Everyone Else is a Regressor - Chapter 43

◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (43)

Chapter 9. Didn’t I Also Change Jobs for the Second Time? (3)

Despite being undead, she possessed a chillingly beautiful appearance, with long, flowing black hair.

Her lower body was indistinct, as if cut off at the waist.

Not just a lower undead moving only by the instinct of slaughter, she was a higher undead, an entity whose soul was shrouded in darkness, executing death of her own volition.

Facing the Banshee draped in a tattered cloak and screaming, Lucy shouted with a sharp voice.

-It’s her, Contractor! The woman who attacked you last night and died!

“Right. I thought she had just turned into a zombie, but who would’ve thought she’d become such a named monster.”

After the Banshee’s appearance, KiJun’s first concern was the safety of the other soldiers.

Like the Dullahan, who was a harbinger of death in Irish mythology, the Banshee had also transformed, now able to kill directly with her cries.

Fortunately, due to the fierce battle with the Dullahan, the troops had retreated far enough.

Almost every zombie and ghoul had been obliterated in the midst of KiJun and the Dullahan’s fight, casting an eerie silence over the area.

“Quite the chatterbox for a dead being.”

Tolchi raised his voice first, wielding his greatsword.

KiJun also raised his shield, but Tolchi declared firmly.

“I’ll handle this. Jun, protect the other soldiers.”

“What? It’s better if we attack together…”

“Haaap!”

The muscle-brained knight ignored KiJun’s suggestion, charging at the Banshee with a shout.

The Banshee, teasingly floating in the air, bombarded him with various dark magics.

“Die, dieee!”

“Already dead and still so presumptuous!”

Tolchi, with his power-infused greatsword, wiped out the magics created by the Banshee.

Watching Tolchi’s prowess, KiJun realized he was on par with himself and, while observing their fight, felt something stirring his senses.

Simultaneously, Lucy, sensing the same, confirmed and alerted him.

-Shadows! Not just one or two, they’re… trying to enter the city! From other walls too!

“Damn…!”

KiJun instinctively poured spirit power into Lucy to emit light, but then he remembered he was pretending to be a Flame Human and urgently added Ur’s name.

“Leave the detection to me!”

Lucy, powered by KiJun’s spirit power, spread out from him, creating a network of light that covered the area.

To the unperceptive, this web of light, made of spirit power, zigzagged, covering all four walls of the city in less than 0.01 seconds.

“Got them all!”

“Queeit!”

Lucy, having located the enemies at the speed of light, shared this information, and immediately Ur ignited flames.

In a flash, bright flames mixed with Lucy’s light burst forth from the walls, incinerating the Shadow Wraith squads attempting to infiltrate the city.

The spectacle was so grand, it could have been mistaken for a rock concert in a small town from afar.

“Aaaagh!”

“Kieeeek!”

From all sides, the Wraiths burned to death, their horrific screams echoing.

Specialized in stealth, the Wraiths, unparalleled in covert operations, were extremely vulnerable to light, making KiJun’s spirit magic a fast-track to their doom.

“What, what?!”

“My shadow’s burning…!”

Caught up in their own chaotic battles, the soldiers realized too late about the Wraiths’ infiltration but found them all incinerated, rendering the situation irrelevant.

-Your level has reached 15, increasing Light Mana Power (L) by 2, Spirit Power (L) by 1.

-Successfully controlling simultaneous flames to suppress the targets. Your spirit, assisted by another spirit, rediscovers higher-level spirit magic. Fire Spirit Magic (R) has reached level 49!

-A hidden quest objective has been achieved. A potentially fatal incident has been perfectly prevented, significantly increasing the quest reward!

The experience from the Shadow Wraiths was so substantial that KiJun leveled up once more, despite having just gained three levels from battling the Dullahan.

It was to be expected, as each Shadow Wraith was considered a rare mob, difficult to find and challenge, thus granting substantial experience.

The enemy’s resolve to form an assassination squad from such rare mobs was indeed remarkable.

“Youuuuuu!”

Realizing that their most crucial strategy had been foiled by KiJun’s extraordinary sensing and quick action, the Banshee, abandoning the knight she was fighting, charged at KiJun. But for Tolchi, this became an excellent opportunity.

“Die, phantom!”

Just as when he struck down the Lizardman boss monster’s head, Tolchi’s sword, aglow with all his might, aimed for the Banshee’s head but…

“Boom!”

“Kuk?!”

Struck by a spear flying from nowhere, Tolchi’s trajectory twisted, slicing off only one of the Banshee’s arms instead of her head.

“Aaaaah!”

The Banshee’s agonizing scream filled the walls.

Though soldiers on the east wall had already retreated, the scream was so terrible that even those in the safe zone fell, bleeding from their ears, noses, and mouths – incapacitated.

Suddenly, KiJun and Tolchi found themselves alone in defending the vast wall.

-The Banshee Avenger’s Scream brings death to the area! However, your Legendary Charisma almost completely nullifies it!

-[Unbreakable Internal Clock (L)] strongly resists physical and mental interference.

-Resistance successful. [Adamant (L)] receives positive adjustment.

Simultaneously, KiJun received a message, reminiscent of something familiar.

The name of an avenger, huh… But before he could dwell on it, Adamant, still enhanced from battling the Dullahan, strengthened again, now almost producing effects of a higher grade.

Despite the accumulated fatigue, only recoverable through sufficient sleep, KiJun’s injuries and exhaustion were all disappearing!

“It’s you… you’re the ones who ruined today.”

Just as KiJun was about to charge at the Banshee, a languid male voice halted him.

“You’ve messed up today.”

Beneath the bright full moon, a nobleman-like man appeared, stylishly dressed in a frock coat extending to his knees.

Wearing polished shoes and a mage’s silk hat, he would pass for a gentleman even in England, if not for the absurdly long and sharp sword, the Estoc, he held in each hand.

Feeling his overwhelming presence, KiJun sensed the man was the final boss of this Overflow, and Lucy exclaimed.

-Ah, dual swords! Other than the Contractor, it’s my first time seeing someone wield a weapon in each hand!

“Dual swordsmanship is usually a show-off technique thought cool only by the user. Nothing compares to my perfect double-shield technique.”

Ironically, Lucy seemed to understand what KiJun meant by ‘only the user thinks it’s cool’ when he criticized dual swordsmanship, influenced by Bice’s brainwashing.

“Even if it’s just for excuses, I have to eliminate the source of trouble. Let’s start with the stronger one first.”

The man who had effortlessly descended from the air, pointing his elongated, spike-like swords at Tolchi, casually turned to the Banshee, who was holding her severed shoulder and wailing.

“You deal with that one. Finish it quickly and I’ll give you this one’s corpse as a reward.”

“Fuuuugh…!”

The Banshee, tears of blood streaming down her face, rose into the air, targeting KiJun with her remaining palm.

“I’ll kill you…!”

“Alright, this time I’ll end it perfectly.”

KiJun, sensing something odd in the exchange between the gentleman and the Banshee, lifted his shield.

Already in peak condition from repeated leveling up and the strong correction provided by Adamant, KiJun was ready. The gentleman probably judged him weaker than Tolchi based on his seemingly poor armament. But…

KiJun was originally not a Summoner but a Tanker. After acquiring Adamant, his bare body surpassed even a knight in full armor, a fact the gentleman was unaware of.

‘Better to end the leader quickly to minimize damage. First, the weaker Banshee!’

Despite the Banshee’s intensified wailing, KiJun had already resisted her cries. He charged towards her, absorbing all the black magic she hurled at him without pause.

“Stop, stop it!”

Terrified by his relentless assault, the Banshee ceased her wailing, unleashing all her magic power against KiJun.

Yet, he seemed to pass through the magic unscathed, as if it didn’t exist.

“Beep-beep…!”

The Shock Absorber reached its limit from the black magic’s impact, emitting a noisy alarm.

KiJun thought it had served him well during the fight with the Dullahan, thanks to the magic battery Bice had installed. Still, it retired before the boss fight.

‘So much for the grade advancement.’

“Tch.”

“Stop!”

Even though the Shock Absorber ceased functioning, KiJun’s charge didn’t falter. Adamant, turning his body into divine metal, wouldn’t allow him to falter.

Just keep going forward, always forward.

Realizing she couldn’t handle KiJun, the Banshee tried to flee, soaring above the wall, but KiJun was ready. He leaped, disregarding the monsters swarming below the wall.

“You’re insane! If you fall from here, you too…”

“This time…”

While the Banshee tried to ward him off with a hand, her body suddenly burst into flames and got immobilized in mid-air.

Taking advantage of her immobility, KiJun soared towards her, enveloped in a pale light from the use of Salutaris. Holding his shield high, alight with bright flames, KiJun looked like a sacred angel.

Seeing her eyes captivated by the blazing light surrounding him, he declared, “Your head!”

“Crunch.”

His fangs penetrated the Banshee’s head, emitting dazzling flames.

Being nearly spectral, the Banshee was especially vulnerable to spirit power, let alone a mix of light and flames.

-Your skill in combining flames and light into a stronger, holier power improves. Lucy (L) reaches level 5, and Fire Spirit Magic (R) reaches level 50!

-A key quest objective achieved. Your heroic sacrifice witnessed by all, greatly amplifying the quest reward!

“Ah…”

Perhaps moved by the warmth of the purifying flames, the Banshee’s face momentarily relaxed, suggesting peace in her final moments.

“Mistake…”

“Mistake?”

“The target… was wrong. Revenge…”

Not peace, but rather a simpleton to the end, the Banshee clung to her vengeance even in death.

“My brother…”

Her final murmur erased KiJun’s smile.

“Koong!”

KiJun landed with the Banshee’s body, which dissolved from his spirit power, but a dark entity sprang from it, clinging to him as if refusing to disappear.

The Banshee’s resentful spirit latched onto KiJun, cursing him with her last breath.

-Yuck! What is this? Disgusting, I hate it! I’ll get rid of it now!

“Wait… Just a moment, Lucy.”

KiJun stopped the frantic Lucy. There was no need to waste her power erasing the Banshee’s curse he had already resisted.

“Just wait until this is all over.”

-Contractor, you’re not smitten by the Banshee, are you?

“Of course not. It’s just…”

Unable to forgive the Banshee for hurting so many, he still found it too empty to just erase her.

“She’s already paid for her sins. At least, she should see how this ends.”

Lucy, understanding his resolve, didn’t press further.

-Don’t worry. I believe those who commit sins should be punished.

Reaffirming his belief, KiJun watched the Banshee’s disappearing body, then turned to the monsters slowly encircling him.

“Now, dealing with these and getting back to the wall is the real problem.”

-Hehe!

Ur, who had been quietly perched on his shoulder, chuckled at KiJun’s muttering. Suddenly, she leaped down, materializing amid a burst of flames, and repelled the surrounding monsters.

KiJun’s eyes widened at the sight of Ur, fully materialized within the blazing flames.