NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 292.2
Chapter 292.2. The Naraka Challenge
With eerie cries, zombies flooded into the hall. These zombies had crystal spikes growing from their bodies. They ran at speeds close to 100 km/h, their lips torn to reveal jagged teeth, their faces rotting, and bones peeking through.
Some were covered in blood, their clothes pitch black, their skin torn to expose muscle fibers and white bones. But the zombies charged forward without losing momentum.
Were they called Crystal Zombies? I vaguely remember their skills being ineffective, or was it that we adjusted the wavelength to make them work? I tilted my head, unsure. They didn’t leave much of an impression, and now they were nothing compared to before.
“Hah!”
“Horya!”
Ares took the initiative, charging at the enemy with enough force to break the floor. Yukihana slid forward, closing the distance.
Like a raging storm, Ares swung his sword, cutting through the Crystal Zombies as if they were nothing. Yukihana compressed the air around her fists, crushing and shattering the enemies.
The hall was filled with an overwhelming number of Crystal Zombies. It was questionable where they had even come from. Despite the sheer numbers, the two showed no signs of losing.
Like a storm devouring everything, Ares swung his sword relentlessly, piling up corpses without retreating. Meanwhile, Yukihana compressed the air with each strike, crushing and obliterating the enemies.
The violence of numbers was no match for the violence of quality. The Crystal Zombies, undeterred, tried to overwhelm them, but the two continued their attacks as if it were light exercise, eventually wiping them out.
“Well, that’s about it.”
“Just a warm-up.”
Without breaking a sweat or even getting splattered with blood, the two exhaled and relaxed their stances. Around them, a mountain of Crystal Zombie corpses piled up, and silence returned to the building.
At level 8, Crystal Zombies were no match for them. They probably knew that, but Sachi and the others were still wary of being caught off guard. Their cautious approach was commendable.
“Now, shall we take the elevator down?”
Since there was no electricity, the elevator naturally didn’t work. Still, they could open the doors and descend straight to the deepest layer. There was no reason not to use such a convenient shortcut.
With the enemies cleared, they moved to the elevator hall ahead without any issues. It was quiet, except for the dust kicked up with each step.
“…Titania can’t be underestimated.”
As they walked, Sachi looked up at me with a serious expression. It was clear she was highly wary of their opponent.
“That’s why we wanted to clear out the zombies first.”
“Speaking of which, Titania is versatile, so she might hide among the weaklings.”
Inochi followed up Sachi’s words, and Shizuku added a grim reminder. What did she mean by versatile?
Seeing my expression, Shizuku continued.
“Titania, the Fairy Queen. When she appears before humans, she takes the form of a beautiful woman, an ancient tree, or a beast. The Fairy Queen never shows her true form to humans. Born from this concept, Titania transforms to fight. Besides that, she possesses the [Fairy Queen] skill, which allows her to use 70% of all fairy powers. With such a cheat-like skill set, she was considered the second strongest among fairies.”
Shizuku implied that she herself was the strongest.
“Then, couldn’t you have helped save the world a bit?”
Why are you guarding this place? If you’re disillusioned, there’s no point in coming to this world. This world is on the brink of destruction due to dungeons, so with your strength, you could’ve saved many people.
“…Titania is a gravekeeper. Humanity’s defeat is certain, so she plans to protect the fairies from now on.”
Sachi analyzed Titania’s personality with a frown. I see, so it’s the queen’s final duty.
“Then we’ll have to talk and make her our ally.”
“Let’s make her say ‘Nice to meet you,’ so don’t worry.”
Shizuku forcefully opened the elevator doors, turned around, and smiled. It sounded like an ominous line, but I hope it’s okay.
“If we stay vigilant and prepare thoroughly, we shouldn’t lose.”
“Let’s overcome the death flags.”
Serika spoke, and Shizuku puffed out her chest. Then Ares moved Shizuku aside and stepped through the door.
“I’ll go first.”
“Yukihana too.”
Understanding their roles, Ares and Yukihana entered the shaft, kicking off the walls and descending in a triangular pattern.
[Everything seems fine.]
Ares’s telepathic message confirmed they had reached the deepest layer safely.
“Then let’s go in order.”
I stepped through the door and was about to descend when—
“Huh? What’s this?”
The moment I passed through the elevator door, the scenery changed completely. Instead of the elevator shaft, it looked like an indoor gymnasium.
“You shouldn’t have come to the Naraka, humans.”
A deep voice came from behind, so I sighed and turned to face the speaker.
“Actually, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, so I came to invite the fairies to a flower viewing. How about it, want to join?”
I smirked nihilistically. It seemed we had warped through space. Just when we were fully prepared, this happened. I was alone.
Before me stood a majestic lion with a beautiful golden mane, exuding an imposing aura.
“Flower viewing, huh? How interesting. You’ll regret it after you die.”
“Even at home, winning isn’t guaranteed.”
I chuckled nihilistically and began gathering mana. Well, it seemed my first meeting with the Fairy Queen started on the worst possible note.