HBWnovel Chapter 435: 85th Floor, The Ashen Lady. Societ Gardenia (3)
Chapter 435: 85th Floor, The Ashen Lady. Societ Gardenia (3)
“Necromancy, huh.”
Taesan hurled himself into the oncoming corpses, clenching his fists and slamming them forward as he took a step. A violent shockwave tore through the undead, scattering flesh and shattering the bones of skeletons in all directions.
BOOM!
Yet, the corpses kept coming. Among them, Taesan recognized some of the figures—monsters he had once defeated in the lower levels of the labyrinth.
Now, those same monsters moved under Societ’s control. Worse yet, they were far stronger than they had been before.
Societ’s power was clear: she reanimated the dead, wielding their bodies as tools against the living.
Taesan kicked out, obliterating dozens of charging beasts in a single blow. Without hesitation, he swung his arm, pulverizing more of the undead. His fingers came away slick with decayed flesh, but for every corpse he struck down, even more rose to take their place.
In mere moments, the chamber was teeming with the dead.
While fighting, Taesan spoke, his voice cutting through the chaos.
“How does it feel, knowing that someone you thought you understood was actually a complete stranger?”
[Shut up.]
The ghost’s reply was curt, though his earlier shock had largely dissipated.
[...Remarkable.]
He had known nothing about Societ. He had believed her lies and never once suspected that she might harbor feelings for him—let alone betray him.
[And in the end, she killed me. I feel some regret, but... the fact remains. Societ murdered me.]
The ghost’s voice was low and steady.
[I've sorted it out.]
“Good.”
Taesan extended his hand. Hundreds of corpses surged toward him, but he called forth his magic with a thought.
[You have activated Mana Storm.]
CRASH!
A tempest roared to life within the chamber, its gale-force winds ripping through the undead ranks. Corpses were shredded to pieces, their remains swallowed by the storm.
Societ hastily summoned more, but the storm fed on them, growing even more ferocious.
“A monster indeed,” Societ muttered with a hollow chuckle. Her expression turned serious as she placed her hand on the ground.
“Come forth.”
RUMBLE!
From the darkness emerged a massive chimera—an amalgamation of corpses. Its head resembled that of a dog, its arms were those of an orc, and its lower body bore the scaled tail of a basilisk.
The patchwork abomination let out an ear-piercing screech and lunged straight into the mana storm.
The storm began tearing chunks from the chimera, but it pressed forward, heedless of its injuries. Wrapping itself around the core of the tempest, it bore the full brunt of the storm’s power.
BOOM!
The mana storm exploded in a violent eruption. Razor-sharp gusts of wind sliced through the air, reducing the chimera to countless fragments.
But Societ didn’t stop. Spreading her dark energy further, she commanded once more:
“Reveal yourselves.”
The ground quaked as an enormous arm emerged from the shadows. It was impossibly large, its hand alone dwarfing Taesan. Beyond the arm, a colossal, ominous eye glared down at him from the darkness.
[A giant’s corpse?]
“A difficult one to acquire,” Societ said with a smirk. “Let’s see you handle it.”
This was no ordinary giant. The power radiating from the corpse surpassed even that of the labyrinth’s council leaders.
“The man who felled countless council leaders, defeated all odds, and stood alone at the top... Did you really think I would face you without a plan?”
Societ stood, raising her hand toward the heavens.
“Descend! O Great One! For your purpose, grace this place with your presence!”
CRACK!
Reality tore apart as a colossal being manifested in the labyrinth.
[The God of Lust, Exireia, has descended.]
A suffocating presence filled the room. Reflexively, Taesan tensed, ready to fight.
The God of Lust was a new entity to him, but the words of the mage echoed in his mind: many deities wanted him dead. Exireia could very well be one of them.
Just as he prepared to unleash his power, a voice reverberated through the air.
[I have not come to kill you, Adventurer. Such matters do not interest me.]
Exireia’s voice was calm, yet unyielding.
[I have come to test you.]
“This is my final card. What do you think?”
Societ smiled, but neither the ghost nor Taesan seemed particularly shaken.
[This feels familiar. Like the Lion King.]
The ghost’s voice was composed. He recalled how the Lion King had sought the aid of the God of Destruction to challenge Taesan.
[But it doesn’t matter anymore. You no longer hold any significance to me.]
His tone was even, as though he had finally made peace with himself.
Instead of anger or despair, Societ simply smiled.
“I told you. This isn’t enough. Did you really think I’d rely on such a conventional method?”
She staggered, placing her hand on the ground. The dense darkness surrounding her condensed, converging under her palm.
“Bardray. Do you remember your death?”
[You stabbed me in my sleep with a cursed dagger. I’ve already come to terms with it.]
“No, Bardray. That’s the version you were told after the fact. You were asleep when you died. You never saw it for yourself.”
Societ hummed softly.
“I am a necromancer. A master of the dead. Bardray... Do you really think your body is still buried in that grave?”
[...You didn’t.]
For the first time, the ghost’s voice faltered.
Societ’s smile deepened.
“Come forth, my prince.”
From the shadows, a figure emerged. Taesan’s eyes narrowed as recognition dawned.
The figure had platinum hair and a balanced, regal physique. Save for a small scar on its chest, the body was flawless, its noble bearing unmistakable even in death.
Taesan knew that face.
[A...ah.]
The ghost let out a faint sound, filled with shock.
The system’s announcement confirmed the truth.
[The Prince of the Fallen World, Bardray’s Corpse, has appeared.]