Lee Shin-Woo had released his 'lord cosplay', betraying the innocent skeletons and massacring them. Yet the Lightning General and the Treasure Eater were none the wiser, too preoccupied with their battle against each other.

The Lightning General didn't have the time to look away, as his opponent was freakishly strong and tenacious!

[Kyahaaaaaaaahk!]

[Tch. What's making you so desperate?]

[Kuaaaaaaaaah!]

Since they both knew that lightning wouldn't work on the other, they instead used their mana purely to reinforce their bodies. Both of them seemed to be thinking 'why did it have to be him?' despite their differing intelligence.

[Die!]

[Kyahak!]

Hansen swung his bastard sword with enough power to topple a mountain, and the Treasure Eater matched his reinforced blade with a reinforcement of its own; it concentrated its mana into its tail and used it to block the incoming sword!

The moment the sword and tail met, there was a large boom, followed by a quake passing through the land; the entire area sank, the collision changing the very landscape. It wouldn’t be remiss to call both of them a calamity.

[Tch, another draw...]

Though it was frustrating for Hansen to admit, their strength was about equal. Hansen’s strength and agility were higher, but the Treasure Eater possessed an unusually high amount of mana even when compared to other similarly leveled monsters! It covered its weakness in strength and agility with its magic, and as a result, they were evenly matched.

As it was, killing it quickly was no longer an option. Hanson would have to take advantage of its mistakes and cause it to accumulate injuries over time. Or he would have to use some heavy-duty techniques... He decided to maintain the same tactic for now and observe the Treasure Eater.

There's no way a monster like this would just show up out of nowhere... There's something I’m missing.

A Treasure Eater wouldn't appear in a place devoid of treasures. Whatever item it was had to be amazing enough to entice a level 7 Treasure Eater... Hansen thought of taking the treasure that the Treasure Eater was hoarding, as well as the treasure that it sought.

With that in mind, Hansen felt relieved that he hadn't reported to the Emperor this excursion. He'd thought that it was unnecessary to bother the Emperor when it had nothing to do with the Golems, yet it turned out to be an opportunity for him to get something on the side!

Is it the lord? Yeah, he must have obtained a treasure recently.

He'd figured out prior that the Treasure Eater's target was the lord. The lord must be happy that he can use him to take care of the Treasure Eater, but after taking down the monster, he would snatch that treasure off the lord’s hands as the price of a general’s favor!

Smile while you still can... Huh!?

However, during the small opening after he'd dodged the Treasure Eater's charge, Hansen turned his attention to the lord atop the castle walls and couldn't believe his eyes. He even suspected his eyes had finally rotted away completely after decades of being an undead.

The lord who was smiling and looking down from the castle walls was...completely different from before! Especially because the skeleton staring back at him with black goblin fire in his eyes while riding a horse possessed power that caused him unease, albeit for only a fleeting moment.

W-What's this!? Is that the lord? Plus, I don't see any of his subordinates atop the castle walls; am I seeing things wrong? No, I remember the lord's face and energy; I remember everything!

All beings had an inherent energy they could not change, which manifested in the form of mana. Even though there were cases where the shape of mana continuously developed, changed form, and developed again, it shouldn’t be possible to instantaneously change its fundamental nature.

But that guy is... Kuheok!

In his moment of distraction due to the unbelievable discovery, Hansen got hit directly by the Treasure Eater's full-body tackling and was thrown into the air. He wasn't the only one aiming for his opponent's weaknesses; the Treasure Eater was as well. Because Hansen was so shocked, he had momentarily forgotten about the current battle!

How...?

Hansen barely managed to land and return to a proper stance. Even so, he couldn't take his mind off of Lee Shin-Woo. Even as he swung his bastard sword and blocked the Treasure Eater's charge, he continued to agonize over what had happened.

How did he disguise himself as another? If that's truly possible, then when did he assume the lord’s identity? Was it when he called me? No, it shouldn't be that easy to release the lock on the communication device...!

The more he thought about it, the less he understood his current situation. His mind always circled back to the conclusion that it was impossible! Lee Shin-Woo's ability had caused the general such confusion. That was what it meant to step onto the Joker's stage.

[Kuaaaaaaaah!]

[Tch...!]

Until now, Hansen had had a slight advantage against the Treasure Eater, but because of his confusion, the tides of battle were turning. The Treasure Eater rushed him like it was capitalizing on this opportunity. Even though Hansen knew that he shouldn't get distracted, his head was still in the clouds.

Did I fall for a trap? If so, then whose? Is it Anti-Skull... No, that's unlikely. Then the Golems? Is it Arema Steelworker? Yeah, it wouldn't be impossible for them to make a Golem with such a strange ability...! The one thing I'm sure about is that that skeleton can’t be the mastermind behind all this.

And that was where Hansen’s speculation strayed from the truth. He didn’t believe that Lee Shin-Woo had planned this all by himself, which led him to the conclusion that there had to be someone behind him!

Unfortunately, Lee Shin-Woo no longer made him feel afraid or tense. Rather...

...There's no point in thinking about this anymore by myself. Pull yourself together, Hansen!

A rotten herring was still a herring—Well, it was a general in this case. Hansen pushed aside all irrelevant thoughts and tapped into his fighting spirit.

Realizing early on that it wasn’t his job to use his brain, he focused on what he was actually good at. It had been the first thing he realized about himself in life!

Doesn't matter. Whoever is pulling the strings... I'll show them that a general isn't to be taken lightly...!

At the very least, the only level 7 he could sense here was the level 7 Treasure Eater. Then it didn't matter what obstacle he was running into; he would be able to overcome it with his strength. He, the Lightning General, was certain of it. He possessed the strength that would make that possible!

No matter who it is or what they do, I'll just burn them to a crisp...!

Once he finished taking care of the Treasure Eater, the skeleton atop the castle walls with chaotically burning goblin fire would be next. He was surprised by the fact that he had been vexed by the lord just a little while ago, as he was sure that the lord wouldn't be able to match him in strength.

Of course, there was something else waiting for him afterwards. But it didn't matter. They would burn from his lightning!

[I'll burn you and break you into pieces! Witness my true strength, the strength of the Lightning Shadow[1] General, Hansen Von Dorthe!]

He fended off the Treasure Eater, and the moment it was pushed back, Hansen covered his body with lightning. Why would he do that when his opponent was impervious to the specific element? Well, lightning wasn’t only meant for attack.

[Watch, you insignificant creature. This is how you use lightning...!]

He forcefully discharged the lightning he’d accumulated and slowly gathered more inside him. At the same time, his body grew fainter and fainter!

No, it wasn't becoming faint. The lightning covering his body was rotating much too quickly, sputtering sparks and making it difficult to see where he was. In the midst of that, his body and mana surpassed their limits, and it seemed as if he had become one with the lightning.

Holy shit, that's really intense...!

Lee Shin-Woo held his breath. He had never met anyone outside of monsters with such a strong elemental affinity, and it went without saying that Hansen's technique interested him. As someone who could wield lightning as well, he mustn’t miss a single moment of this!

[This is...true lightning!]

[Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]

Lightning Shadow described a lightning so powerful that all others could see was shadow. It was about more than attacking quickly and covertly. The key lay in concealing one's body within the powerful energy!

[How much longer do you intend to trouble me for... Die!]

It was difficult to even ascertain the true nature of the technique, and it was similarly difficult to avoid it or defend against it. Even with the ability to wield lightning, it was no easy task to focus such tremendous magic and heat surpassing ordinary lightning into a single point!

[Kyaaaaaaaaahk!]

The Treasure Eater channeled its energy in an attempt to resist. However, before its defenses were ready, Hansen had already made a powerful strike with his bastard sword. The energy surrounding his bastard sword made it look like a several meter long greatsword. No, it was like the lightning of a god descending onto the mortal world!

[Ki-Kihik...]

[Hoo.]

Hansen had pierced a giant hole in the Treasure Eater. Seeing that outrageous sight, Lee Shin-Woo wondered if he had made the wrong decision. The attack the Lightning General had unleashed wasn't something that could be blocked with mere Lightning Resistance.

I guess I really will have to die a couple times... Huh?

[Guu... Guuooooooooh!]

But then the Treasure Eater showed its own secret weapon. Hansen grinned after landing such a huge attack, but the Treasure Eater then spawned dozens of tentacles from its injured area and grappled Hansen.

I’ve seen that, Lee Shin-Woo thought as the tentacles wriggled, sucking Hansen's energy.

[Kuahk!?]

[Kuhuaaaaaaaaah!]

Both Hansen and the Treasure Eater screamed. The Treasure Eater absorbed the powerful lightning that surrounded Hansen's body and was healing its injuries! Absorbing elemental power was an offshoot ability of elemental power; the Lightning General wasn’t the only one waiting for his opportunity.

[You... You bastard!]

Hansen, who'd lost a tremendous amount of energy, swung his bastard sword and severed all of the attached tentacles. There was no use crying over spilled milk. The Treasure Eater had almost fully healed the injury it had sustained by absorbing Hansen's mana.

[You dare...push me this far!]

[Kihaaaaaaaah!]

Lee Shin-Woo watched Hansen and the Treasure Eater as they gasped for breath; both of them were running low on mana and health. He made a judgment consciously, earnestly, and solemnly.

"Mm, this is a draw."

"I was wondering why you weren't saying anything."

"But more importantly, Jin, it's about time we got going."

If one were to ask if Lee Shin-Woo had just been leisurely watching the fight, then the answer would obviously be no. He had absorbed all of the level 5 and level 6 bones he had acquired through betrayal and stored the tens of thousands of level 3 and 4 bones. As a result, his stats had seen a significant increase. At the same time, he had also infused the Drake Horn Lances with his replenished magic and had been waiting for the right time.

Two, three, four, five... My armor's all set too.

He had the five Drake Horn Lances at the ready, and now that he had returned to his original form, he unsummoned the Lighting Tooth and replaced it with his armor set. He decided to act when he had finished infusing his armor with mana as well!

"They went back and forth, but the general's still stronger, right?"

"Yep. If it keeps going on like this, the Treasure Eater will definitely lose."

And from Lee Shin-Woo's perspective, that wasn't a very fun conclusion. It was time to add another variable.

"Alright... Finally, it's time to set [Operation - Bro, where are you going?] into motion."

"Man, all that means is we're running."

As expected, Jin wasn’t fooled anymore. Lee Shin-Woo clicked his tongue and got onto Jin's back. He'd collected all of the bones and finished absorbing them, so there was no point in staying here any longer. Jin jumped from the castle walls and began to run!

[Huh!?]

[Guoooook!?]

Their destination was obviously where the Golem Chimeras experiencing PTSD and rolling on the floor had come from... The Sanctuary, the Empire's testing facility!

1. T/N: Naruto reference to Raikage (Lightning Shadow). Lightning Shadow General is more literally correct than Lightning General now that Toy Car has given us the Chinese characters (雷影). ☜