Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 219

Bari was observing the battle situation from atop Ragnarok, a behemoth in the form of a crow.

“Quite numerous…”

Since soldiers on both sides weren’t dying easily, the battle line barely moved.

But conversely, this meant that despite having similar level soldiers, they had prepared forces nearly equal to a witch’s.

Among all the soldiers on the battlefield, not a single one was breathing.

This wasn’t a metaphor or anything else, just a simple fact.

From here to the far opposite ridge, it was filled with the dead who moved even after death.

Commanding the undead on the opposite side was Black King Charmol.

Taking advantage of Little Mermaid leading out all her elites, he successfully raided her stronghold Tramina to gather a massive army, and now attacked Bari who also controlled undead.

Of course, both Bari and Charmol knew they would fight each other eventually.

“Hmph, he just caught a good opportunity against Rusalka.”

Bari remained unshaken.

Her undead legion was still intact.

Moreover, she still had a trump card that hadn’t been deployed to the front line yet.

However, Charmol was also hiding his cards.

At some point, the battle line started approaching Bari.

They were being pushed back in battle.

Observing the situation from the sky, Bari could quickly identify the cause.

“Those are… Rusalka’s subordinates?”

A heterogeneous group of undead that hadn’t been there before appeared on the front line.

Most undead don’t deviate much from human form, or even if transformed, some traces usually remain.

But these that appeared now were completely different types of undead.

Much taller than humans, with scales sparsely covering their skin looking ready to fall off, webbing between their fingers, and above all, fish heads – these were undead.

They must have been Deep Sea Folk when alive, specifically sorcerers.

As red light rose like smoke from their staves and eye sockets, the dead who had fallen with even their false life exhausted began to rise again.

To be driven to the battlefield where they must fight – crawling if they had no legs, biting if they had no arms.

“Ah, ahahak…”

“Ahhh…!”

“St-stop…”

The impact of death on human souls and minds is unspeakably immense.

This is why lower undead often lose not only their sense of self but even a trace of intelligence when resurrected.

Let alone human souls who experienced such death twice and rose again….

“Push forward! Death is not the end! Rise again even in death! As many times as it takes, as many times as it takes!!”

Those shouting from the front lines were ‘Skeleton Knights’, mid-tier Beasts wearing heavy armor with exposed skulls.

In Blue Paper Moon, even among the same Skeleton Knights, they were divided between those wielding swords and shields and those carrying banners.

Those with weapons were naturally specialized for combat, but those with banners rarely fought themselves and instead gave extremely powerful buffs to allies.

And all the Skeleton Knights on the battlefield now were carrying banners.

“…”

Through mental commands, Bari sent the Nether Lords, high-tier Beasts, to strike at the enemy sorcerers.

Though only five in number, the Nether Lords were on a completely different dimension from regular soldiers befitting high-tier Beasts, breaking through the battle line with spears that delivered a third death to the twice-resurrected dead.

But the undead Deep Sea Folk shield bearers gathered in perfect unison, creating a wall with their large solid shields while receiving buffs from the skeleton standard bearers.

At this moment, their defensive ability could rival even the highest among mid-tier Beasts.

Of course, they were merely annoying opponents to the high-tier Beast Nether Lords, but gathered in such numbers, they became sturdy fortress walls that barely budged even when pushed with full force.

And as time passed, the battle line was being pushed back little by little.

Regular undead couldn’t follow through the gaps the Nether Lords had broken open.

The battle situation was flowing very differently from what Bari had prepared and expected.

The reason for this difference was of course the presence of the Deep Sea Folk.

She never imagined an undead army composed of Deep Sea Folk would appear in the fight against Charmol.

“Hmm…”

She hadn’t yet prepared the behemoth-class Beasts Starfish and Nine-Tailed Fox.

If there had been more time, they would have been reliable pillars of support, but Charmol had also calculated well and attacked when he had sufficient chances of victory.

“No choice then.”

Bari called forth the being that had been waiting underground continuously.

The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck and undead fell over.

And from the middle of Charmol’s forces, something massive rose up.

Eight legs and a spider’s body, but where the spider’s head should be was attached the upper body of a woman dried up like a mummy.

It was the corpse of Arachne, one of the strongest behemoths from 500 years ago.

“…”

At Bari’s command, purple flames began to rise from Arachne’s empty eye sockets.

It charged toward the group of Deep Sea Folk sorcerers.

Despite its massive bulk, the movements were agile and with that overwhelming weight and strength, the Deep Sea Folk shield bearers were crushed like insects or sent flying.

The Deep Sea Folk sorcerers sprayed strong toxic mist that could melt flesh at Arachne, but it couldn’t even scratch the hard carapace.

Due to the rampaging Arachne, Charmol’s forces lost their center and collapsed.

But that didn’t last long either.

Arachne suddenly stopped in place.

“…!”

Bari looked toward one spot in shock.

Heavy black armor and an iron mace as tall as himself.

And an arrogant crown inlaid with red jewels.

Black King Charmol appeared in the middle of his forces and faced off against Arachne.

“Haha… I was wondering when you’d come out.”

Charmol stretched his hand toward Arachne.

Red chains shot out from his palm and wrapped around Arachne.

“Ugh!”

Bari bared her teeth while scrunching up her beautiful face as much as possible.

The technique Charmol was using was clearly the mind control technique that Bari had personally taught.

Of course, she had anticipated this kind of situation.

Bari strengthened her control over Arachne and it began moving again.

“Yorick! Assist me!”

At Charmol’s command, a small elderly Beast-like figure appeared beside him and stretched both hands toward Arachne.

Chains smaller than Charmol’s also extended from his palms.

“Th-that?!”

This was another unexpected situation.

To think Charmol would even teach that technique to someone else….

2 versus 1.

Of course, Bari’s power far surpassed Charmol and Yorick combined.

But Bari’s condition was the problem.

Her body that had become unstable after taking Eugene’s rail gun and Sephira’s attacks still needed rest.

That’s why she accepted Rusalka’s competition proposal.

If she used more power than this, there was a risk of returning to her previous form.

She absolutely hated that more than anything.

Not just Bari, but all her sisters must feel the same way.

The thought of becoming anything other than the form Noah had molded for them – they absolutely hated that more than anything.

“What should I do…”

If this were a battle between regular soldiers, Bari retreating here could be called victory.

After all, she had annihilated the enemy’s specialty forces while only expending common soldiers on her side.

But those fighting now were undead and necromancers.

If she ran away, the side left behind could claim all the corpses on the battlefield completely.

She had to push back the enemy and then deal with the remaining corpses somehow – otherwise it wasn’t a victory.

Sending the Nether Lords on a special attack… difficult.

No matter how weak, Charmol was still unmistakably a behemoth.

He possessed overwhelming power incomparable to high-tier Beasts.

Yorick could briefly take charge of Arachne to buy time for Charmol to deal with the Nether Lords.

Maintaining the current situation would mean losing control of Arachne and suffering incalculable fatal damage.

If she used more power to ensure control over Arachne, she would deviate from Princess Bari’s form.

If she gathered up Arachne and remaining forces to flee, Charmol would get the corpses left on the battlefield, putting her in a very disadvantageous position.

Truly a dead end.

“Ugh…”

Even Bari, who was called the most cunning witch, couldn’t see any good solution to this situation.

The Deep Sea Folk undead were solely possible due to exploiting the extreme situation of Rusalka leading out all her elite forces, and the radical strategy of sharing the dark arts that could control even a behemoth’s mind with another.

However, both of those were also only possible because Charmol had steadily hidden himself while building power and waiting for opportunities.

Like Blanc who runs away, because Charmol hides, there is a next time, a future to look forward to.

A tower built up slowly and steadily like that doesn’t easily collapse.

To overturn this situation, she would have to rely on external factors.

But witches never join forces with each other.

Just once, when punishing a foolish behemoth who arbitrarily used the moon’s power.

“Huhuhu…”

Conversely, Charmol strongly sensed victory.

If things continued like this, he would definitely win.

Bari would probably choose to flee even at the cost of losses.

Then all the corpses left on this battlefield would become Charmol’s, and he could replenish the forces he had lost.

Conversely, Bari would either become weakened and leave the stage for a while, or be finished off by other witches and exit completely.

When that time comes, I’ll find and steal your other dark arts too.

“…Tch.”

And just as Bari was about to choose to retreat to at least save Arachne and the Nether Lords as Charmol predicted, an enormous variable occurred.

“…?”

“…?”

Not just Bari and Charmol, but all beings with even a bit of intelligence simultaneously looked up at the sky.

The moon was descending.

The endless night that began with the magical phenomenon was now ending.

Above all, the moon itself was also changing.

The moon is blue.

That had been common sense for hundreds of years.

But that common sense was being destroyed now.

The moon was being dyed a soft yellow.

And along with that moon, the night sky scattered and dawn rose.

The night that had continued for hundreds of days was finally ending.

“Wh-what is this?! Just what is happening?!”

“…”

Unlike the panicking Charmol, Bari blankly stared at the disappearing moon.

Droplets that began in her eyes rolled down her cheeks.

She clearly understood what it meant for the moon to return to its original color.

Until now, blue moonlight had been basic common sense, but Bari remembered what color the moon had been even before that.

But after that incident, that horrific incident where the eldest daughter killed her father, the moon turned blue.

And now that moon was returning to its original form.

“Noah…!!”

Only one person in this world could do such a thing.

He must have surely returned.