Free Web NovelChapter 663: Episode 663
"What else? You’re going to blow this thing up with Corpse Explosion."
Hearing this, Prince jumped back. [What? You’re going to use Corpse Explosion on ’me’? Are you insane?]
Simon, also flustered, stammered, "I-I don’t think that’s a good idea either."
"What’s the problem?" the Grand Duke asked nonchalantly, crossing her arms. "You’re not sacrificing the main body, he has nine lives, and even the lives he loses regenerate over time. Especially that large mass of jet-black condensed in the zombie’s body. No matter how I look at it, it’s perfect for Corpse Explosion."
Come to think of it, she had a point. As Simon’s eyes shifted with a conflicted expression, Prince leaped up and down.
[Hey! Simon! You too?] Prince shook Simon’s collar frantically. Pier’s clone, attached to Simon’s clothes, let out a low chuckle.
[Pier, you stay out of this!] Prince snapped, then glared at Simon. [No! No! No! Let me be clear, I will ’never’ do something like Corpse Explosion!]
’He’s adamant.’
Simon glanced at the Grand Duke, who gestured with her chin as if to say, ’Well? He’s your Ancient Undead. Persuade him.’
’Ah, Serne would be so good at this.’
After a moment of thought, Simon cleared his throat. The key was to appeal to his childlike sense of what was ’cool’. The boy’s mental age was stuck at seven, and living for so long like that had twisted him into his current form. To get through to him, Simon had to get on his level.
He waved his arms with exaggerated gestures. "Hey, Prince. Imagine fluffy clouds in your head."
[What? What are you talking about all of a sudden!] Prince remained wary, but his eyes rolled upward. He was thinking about it.
"Not clouds in the sky. What if there were clouds on the ground, too?"
[Clouds on the ground?]
"Of course. They suddenly shoot up and sweep away everything around them."
[Oh! That sounds cool!]
"That’s what an explosion is. Don’t you think explosions are the ultimate manly fantasy?"
[No!] Prince caught on immediately and shrieked. [It’s not cool at all!]
’He’s only sharp at times like this.’
Simon continued to try and persuade him.
"Can’t we just try it once? Just once, and if you still don’t like it, I’ll never ask again."
"When we get back, I’ll take you to the toy store in Langerstine! How about that?"
"A true hero appears like the wind and disappears like the wind..."
Since he didn’t know exactly what kind of ’coolness’ Prince was into, he focused on quantity over quality. But no matter what he offered, Prince resolutely shook his head.
[No!]
Of course, he could use an absolute command to force the Corpse Explosion, but that was a last resort. A heartbroken Prince might never answer his call again. Obtaining his permission was essential.
"Prince," Simon sighed inwardly and said gently. "You can come back no matter how many times you die. You’re not afraid of death, so why do you hate Corpse Explosion so much?"
[Is dying unavoidably in a fight the same as being forced to go ’boom’ from the start!] Prince shrieked. [And dying hurts! Most importantly, it’s not cool at all!]
"Huh?"
[A hero should survive until the end! Disappearing in a ’boom’ first isn’t cool at all!]
He was getting a feel for it. Simon squatted down in front of Prince and began to speak, his words flowing like water. "A truly cool hero is one who sacrifices himself for his comrades."
[I told you it’s not cool!]
"And when his comrades, whose lives he saved, are in despair, he reappears with a ’pop’! Don’t you think ’that’s’ a real hero?"
Simon, now fixated on ’Prince’s Corpse Explosion’, was persistent. As the persuasion dragged on, the Grand Duke started doing her own training nearby. Finally, after several hours...
[...Just once.] ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Unlimited toy store access, toy delivery to the Deathland, and a promise to play with him whenever he wanted. After paying a steep price, Simon had his permission.
"Grand Duke! Then now..." Simon smiled brightly and looked to the side, but the Grand Duke, who had been doing push-ups, was gone. He looked back and saw her standing a great distance away.
’Do it,’ she mouthed.
Simon smiled wryly and turned back to Prince. "Here I go!"
He raised his hand. Prince, his face tense, clenched his fists.
After a moment of blankness, Simon slowly lowered his hand. "But how do I do it?"
[You idiot!] Prince shouted, incredulous. [Just use Corpse Explosion on this zombie I’m possessing!]
"I just tried that. It didn’t work."
Simon could detonate any zombie, but when Prince possessed one, he lost all ownership and control over it. It was as if the zombie itself had ceased to exist; he could only feel Prince’s consciousness.
"You fool. Your slow-witted disease has struck again." The Grand Duke suddenly appeared beside them. "Of course it won’t work with a standard Corpse Explosion formula. You’ll have to modify it for legion use. Think of it as directly overlaying it onto Prince’s body."
"...Overlaying it."
"Of course, it will be impossible to just whip up such a formula on the spot. Be satisfied with having found a new task for today, and next..."
A dark blue circle began to form in front of Simon’s palm. Countless formulas were engraved within it, expanding into three dimensions.
"If it’s overlaying, would it be something like this?"
The Grand Duke’s eyes widened as she watched Simon instantly grasp the core concept and construct a magic circle applicable to Prince. Her expression screamed, ’What in the world...’
"What’s wrong?"
"No. It’s nothing."
Prince stomped his feet and fumed. [Hey, why are you trying so hard! Do you want to blow me up that badly?] He sounded genuinely hurt.
In any case, Simon had succeeded in creating a temporary, but dedicated, magic circle for Prince’s Corpse Explosion. He attached it to Prince’s body and prepared for activation.
"Here I go!"
Simon backed away as far as possible and held out his palm. The magic circle he had completed was of a scale and information density that could hardly be called a circle anymore. A total of nine arrays were intricately interlocked and rotating. The Grand Duke watched from an even greater distance.
’Corpse...!’
Simon slowly clenched his fist. A brilliant light emanated from Prince’s body. Each time Simon tried to clench his fist, the light grew brighter. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, and his raised arm trembled.
’Corpse...!!’
Prince squeezed his eyes shut as an even greater light emanated from his body.
’Explo...!’
[It’s still scary! I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I don’t want to!] Prince suddenly threw a tantrum. The growing light began to fade. Simon’s hand, which had been about to clench, was forcibly spread open.
"Prince!"
[I’m scared!]
Simon tried to activate the magic circle, but Prince’s will rejected the explosion.
’Ugh!’
Their two wills clashed fiercely. But the black magic had already been cast, and if this continued, Simon could be endangered by a jet-black backlash.
"Just once, I’m begging you!" he shouted, forcibly clenching his fist. "Explosion!"
A flash of light erupted from Prince’s body. Prince squeezed his eyes shut. free𝑤ebnovel.com
A moment later, he opened them.
[What?] He looked down at his own body. [I’m fine?]
With a soft hiss, Prince’s body suddenly scattered and disappeared like black smoke. All that remained were charred remnants that had crumbled to the ground.
"...A failure." Simon lowered his hand in disappointment.
The Grand Duke reappeared beside him. ’Still, that was quite impressive. To get this far on the first try.’
Simon took out a new zombie and summoned Prince. The black lightning struck again, and the zombie transformed.
[Ugh, what was that? It felt weird!] Prince grumbled as soon as he appeared.
"What do you think is the problem?" Simon asked.
The Grand Duke put a hand to her chin in thought. "It seems the conditions weren’t fully met."
"What do you mean?"
"The formula needs to be improved, but the biggest problem is that your and Prince’s wills are misaligned." She turned to look at Simon. "When the wills of a Legion Commander and an Ancient Undead are in conflict, no black magic is likely to produce a good result."
In the end, the biggest task remained: he had to make Prince accept Corpse Explosion of his own free will.
’Still, I’ve got a feel for it.’
Simon clenched his fist. Just as Prince started to sneakily look for a way to escape, afraid he would be made to do it again...
"Want to have a snowball fight tonight?"
[Huh, really? Okay!]
It was a relief he was so simple-minded.
---
The practical training in the North continued. This time, Simon also learned how to divide his forces and command two armies simultaneously. Having solidified the encirclement of the enemy undead, Simon’s eyes widened.
"Gourmet! Now!"
Gourmet, a new named undead he had acquired, charged ferociously and swept through the clustered enemy ranks with its single foreleg.
"Surround them!"
Herseva’s mummies wrapped their bandages around the arm of another named monster—a wildly thrashing, medium-sized yeti named ’One-Eye’.
"Prince!"
[Here I go!] Prince kicked off the ground, leaped up, and slammed his fist into the yeti’s face. It collapsed with a heavy thud. Dealing with the remaining stragglers was simple.
[Hahaha! Did you see that? Did you? I’m strong even without Corpse Explosion!]
"I know, I know," Simon smiled and gestured to Pier. Pier placed his hand on One-Eye’s core. Soon, it was incorporated into the legion, and the massive body rose to its feet. Simon held out his palm, and the One-Eye lowered its face, resting its forehead against his hand.
"Good boy." Simon smiled as he stroked its soft fur.
Not to be outdone, Gourmet, a veteran of the legion, also pushed its face forward with a low growl. Simon stroked its head as well.
Two named monsters already. ’Reinforcing my army is going quite well. At this rate, I might even be able to create a whole unit of named monsters in the North.’
"Grand Duke!"
Just then, a messenger was approaching. Simon had to pretend to be the Grand Duke, so he quickly pulled on his helmet and turned around. Activating the voice modulation magic on the helmet, he spoke.
[What is it?]
"There is a meeting! You must return to Vilkenos at once!"
[Understood. The subject?]
The messenger answered immediately. "Our spies have discovered the location of the Three Brothers."
’Finally!’
It was sooner than he had expected, but the final battle was approaching.
At the same time.
’The time to use Prince’s Corpse Explosion in a real battle has come!’
Prince, with uncanny intuition, jumped in alarm.
[Hey! I told you to stop looking at me like that!]
