Book Eater

Chapter 322: Eve of the Storm (1)

After finishing the Synchro with Reynolds Spencer, Theo didn’t have a moment to rest. He oversaw the migration of the ents with Mitra and taught some human military strategies to the elves. However, the hardest task was probably making artifacts against the undead.

The elementals that used the pure power of nature were natural enemies for the undead, but it was too inefficient to solely rely on that. The undead would never tire, so they needed a more efficient means of battling the undead legions.

Theo found an answer in an unexpected field.

“Om.” His fingers twisted in a strange form as he spoke a strange chant.

A brilliant gleam of light struck the pile of arrows in front of Theo. It was the most famous shamanic system in the East Continent, the Buddhist mantra. As a more powerful type of shamanism than exorcism, Buddhist mantras annihilated all evil and blocked the source.

It didn’t have enough power, but it was like gunpowder when used against undead of the lower levels.

This isn’t enough. Damn, the idea is good, but I can’t make enough alone. It would be lucky if I could make half of the three hundred thousand arrows I wanted.

Theo sighed as he looked at the completed arrows. Of course, it wasn’t a good idea to give up on the rest of his tasks to concentrate on making more arrows. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at the stacked arrows. It was nice to find something that was more efficient than elementals, but it wasn’t an amount that he could do alone.

However, the problem was that this method involved an unfamiliar magic system, and the consumption of magic power was faster than normal. He needed to make arrows that destroyed evil, talismans that blocked the undead, and wards that weakened poison and curses.

This meant Theo had a mountain of work to do. So, it was inevitable that his physical and mental state would reach their limits.

... Well, that’s it for today.

It was good to be prepared for the battle, but he should be wary of exhausting himself before the fight. Theo took care of a few more tasks before leaving the warehouse. The chill air of the deep forest cooled Theo’s sweat and entered his lungs.

This was a very brief respite that couldn’t even be called a break.

“Ah! Theo, I was looking for you.”

Theo had only taken a few deep breaths when an elf approached him. Titania’s black hair and white bear fur clothing stood apart from the rest of the high elves.

As always, she had a large bow at her waist as she spoke without hesitation, “This is the archer formation that you taught me last time… But I think this configuration is more efficient.”

“Show me...”

Titania sketched out a quick formation on the ground. The workmanship was poor, but it was a strategy chart that anyone with some skill could recognize. Theo had only taught her for a few days, but it was evident that she had understood Theo’s instructions and improved them.

She had lived as a hunter for many years, which meant she was more qualified than anyone else to develop strategies regarding this forest. Titania was slightly inferior to Alfred, but she was definitely a genius.

Indeed, this is very good.

Theo couldn’t find anything to criticize, “Um, isn’t this very good? Did you all work together?”

Titania nodded. “I told them your opinions. It isn’t that difficult to cooperate with the other tribes who train together.”

“Okay, let's do that. If you see any improvement in the future, please tell me. I don’t know about the strengths or weaknesses of the different tribes, so I will only believe in Titania.”

Titania stuttered, “What? O-Only believe in me...”

Was it a burden? Theo was confused by Titania’s attitude and soon realized the reason. It might seem like he was dumping responsibilities on her. Titania might be a genius, but she was a beginner who didn’t have previous experience in commanding.

He blamed himself for being irresponsible and tried to encourage her, “If you are burdened...”

“No, no! Believe in me!”

“Eh?”

Theo was stunned by her unexpected reaction, and Titania slightly turned red.

“E-Ellenoa is waiting for you. The rocks and trees have been moved according to your instructions, and the training of the elementalists has finished.”

“Oh, isn’t it faster than I thought?”

Titania quickly turned around. “Then I will go. I’ll see you later.”

Theo didn’t have a chance to reply as Titania disappeared into the trees. Perhaps she was going to do some training. At first, he felt a little uneasy because of her stiff attitude. However, after a while, he realized that she was very sincere. Her stiff expression and voice became softer, and the discomfort from their first meeting was no longer present.

[Oh, my. Oh, my. Oh, my!]

As Theo took a few steps, a light and voice came from the silver ring on his right hand. It was the fragment of Lemegeton, the prohibited book—Goetia.

[You really are the master of this Geotia, sinful man!]

.

“What?”

[Making an elusive high elf blush. I feel like I am seeing my creator again!]

“You are the one thinking that on your own.” Theo looked down at the ring with a slightly flushed expression.

He didn’t know how to feel about being compared to King Solomon when it came to women, not magic abilities. However, Goetia didn’t care about Theo’s feelings.

[Hey, is this Ellenoa a high elf?]

“Ugh.” Theo reflexively stopped moving. He had forgotten about the situation due to the crisis of the world tree. However, Goetia’s words revived old memories. He had been prepared to answer the confession that he had received in Manavil, but the warlock who couldn’t read the mood messed up the schedule.

Knock, knock.?

Theo knocked at a familiar door and spoke in a soft voice, “Ellenoa, it is Theo.”

“Ah, come in.”

At the reply, Theo turned the doorknob and saw a lovely scene. The familiar he had brought with him was nestled in Ellenoa’s arms.

Yiiip?

The three-tailed fox from the East Continent crooned contentendly in Ellenoa’s arms.

“Tres?”

Yip!

The fox hadn’t opened up to anyone, which made it all the more unusual that he was in Ellenoa’s arms. Was it because the high elves were the closest to the origin of nature and were unique among the elves?

Ellenoa was surprised when she noticed that Theo and Tres knew each other. “Theo, did you bring this child? It is the first time I’ve seen a three-tailed fox.”

Theo smiled gently. “I accidentally found him in the East Continent. I brought him because he doesn’t have a mother to take care of him. He seems to like the forest and Ellenoa though.”

“Ah… I see. Poor little thing.” Ellenoa’s eyes shone with compassion as she stroked Tres’ belly, causing him to yip in pleasure.

Maybe it would be better to leave Tres in Elvenheim after this battle was done. The spirits in the East Continent also wanted an environment where they could live away from humans. But that would be something for later. Theo engraved it deeply in his mind so that he wouldn’t forget.

“Theo, your hand.”

“Ah, yes.”

Ellenoa grabbed both of Theo’s hands with a warm smile. The high elves had the ability to soothe tired minds and bodies. They could even restore the consumption of mental power to some extent as well. They sat in silence as a green light glowed around them.

Indeed, I feel comfortable with Ellenoa…

It wasn’t a matter of stamina or magic power. This sense of relief melted the boundaries of the body and the mind. But at that moment…

Kiiing!

A sharp headache pierced him like an arrow. The light that tied Theo and Ellenoa together broke, and Theo stared out of the cabin with a grim expression. He could feel something ominous at the edge of his consciousness. It was like looking up at the night sky that was barren of stars, or an abyss that didn’t have an echo.

“It is close. I can detect it...!”

Theo struggled with the hostile voice he heard as he looked toward the south of Elvenheim. A tremendous number of deaths were approaching.

***

The Red Plateau was a barren wasteland of red sand. The river beds had run dry long ago, and no rain clouds had ever graced it. No one had ever bothered living in this barren land where life couldn’t survive. ... At least, until today.

There was no flora or fauna to be used as food. The cloudless sky meant only intense sunlight burned down. If there weren’t any living creatures here, who were the residents of this dead land?

Krruk... Kuruuk... Kuruk… Ka... Haaa... Ku... Kuheok… Woo... Oo... Uhhhh....

Death marched over the red sands. Whether they were rotting flesh or simply bone, the army of the dead moved without rest. Today, the name of this land wasn’t the Red Plateau. The procession of the dead meant this neglected land was filled with the stench of dead bodies.

There were at least a hundred thousand undead. It was impossible to count them even if they were measured in units of thousands. The undead crossing the Red Plateau was a major threat to the entire continent. The intense sunlight, lack of water, and nonexistent wildlife didn’t even bother the undead. They just kept closing in on the world tree without taking a break.

Damn, he did it properly.

In the sky, a crow was watching the undead with sharp eyes. Hugin, the crow Theo had inherited from Satomer, could now range over a hundred kilometers and maintain contact with Theo. He used this method to spy on Jerem and the Four Horsemen without them noticing.

As he looked at the undead army with Hugin’s eyes, some questions came into Theo’s mind.

There are a lot of them, and they’re actually good quality. How on earth did he make so many undead?

It was strange. Lairon Kingdom might’ve been turned into undead, but they hadn’t been created in the proper way and were relatively inferior in quality. The same was true for the quantity. A hand plow made of good steel was still a hand plow, and a sword was still a sword. However, the power of the undead was limited if the correct production method wasn’t used.

Yet this huge army of undead was mostly composed of intermediate-level undead? Low-level undead like zombies and ghouls were almost invisible. Theo could also see liches, doom knights, and other senior undead. He would have needed to kill everyone in the Central Continent, not just the Lairon Church. He felt a sense of incongruity. Moreover, the swords and armor the undead were holding…

At that moment…

- A rat is peeking at us?

From far behind the undead legion, beyond the horizon, a vague figure soared high into the sky. No, it wasn’t something that could be recognized from Hugin’s perspective. The gap between Hugin and the opponent was so large that Theo couldn’t see it. However, he didn’t need to see the shape to realize the identity. He would be a fool if he didn’t know.

It was Nastrond’s demon king, Nídh?ggur. He called out to Theo from within a vortex of darkness in a voice that seemed to tear the sky and earth apart.

- Hoh, it is you. The thief who devoured the soul that belonged to me, not knowing who you are going against…

Theo couldn’t say anything. Fear froze his spine, and he had a hunch that speaking would give Nídh?ggur a pretext to do something. On the other hand, Nídh?ggur didn’t restrain himself from talking as a red light gleamed in the darkness.

- Don’t beg for your life. I will surely kill you. Don’t beg for mercy. I will chew on your body and soul for hundreds of years. Your future has been decided at this moment.

Nídh?ggur sentenced Theo to death, and two beams of light shot out from the demon king. The beams of light aimed for Hugin.

- Get lost.

Shortly after that, Theo’s consciousness was bounced out of Hugin’s body.

“Uwaaah!”

“Theo!”

Blood filled Theo’s throat, pouring out as he fell and barely grabbed the table. It was the price he paid for facing the monster called Nídh?ggur through Hugin’s eyes. Ellenoa disregarded Theo’s blood-stained clothing to hug and use her healing power.

It didn’t take long for the blood to stop, and Theo said hoarsely. “... I took one blow. That damn lizard.”

It was a simple greeting for Nídh?ggur. The telepathic attack didn’t contain any will to kill. But the fact that he could injure an 8th Circle magician with just that... This opponent was a monster that a mortal couldn’t go against. However, Theo and the others had their own means.

“Ellenoa, how long until the summoning of the divine creature?”

“Yesterday, I heard that it would take four days.”

“So, three more days. The enemy was moving at a steady pace, so they will get here in two days. We have to hold on with our own strengths for one day.”

Normal undead would be greatly weakened during the day; however, these undead were probably beyond common sense. They needed to hold on for the full twenty four hours against the undead, who didn’t know fatigue and craved the blood of the living. It was a great battle that anyone would feel afraid of.

Theo rose to his feet.

He will chew on me? Hahahaha.?

He laughed wildly at Nídh?ggur’s declaration.

You are the dumb one who doesn’t know who you’re facing. I will teach you properly.

Theo didn’t shrink back from Nídh?ggur’s declaration of war.