everyone, take your seats!”

Splatter!

”Sit down! Any disruptive spectators will be removed!”

The mermaids crawling toward the marquis were all torn apart by his glowing blue sword. Within seconds, their comrades were reduced to pools of blood, and the remaining mermaids let out terrified cries. They quickly stopped climbing onto the deck.

The marquis turned his sword, dripping with the mermaids’ blood, toward Elwin and me.

”Does the defendant admit to assassinating Emperor Elton Clemens of the Empire on October 17, 1147?” the marquis shouted.

”That lunatic...” Elwin murmured.

”The defendant shows no sign of remorse! Do they admit their guilt?”

Thud! Crash!

At that moment, the ship jolted violently, its speed increasing sharply.

Elwin approached me and whispered, ”The mermaids have gone under the ship. They’re pulling us into the depths. Escape before it’s too late.”

”Escape?” I asked.

”Jump off! Make your way to the shore somehow! Right now, the only thing below is the mermaids. Skeleton friend... you might have a chance to survive.”

The voice behind the mask grew less confident as the storm raged on. Survival seemed impossible in this pitch-black sea. Even if I could live, I couldn’t bring myself to abandon someone who was concerned for me.

The flash of light wasn’t lightning. The marquis swung his sword and scabbard toward us. As if she’d been waiting, Elwin countered with her two hooks to shield me.

Bang!

At the last moment, the marquis adjusted his aim, sending shards of the broken deck flying into the air.

”The defendant killed Emperor Elton... fine! That puppet doesn’t matter! Did the defendant kill the imperial guards? There were at least eighty of them! Did they claim at least eighty lives?”

After that, the marquis stopped attacking me. He didn’t seem to want to finish me off immediately. Instead, he repeatedly targeted the fox-masked sister. Though his attacks never landed, Elwin seemed to be growing tired.

The blue flames in the marquis’ eyes blazed brightly as if they were consuming his very life.

Flutter! Flutter!

I suddenly heard the sound of fluttering wings. A chilling cry rang out nearby.

”Screech!”

A harpy?

Sea harpies swarmed toward the ship, screeching gleefully as if they’d found prey in the middle of the ocean. Unlike the one from T&T’s inner circle that shouted about blasphemy, these harpies had webbed appendages, perhaps adapted for life in the sea.

They resembled a mix of humans, fish, and eagles, each making up about a third of their forms. Fortunately, their attacks were focused on the marquis.

Memories from my time in the Demon King’s army resurfaced. Harpies always prioritized attacking human males if they weren’t clear allies.

Yet, even the harpies’ coordinated strikes made little difference. Two sea harpies simultaneously flew at the marquis with their claws extended.

Just before the attack landed, the marquis took two steps back. Then, with a casual swing of his sword, he countered their attack.

Crack!

The blade sliced through the two harpies simultaneously, cleaving their claws and flesh. The two mangled harpies sprayed a viscous, bloody mist across the deck.

Splash!

A towering wave swept over the deck, washing away the four pieces of their corpses into the sea. The fresh scent of blood from the newly dead blended deeply with the salty air.

”Screech!”

The marquis grabbed the hair of an approaching harpy.

Slash!

He plunged his sword into its chest. The harpy tried to block with its crossed claws, but the blade had already pierced through to its back. Its claws merely scraped against the blade that had impaled it.

Screech!

The marquis pulled the sword downward, the blade cutting through claws and flesh as easily as clay. The harpy’s torso was split entirely in two.

Thud! Thud!

With its severed wrists, its innards spilled out onto the deck in a grotesque cascade.

Elwin wasted no time. She rushed to the beetle and examined the area where the sword had pierced it, trying to get it to operate.

I drew my sword from my pack and stood near her.

If the harpies give up on the marquis... we’ll be their next target.

Then, it happened.

Swoosh!

A massive wave surged up from the left, its spinning spray sweeping across the deck.

Whooosh!

Saltwater seeped between the gaps in my bones, drenching me thoroughly.

”Damn it! The ones clinging to the underside of the ship are speeding it up!” Elwin shouted while pounding on the beetle.

The ship continued to shake violently. The deck was slippery with the mermaids and harpies’ blood, making it difficult to maintain balance.

”This isn’t good... it’s not working...” Elwin sighed and muttered under her breath.

Thunk.

A severed harpy’s head rolled to my feet. I looked around the deck, now a nightmarish scene of gore and dismemberment.

Boom! Crash!

The marquis, drenched in blood, stood alone amid the carnage.

Swoosh!

A pitch-black wave crashed over the shattered bow of the ship. Though it was a well-built vessel, it spun uncontrollably in the storm due to its destroyed helm.

Elwin turned to me and said, ”You’re still here? You don’t even need to breathe! Jump off already!”

I shook my skull.

Clatter.

”I no longer wish to run,” I said.

I tightened my grip on my sword.

”Ha. You’re hopeless,” Elwin spat.

Elwin abandoned the beetle’s repairs and charged at the marquis once more.

Bang!

Crash!

Sparks flew as their clash caused further damage to the ship.

Patter! Patter! Patter!

Heavy rain pounded relentlessly on the damaged ship, hitting the broken planks again and again. The ship was growing more unstable by the second.

Elwin was at a disadvantage. While the marquis attacked without restraint, she was careful to avoid letting her strikes damage the deck or the beetle. She was falling behind in both speed and power, her movements growing visibly strained.

I gripped my sword tightly.

I have to do something.

With a burst of energy, I propelled myself forward into a sprint. As I moved, time seemed to slow, making the raindrops appear sluggish.

I saw the marquis’ back. Spinning my scabbard in parallel, I drew my blade in a horizontal slash.

Iaido!

However, the marquis effortlessly caught my desperate sword swing of my sword between two of his fingers. In the next moment, the scabbard he had been using to crush the mermaids came flying toward my wrist with overwhelming speed and force.

With a dull thud, my right wrist disappeared. The marquis grabbed me by the neck and lifted me into the air in a flash.

Rumble!

”Does the defendant admit to murdering Isabelle Simone of the Imperial Council?!” the marquis yelled.

Isabelle Simone?

The name was unfamiliar.

A formless energy radiated from the marquis’ body, evaporating the rain before it could touch him.

”Does the defendant admit to stripping armor from the corpse of a countess? Does the defendant confess to murder, desecration of a corpse, and the theft of relics?!” the marquis shouted again.

Armor.

There was only one knight whose armor I had taken. It was the commander of the imperial guards, whom the Dullahans had decapitated.

Could it be her?

I reflexively asked the marquis, ”Were you... close to her?”

Clatter. Clatter.

The marquis shook me in the air by my neck. His burning blue eyes flickered momentarily, but he quickly hid it with an even more intense glare.

”Questions are not permitted! Does the defendant admit to murdering Isabelle Simone, desecrating her corpse, and stealing her relics?!”

A strong wave crashed over the side of the ship.

Swoosh!

The ship rocked violently, sweeping most of the harpy corpses and entrails off the deck and into the sea.

Splash!

Crunch! Crunch!

Below, the sound of mermaids noisily devouring the harpy remains filled the air.

”You idiot... I told you, you’re no help! Just run already. What are you doing?!” Elwin shouted.

Elwin continued her assault.

Clatter!

The marquis hurled me toward the cabin.

After dodging Elwin’s attacks, he launched a relentless offensive against her. His glowing blue eyes burned fiercely, consuming his very soul.

”Does the defendant admit to murdering Miyu? Does the defendant admit to killing an innocent horse?!”

A horse?

Shredded flesh and bloodstains were scattered across the scene. No human could have left such remnants and survived. However, the amount of gore seemed excessive for a human.

If the horse threw itself in to protect the marquis...

The situation became clearer. I had misunderstood, assuming the torn flesh belonged to a human.

Elwin let out a weak laugh behind her mask. ”Ha... ha... So you’re Marquis Leandro von Batyenne? Wow... your personality is nothing like the rumors.”

”The defendant’s right to speak is revoked! Does the defendant admit to murdering the thirteen-year-old Miyu?!” the marquis shouted.

”I thought you’d be cool-headed, but you’re a lunatic horse lover... what a freak.”

Then, the sky darkened.

Kaboom!