Chapter 187

#187 The Tin Knight and the World Inside the Library (7)

《Once upon a time, deep in the forest.》

《There lived a monster, a terrifying monster.》

《Its mouth was huge, able to bite anything.》

《Its claws were sharp, capable of grasping anything.》

《Its eyes blazed like fire, allowing it to see anything.》

《Did it resemble a fish? No, it had sensitive antennae.》

《Did it resemble a grasshopper? No, it had a long neck.》

《Did it resemble a giraffe? No, it had thin wings.》

《Did it resemble a bat? No, it had rough limbs.》

《That monster resembled everyone.》

《That monster resembled no one.》

《Look, the Jabberwock has appeared!》

The skeletons sang, laughed, and danced in the chamber.

Facing the black-haired girl seated on the floor, the East Witch spoke.

“I’ve told you this much, but you’d better not use it unless necessary.”

The girl asked back, puzzled.

“But you said it’s a strong and convenient undead, just mix in various corpses as catalysts? Why shouldn’t I use it?”

“Because it can’t be controlled.”

The East Witch answered simply.

“There’s a friend of mine up north who loves fooling around with horses. He seemed to have come up with a similar magic, but the result was… too overwhelming in some sense. Unknown, meaningless, grotesque. This is that kind of thing. The operating method is necromancy, but since the source is different, it’s easy to summon but hard to control. I might manage it, but with your pathetic skills, it’ll be tricky.”

Not happy with the comment about her skills, the black-haired girl sulked, asking sarcastically,

“What was so good about the result? It seems like a total defective product—ow!”

After striking the girl’s head with her staff, the East Witch clicked her tongue, looking down on her.

“Whether it’s a defective product or not, it all depends on how you use it, foolish apprentice. Do you think you have a natural talent for magic or that you possess reckless poison? Your skills are mediocre at best, so it would be just right for you to bite the dust. So take this, if nothing else.”

Holding the injured part, the girl glared at her with resentment, and the mean-spirited witch raised the corners of her mouth as she spoke.

“Anyway, for creating chaos without considering the consequences, there’s nothing better than this.”

***

《──────*#$&##*#@@#@%!!》

A sound hard to describe echoed.

It was the howl of a wolf, the cry of a bird, and the resonance of insects.

And it was nothing else.

As the Jabberwock’s furry forepaw lunged at the White Knight, the White Knight thrust his spear forward in response.

Crack!

While the attack was merely a point, the result was a surface.

The moment the spearhead of the White Knight touched the creature, the tremendous force contained within scattered around, causing the entire foreleg to explode like a balloon.

Whoosh!

The Jabberwock’s mouth swelled wide, unleashing a torrent of flames from within.

The incredible heat was enough to melt not just flesh but metal, yet the White Knight remained unscathed.

As the White Knight swung his spear like a pole and struck the Jabberwock’s head, it was immediately severed from its body.

Just as the creature seemed poised to charge at the Tin Knight, it suddenly halted.

Thud!

With a squelching sound, the foreleg that had been blown off the Jabberwock re-grew and seized the White Knight.

However, while the original foreleg resembled that of a mammal, the newly sprouted leg was covered in reptilian scales and ended in a clawed grip.

Crick, crick!

The White Knight forced his body away from the grasping paw, but before he could escape, the Jabberwock hurled the White Knight away with tremendous force.

The White Knight immediately executed a roll to regain his posture but soon hesitated.

He was left dumbfounded because the Jabberwock, which he expected to attack him next, was instead rushing toward unsuspecting onlookers.

Its head, enlarged as if a giant mosquito had mutated, was sucking the blood of the audience, turning them into mummies.

“Run, run away!”

“It’s a monster! A terrifying monster!”

The audience was thrown into chaos.

Animals scrambled to flee, but time and again, the Jabberwock’s wolf-like, reptilian, tentacle-like arms reached out, grabbing and devouring them.

“What, what the heck is this? Ah!”

Gale raised her voice in disbelief at the unexpected scene.

The Tin Knight, who had retreated, was now seen drawing magical energy from Dorothea.

The White Knight charged in like a whirlwind, while the Tin Knight, having received magic, stood firm, matching the White Knight’s intensity without being pushed back.

Not only that, but the curse arrow shot by Dorothea came bearing ominous force, aiming toward Gale.

Gale rolled onto the ground with a thud!

Just as Gale’s body shifted behind Dorothea, the latter seemed to have anticipated Gale’s movement and responded calmly.

Gale’s staff smashed into Dorothea’s barrier, squeaking.

“No way, ambushing the audience to divert our attention and buy time to regroup? What a brilliant idea, Dorothea!”

Dorothea’s face scrunched up.

Gale’s expression and tone were genuinely complimentary, which only aggravated her more.

Of course, she wanted to shout that it wasn’t meant to be that way, but explaining that she told them to attack while the Jabberwock started a food-eating spree was not an option.

She had been warned that the magic she learned from her master was tricky to control, but to think it would rampage from the moment of summoning, or rather, the moment of creation.

Even while Dorothea remained silent, Gale continued chatting away like a non-stop talker she was.

“The Jabberwock isn’t a name of a specific soul, is it? It’s a variety of souls poured into one body specialized for regeneration and transformation, left unattended without giving it the reins? What a fascinating and dangerous spell!”

“Hmph!”

Dorothea scoffed.

“Don’t try to overanalyze a witch’s magic like it’s a formula. Unknown. Meaningless. Grotesque. That’s enough!”

“Hahaha, I’ve also learned from my master about the witch’s magic. Ancient magic is a dream, an illusion, a belief. To explain that logically is rather uncool, you know. Well, you can chalk it up to my occupational hazard since I’m also an engineer.”

Crick, crack, Dorothea’s barrier screamed.

Yet, she showed no signs of anxiety.

Sure, the barrier was wearing down, but compared to the powerful attacks Gale had shown earlier, this was still manageable.

And the reason was clear.

“…It seems you can only use your word magic on one target at a time, huh? Or the more you split it, the weaker it gets.”

“Yes, that’s correct. You’ve got a sharp eye.”

Gale replied straightforwardly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“With my ability, I can deal with three words or rather ‘concepts’ at once. If the concept is too complex or of high level, that number can shrink or even cease to exist. Right now, I’m using all of them to enhance Sig, so I can only use the basic techniques of physical enhancement and the effects of magical devices I had originally.”

“Yapping on like there’s no tomorrow. Are you ignoring me or what?”

Despite her suspicions being correct, Dorothea exhibited an unpleasant expression.

Gale laughed.

“Since we both know what’s what, hiding it is meaningless. After all, all I need to do is hold Dorothea back.”

Gale’s blue eyes observed yet another battlefield.

The White Knight was literally a storm, battering the Tin Knight, who was merely on the defensive this time, not taking the upper hand.

It wasn’t that the Tin Knight lacked abilities, but the White Knight was receiving direct enhancements through Gale’s support, while the Tin Knight received none.

The Jabberwock, having devoured the audience, was interfering in the battle between the two knights with its overwhelming regenerative and grotesque powers. However, its attacks were only aimed at the two knights indiscriminately.

This was partly due to Dorothea’s lack of control, but also due to the characteristics of the schools they had learned.

Enchantresses were fundamentally about assisting and enhancing others, while Necromancers did not bolster one’s strength; they weakened instead.

The only thing they could do was summon powerful undead to send as allies, but if they couldn’t control that either, it simply meant throwing a nuisance onto the battlefield.

Even in this situation, the Tin Knight was impressive for holding his ground. However, his combat effectiveness was only maintained while he had sufficient magic power.

If his magic power were to run out or if he showed an opening to replenish it, then the White Knight’s spear would undoubtedly pierce the Tin Knight.

Gale preferred direct confrontation over victories achieved through tricks, but ignoring the opponent’s supply was another story altogether.

To her, that was less about fairness and more about underestimating her opponent.

Indeed, at this moment, Gale kept her guard up around Dorothea.

After disposing of the useless Jabberwock, she could summon a more manageable undead, or perhaps pull out something unexpected through Hyden’s gloves.

In any case, she wouldn’t give up this fight, as she was certain Dorothea would make another move before the Tin Knight’s magic power ran out.

At least that’s what she thought.

‘…Why isn’t she moving?’

Strangely enough, Dorothea didn’t show much movement.

In fact, rather than that, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“─Hey, are you mistaking things? The one trapped is not me, but you.”

Confusion flickered across Gale’s face.

She thought gaining time favored her, so what did it mean for the trap?

She realized her misunderstanding only after checking the battlefield again between the two knights and one monster.

The Jabberwock, noticeably reduced after multiple regenerations.

The White Knight, having stacked minor injuries, was now closer to a precarious state.

And lastly, the Tin Knight, still maintaining his condition without significant injuries.

“Huh?”

Only then did Gale notice something odd.

They were in a balanced fight, but while the two were visibly suffering, only the one remained unchanged.

Was the Tin Knight the strongest among them?

No way, that couldn’t be it.

If they were to evaluate their individual powers, the White Knight enhanced by Gale was indeed the strongest.

Was it because Dorothea fully controlled the Jabberwock and supported the Tin Knight?

That wasn’t it either.

The Jabberwock was attacking indiscriminately, showing no regard for anything in sight.

Dorothea’s words rang in her ears.

“His greatest strength lies in chaos. Especially in endurance.”

Efficiently, calmly, steadily using everything around him, conserving strength, wielding minimal power, lasting longer, and taking down numerous enemies.

Dorothea had no choice but to send out the troublesome creature.

Sending out a nuisance was all that was needed.

Gale attempted to roll across the ground, but golden ropes forcefully bound her legs.

Would Dorothea allow for space travel or support now, as her eyes silently glowered.

With Gale held captive, the White Knight’s spear pierced the Tin Knight.

Already once gutted, it was the hollow flank.

The White Knight quickly attempted to retrieve his spear, but faster than that, the Tin Knight hurled the White Knight as if casting throwing techniques on the spear itself.

The White Knight attempted to prepare for the Tin Knight’s ensuing attack, but was delayed for a moment due to needing to block the Jabberwock’s attack from behind.

Right after.

The Tin Knight unleashed the magic power he had been holding back, cutting through both the White Knight and the Jabberwock simultaneously.

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